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Quick and Easy.
Today I’m sharing a project that is so quick and easy, you’ll wonder why you’ve never done it yourself! I’ve talked about my love of re-doing bathrooms a few times before, and this project does just that.
This weekend Justin and I went down to his mom’s house to help clean out a closet full of stuff that he and his brother had accumulated over the years. While the boys sorted through old ninja turtles and loads of hilarious school reports, his mom asked me to help her with a project. Her current hall bathroom looked like this…
She wanted to start updating the bathroom, and decided to start with the mirror. She simply bought molding from a local home improvement store, cut it to size, and stained it a darker color to match the existing bathroom cabinet. All I had to do was help her glue it into place with a product similar to Liquid Nails. Such an easy fix!
She still has plans to re-paint and change out light fixtures, but what a difference this “new mirror” makes! Oh and random fact, I painted the palm tree border you can kind-of see in the reflection in the mirror. About 10 years ago. (I’ve been around the Smiths for a pretty dang long time.)
There you have it, a quick easy project that you could do in less time than it takes to watch a movie! Oh and did I mention how inexpensive it is too? What about you guys…any home projects going on right now?
From Shabby to Chic.
You really never know who you’re going to meet or how they’ll come into your lives. For instance, I met Heather at a friend’s birthday party. I had no idea then that she would become my client, or better yet, that she would be the sweetest, easiest client you could ever ask for! Seriously. It was so fun to work with Heather to design the kitchen and dining room of her new condo, where she wanted something elegant and 40′s inspired. She e-mailed me these pictures of the space…
And I came up with this,
drumroll…
The design!
1. I suggested she paint all the doors white and add trim to give them an updated look. This is such an inexpensive way to add value to the space!
2. This is the wall color for the kitchen and the color of the kitchen cabinets. The wall color is a pale, icy gray that will look fantastic with the dark cabinets and newly painted white doors.
3. When I found this chandelier, I knew it had to go in the room. Happily, Heather loves it just as much as I do! This is such a statement piece, that it’s well worth the price tag. (Which wasn’t much by the way. It pays to have me find deals!)
4. This is the pattern I suggested she paint (or wallpaper) on the arched wall in the room. (It’s the wall in the photo second from the top on this page.) It’ll make a huge statement in the room, without costing a fortune. In fact, it’ll cost less than that dinner you ate out last weekend! And don’t think it’s too difficult to paint. I gave Heather easy tips for how to recreate this on her own.
5. These are the colors for the painted wall. The same shade as the kitchen, plus a few shades darker for the contrasting pattern.
6. Mirrored furniture can be really expensive, but silver-leafing is a really affordable way to get a similar design aesthetic. I took something that was way over budget, and gave an easy option for 1/4 of the price!
7. Bar stools for the kitchen.
8. Dining room table.
9. I suggested pops of yellow to go in the room for a bit of contrast.
10. A fun, and yet subdued rug like this would be the perfect compliment to the space.
11. These chairs are fantastic. And really, really affordable. When added to each end of the table, they’ll make even the most inexpensive table look like it cost a fortune! It’s all about being smart with where you spend your money.
Well folks, there you have it. My design for Heather’s kitchen and dining room. I LOVE how it turned out and, better yet, so did she! I managed to take a really tight budget and turn it into an elegant space that looks like it cost much, much more. Heather is currently in the middle of translating my design from paper to real life, so I’ll share pictures of updates as I get them.
If you were at all on the fence about e-design, hopefully you’re not anymore. I’ll bet that when you were reading this post, you were thinking about a certain room in your home. Curious as to what I could do with that space? Email me. Chances are, you spend more at the grocery store last week then it would cost for me to give you a space that you’ll love.
P.S. The design information above is pretty basic. Heather actually got a lot more information, drawings and tips. To be fair to her, I’ve left that out of this blog post. If you have any questions about anything you’ve seen (or want to buy), email me for more information!
Inspiration Station.
(Image borrowed from { this } site.)
I love a good table centerpiece, so when I saw this tablescape (above) on Pinterest, I knew I wanted to use it as inspiration for my own table. The elegance of the flowers and silver trim paired with the rustic wood on the box…well you know how much of a sucker I am for that combo. I’m nothing if not predictable!
I started with a simple wooden box I found at Hobby Lobby for $20 and some silver ribbon I got for 50% off. (Score!) I played with the idea of staining the box a darker color, but my table is already a dark wood so I figured I’d leave the box lighter for contrast. A little hot glue, (a designer’s favorite tool!) and box + ribbon started to equal a pretty fantastic new centerpiece.
Next, I used my all-time favorite design tactic: mixing old with new. I had several of these white flowers that I had used in a previous arrangement so I decided to cut costs and reuse them in this piece. Still wanting it to feel like a new arrangement (and not just same old thing in a new box) I picked up these fun sparkly jewels for 50% off to add something a bit unexpected. Every girl needs a little something sparkly, right?
And finally, here it is! I bet you didn’t expect to scroll down and see apples, huh? Well, I had them and thought they added a bit of whimsy to an otherwise predictable centerpiece. I have to say, I’m so happy with the finished product.
Design is all about finding inspiration, but truly making each and every project your own. If you look at my inspiration picture at the top of this post, you can see where I used a similar box and ribbon trim, but really personalized the centerpiece with a few other touches. Now that I’ve told you about Pinterest, you can really find ways to be inspired and take on fun projects. Go on, get started!
P.S. Yes, the title to this post is lame. BUT the centerpiece is not. Pick your battles, people.