Category Archives: Home Decor

Living Room Design Board – a House Tweaking Knock-off

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That’s “House TWEAKING”… not twerking… no matter if that’s how it reads in my weird twisted mind…  and it’s a blog I’ve recently become completely obsessed with.  
I forget how I discovered House Tweaking to begin with but it doesn’t really matter… it’s a new instant favorite for me.  Trust me when I say that her taste is SO GOOD. The kind of good where when you look at the clock you realize that you’ve spent 2 hours blog-stalking her. I feel that if we met in real life, we’d be the best of friends.  We both share a love of finding a good deal, Sherdog, and restrained color palettes. Oh and interior design.  That too.
This is her living room.

Hello lovely.

Plush rug…  Check.

Pretty light greys…  Check.

Chevron…  Check check!

Tripod lamp.  It’s love.

You know who else would approve?  Emily Henderson.

They are like style kindred spirits.  That explains so much about why I’m obsessed with this room.  She has the “effortless” look nailed.

I felt inspired… and so to the drawing board I went to recreate a similar room on a budget.

Obviously, it’s a little different, but I think that this inspiration board comes pretty close to achieving the same look and feel.

I’ve also included links to purchase if you are so inclined to recreate this on your own.

WHERE TO BUY:
Rug, Bamboo Roman Shade, Grey Curtain Panels, Tripod Lamp, Slatted Bench / Coffee Table, Sofa, Grey Arm Chair, Yellow Chevron Throw Pillow (pair), Woven Native American Pillow, Cream Colored “Lacey” Pillow, Cream Colored Knit Pillow

Happy Monday!!

DIY Art: Ombre Effect

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I’ve found that art can get really expensive.  I’m a huge fan of framing prints (you can order large prints or posters pretty cheap from sites like Art.com or Posters.com) but I love a good piece of abstract art on a canvas.
We have a few hanging in our home that I’m obsessed with – we have one very large piece from Ballard that I’m still obsessed with two years later… it hangs in our living room.  And another piece of black and white abstract from West Elm that is in our dining room.
I believe everyone has a creative streak in themselves, so I wanted to start posting ideas about creating art for your own home. First up… an ombre art project…
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For this project you’ll need:
  – A large stretched canvas (or small… if you want to test it out before going big)
  – A 2″ foam brush (they are cheap, and you can toss it when you’re finished)
  – A super saturated paint (any kind of paint would do… wall paint, craft paint, oil…)
  – White paint
  – Plastic tray or plate for mixing (something you can throw away – Tupperware works too)

Once you have all your materials, it’s time to make some art!

Start with the darkest color first – squeeze out a bunch onto your plastic tray / plate / tupperware, and load up your foam brush.  Make a single long streak starting at the far left.  You’ll probably need to load up your brush several times if you’re working on a larger canvas.  I like that the edges here are more streaky, and the middle is solid – I’d start in the middle and work out to the top and bottom to be sure it’s nice and textured on each end.

Add a bit of white paint to the mix, stir it around, and paint your next stripe.

As you go, continue adding white to lighten the color, up until you’re finished. The final stripe should really be a wash of the color – nearly colorless.

I am loving the green they used above, but you could do blues, blacks and greys… really any color combo that suits you!

Fun, right??  I really want to try this out!

Banquette Seating

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I’ve always loved the look of banquette seating, or bench seating in a kitchen or dining room.  As long as the table isnt TOO long, and you’re not having to scoot down 4 feet on a long bench, it’s charming, and it makes a formal space more livable, and less stuffy.

Also a good option for kids (in my opinion)… they can scoot in on their own, and bench seating can sometimes be lower to the ground than chairs.

Not sure if you’re sold??  Take a look at a few of these for inspiration – I guarantee you’ll change your mind…

To me, a banquette seems like one of those things that you want to be really sturdy (and beautiful) but not something you want to spend a fortune on.  Can you imagine the horror of having food spilled on something really pricey or irreplaceable?

For most of us, bench seating might not be something we want to commit to indefinitely, (and for those of us who still rent, it’s not even an option), so while a lot of these inspiration photos feature built in bench seating, I’ve pulled together some of my favorite non-built int banquette options.

