Etsy artist roundup

Searching for the perfect piece of artwork can be challenging sometimes. A great resource we often use to source art is Etsy. You can find some great artists and affordable pieces. Here are a few of my current favorites.

Leigh Veiner

Leigh creates a lot of fashion illustrations and has a great since of color and movement.

As seen on on set The Steven and Chris Show in Canada.

Love the colors in this print!

Michelle Armas

Michelle creates beautiful abstract, expressionistic paintings. Her art has a softness about them. Some of her pieces can be purchased as a canvas or print.

Samantha French

Samantha has a stunning series of swimmers both above and below water. My favorites are those where she captures the ripples in the water. She sells the original pieces on canvas and than more affordable copies in varying print sizes.

Minagraphy

The photographs that Mina creates have a dreamy and nostalgic quality about them. My favorites being her beach series.

As seen hung.

Who are some of your favorite Etsy artists?

a good day read

Hello, friends.

My apologies for the delayed post this week. I've been under the weather the past few days, and I'm still not 100%. So today I'm taking a brief moment to share with you my new book friend (if you follow us on Instagram you saw me reading it a couple of Saturdays ago with my morning coffee).

And foreword by Tina Fey? Can it get any better??

My husband found it on Amazon and bought it (yes, my husband--I'm so grateful we share a love of design and architecture) after he flipped through it in a bookstore and thought "we need this in our possession." One great thing about him working in an established architecture firm is their library. And I don't mean a room full of samples. I mean their real library, with books (complete with Windsor chair, but I digress). Books and magazines on all areas and topics of design and architecture, at our fingertips. While I love the ability to borrow, ownership has its place, too. And I'm glad this one came into our hands.

You may be familiar with Thom Filicia in the design world. If not, I would highly recommend it. Trust me, you won't be sorry. The best part about the book is not that I loved every ounce of every detail; there are a few things I would have done differently. BUT, his reason for how he did everything, and the detail he put into it earns 100% of my respect. Every room is complete. Each room reads as its own AND as part of a whole.

Now before I make this longer and more winded than I have the energy for, I'll keep it brief and share with you my favorite room and quote(s) from the book:

The powder room should be a "wow" moment, a gift for people who only come over for a cocktail or only stop by briefly. these drive-by guests should not be denied--they deserve an intense dose of the entire design. Every architectural element of the house is represented here....

-Thom Filica

This is the sunroom. From the glorious mix of textures to the unexpected color combos and patterns, this room is a glorious mix of masculine and feminine. If I could pick one room in the house to spend all day in, it would be this one. 

In the end, the lifestyle you create for your house is the final piece of decor. How you use your house--or, more accurately that you use it--is what gives your home a soul. All the time and effort spent collecting and purchasing is just the beginning. The design is in the living.

-Thom Filicia

That's it, y'all. If that doesn't entice you to at least flip through this book in Barnes and Noble (or come to my house and read it), then I don't know what will. 

Until next time :)

A Rug Affair with West Elm

If you haven't stopped by West Elm or westelm.com to check out their sale, you're missing out!  They have a bunch of deals, but some that really caught my eye were on the rugs!  Oh how I love a good rug...especially one on sale.  Here's a few of my favorites:

Phoenix Wool Dhurrie- 8x10 $349

This little pink beauty would be awesome in an office, little girl's room or playroom.  And that's coming from a girl who is not a big fan of pink.  I typically shy away from bright colors in rugs due to the price and longevity I'd like to achieve when purchasing one, BUT I don't think you can go wrong here, especially in a fun, inspiring room.  Who needs a room designed around this rug? I'm dying to use it in a space!

Bazaar Wool Dhurrie in Ochre- 8x10 $399

This one too would look great in a kid's space or even a living room (especially a beach condo). Dhurries are great for wear and tear and typically can look brand new with a quick vacuum!  And they are much softer than most natural optional like sisal and jute.

Key Wool Dhurrie in Iron- 8x10 $299

This one is a combination of two of my design favorites--black/white color combination and classic greek key pattern.  And the price tag makes it even prettier!

Offset Stripe Wool Dhurrie in Sable- 8x10 $219.99

This is another classic but with a twist.  The offset print adds interest and the stripes bring in a little sophistication.  I'm tempted to buy this one for my own house!

Those are my top four rug sale picks.  Be sure to check out their website to see all of the other deals they have going on.  Get ready for the urge to empty your wallets too! :)

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!  This will be my last spent in my 20's!  Ahhh!

Sunroom e-design

Recently we had a couple contact us who needed help with their sunroom. They wanted a light and comfortable sunroom where they could enjoy breakfast but also a place where friends could gather to watch the game.

Here are a couple before pictures of the space-

The first recommendation we made was to paint the brick white to serve as a neutral backdrop. The TV is being replaced with a flat screen that will hang on the left side of the kitchen window and the grill is being moved outside.

As you can see, painting the brick made a big difference.

Since the space needs to double for entertaining guest, we selected comfortable upholstered dining chairs that could be moved around on game day. We suggested a console table under the TV for storage of blankets and board games but could also be set up as a bar during gatherings.

