Good Morning All! I am becoming tres impatient with Mother Nature…where is Spring? Sigh…the silver lining is that I do not feel guilty getting indoor projects done when the sun is out, as it is still below 30 degrees! So on to some eye candy that helped to uplift my, “Is Spring ever going to arrive” animosity. Enjoy!
And this is my parent’s pool where I will be spending many hours with the kiddos this Summer. I am so impressed that they did all the landscaping themselves many moons ago, moving each huge bolder, planting every tree…
Good Morning! It is the One Room Challenge Guest Participation Kick-Off Day! Woo Hoo! For those not familiar with the Challenge, participants have six weeks to transform a room, sharing a post regarding project progression each Thursday. You can follow all the featured designers posts here.
Soooo, I have decided to tackle a redo of hubby’s office! It is the saddest room I have ever seen in that: 1) there is no storage; 2) there is no proper desk chair; 3) the current layout doesn’t work and; 4) it.looks.sad. I am pretty sure my Mom hung the wallpaper circa 1970s when my Dad took over the office from my grandfather. Yikes! Long enough ago that grasscloth is in again! Ha! When I was thinking about which room to tackle, I realized that hubby, who loves what he does and is dedicated to his patients, spends more time in that office than at home. As such, this room update is overdue.
So…. drumroll please… here it is in.all.its.glory. At least this sad of a “before” will mean the “after” will be that much sweeter! Cannot wait to get at it but OMG where to begin.
SAD OFFICE BEFORE
The two desks are a holdover from before my Dad retired…three years ago! The art is courtesy of our two girls who visit hubby at work and leave him drawings and notes.
BEFORE- The clean out
At least there is a lot of light..cannot wait to paint those moldings! The footprint of the space cannot be changed for many reasons so the size of the office will remain on the small side, but I am hoping with a different layout and better furniture, it will feel bigger.
BEFORE- Wallpaper nightmare
The wallpaper is so sad that the walls look the same when parts of it are ripped down. Cannot wait to get that old glue scraped off…
Now onto the plan to move forward and make this space pretty! Here is the inspiration for one long desk we are making to put under the window:
On this rainy chilly day I am dreaming of the huge Spring blooms that will (soon!?) appear on the rhododendron in our front yard. This kind of weather (while hibernating inside) is perfect for planning Summer projects. I am currently working on one for hubby’s office building. The building is a gorg mid to late 1800s brick grand dame and I am in love with the exterior, particularly the large plantation windows. We have been trying to do updates each year as time and budget allow, and last year’s project was the porch with new railings. This year everything will get painted and landscaped once the handicap ramp is added on.
The major checklist for this project includes lovely lanterns for exterior lighting, and new flooring in the foyer. I have been dreaming of a black and white tiled floor for the entry which feels very brownstone-esque to me. The foyer has an antique radiator and stairs leading up to the second floor, so a symmetrical tile design is out. Here is my planning worksheet so far with sources noted below.
SOURCES: Exterior Porch Lighting Option Lantern 1 and 2| Exterior Post Lantern|Sign Option| Indoor Light Fixture| Classic Flooring Option 1 and 2| Stair Runner Option 1 and 2
Spring is sloooooow in arriving this year, so I am trying to make as many project plans ahead so when it does arrive we are ready to jump in! ANNNNNND speaking of upcoming AWESOME projects, the One Room Challenge Spring 2018 kicked off today, with guest participants posting tomorrow! I am soooo excited to be participating in my FOURTH challenge, and tomorrow I will be unveiling the project I will be tackling.
Happy Monday All! Even though it is below 40 degrees this morning, the sun.is.shining! I am going to jump right in on this busy Monday and show you some great holiday ideas and decor in case, like me, you are late to the Easter/Passover planning party. Hope this helps in getting you inspired!
First, a fun idea from Martha…a tutorial to make bunny ear napkins- perfect for the kids table at Easter:
Hello! So I have had one of those starts to the year that can be summed up like whack-a-mole. Everything needed time and attention at once and despite my best laid plans, I was not able to keep my blogging resolution. So now that I have sufficiently beaten myself up about it, I am hitting RESET and starting anew. That is after all what Spring is about!
So let’s talk design, color and all things SPRING starting with some things I am loving that I wanted to share with you…and P.S. I have been totally fixated on navy and white lately so….
First Up- YES! I am the crazy lady who set her alarm at 3am to jump on Pottery Barn’s site to pick-up some of their new Lilly collab…overall there were some great prints, but I was hoping for a little more tableware. Nevertheless, I am hearing that a second line may debut in April so if you are planning parties by the pool this Summer, let’s keep our fingers crossed.
Next- I typically check Target for outdoor furniture, as I have had great luck in the past purchasing a patio set that has withstood all the fun Spring and Summer can dish out. This Season they have stepped up their game with these fab French Bistro chairs. They are stackable and come in navy/white and gray/white. They also have a version that can be folded and another that is bar height, all at great price points for a popular, on-trend style. FYI, some choices are sold out online and are available in-store only. Additionally, there is a 35% off sale on patio, with an additional 15% this weekend with code SPRING. And BTW, I am not affiliated with Target for this info., just sharing some great finds!:)
And the next item is part of what I would call “the classics.” Gorg…you cannot have enough of….they go with anything, anywhere…. blue and white ginger jars and vases. And this time of year with tulips, cherry blossoms and daffodils, they are the perfect vessel to make a statement.
