moodboard tuesday: hamptons home

This moodboard is for my mom. A while back, I mentioned my parents' search for a vacation home in Orlando. My mom is hoping to reuse what she can, keeping the design simple, eclectic and comfortable. I suggested a Hamptons-style space full of weathered fabrics, worn paint and neutral patterns.
For the record, I'm pretending my parents don't have a budget because it's way more fun that way. In reality, I'm guessing my mom will figure out a way to pull the same look off without breaking the bank.

The color
Neutral colors with various patterns will keep the space feeling fresh, relaxed and comfortable. Layering will help add texture the space without adding warmth. Accent colors would be displayed in lamps, pillows and a feature piece of furniture like the TV console (actually a buffet). It makes the space feel a little more eclectic and less predictable than color coming from fabrics.

CHALLENGE: Try adding color in your home through accessories like a side table, shelving or even a bookcase. Make sure it's something you'd like to feature and watch the room start to come together around it!

The furniture
A sofa table would be used in replace of the side table, tying the dining room and living room together without adding more bulk to the sides of the sectional. Furniture style would be sleek yet rustic, playing off the geometric patterns of the fabric while keeping the space feeling lived-in and inviting.

The accessories
With this being a vacation home, accessories will likely be minimal and very sparse to prevent frequent dusting. Instead, large vintage-looking decor was chosen to add visual interest, fit in with the rest of the decor and, again, make the space feel like it has a history.

The sources
sectional sofa: crate and barrel
throw pillows: west elm
rug: ikea
coffee table: world market
sofa table: world market
tv console: the lady peacock via etsy
spheres: west elm
curtains: crate and barrel
lamps: pottery barn

go mom: gray washing a desk

Tada! Look at how awesome my mom is. But first, the part fairy tale part DIY story.

One day, while my mom was visiting me in Cincinnati, we made the trek up to Ikea in search of goodies. We headed up the elevator to the show room and that's where it happened. Love at first sight between my mom and a Hemnes sofa table. She fell so hard for it that it was almost like being the third wheel on a first date. The way my mom was staring at it, she was getting that sofa table. No questions asked.

Hemnes Sofa Table, gray-brown

Then something weird happened. Instead of pulling out the little slip for pick up, my mom pulled out her phone and started taking pictures. "I love that finish", she said, "I think I can refinish some of my furniture so I can get the same look". 

What? No Hemnes? I was dumbfounded and sort of impressed at the same time. My mom just pulled out a DIY opp. 

We left Ikea with a pile full of random gadgets and left the Hemnes for someone else. And my mom went home in search for something to gray wash which in, in this case, was my old This End Up desk. Here is a before I dug up online.

This End Up

She gave the entire desk a light sand and then applied even coats of Sherwin Williams Pickled White wood stain in 3132 Beechwood until reaching the desired shade. Finally, to finish, she applied one coat of MinWax Clear Satin Polyurethane.

My mom's a little nervous that it looks blue but, as you'll see from the pictures I think it's just the carpet. Eventually, this snappy little number will move into my parent's future vacation home which is a sea of cream carpet and white walls. I'm thinking the nerves will ease themselves once it gets down there. 

blog feature: Knock Off Decor

It's time for my weekly blogger feature! This week is, Knock Off Decor, a site I head to on the reg to get ideas for what to make next. This site is near and dear to my heart not only because I've been featured twice (shameless plug: here and here), but it's also a concept my mom and I have been actively practicing for years.

It never fails. We head into a store, see something we love and my mom busts out, "You know, all that is is [material] and [material]. You could just [instructions here] and it would be so much cheaper." Suddenly, the creative juices start flowing and I am on a mission to recreate.

Clearly, we aren't the only ones having these conversations. With the best of the best ideas (ahem), a hilarious tone and to-the-point explanations, Knock Off Decor collects ideas from the blogosphere and posts for all to enjoy. Plus, all the projects are organized by stores that were "knocked off" so it's easy to search based on your style or favorite place to shop.

Some of my favorite featured projects below.

White and Beige Pintuck Pillows via Cherished Bliss

Ruffled Throw Pillow via Bugglebee

Sisal Rope Bowl via Centsational Girl

Glass Vase Lamp via Thrifty Abode

Blue Vase with Flowers via Mama Says Sew

cute photo arrangement overload.

