Chairish Style Challenge

A few days ago I received an email from someone working at Chairish...
Have you heard of it?
It's only one of the coolest and most unique collection of vintage pieces for sale out there right now!  They have the best Vintage Furniture that is so easy to style!

Well anyways, they invited me to participate in a Style Challenge and I gladly accepted!  Admittedly, I have not purchased anything from Chairish but only because it would involve shipping furniture which is never cheap or a drive to Chicago which I'm usually up for, but nothing really fits in my car...so I'll have to wait until I have a truck.   hah.

They sent me a list of items and I was supposed to pick my favorite...

The winner... ???
Tada!

I'm not sure why but I was just drawn to it.  I love the subtle curve in the back and of course tufting makes me swoon.

Then I needed to design a room around it.  I used Olioboard to create it so I will say that some of these extra pieces are from places like One Kings Lane and are probably not available exactly as is, but I'm sure you can find similar pieces that probably would work and at even better prices if you look.  I love to look at thrift stores and on craigslist for deals!  The key... keep looking always!  Everyday!

Ok... so can I just say how much I would love to put this room in my house somewhere right now?!?

Seriously it's making my little heart pitter patter. 

I love that the sofa, even though it's gold, acts as a neutral and works with many different warm colors.  

I tried to think of something that would work for my family but also had a touch of whimsy as well as different textures and patterns which I love to mix.  

Every room in my house has a basket and this one would be no different.  

I love jute rugs (from Chairish), but the cowhide (also from Chairish) really warms and softens it up. 

The leather chair on the right has some wear to it which I love.  I did worry that two leather chairs in one room might be too much but I think in this case it works only because the colors of leather are so different and the wood tones on the carmel colored chair really differentiate it from the dark more traditional chair.  

I've also got a major crush on Aztec prints these days which is why I choose this ottoman as the coffee table.  

It lightens the space up a little bit, but also ties in with all the coordinating colors of the chairs.  

This one was listed through One Kings Lane on Olioboard, but I bet you could either find one, probably on Chairish, or reupholster one to resemble this. 

Besides the sofa, I am loving the cute little patterned stool in front of the leather chair.

  I have a really odd love for stools and I swear there is one in almost every room of my house, but I love this little guy.  Along with the bulldog statue, it adds that bit of whimsy which I appreciate in any room.  

I'm not a fan of NEW and Matchy Matchy so this challenge was right up my alley.  

I decided to keep the furniture and "staples" of the room more neutral so that you can constantly change up accessories and the look of the room without having to spend a fortune.  

Like look how cute it looks all dolled up for the holidays?

Well what do you think?  Do you like this space? 

Was the sofa your favorite piece? 

Can't wait to hear what you think!  

And a huge thanks to Holly at Chairish for inviting me to participate in this style challenge!  

Can't wait to keep watching all the Vintage Furniture on their site! 

PlayLand Redesign

Well, my loft redesign is in the mix...
What was supposed to be an adult room for movies & lounging has quickly turned into the toy drop spot AKA PlayLand. 

So I've let go of any sense of "coordinating with the rest of my house" notions and decided to kind of go with the flow... We are stuck with the same furniture up there for a while due to lack of funds, but the furniture is just fine... so here we go!

A while back I had read a post about Kristen's new play room that she designed with Land of Nod.  Don't you just love Land of Nod?  I spent a couple hours on their site yesterday... Looking at tents & tee-pees, garland and girly things, and fun toys!  They had some awesomely cute adorable pieces! 

So that got me to thinking... I can have a cute PlayLand too!  I can do this!  I can make my loft warm, kid-friendly, and fun!  Yes I can... so I hopped right onto Olioboard and away I went.

And ended up creating this...
It's my inspiration room...
It's not mean to be a copycat of Kristen (although Kristen, if you are ever in Indy, please give me a call -- let's lunch and discuss my room[s])...
But I did/do really enjoy her room. 

Unfortunately, I have to work with a lot of what I have... so here goes...

