Big Girl Bedding

My little girl will be 17 months old this month, and I've started thinking about what her room will look like once she's out of her crib and in a "big girl" bed.  I'm fortunate enough to have some gorgeous antique twin beds passed down from my great grandmother that I'm going to get to use in her room.  They have beautifully carved headboards with matching footboards, and I want them to be the show stoppers in the room.

Even if I had different beds, I think I'd still want to keep the bedding pretty simple though.  There's something so sweet about predomimently white bedding with a pop of color for a little girl.  I know I want to use a white coverlet with a folded fluffy duvet at the foot of the bed.  I'll keep the sheets a simple white with a colored scallop detail like these.   

For the pillows, I'm thinking of a sham with a matching color border like these, also from Crane and Canopy.

To finish the look, I envision a decorative pillow in the front.  Here are a few of my favorites at the moment.

As you can tell, I'm really loving floral block prints right now.  There's just something so sweet and feminine about them.  Here are all of the sources:

1- On sale for $29.99 and the back side is beautiful too.
2- This watercolor print is also currently on sale for $31 at Layla and Grace
3- A favorite from Serena and Lily for $68
4- I love the muted colored in this kilim option from Etsy -$69.95
5- The priciest of the bunch at $100, this handmade option is gorgeous

To finish off the room, I'd hang this beautiful painting.  I've admired it since I was a little girl and saw it hanging at my grandmother's house.  Impressionism is by far my favorite art movement and the colors in this piece are just so stunning.

I can't wait to see Auden's room to come together this year.  I hope she'll love it as much as me!

Before and After : Tree House

Located in Michigan, this home belongs to a couple and their two young boys who were looking for the perfect vacation home. The previous owner was an arborist and left a few design challenges for the new owners. As you will see, this before and after is a good example of how a can of paint can transform a space.

The home's exterior was lightened up using Benjamin Moore's Grant Beige.

The living room was very rustic and had wall to wall forest green carpet.

The carpet was ripped out and to help unify all the different materials, everything was painted white.  Both the fireplace and mantle were painted White Dove by Benjamin Moore. When in doubt, paint it white.

The owners had planned to remove the vertical beam that was made to look like a tree growing out of the floor, but it is was determined they couldn't because it was structural.

So, they painted it white along with the cabinets. Surprisingly, the kitchen turned out very beautiful. The tree along with the backsplash tile and stone countertops  gives it a sophisticated organic quality.

The dining room before.

After.

The dated master bath got an overhaul. Instead of replacing the awkward French doors, they improved them by replacing the glass with mirror.

Job well done. To check out more, visit House Beautiful for the full article.

Mid-Century Modern Dining Room Options

A recent client of ours recently moved from a small apartment into a modest, but nicely restored 60s ranch with her husband. She already had a love for mid-century modern furniture, and has some collected some great pieces here and there for around her house. But she had zero dining furniture. They had been using barstools up until that point. 

Moving to a house with a real dining space can be exciting and also daunting...because dining furniture adds up and adds up quickly! Collecting a chair here and there is easy. A couple hundred dollars, perhaps, here and there. But even if you find a great deal on some mid century furniture, a dining set will cost you well over $1000. When you've just bought a house, this is not easily digested. Hey, I've been there (still there...)!

So after several failed antique store and craigs list attempts, she contacted us to help her put together an affordable dining room to go with the rest of her home. A great opportunity for E-design!

Here are some inspiration photos she sent us:

image via the D pages

image via apartment therapy

image via a cup of jo

image via a cup of joe

This was fun for me to work on because I also have a love for mid century modern. It's my favorite design style/era, so I've kept tabs on where to find inexpensive replicas and inspired pieces. Keeping her budget in mind, we sent her some options before starting the full e-design in order to set the stage for the rest of the room. 

Each chair is under $100 and each table is under $300. She wanted to be able to purchase 4 chairs but be able to pull up two other arm chairs from her living room to seat 6 if needed. 

Here are her options. Which would you choose? 

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // A // B // C

If you find yourself in a similar design dilemma (even with completely different design taste), this is a great option to get your feet moving. One of the many flexible aspects of E-Design.

Now I'm going to go stare at my old dining set and wish it was something as cool as those images above! ;) 

Until next time!

California Layered Living Room E-Design

A couple of months ago, we launched a survey for our clients and readers. One of the questions we asked was "What room in your home would you most likely redo using our E-Design service?"

Even with nine other room options, the Living Room won out with over 50% of the results.

