Favorite Of The Week–An eclectic mix!

February 4, 2017

It’s Saturday and I’m up early and headed off to the gym to swim. I may not have mentioned it before but I swam competitively when I was younger. Over the years, as life got busy I drifted away from swimming but I’ve been feeling the urge to get back in the pool. And I have to tell you that it feels so good–the water is my happy place.

While I’m off counting laps, I hope you enjoy a few of my favorite posts from the week.

Enjoy your weekend!

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2016 Merry & Bright Holiday Home Tour ‘Highlight Reel’

December 19, 2016

The countdown to Christmas is officially one and like many of you I am scrambling to get all of those last minute tasks complete so I can relax and enjoy the beauty of the season.

If you’ve followed the Merry & Bright Holiday Home Tour this year, I hope you found lots of inspiration for decorating, entertaining, gift wrapping and celebrating the season. If you missed any of the posts, I’ve created what I’m calling the Merry & Bright Highlight Reel to share snippets from each bloggers holiday home. And if you want to catch up on Part 1, 2 or 3 of the tour, I’ve included links to each of the bloggers posts.

‘Tis the Season!

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Love Your Abode: Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3

Design Asylum: Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3

Chic On A Shoestring Decorating: Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3

My Life Well Loved: Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3

Refresh Restyle: Part 1 //Part 2 // Part 3

Green With Decor: Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3

M. Jones Style: Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3

Positively Southern: Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3

Life and Style at 60: Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3

Wife In Progress: Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3

The Home I Create: Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3

ConfettiStyle: Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3

Thank you to Paper Mart and Silk Plants Direct who were proud sponsors of the 2016 Merry & Bright Holiday Home Tour.

Shop Paper Mart for all of your of gift wrap, ribbon and packaging supply needs.

Shop Silk Plants Direct for a great selection of artificial and preserved plants, greenery and flowers.

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DIY Potential–Ikea’s New Product Line

August 22, 2016

Besides thrift stores, Ikea is one of the best sources for DIY items. If you follow any DIY or craft bloggers, I’m sure you’ve seen them transform an item or two from Ikea.

When I got the 2017 Ikea catalog in the mail last week, I filled through the pages. While there didn’t appear to be a lot of new items, I did spot quite a few pieces that would make for great DIY projects.

DIY INSPIRATION FROM THE 2017 IKEA CATALOG

The Gladom Tray Table is just begging for a DIY UpStyle. I envision this piece painted gold, black or even Hermes orange. And if you love color, you could paint the removable tray one color and the stand another. $29.99

Th $35.00, the Lixhult Cabinet is a super affordable way to add storage to any room. Those doors a begging for some Overlays and I’ve even consider adding brass leg caps.

The Knotten Standing Desk is a great catch-all piece to place near the front door or in a mud room. And to Upstyle it, I’d paint it grey and add a marble slab top. $149.00

There are many creative ways to DIY this StenStorp Kitchen Island. I’d start by staining the top darker and painting the base. Then I’d add this brass towel bar to one side to hold kitchen towels. $399.00

The Vesken Shelf Unit is a great buy at $12.99 and would be perfect for a small bathroom that needs extra storage space. I could see this piece painted and the trays lined with beautiful paper.

The Norraker Bar Stool would be easy to paint or stain and then I’d Upstyled it with an upholstered seat cushion and a cup pull mounted on the back. $99.00

I can easily envision the Flisat Children’s Stool painted primary colors for a kids play area. But then again, it could also be painted a more sophisticated color and used as a small plant stand in a living room. $14.99

Have you had time to flip through the new Ikea catalog? I’d love to know what great pieces caught your eye.

Favorite Posts, Pins and Products Of The Week

August 20, 2016

It’s been a long week and I’m so happy that the weekend has arrived. I’ve got more than my fair share of stuff to get accomplished this weekend including some social media work, creating my packing list for our cruise and doing a little painting. Even though it’s going to be jammed packed weekend, I’m planning to enjoy every bit of it because Monday will be here before you know it.

To kick off the weekend, I’ve rounded up my favorites from the week. Enjoy!

FAVORITE POSTS

Small space decorating tips

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How to Perfect Your Flat Lay Photos

This is a stunningly beautiful outdoor space.

I’m going to try my hand and making my own customized cocktail napkins.

If you love beautiful closets you’ll want to follow Lisa’s you tube channel.

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FAVORITE PINS

This beautiful arrangement has me in the mood for fall decorating.

I’m loving the details in this black and white bathroom.

FAVORITE PRODUCTS

These earrings! And I’m also wondering if I could DIY these??

The perfect end of bed bench x 2. And it would be easy to customize with your own fabric too!

In case you missed it, you can read all about the Atlanta Tastemaker Summit I attended last week here.

Enjoy your weekend my friends!

Designer Closets–The Details You Can Use In Your Own Closet

February 19, 2016

DESIGN DETAILS FOR YOUR DREAM CLOSET

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One of my favorite things to do on Pinterest is look at designer closets. In fact, I have an entire Dream Closet board filled with images I love. Not only are designer closets pretty to look at but I love analyzing the storage and organizational details that make it stylish and functional.