To do list for loft:

• SPLURGE - New Sofa... I never thought I'd say this, but I really like the Denim one used in the Mood Board - Durability & Versatility
• Save - Paint TV stand White
• Save - DIY that adorable garland -- I actually bought a ton of felt a while back to make headbands and never got around to it so YAY!  Cutting crazy here I come!
• Save - Create similar artwork -- I am in love with these sayings!
• Splurge - I do need a rug and I am in love with this one!  I wish I could find it for half the price!
• Save - DIY Refrigerator
• Hang TV on the Wall

Already Have:

• Circus Tent from Ikea *Swoon* *Love* *Swoon*
• Kitchen Stove PB Kids Hand-me-down
• Pink Chair
• Doll House
• Lamp
• Toys
• And we have a pink plastic rocking horse but it will fit just fine!

So... I think I have the basics... It's all going to come from a lot of decor...
Here's what the loft looks like now...

Sorry for the night time picture taking... I had no choice! 
Use your imagination and you can see it transform...

Happy Hump Day!

Mood Board Monday { Blue Gray Bathroom }

Good Monday Morning Blog Hogs!  I hope you had a lovely weekend!  I'm back at work for my last week and hoping to make it!  We'll see how all that goes...

Anyways, it's been a few weeks since I shared a mood board and I thought that would be a good way to start out the week.  I am thinking about semi-redecorating my downstairs hall bath while I'm off with the baby and was looking for ideas... While this one is not a hall bath, nor exactly what I'm looking for, it's the color scheme I'd like to try for. 

My walls in the bathroom are already that color.  The only thing is that it's about 1/4 the size of what this bathroom would be.  I'm looking more for maybe a stencil and some art at the moment - and changing the color of the towels and accessories.  But I do love this bathroom above. 

I love that light fixture.  How Gorgeous?!  Love Love Love!  And those furniture pieces... I die. 

I am also in love with the two prints that I selected above.  The bird print is from Urban Outfitters and only $49 and the Life is Beauty Full is on wood and $29 from Home Decorators.  I don't shop at either of these places much, but they do have some great deals! 

The shower curtain is the Roma Shower Curtain also from Home Decorators.  I thought it just had a nice pattern that would compliment the colors and fixtures chosen. 

Now for my bathroom...
I think I need a Stencil like this from Royal Design Studios - And if I get one, I'll make sure to use a coupon or discount code!

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Some neat hardware and accessories like these shelves...

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And maybe some black and white pictures to hang on the wall... I already have a few... but these would be nice from etsy. 

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Hmmm... how to proceed?

Happy Monday!

Mood Board Monday { Chocolate Plum Bonus Room }

Hope you all had a great Holiday!  We did! 

We got to spend time with friends and family and we also got a ton of stuff that we've been asking for AND stuff for Baby K.  I'll hopefully give more of a recap later in the week.

Back to reality and working out the kinks at my house for when my little bundle decides to make her debut.  Today was the day that I dreamed I told someone was her birthday so we'll see what happens... so far, I'm feeling just fine other than the aches and pains and NO sleep, but that comes with the territory. 

Last week I decided that I needed to work on a mood board.  It had been too long since I'd done it.  So I hopped onto Olioboard and this is what I came up with...

Color Scheme: Creams, Chocolates, and Plums with teal accents

Room:  Bonus or Loft

So I actually was thinking this might be a good scheme for my loft which is FOR REAL getting painted this weekend!  Like for real!  I know I've been saying that for about 3 years now, but I'm FOR REAL this time!  Do you get the idea that I'm FOR REAL?!? 

Mr. K has graciously given me this weekend to help paint the loft.  It's the last place in our house (besides closets) that needs to be painted.  While I'm at it, I might add to the list, the baby's closet and final touches to our guest bathroom.  There are some places I'd like to repaint, but they are fine for now. 

Anyways, we have ZERO furniture in the loft that would be kept.  The "Leaning Tower of Pisa" Bookcases are probably going to get the boot this weekend and possibly our 32 inch BOX of a TV.  Every time I look at it, I think about the kids in Grown Ups asking Adam Sandler what that big box is attached to the back of the TV.  Maybe I should keep it so Baby K won't be so used to new TVs...Hmmm...

