Instagram Q + A - Casual Cottage Master Bedroom

A couple of weeks ago, I had a little Q + A over on Instagram. I love helping folks solve design and decorating dilemmas, so I said "ask away". I chose 3 of the questions to answer in a little more depth.  

Ashlee's Master Bedroom is the first room I'm going to try to offer some assistance with. Here's what Ashlee had to say about the space:

"We live in an old cottage, with small rooms and every single wall in our bedroom has a window, door, etc. The longest wall hosts out bed, but it has an off-center window right behind our headboard. I have struggle for 5 years with either hiding it and making it seem like it's not there or embracing it and balancing the off-settness with art or something." (You can see pics of the room below.)

We chatted I bit about colors and existing furniture. She likes orange, coral, teal-blue and navy. Her bedding is a nice solid grey and the walls have just been painted a pale grey as well. And she isn't attached to the furniture or lamps at all.

1. Terracotta Vase

2. Coral Vase

3. Retro Blue Vase

4. Asymmetrical Mirror Set

5. Mid century Headboard

6. Black Nightstand

7. Wall Lamp

8. Black and Gold Lamp

9. Ikat Pillow

10. Lattice Pillow

11. Navy Squares Pillow

12. Peach and Orange Striped Throw

13. Mid century Nightstand

Here's what I suggest for this space:

1. I think you have to embrace the asymmetrical window situation.  I think there are a couple things that could be done to help achieve a bit more balance.  First, I suggest the funky pair of mirrors hung over the bed to the left of the window.  I also think in small rooms, you need to let in as much natural light as possible. A lower profile, slatted headboard would feel less bulky and not block the window as much. I am in LOVE with this mid-century headboard from Target, you guys, it's only $100!!! And losing a foot board will make the space feel a lot more open. 

2. It's not going to be a symmetrical room, so let's not be matchy-matchy.  I love mismatched nightstands and lamps. They make a room feel a lot more casual and collected over time. This also gives you a chance to do something a little more feminine on on side and masculine on the other. Mixing wood and painted pieces is totally fine, I give you permission!  

3. You know I love grey, but let's also have some fun with colorful, patterned accent pieces. Different shades of orange and navy blue are always going to be a hit. Anytime you can play with complimentary colors, bland will never occur.

Do you have any other suggestions for Ashlee to help her solve her wonky window situation?  I'd love to hear.  Stay tuned.  I've got a couple more Q + A rooms I'm going to tackle. 

Black Entryways

Last week, Lonnie and I went to an open house and we kind of fell in love.  It was a gorgeous 100 year old, 2 story craftsman with sooooo much potential. Sadly the house was already off the market, but I can't get it out of my head.  It's one of those houses that you see and you immediately start packing up your current home and move in all in your head.  I have wall colors and ideas picked out for almost every room in the house.  It's definitely my "dream" home.  One of the best features of this house was a gorgeous entryway with beautiful wood work and leaded windows.  Living in a small house that definitely doesn't have an entryway, this felt like a very grand and luxurious feature to have in a home.  So, while I'm moving into this fantasy home that has a real entryway, indulge me while a dream about being dramatic with paint and consider painting the entryway black.

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Black might seem dark and dingy, but I found some really great examples of black paint done well. I love how dark paint colors highlight white trim and moldings.

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So, what do you think? Too dark, too dramatic?  Or does it feel sophisticated and modern? I won't be painting a room black anytime soon, but it's fun to dream.  

Easy Felt Ball Wreath

Slowly be surely we are getting our house decorated for Christmas. The kids have little trees and lights in their bedrooms, but this year I added these cute little Felt Ball Wreaths to the ends of the girls' beds.

I often say that a craft is easy and fast to make, but this one really is. I had these both made and hung in less then 10 mins. I used a couple holiday decorations from The Land of Nod and a metal hoop from the the craft store. Check out the full how to over on Honest to Nod, The Land of Nod's blog today.

You can see more of the girls' bedroom HERE.

Tween Boy's Bedroom

This Summer Dylan turned 13, how can my little boy be in Jr. High?  He is such a good kid, he works hard at school and is a pretty fun kid to be around. He was ready to make his bedroom to feel a little more grown up. We haven't changed a thing in his room for more then 4 years, expect his closet did get a little makeover.  Even though he is still a huge Star Wars fan, he was ready for a change.  So, we are taking on a little makeover to transition this kiddo from little boy to teenager. We picked out bedding and a few pieces that will feel more grown up and less little boy. And to be honest, I'd happily have all of these pieces in my bedroom. He's getting some really cool stuff for The Land of Nod. I may be stealing the gold lamp and rug for myself.