During my latest round of pinning images, I took note of some of the style details that make a designer closet, a designer closet. I recognized that many of the elements are things that will work in any closet, regardless of its size. So while I continue to dream about my designer closet, here are 10 design details you can use in your own closet that will turn a humble closet into a hollywood dream.

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Creating storage behind closed doors is definitely and high-style trick that you can add to your own closet. Glass fronts will allow you to see the contents inside and preserve leather and hardware finishes on handbags and accessories.

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Even the smallest of vanity areas is a great design touch for a closet. Create your space above a set or drawers or add a small table or wall shelf between shelving or in a corner. And once you start decorating your vanity area, make sure to incorporate a few pretty but functional pieces.

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“To create something exceptional, your mindset must be relentlessly focused on the smallest detail.” – Giorgio Armani

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Even a small stool will add stylish seating to your designer closet. If you don’t have open wall space where a stool can sit, tuck it into the shelving under hanging garment.

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I have to admit I’m a little ‘mommy dearest’ when it comes to matching hangers in the closet. Regardless of the type of hangers you use, using one style throughout the closet will instantly UpStyle the look and feel of your closet space.

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And if new hangers are not in the budget right now, shop thrift stores and spray paint the hangers to create a uniform look.

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“Simplicity is the ultimate form of sophistication. ” – Leonardo Da Vinci

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A little paint or wallpaper can go a long way in adding designer style to your closet. Even if you can’t paint or wallpaper the entire space, consider dressing up one accent wall or even the ceiling.

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One thing you’ll notice about most designer closets is that they use storage baskets and bins to keep things organized. Baskets can hold t-shirts sorted by color, accessories or even staples like jeans and sweaters. Use one or two basket styles to create a uniform look with your closet decor.

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Display hooks are definitely a designer touch but for just a few dollars and no physical labor you can add them to your closet. These shelf hooks from Container Store are great if you have a wire rack system in your closet and these hooks from Ikea work great on solid surface shelving.

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“Personal style is about taking classic pieces and reinterpreting them to make them your own.” – Frida Giannin

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It’s easy to add unique details to your closet space and give it a designer feel. I love the architectural look of these wood shelves for holding jewelry and other accessories. You can install your own with these wall cubes from Home Depot.

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Chic and efficienet lighting is a must for any closet space. A chandelier is always elegant and picture lights are ideal when you need direct lighting in specific areas. Ikea has a nice selection of unique wall mounted spotlights.

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I don’t know how many times I see someone that’s not dressed to impress and question whether or not they have a dressing mirror. Every designer closet needs them. You can hang an inexpensive full length mirror on a door or wall, or get creative and UpStyle the look with molding and trims.

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Every time I look at designer closets I’m inspired to make a few simple changes to give our petite space the designer touch. And I truly believe that a pretty closet space will put added pep in your step as you get ready in the morning.

So, which of these designer closet details do you love the most?

Handmade Inspiration

August 8, 2015

Happy Saturday! It’s going to be super hot in most parts of the country so I’ve round-up a few of my favorite DIY projects that would make for a perfect weekend indoors.

Enjoy and be inspired!

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You won’t believe that my friend Elle who write the Splendid Habitat blog made this gorgeous tie-die fabric was made using cooking spices.

If you look under craft maven in the dictionary you’ll likely see a picture of Amber. She is incredibly talented and crafts the most adorable things ever. Her latest obsession is shoes!

These just might be the most beautiful handmade baskets I’ve ever seen. So glad I discovered Alisa’s blog too!

I am so going to make some of this beautiful paper tape. So cute and so easy.

If you’ve got Christmas projects on your mind, you might think about making one of these pennant tree skirts.

Looking for something to do with those near empty bottles of nail polish. Here’s some really cool nail polish diy projects to check out.

I can’t think of a better way to spend a hot summer weekend than crafting. Happy crafting my friends!

Painted Nightstands

April 2, 2015

As part of my master bedroom refresh I’m working on, I’m considering painting the nightstand. The wood and details on the nightstand are really nice so I’m struggling with giving it a new look or keeping it as is.

I don’t have a photo where you can see the full piece but you can get a feel for it here.

Naturally as part of my decision-making process I went looking for some inspiration.

Here’s what inspired me…

I love the look of this piece with the gold accent but don’t know if my piece is large enough to pull off this look.

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Crystal knobs and gold trim similar to the details on this piece might work but then again it might be too contemporary for our space.

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I love the look of these oval brass handles and think that kind of detail would work great on our piece.

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Or maybe some decorative drawer pulls?? This piece has similar lines and details to our so this might be the winner.

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So many ideas to consider and one big question to get answered…will the hubs let me paint a perfectly good wood piece?

Stay tuned.

Spray Paint Is One Of The Best Design Tools You’ll Ever Have

January 13, 2015

One question that I’ve been asked quite often is “what’s your best design tool”? This is a pretty loaded question since there are a lot of different things that go into designing and decorating a room. It could be my upholsterer who can transform a piece of furniture or my painter who can breathe life into a space with a simple coat of paint.

As an interior designer I have access to a wide variety of tools and a range of exclusive furniture, accessories and home decor items that I can pull from to design a space.

Having access to exclusive items is wonderful but sometimes the best design tool is something simple that doesn’t cost a lot of money, is easy to access and can yields high-end results in a flash.

Sometimes the best design tool you can have is a can of spray paint~

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