ORC: Week Six - Final Reveal

I can officially say that I have completed Linda's One Room Challenge and survived to tell about it!!!  I might've neglected my family, our pet fish and the house for the past week, but I am very, very happy with the outcome!!  AND I can also officially say (and my husband will agree) that our guest room is soooo much nicer than our master bedroom - and there is something completely not right with that!

I am happy to share it with you.  Here is my guest room reveal….

Those beautiful brass nailheads caused a couple of gray hairs and took so painstakingly long.  For every one I got right, I ruined about twenty.  No joke.  But, it worth the hundreds I saved from buying a new headboard.  

If you remember, below is a picture of our guest room BEFORE:

And, this is our guest room (and which also pulls double duty as my office) AFTER:

Below is a snapshot of my huge homasote DIY bulletin board that also serves as my catch all inspiration and design planing board. 

And, my little desk below surrounded by all the many things I love and treasure.  

For those of you who have followed along, thank you so much for sticking with me!  This was a great challenge for me personally and professionally!  If there is enough interest, I'd be happy to put a blog post together about my DIY headboard.  I think I spent approximately $180 in materials and supplies at the end of the day. 

If you are just tuning in, I've just spent the past six weeks participating in Linda's One Room Challenge and you are welcome to read more about my guest room's transformation during the previous weeks here.   Thank you Linda for hosting my first ever ORC.  Hop over here to see the other participants and their crazy transformations. 

Also, I'd like to thank Nicole Pullen who helped me with the photography! She is based in Louisville.

Sources are listed below.

Paint // Euro Fabric // Lumbar Pillow // Coverlet // Scalloped Sheets // Bed Skirt // Sconces // Headboard Fabric // Headboard Nailhead // Bench // Bench Pillows // Desk // Desk Chair // Mirror // Desk lamp //

Architectural Interest: Chair Rail vs. Wainscoting

Let's talk architectural trim.  We have no architectural interest other than our ceiling molding in our modest entry.  To make our entry 'shine', I wanted to do a recessed or flat panel wainscoting design.  See inspiration below.

But, after taking measurements, I decided against it mainly because our entry has a very narrow front hallway that leads to the kitchen (which gets a lot of traffic) and if we were to install the flat panel wainscoting, it would chew into the space making the hallway even more narrow.

I am now considering doing a chair rail which won't chew into valuable space.

Finding the exact chair rail to match our dining room (still in progress) turned out to be a bit of a challenge, but after some online searching I found a very similar match.  See here.

The plan is to paint the chair rail and wall space below the chair rail in BM White Dove and then do a textured wallpaper above the chair rail as a nod to classic design.  I have my eyes fixated on Ralph Lauren's herringbone textured wallpaper.

I plan on continuing the chair rail into our living room which flanks our entry.  I think the challenge is going to ensure that the chair rail fits seamlessly into the design and doesn't feel forced.

In regards to the color palette in our entry, I want to play off the drapery fabric that'll be in our dining room - John Robshaw's Prasana American Beauty that you see immediately to your left when you walk into our entry.

Some of these items might be a pipe dream, but I say start big and I'll see where it goes….;)

Latest and Greatest

Sometimes, when I think about decorating my home, I wonder if it all going to make sense once it is all said and done.  Is it going to flow?  Or is it going to be all a jumble because there are days when my mind feels like that.

The other day I quickly threw together a design board of key pieces that I am currently loving and want to be the main elements of certain rooms in my home.

I am seeing a theme, at least in a color palette, as I forge ahead with decorating my home - hues of blues with touches of red.  If you look at my designs for my dining room and guest room, both have this color palette and lately, I am just really drawn to it.  Of course, I still love green, and there will be touches of green thrown in for good measure.

Here are the details of what I would like to do:

{1, 9} - The current plan for our powder room - have always loved Manuel Canovas' trellis wallpaper and wanted to find a place to use it.  Imagine wallpaper with paneling! And, I love how PB just came out with this mango wood mirror (already ordered it) and think it'll look perfect!  It's the perfect size for a bathroom!

{2,3,4} - This is the plan for our kitchen nook.  Mind you, this plan changes daily (or so it seems) so I'm trying to really solidify it.  It's one of the first things you see as you walk through our entry so I want it to stand out.  Quadrille's volpi fabric in a soft blue as roman shades, those chairs around a white pedestal table and a fun pendant hanging above like the hicks pendant in polished nickel.

