Back to the old curtains

If you didn't read my previous post about having a party and going all crazy last-minute to fix my family room/ basement, well, that pretty much sums it up.  I've always wanted to replace my ikea curtains with doublewidth panels and tried out the Peytons from Pottery Barn because there was no time for custom curtains.  When I put them up, they completely changed the look of the room.  I figured I could repaint another time and switched up my rug and accessories for a quick change:

BUT it was completely the wrong feeling.  I loooove that rug but not in my family room.  I wanted fresh & fun & happy (we hang with the kids here a lot) and the rug & curtains were taking the room into a more serious, richer place.  Not okay.  So, I tried out the PB peytons in french ivory and with the lining and double panels, they still felt to "decorated" for me so up went my old cotton Ikea curtains.  I added additional rings so they wouldn't sag as much and am totally fine with them now after my fiasco.  (Just need to hem them! ;)

{The two men in the photographs are my dad (top) and my husband's dad (bottom) waaaay back when.  We have very odd wood work going on in our old 70s house so for now I'm just forgetting about it.}

I also switched up the art & accessories, FINALLY pulling in the green I was craving.  My basement was bothering me because it was so unrelated to the rest of my house but now with the added green, I'm loving the flow.  I had this old dinosaur chart and added the Peter Dunham pillows and a Dash & Albert rug we had:

{ignore the messy blanket and toys & books- sorry no time for pretty!}

And here's a pic of the natural woven shades we put up:

I'm ordering another set for the large window by the sofa to replace the white roman shade there, which will add the texture that's missing for me over there.  And here's a quick pic from the party:

I'll share pics from the party in my next post.  It was a ton of fun and took place almost entirely oustide.  I'm pretty sure no one even noticed my curtains.  (Except for those who'd read my whacky post before coming!)  Ah vell.  I do have to say though, I live for this stuff. 

xoxo,

lauren

If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.

Back to the old curtains

If you didn't read my previous post about having a party and going all crazy last-minute to fix my family room/ basement, well, that pretty much sums it up.  I've always wanted to replace my ikea curtains with doublewidth panels and tried out the Peytons from Pottery Barn because there was no time for custom curtains.  When I put them up, they completely changed the look of the room.  I figured I could repaint another time and switched up my rug and accessories for a quick change:

BUT it was completely the wrong feeling.  I loooove that rug but not in my family room.  I wanted fresh & fun & happy (we hang with the kids here a lot) and the rug & curtains were taking the room into a more serious, richer place.  Not okay.  So, I tried out the PB peytons in french ivory and with the lining and double panels, they still felt to "decorated" for me so up went my old cotton Ikea curtains.  I added additional rings so they wouldn't sag as much and am totally fine with them now after my fiasco.  (Just need to hem them! ;)

{The two men in the photographs are my dad (top) and my husband's dad (bottom) waaaay back when.  We have very odd wood work going on in our old 70s house so for now I'm just forgetting about it.}

I also switched up the art & accessories, FINALLY pulling in the green I was craving.  My basement was bothering me because it was so unrelated to the rest of my house but now with the added green, I'm loving the flow.  I had this old dinosaur chart and added the Peter Dunham pillows and a Dash & Albert rug we had:

{ignore the messy blanket and toys & books- sorry no time for pretty!}

And here's a pic of the natural woven shades we put up:

I'm ordering another set for the large window by the sofa to replace the white roman shade there, which will add the texture that's missing for me over there.  And here's a quick pic from the party:

I'll share pics from the party in my next post.  It was a ton of fun and took place almost entirely oustide.  I'm pretty sure no one even noticed my curtains.  (Except for those who'd read my whacky post before coming!)  Ah vell.  I do have to say though, I live for this stuff. 

xoxo,

lauren

If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.

Nautical Monogram Tutorial

I'm in the midst of creating a gallery wall for my play-guest-room makeover, and I was brainstorming ways to incorporate some kind of monogram into it. I have seen all kinds of beautiful ways to decorate arabic letters, but none in particular were jumping out at me as "the one" for our playroom. I also wanted to keep a kind of nautical theme going in the room, and I was thinking of ways to incorporate that with out going "overboard" (har de har har)...Maybe rope? Some kind of sailboat pattern? Nothing seemed right. And then it hit me...use nautical letter flags to make something!