It makes sense.  This is the room where people typically spend most of their time at home.  It is the center of the home.  So naturally, you'd want that room to feel the best, right?  You'd want it to be stylish, comfortable and most importantly, like "you."

We recently completed a living room design for a family in California.  They had some great pieces (and style) to start but needed our help with some big ticket items, paint and accessories.

We created a relaxed, layered look to go with their eclectic style and love the way it turned out.  We started with a large sisal rug to anchor the space and topped with a softer, more colorful dhurrie.  We brought in a classic sofa and some large textured lamps for the iron console.  We added some more color and pattern with new toss pillows and a throw.

lamps // mirror // paint // lattice pillow // stripe pillow // console // throw // side table // sofa // sisal rug // dhurrie rug

I fell in love with the leather topped side table when I first saw it in the Manhattan apartment of Casey Smith on Domaine Home and have been waiting for the perfect home to get to use it.  

I think the design turned out to be a pretty cool space that I would love to hang out myself, and hopefully this family will get to enjoy their living room even more now!

If you have a space in your home in need of a little help (it doesn't have to be a full makeover--that's the beauty of design), drop us a line.  We'd be glad to help!

An Arrangement

ar·range
əˈrānj/
verb 1. put (things) in a neat, attractive, or required order.

CHAIR // TABLE // PRINT // KITCHEN

The Classic Wood Debate: Painted vs Natural

When the shabby-chic (and coastal shabby-chic if you’re near us) made it’s way into the top ranks of design world, it wasn't uncommon to see wood furniture with a glossy layer of paint. It also wasn’t uncommon to see that layer of paint deliberately scuffed around the edges to give pieces that “worn, repurposed, I found this at a flea market” kind of look. 

While that trend has calmed down a bit, it’s still hanging around. And there are certainly many benefits to painted wood: You can totally make-over an old existing piece in your home; you can hide imperfections and flaws in the old wood; you can take a very inexpensive yard sale or thrift store find and make it fit into your personal design scheme; you can tone down the design era features of a piece that makes it stand out of place in your home. A coat of paint and some new hardware will do wonders for a sad old dresser. This is no secret.

That being said, this trend has definitely created somewhat of a division among designers, furniture traders, and any appreciator of furniture and finishes. While most can make an exception either way, it’s not atypical to fall on one side of the debate:

Painted Wood vs Natural 

If you know me at all you could probably guess that I typically fall on the “natural” side of the argument. A "wood purist" some may call it. I have my own reasons for this, but part of it is just who I am, even outside of who I am as a designer. But I won’t get into all of that. 

I’m here to give you some very important things to think about if you have in your possession, or are considering purchasing a wood piece to add to your collection. Whatever side of the argument you may take, all I ask is that you consider these things before you see a piece and go “wouldn’t that look so much better in white?” Because trust me, friends, that trend is fading fast.

So here they are:

1. What do you know about the piece? 

Can you tell for sure that this $40 Craig’s List find is only worth the $40 you paid for it? Was it a road-side find? Or is it a family heirloom? I would encourage you to find out something about it. Ask a designer (like US, for example!) I have friends text me photos of furniture all the time and say “do you know what kind of chair this is?” or “what style is this?” or “are they asking too much for this bed?” And typically I can help. If I can’t, I turn them to a source that can. The point of all this is to say—don’t coat something in paint unless you are almost positive that it isn’t a historical design artifact or valuable antique. Because if it is, congratulations. You just killed the value. 

I found this bed leaning against a telephone pole at the end of a driveway off a pretty busy highway. It was $50. And it's probably one of the best deals I've ever come across. You know why? Because an antique wood spindle bed is highly sought after, and would probably be worth at least $300 in an antique store. That knowledge greatly influenced my decision not to paint it. Even if you would disagree, at least now you know about it! 

2. Does it mean anything to you or someone you love?

Did you inherit the piece from your mother, who inherited it from her mother? Or did you buy it on an overseas vacation many years ago? If it holds any sentimental value to you or someone close to you (dead or alive), I would encourage you to keep it’s original finish. Unless the person who gave it to you gives you the “ok” to paint it. Consider a piece’s history (whether it’s valuable or not) before you totally change it’s appearance, especially if you’re only changing it to fit a very temporary design theme in your home. 

On average, design trends last anywhere from 2 to 5 years. Most would argue closer to 2 years, but I’m being generous here, just because of how long burlap and chevron have dragged themselves around Hobby Lobby. That means, if you incorporate something “trendy” into your home, chances are you’ll be totally over it in 5 years. (Although that’s not to say some people’s homes don’t change for decades—there’s a reason shag carpet removal specialists are still in business). Chew on that before you semi-permanently alter something that has value to you or someone close to you.

