Vendor Spotlight: Cost Plus World Market

One of my go-to affordable, home furnishing stores is Cost Plus World Market. I always come away with some great finds. I like that they offer handmade items from all over the world and that much of their furniture is made from real wood. 

Here are some of their new items that I am currently loving.

1. Metal Bookcase & Ladder, $599 //  2. Gold Taj Wine Rack, $30 //  3. Hammered Steel Tea Kettle, $25 //  4. Mushroom Kaelyn Daybed, $500 //  5. San Paolo Outdoor Dining Collection, $179-499 //  6. Black and White Dhurrie Rug, $230

The Kaelyn Daybed is such a versatile piece and at a great price point. It could easily be used in a home office or a child's room as depicted here.

Until next time lovelies.

entry makeover

Entries are so neglected. Especially mine. And that's sad, because entries have the tough job of first impressions. Here's mine. I finally painted the short wall using a quart of sample paint from my bedroom. And then I hung our wedding photos (finally printed after 2 1/2 years of marriage) and a crucifix I picked up in Rome. Annnnd that's about as far as it's gotten. 

Wall Color: Nocturnal Gray by Benjamin Moore

And here's some things I'd like to add to it (eventually), along with finishing the paint job. I want it to be southern, warm, inviting, and personal. I want it to be a first impression of who we are. Here's a look:

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Sourcing: 1. magnolia sconce from barnhouse electric // 2. nocturnal gray paint by benjamin moore // 3. brazilian cowhide rug // 4. threshold bar frame from target // 5. black "P" from hobby lobby // 6. threshold nest frame from target // 7. threshold wood inlay frame from target // 8. ikea maffens basket // 9. antique silver pitcher (I have a similar one) with a cotton flower arrangement // 10. currey and co. signature white table lamp // 11. ikea rekarne table

I'm considering using just two sconces as a source of light. The overhead is not very bright and the ceiling is too low for a hanging pendant. Also I think bringing down the light source will help make the space more cozy feeling. 

What do you think??

Sprucing Up for Spring

Well, I had a long blog post set for you guys and then my screen froze and it was all lost.  Sometimes technology is not my friend.  But perhaps that mishap works to your benefit as I can tend to be long-winded at times.  Allow me to cut to the chase.

This warm weather and prolonged hours of sunshine has lit a proverbial fire under my bottom and has me wanting to breathe new life into my home.  Here are a few of my favorite ways to do so, just in time for spring.

1.  Plants.  If you have a green thumb, by all means use it.  Bringing plants and flowers into your interiors is great way to freshen up a space.  Small pots and vases can be sprinkled throughout your home at very little cost.  If you don't have a green thumb, succulents are your friend.  I was gifted with one a couple of weeks ago and lo and behold, it's still alive!  If I can do it, so can you.

2.  Candles.  Trade in your cinnamon and cloves for some gardenia and lemon scents.  Nothing says spring like the smell of freshness.

3.  Updated linens.  Whether it's a new monogrammed hand towel for your guest bathroom or some bright throw pillows for your sofa, purchasing a few new linens is an easy way to update a space without redoing the whole room.

Image via Lonny 

4.  Cleanse.   Everyone is all about juice cleanses and body cleanses these days, but what I think we need is a home cleanse.  Pick one room each day to go through and discard of unnecessary items and find a home for those things that constantly get shuffled around.  Just tidying up a space can make it feel new again!

5.  Enjoy!  When your cleaning and updating is done, reward yourself by actually sitting back and taking it all in.  What good is a great space if we don't stop and take the time to enjoy it?

Image via Elle Decor

Have a great weekend!

Baby Nguyen's Nursery

As some of you may already know, the Mr. and I are expecting our 2nd addition this June. Just twelve years after our first baby was born. What can I say, we like to take our time :) We are super excited. Baby Nguyen will round out the 3A Design family as the third baby girl.

With our new addition comes figuring out where the baby’s room will be. When we purchased our house a couple years ago, we converted two bedrooms that share a Jack n Jill bath into our bedroom and my closet. The room that is supposed to be the master does not have its own bathroom so we made it an office / guest room. The plan is my closet will turn into the nursery; my clothes will magically fit somewhere and within a year build on master bath so that eventually we can move into the master bedroom.  Are you still with me?

As many designers can relate with, I am my worst client. The dozen mood boards I have put together are a testament that I like too many different styles. Narrowing it down to one is tough. Here are the top three contenders so far. 

The crib and dresser have already been purchased. Currently, I am leaning towards the fun and whimsy of the Floral Palm Springs design. Which design do you like best?

Stay tuned, as I will be updating you on our progress.  

Decision Time: A Tale of Five Navies

From left to right: Valspar Pitch Cobalt; Benjamin Moore Blue Note; Benjamin Moore Nocturnal Gray; Valspar Griffin Gray; Valspar Night View

This is my big huge taupe bedroom (or a very small portion of it, at least). It's hugeness is it's downfall, unfortunately. A terrible waste of space. I once calculated that you could fit three queen beds comfortably inside of it. What need is there for so much space?! 