I had some fun thinking about making a word, a name, or something else...but then I found out that these flags, when used in an actual nautical situation, are not really used for spelling, but more like call letters on a radio station. So, a monogram it was after all. I wanted at least two, though, so I decided to start with my sons' first initials: A and C.
I began with two little wooden plaques from Michael's. ($1.99 each).

Using a little bit of wood stain and a rag, I gave them two quick coats of stain.

I didn't worry too much about getting the stain on evenly.

After they were dry, I painted on two coats of off white acrylic craft paint. Again, I wasn't particularly careful to cover everything.

 

After about an hour of drying, I used a sanding block to distress the top and sides. Just enough that the stain would poke through.

Enter some scrapbooking paper in nautical colors. 

I cut them to match the shape of the plaques using my sliding paper cutter and some little scissors. I didn't get anything exactly lined up so the distressed edges would show through.

Then, the Mod Podge!

This was my first time using Mod Podge and I am hooked. Great stuff.

 

The plaques are skewing a little patriotic right now, but if I add some more letters, I think that will cure it. The "R", which is the first letter of our family name, might be a nice choice to balance it out with some red and yellow. I'm pleased with the way they turned out!

 

I put them on the shelf for temporary display, but I plan to mount them and include them in a new gallery wall eventually. They work both horizontally and vertically. Decisions, decisions.

Overall, this was a really easy and fun project! Excluding the drying time, I think I spent about 10-15 minutes on each one! If you already own some Mod Podge, each plaque costs less than $3 to make. Less, if you have a Michael's coupon handy. 

 

If I had one of those fancy Silhouette cutters I keep reading about, I might consider adding an arabic letter over each plaque. What would you think about that? I'm sure I could find the patience to use my scissors for this if I really wanted...

I'm looking forward to making at least one more of these, and then setting up our gallery wall! The playroom is coming together! I plan on having the "big reveal" pretty soon. See you again soon!

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Home Sweet Home: Small House Design | Small House Best Furniture | Beautiful Furniture for Small Houses

Beautiful Furniture for Small Houses

Home Sweet Home: Small House Design | Small House Best Furniture | Beautiful Furniture for Small Houses - Limited space makes housing is built in harmony with the conditions of the available space. A small house also be a practical solution. However, in laying out a small house is needed in-depth knowledge that can be applied. One of the things that have to do is smart to choose furniture.

To be selected furniture fit with the conditions of your space, so be extra careful in your selection. Because of choosing furniture for small homes will cause the appearance to seem less, thus adding to the impression stuffy room.

Small House Furniture

When choosing furniture is the most critical stage in laying out a small house. Sometimes people can not be so simply when buy the furniture they want, because often the shape, scale, and size does not fit in the space at home. So take a few steps to consider in choosing furniture.

The small house is suitable for all kinds of styles, ranging from the classic that can be set up using the forms is not a full classics, to minimalist style with simple designs. By adjusting the conditions of the available space, a tiny dwelling arrangement should be harmonized between the furniture that is used with the arrangement in space so you will have width space on your small house.


In restructuring the interior of a small house, better selection of furniture ranging from the scale to the size should be as precise as possible. One thing is for sure that the fixed scale is adjusted, more simple, and in a smaller size than usual standard.

With limited area, a tiny occupancy can still perform optimally, by combining space functions into one. In addition, in order to seemed more leverage, spatial planning should be made without a separator that would enhance the narrow on your space.

In addition to arranging the interior on your small house clearly, another step that is not less important is choosing the right supporting elements for other room. To make a small house seemed more spacious do not ever use the chandelier, but you should still complete with indirect lighting, such as downlights.

Last about Small House design

At the final touch, choose a built-in furniture designed and made ​​specifically in accordance with the needs and size of the room, use furniture equipped with storage areas to maximize every inch of space.

And then you must select a multi-purpose furniture bed sofa or futon to placed in the living room that also serves as the family room. With a sofa bed in this area can be transformed into a temporary guest bedroom. The bottom of the bed can also double as storage. Foot stool sofa can also double as a seat back, when you have guests. Such as a great idea to make sweet small house.

Home Sweet Home: Wallpaper For Wall Design | Beautify The Walls with Wallpaper

Beautify The Walls with Wallpaper

Home Sweet Home: Wallpaper For Wall Design | Beautify The Walls with Wallpaper - Wallpaper is often chosen as a the supporting for room design. However, its use should be considered in order to keep the support of the interior concept.

