A Dinner Story -with Serena & Lily

I've long been a fan of Serena & Lily.  They have a wide range of great items: furniture, wallpaper, baby goods, accessories... you name it.  And they also have great sales.  And y'all know I'm always looking for a good sale. 

This week while I was perusing their sale items (that are currently an EXTRA 20% off with the code SALE20 until April 21st), I became inspired by several of the items and thought "Oooh I could make a great dinner party out of these finds!"  And since I love sharing a good deal, I had to share with you guys!  Everything* listed below is on sale with the exception of the pillow, but it was too good to not include!  Tip:  Adding throw pillows to the head chairs at the table is great way to bring color and texture to any dinner party.  

*All items are from Serena & Lily except the drinking glasses and all prices listed are BEFORE the extra 20% off.  

1 Table Runner -68.00, now 21.99 /// 2 Brass Candlesticks -32.00-38.00, now 10.99-14.99 /// 3 Water Glasses (set of 12) -16.80 /// 4 Wood and Lacquer Tray -118.00, now 37.99 /// 5 Leaf Napkins (set of 4) -38.00, now 18.99 /// 6 Throw Pillow Cover -68.00 /// 7 Dinner Plates (set of 4) -58.00, now 29.99  /// 8 Placemats (set of 4) -88.00, now 22.99 /// 9 Gladiolus arrangement (they always have these flowers at my local grocery!)

The overall look has a collected feel that is casual and chic with fun patterns and warm tones reminiscent of a summer sunset.  Now who's ready to throw a summer soiree?  Summertime is almost here!  Can I get a hallelujah?  

I hope you all have a happy Easter!

Micro Homes

Could you live in 135 sqft? That's what some SCAD students will be doing next semester. These micro homes they are calling Scad-Pads, are a design project built out of parking spaces on the deck of a lot on the Atlanta campus. Created by an interdisciplinary group of SCAD students, faculty, and alumni, they worked for 10 months to design and develop SCADpad—from its architectural footprint to custom furniture to remote home control—to fit in the mere 135-square-feet of a standard parking space. Selected student-residents will be required to tweet about their experience living in these tight quarters.

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You can check out these pads in person through June 1st or follow along as the student-residents document their experience on twitter @ #SCADPad.

easy breakfast nook facelift

If you're anything like me, your breakfast nook probably looks a little something like this:

Typical. "Builder Beige" walls, an ordinary table, builder-grade light fixture and maybe a little something here or there to make it personal. 

This was my breakfast nook shortly after we moved in. The table and chairs were my mom's (I ate from that table for as long as I can remember, and if you're a kid of the 80s/90s you probably had a similar one). In our old house I had the leaf removed and a colorful boho-looking tablecloth over it. I painted the chairs a dark charcoal several years ago. I had intentions of painting the table, but since all 4 chairs barely made it into the "completed" stages of being painted, I didn't want the table to endure the same suffering. 

Other than that, you can see all that I have is a kitchen cart and a wine rack (except the wine bottles stay on the top shelf of the pantry because I have a toddler). 

I needed a very quick and VERY budget-friendly facelift--not an overhaul, but something to cheer up the space we spend so much time in. And here's how it looks today:

Not a huge difference, but man--what a few simple tricks can do for a space!

And here's what I did to get there:

1. Painted the back wall in Valspar: Sienne. I'm in love with the color. The wall that is not painted runs through our kitchen so I didn't want to paint that one. So I had to pick something that would go well with the existing paint color until I decided on what to do with it. This gray has the perfect balance of warm and cool undertones not to clash with the builder-beige.

2. Installed some DIY industrial curtain rods using this tutorial. I'd give you one myself but I didn't document the process. But if you decide to do it, know that the mounting hardware is very heavy and you'll need reinforcements (or studs) to hold it. Also....measure twice, cut once (learned that lesson the hard way)!  I'm happy with how they came out but they were kind of a pain to install versus traditional rods. This method will have to take ring clips to mount your draperies because that's the only way they're coming off the rod :) The white curtains are simple thick cotton draperies you can find anywhere. (Also it should be noted that when using the industrial curtain rod, hang your curtains on your rod and measure exactly before installing--I just did math in my head, which can sometimes work, but in this case, my curtains are about 1.5" off the ground. Not ideal, but it's better than going through the fiasco of re-installing the rod and patching giant holes in our freshly painted wall. Also, according to my mom this can be a good thing "so you don't get dirty mop water on your white curtains.") 

3. Added a simple white tablecloth with a eye-catching flower arrangement. This one sits in an antique silver pitcher that belonged to my grandmother. Although I much prefer real flowers, these are silk with cotton flowers added in. They work and are not something I have to worry about replacing every week.