Shelf

Duvet // Pillow Sham // Throw Pillow

Planet Banner

Bookshelf // Storage Bin // Lamp

Rug

The walls are a bright white and the chalk board paint is gone. The room is feeling bigger and brighter.

13 is an awkward age to be and Jr. High can be rough. But, Dylan's reaction to this new plan was "SICK!!! This is going to be awesome!".  I'm excited for him to have this new, refreshed space.  

Painted Claw Foot Tubs

Forest Green

When we first found our house there was two things I immediately loved about it. The first was the built-in cabinets in our dining room and the second was the original 1920's claw foot tub in the one and only bathroom.  It was in bad shape, so we painted it a fresh coat of white paint when we moved in 13 years ago.  But, for the last 5 or so years, I've been itching to paint the outside of the tub a fun color.  This first one, the forest green is probably my favorite.  

I also would love to take out the little corner shower unit and add a curtain surround and a shower head to the tub.  This would free up a lot of space in the bathroom and we would be able to add a second sink and some much needed storage.  

Mint Green

Navy Blue via 

Yellow

Teal via

Black

Cafe Design

I thought I'd share with you a little sneak peek into a design job I've been working on for the last month or so.  My favorite little bakery in town is opening a little eat-in cafe/bistro and I've been helping design the space. I can't wait for it to open. I've got some fun DIY projects happening in there and lots a modern copper touches.  

Here's a look at the mood board to give you an idea of where we are headed with the space.  The color palette is quite feminine, but there's lots of fun geometric pattern and shapes for contrast.

Stay tuned, it will be opening very soon!

Grid Pillow // Have a Nice Day Pillow // Teal Pillow

Geometric Tile // Floral Tile

Metal Pipe Pendant Light // Geo Pendant Light

Rifle Paris Print // Floral Print // Grid Print

Teal Planter (CB2 sold out) // Blush Vase (Similar) // Rose Gold Tea Light Holder

Paper Roll

Copper Wire Baskets

Global Eclectic Bedroom Reveal

I'm really excited for you to see my latest room makeover.  I'm calling it the Global Eclectic Bedroom.  This is one of those dream projects you guys.  I was asked to create a "lived in", traveled, collected feeling, somewhat weird space for a creative fun college kid.  And then, the rest was up to me.  I was really given total creative freedom.  The only thing that stayed from the original space was the mattress and one eggplant colored wall.  I would say that about 90% of this space is thrifted finds and DIYs, which made for a unique look on a budget (my favorite kind of room).

Over the next couple of days, I'll share more in detail about the sources and DIYs in this space.  But, for today, I'm just going to mostly let the pictures do the talking (because there are plenty of them).  

I loved being able to play with so much color in this room.  With the walls being white, the splashes of color have nothing to compete with.  I didn't have a color palette for this space.  I just knew that my client loved lavender.  So, I played with saturated colors and repeated shades of purple throughout the space.  I kind of made it my mission not to match colors.  And pattern, I mixed and hardly every matched, and somehow I think it all works.  

I started with a fun graphic duvet cover from West Elm.  I knew the pillows would be very colorful and ornate, so I wanted something angular to compliment them.  I had already created the hand drawn gold grid wall, so when I found this grey grid duvet, I loved the idea of repeating the pattern.  And then pillows, pillows and more pillows.  I few of the pillows are actually ones I bought while living in Yemen, and the others are fun Crate and Barrel Outlet, Urban Outfitters, and Target.  Oh and the cute plus sign sheets are also from Target. 

The bed is the simplest pine bed frame from Ikea.  I didn't want it to be a focal point, I wanted the gold grid wall to be the highlight.  And the table, I've already shared, is an easy DIY.

I'll share more about the shelves soon, but almost every item on the shelves and dresser are thrifted treasures I've been collecting over the last couple of months.  When I find something interesting, I stick in in a box and save for a future project.  

And the gorgeous credenza, you may recognize.  It's a craigslist find I gave a little makeover to.  I have a piece of glass cut for the top so that it would be protected from drinks and make-up that could be spilled on it.  At one end of the dresser, I created a little "desk" area.  It's simply a place to keep her laptop, a calendar and some desk essentials.  And yes, that is a neon cactus light, weird was a must for this young space. 