Section of the wall in the house should not be miss up from the attention to beautify a room. Walls are usually only coated with a colored paint, has another way that still makes the wall to be unity in harmony with the surrounding area.

Although the paint is still the main choice for coating walls, wallpaper or wallcoverings as interior elements are also able to create beauty with a variety of motifs and colors to choose from. Literally, the wallpaper is wallpaper. For more details, paste paper that covered the walls as object as the paint substitution.

Therefore, the wallpaper in a room does not have a special function. Just be a decoration, nothing more, wallpaper used to beautify a room.


Wallpaper in Beautify Your Room 

Wallpaper as an interior element of course has its own advantages. The diverse color and pattern offers a variety of options that can make the room more beautiful so that is not monotonous. On the wall surface that is not neat (a bit bumpy), the wallpaper can cover up this lack. In addition, a space that is affixed to the wallpaper showing the identity of the room.

However, this wallpaper is not created for the long term. Although technology makes the wallpaper has a longer durability, it still has not replace the "strength" of paint. In addition, the walls which are painted more easily cleaned or repainted in certain situations, while the wallpaper should be replaced all or in a section that is large enough.

Get ready with your Wallpaer 

Although wallpaper can brighten the atmosphere in a rooms, not all suitable room is fitted with interior elements. Bedroom and living room are two rooms that are very appropriate to get installed the wallpaper. Be careful with the walls associated with the outer side and a bathroom wall because the humidity can make wallpaper becomes weak and wavy. So are you ready for design your home with the right wallpaper?

Family Room Curtains Indecision

We decided we'd have a little party this weekend to kick off summer.  Well, our "little" party grew - which is always good- and yesterday I started looking around at our basement family room, tearing it apart mentally.  (Do you do that??)  Some of our friends coming over are designers and, although all of them are supersweet & would never judge, I couldn't help but want to fix it up before tonight.  (I had a client over to the office last week for a presentation and used areas of my home for "what not to do" and why we'd be doing what we were doing. hahaha )

I bought custom bamboo shades for the DC showhouse and sized them so that they could also work in my office once the showhouse was over.  As some of you know, my family room/downsairs has been irking me for a while.  I have to admit that I love the feeling down there- light, airy, fresh & happy- and I like working in it, but I've always felt like it just doesn't jive with the rest of my house.  Well, of course when the shades and some of my pillows came home from the showhouse, I started envisioning a new color palette for the space, using what I had.  Our basement is very coastal feeling and while I love it, it just doesn't make sense here.  (My dad lives on a lake and wants some of our paintings so I think eventually I'll give in because they'd be a better fit with him.) 

{greeeeeeen}

Anyway- besides the coastal vibe- the main thing that really bothers me about my house/ basement is the curtains. I made some myself and did Ikea for the rest, planning to upgrade later. I used only single panels on the door and large window. where I should have at least used double. Curtains are one of those elements that I notice when I'm in people's homes and they can really take a room up or down a notch. SO... Since there was no time to have any custom ones made the day before the party or change the color scheme too much, and I had the day off with my 3-year-old, we headed to Pottery Barn for some last-minute curtains. I like their linen "Peyton Drapes" which are lined and hung by drapery hooks so I bought a bunch in "blue smoke."

Here's a picture of the curtains that drive me craaaaaazy:

{oh so bad}

And here's a pic of the Pottery Barn Peytons (not hemmed to the proper height but that will have to wait for another day)

{oh yeah, I switched the rug with another one I had too.  I have plans to sell it but am having toruble parting with it.  I have a problem.}

I'm much happier with the width and quality of the panels and loved the color with the rug.. buuuuut....  I'm losing the vibe I want down there even more.  It took a turn in another direction I'm just not after.  (Although am now dying to do in a room "for real.")   The rug is insanely gorgeous in person and its vibe is just a little too warm/ rich/ formal for what I'm after.  We use the areas as the kids play space, and while I don't want it junky, I want it to feel a bit more effortless.  (ironic isn't it??  All this effort for "effortless?")