The sofa up there will be replaced, the chair, the TV stand, the bookcases... 

Then we need a storage armoire that I've been looking everywhere for and bench seat for under the window which I'm thinking will turn into toy storage...

We'll get a sectional at some point...

A new TV...

Wow, 2012 better be prosperous!  HAHAHA

Back to the Mood Board -

I like this calming scheme... and I think it could actually work in any room. 

It does kind of follow the scheme in my nursery, but it's a more grown up feel and the colors, although the same are much more mature.  I love the mix of patterns, colors, and prints.  I especially love those bird prints behind the sectional and the pops of color to match. 

The bookshelves are around $650 each, but I'm sure you could get the same effect with Billy Bookcases from IKEA which is what I plan on doing (unless I can find some around here for around the same price... I'm hoping Tar-Jay will pull through for me).

The teal cottage table is from Home Decorators and is around $100.

The sectional is actually from West Elm and is around $2000.  Great... But I'm sure you can find something comparable for less.

The armchair is from Home Decorators and is around $450.  I've seen similar at World Market though...

The buffet used as a TV stand is around $2300 from Layla Grace, but I would probably take on a vintage piece for this project.  I do love Layla Grace though...

Those prints I'm in love with are from Oka and are around $350.  These could probably be seeked out at an Antique or Vintage Shop for much less and would give the same look.

The coffee table is from Crate and Barrel and is $700.  You could probably whitewash a craigslist table or a similar shaped table from anywhere and the cost would be much less.  Janell over at Isabella and Max Rooms did something similar. 

The floor lamp is $400 from Home Decorators as well.  I'm sure that Target or TJ Maxx Home Goods would offer similar options for much less. 

The mirror is from West Elm and is a major favorite of mine!  It's listed at $199, but I'm not sure if it's still available... Woamp Woamp.

All the fabric prints are from fabric.com, one of my new favorite places to shop! 

So, there you have it...

A grown up room with a little sass. 

I must figure out what I'm doing in the loft by Friday!!!  AHHH!!!  Wish me luck!

Updated Nursery Mood Board

The Nursery is coming along nicely... so is Baby Kakes.  I'm 31 weeks pregnant { I know, I can't believe it either } and I'm starting to get into my nesting stage.  With that being said, I want to get this nursery DONE!!!

I want to get it finished.  Finito!  Done! 

So, I figured I owe you an update on the ever changing mood board. 

Here's the latest and greatest I have... It's not exactly as it will be in the room, but it's pretty close and there are a few items like the curtain, the lamp, the IKEA bookcase that are actually in the room. The rest are make shift finds on polyvore that enabled me to give a look.

The curtain is from Urban Outfitters and I also got this pillow to coordinate with it and it will sit in the rocker once finished.

The lamp is from target and I got it a while back on sale.

The things that still need to be done are the mobile, the rocker, the crib sheets, hanging of the art, deciding on a pouf, and figuring out if I want a rug in there or not... We shall see...

But that's the latest and I'm really liking my color scheme choice the further along we get! Hope you are too!

Now... if we could just decide on a name for this baby girl...

Mood Board Monday - Gray Days

Does anyone watch Sarah's House? 

I'm a crazy fan of hers!  Sometimes I wish I were more like her in every way!  Dressing, Accent, Abilities!!! 

This Grayish living room/sitting room reminds me of the latest living room that I just saw featured on Sarah's House through Rambling Renovators.  Jen over at Rambling Renovators gives us a sneak at Sarah's latest decor because it's on right now in Canada... not in the US. Womp Womp.


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I love the chairs chosen below.  They give character while keeping it classy.  They are also a great mix of modern and traditional lines.  Actually, I think that one of them is the same as the picture above!  And I think it's available at West Elm - one of my favorite stores!!!

I'm a huge fan of wood tones so I tried to keep all the tables, lamps, etc using natural elements. 

