Bonus Inspiration! Kid friendly design…

I wasn’t very satisfied with yesterday’s post; I suppose that’s what happens when you try too hard to work through your “to do” list when you’re actually sick.  Anyway, because I felt I’d gyped you, I’m giving you a bonus inspiration post.  A few weeks ago Tricia asked about kid friendly design and ever since I’ve been keeping my eye out for living rooms that would work for regular families… you know, the kind like mine, where there are crazy boys who run everywhere and have matchbox car races over everything.  It’s been a difficult hunt, I’ll admit.  Either designers have much better mannered children than I do or most people who have their rooms professionally designed keep their children in the basement… But I have assembled a few rooms that I thought had potential and that’s what I’m presenting to you now.

Designs from Whitehouse Builders:

From Designer Zina Samek:

From Designer Loretta Willis:

Hope ya’ll are a fabulous Saturday.  I’m going to sip hot tea and take a nap…

Opinion Poll: To slipcover or not to slipcover?

Hello my sweets!  Happy Valentine’s Day!  My treat this morning is having a whole hour to myself.  That’s right, no kids, no hubby, no anyone but me… all by my lonesome.  You can not understand how rare that is.  Just drinking a cup of tea and reviewing my decorating plans.

This is my new (to me) reading corner chair.  I bought it this past weekend off craigslist (of course!) for $40.  It’s nice and cozy, plus it’s a chair and a half so I can cuddle up with both of my youngest in it.  I like the line of the arms and the color is okay, but I’m not feeling the legs and the overstuffed back cushion.

When I bought it, the plan was to create a slipcover for it and have my hubby change out the legs.  Now that it’s been home for a few days, I’m not so sure I should slipcover it.  So that’s the question of the day:  Do I slipcover the chair or just try to re-stuff the floppy back cushion?

I owe ya’ll an actual tour of my living area soon (once I’ve cleaned, I promise!) but here’s a few photos to help you see what else is in my living room:

 

Those are my favorite orange chairs (also from craigslist!) and my sofa.  The new brown reading chair is actually in that corner behind the sofa, where the dining table used to be.  Across from the sofa are a pair of chairs and my $20 accent table:

(Do you see how I updated the accent table?  I bought a new plant stand that is black iron with a great circular pattern and then added the tray upside down for the top.  The top is black but you get a pop of red around the perimeter and then black at the base.  I LOVE IT!!!  And it was still only $20!)

So what do you think?  The corner where the new chair is used to be really dark, so I didn’t think I wanted another dark piece of furniture there.  Now I’ve added a floor lamp and a lamp on my desk (which is directly across from the chair), so the corner isn’t so dark.  I’m just not sure how to proceed.  And I don’t want to buy accent pillows or anything else to complete that corner until I’ve decided.

Opinions please!!!  Ya’ll have fabulous taste, so I know you’ll have great suggestions.  : )

Craigslist Monday: Furnish an apartment for less than $500

Happy Monday Budget Decorators!

Did ya’ll have a great weekend? I started some major projects…AND ran into a pole in our brand new truck! : ( As you can imagine, the hubby wasn’t too happy with that. Especially since I had my accident going to purchase a $10 lamp from craigslist!  That’s easily the most expensive $10 lamp I’ve ever bought.

Anyway, I set myself a little challenge for today’s post. As I sat pondering if the hubby would leave me for dinging the new truck, I thought, I wonder if I could furnish an empty apartment for less than $500 with stuff from craigslist? Luckily, I don’t have to put my plan into action since he finally forgave me last night, but I thought I’d share my “imaginary” purchases with you. This is my list for an empty one bedroom apartment, starting with this lovely white sofa (cause in my daydream, I wasn’t worried about sticky kid fingerprints!):

I love the modern lines (crisp, short, and square) and I can totally see making a few colorful throw pillows from Heather Bailey’s fabric to accent it. And the best part is, it’s only $60!!!

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/fur/569631677.html

Next on my imaginary shopping spree was this really cute coffee table for only $30. (And I had every intention of asking if they’d take $20 for it too ’cause I needed to make my money stretch!)