{So although the vibe's off, I'm much happier with the drapery hooks being hung nicely on the curtain rings...  my unlined ikea curtains were not thick enough up top to properly support the drapery hooks I'd used, so they sagged and flopped too much. And I'm also loving the doublewidths.}

BUT... they had to go because I can't justify them if they not where I'm trying to go.  I returned them last night & picked up some new ones in french ivory.  I also restrained myself from using the pretty rug and it's all safely packed away again.  (Who does this?!!!  I know I have problems.)  SO...  now I'm off the the family room to try out the ivories, but I have to be honest that what I really want isn't off the rack and I think that I'm looking for unlined and a bit more chill.  (and I know my friends will not care in the least if the windows are bare or Ikea'd) BUT...  maaaybe they'll work and then I'll be thrilled.  (And if anyone from Pottery Barn is reading--- so sorry to be such a PIA!!)

Wish me luck!

Is it weird that I love this?!!! haahahah

Oh ps-   We're having crab, shrimp, and bratworst along with a bunch of salads-  am so excited to dig into the kitchen today- and the party will be mainly outside in the backyard.  I can't wait to share pics!!

Have THE BEST WEEKEND!!!




If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.

Family Room Curtains Indecision

We decided we'd have a little party this weekend to kick off summer.  Well, our "little" party grew - which is always good- and yesterday I started looking around at our basement family room, tearing it apart mentally.  (Do you do that??)  Some of our friends coming over are designers and, although all of them are supersweet & would never judge, I couldn't help but want to fix it up before tonight.  (I had a client over to the office last week for a presentation and used areas of my home for "what not to do" and why we'd be doing what we were doing. hahaha )

I bought custom bamboo shades for the DC showhouse and sized them so that they could also work in my office once the showhouse was over.  As some of you know, my family room/downsairs has been irking me for a while.  I have to admit that I love the feeling down there- light, airy, fresh & happy- and I like working in it, but I've always felt like it just doesn't jive with the rest of my house.  Well, of course when the shades and some of my pillows came home from the showhouse, I started envisioning a new color palette for the space, using what I had.  Our basement is very coastal feeling and while I love it, it just doesn't make sense here.  (My dad lives on a lake and wants some of our paintings so I think eventually I'll give in because they'd be a better fit with him.) 

{greeeeeeen}

Anyway- besides the coastal vibe- the main thing that really bothers me about my house/ basement is the curtains. I made some myself and did Ikea for the rest, planning to upgrade later. I used only single panels on the door and large window. where I should have at least used double. Curtains are one of those elements that I notice when I'm in people's homes and they can really take a room up or down a notch. SO... Since there was no time to have any custom ones made the day before the party or change the color scheme too much, and I had the day off with my 3-year-old, we headed to Pottery Barn for some last-minute curtains. I like their linen "Peyton Drapes" which are lined and hung by drapery hooks so I bought a bunch in "blue smoke."

Here's a picture of the curtains that drive me craaaaaazy:

{oh so bad}

And here's a pic of the Pottery Barn Peytons (not hemmed to the proper height but that will have to wait for another day)

{oh yeah, I switched the rug with another one I had too.  I have plans to sell it but am having toruble parting with it.  I have a problem.}

I'm much happier with the width and quality of the panels and loved the color with the rug.. buuuuut....  I'm losing the vibe I want down there even more.  It took a turn in another direction I'm just not after.  (Although am now dying to do in a room "for real.")   The rug is insanely gorgeous in person and its vibe is just a little too warm/ rich/ formal for what I'm after.  We use the areas as the kids play space, and while I don't want it junky, I want it to feel a bit more effortless.  (ironic isn't it??  All this effort for "effortless?")

{So although the vibe's off, I'm much happier with the drapery hooks being hung nicely on the curtain rings...  my unlined ikea curtains were not thick enough up top to properly support the drapery hooks I'd used, so they sagged and flopped too much. And I'm also loving the doublewidths.}

BUT... they had to go because I can't justify them if they not where I'm trying to go.  I returned them last night & picked up some new ones in french ivory.  I also restrained myself from using the pretty rug and it's all safely packed away again.  (Who does this?!!!  I know I have problems.)  SO...  now I'm off the the family room to try out the ivories, but I have to be honest that what I really want isn't off the rack and I think that I'm looking for unlined and a bit more chill.  (and I know my friends will not care in the least if the windows are bare or Ikea'd) BUT...  maaaybe they'll work and then I'll be thrilled.  (And if anyone from Pottery Barn is reading--- so sorry to be such a PIA!!)

