After much searching, I have finally found a couple of light fixtures for the showroom/office. I was looking for some vintage, swag style lights that had some character and discovered these adorable girls at my favorite antique store in town. 

Light #1. I’ll call her Daisy. 

Light #2. Meet Sunny. 

Close up of Daisy. She’s pretty.

2 down. 2 more to go. Best job ever. 

Last week (or the week before, I’m losing track of time) I did a before and after of a tudor style home built in 1940. Though the house had seen better days, the bones were amazing and the character could not be replicated in a new home. Thus, the renovations began. 

Next up is the kitchen (mostly the breakfast nook).

Before:

Terrible arrangement, terrible floors, old appliances and that arch completely cut the space in half and made the kitchen almost non-functional. Oh, and it was so dark even with three large windows. 

After:

About 4 million times brighter and 17 times more storage and workspace. Plus, it’s much prettier and who doesn’t like pretty? 

The breakfast nook never got used for eating and since the dining room is directly off the kitchen, it was slight overkill to have two tables very close to one another. A lovely sofa fills the space much better and is an extra space for conversations during a party or serves as a charming spot to read a book or chat with the chef. 

*Note* All of this series is actually the story of my (and Christopher-the husband and Lisey-the dog) new (old) house. As much as I would love to share tons of pictures of all my client’s designs, in truth decorating someone’s home is a long process. So either I’m not completely done with spaces – usually due to very busy people and not huge budgets, they have been too small to chronicle for you – bookshelf restyling, color consults, etc., or a few people have requested that I don’t share images of their private space. That said, I am finishing up a couple of really cool spaces this summer and should be able to share the images with you not too long from now. 

 I figure it is always fun to feel like you are part of the creative process. Lucky for you, I feel very comfortable sharing all of my personal spaces and the new office/showroom design plan with you. I hope that is interesting enough to make up for a lack of client space right now!

I’m currently obsessing over the decor (and inventory) for Birdhouse Collectible. While out thrifting last week, I came across some really cool, vintage paint brushes. I think they would look amazing in an artist or designer’s studio. For now, they will be a fun little accent which will display at the shop.

(See what I did there with the title? Art = paint brushes and they will be on display. Oh, I’m a clever one). 

Thought I would share some before and afters on the good ol’ blog. First up is the dining room of a 1940’s brick tudor.

Before:

Gross, completely no light, ugly carpet and that chandelier makes me gag. 

After:

Added french doors to access the backyard, took up the ugly carpet to get to the hardwood floors, new paint and new sputnick light. 

Better, right?

As much as I would love built-in bookshelves in every nook of my house, our budget (and probably yours) will not allow that. So, as I solution to that design dilemma, I picked up some Lack bookshelves from Ikea. 

Mixing the inexpensive shelves with a splurge piece (the art) makes everything seem a bit more sophisticated than a whole wall of janky bookcases (not that these are). 

A collection of vases.

Gerry, the giraffe. 

Vintage Native American textile from New Mexico.