LIVING ROOM UPDATE (PART 2)

I’ve been going through the very slow process of transforming my home into something that works a little better for this family. Something that fits the stage of life we are in – toddler proof, dog proof, STRESS PROOF (is that possible?!) – but still feels good, you know? I really want it to feel light, fun, but still “put together.” And amazingly, I’m actually starting to think it’s coming together quite nicely! It feels comfortable, which makes me stress far less about the constant state of mess that it’s in. It will always be a work in progress, of course, and there are rooms upstairs that go mostly ignored (ahem, the master and guest bedrooms…), but heck, I’ll take what I can get!

If you recall, the living room looked a little something like this…

Overall, not a whole lot has changed, eh? But that coffee table makes a world of a difference. It brightens up the whole room and gives it a better balance. To be honest, I initially wasn’t the biggest fan – something just seemed…off. But adding that pouf was a great move in so many ways (if I do say so myself!). It creates much more of an equilibrium with the oversized coffee table, provides extra seating, and excellent entertainment/climbing practice for the kid. He even rolls it across the house Cross Fit style so yeah, totally worth the investment (found ON SALE at West Elm! Unfortunately, it’s no longer available, but they do have other great choices).

The coffee table, by the way, was a $50 flea market find that I painted in Annie Sloan’s “Old White,” lightly distressed, and sealed with a beeswax. I originally refinished it with the intention to sell…a huge problem I have, actually. I only find and refurbish pieces that I would choose to have in my own home, and more often than I am willing to admit, this is exactly what happens – they end up in my own home. First world problem, I know.

As much of a “problem” that it is – I love that my home is full of pieces I’ve created. Is it perfect? NO. Sometimes these pieces are picked and painted to fill a void until something better comes along or goes on sale (hello Anthropologie, I’m talking to you…), but it makes my home mine and I know there is no other out there like it. It really is my happy place (framed picture courtesy of A Beautiful Mess after I pre-ordered their book). And I don’t know about you, but I’m getting really tired of seeing the same products and style in what seems like EVERY HOME in the blogosphere. I love the midcentury, but come on guys, give it a break and switch it up every once in a while!

Speaking of midcentury and quickly getting off of my high horse…I do plan on adding a little midcent style to my own home in the form of a 1960’s vintage record player cabinet courtesy of the hubby’s parents (meaning FREE!). It’s something they owned for longer than needed, and knowing my love for all things vintage, they drove it down from NYC and passed it on to very willing hands. And now it sits in my studio, waiting for a little hemp oil and muscle (aka The Husband) to get it home. Guess where it’s going to end up? Yep, that’s right – the living room!

Part 3 coming soon…

Living in Motherhood: Part 1

For those of you that have followed me for a while, you’re well aware that I’m a bit of an interior design aficionado. Seriously, I could oogle Pinterest images for hours (and actually have when baby has fallen asleep on me!). There are a lot of images that speak to me though, and I have yet to completely define my style.

What I have learned, however, is to go with my gut and not let any one style limit me. And to be realistic. I would love an all white interior, or at least mostly white, but with 2 dogs, a cat, a baby, and a husband that doesn’t often take off his shoes when home…not possible.

image via I Suwanee

I love the girly glamorous, but getting my husband to agree to crystal chandeliers, gold trim, any shade of pink, or faux fur…not possible.

via First Home on Tumbler

I love the fresh cottage, Pottery Barn-like style…but I have also discovered that it is possible to have too much of a good thing.

via House to Home

What I hope to create is an eclectic style of all of these things, a style that is cozy and comfortable and fitting for my newfound lifestyle. Most of all, I want a style that makes me smile – and looks good messy. Because let’s face it, who has time to clean with a baby on the move?!

via House to Home (UK)

via Oh Joy!

Now on to the baby-proofing…any tips and suggestions?

Feeling the Bohemian Vibe + Gift Ideas

Perhaps it’s my desire to adopt a more carefree attitude, or my need to relinquish a little more control (it’s so hard!), but I have recently found myself drawn to that laid-back, bohemian vibe.

