Master Bedroom Redesign on a Budget - Before Photos

I almost forgot! We can't do a proper room re-do without those hideous "before" shots. So here they are, the before photos of our bedroom.

I've been so stuck for so long with this bedroom and I've finally realized why: it's that bedspread. I've tried to find art I like that goes with it and I just couldn't get excited about orange and brown foliage with a smattering of birds. Ugh. 

So, we're going with some pale grey/white/cream for the majority of the bedding with splashes of color in the throw pillows and on the walls.

Speaking of color on the walls, next up is my post about a DIY ombre art piece I did for the wall. Stay tuned...


*Martha

Master Bedroom Redesign on a Budget - Design Board

Here's the gist of what I want our master bedroom to come out looking like. This isn't EXACTLY what I'm going to do, but it's all the objects I've got floating around in my head. Some I know I won't have the money for, but I have others in mind that I've seen at discount stores that I don't have pictures of. (Click on the design board to enlarge in another window.)

In a nutshell, I'm going for mostly grey and white, geo-patterned bedding with throw pillows in navy, yellow and/or black and white. The throw pillows on the design board won't ALL be used ... and perhaps even none of them will be used. They are just there to act as placeholders while my brain works out the details. We are keeping our nightstands which don't look exactly like the ones shown, but similar. They are black and blocky. The lamps shown here are each around $100 but I found some thrift store look-alikes for MUCH less .... can't wait to show you those tomorrow! Plus, I have a bright yellow art piece I finished yesterday that will either go above the bed (if I don't buy the sunburst mirror) or on the side wall (if I do buy the sunburst mirror). We shall see. Like I said, tune in tomorrow to learn about putting together a very cheap lamp. I learned a few things along the way on my lamp search that I can't wait to share with you.

*Martha

Client Project - Modern French Country Living Room

Several months ago we finished a client project and we never got around to posting the design boards. Here they are!

A little background and description: The client's living room is small but multi-purpose, so it needed to serve as an entryway, family room and entertainment room. She wanted to keep a few items and buy a few items, plus she needed more storage/shelving, seating and art.

The first board shows several pieces of her furniture she wanted to keep: the couch, side table, bench and mirror. We gave her a fabric option to use to reupholster the bench. The framed music is a visual idea of what the sheet music would look like on the wall (more on that below). The picture gallery wall is an example of something we suggested she put over her couch - a combination of art and family photos.

The design board below shows all the products we chose for her living room. Her color scheme is light blues, browns, grays and cremes. They love French things, so we found a couple accessories to reflect that; the sheet music is French sheet music from Etsy which we recommended she frame to put on the wall. The ladder serves to heighten the small room as well as for shelving and to add visual interest. We recommended wall sconces instead of floor lamps for lighting since floor space was limited. Multiple ottomans are to serve as flat surfaces as well as additional seating.

The design board below features some additional options to switch out or substitute, since the client admitted she gets tired of things easily. She also likes vintage items, so we added a few more of those.

This was done on a budget of just over $1,000, meaning all the items on the middle board add up to just over $1,000. Killer, right? The most expensive items were the rug, the drapes (which she might even sew herself, saving even more money) and the furniture. By keeping a few items she already liked, mixing in a few additional large pieces, plus accessories, she can have a total room makeover for not much money! She doesn't even have to buy everything at once - this type of thing can happen gradually over time. Buy a pillow here, an ottoman there and before you know it, your space can come together. That is what I love about these e-design boards - you can see everything together at once, and then you get to mull over it and do the rest at your pace. 

Hope you enjoyed it!

Click here to read more about starting an e-design board for yourself.

*Martha

A Picnic Perhaps?

The 4th of July is my favorite holiday! And how perfect that it's a 3-day weekend this time! And how perfect that there will be sun in Seattle at this perfect time! And how perfect that I threw out my picnic basket that I got for our wedding because I thought we'd never use it! NOT! I can't believe I did that, but it's true. I did. And I don't know what to do this weekend without it. Hopefully you'll have your own perfect picnic, perhaps with some of these fun items I found for you. Have a great one! (Someone please buy that grill! It's so rad.)

1. Mini paper lantern string
2. Patriotic paper bunting
3. Picnic basket
4. Condiment jars with tray
5. Stripe beach towels
6. Adirondack chair

7. Ribbed vase

8. Beverage tub
9. Outdoor rug

10. Tray table

11. Charcoal grill


*Martha

Blue & Gold Living Room Design Board

Welp, the dresser project has taken a turn for the worst and now I'm trying to formulate a plan B. Thus, the final dresser post will be up next week ... or the next ... or whenever I get that sucker figured out and finished.