{5,6,7} - This is the plan for our entry.  Imagine crisp white paneling paired with Ralph Lauren's textured herringbone wallpaper.  I am loving the idea of a navy console like Oomph's (will never be able to afford this so most likely a DIY) topped with serena and lilly's mirror.  I'm afraid this might be too trendy and so I might alter this a bit.

{8} - For the longest time, I have wanted to invest in a nice throw for our family room.  Deciding on a color has stumped me until now!  I need a pop of red so Serena and Lily's throw in red is perfect!

Of course, the hardest thing for me when decorating my own home is committing because I fear my likes will change.  But, for now, I like where this is going.  How about you?  Any pieces of this plan appeal to you?

Our Dining Room: Paint Progress

Life has been hurdling by at breakneck speed (is May almost over….seriously?) and there has been much going on in our household.  School just got out and we're gearing up for summer.  This means lots of outdoor activities and projects.  BUT, we're still trying to tie up some loose ends with some of our indoor spring projects.  Specifically, we're trying to finish up our dining room.  I'm very excited to tell you that our dining room is almost fully painted.

Remember, this post where I was undecided with painting just the trim OR painting the trim and below the chair rail?  Well, the decision has been made….

{in progress: window mullions still need to still be painted}

I'm in love.  Seriously.  I originally just wanted the molding/trim painted blue, but after living with it for  a week or two, the space didn't feel grounded enough.  It felt to ethereal and I decided I needed more color.

{in progress}

So my very patient husband granted my wish and painted below the chair rail this past memorial day weekend and I love how it turned out.  

The above fabric will be for the floor length lined window panels.  I will be doing black hardware so it ties in with the black lantern.  I still need to decide if I want to have a woven shade layered behind the panels and what type of pleat for the panels. 

Here you can see the various types of pleats my seamstress does and I want the french triple pleat (top row…third from the left).

Above is the fabric scheme I am considering for the DR.  The ticking and check will be used as slips on the chairs and the les indiennes floral will be used as two pillows on the head chairs flanking the cupboard.

So, we're slowly getting there.  There is still a ton to be done and I will save the other details like the furniture and slipcovered parson chairs for a later post (when I have some pics)!!!  Hope you enjoyed!!

Get this Patio Look on the SUPER Cheap

I have always LOVED Olivia Brock's patio from the Lacquered Life blog.  I remember seeing it in Southern Living and just loved how comfortable, casual and chic it looked.

In an effort to recreate the above look, I am proud to say I've created this look on the super cheap!!
Here is my inspiration.

Here are the details.  

The hardest part was finding a metal/aluminum clean lined patio set with green cushions that literally wasn't over $1000.  I found this set for $299 from Walmart and it has great reviews.

via

I ordered it and it'll arrive this week so I will update you to let you know about comfort, etc.  The key is not to have things matchey-matchey so I plan on breaking up this set.

I will pair the sofa with two Byholma Ikea chairs (see below) and then I plan on putting the two Walmart lounge chairs in a separate spot to create another small and intimate spot for conversation.

via

For the sofa, I plan on putting the pottery barn sunbrella trellis pillows in putty to break up the green.

And, then I would add Serena and Lilly's pinstriped pillows in navy on each one of the Ikea chairs (and if budget allows one on the sofa too).  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these pillows.

I love World Market's garden stools for $60 and would use this as an accent table.

And, this look isn't complete without an antique galvanized metal watering can to be used for your hydrangea clippings!! ;)

So, there you have it!  I am really excited that I was able to get all these super cheap but chic pieces for our outdoor deck/patio!  Next week we have family visiting us from MI, MD and FLA to celebrate my son's first Holy Communion so this is all perfect timing.  

Once, everything is in place I will come back to share pictures!!  

A Quick Fix - Before and After

Moving stuff around (#MSA) the house gets my creative juices flowing.   Nine times out of ten it is all I need for the room to feel 'fresh' again.  

This week I found a window of time and decided to freshen up our built-ins in our family room.  I recently purchased a Ralph Lauren blue and white porcelain lamp from HomeGoods and wanted to see if it would work well in the space.   So, here is the after (with lamp in picture)….

After

And, here was the before. 

Before

Major improvement and I am definitely keeping the HomeGoods blue and white lamp.  See how moving stuff around #MSA works!!!  Nothing is new (except the lamp).  

Of course, now I want to paint the back of the built-ins a blueish color.   I played around yesterday with samples and here is one option (see paint swatch behind lamp)…

I like it, but I think I want darker! :)  Now, just to find the time to do this!  Happy weekend!