And then there is this painting that I have been stalking for some time. There is a “Friends and Family” event going on now, so perhaps the time has come to finally purchase it….
Lastly, although these tiles are not necessarily “spring” they are a strong trend right now and are available in a million prints and colors. I am loving the combo with navy and white cabinets like the ones below from Grenada Tile….
Hi All! The day has finally arrived! I am so excited to share my One Room Challenge reveal with you! I chose to makeover my older daughter’s room, and her only request was to create some comfortable areas to relax, and to paint the walls pink. To be honest that much pink kept me on the edge of my comfort zone for the entire project, but in the end it all came together and she is so happy with the result…and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to do it. Thank you again to Linda at Calling It Home for organizing this crazy adventure!
Here is the Entry BEFORE:
and Entry AFTER (insert my giddy giggle):
and BEFORE:
and AFTER:
Before, the headboard and wall that never got completed..
and AFTER:
The dresser BEFORE:
The AFTER: I am so thankful to amazing friends for pulling off this incredible makeover of my late grandfather’s dresser. The lacquered grey is gorg in the room and each brass handle was polished to perfection…
Simple styling on the bookcase…
and a lap desk for use as a homework area…
And then there is the wallpaper…which definitely provides the impact I was hoping for:
I am so happy this all came together and sooooo thankful that an extra week was added to the challenge, as I was literally polishing the brass hardware on the dresser a mere 24 hours ago.
Morning All! Happy Thursday! It’s time for the weekly update for the One Room Challenge! There is ONE more week left so it is time for the last push before the final reveal next Thursday, November 16th!
This week had a few curveballs in that hubby threw his back out so the molding project that was on tap for the weekend had to be, well, modified. Thank goodness the amazing carpenter I have worked with many times was able to stop by to install the upper cove and lower quarter round moldings for me on a moments notice. Phew! And apparently the walls are far from straight or plumb so I am thankful that we brought in the professionals! Now just a bit of touch up and caulk and they.will.be.done!
I am so in love with the wallpaper. It is repositionable, was easy to use (thanks Mom!), and gives the room the pop o’ fun I was looking for. The best part was that it was $29.99 a roll at Target!
I am still debating whether or not to paint the closet door. SO tempted, but I think I will bring in all the other bold elements like the charcoal upholstered headboard and printed rug before I make the final decision. I am also so thankful that our 1930s house retained both its vintage door knobs and large baseboard moldings throughout the years because they add such character to all the updates we have done.
I am away for the next three days while hubby attends a conference, so I am heading to Ikea near where we are staying (lucky beak!) to purchase this rug, some pillow inserts, and figure out what I am doing for nightstands.
Hi All! I totally blew through Week 4 of the One Room Challenge, and here we are into a new week! Sigh. The last two weeks got away from me because we had a wonderful party for my daughter’s birthday (which I posted links to above), I have taken on a few design projects for clients (to be pulled together before Thanksgiving), and I am chipping away at my daughter’s bedroom for the One Room Challenge. Chipping.Away. You can read about the amazing progress of all the other guest participants here.
This room is not exactly falling into place. First, I decided to use a new spackle, which I love and it worked well, but it.was.stinky. Which meant that as each layer dried we cleared everyone out from the second floor and opened all the windows….which in turn slowed down the drying time. Then there is the paint color. I am still not sure I won’t be sneaking in and re-painting it (hows that double negative!) but trying to stay optimistic that when everything else comes into the room it will be the perfect backdrop. My daughter loves the color, and even hubby, my gauge of whether things are a bit.too.over.the.top, thought it was a great shade. I am just not 100% sure yet, even after painting two coats.
BEFOREDURING
So while I continue to debate the paint color, I am turning my attention to bedding and window treatments. I ordered this headboard in a gorg charcoal to soften the black and white accents I have planned (while also balancing the pink!):
This weekend I am bringing my late grandfather’s dresser to be painted a high gloss gray which should look AH-mazing against the pink walls…whatever shade I end up with. I need to spiff up the brass hardware on it and I think it will be the true show piece of the room. Hubby and I are tackling the upper and lower moldings this weekend, so I made sure to stock up on plenty of wine to celebrate checking that off the list!
Morning! Busy little bee over here….this weekend we are having my daughter’s 9th birthday party, and I have been planning a fun celebration with family and friends. As such I made the insane decision to start the actual implementation of my One Room Challenge after this weekend. So it is now a six week challenge in 1/2 the time! Put some coffee on!
So far, I chose a blush wall color, purchased some repositionable wallpaper for a focal wall, and made a plan for the addition of crown and base moldings.
I purchased some lamps (an amazing HomeGoods find):
And large scale artwork:
And I fell for this bold rug that will create its own statement:
I still need to find soft neutral curtains (see inspo pic below) and figure out what type of headboard I am doing. Yikes! But paint is going on the wall next week (and by that I mean I am painting my tushy off)! Woo hoo!
Morning All! I am on the hunt for some really pretty personalized stationery. I have always been enamored with all things notepaper- the feel, the print, the font choices, the colors…yep, totally stationery geek. We took Sara Langley Designs to the Stationery show in NYC when we debuted our former line ages ago, and I was truly a kid in a candy store.
Here are some of my favorites from around the web:
A bold lining is a must for me, and this pink letterpress note hits.it.out.of.the.park!:
And these happen to coordinate with the design I am doing for my daughter’s room (you can tell I have been sourcing all things blush and black- p.s. they also sell that adorable bamboo pen!):
