Kids Room in Progress

Whew - I have been busy lately.  Having spent the past 7+ years focusing all my energy on being a stay at home mom, little changes are taking place.  My youngest is starting to get more and more independent, leaving me a little (I emphasize "little") bit of time to work on this blogging thing, and whatever else comes along.  Funny enough, right about the same time, I have had a few friends contact me asking for varying levels of help with their home projects.  This brings me to "A" and her new home.  She and her family have recently purchased a lovely home (with a lovely view) and are in the midst of renovations and planning their move.  "A" contacted me and asked for some help putting together the children's rooms and her master bedroom.

Today, I am featuring our work in progress for the oldest daughter's room.  "A" had already selected bedding and drapery panels for this room.  They are pictured in the center of the graphic below.  Here are some images of accessories and artwork I am proposing for this "tween" room.

Bedding From Macy's

White Drapery Panel

Paint: Sherwin Williams - Spa SW6765

Artwork and Frames from Hobby Lobby

All accessories pictured above from Hobby Lobby

"Do More Of What Makes You Happy" Print - Hobby Lobby

Heart Watercolor -Etsy

Dream Colorfully Art

Create Happiness Art

And a fun chandelier in either pink:

Or multi-color

BBQ Essentials

Summer is here!  Well, not officially, but for those of us here in FL, Summer has definitely begun.  All I need to do is look at the thermostat (currently 88 degrees) to know that.  So, with Summer here, BBQ season is in full swing.  Here are a few fun essentials for your backyard party.

Yummy Gourmet BBQ Sauce

Fun Melamine Dinner Plates

Outdoor Lighting

Woven Chip and Dip Server

Fire Pit Cookout Kit

Candle Lantern

Drink Dispenser

And of course you need a fantastic cocktail for your drink dispenser:

My Favorite Summer Cocktail

2 cups Citrus Flavored Vodka

1 2-liter Citrus Flavored Soda Water (e.g. LaCroix Lemon Sparkling Water)

1 Bottle of Simply Lemonade Raspberry Pink Lemonade

Sliced Lemons and Limes

Lots of Ice

Combine all ingredients into your drink dispenser and enjoy! 

Ideas for Personalizing Your Space

An accent table is a great way to add personality to your room.  These small side tables are perfect next to a chair or sofa, and can be the right solution as bedside tables in a small bedroom that will not fit much else.  As with any furniture item, you will find a wide array of styles and prices, but you can find some great looks for a small investment.  I mention accent tables specifically as a good way to personalize your room because they are minimal investment pieces, are small in scale, and you can take a risk and choose something really fun.  Just be careful, and don't overpower a tiny table with a huge lamp.  Better yet, nix the table lamp completely and use a floor lamp if you are in need of light in that area.  Just dress your accent table with some books, a decorative object, or some coasters so you have a place to set your drink. 

Moroccan Side Table

Jemma Ivory Side Table

Cagney Accent Table

Diego Table

Brittany Garden Stool

Olivia Mirrored Table

 

 

 

 

 

 



Monday Inspiration

Happy Monday - I hope you are having a great day!  I have recently been asked to help a friend with a new home she and her family are moving into.  Our focus right now is on the master bedroom and the children's bedrooms.  So here are some inspiration photos I have found with the children's rooms in mind.  More to come soon on that project.

Eclectic Kids by Toronto Photographers Brandon Barré Architectural Interior Photographer

Traditional Kids by North York Architects & Designers Merigo Design

Contemporary Kids by Toronto Interior Designers & Decorators Sarah Gunn, Interior Stylist

Traditional Kids by Tampa Photographers Mina Brinkey

Traditional Kids by Blacksburg Kitchen & Bath Remodelers The Ewing Companies

Traditional Kids by Boston Interior Designers & Decorators Kristy Kay

Traditional Kids by Ladera Ranch Media & Bloggers Casey Grace Design, LLC

Fun Target Finds For Friday

Happy Friday! 

I am so excited!  I am finally learning how to do a few things on this blog that I have been trying to figure out forever!  Here is my first collage!  Hooray!  I am halfway there.  Next I have to master overlaying text into the picture, but I am working on it!

Anyhow, this collage is just a few fun home décor finds from Target.

 

 

Round Mirror

Pillow

Anchor Bookends

Basket

Candleholder

 

 

 

 

 

 



Finishing Things Up.

Today I am going to go over a bit of paint colors, and some general suggestions, finishing up my overview of Lea's house.

After going through the photos of the house, I have a few general suggestions I wanted to make note of, and I have some paint colors to recommend. 

• Currently, the trim (baseboards and window moulding) in the Family Room is stained, where as the trim in the rest of the house is painted white.  I would suggest that stained trim be painted to flow with the rest of the house.
• Something to think about is to case (or apply wood moulding to) the doorways of the Dining Room and Family Room.  These are really better described as pass throughs rather than doorways, but as of right now, they are just drywall wrapped.  The best way to do this is to apply wood trim to either side of the pass through, and then continue the white trim color all the way around.  This will look like the pass through is clad with wood all the way around, but will save you time and money.   This photo of the Dining Room shows some of the pass throughs I am mentioning.