I know that I will never be that true free spirit – I simply care too much about the judgments of others and I’m way, WAY too uptight to fully let that part of myself go. But as you may have read, I have been attempting to let go to the best of my ability and insert bits and pieces of this spirit into my daily life.

With that said, of course it only makes sense to insert some of that bohemian vibe into the one room I spend most of my time in…

A livable, plush living room with a bohemian flair via Lonny

Currently, my living room is a bit too Pottery Barn-ish with a neutral, natural color scheme. But, since I can’t disregard the furniture I already have, I am going with a vintage, cottage-y, bohemian style…

Yes, I definitely need a little more panache in my life! And for me, adding this flair makes it more inviting and child-friendly. So with credit card and wish list in hand, I went ahead and did a little Christmas shopping for myself…

All throw pillow via Society6

Throw blanket and rug via Ikea

You can find the prints here and here.

I must add, all of these accessories are $30 and under and would make the perfect holiday gift for those in your life that may need a little pick me up! Tis the season, my friends (one for you, one for me…).

Looking forward to sharing my mini-makeover with you once I get all these goodies in hand!

Incorporating the Modern…A Wishful Room Update.

There’s something about colder, crisper weather that makes me want to redecorate my entire house. Add to that my nesting instinct and it’s a recipe for trouble!

Of course, with a baby on the way, my decorating budget has dramatically decreased. And I’m pretty certain once my little one is in my arms I won’t give a second thought to what my house looks like for at least the first month, but in the meantime, a girl can dream, right?

Yep. There’s baby stuff around the house now!

When I moved into this home 2 years ago, I had a bit of an infatuation with Pottery Barn. Who doesn’t? But since then, my style has morphed a bit and I would love to incorporate a few modern touches. My new infatuation? Black and white!

However, I wasn’t sure how to incorporate this new infatuation with my much more rustic décor without spending an arm and a leg…until I realized that the answer was right under my feet!

Since my floors are a lovely, distressed black and white, I figured that I could easily (and cheaply!) tie this into the décor with a few fun throw pillows and blankets without things looking too hodge podge. So I turned to Etsy and Zara Home for some inspiration…

Let me explain…the throw blanket and pillow with yellow detail you see directly above would go on the armchair and incorporate the few pops of yellow that I already have around the room. And the remaining pillows would get arranged on the couch and would incorporate the teal-ish blue on the entertainment unit and game table/bistro chair.

I would also love to find or create a large piece of canvas art next to my fiddle leaf fig, and print out some fun artwork to replace in the two frames hung above the bench.

And voila! With very little effort I would have a completely new, modern vintage (“modage”) look. Now to replace the couch…

What do you think? Love it or hate it? Do you think the black & white clashes too much with the rug?

Left My Heart in Washington State…

Ahh. There is something so incredibly refreshing about the crisp, cool, foggy mornings of Washington State. I was lucky enough to visit at a time in which the weather was absolutely and utterly perfect. Low 60’s in the mornings with a dreamy fog that would break around 10:30 every morning, sunny 70’s in the early afternoon, a non-humid 80’s in the late afternoon, and right back down to the low 70’s in the evening.

Four generations of family (one just happens to be in my belly…)!

And the constant smell of the sea hanging in the air – glorious. What I loved most of all though, was the backdrop of the mountains against the blues of the sky. As soon as that morning fog began to thin, you could see the beauty of Mt. Rainier breaking through, bright and clear and dominant.

I love Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley that I am lucky enough to live in, but there is something so invigorating and mysterious about the Northwest. And with the beloved family that I get to see so rarely now thousands of miles away, I think a big piece of my heart remains in Washington.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

With the picturesque landscape and sweeping sea still in my mind, I thought I’d throw together a space inspired by nautical living…

 

Arteriors Diallo Chandelier / Coral Wall Art / Tawi Curtain / Driftwood End Table / Recycled Glass Table Lamp / Sea Shell Pillow Cover / Threshold Ombre Pillow / Honfleur Linen Pillow / Enwright Sofa / Peacock Blue Walnut Sofa Table / Anchor Pillow / Rue du Bac French Country Arm Chair / Vintage Wooden Side Stool / Round Woven Coffee Tables / S&B Dot Rug / Aidan Gray Davin Bench / Whale & Rope Pillow

 

 

…and crisp neutrals, natural textures, and pops of blues and corals give this space just the right touch!