Where to Buy:
  – 1. OYSTER HARPER BANQUETTE
  – 2. LUGANO BENCH
  – 3. SOURAV BENCH
  – 4. CONCRETE HAYDEN DINING BANQUETTE

Where to Buy:

  – 5. Valletta Velvet Tufted Bench
  – 6. Threshold™ Settee Bench
  – 7. Hudson Upholstered Settee Loveseat Bench
  – 8. Zig Zag Armless Settee

So what’s your verdict – love it or hate it?

Would you ever go for built in seating, or would you stick with the furniture options?

Ikea 2014 Favorites

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Did everyone else get their Ikea 2014 catalog a few weeks ago??
I read some pretty negative reviews online around how disappointed people were with the new products – not enough exiting updates… nothing too mind blowing…
Ummm… were we looking through the same catalog??  I thought that they had some AMAZING new things this year!

I love this idea of pushing two butcher block tables together to create a large workspace / floating island in the kitchen… (also, the bin pulls on the drawers are great, and the tall glass bookshelf is another favorite)…

And while this rug isn’t new, it’s been a favorite of mine for the last year, the clock is cool, and that black and white curtains are so on trend!

Pretty much everything in the Stockholm collection caught my eye – that coffee table… the lines on that sofa??  Are you kidding me??  It looks like it walked right out of West Elm!

I mean, right??? 
It comes in white, tan, grey… I LOVE it.
The Stockholm chandelier is also one of my favorites, and I’ve seen those billy bookshelves everywhere – here used for shoe storage, and in other places as library shelving.  And at $79 for each bookshelf, they are A STEAL.

Loving the mint shelf tucked in the corner, the floating glass shelves, and the wood flat tabletop they laid on the floating legs.  

Ahh, my favorite black and white striped throw over the back of this bed, the modern lighting flanking each side, and more of those Billy bookshelves…

I mean, it’s REALLY good, right??

I rounded up a short list of all my favorites that just came into stores – note there is SO MUCH other good stuff at Ikea, but I’m only making note of what’s NEW…

1. Shelving Unit – ok, this looks plain and boring at first glance, but imagine this sprayed a really shiny navy blue, or a bright yellow.  How fun would a few of these be in a grey kitchen to hold your cookbooks, pretty plates, glassware, and all your shiniest pots.
2. Modern Chair – a pair of these in a window with a small table between?  Stop it.  This DOES NOT LOOK LIKE IKEA.  It’s too freaking good.  Hello Mad Men.
3. Vintage-y Cabinet – another mid-century esque piece – I might consider drilling holes for small round brass pulls, but it’s awesome just as it is… and let’s be honest, sometimes we need concealed storage.
4. Round Mirror – a large round mirror is hard to find, and this one is GOOD. Perfect for an entryway, over a bathroom sink, or pretty much anywhere…
5. Mod Chandelier – A little Ikea, but really cool.  Totally reminds me of Jonathan Adler’s Sputnik Chandelier… right???
6. Woven Basket – super good price for a large basket like this.  Good for large potted plants, or for corralling all your magazines.  Perfect for holding throw blankets, kid’s toys, dirty laundry… you name it.
7. Desk Lamp – imagine this sprayed gold.  Yes. Please.
8. Wall Decor / Cabinet Front – while this is supposed to be for a cabinet, it would be kind of cool in a shabby chic space to hang these as window frames on the wall… sort of like this or this or this.
9. Mid-century Chest of Drawers – awesome in an office, or flanking a bed (all that storage) or even in a living room.  Functional, and hip.

What do you think of the new Ikea 2014 catalog?  Awesome or what?

Wall Stenciling

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You know how sometimes you just see something completely inspiring, and you have to tell everyone and their brother??  Well that’s what happened to me since stumbling upon Tiffany’s fabulous entryway on her blog, Living Savvy.

I mean… it’s just draw dropping in all it’s dramatic glory.

AAAHHHHHH!  It’s SO GOOD!!  That green???  Stop it.

And that mirror??  SOOOO jealous!