Pops of color for this room might include a sea foam green like the pictures on the wall, taupes (even though that's not much of a pop of color), or even a turquoise or teal.  Add accent pillows with a little pizazz.

Loving the washed hardwoods here... I like the gray tone they keep.  It goes well with the rest of the room, hides dirt, and is totally workable with all different color schemes. 

What do you think?  Are you in the Gray these days?  Here are some other grayish rooms to share...



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Happy Monday!

Mood Board Monday - Mom & Dad's Bedroom Idea

Happy Monday Everyone! 

I swear... the weekends are just way too short... or maybe I just try to fit too much into them! 
I have a good handful of updates to talk about this week from the weekend!  Progress was made around the house!  YAY!!!

But now for progress elsewhere!  My parent's bedroom! 
I have been thinking about working on this with my mother for a long time now, but I figured a mood board would be a good place to start. 

My mom is a good mix of modern and traditional as far as her style goes.  As far as her personality, it's a bit kooky, funny, and lovey - she does some mean impersonations and noises - I'm just sayin'.

Her house is a mix of tans, browns, gray blues, and creams and it's actually quite lovely!  Everyone loves it when they come over!  She recently just redid her kitchen and it is in those colors too and it does look FABULOUS!!!  She has a great sense of style so when I asked her the other day what colors she was thinking in her bedroom, she told me same as the rest of the house so it would flow.  I have to say, I agree it will be nice!  And she said she'd like an upholstered bed. 

So here's what I came up with! 

Colors towards the middle might be paint options... if she doesn't like those maybe the blue-gray colors could play in there instead.  I like the dark grayish one shown here. 

The Chocolate curtains kind of anchor the room against the cream and light colored furniture. 

LOVE the love script ottomans at the end of the bed. 

Art would be ivories and wood tone pieces.

And maybe I'd add some more mirror accents in here...

What do you guys think? 

I think I like. 

Maybe I see a makeover in the future...

Mood Board Monday - Nursery (take two)

Good Monday Morning to you! 

I feel like the weekend was not a weekend this weekend!  haha.  How many times can you say weekend in one sentence?!?  I was at a Women's Expo this weekend hosting a Stella & Dot booth and I ended up driving back and forth instead of staying in the area.  That was 2.5 hrs each way.  Talk about drained... seriously drained! 

But the good news it that I've gone 8 days without being sick and without a headache!  WOWZA!  That's gotta be a record for the last 5 months!  No sickness!  yay!  I can't even explain how good it feels to not feel your 100% best, but to not be sick!!!  I am ecstatic! 

So... with that being said... remember my mood board for my nursery before we found out it was a girlie?!  Well, now that it's a girl, I've had to change my plans a bit.  And let me tell you.... Olioboard is probably my new bestie!  That and my heating pad!  But it's helped me pare down what I'm going to do and at least given me a game plan!

Here she is...
Now, let me first say that this nursery is what I'd like to call The LOOK...
And my nursery will be called FOR LESS...

The walls will be a gray like this:

Seriously though... This one is a bit pricey... I'm working on figuring out DIYs, different options, and you know, just ways to bring the cost down in general. 




So...
Bedding - Olio - $399
Dressers - Ikea - $379 & $399
Artwork - Etsy - $35 each
Bookcase - Etsy - $70
Rocking Chair - Joya - $800
Mini Rocker
Ceiling Light - $318
Floor Lamp -  $358
Table Lamp - Jonathon Adler - $395
Pouf - $99-150

See what I mean --- Mad total of $3373
which could all be spent on diapers, right?!  :)

I'll share my game plan as I work my way through this crazy process... I can't believe that this is where I am in my life.  Finally starting to get a little excited - in the words of my RZ - There's a vampire/alien/baby growing inside my stomach!  Hopefully the excitement will grow as the baby does... maybe the actual belly will help... Either it will help or just make me feel fat! 

Feedback welcome on this nursery too! Ideas! Words of Wisdom from one Nursery to another! Suggestions! Things I'll definitely need!?!?


