Easy Updates for the Bathroom {and a few design tips}

April 25, 2014

Happy Friday!

Often the most neglected room in the home, the bathroom deserves just as much décor love as the other rooms in your home. During construction or a remodel of your bathroom, you can add decorative elements like flooring, paint and fixtures to enhance the space but the decorating does not have to end there. Just like refreshing the accessories in your living room or family room, updating your bathroom seasonally or yearly is easy and doesn’t have to cost a lot.

Here are some quick and simple ways to update your bathroom anytime the mood strikes.

PAINT THE CEILING

Tip: A semi-gloss or gloss paint will add a bit of shine and make your bathroom look a bit more glamorous

PAINT THE CABINETS

Tip: Flat or eggshell paint finishes will hold up best to dirt and fingerprints

LAYER YOUR MIRRORS

Tip: Use Command Hooks to hold light weight mirror

FRAME YOUR MIRROR

Tip: my go-to source for mirror frames is Mirror Mate

ADD A DECORATIVE SHOWER CURTAIN

Tip: Use patterned curtain panels (=more style, length and pattern option) as your outer layer with a clear shower liner behind

ACCESSORIZE THE VANITY WITH PRETTIES

Tip: Kitchen canisters make great containers for toiletries and a small tabletop lamp will add ambience to your bathroom

GO WITH A DECORATIVE RUG INSTEAD OF A BATHROOM RUG

Tip: Instead of multiple rugs, look for a rug that is large enough to cover most of the floor. A single rug will add more visual impact.

Tip: Always us a rug liner so there’s no slipping and sliding

Tip: If the rug is in front of the tub/shower, go with a wool or wool blend which will hold up to water better

USE A PIECE OF FURNITURE FOR STORAGE & STYLE

Tip: Replace the wood on an armoire with glass so that items can be seen and add to the décor of the bathroom

Tip: If you need more counter space, a low chest will give you that plus extra storage

ADD ARTWORK

Tip: Use artwork to add an accent color to your bathroom

Tip: Turn your medicine cabinet into a decorative statement by hanging a piece of artwork over the door

Tip: If windows are an issue, use artwork to provide privacy and add a decorative statement

Tip: Even small art placed strategically will personalize your bathroom

Have fun decorating your bathroom and have a fantastic weekend.

p.s. On Monday I’ll be sharing photos from a fabulous designer showhouse I previewed yesterday and on Tuesday I’ll share a few thing you can learn about design by going to showhouse events.

Happy Easter and I hit 1000!

April 20, 2014

Yesterday I shared my first spring tablescape and to celebrate Easter I crafted these cute bunny candy pouches filled with jelly beans for the Mr. and me and added them to the table.

In addition to celebrating Easter, today marks my 1000th blog post. While I can’t believe I’ve written that many blog post I can tell you that after four years of blogging I still love sharing my passions, tips and ideas with you, and look forward to many more blog post ahead. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading along, sharing your comments and for inspiring me in more ways than you know.

Happy Easter! I hope you day is filled with love, faith and all things beautiful.

Eclectic Spring Tablescape

April 19, 2014

Happy Saturday!

It’s kind of a lazy day around my parts. I’m still getting caught up on laundry from my trip and working on setting up new items in my Etsy shop. Yesterday I was going to share a simple and eclectic tablescape I pulled together to celebrate spring and Easter but the day was gloomy and getting a decent picture was not in the cards. The sky today is still dreary but I was able to capture a few shots of the table.

I love to style tabletops and during the spring and summer eclectic and colorful is my style of choice.

For this spring centerpiece I used a collection of vintage and new pieces I had around the house.

The tulips and round greenery sphere are placed in a vintage trophy urns and a two large mercury glass balls are displayed under a glass cloche I picked up at a sample sale.

For the place setting I used black and white striped placemats from Ikea and a mix of plates from Target and HomeGoods. I made the polka dot napkins.

To add a pop of color, I filled a twig birds nest with colorful felt balls. The brass bird-cage adds to the eclectic mix.

We’re not doing anything major for Easter brunch but I will be adding a special Easter touch to the table tomorrow. I’ll pop in tomorrow and share it with you.

Why the Decor of Your Home Matters

April 15, 2014

I was reading an interesting article the other day that was filled with statistics. The numbers were staggering but what really was on my mind was how those numbers related we decorate our homes. It all comes back to time, the time we spend under our own roof. With some much time spent in our homes, the saying that your home should rise up to meet you and that it should fuel your soul is so true.

DID YOU KNOW..

The average person will sleep for 229,961 hours sleeping (1/3 of your life)?

That’s why having a bedroom that comforts you at the end of the day is important. Invest in good quality sheets and pillows, make your bedroom is cozy and surround yourself with photos and things you love so you go to sleep and wake up feeling joyful.

The average person spends a staggering 32,098 hours eating and drinking beverages in their lifetime.

Create a dining space that is comfortable and allows you to gather with friends and family is one of the best ways to make your home a sanctuary. Mealtimes should be a time to reconnect with the ones you love and having a space you love makes the gatherings even more meaningful.

The average American spends 32 hours per month online. That totals 28,300 hours in a lifetime, and this number may increase in the future with smart devices becoming more commonly used and allowing easier access to the Internet.

As someone who works from home I fully understand the concept of creating a working space that is both functional and pretty. This also applies to those of you that work outside the home. Keep your home office organized and surround yourself with inspiration that will enhance your work and keep you energized.

