Navy Nursery on Design*Sponge

Avery's room is done. 

Whew… that took me long enough. 

I'm honored it was published on Design*Sponge. 

Go take a look at the before and after feature!

a facelift + a feature

Our bedroom got a facelift, and I am loving the new look. Our room was so neglected -- Is that the way your home is? Every room gets attention before the master bedroom… probably because nobody sees it. Our room needed some serious TLC and to get away from the "matchy matchy" bedroom suit, I sold the nightstands for a whopping $150. That money paid for everything new in our bedroom. So, this makeover was essentially free to me.

The draper chest nightstands are Ikea Rast hacks. They were a time investment, but well worth it. The pillows on the bed are all from Ikea (here & here). The lamps and mirror were pulled from other rooms in our home, and we already had the white bedding from Target. Done!

*Also, check out my feature of "Renting: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly" over at MadeByGirl. Jen is one of my very favorites, so I'm beyond honored that she allowed me to share on her fabulous blog.

Featured!

Kirsten Krason over at 6th Street Design School is featuring our home on her blog today! She is one of my very favorites, so I am so honored that she finds my home blog-worthy. Go check it out here. Yay!!

The white porcelain umbrella holder is a vintage find. My rainboots are from TJMaxx. The rug was included in a roundup a couple of months ago, and I love it. It is so beautiful!

Mini Home Tour | Nursery

I went cheap in baby boy's room. We used all of the furniture that was given to us with Hudson as well as the Pottery Barn bedding that was Hudson's. I framed fabric, an easy and inexpensive way to decorate. I love it for this little nursery!

Here you see more of the furniture that was given to us when we had Hudson… I've wanted to paint it, but I opted to just change the knobs out since I was told to "keep it in the fam" and pass it down to my sister.

I found the bentwood rocker at a thrift store and painted it. The trellis drapes were purchased at Half Price Drapes.

We framed this 8x10 birth announcement from Etsy. It is the 1st thing you see when you walk into Avery's room.

Here, I found a clock and frame from TJMaxx to set atop of the modern white shelf that I love. That little bear is so special. He was mine when I was a baby -- from my daddy. And lastly, what's a nursery with at least 1 piece of silver?

Also, I posted Hudson's room 2 weeks ago. Be sure to go check it out if you haven't already done so. It's my favorite part of the house.

There you have it. Hope you enjoyed your little peek into my home!

Mini Home Tour | Master Bedroom

This is my getaway, and I love how clean and fresh the white makes this space feel. The walls are a warm gray/brown (looking especially brown in this photo). I wish I knew what the exact color was. I love it, considering it was already in the house when we moved in. Thankfully, it was a color that I could easily work with.

I made the lumbar with the Dwell Studios fabric that we're all too familiar with. It covers my body pillow that I used through pregnancy. See, always repurposing what I already have. :) The drapes were a DIY from Kristen.

This is the only photo that really shows the direction I want my house to head in. I have bought it all, so it is exactly my style… everything here makes me happy!

And then there's that craigslist find that I snagged a few months back...

Mini Home Tour | Dining

This is our dining area. We are using an old piece from Indonesia that was passed down to us to set my liquor tray on. The lamps were found at TJMaxx, and the sunburst mirror was found at Pier 1.

The Greek key tray and lattice rocks glasses were thrift store finds. Plus, here I have my favorite candle burning -- Votivo's Red Currant. It will quickly become your favorite as well if you get one, promise.

Ok, the photo I was dreading… ahhhh. I hate the chairs; they are very temporary. AND I would love more than anything to change that light fixture, but I'll move onto the better things about this space. 

The tulip table is exactly what I wanted for my breakfast area, and now I am on the hunt for the perfect chairs. The drapes were a great addition and really softened/opened up this space. The jute rug is from Pottery Barn. The high chair is Ikea.

This is the only eating area in our home, since we transformed our dining room into a playroom for the boys. 

Also, if you have any ideas for what my kitchen chairs should be, I'd love for you to pass them this way! I am so indecisive.

Mini Home Tour | Living Room

Here is the most lived-in room in our home. We kept the color that our landlords left in the house, a tannish-yellow. Painting this one room would result in repainting the entire downstairs because of how the walls are, plus, what renter wants to paint with those high ceilings?! 

I have always dreamed of having white couches, but I opted out of washing slipcovers and chose to go with a forgiving fabric. Our linen set has a blend of black and brown weave. I was sold because of its lines -- very similar to the Oswald and the Carlisle sofas. It has served our family well in the months that we've had it. I've found (through numerous spills) that it is nearly indestructible. We are happy with our choice.

Shortly after Ikea discontinued their Lack bookcases, I had my husband build 2 look-alikes that would fit the alcoves on either side of our mantel. We made ours a little taller and wider than the Ikea ones that I love so much. Those bookcases make all of the difference in our room!

This rooms has lots of color, and it all started with my pillows.

I love me some malachite...

I made my own "love print" in Pantone's 2011 Color of the Year, Honeysuckle. 

There's the coffee table that we got for free… still can't believe it. Also, you'll see I have made a valence for the windows. Although, drapes would look nice in the room, I wasn't willing to invest in fabric for the windows since we are renting. It works in this house for now.

Painting and repurposing old pieces that were given to us has been key. A prime example is that antique pie crust table. After a quick paint job, it was transformed to a more modern piece with its turquoise top and black base -- a look I can live with. Piece by piece, I'm evolving my home from traditional to contemporary. It's a process, to say the least.