Oh well... Happy Monday!

Picky About Paint

Do you ever feel like picking out the right paint color is a game?!? 

I do...
The colors play tricks on you!!!  I swear, they are never the same when you get home...

Like this color we used in the original office... Elephant Gray. 

Looks like baby blue, right?!?!  Or maybe it's just me... now looking at this picture I'm doubting my color sense! 
Well, in the store, under all three light sources they offered it looked absolutely GRAY!
Light gray... Beaut-e-ous...

Anywho, I've had this color sample that I used for a project a while back... It's been at least 2 years... and amazingly, the paint was still usable a couple weeks back when I needed to complete another painting project.  But when I opened it, I remembered how much I loved that color! 

So... now I'm contemplating painting my loft this color....

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It's Valspar's Artichoke. 

It has to go with the chocolate brown that comes up the stairway, but I think it will add contrast and I'm hoping to do accents like these to make the room really work...

Whites, creams, and maybe some Plums to tie in the brown or Yellows to accent off of it... Hmmm....

Did I ever show you my actual love mood board from Olioboard!?!? 

Now, to attempt to paint this Friday night and Saturday Afternoon?!?  Or... wait on it...

Mood Board Monday

So... I'm having a lazy Monday... so I guess, even though I shared one on Friday, I'll share another mood board today. 

I came up with this a little while ago...
Here's what I hope for my living room to look like at some point... or at least resemble. 

We already have:

The Sofa

The Wingback Chair

The floor lamp

The coffee table

The leather chair (although I'd love to upgrade it)

The Secretary

The Lamps

The Starburst Mirrors

What we need to make this room happen:

Secretary painted gray

Pouf

Hardwood Floors

Rug

Ottoman/Footstool

Some more art

Some more texture

Think it's possible?  Before I die?  We shall see...

I'll keep you updated. 

Anyone else use Olioboard as much as I do?!?

I'm Moody... {Guest Room Mood Board}

That's right!  I am.  I don't know why, but I'm moody today.  I think it's because I've been so tired lately.  So tired that I can barely make it home at the end of the day.  So tired that I drag myself up the stairs as soon as I walk in the door.  So moody that as soon as I lay in the bed, I'm out like a light.  Weird... I feel like maybe I have mono or something.  Don't ask me why... I've never had it so I don't know that I'd know what it feels like...

Anyways... I digress.  Sometimes I think this blog should just be called DIGRESSION.  No?

But since I'm a bit moody, I thought I'd share with you the kind of mood I'd like to set for my guest bedroom.  PS... this is my first weekend in a long time that I don't really have any plans (I know, I always say that but really) so I'm hoping to start working on all the crazy projects that await me in my garage.  Hmmm...

Ok... so... I want the room to be gray and have a "travel" feel.  I think if I had to paint my entire home one color it would be gray.  It's calming to me... not boring and bland. So below I started with gray paint.  Then I thought why not add a wallpaper sassiness in there?  And here is how I went from Gray to ... or at least what I think is pretty darn fabulous. 

So let's be real... I'm not going to buy all this.

I already have the map to go above the head board.  I found it as our local Antique Mall - Noblesville Antique Mall - for $15 and had to buy it.  Read about my vintage find here.

I have the wicker trunk for at the foot of the bed.  It actually sits there right now.  You can see it here in our Guest Room as it is now.  I found two of them on Craigslist and one now sits at the end of my brother's bed from his bedroom redo. You can read all about the redo here.

I'm going to make a head board instead of an entire bed.  Will probably use this tutorial from Young House Love.

The dresser & rug will possibly come from IKEA unless I find something else somewhere else.

The chaise will actually be the chair seen here that currently sits in this room.  I was hoping to try Kristy's  

painting fabric tutorial and take it from Pink to Teal.

All art will be made so all I'll need are the frames.  I might splurge on ones to make those shell shadow boxes.  They look good like that. 

Have the light up globe... Found at Goodwill... AND IT WORKS!!! HOOORAY!