Over the course of the week (sometimes day), I get a lot of questions about what people should do related to their home decor and wardrobe. Fortunately for them, I never shy away from sharing my opinion and get all mushy and gushy inside when that advice triggers confidence and multiple sighs of relief for someone. So, instead of helping one person at a time, I thought I'd extend my reach, share the love and offer some unsolicited advice/opinion on the more popular questions. That's right, just saving the world one stress wrinkle at a time.

[photo stolen from Dave F'n Powell]

As mentioned in my last post, my mom called me about photo arrangements. This isn't the first time we've discussed this topic (I've done two arrangements in her house already) and I'm 100% confident it won't be the last. This is because I happen to be the Chuck Norris of hanging photo arrangements. Give me frames, nails and a hammer and I will create something fantastic for you to look at.

[family room. photo courtesy of my mom]

[upstairs hallway. photo courtesy of my mom]

Back to the answer... You can include multi-colored frames as long as they're evenly distributed across the entire arrangement. Again, multiple colors. One arrangement. Even distribution. Take Jen's hallway for example:

[photos courtesy of Jen]

We were going for an eclectic look that still seemed pulled-together and maintained a sense of order. Since the hallway was so long (hello, The Shining) and the picture frames were so different from each other (hello, secret frame hoarder), we broke the arrangement into 4 different sections to make it easier to tackle.

Side note: I always, always work hand-in-hand with the homeowner. While it's important for a space to look good, I think it's just as important for the person living in the space to have ownership over the design. So... there.

Collecting all like-frames in piles, we distributed them across each section so we had an even, balanced playing field full of shiny goodness, black Ikea standbys and thrift store finds to choose from. From there we organized each section to look different from each other but still cohesive to the overall arrangement.

Simple right? Kind of, no, not really at all.

[photos courtesy of Jen]

Long story short, combining different colored frames in one arrangement isn't a recipe for disaster. Experimentation will be your best friend during the process so be sure to lay everything out on the floor before grabbing the hammer and nails. If you're still stumped, make it easier on yourself and choose EITHER color OR style/shape. This will help focus the arrangement without making you want to repeatedly slam your head into the wall.

And if all else fails, spray paint everything white. Like me.

[my bedroom. photos taken by me]

A special thanks to my Mom and Jen for sending over photos for me to use. Traveling to Cleveland last night would've been impossible and heading to Mount Adams became a non-option as soon as I plopped down on my bed. 

Also, thank you Dave F'n Powell for letting me swipe a photo from your FB page to help explain that this is me helping people.

Give me an A.

Over the holidays, my mom got new carpeting installed in the family room. Obviously this called for some change in the room decor. First, we rearranged her furniture placement using floorplanner.com which I also mentioned in this post. This new floor plan maximized the long, rectangular space to open up the room and make it appear larger and more balanced.

Second, we needed to address the challenge of having two focal points (the TV and the fireplace), each on opposite sides of the room. Per usual, the TV trumped the never-been-used fireplace. So, we needed to figure out a way to downplay the floor to ceiling stone focal point to prevent it from competing with the TV. To do this, we treated it more as a functional piece (as suggested in a previous post) by using the mantle and the hearth as shelves for holding my mother's endless supply of mystery novels and Jodi Picoult’s. 

Finally, there was an empty spot on the mantle that I thought needed a painting. The trick was that it couldn’t draw too much attention and needed to complement the basic functionality decor of the rest of the fireplace. Here’s what I did:

To make, you need the following:

• Canvas, primed (any size - I used 18"x 24")
• A thick piece of paper (used for the stencil)
• An exacto knife and scissors
• Black acrylic paint
• Small, thin paintbrush

Create your stencil. I drew an “A” for our last name in a standard stencil typeface. Cut out the pieces you are looking to “fill”. 

Tape the stencil to the canvas and start sketching out what you are looking to include. I used locations and phrases that were attached to family memories. 

Finish “filling” your stencil and remove the paper. Touch up where needed.

If you’re looking to hang the photo, try using a smaller canvas and affixing a thick satin ribbon to the top and secure with a nail. The end piece will be personal, chic and a tad nostalgic.