Everything about this is SOOOOO good.
She has a really detailed tutorial of how she attacked this entryway (Part I and Part II), and after reading through, I’m dying to try it out on my own.  I love the scale of this print – I’ve seen some stenciled walls that are quite lovely, but strike me as being too busy when the pattern is on a smaller scale… unless it’s a powder bath – then all rules go out the window.
Now that I’m completely obsessed with this idea, I googled the pattern she used – it’s the Royal Design Studio Contempo Trellis wall stencil (say that 10 times fast), and good ole Google came up with more inspiring spaces that used the same pattern.

This two toned entry way was quite stunning – and it looks like the paint was actually metallic.  Fancy!!

It’s amazing to see that just by changing up the paint colors how different this stencil can look!!
I was also totally loving this black and white version…
So cool right??  
When we end up moving, I really want to test this out – I think it works great in these entry spaces, but would also be so cool in a dining room, or office space.  To read through the tutorial is a little daunting, but I think that it could be a project spread out over several sessions…
I could also totally imagine this done in lighter colors – medium grey on light grey – or in varying paint finishes – glossy navy on matte navy.  Wouldn’t that be super cool too??  Something sort of like this…
See the sheen from the paint??  Even though it’s the same color, the pattern totally pops.  I feel like this method would really give the look of wallpaper… I wonder though how hard it would be to paint over later…
What do you think of the look??  Would you try it on your own?
Any other professional words of advice from those of you who have tried it out before?

Simple and Subtle Fall Decor

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As you know, I’m a big fan of making small changes to our space for the seasons.  I love the idea that you can keep the core of the room the same, but that by making a few tweaks, you can completely change the feel of the space.
I also hate the gimmicky fall and “Halloween” decor you see in the stores, so I’ve put together a little list of seven easy changes you can make to take your space from summer to fall, while avoiding the dangling skeletons, and ghost flags.
1. Display the seasons’ harvest:
The grocery store is the best place to find super affordable decor in the form of food and produce.  Grab a bag of walnuts in their shell, 8-10 pears, and some cool little pumpkins and gourds for an easy fall mantle or dining room table centerpiece.  I also love the look of a big bowl of apples, and the Cinderella pumpkins and white pumpkins are always a little different.
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2. Work in muted colors:
Summer is about bright colors, but as the days get shorter, I like to stick with a more muted palette with lots of white, creme, and earth tones that pick up the colors of the harvest (and candlelight) well. A feather wreath and a bundle of wheat also never hurt anyone 🙂
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3. Bring the Outdoors In:
Mother Nature knows what’s up, so why not clip a few branches from a tree in the yard, and bring some natural fall colors indoors?  Not only are they so much cheaper than a bouquet of flowers, but they last longer, and bring more impact to a space.
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4. Do a little Faux Fur:
The nights are a bit more chilly now, and there is nothing cozier than a little faux fur to snuggle up with.  Not only that, but the fur just says “cold weather is here” when it’s folded up at the end of the sofa.
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5. Replace vases of Flowers with branchy twigs:
Once the leaves have all fallen from the trees outside, bare branches are cool to incorporate into fall decor.  I love how they are displayed in varying jugs and vases below…
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6. Let there be (candle) light:
Grouping candles together is a super inexpensive way to make your home feel cozy at night (or at 5:00pm when it’s already dark out).  Not only would this make for great ambient lighting while you watched a movie, but it would be a cool tablescape for Thanksgiving dinner. To replicate the below photo just grab a planter from the Home Depot, some faux berry branches, a few gourds and mini pumpkins, and a lot of white candles.
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7. Swap out Pillows and Blankets:
Bring in a little fall color through accessories – a burnt orange throw pillow and blanket turn this space from summer to fall in a snap.  Everything else is seasonally neutral, but the punch of orange says “fall” without being completely in your face.
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Did I miss any good ones that you love?  What are your favorite little fall decor updates??  I also love a good fall wreath on the front door!

Happy Tuesday!

Our new Bar Cart

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Happy Monday you guys!

I’ve been MEANING to post this for several weeks, but let me introduce you to our new bar cart!!

Yes, you heard me… BAR CART.  Hollllaaaaaaaa!!!

I’ve been wanting one for close to two years, and after much hunting, and much waiting I have one!! Do you remember the one that got away??  If only I’d pulled the trigger on a truly vintage bar cart, but everything happens for a reason, right??  Anyway, remember how I posted about this one from Target’s Threshold collection??