In order to offset how big it is and make it feel cozier (like a master bedroom should), I decided to go with a dark color on the walls. There's three windows and a glass door (so tons of natural light), and I plan to add a lot of whites to keep it balanced. In our old house, navy was just an accent color. New house = new opportunities to explore colors, so I decided to allow my friend navy to take center stage. 

You'll notice we have no headboard yet. That's because I'm upholstering my own, using a yellow ochre-colored linen that just so happens to match the bird pillow perfectly, which is why I scooped him up at TJ Maxx. 

Here's a close-up of the colors against the yellow ochre headboard color.

From left to right: Valspar Pitch Cobalt; Benjamin Moore Blue Note; Benjamin Moore Nocturnal Gray; Valspar Griffin Gray; Valspar Night View

My first plan was to go really dark (far right), just on the back wall, with a warm gray on the other walls. But after I painted a small wall in our entry with a gray navy, my husband suddenly cast aside his doubt for my color selection abilities (I mean, they don't call me the color expert for nothin'). So now he has allowed me to paint all of the walls one color, thank goodness. So going very dark may not be the best choice.

So knowing allllll that, what are your thoughts?? 

Auden's Neutral Nursery

My husband and I welcomed our little girl Auden Emory into the world almost four months ago.  

Photo credit: Jordan Burch Photography

Her nursery was probably the most personal space I've ever designed.  I wanted it to be sweet, calming and full of meaningful family pieces.  Our photographer snapped a few images of it when she came to shoot Auden's newborn shoot, and I had to share them, along with a few of my own showing you all of the details to our baby girl's room.  Below was my original mood board. 

I really like how it all turned out with the exception of the wall color.  It came out much more yellow than the taupe I wanted.  I had purchased a few samples and put them on the wall to make my selection.  After I picked my favorite, I decided to take it to the hardware store down the road to have them match it instead of going across town where this particular brand was actually sold.  I will never do that again--a least for not for a neutral color.  Unfortunately the match did not turn out like the sample, and I didn't have the heart to ask my husband paint it again.  Lesson learned, friends.  All that aside, it was great to see my vision come to life.

Photo credit: Jordan Burch Photography

Photo credit: Jordan Burch Photography

This dresser is a family piece and has a bunch of "memories" styled on the top of it.  The baby booties belonged to my mom and the round frame holds a picture of my sister and I when we were little.  The brass animal figures were Target finds.  

The Bible and silver cup were mine as a child and the sterling rattle was my sister's.  The framed image is photo of my grandmother as a child.

I framed a Feltman Brothers dress that I wore as a little girl above her crib.  

Photo credit: Jordan Burch Photography

The eyelet pillow in her crib was found at JCPenney and the sheet from Serena & Lily.

Here's a shot of my hubby and pup Remington hanging out with Auden.  The gallery wall above them is a mix of DIY artwork, commissioned watercolors and maternity photos.  The sofa is a family antique once belonging to my great grandmother.  

Photo credit: Jordan Burch Photography

A collection of neutral pillows and gifted elephant and tiger stuffed animals (representing the mascots for mine and my husband's alma maters) fill out the sofa.

The watercolor dog prints of our fur babies are some of my favorite pieces in the room.  Erisha from A Thing Created did a wonderful job.  The "I will be grateful for this day" print is an Etsy purchase that I've had for a couple of years and thought would be perfect moved into the nursery.  The oversized clothespin is one of a set of three from Ballard Designs, also a piece I've had for years waiting to use.

The curtains were a great surprise TJ Maxx find ($25 for the pair!).  I added pleats with pleat tape to give a more custom look.

I imagine we will spend many nights rocking and reading in this chair.  I hope Auden loves her room as much as I do one day.  Thanks for taking the tour! I've posted a resource list below for your convenience.  

Resource List:

Crib-Restoration Hardware Baby & Child (no longer available)

Crib Sheet-Serena & Lily

White Pique Crib bumper and skirt-New Arrivals Inc.

Eyelet pillow-JC Penney (no longer available)

Pom pom blanket-Marmalade

Sofa-Family piece

Brass clothespin-Ballard Designs

Commissioned watercolor dog prints-A Thing Created

"I will be grateful for this day" Print-Etsy

Dresser-Family piece

Monogram sham-Etsy

Sweater pillow-West Elm

Table lamp-TJ Maxx

Rocker-Nurseryworks Empire Rocker

Gray Herringbone Tassel Throw-Pure Home

Floor lamp-Target (no longer available)

Pouf-Target

Striped basket-TJ Maxx

Curtains-TJ Maxx

Bamboo Shade-Wayfair

Light fixture-Home Depot