Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Two designs for a Room

I have been trying to decide what direction I want to take my lower-level media room towards. On the one hand, I like charcoal grays and rustic furniture with a hint of raspberry. On the other hand, I like pops of color, and I have always been drawn to the colors of the ocean. Also, my favorite color combo is teal and green.

So below are two takes on these mood schemes, if you will. The first, the charcoal gray sofa with rustic accents and a little bit of glamour and berry shades thrown in. What I truly like about this first scheme is that should my mind ever change on the color, it would be easy to switch it up and take it in another direction (what? I would never!)



Media Room 2

Durham Tall Bookcase | Furniture | Ballard Designs / Lounge 2-Piece Sectional Sofa / Tess Chair / Bluestone Coffee Table / Talara Wall Mirrors | European-Inspired Home Furnishings | Ballard... / Talara Wall Mirrors | European-Inspired Home Furnishings | Ballard... / Robert Abbey Bruno Bronze 2-Arm Pharmacy Floor Lamp - #71503 / Venetian Bamboo Leg Table / Talara Wall Mirrors | European-Inspired Home Furnishings | Ballard... / Chevron Stripe Indoor/Outdoor Rug | European-Inspired Home Furnishings... / Robert Abbey Bone Triple Gourd Ceramic Buffet Lamp - #V4144 |... / X-Bench | Ballard Designs


The second one below has the colors I really gravitate towards, but with the furniture carrying the largest dose of color, it would be more difficult to change it up in the future.
Media Room


Celine Cheetah Rug | Ballard Designs / Lounge 2-Piece Sectional Sofa / Durham Cocktail Table / Parsons End Table / Pier One Bamboo Floor Lamp / Robert Abbey Triple Gourd Apple Glazed Table Lamp - #U2372 / Venetian Bamboo Leg Table | Side Tables & Pedestals / Graham Chaise | Ballard Designs / Earnest Horse Art | Ballard Designs / chalkboard at Target / X-
Bench | Ballard Designs / Ballard Basic Custom Pillow Cover 18in | Ballard Designs

What do you think? Any fans of one over the other?

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Alien invasion

My kryptonite is literature. I love reading-books, magazines, cereal boxes, shampoo bottles, you name it and I'll read it. I also tend to keep everything I read... ok, so maybe I don't keep the empty cereal boxes and shampoo bottles, but I DO keep all my books and magazines. One thing I would really love to get in this house is a library of built-in bookshelves where I can keep all my books and magazines. Right now, they are scattered all over the house, in piles, in random bookshelves in various rooms, on the floor.... They're everywhere... like aliens. 

Ok, not really like aliens. But they are. Everywhere.  And I really, really want to get them organized and off my floors. So I enlisted Peyton's help and we did this. 




Every single magazine I have was sorted into piles. I might have had over 30 piles on my living room floor.  I had six clear magazine files. And I filled them all in 2.3 seconds.  I need more. Like, 36 more. I counted all the magazines and had to do a little math to figure that out, but in order to house my current magazine collection, I need roughly 36 more magazine files. That's going to cost somewhere over $350.  Ouch! So even though I had to remove these magazines back into piles around the house, they are organized now. And they will someday, have a home and look just as pretty as these six: 


Honestly, my heart just goes pity-pat seeing all that nicely contained organization. What do you do to store your magazines? Anything that doesn't cost $350?! 

Monday, January 21, 2013

Hallway Updates

Would you buy it if I told you I took a long walk and I fell off the edge of earth? (Let's presume for a moment here that the earth isn't really round...ok, and that I actually do an activity that can be considered physical exercise....)


So I have been remiss in updating this blog with all that has been going on lately. I took some time off work and just literally unplugged from it all.  Or at least, I unplugged as much as one can with Christmas, New Year's, my daughter's birthday and my birthday. I also made a little dent in my 2013 Top Ten list. Can you guess what it is?


I got the main doors in the hallway painted, and I taped off all the trim for painting when I had to pause the painting because we had family coming to visit for Peyton's 7 year birthday party.  Here is where we are today: 





As you can see, there is still some trim to be painted yet, but the main doors are done with a few spots of touch-up yet to do, and the new doorknobs are on (well, on most of the doors). They are perhaps, the best part.  I went with the Schlage Stainless Steel Dover Levers from Menards. I had one of the 20% off shopping bags and they were $16.99 each for the passage levers and $18.99 for the privacy knobs. With 20% off of my loot, it kept the total for 5 doors well below $100. Score! 
I chose the Dover knobs because they were stainless steel and they had the simple, modern look I wanted to bring into my home. They are a huge upgrade from the rusted gold knobs previously on the doors.  As I said, most of the knobs are on, but a few had to come back off for repair and re-paint.  When my dad attempted to fit these new knobs into the old holes, we discovered a very unpleasant surprise. These "guaranteed fit" door knobs would not fit in the current holes because it appears the builders of this house decided to cut some corners when installing the old knobs. They had used mobile home knobs. Apparently, hole sizes are different for mobile homes. 

After a little research, my dad was able to find a drill template and drilled the old holes into new holes that would accommodate my "guaranteed fit" beauties, but it took a little trial and error. It splintered the wood very badly on one of the doors, so we had to patch the wood around the knob and I had to re-prime and re-paint. And, since he had the patching goods out we patched over a few additional dents the doors had obtained over the year, so thus, there is more re-priming and re-painting to be done. 

There is also something to be said about this recent painting episode. I will never paint baseboards attached to the wall again. It was a horrible experience painting those baseboards.. I had to tape the carpet down using my trusty green Frog tape and then use a paint edger (ok, you got me, I don't know what it's actually called--it's a 12" long flat stainless steel blade of some sort to hold between your baseboard and the carpet so you don't actually paint on the carpet). Most. frustrating. experience. ever. What is most unappealing is that was only the hallway completed.... I have 3/4 of the house left to do. Cue sobbing. 

Hopefully, the end result will be worth it. I can honestly say it was a little disconcerting to have white doors after having dark wood doors for so long. And because no project ever starts without an end result in mind,  here is my vision for my entry hallway: 


Entry Hallway



Parsons Console / Moravian Star Ceiling Light SHADES / X-Bench | Ballard Designs / Standing Pug / Talara Wall Mirrors | European-Inspired Home Furnishings | Ballard... / Robert Abbey Peacock Triple Gourd Ceramic Buffet Lamp - #V4153 |... / Stainless Steel Passage Dover Lever at Menards


And for those of you who are actually reading this blog, let's play a little "Where's Waldo," shall we? OK  you got me, there's no Waldo, but there are two things in my mood board I have checked off from my "must obtain list." We already know the door levers are one of them (cue spoiler alert-the title of this post, maybe?!)... Bonus points if you know which other item has already made itself at home in my... well... home? 

Catalog Living

 
If there is one catalog I could move into, it would be Ballard Designs. I threw together a little mood board with some items I am currently crushing on in the catalog. And one floor lamp from Peir 1, just because I like to switch it up a little. 
 

Untitled #6
 
Note: All items listed below are from Ballard Designs, with the exception of the Bamboo Floor Lamp, which is from Pier 1.
 
1. Crown Sunburst Mirror 
2. Tate Twin Sleeper with Storage Ottoman
3. Bamboo Floor Lamp
4. Firenze Embroidered Panel
5. Andrews Pedestal Dining Table
6. Oval Louis Side Chair with Pewter Nailheads
7. Belgard Cabinet
8. Celine Cheetah Rug
9. Olivia 30in Round Mirrored Side Table
 
 
Are there any catalogs you'd like to move into? Please tell me I'm not the only crazy one who could pack up and move into a catalog lock, stock, and barrel?!