Then I added more seating with this $20 red chair. Once again, I liked the lines and the pop of color. http://atlanta.craigslist.org/fur/569748411.html

I really wanted this wonderful mid century lime green chair, but figured they were out of their mind for $250. Regardless, I’m pretty pleased with my $110 living room set. But now I need a place to eat…

While looking for a dining room table and chairs, I laid eyes on this sorta old fashioned chest of drawers. Since it was only $20, I could definitely afford some wood glue and white paint to clean it up. And down the line, I could save up for some on sale Anthropologie knobs to change out the handles. My bedroom will be all lovely and shabby chic!

Speaking of bedroom– maybe I need a bed? Let’s see… not fond of the idea of a used mattress, but beggars can’t be choosers, right?

I sighed when I saw this lovely antique head and footboard. It was a budget blower at $145. And it didn’t come with a mattress set.

But it’s just so lovely that I had to have it.

So what if it doesn’t match my newly painted shabby chic dresser? And who cares if I’ll have to sleep on the sofa until I save up for a mattress? This is true beauty and who can go without that in their life? http://atlanta.craigslist.org/fur/564024195.html

So I’ve spent over half of my $500 budget ($275) and I now have furniture in the living room, most of what I need for my bedroom, but I still don’t have a place to sit and eat. That’s really important to me because I love to cook and have friends over for dinner.

And then I saw this and wanted to yell and scream with glee! (No. Really. I’m serious. For a minute I completely forgot that this was all fantasy and was so happy that I jumped up and down!)

Can you blame me? This is THE deal of the day. $95 for a 1957 Drexel dining table with six chairs (and 2 leaves). It’s a little big for my imaginary apartment, but I’m going to make it work. This is a piece that can follow from my imaginary apartment to my new imaginary house, when the time comes.

That brings my total to $370. Leaving me $130 for an Ikea run to stock up on kitchen supplies and a few decorative accessories.

Not too bad, huh?  THAT is why I love craigslist!

*Remember, I’m not associated with anyone selling any of the furniture I’ve featured today. Everything looks like a good deal based on pictures and the ad details, but make sure you check it all out for yourself before letting money exchange hands.

Accessories: The Icing of Your Room

Today I had to deal with a parent’s worst nightmare (well, in my case, a stepparent’s worst nightmare). There’s definitely nothing worse than being forced to standby helpless as a person makes bad choices, especially when they affect other people as well. I’m so upset with my teenage stepson that I can’t even talk about it!

Of course, being me, I turn to design to drown my anger. The plus for you is that this means I’ve lined up a whole slew of inspirational eye-candy to share! :0)

Today’s eye-candy centers around accessories. Accessories– things like curtains, paintings, photos, plants, and vases– are the finishing touches to a room. They’re like icing on a cake. Even with the best furniture in the world, a room missing the right accessories will feel cold and unfinished.

The following rooms are accessorized in a way that really make the rooms shine. I hope you find them as inspiring as I do! (And if you happen to be a mom who has survived teenagers, please let me know how you did it!)

Designer Erica Islas made this room pop through the combination of color on the wall, eye catching art, inviting pillows on the modern sectional, and texture with the rattan coffee table.

Lori Dennis’ room is a study in perfect balance. Her modern room is enhanced with the simple but fitting round pillows on the sofa, glass balls on the coffee table and gorgeous art on the wall. Notice how the lines of the coffee table and the shape of the wall sconce echo the rectangles in the art.

Designer Don Raney uses accessories to create a romantic, dreamy living room.

And last, but not least, is this beautiful room by designer Shelly Riehl David. I love everything from the zebra rug, faux painting around the mirror, white vases on the coffee table, and especially the starfish!

Happy accessorizing!

Note: Opening Mirror from West Elm

I <3 Pottery Barn!

Sing with me: “Pottery Barn saved my soul… oh Pottery Barn saved my soul to-night! Yeah Pottery Barn saved my soul…”

Earlier today, I was having a mental breakdown. You moms out there will understand what I mean. The kind of breakdown that happens when you’ve heard “MOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!” one too many times. The kind that makes you wonder exactly why you thought motherhood would make your life so much fuller? And what drug did they slip in your epidural to make you multiply more than once?

