Around the House: Progress in the Nursery Pt. 2

I hope everyone had a fabulous 4th of July weekend. I used the extra time off to make some progress in the nursery, so I thought I'd share an update. 

For this project I had a few stipulations. It had to be done cheaply, use stuff I already own, have a classic aestethic, and not be too "baby" looking so there is no need to overhaul the room in a few years. So here's what I came up with......

The walls are painted in Benjamin Moore's Chantilly Lace (sidenote: I actually got the paint from Sherwin Williams, which is a few blocks away. Did you know you can have them reproduce colors from other companies?). I couldn't decide on a color, so I figured I couldn't go wrong with white. It makes the small room feel larger, and is gender neutral. The window curtains are Ikea's RITVA. I have these in every room in our house. They are cheap, wash well, and stand the test of time. I highly recommend them. The candle sconces are vintage and  were purchased years ago on sale at AVENUE ANTIQUES. I've had them hiding in a closet and almost forgot I owned them. Finally, they have a home :-)

Above the crib is an old ship pic. I like to incorporate nautical elements throughout our home because it makes me feel like I'm on vacation at the beach. It's also a nod to the hubs who is a former sailor. The ship photo was picked up in DC at GOOD WOOD years ago.

 For the rocking chair I went back and forth about reupholstering. Unfortunately, reupholstery was just not in the budget, and not a job I thought I could DIY. To change the color, I just plopped a blanket over it. It's not perfect, but definitely gets the job done. 

 The chest as you'll RECALL was something I already owned and painted. The lamp I got a while back for $10 at Target. The shelf above the chest was a vintage find from THE TURNOVER SHOP.

The rug is just a simple classic sisal rug. It adds texture, and pretty much goes with anything in case I want to move it to a new room or change this room's color scheme later. I found it at Homegoods for the great price of $25!

I'm almost done with things. I'd just like to add a small child sized chair and perhaps a crib skirt.

Flowers in the House: June 2014

Summer is almost here, which means......hydrangea time! Hydrangeas are my favorite, they offer an instant pick me up. I planted a few in our garden last year, and am so glad I did. What's blooming in your garden? What are your almost summertime favorites?

To see more "Flowers in the House" visit SMALL BUT CHARMING.

Appreciating the Small Things

I find I get a lot more out of life when I learn to appreciate the small stuff. Little indulgences every now and again help to keep my mind off worrisome things and promote inner peace and serenity. Small items I like to spoil myself with that bring me great joy include: small vases filled with hydrangeas, a cup of rooibos tea, scented candles, a long hot bath, perfumed soaps, and a warm serving of brownie a la mode :-) What about you, what simple things do you like to treat yourself to?

“Real happiness is cheap enough, yet how dearly we pay for its counterfeit." ~Hosea Ballou 

Around the House: Dealing with no Coat Closet

When living in a smaller home, organization becomes of the utmost importance. Older homes like our bungalow are often missing useful organizational components found in newer homes, like a coat closet. This dilemma has been driving me CRAZY, and finally I decided to do something about it, by adding a few hooks. The hooks I chose were from Anthropologie and ran me 8 bucks a pop. If you wanna be more green, you might be able to find similar used ones at Second Chance. Unfortunately, I didn't think of this til' after mine were up :-( I also added a medium sized vintage basket ($18) from The Turnover Shop to house junk mail (sidenote: Don't you just hate junk mail!!! I'm working on a way to stop ours from coming, and will post about it soon). These tiny solutions have reduced my stress load tremendously. Awww......the little things.

“A place for everything and everything in its place." ~Benjamin Franklin

Around the House: Our Kitchen

In the time we've lived in our home I've had a love/hate relationship with our kitchen. We purchased the house newly renovated, which as a positive meant we had all new finishings, but on the negative side meant I didn't get to choose any of the finishings. This posed a dilemma in the kitchen, which was finished in a style far from my own. I personally had always dreamt of a classic white kitchen, with no beige to be seen anywhere. As you can see our kitchen is swimming in a sea of beige. Since re-renovating the kitchen was absolutely out of the question, I had to make the best of what I had, and learn to appreciate the existing kitchen.

After adding a few accessories, I've grown to like the kitchen a bit more, but I'd be lying if I said it was my favorite. Ah well, I guess we can't have everything. Since, I've started cooking more I tend to look at the room less in terms of a design statement, and more in terms of a functional space for making good meals, which brings me contentment.

Things are pretty much done in the room except I think I should add some window treatments. What do you think? I'm not sure of what kind to add, but I feel they would help ground the room and break up some of the monotony.

"When you are discontent, you always want more, more, more. Your desire can never be satisfied. But when you practice contentment, you can say to yourself, 'Oh yes - I already have everything that I really need."~ Dalai Lama

Full Bath Update

Although our master bath was in good condition when we moved in, I decided to make a few changes to put our mark on it. Here's what the bathroom looked like before.

To improve things I got rid of the ugly pink paint, and switched to Sherwin Williams Sea Salt. I used a sample can to paint the small room to save money, it was on sale for only $5. I painted the vanity as well, and changed the knobs, which really helped it to look less cheap. For $150 bucks I highly recommend this vanity. Next I added a carrera marble countertop from a place called European Marble, which ran me $400. Then I added a chrome shower bar and chrome faucet, lighting, and accessories from Restoration Hardware (sidenote: it's a good idea to look for these items on Ebay for a discount). Though high-end fixtures are pricey, I think they're worth it because they have integrity and can last a lifetime (or two or three for that matter). Plus, since the bath was already small, the cost to install them wasn't too bad. I threw in all white linens to keep things feeling classic, open, and spa like.

The faucet is from Restoration's Asbury line. I like the timeless look of it, but be for warned that if you're considering installing it, because of all the crevices it's hard to clean. I use old toothbrushes and a t-shirt to get it back in shining condition.

As you can see bungalows don't come with huge baths, but that doesn't mean you can't make the most of em'. As they say....appreciate the small things!