4. Arranged botanical fruit prints above the wine rack. These were printables I found online a few years ago. The frames were inexpensive Walmart finds. 

5. Replaced the builder light fixture with this statement one from Ikea. When we first got it I was like "what have I done?!" but the more I have time to adjust to the difference between it and our dinky builder grade fixture, I like it. It really adds weight to the space.

One last look:

And that's it, folks! It was quite simple. Of course, the space is by no means complete (ideally I'd like a rug, a space above the kitchen cart for a hanging indoor herb garden, an entirely new dining table/chairs set) but I think it's important to know that about working in your own home. It takes time. For many of us, spending all the money at once isn't an option. So you do a little here, a little there, add in a little elbow grease, and eventually you have a beautiful complete space. And that is so satisfying. 

That's what is so great about our e-design service. We provide you with the vision to work towards. You control the cash flow. You control the pace. Just being able to see what your space has the potential to look like can be enough to jump start your room make-over. And then you can say "um, yeah. I did that!" With a little help from us, of course ;)

Until next time...

Master Makeover-Bedroom on a Budget

Our belief is that good design should be available to everyone.  While many interior design jobs can cost tens of thousands of dollars, they don't all have to bust the budget, even when there's no DIY involved.  Just knowing where to look can make good finds go a long way when transforming a space.  

I recently did a few updates in my master bedroom, and it had me dreaming of an entire room makeover...on a budget.  Here's what I put together.  Several of the pieces (the duvet and headboard) are personal buys so I promise I won't lead you astray.

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1. A couple of good looking lamps with a non-traditional shades from Target. -$39.99

2. Nail trim dressers from West Elm used as side tables because who doesn't need more storage?...currently on sale! -$594.00

3. This Blanchard headboard sells for over $400 on some sites, but I found one on Overstock.com for much less.  And the best part it is that the height is adjustable.  -$246.99

4. Swap out your flush mount or fan for this beauty. -$156.99

5. I purchased this duvet over 4 years ago, and my husband and I still love it.  The Egyptian cotton feels wonderful and it washes well.  Plus you get two shams included. -$115.99

6. An ombre throw for a steal! -$14.99

7. Etsy is my favorite place to shop for pillow covers.  This is just one example why. -$25.00

8. A grouping of four of these frames would look great on any wall.  Another great design by Target.  Buy one, get one 30% off right now. -$24.99

9.  A gorgeous, well-made armoire for less than $1000 is hard to come by.  Thus my appreciation for this one. -$849

Total: $2,776.90

Less than $3000 and not a DIY project involved!  Success!  If you'd like us to put together a mood board for your space, check out the details on our E-Design page.

Easter Eggs!

With Easter approaching, here are some unique egg decorating projects that I came across. As you can see, there are other options to the typical dye decorating method. 

I am really fond of these pretty eggs that were drawn on with permanent marker. This would be a fun project for older kids to do.

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Or you can take the easy way out like i did this year.  I found these cool geo-faceted eggs from Target that can be stuffed.

If you attempt any of the listed projects, please share with us! We would love to see how your eggs turned out.

penny round tile

Penny Rounds are my favorite mosaic tile. As the name suggests, they're about the size of a penny and come in tons of colors, finishes, and materials: glass, porcelain, metal, stone--you name it. 

They've been used in design for a long time and are certainly nothing new, but they've gained some popularity over the last several years. The best part is, the never quite became "trendy," which means you can use them and not instantly date your home (so that twenty years from now no one can walk in your home and say "well this was obviously done in 2014"). 

Depending on how you use them they can be cute, sophisticated, dramatic, eye-catching, subtle--whatever you like. When you use the standard ceramic version, it's fairly inexpensive. And, did you know that the shape of a circle is the most aesthetically pleasing of all shapes?? It's true. All the more reason to use them.

Here are some great installation photos to showcase their versatility:

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Not a great install shot, but this was too cool not to post--it's cork!! image

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Have you seen enough yet?! Does it make you want to find a way to use penny rounds in your home?? It should. 

(But please don't fall victim to the mindset that you can install them yourself--mosaic tile installation--not unlike any tile installation--should be left to a professional. Once tile is laid, it's not coming back up without a huge laborious mess. Please make sure it's done correctly--not by your Uncle Ronny.)

I also want to take a minute to credit the fabulous website Houzz from which I get nearly all of my photos. It's great because unlike a browser search, you can always see professional (well, sometimes) photos directly from their source, so that you can get accurate info and we can give proper credit where it's due. Check it out for your own design ideas!