Well, I couldn’t help myself!  I swear, once I saw it, it was a done deal.

I had a little difficulty tracking it down, but I wasn’t ready to pull the trigger without seeing it in person. After locating one about an hour away, it was love at first sight.

I LOVE the brassy bronze finish, and the wood tray tops are a really nice touch.  I mean, it’s actually wood people!!  I’d read reviews that people said it looked and felt more expensive than it is.  This is the truth!!  It’s heavy, and feels so sturdy.  I could not be more happy with it 🙂

I had so much fun styling the top.  Turns out, we like our cocktails, because after gathering up all the bottles of alcohol in one place we had everything we needed!  Vodka galore, tequila (when and why did I buy that??), whiskey, and all the fixings for the perfect Manhattan.

Add to that, the really pretty cocktail glasses my mom gifted me (I actually think they are the old school champagne glasses with the wide bowl) some martini glasses, and all the tools for mixing, stirring, and straining drinks, and we were in business!!  There ALMOST wasn’t enough room for it all!

Once all the bar essentials were in place, I needed to add some fun accessories.

It is fall after all, and I couldn’t resist this cute little wooden fox.  I mean, what is a bar without a sassy fox??

I also loved the bronze candle holders – at night, they give a really pretty amber glow to the area.

Speaking of foxes… have you heard and / or seen the video for the song, “What Does the Fox Say“?? So hilarious – one of my coworkers introduced me to it, and I still can’t decide if it’s a joke, or if they’re serious.  Listen to it a few times… you’ll find yourself humming it at the most random times!

Anyway…

I’m still not loving the lower shelf’s styling, but it’s fine for now.

I felt it needed some height, which is why the lantern landed there, but I just don’t love it.  Still working that out…

The light was really bright from the living room when I was taking these photos, so excuse the washed out pictures…  I was aiming for a shot from further back to get the shelves in there… and the print hanging above the bar cart.

I hung that months before I knew we’d ever have a bar cart!  How perfect is that?!

Here’s a little birds eye view…
I know I said I was staying away from faux flowers, but these are seriously the ONLY ONES left in our house, and they had a really nice autumn vibe to them.  I couldn’t resist!

So that’s it!  Our new little bar cart that encourages the observance of cocktail hour… not that I’m complaining!

What do you think??

Are you running off to the store to get one of your own?

Who wants to play the role of Betty Draper with me?!

A Fall Mantle

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Seasons are changing, and between weddings, work, and enjoying the absolutely glorious weather we’ve been getting (how has it been perfect weather – 80 degrees and sunny for weeks?!) I’ve neglected my poor little blog.

Luckily, I’ve got a thoughtful, creative mama (I must get it from her) who sent me some autumn inspiration, and some lovely pictures of her fall mantle…

In her own words…
My favorite season is Autumn, not fall, Autumn. Just saying the word, autumn, has such a sense of solidity. I’m also a Virgo…go figure!

At any rate here is my mantle, decorated with items collected over a lifetime of sixty + years. 

There’s the pewter topped mug my mother in law brought back for her son (my hubby) when she visited Germany. 

And the antique Haviland Limoges plates-I’ve always been particularly fond of the one with the radishes. 

And the pumpkins and gourds…collected from visits over the years from visits to “Half A Moon Bay” as my Baby Boo used to call it.

Not the most original holiday decor, but special. Each item has a story I remember when I set it in place.

Xoxoxo to all….Becky’s Mom

Not original?!

It’s called traditional, and as everyone who knows me knows, I am a sucker for tradition.  In fact I hate change, so if the mantle at my parents dramatically changed… let’s just say, it would not be good. I love seeing the seasonal pieces brought out, and remembering the stories behind them.

Thanks mom for sending these over!
xoxo

Standing Lamp Roundup

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TheTorchiere Lamp… a very fancy name for perhaps the ugliest lamp ever.