Yeah, it was that kind of weekend. (And if you’re childless and don’t understand… well, God bless you, I’m jealous!)

Anyway, in the midst of it all, right as I was squeezing back tears and abusive tendencies, I discovered that dear hubby had hidden the new Pottery Barn catalogue from me. It must have come with the mail on Friday, and, bless his heart, he decided to do me a “favor” and put it away with my other inspiration catalogs. He couldn’t manage to put the junkmail away in the trash can… but he managed to put my much coveted catalog away. So thoughtful…

Couldn’t have been better timing for me to find it though. I ran that baby straight to the bathroom and locked the door. You’d have thought I was a 13 year old boy with the latest Playboy, I was in the bathroom so long! My youngest kept knocking on the door to check on me. I told him I was making the world’s worst stinky. Actually, I was sitting on the counter, lusting over page after page of pretty sofas.

Whenever I finally have my downstairs clean long enough to take pictures for ya’ll, you’ll see my design aesthetic leans toward mid-century modern. Today however, if I had the available credit, I could have EASILY charged a good $10,000 in Pottery Barn furniture. The styling, the colors, and the photography in this newest catalog made me want to throw everything I own out, rethink my budget conscious philosophy, and completely redecorate.

So, without further ado, I present you with beautiful eye candy from the latest Pottery Barn. These are the pieces I’m lusting after the most; if the spirit moves you, I’m definitely welcoming donations to my “I need some PB in my life” fund via Paypal to my e-mail address!

Budget Decorating Inspiration

living room summer decor

Originally uploaded by revolutionarygirl

Isn’t this a lovely room? It was posted by revolutionarygirl to the Ikea Flickr group and is an example of what you can accomplish on a budget. She acquired her coffee table from craigslist, the curved woven chair for $5 from a yard sale, the futon from overstock, and, of course, several of the decorative items from Ikea.

What I love most about the room is the striking but simple use of the color yellow. It’s amazing how a dash of the right color brings a design to life. Just imagine how dull this room would be without that sprinkle of yellow…

I wanted everyone to know how much I appreciate all the comments. I will respond to each of you, although it may take me a little bit since I spend most of my day chasing my children around!

My next post is actually going to be a response to the question Tricia asked: How do I determine a budget for my projects and how do I find time to look for the items I want to buy? I’ll tell you all about my moodboards and inspiration book with suggestions for starting your own.

So that’s what you have to look forward to. See you in a couple of days!

Patience is a Virtue…

I’m not the most patient person in the world. Oh, my friends and my husband would tell you differently. They would say that I have the patience of Job. But that’s only because they mistake my laid back attitude for patience.

The truth is, I really want everything yesterday. And that’s the hardest part of budget decorating for me. I’ve made this commitment to myself that I will NOT go into debt to furnish our home. It’s important to me to live within my means as much as possible. This is a trait I want my children to learn and I think the only way for them to truly learn it is to see it modeled by their parents.

That means I pay cash for everything I buy. We’re not rich. My husband has a good job, we live a decent middle class life, but we’re definitely frugal. So, not only do I pay cash for everything, I also have to get a great deal on an item or save up for it… or BOTH.

This translates into a heck of a lot of waiting. Waiting for the right piece to show up on craigslist at the right price. Or waiting for the right piece to go on clearance. Or waiting to save up enough money to get the right piece that has gone up on clearance.

Which is why I’m a little bit in agony right now! Do you see that beautiful vision of loveliness that started this post?

It’s Silho Furniture’s Miles chair. I spotted it today on an episode of Dress My Nest and absolutely fell in love. I have a big empty space in my office area that is absolutely begging for two of these lovely chairs and a nice side table. They even won my husband’s approval.

The only problem? There’s two really. First, Silho Furniture is located across the country from me, in Los Angeles, California. Second, (and most importantly) at $1500 a pop, even one of these chairs is out of my price range.

sigh.

Even though I’m slightly heartbroken, it’s okay. It’s all part of the process. Because now I’ll take that little piece of inspiration to heart and use it as motivation to search until I find the RIGHT piece. A piece which will tickle my fancy and be within my price range.

I just have to keep reminding myself patience is a virtue.