For now, how about a little design inspiration from this blue velvet couch? I sat on it during my trip to Portland for Little Winter and have been dreaming about it ever since. My friend said it's on sale right now - down from $3,000 to $1,000!

I decided to use it as an inspiration piece for a glamorous gold and blue living room. Isn't it decadent?

Not a room for a tight budget (except I'd call that on-sale couch a steal), but knock-offs can always be found! And one can always dream, right?

Brass Ring Lamp – Horchow

Pillows and Drapes – Nenavon via Etsy

Sunburst Mirror – Lamps Plus

Luxo Pendant Chandelier – Horchow

Liam Sofa – Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams

Oval Ottoman – Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams

Mirror End Table – Horchow

Beige Ring Rug – Overstock


Happy Friday!


*Martha

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Client Project

We just finished up a design for one of our clients and wanted to share it with all of you! This client is in the middle of building a brand new home and convinced her husband that they needed to buy everything NEW! (my kind of lady) The space we designed is her Great Room...so her living room, kitchen, and dining room. She wanted a comfortable space that feels lived in. She hates when a room looks like it is just to look at (which I TOTALLY agree! Make your room a place you want to be, a place that tells something about who you are, a place that is a collection of items that make your life better or tell a story about who you are). So CHECK OUT the Design Inspiration Boards (click on them to enlarge):


For me when I design things can sometimes feel stuck until I find that ONE item that brings the design together. Sometimes it is a fabric, a painting, a chair, just one item of INSPIRATION! For this project it was this rug...once I found that everything flowed so much better and we finally pulled it all together.

We also did a 3D Space Plan for her. We used the program SketchUp. It is a FREE program from Google and pretty fun and unique program...try it out!




We would love to hear your thoughts, and hope it inspires some of you as well.

Peace Out,
Cyndi

Design Board Sample: Sitting Room

Here's an example of what our first service, Design Board Inspiration, would look like. This is a funky, eclectic formal sitting room with some traditional touches. The floral print rug makes the room explode with color and allows you to choose a variety of color accents to draw from. The antelope head and owl print keep the room fun and lighthearted and could provide a nice conversation starter. The deep purple chaise lounge and the cream sofa add some elegance and formality while the black coffee and side tables provide modern touches along with the yellow latice pillow and yellow checkered lamp. The white wall flats are a three dimensional, eco-friendly alternative to wallpaper. The white and orange poppy pillows are a fresh addition to the leather side chairs and the ruffly purple pillows keep the sofa from being taken too seriously. What do you think about this room? Would you live in it?

Design Board Sample: Bedroom

Here's another sample of a Design Board Inspiration sample. This is obviously not a color palette that would suit everyone, but I was in the mood to create a bright, happy bedroom, and this is what I came up with. The black and white map print was my inspiration and jumping off point. This is a modern, hip space that has the potential to be unisex. There are basic pieces like the bed, chair and armoire that anchor the room and the accessories and art make it come to life. My favorite items are the cylinder lamp, the stackable cube shelf and the XO accent pillow. I could imagine this as a college bedroom that would also double as a great place to entertain and just hang out. What do you think? Pretty daring, right? You could totally pull it off, though. The sky is the limit when it comes to decorating your house. I love what Cortney Novogratz said in her Downtown Chic book I blogged about earlier. When they re-did a country house in New England, they were the only ones with yellow shutters - everyone else had black or dark green ones. One day another kid said to Cortney's son, "My mom thinks you have the ugliest shutters in Massachusetts." That didn't deter Cortney. They still liked the yellow and kept it.

Design Board Sample: Living Room

And finally, a mod vintage living room. The thing I love about this room (not only because modern and vintage are my two favorite throw-together looks) is you could start out with just a few of these pieces, like the couch, the coffee table and the shelf, and switch out everything else whenever you wanted. I am a creature of change - I need it to survive. And in this room, change is always possible. Switch out the mosaic serving platter when you've finally collected your three favorite coffee table books. Change the pillows based on the season. Rotate your vase collection whenever it tickles your fancy. When you have a few standard, quality pieces, you can add the rest from your flea market shopping adventures. Go forth and flea!

Love and laryngitis,

Martha