Our Dining Room: Progress

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  Well, this has nothing to do with St. Patricks day and all to do about my dining room!  Ha!  Anyway, I'm trying my hardest to make progress on some rooms in our home before May arrives (translation: lots of family and friends visiting).

Here is one combination I am considering for our dining room (the fabric is for the drapes).

At first, I was ho-hum about the fabric, but my husband really likes it and lately, it is really growing on me.  I like how the navy and red keeps the color scheme grounded.

When picking out the paint colors for the DR walls, my sticking point was this cabinet/bookcase below which I plan on using it in our DR.  I wanted one of the paint colors to match it so it looks cohesive.  It took a lot of paint samples, but I got it.

I always feel that if you have one painted piece of furniture in a room it adds some whimsy and casualness which I really admire.  I did that for my daughter's room and really liked how it turned out.

The plan is for the lantern to hang over an antique dining table (have yet to purchase).   But, something along the lines of this…

I am considering two ideas for our DR when it comes to painting our walls.

Idea #1: Is to paint the all the walls ivory and to paint the trim the blue greenish grayish color.  Remember that the cabinet will also be the blueish greenish grayish color too.  Here is some inspiration:

Idea #2: Since my DR has a chair rail, another option is to paint the chair rail and the wall below the chair rail the blueish greenish color along with all the trim and keep the ivory above the chair rail.  See inspiration…

What is your preference?  Honestly, I like both styles so I think I am going to try both and see what I like better.  I'll be honest though, I am so nervous to paint the trim!!  Have you ever painted your trim a different color than white??

Our Guest Room / Starting Point

I am in full-on over-drive to finish our guest room before spring arrives.  Once the weather warms up, we plan on having quite a few visitors come to Louisville.  The good news is that I have decided on most of the elements for the room and I just now need to pull them all together.  This is where I am ….

{1} I already own John Robshaw's turmeric fabric and plan on using this fabric for euro shams for the bed.  These will be propped against a white headboard.

{2} I would love to get Circa's french library sconces to flank a very large scale bulletin board above my desk (not pictured), but I'm still on the fence due to the price.  Maybe I'll be surprised on Mother's Day?? ;)

{3} Woven shades are installed and white drapes still need to be installed.  I plan on sewing trim on the edges of the panels.

{4} Remember how I said I wanted to add color this year as part as my New Year's resolutions??  Well, here it goes…I will be adding a pop of red as a lumbar pillow.  Love Quadrille's nitik pattern.

{5} The walls are already painted BM White Dove and I want to do a bold bedskirt to ground the bed. I love checks so it probably is no surprise that the bedskirt will be blue and white checked.  

{6} I would love to bite the bullet and invest a tortoise bamboo side table to add some warmth and texture to the room besides the woven shades.  Most bamboo side tables I've seen are in the the $300 to $400 range…..hoping I can find one for half that! 

Well, that is it for now…..Let the fun begin!!  

This year, I resolve to...

Happy New Year!  I can't believe it is 2015.  I really can't.  I was just thinking where did the fall go?  And, is spring and summer really coming up??  I'm in disbelief.   Needless to say, over the Christmas season, I had some quiet time to reflect a bit about my home and where I'd like to take it.

Resolution #1:  Add Color

I think over the past couple of years, I've strayed away from color because I didn't want my home to become too trendy.

But lately, I slowly want to add bits of colors;  especially, colors blue, green, and do I even dare to say a tiny bit of red??  I want my interiors to be bright and fresh, but, all the while…..remaining true to my traditional and classical sensibilities.

Resolution #2:  Add more slips.

Slipcovers are a fantastic way not only to add a dose of color, but to inject some pattern and softness to a room.  And, if you find a great seamstress, many times they can be affordable.  When my home is all said and done, I won't be surprised if I have slips in every room!! 

Resolution #3: Grow my blue and white collection.

I love blue and white porcelain and I really love it when it is displayed as a collection.  I'd really like to add a couple of more pieces to my collection this year so I can group them like below.  But, first, I also need to find a secretary/hutch.  :)

Hi Dad….if you ever tire of the Delft vase, you know where to reach me! Ha!  We also plan on getting a contractor out to price out some bigger renovations we'd like to start planning.  It's something we won't start this year, but perhaps in the next year or two.  Well, there you have it……let's hope 2015 is a fulfilling one!  Happy New Year!