I love how this starburst mirror picks up all the colorful splashes throughout the room.

At the end of the bed, I added a little sitting area with a fun craigslist chair and a pouf from World Market. Above the chair I hung two tree people carvings that I found at an estate sale.  

The room before was painted dark red and this eggplant purple color.  The space felt small and dark.  I convinced my client to paint the walls white, but she really wanted to keep one purple. We left the back wall the dark color and I think it totally works.  The closet didn't have doors, so I hid the mess and clutter of the closet with simple curtain panels and a tension shower rod.

And with pillows, you must have throws.  This inexpensive grey throw got a little makeover with some pom pom trim.  That's a post that is coming soon.

And athough the ceiling are not high in this room, I wanted to bring your eye and not neglect this space.  I found the macrame plant hanger and pot at thrift stores and the gorgeous brass hanging lights at World Market. 

And because my client insisted on having some weird elements in the space, the sad clown paint-by-number was a must.

Phew, that was a lot of pictures for one post.  I'd love to know what you think?  And if you have any questions about the details from this space, please ask.

Living Room Makeover

I'm excited to finally share a little living room makeover I worked on over the Thanksgiving break.  I helped my sister-in-law, Jess, who lives in Idaho, give her new grey sectional a little personality.  

Jess already had a couple great furniture pieces to start with. We had 4 main goals for the room:

1. Give the sectional personality.

2. Create a gallery focal wall.

3. Rethink the mantel.

4. Accessorize the surfaces.  

Head over to The Land of Nod's blog, Honest to see all the details and the full reveal.  And then come back here and let me know what you think.  

Home Library Inspiration Board

I've got a fun week ahead. Over the past couple of months, I've been working on putting together this home library for a client. My first two room designs, the Coral and Kelly Green Home Office and Global Backpacker Bedroom rooms where well received by the homeowners, so I'm trying another full room makeover. 

I wanted to share the inspiration board for this library living space with you.  It all started with the Stockholm Green Sofa from IKEA. It's definitely the star of the space. I want this sofa in my home - soon. I'm a big fan of neutrals when it comes to big furniture pieces, but this is just too fabulous not to take a huge color risk on. 

I'm pairing this lovely emerald green with splashes of gold/yellow and strong navy blues. I've thrifted lots of really cool items to go alongside the books in the shelves. I've got lots of pattern and some great textures. It's going to be a perfect space to curl up with a great book and a cup of coffee. 

If you'd like to know more about the sources and inspiration pieces in this board, just leave me a comment below.  

What you think about adding color in a large piece of furniture versus just in accessories?  What color are you willing to take risks with?  I never can go wrong with green, it's in every room and every shade in my house.  

Dining Room Reveal

I've been making a few changes to my dining room over the last couple of months. It's really taken me longer then I thought. But, that's really the thing with designing and decorating on a very small budget. You have to be patient. You're not always going to find the deal immediately.  Remember, I sold my table before I had a new one. But, then I scored an amazing Danish mid century one from Craigslist in San Diego. And the chairs were also difficult. It ended up that I had chosen West Elm chairs that had be discontinued. So I had only one and ended up finding 3 more somewhere in Texas and had them shipped to me.

But, the final piece made the space - my new Lamps Plus industrial chandelier.  I chose this gorgeous 28" wide, 12 edison bulb chandelier. I feel like a real grown up with a real chandelier in my home. It's big and bold and super sophisticated. I think it's really important to add just a splash of high end decor to any space. For the most part, my look is very thrifted and diy-ish, so I believe this gorgeous chandelier elevates my space.

This room represents my personal style so much better now. My old table was just fine, but the lines and shape of my new/old table are so much better. We've already had lots of company over and we can easily fit 8-10 folks at this table. I think it all plays well with my 1920s built-ins as well. And maybe it just looks disjointed and amateur, but that's probably because I am both. Either way, I love it.

This is a very hard working space. That little black cabinet is my blog office or as some bloggers call it, their studio. And the opposite wall from the desk is my photo studio, I'm sure you recognize the grey paint color from most of my pictures.  

I love that you can see the new chandelier as soon as you walk into our home. Here's the view from our living room. 

Here's a list of a lot of the other details from the space: 

Red Head Oil Painting

Sea Painting

Driftwood Candle Holder

Table Runner

Beaded Glass Bubbles

Pottery

Provence Oil

The paint color is Benjamin Moore AF-705 Cinder.