The master bedroom is getting decorated slowly, but surely. We converted the unfinished attic into a master suite, which means every bit of furniture that goes in it, has to make it up a somewhat narrow flight of stairs and through the ground floor doorway first. We learned our lesson the hard way when we attempted to move our queen size box spring up and the movers said there was just no way it was making it. Needless to say, we had to go buy a 2 part box spring later that week. 

Another piece of furniture that had no chance of making it was our old headboard. This didn’t really bother me because I wanted to go a different direction anyway. (And, I’m refinishing it and hope to sell it.) That said, I discovered a clever way to reuse a sentimental piece and get myself a headboard.

This is an old barn door from the house my in-laws used to live in when my husband was growing up. My mother-in-law had the window taken out of the door and turned it into a mirror for my husband (I think his sisters got one too). It was always a little too short to really use as a stand-up mirror, so I thought, let’s screw it to the wall and use it as our headboard. 

It was the perfect size to our queen bed and I loved the way the room reflected in it. (Though, it’s a little sad looking now.)

As you can see, the other side table is missing as it’s getting painted and the room has got a lot of work to do. I plan to update as more gets done. 

Last night, my adorable friend Rebecca Herskovitz brought over an amazing painting she created for me. My mother-in-law actually commissioned the piece on my behalf as a wonderful Christmas present this past year. I couldn’t be happier!

Honestly, the pictures do not do this piece justice. She is an amazingly talented artist and when I someday reach my goal of opening up a storefront, her artwork will be one of the local artists that I hope to showcase. 

Since, I am waiting for some major projects to get rolling, this week I have been working on furniture redesigns (which I hope to have pictures and a portfolio of soon) and getting my own house in order. 

First up, our little main floor hallway. I am attempting to make it a makeshift library and I like the direction it is headed. We love books in our household. In fact, it kind of freaks me out when I go in to someone else’s home and I can’t find a single book. To me, the number one thing to make a house feel more inviting is having tons of books around. 

That said, here is a shot of our hallway ending in our guest bedroom (that is still a work in progress like every other room in the house). To the right is the dining room and on the left is the linen closet that I turned into a library which has been updated a bit more. 

A terrible shot (I am a very bad photographer) of the bookcase I added with art I did of haphazard letters that do form a small snippet of a line from a Loudon Wainwright song “Strange Weirdos”. 

Also, on the bookcase are my awesome new “7 deadly sins” votives. I think humor and whimsy should be part of your decor as much as any amazing designer piece should. 

Have a great weekend! 

Just finished painting the mirror and the bench (and another similar bench).

Plus, recovered the seat(s) in an awesome, white snakeskin vinyl. 

I’m working with a lovely client, who lives outside the city, on an entire house remodel. She has done a fantastic job with picking many of the finishes already, but I am working with her on lighting, floor plans, color palette and much of the decor. 

Since it is such a large project and she lives a couple of hours away, it is a slow process. But I can’t wait to finish up a few rooms and share some photos with everyone. 

Above is a little tease of a moodboard created for their living room. She has some adorable, vintage channel back chairs from her family that we want to recover and work into the design plan (the black and white fabric complements the dining room rug which can be seen from the living room). We will do this by blending some vintage and clean-lined contemporary. There is so much more to share and I can’t wait to get out there again.