So basically my checklist for this room is:

• Paint
• Wallpaper (or Stencil)
• Paint Chair
• Make Shell Art
• Make Subway Art
• Make Headboard
• Buy Dresser
• Buy Rug

Hmmm.... wonder if I can do it by the end of June? 

Lofty Ideas

wWe have a loft space in our home.  It should be called the lost space since I'm so lost on what to do with it.  It's become a home for all things that have no where else to go right now... It holds our IKEA sofa that I'm finding it hard to part with (bought it when we lived in Broadripple and it was the only sofa-like seating to fit through the doors), another IKEA Chair (the ektorp), my ottoman coffee table, a tv, 2 end tables (un-matching), and a couple of old Pier 1 lamps. 

I'd like it to be someplace that fits in with my house, an eclectic mix of items, and Must Must Must coordinate with the chocolate brown that I hope to will be painting on the wall up the stairs and behind my gallery wall. 

So, here's what I came up with... not a cheap fix.  ALL new furniture.  :(  I bet I could be thrifty, but a sectional is a must!

I'm thinking that the sofa and chairs will need to be purchased, yes.  And what color should I paint this room... a tan yellow color?!  Hmmm....

BUT here's my thoughts on the rest:

*Yellow Garden Table - have one in plum already - will paint

*OUI - Will make myself on extra large canvas to hang over sofa

*Curtains - either purchase or make with my lovely witch stitchery stuff

*Lamps on Wall - From IKEA .  Have I told you of my love of IKEA?

*TV Stand - I am totally sure that I can find something on Craigslist that I can make look like this...

Yes? No? Maybe? What do you think?

*Rug - It might have to go in the category with the furniture. 

Ideally, I'd like to try to keep it under $1200 for all... do you think I can do it?!?  Yes, I can!  We shall see... don't worry... it's not like I'm starting it next week or anything...

To do list:

Paint Stairwell

Gallery Wall

Paint Guest Bedroom

Redo Trunk (from yesterday's post)

Kitchen Bench Seat

Patio

Fence

Loft

Then I'll be about done and it'll probably be time to move, right?!

Mood Boards - Emily's Living Room (Sitting Room)

Emily is a good friend of mine.  We love Goodwill-ing it, thrifting, and finding good deals!  So the other day we were out scouting the possibilities at Goodwill on our lunch break and came across some keys... Yes, they needed a little coat of spray paint, but they were so cool and she loved them so they went straight into the cart. 
We'd talked about her front room before.  She had 2 wing back chairs and wanted to do something in the red, black, and white scheme.  So... I came up with this for her. 

I'm totally into the stripes and checks right now... or even the chevron patterns.  Anyways, I thought that grays, mixed with reds, and black and white patterns would work together.  The red wall would only be one accent wall so it's not too overpowering and then she's going to get slipcovers for her chairs!  So this is just an idea, but I think something like this is totally achievable. 

What do you think? 

1. Console Table -- TOTALLY MAKE-ABLE!!! Here's one from Ana White's site... similar and EASY design over at Knock Off Wood.
2. Chairs -- I love those wing chairs... She already has these.  She could paint them like they did over at Hyphen Interiors!  Or slipcover!  Either way they will totally work in this room!
3. Rug -- Love this striped rug.  You can find similar ones right now at Ikea and wait for it... wait for it... Big Lots!
4. Settee -- This one is from Urban Outfitters.  I think I'm in love now!  Plus, I've seen similar ones at Home Goods and on HSN from Nate Berkus' Line <-- LOVE HIM!
5. Tables -- I love the mirror tables, giving that bit of bling that every room needs!  This is one from Target! 
6. Curtains -- Use white flat sheets with the iron hem tape and voila! Curtains!
7. Artwork -- The black and white art on the walls is totally recreate-able!  All could be printed out and framed... or make your own.  I was watching Pawn Stars the other day and Chumly tried to recreate a Picasso.  It actually wasn't that bad, so why not try it yourself.  I actually found this site called PicassoHead... you make your own and they email it to you!  Check it out!

 Ok... Happy Thursday!