Can These Drapes Be Saved?

I've been working on the dining room for a couple of years now and each piece has been added as I've been able to afford it, which makes for a long decorating process.  This means that I have looked at this partially finished room a bazillion times over the past few years and am never sure if its coming together or if I like the things I've chosen for it.  

While staring at it the other day, I almost decided to ditch my dining room drapes.  I had them custom made a couple of years ago and loved them then, but as I looked at them I thought maybe it was time to move on.  I thought the room was looking a little too country/granny/conservative for me and I was positive that the drapes were the culprit (ignore the chandy, its long gone).

Enter a bit of perfectly timed inspiration from some fellow bloggers to prove to me that yes, I am on the right track and one day when I'm finished this room will be fabulous.  

I found this little vignette from Teryn on I Suwannee and it is pretty much the inspiration board that I neglected to put together for myself.  Definitely captures the vibe I was trying to create in this space.

Then I found these pillows from Etsy shop Oriental Tribe 11 via Elements of Style. 

I've been looking for pillows for the chairs in front of my fireplace for a while.

These pillows might just be the thing to make the whole room come together.  Kinda traditional, kinda tribal, but cool and edgy all at the same time.  I think this is gonna work.  And I'm sticking with the drapes.

My House Tour: Savannah's Mini Makeover Details

Now that Savannah's room is finished (for now at least) let's take a look at the small changes that made a big difference in pulling this room together.

#1 - Art

I will say that selecting art to coordinate with a heavily patterned wallpaper was a bit of a challenge.  Although you have wallpaper, you still need art.  The trick here was to frame the art with wide white mats to give the eye a place to "rest" from all of the pattern and color.

Above the bed I used Ikea's Ribba frames to display some of my favorite photos of my girl in action.  She's so vibrant and playful and these images capture her personality perfectly.

 The art on the chest was sourced from Etsy and Society 6.  The large abstract is Colors 209 by Jen Ramos.  I framed it myself by purchasing a ready made frame which I painted gold.  Since the print was not a standard size, I had the craft store cut a mat to fit.  Much cheaper that having it custom framed.  The Love print is also by Jen Ramos.  Finally, the woman with the flowers is by Susan Brown.  Savannah initially thought she looked mean, but I told her that the woman looks fierce 'cause she is rocking that crazy flower bouquet on her head!

#2 - Accessories

I found this antique mirror at a local interiors shop.  Soon after, I found it on Shop 219 via Bijou and Boheme (great designers think alike).

The lamp was originally purchased on Ebay for Madeline's nursery, but really didn't work with the wood tones of her chest.  So, in an effort to find a home for the lamp, I stuck it in Savannah's room and it worked.  I love the juxtaposition between the modern lamp and the ornate chest.

I added a dark plum and a couple of lavender pillows on the bed and ditched the chevron patterned one.  Much better.

I also switched out the rug with this one from Rugs USA.  Same pattern as the previous one, but the green is more subtle.

I'm officially crossing this room off my to do list!

Want to see more of my house?  Take the tour here.

My House Tour: Savannah's Room Mini Makeover Part II

If you are ever in doubt about a decorating decision, just take a photo, sit on it for a few months, revisit it, and it will become painfully obvious what is not working in your space.

This is what happened after I posted Savannah's room mini makeover back in September.  So new items were purchased and now I think her room is perfection.

Check back tomorrow for all the details!

And Now...

...back to our regularly scheduled programming.

I can't believe my last post was back in March.  So what have I been up to?  Just spending some time with my sweet baby girls. We celebrated Easter, went to the beach, attended Savannah's first dance recital, and enjoyed the outdoors!

Such a great summer!  I've also been working on some house projects, so I have lots of new things to share in the next few weeks.  Am glad to get back to the blog!



My House Tour: Madeline's Nursery Details

Now that you've seen Madeline's nursery (click here if you missed it yesterday), let's get to all the details of this design.

 

#1 - Inspiration

Let me just say this isn't your typical nursery.  The starting point for this room was the Chinese Art Deco rug we inherited from my husband's grandmother.  This rug had been in storage for several years and the only place I could really use it was in the nursery.

 

#2 - Wall Color

I liked the pastel wall color in this Tyler Dawson room, so I chose Benjamin Moore's Rose Silk for the nursery walls.  It's a light pink that's in the same color family as the red in the rug.

 

#3 - Drapes

On a trip to World Market, I stumbled upon these green velvet drapes that pick up the green accents in the rug.  I customized them by adding some braided trim (since I don't know how to sew I just hot glued it on). 

 

The drapery rods were left over from another project.  I painted them gold with Rustoleum's Metallic Brass spray paint.

 

 

#4 - Furniture
The crib, bedding, and rocker (which was my great-great-grandfather's) were originally in Savannah's nursery and my design allowed me to re-use them in this room.  

 

The side table is from High Street Market.

 

 

I found the chest on Craigslist and it's perfect to use as a changing table.

 

For storage, I purchased Ikea Vittsjo shelves and gave them a makeover inspired by this post from Ana Antunes.

 

 

 

#5 - Lighting

You may remember when the Etsy gods smiled upon me and I found the most beautiful chandelier here.  It's from Etsy shop Sarah's Smiles and I couldn't be happier with the purchase and with the excellent customer service she gave me. (She even ordered me extra prismatic bulbs when I broke one and didn't know where to purchase them!) 

 

 

The original lamp I purchased for this room didn't work out, so I went back to Ebay and found this mint green vintage ceramic one that is just perfect.

 

 

#6 - Art and Accessories

The gallery wall above the crib is a mixture of high and low pieces.  The large artwork in the middle is a fine art print by Kerry Steele.  Clockwise from bottom left:  marker art by Madeline's big sis Savannah, vase of flowers art print by Catherine Nolin, pink flower photo taken by my husband when he visited Moldova, dots watercolor by me, small floral oil painting found on Etsy, pink polka dot elephant from Studio Jarrah, and green abstract photo from a National Geographic magazine.

 

 

Elephant figures, a blue and white vase, and floral pillows by Etsy shop Aurelia were selected to reinforce the chinoiserie motif of the rug.

 

 

 

 

Shelves hold books and storage bins for toys.

 

 

A tassle dresses up the vintage lamp on the chest.

 

 

I'm so glad that the nursery is finally complete!  I just hope Madeline loves it as much as I do!

 

Want to see more of my house?  Take the tour here.

 

My House Tour: Madeline's Nursery

Finally, I can share Madeline's nursery with you!  I feel like I labored just as long with it as I did with her!  But it was a labor of love and I'm so happy with the results.

 

The "before"...

 

 

And now...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stop by tomorrow for all of the details!

 

Want to see more of my house?  Take the tour here.