• I would also recommend painting the stained pine wood wall paneling that is in some of the upstairs bedrooms and hallway.  As well as the window seat bench and the bit of unpainted paneling below it.  It appears as though someone started the project of painting the paneling, but did not take it to completion.  Here is a photo of one of the rooms with paneling.

• One upstairs bathroom has black and white tile, and would really look great with a nice spa blue color on the walls. Here is the bath,

And here is a lovely spa blue color, Sherwin Williams SW7613 Aqua Sphere:

• The downstairs a really presents a definite color scheme in with the tile. Short of ripping out all the tile, Lea will need to work with the yellow and black that is already established.  She should try to find a fabric that features the yellow and black with a cream or white.  This will allow for off-white or cream walls to make sense and tone down the drama of the black and yellow.  Another alternative is a fabric that is simply black and white/cream, like a graphic print or a toile.  Also, most of the fabrics I had noted in yesterday's post would also work in this bath.  Here is the bathroom,

And here is an example of a toile fabric.  This one is mostly black, but I really like the pattern,

Toile

• Lea and I had discussed her desire to bring a grey or greige(grey beige) color through the house's main areas, so I am going to suggest a few. 

 

Sherwin Williams Repose Gray SW7015

 

 



 

Sherwin Williams Alpaca SW7022

 

 



 

Sherwin Williams Accessible Beige SW7036

 

 

 

Sherwin Williams Popular Gray SW6071

 

 

 

 

I am also going to suggest that the light fixtures throughout the house be replaced, as well as the bathroom mirrors.  I hope to be able to find the time to do a post next week with some well priced light fixture selections for Lea.  Be sure to keep watching for it!

 



Hope this helps!  



Day 2 - Tackling the Kitchen

Today we are on to discussing the kitchen in Lea's house.  Here is an overall view of the kitchen,

So Lea has let me know that they would like to replace the kitchen cabinets and countertops in a budget friendly way, and that we will need to keep the current appliances.  She had already mentioned Ikea as a source of cabinets and wood counters.  Here are some details:

This Shaker style cabinet from Ikea is a classic and versatile style.  Shaker style cabinets are like chameleons, depending on the hardware choices, they can look traditional, transitional or contemporary.  This is a perfect choice for this project because this versatility will be especially appealing to any possible future renters.

Ikea also has a nice looking and nicely priced butcher block counter top option.  Butcher block is a great choice for counter tops as long as it is cared for properly.  Proper care for butcher block includes immediately cleaning up any spills, regular cleaning with mild soap, disinfecting with undiluted vinegar in a spray bottle, and periodic application of mineral oil. 

With a butcher block counter top, I would really recommend an apron front farmhouse style sink.  With this type of sink, the water is better contained.  You will have less spill over and splash which will help with  your countertop maintenance.  Also, the advantage of a farmhouse sink is how it physically sits in the counter.  You will not have to worry about cutting around the counter to drop in a sink; nor will you have to have any sort of counter seam (where two pieces meet) in the sink area.  Fireclay farmhouse sinks can be pretty pricey.  Luckily Ikea has a nicely priced version at $312, most other farmhouse sinks will run around $600+.

Ideally, this sink will need a faucet that has a pull out spray, otherwise you will have terrible trouble getting the whole sink clean.  I sourced one at Lowes that is a budget friendly $104, and has a nice traditional feel to it. 

 

Kingston Brass Satin Nickel Faucet

And here is the cabinet hardware I would recommend,

Cup Pulls for Drawers

Knobs for Cabinet Doors



Both of these pieces can be found at Lowes, the cup pulls which are $8 and the knobs, which are $3.


To pull together the look, a subway tile backsplash would be visually clean, versatile, and in keeping with the classic look that is coming forth in this kitchen.  I would recommend a standard white glazed ceramic subway tile in a standard 3' x 6" size.  You can find this at pretty much any large hardware store, and it is relatively inexpensive.  I am also recommending that you use a white grout.  This will keep the backsplash looking fresh and clean.  A darker grout color in this application can create a look that lends more toward the industrial or contemporary feel.

Traditional Kitchen by San Francisco Architects & Designers Gast Architects


 Lea had expressed an interest in possibly a grey or greige  paint color for the kitchen, and I will discuss some paint color suggestions in tomorrow's post, but I do think that a light version of either tone would be a good choice.  Based on the photos I have received, the kitchen has a very nice amount of natural light, which is a very nice feature for a kitchen (the most used room in the house) and we really don't want to take away from that.  Keeping it neutral in paint color also makes it more appealing to possible future renters. 

Lea had express some concern over the fact that the appliances are a mix of black, black and white, and white.  While this may not be the ideal situation, sometimes, when you have what seems to be a roadblock in design, you best solution is to embrace it.  What I mean by this is to incorporate the black and white into the décor of the room.  This can simply be done in the décor of the room.  Fabrics and a rug that incorporate black will help the large black refrigerator to feel more like a working element of the space rather than the proverbial pink elephant. Here are a few ideas to work toward that:

 Ballard Trellis Rug

 

 

 

And a few different ideas for bold fabric patterns incorporating the black:

 





Waverly Print

 

 

 

Waverly Tapestry

 

 

 

Siren Song Fabric

 

 

Fabric and accessories can be used to incorporate the black for as long as needed, and when the time comes that you want to change out the appliances, the look of the room can easily be adjusted. 

 

 

Hope this helps for today!