DIY THURSDAY: ENTERTAINMENT UNIT REDO.

If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you may have gotten a peek of my entertainment unit redo last night. I think I let my excitement get ahead of me!

It’s quite amazing how easily a quick paint job can change the dynamic of an entire room. Initially, the entertainment unit was the monstrosity in the room – The Big Black Box was the focal point indeed:

I’ve been wanting to paint this sucker the moment we brought it into this house, and after finally convincing the husband that it was a go, I also had to convince him to unplug all the cables and go without TV for a couple of days, and it just so happened that it was during the SEC and NFL games. Oops…

But the weather was cooperating – almost 70 degrees! – and I could wait no longer. So we lugged it outside and I immediately went to work.

First, I removed the backing, shelving, and doors, and then sanded the entire piece down just to rough it up a bit in order to give the paint something to hold on to. I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint for the majority of the piece, which typically requires little to no sanding, but I wanted avoid applying a half dozen layers!

I then applied a thick layer of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in French Linen to avoid any seepage of black when applying the Old White.

Once this base layer was dry, I gave it an allover light sand with 220-grit sandpaper to smooth it down, and then began applying the Old White.

I applied two layers of Old White on the exterior and just a quick layer of the white on the interior and again, used 220-grit to smooth things out. *Typically, you do not need to sand between layers. Annie Sloan’s Chalk Paint is meant to give that hand-painted and matted affect for that distressed and aged look that everyone loves so much. I wanted to go for only a very light distress, however. Sanding with high grit paper allows for a smoother surface and offers a very light sheen rather than a matted finish.

Once the Old White was fully dry, I painted the interior in a custom blue using Louis Blue and Old White.

Unfortunately, at this point, I noticed the weather becoming a little less cooperative – a large and dark rain cloud was blowing in – so I quickly finished up with the blue, allowed the paint to fully dry, lightly distressed the edges using 150-grit paper, and then lugged the piece inside. (And in my hurry, I forgot to take the remaining pictures!)

In between bouts of rain, I painted the backing in my custom blue, the doors in yet another custom and slightly lighter blue, and the shelves in Old White. And finally, once everything was dry, I lugged the unit back outside to spray the top and interior in a crystal clear enamel to give it a tough, protective finish (I knew the top and interior would get a bit of a beating over the years, so I wanted to avoid the waxed finish).

Finally, I left the putting back together of the unit to the hubby while I basked in my accomplishment. Once things were in working order, I added some ribbon detail to the doors, and here it is today…

Better, don’t you think? It really blends into the room and brightens things up! I’ve added a few more touches of blue throughout the room to tie it all together and now feel much more at home. It’s amazing what a little paint can do!

Linked to:

DIY THURSDAY: BEFORES AND AFTERS…

Well, I somehow managed to get sick for the second time in one month. Tis the season, I suppose, but I fully blame the overly-crowded DC metro on this one!

With my head a bit fuzzy and my nose feeling as though it’s about to burst, I decided to forgo the planned DIY project for this week. I was resolved to post something equally entertaining, however, and was wracking my brain on what it could possibly be when my Aha! moment hit.

Who doesn’t love before and after pictures?!

I’ve lived in my home for just under 2 years now, and while the progression has been slow going, it’s still a world of a difference from what it was before we moved in. So without further ado…

LIVING ROOM: (repainted in Valspar Chalk Green)

(You can find the tutorial on the wall gallery here.)

DINING ROOM: (repainted in Valspar Oatmeal)

(DIY shelving tutorial here.)

(Architectural décor tutorial here.)

HALLWAY: (repainted in Valspar Oatmeal)

(Barn door coat rack tutorial here.)

Needless to say, it’s still a work in progress, but I can’t deny that I’m happy with the progression! Next up: the kitchen and the library!

What do you think? Do you have any befores and afters you would like to share? If so, feel free to send them my way and I will share a few in Next Thursday’s post!