Wish me luck!

Is it weird that I love this?!!! haahahah

Oh ps-   We're having crab, shrimp, and bratworst along with a bunch of salads-  am so excited to dig into the kitchen today- and the party will be mainly outside in the backyard.  I can't wait to share pics!!

Have THE BEST WEEKEND!!!




If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.

Weekend Love

Happy Memorial Day! I hope you have some good cookouts planned. Anybody doing anything special? We're going out on a double date with some friends tomorrow and leaving the kids at home. With a sitter. I psyched! I'm told the restaurant we're going to is awesome, but really I'm excited to get out!

If you haven't heard about this amazing story about a baby carried outside his mother's uterus, check this out. Pretty amazing, huh?

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Home Sweet Home: Unique Maple Forest House | Wooden Design

A Unique "Maple Forest House"

Home Sweet Home: Unique Maple Forest House | Wooden Design - Inspiration from American occupant is quite unique. For those of you who want home sweet home for your vacation, the design of Maple Forest House could be an alternative.

Building a home not only reflect the taste and prestige of the owner. The location of a house also determine the design and materials used. Houses made ​​of wood materials or maple forest house can be an alternative choice for a natural vacation home.

Usually, if a house is built of materials that never touched by human material, such as wood, it capable of giving a warm atmosphere for the residents.

This maple forest house often found in small forest areas in the United States as a vacation home with a unique exterior. The specialty of this wooden house many displays details on the timber. Most of the maple forest house materials are derived from wood.

From the outside, this house has a sloping roof and pointed upward. On the roof of this house there is a unique curve on the top of the roof window above the entrance. With walls that are all derived from the wood side, automatically color the house is dominated by the brown type.


When entering the maple forest house, you must first pass through the porch that is similar to the ship deck. This deck intentionally constructed slightly higher than ground level.

Maple Forest House is take advantage of the forest area as the location of the house. The windows installed in many places by pointing to the four cardinal points. The wide window allows you to get direct sunlight. In addition to ventilation, residents can enjoy the beautiful scenery of the house every day.

Like other houses in general, this house divided into several rooms. What is special about this room is a walled fireplace stones. In areas with cold temperatures, this fireplace can be installed to give a warm the room.

Living room, kitchen and dining room not separated by walls or insulation of the room. It to provide an atmosphere of relief in the home. The kitchen design can be given space in one corner near the window. So you can enjoy a leisurely breakfast and the fresh morning sun

Not a Tutorial, But...

....I wanted to show you anyway.

I know I had promised a DIY bouquet tutorial, but silly me forgot to bring the camera with me to my bouquet-making party! I *did* manage to remember them for the actual wedding, though, so at least I can show you how they turned out.

Makings bouquets is not difficult once you get started. God made the flowers, and they are more beautiful that any of us crafters can make in our garages, so you've got an advantage from the get-go! The secret is to generally use odd numbers of each type of flower in the bouquet, which keeps a rounded look. However, in these particular bouquets the big roses (David Austin Miranda variety) just worked better in 6's so I went with it. The more types of flowers you have in the bouquet, the less important it is. Thes bridesmaids' bouquets contain the English garden roses mentioned above, mini pink calla lillies, and white fresia. The fresia, of course, is very fragrant and wonderful. One of my favorites.

I make the bouquet in my hand and I never put them down from start to finish until they are all tied up. I use plain old rubber bands and, hide them with ribbon, and secure it with pearl-headed corsage pins.

I get my flowers from a local wholesaler (but pay sales tax since I'm not reselling them) the day before a wedding and they are always fresh. These photos were taken at a dinner reception after being used all morning, so can see a little bit of wilting, but after 8 hours out of water, it's to be expected. I order 20-30% more than what I think I need and then the extras get stuck in a vase to be enjoyed at the reception, by the guest book, or in the ladies' room, as seen here:

The bridal bouquet is an ivory version of the girls', but with a few waxflowers added on the outside for accent.

I truly enjoy helping brides with their flowers. It takes up the night before the wedding, but it's a great gift the the bride that saves hundreds or thousands of dollars! I would encourage anyone who is interested in DIY flowers to give it a try. I'm happy to answer any questions if you're trying to get started. You may also want to check out my DIY corsage tutorial for more ideas about what can be done so very simply!

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