3. Does the piece’s design style lend itself to paint or a natural finish? 

This may be perplexing to most unless you’ve had a design history class or have been self-immersed in design (I confess, I am a total design history nerd—the most disappointing part of my trip to Chicago last year was the fact that the architecture and design history wing of the Art Institute Museum was closed for remodel). But I’ll give you a simple example:

Antique French— not hard to find painted in original form. 

It’s hard to find a nice French piece without some paint or gilding (gold paint) on it somewhere. But even in this instance, it’s best to refer to point #1 before you decide turquoise would suit the piece better than cream. If it’s a valuable antique, better reconsider.

Mid Century Modern/ Danish — almost always natural finish. 

You’ll recognize this style by it’s soft curves, clean lines, and slightly tapered cylindrical legs. It’s big right now. And most times, not only is it not painted, it’s also most times not stained. Walnut was a popular choice for such styles, and walnut’s natural hue is perfect with just an enhancing sealer for protection. Seldom will someone seek out a painted mid century or danish piece. 

If you find an inexpensive piece that’s made to imitate the stylings of a certain design style, you’re safer to paint. But like I said. Always remember point #1!

4. Is it solid wood? Well-made? 

Sounds like a no-brainer, but few people consider this when deciding whether to paint a piece. Here’s an example: my husband has this big old chunky wood dresser from the 80s/90s that he so kindly contributed to our collection when we got married. It’s by no means attractive. But it’s solid, heavy oak, so I’ve always been hesitant to paint it, even though paint would probably help it out. (And, let’s be honest, it’s also a lot of work to paint a wood piece.) I’ve always kept the top of it covered with a silk table runner to add in some color/protection. But you know what I discovered when we were moving?? The top is laminate! It’s not real wood! Totally fake. And the drawers are butt-jointed together. So while it may look nice and weigh a million pounds, it’s really not all that nice. 

My point in all this is—if the piece is going to last you a really long time, chances are you’ll outgrow the “painted” phase at some point in the piece’s lifetime. So ask yourself "am I ok getting rid of this piece if I decide I don't like it in 5 years?" 

Side note here: solid wood and dovetail joints on drawers are a good indication that something was made with good craftsmanship.

5. Would it look better re-finished? 

Let’s say we can both agree the furniture has seen better days. There’s scratches, maybe a toddler took a crayon to it or practiced drumming on it with a remote control. Something definitely needs to be done.

OR, it’s got great bones and details, but the wood finish doesn’t go with your other pieces. 

A great example and article on refinishing wood from The Brick House

If you’re going to go through all the work of painting it, consider a re-stain instead. There are so many different stain colors out there. You can even stain a piece gray these days, giving it that shabby-chic look without covering it in paint. Take a photo or a drawer in to your local paint store and ask them what kind of wood you’re dealing with, and what stains would work best. Some stores have boards that show you what each stain will look like on different species of wood. 

6. Last, but certainly NOT Least—Do you know what you’re doing?

Well, do you? Have you painted wood before? Are you planning on skipping all the sanding because it’s a pain in the butt? Or because someone told you there's a product out there that eliminates the sanding step? Do you think you can tackle the project with 2-3 cans of spray paint? Think again, my friend.

If you aren’t confident in your ability to do a good job, don’t begin your rookie furniture painting job on a nice solid piece of furniture. I’ve used nothing but a can of spray paint on a table before. And I pulled that $15 piece of particle board table from someone’s free yard trash. Sooo, not that big of a deal. But if it’s an investment piece, if you’re going to be using it every day, eating all your meals from it, storing your dishes in it (i.e. cabinets) etc, then talk to a professional before you get started.

OR, since you’re certainly not the first person to paint furniture, find a good DIY. Popular DIY bloggers over at Young House Love have a great blog entry (with video!) of when they refinished their kitchen cabinets. It’s a very intensive process. I highly recommend you watch it before you tell yourself “hey, I can just paint that—no biggie.” 

***

I’m not totally against painting furniture. My dining chairs are painted, I have two chairs and a side table that came painted (one is a french antique—bonus points if you were paying attention above and know why that’s important to know). And I have plans to paint at least one more piece of furniture in our house. It has it’s place in every home. But so does natural wood! 

Consider the balance in your own home. If you’ve been searching for a new piece of furniture, think about whether you want it to be painted or natural. Think about the other finishes in the room. 

And if you need help deciding, drop us a line! We’re happy to help answer your design dilemmas. You may even have your question featured on our Design SOS series on the blog! 

Until next time!