The average person will watch over 9 years’ worth of TV, or around 80,486 hours.

I am always getting on my husband about watching too much TV. Since TV’s are apart of our lives, focus on making your TV viewing area as beautiful as possible. Invest in comfortable seating and make the TV part of the décor. And while you’re at it, create a beautiful outdoor living space that just might entice the family away from the TV.

Women will spend 12,896 hours in their lifetime cleaning the home, which is almost one-and-a-half year of their lives.

I’m not your typical person because I actually like to clean. There is some therapeutic about it. But I know that in order for me to enjoy it I must have my supplies organized and easily accessible. Take the time to organize and make the area where you keep your cleaning supplies pretty. Seeing a beautiful space will make you want to create a beautiful space.

Statistical source

A Uniquely Crafted Gift

April 8, 2014

I love to give gifts and when I can give something that is unique and unexpected that makes gift giving even more fun for me.

This gift is going to my brother who recently moved from Kentucky to Washington DC and is without some key household items that can make life easier. One of those items is a sewing kit.

As a professional who is on the go constantly and doesn’t always have time to run to the cleaners or an alterations person, I thought it would be nice to make him a sewing kit for when he needs to mend a hem or sew on a button in a hurry.

And of course I had to do a little crafting to make his sewing kit uniquely his.

I painted the top of a wood box, purchased at Hobby Lobby, in a stripe pattern. I used different shades of grey and added white to keep the look masculine. The base of the box is solid grey.

Once painted I used the Mark Montano by Craffiti Direct Vintage Scissors stamps and created a label for the top of the box. The ABC stamp set was used to spell out the words.

When I was all done decorating the box I filled it with essential sewing supplies like pins, needles, thread, buttons and stitch witchery.

Easy as pie–I had a uniquely crafted sewing kit to give to my brother.

There are so many creative ways to use stamps when crafting so head over to the Craffiti Direct website and check out the full line of stamps.

To see all the Mark Montano stamp designs head here.

Happy Crafting!

Products Used (click on photo to buy):

Decorative scrapbook paper from Hobby Lobby

Sewing supplies from Wal-Mart

11 Design Details I’m Loving & that you can do in your own home

April 4, 2014

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times, Design is in the Details. And that’s one of the things I love about design. The fact that you can take a basic ordinary architectural element, accessory, furniture piece or decorative element and use it to create something unique and beautiful for your home. I’m working on a project that is requiring me to think about details and how they can be used to transform a space and save money at the same time. With details on my mind I thought I’d share 11 of my favorite ideas, ideas you can use in your own home.

…

Read the Post

The ‘It’ Accessories for Spring

March 24, 2014

Good morning and happy Monday. I hope you weekend was great.

We had some fantastic weather here in Atlanta over the weekend but unfortunately I only had a little time to get out and enjoy it. Saturday I made myself stay in and tackle the stack of magazines that have grown since December. OUT.OF.CONTROL! I got through most of the stack, found lots of inspiration, have a stack of project pages to file away and feel much more relaxed now that all of magazines are out-of-the-way.

In addition to all the magazines I read, I got caught up on my blog reading. So many great blogs and so little time!

One of the things I try to pay particular attention to when I’m going through magazines or reading blogs are the design elements and the accessories that appear over and over. While there are companies that forecast design trends, seeing what items people are actually using in their homes is the best gauge of whether a trend or item is really hot or not. Magazine after magazine and blog after blog I began to see several items show up over and over which is an obvious sign that they are the

‘IT’ Accessories of the Moment!

The Moroccan Shag Rug

I’ve seen this rug in photos and on blogs before but in the last several weeks I’ve seen it show up in so many rooms that designers and bloggers are styling. It’s soft, it’s chic and the classic design mixes well with just about any décor.

Kristin from Bliss at Home recently added the rug to her gorgeous living room.

You can find the Moroccan Shag Rug at RugsUSA.com and if you hurry you’ll get it on sale too! RugsUSA is one of my favorite sources for rugs and you can read more about why here .

Ikea Black and White Striped Pillow

First it was the rug

then came the throw

and then fabric by the yard

and now Ikea has introduced the black and white striped pillow cover. This pillow ( Vargyllen) doesn’t seem to be available on the website yet but I did see it in the store here in Atlanta for around $9.

Just like all the other black and white items that Ikea sells, this one is sure to be a hot commodity and is sure to appear on many blogs in the coming months.

Watercolor Floral Pillows

Flowers are a hallmark of spring so it’s only natural that watercolor floral pillows are so popular now. I love the artistic feel of watercolor designs and pillows are a great way to refresh your look for the season so this is a winning combination.

If you love this look you can find similar styles at HomeGoods and Etsy has a great selection like the pillow above.

Since spring is officially here and if you’re anything like me you want to refresh your home for the season so my question to you is, will that refresh include any of these IT accessories?

p.s. The four ‘it’ accessories I wrote about last year are still a hot trend too!

Inspiration {+ a design tip}

March 15, 2014

Happy Saturday!

Don’t you love a good DIY project? I sure do and this is one of my faves. Can you tell which pillows in this gorgeous room by Burlap and Lace are DIY and which are store-bought? I couldn’t.

Head on over to Shannon’s blog and see which pillows she created with a little DIY.

Design Tip: Pattern mixing is an art but a sure-fire way to keep your look sophisticated is by sticking to a single color family and varying the scale and style of pattern.

Copyright © 2024 · Theme by 17th Avenue

Copyright © 2024 · Amelia on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in