Everyone’s had one.  They are in every dorm room and first apartment in the history of the world, since they are the cheapest lighting option out there.
Not only has everyone had one at some point, most of us twenty something’s (and let’s be honest, 30 somethings) probably still do.  I did… until a week ago, when I had a moment of clarity and promptly unplugged it and walked out out to the street corner.  Actually, when Kris and I moved in together, we each had our own, and had to decide which one to keep!  Ugh.  The answer should have been neither! 
We (me and my lovely torchiere lamp) spent 8 glorious years together, so I’d say that was $20 well spent back in 2005.
Anyway, there are so many amazing standing lamp options out there that are totally affordable, and now that I’m on the hunt for a new one, I’ve rounded up a few of my favorites.  None are over $100 – in fact, most of these range from $60-70, and they are actually all from Target.  This is by no means a sponsored post – they really just have some great stuff right now!!

White Tripod Lamp,    Taupe “7” Lamp,    Brushed Silver Tripod Lamp,    Bronze “Window” Lamp

Of the above options, I’m totally loving the white tripod lamp – we get so many compliments on the tripod lamp in our living room, and this one is a smaller, “leaner” more simple version of it.

I also love the second option… this would be a great task light next to our “desk” in the dining room. I’m not a fan of the overhead light in there, so for just a bit of ambient light in the evenings, and it’s narrow profile, this could be a winner…

Bronze Modified Arch Lamp,           Silver Arched Lamp,                    Brass Library Lamp

The :arched” lamps are also very :in” – they were all over the new West Elm catalogue – the second one here would be so rad in our living room, but I definitely want to hold off on any committments until we settle on a new sofa.  If that ever happens… argh!

The brushed brass “library lamp” is also really sleek and cool.  I was thinking that a pair of these flanking our dresser / TV stand in the bedroom would be sort of fun since sconces are not an option right now… It would also look great with it’s narrow profile in our living room next to the sofa and our gallery wall – but would the light shine down in our eyes if we were sitting on the sofa below it??

I’ll report back!

Any other cool (and affordable) floor lamps you’ve seen recently??

Kalah Blue – Painted Curtain DIY

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Who doesn’t love royal blue and white paired together??

No one.  That’s who.

I realize how confusing that double negative sounds… read it again… it makes sense… promise

Blue and white is a classic combination for a reason, and one of my all time favorite patterns is the Kalah Blue pattern by Duralee.  You see it everywhere.  Remember this AMAZING bedroom from House Beautiful last year??

Target also has a darn good knockoff of this pattern in a chair that I can no longer find online… if we had somewhere to put it, you can bet your buttons it would be in our house – it’s SOOOO good.

The throw pillows may make an appearance in our house in the next year… perhaps when I’m in my post-Christmas “simplifying phase” in January…

And these curtains??  LOVE.  (Maybe that’s what inspired them to hang that print right next to them… just saying!)

And another pair of curtains… they just bring a little magic to an all white space…

And surprise surprise… more curtains…

Well this post is for a DIY curtain tutorial after all…

Ok, so getting on with it…

Carmel of Our Fifth House is one of the most talented and successful home bloggers out there.  Her house is TO DIE FOR, and her taste is crazy good.  She makes brave choices mixing deep reds, blues, and experimenting with dark paint (check out the color of her bedroom walls… it’s LOVE).  I love bloggers who take risks, and stay true to their taste – it makes their spaces so unique and fun to read about…

Her blog is one of my daily go-to’s for sure, and after going through the archives for ideas in our own place, I ended up stumbling across her tutorial for painted curtains.  You know I have a bit of a thing for experimenting with painted curtains since it’s a) easy and b) cheap

Past posts about painting curtains can be found here and here

Anyway, I’ll let a few of her pictures speak for themselves…

Ok tell me that those curtains aren’t a CLOSE SECOND to the Kalah Blue, which is PRICEY as anything. The cheapest I was able to find the fabric online was for $20 a yard (not including tax or shipping) at Fabric.com.  For one single curtain panel, you’d need around 4 yards… and when you’re making multiple panels, that adds up REAL quick…

To the rescue is the concept of stenciling… I’ll leave you to Carmel’s tutorial at Our Fifth House for the play by play, but she essentially used a stencil from Olive Leaf Stencils (I believe it was the Ikat Pattern #2) and painted away…

Genius right??  I’m dying to try this myself, but we’re all out of windows in this apartment to adorn… perhaps a sweet friend would be willing to volunteer their windows for a little experiment…

Any takers???