For the large blank wall right of the french doors, we were inspired to create a gallery wall hung by rope similar to one that Ashleigh Gilbrith created.

We kept a light a neutral color palette utilizing natural materials. The daybed fits a standard size twin mattress, which will make a great place to take naps or read a book.

Our clients were thrilled with our e-design. We can't wait to share with you the after pics once everything has been installed.

nursery turned toddler room

This weekend we ventured to a family reunion for the day, and in addition to seeing lots (and lots) of extended family members, we also picked up a couple of cool family heirloom pieces. 

Twin beds! Slept in by my mom and her brothers and sisters, as well as my sister and myself, and since then have been in the possession of my uncle who's sons slept in them.  And pretty soon (but not too soon) my 16 month old will make her way into one of them.

I would post a pic for y'all to see, but they are currently still in pieces and wrapped up from the journey home. But they are solid mahogany post beds, somewhat similar to this:

Not only is it special to have a family antique like that, but it's not often you find children's furniture that's made of solid wood. I'm excited to get them put together (although they'll need a little work).

Little nugget is still in a crib so that means I have to rearrange her room to work in a twin bed until she's ready for the transition. The guest room has a really comfy queen bed in it, so there's no use in changing anything about that.

Here's her room now (also don't mind the few discrepancies--by no means is has the room been styled or professionally photographed; I just cleaned it enough to look decent in a quick photo):

The crib is a mahogany Jenny Lind; the chair an 1880s re-upholstered French antique store find named Charlotte (I have a thing for chairs and naming things); the crepe paper pom-poms were hand-made decorations from my baby shower. I still need something behind the crib, but since the whole layout of the room is changing soon, I suppose that doesn't matter for the time being. The mobile will come down, since she's long outgrown it. I'm honestly surprised it's not broken; she yanks on it all the time.

There she is in all her bed-headed glory, upon her rocking horse that her grand-Papí made (shortly after this photo she was wailing for me because she decided climbing over the front of the horse was the best way to dismount.) The chair is an antique "kindergarden chair" that she got for her first birthday from my uncle (and don't tell her but it's probably going to become the Time-Out Chair). Obviously I haven't painted the walls, but I don't plan on it anytime soon. I figure, soon enough she'll have her own personality and then we can pick a color. Why create more work for ourselves? I mean I already have a half painted navy bedroom. 

And here's how the room is laid out in plan view:

And here are the options for incorporating the twin bed:

This option moves the changing table into the closet to be used for storage. Let's be honest, when you have a toddler, changing tables get used once a day, and even then it's a battle. The floor is your best option. Anyway, this is similar to how I would arrange the room if for some reason I kept both beds (my sister may take the other for her daughter).

This option repurposes the changing table as storage. It's open shelving so I would just move the toy baskets onto the shelves. 

So what do you think? 

Right now I'm leaning towards the first option, but ultimately it will depend on what it all feels like once I get it in there. It may end up being nothing like the way I've drawn them. Even still it's a good excuse to give that room some attention since all I've added since we moved in were the draperies and the photos for the gallery wall.

As usual, I'll keep you posted!

Until next time!

Before and After: A Man Cave in the Making

When my husband and I moved into our new home, he was so excited to have an extra room to call his own.  It wasn't huge, but it was his :)  The previous owners used it as a bedroom for their 5-year-old son, who apparently was really into safari animals.  Perhaps you are starting to imagine where the "before" in this before and after began.  

The little boy's room had a safari theme, complete with bamboo fencing on the lower part of the walls and a metallic gold faux finish on the top. The brown chair rail, foot boards and outlet covers were dating this 21st century room/house at least 30 years.  It's the little things, people.  It really is.  So, since the room was not exactly putting the "man" in man cave, I got to work.

After ripping off the bamboo and trim, which unfortunately was put on with a nail gun and liquid nails (aka will damage drywall upon removal), I decided to just cover that part of the walls.  I wanted to add a little more interest to the space with some wainscoting and crown molding anyway so it seemed like the perfect solution.   

Just changing the paint scheme, standard white on the bottom and Benjamin Moore's Charcoal Slate on top made a HUGE difference.  It already felt like an entirely new space.  The rest was just finishing off the details and adding the wainscoting stiles.

Wall color: Benjamin Moore Charcoal Slate

Pardon the iPhone photography and moving boxes, but you get the idea.  Quite a change, huh?  Since this photo was taken, the walls were touched up and adorned with a gallery of Jon's military memorabilia.  Once we finish up the space and decide on the last furniture pieces, I'll be sure to post another picture.  In the meantime, I hope this shows you just how much a little paint and trim can transform a space.  I absolutely love it.  And whether or not it stays a man cave or turns into another bedroom later on down the road, it'll be great either way.  No extra painting/renovations needed=music to my husband's ears.  

Unfortunately for him, my mind is still churning and working on several other rooms in our home.  A designer's home is never done.  :)  But I digress... Here's one last side-by-side comparison of the room:

View fullsize

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!