Mini Home Tour | Foyer

Welcome to my mini home tour. Here's a little peek into our current home. It's a rental, so don't judge… I'm no professional. :)

 I'll begin with our entry area. I found the mirror at Carolina Pottery a few months ago and knew that I just had to have it. The green asian-inspired console was a gift from my parents and is from Tibet. The garden stool was passed down from my grandparents. Everything on the table was found at various thrift stores: the orchid, pot, frame, acrylic tray, brass birds, and books. The silhouette is of me from childhood. So glad that I have held onto it for all of these years!

Our Little Boy's Bedroom

Today, I'm sharing our 3-year-old's big boy room. It's practical and well-lived in! Nearly everything is a DIY project, thrifted, or Ikea, so you can get this room on any budget, really. 

Hudson's gallery wall is a compilation of DIY projects and art/prints framed in Ikea's ribba frames. The deer head is my favorite little project to-date! I found my tacky gold deer statue at a thrift store for $3 and worked a little magic on him. I made the cornice board myself… along with a little help from my handy husband. Still deciding whether or not to add an orange monogram to it?? 

Do you spy the campaign dresser? It has found a home, complete with a thrifted ($5) red lamp atop of it. The bedding is from Ikea. I was initally on the hunt for a seersucker duvet, but I settled on this navy and white striped one (without texture). I included this amazing rug in a roundup a few months back and had to have it. It's soft, forgiving and ultra durable. LOVE! I went with a smaller size rug because I plan on eventually having the boys share a room with 2 twin beds (not in this particular room). My thoughts have been to have the rug between the beds. Just wish there was wood instead of carpet… On another note, the headboard was bought at a yard sale for $5. I had painted it white, but when I saw a freakishly similar bedroom by Caitlin… I painted it navy. It looks so much better. But honestly, what are the chances that the gray walls, bedding AND rug would all be in another room?? Couldn't believe my eyes...

The dresser is Pottery Barn, but I found it at a moving sale, helping me save big. The antique fan and mirror were found at the Sleepy Poet, my favorite antique mall in Charlotte. The acrylic tray was thrifted ($0.50), and houses some of Hudson's favorite bedtime reads. The chair was thrifted ($3) as well. SURPRISE! :) And, lastly, the throw pillows on the bed and in the chair are a fun ink blot look. You really can't appreciate how pretty they are in the photos, but they are a great look for a great price! I found mine at a yard sale for $2. Score!

The ABC wall art was found at TJMaxx on clearance for $10. I snatched it up, knowing I'd find a place for it one day. The day has come, and it's a wonderful addition to our little guy's room. I found the toy box at Ross for $29.99. Can't beat that for a thick, woven basket! And here, you can see just how fun those pillows really are:

There you have it! Hudson loves his room, and so do we. Mission accomplished!

Stencil, Stencil on the wall...

When we moved into our rental home, the 1/2 bathroom downstairs was lime green. Thankfully, I found leftovers of the hall paint color in the garage. The color wasn't my favorite, but it was neutral and an easy-on-the-eye transition from room to room. I could work with it. The downside to this paint selection was that it was in a flat finish. Flat paint should really only be used in dining rooms, and it was on every wall downstairs! Over time, the walls began streaking and discoloring due to the moisture from when people would wash their hands and dry them on the hanging towel in the bathroom. I knew something had to be done. 

A couple of weeks ago, I got busy on this little room's mini makeover. I gave the walls a fresh coat of that same paint and went to town stenciling. It took hours and hours but after all of the walls were penciled with my homemade stencil, I got the white paint out. It took a steady hand and a lot of patience/time, but the final results are well worth it. And it definitely looks hand done, which I think looks pretty neat. Finally, I coated every wall with a clear semi-gloss finish to seal it up and to eliminate the streaking problem that we encountered before. Hope you think it turned out as fabulous as I do!

If you aren't keen on the hand painted look, then this stencil would be a great alternative for a similar geometric print.

source

Stencil found here!

coffee table upgrade

While thrifting a couple of weeks ago, I spotted this chow leg coffee table. I fell in love with it, and when I asked how much it was, they told me that I could just have it. FOR FREE! This coffee table would be the perfect addition to my living room, and once I could settle on a paint color, it would look great over the cowhide rug. I chose Valspar's City Chartreuse. It came out looking just as fabulous as I had envisioned. To top it off, my new pillows arrived! They tie the whole room together perfectly.

Honeysuckle Love.

About 5 years ago, I scored a cute green cabinet for $10 at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Mt. Pleasant. It needed some serious TLC, but I was never motivated to give it even the first new paint job. I can no longer deny that it's time for a new look. Now, I'm turning this...

Into something similar to this...

Kate Spade's home

Thinking of painting the cabinet in Pantone's 2011 color of the year, Honeysuckle:

A little gold trim and hardware to top it off. Done.

Call her Bessie

{1, 2, 3, 4, 5}

Those cowhide rugs! Seriously, I just love them. I had been on the search for one for a couple of months and finally found one for a steal. She's made herself at home in our living room, and we've named her Bessie. Well, my friend Cory named the rug, and the name fits.

I love that the cowhide can be thrown over our carpet and still look great. It helps protect and (more importantly) cover the ugly beige carpet, as well as, ground the room. What I like most is that we can still place our coffee table over it, and the weight doesn't mess it up. Most other rugs would stretch or pucker with that kind of weight atop of it because of the softness of the carpet underneath, but the cowhide doesn't disappoint. Now, I just want to do something daring with my coffee table (like paint it a fun color or really distress it), so it is more contrasting with the brown in the rug. Hmmm.

Cowhides are never outdated, so this is a piece that we can keep in our home for years. I don't plan on keeping it in our living room in a future home, but it works for us here and now. It would be great in a foyer or study. One day...

Meet Bessie.

See what I mean about the coffee table? I need to take it to another level. Maybe not. Ideas and input appreciated!

The boys love the new living room addition too! How cute are they?