Category Archives: Redecorating

Life Happens While You’re Busy Making Other Plans

Posted in Beautiful Places, Life Stuff, Redecorating, Visual Eye Candy by

New year, new blog, new fiance, new home.  You read that right, Jefe & Sledge are finally getting hitched! Needless to say it was a rather exciting holiday season as Jefe popped the question right before Thanksgiving.

After the confetti and bubbles in the champagne settled and the parents all had wedding bells on the brain, Jefe and I started to discuss what was next for us.  The big plan if you will.

That led us to Craigslist, an apartment showing and a quick lease signing later, we had the keys to a new place.

So what convinced us to decide to sign a lease while visiting family and planning a wedding all over Christmas break?  Central air.  Refinished hardwoods. Sconces.  A fireplace (nonworking, but it’s beautiful).  FRENCH DOORS.

I’m sure you all want to read a little less and ogle a little more so without further ado, here’s our new place!

 

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Front entrance! White roses line the walkway.

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Our amazing living room!  It’s bright, airy, super spacious yet cozy.

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Great archway in to the dining room.

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A chandelier we don’t hate!  And ALL the lights in the apartment are on dimmers!

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The kitchen is large with plenty of counter space.  The colors have proven a bit challenging as I don’t know how to accessorize two-toned blue floors and buttery yellow walls, but I’m up for it!

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The second bedroom we’ll be using as our home office.  (I can see the Red Sox paraphernalia filling the walls now….)

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And our master.  The place was renovated with such an eye for design while still being neutral enough that we can inject our own style in to it.  Because of this, I don’t even hate the boob light because it matches everything else!

There’s plenty more to come (including our amazing bathroom with pedestal sink and original penny tile floor) but as our place is still COVERED in boxes, we’re not quite ready for the full, non-Craigslist ad pictures yet.

But there’s definitely more to come in the next few weeks!  Sledge is back (and engaged!)

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House Tour!

Posted in Redecorating, Visual Eye Candy by

It’s about time I finally took you all on another tour of the place since we’ve done a bit of updating over the last few months. Let’s get right to the photos!

We’ll start with the master bedroom which really sold us on this place as it is a true master with plenty of space and a walk in closet.  It’s definitely a work in progress in terms of design: it needs a floor mirror, lots of artwork and a rug.  But I really do love the space (how did I live for 30 years without black out curtains?!)

Bedroom 1 Bedroom 2 Bedroom 3 Bedroom 4 Bedroom 5 Bedroom 6 Bedroom 7

Next we move down the hallway towards the rest of the apartment.  The door on the right leads to our service porch with washer & dryer (and absolutely NOTHING to see.)

Hallway 1

This little clock gallery wall was inspired by a recent episode of Fixer Upper.  Jefe saw a version in a kitchen Joanna designed and LOVED the idea.  We started with the bottom 3 clocks and are just adding as we find unique and interesting ones to include.  Smaller 3 clocks are from Target, silver one is from Ikea.

Hallway - Clock Gallery Wall

Through the doorway on the left is the second bedroom/office.  This room has changed the most recently and we’re really happy with the way its turned out.  It is a great, comfortable space to work from as both Jefe and I do a fair amount from home.  And despite this really being Jefe’s domaine in terms of aesthetics, I can’t wait to finally get a reading chair in here!  It gets the perfect amount of light all day and is arguably the quietest room in the house.

Office 1 Office 2 Office 3 Office 4 Office 5 Office 6

Continuing down the hallway, on the left is the kitchen.  This room is probably the closest to being done.  There’s a few small tweaks yet, like covering the black cord of our new, much needed pendant light and finding a few small items to hang on the wall.  But otherwise I’m calling this space COMPLETE (or until I find something new and decide to rearrange my open shelving).

Kitchen 1 Kitchen - Island Details Kitchen 2 Kitchen 4 Kitchen 3

We’re going to skip the super pink tiled bathroom for the moment (until I can clean it enough to be presentable for photos!) and move on to the dining room.  We’re still on the hunt for a sideboard under the windows (from this perspective you’re back is facing them), but we really have only been purchasing items to a) replace our worn down Ikea pieces and b) that we plan to keep for the long haul.  Nothing has really struck my fancy so far that I don’t think I’ll hate 5 years from now so there’s no need to rush a large purchase like that; I’ll know it when I see it.  So the space is what it is for now.  Nice, spacious and simple with plenty of room for dinner parties where I can get my Martha on.  Artwork is by my extremely talented cousin!

Dining Room

Lastly, we move in to the room where we spend the most time – our living room.  It’s really cozy and perfect during the cooler months.  We’ve been working to really incorporate meaningful pieces in to the space – each of our home state flags, photos from my hometown, a few tchotchkes from our trips.  Not much left in here to do design-wise but hang some more artwork, a mirror by the front door and a mirror to hang up blankets on by the floor lamp.

Living Room 1 Living Room 2 Living Room 3 Living Room - Bookcase Detail 1 Living Room - Bookcase Detail 2

So there you have it for now.  Our little home.  Hope you enjoyed the tour!

Office Space

Posted in Design Challenges, Design Projects, DIY, Mood Boards, Redecorating by

I’ve been keeping a not so little secret.  I teased it earlier this week but it’s time to confess: we revamped our office… in January.  Jefe had been working from home a lot and apparently had been really discontent with the state of our office.  So on MLK weekend, he sprung on me that he wanted to redo the office.  I hadn’t even gotten to finish the plans I had for the office and we were already redoing it!  Luckily what he wanted was in line with the overall plan I had for the space.  But with all that said, we spent our holiday off work driving all the way to Torrance for a coveted desk we had to have…

As a little refresher, here’s what we were looking at last fall:

New Office Mood Board- Nov 2014

New Office Mood Board- Nov 2014

And thanks to Jefe’s impromptu redecorating request, here’s what we’re looking at:

Updated Office Plan

We had already purchased the rug from Pottery Barn over Christmas thanks to their annual sale and that desk is the major purchase from our day of impromptu shopping.  It required contacting no less than 5 local World Markets to find the one we really wanted (the floor model we saw was just too wobbly and beat up to consider taking it home).  So we drove the 45 minutes to Torrance and got the only one left in the greater Los Angeles area.

During the redecorating discussions I also convinced Jefe to examine and remedy our currently too-short cord situation so that we can shift over the Expedit with the TV to accommodate an armchair by the window and floor lamp; his girlfriend needs a reading nook!  While at World Market we spotted this chair and I’m pretty anxious to add it to the soon-to-be vacated corner.

Charcoal Oscar ChairNow, let’s talk desk chairs.  The day we went shopping, after we had secured the desk, we made a quick stop at Target.  Much to our surprise they had a gorgeous grey linen dining chair with nailhead trim for $85.  DONE.  I was stoked to find something so beautiful within our price range.  I thought it was too good to be true.

Target Camelot Nailhead Dining Chair

 Fast forward two months and our desk is going strong (minus a small nick that I’ll cover DIY solutions for in another post) but our desk chair, not so much.  Apparently you get what you pay for:

Busted - Target Nailhead Dining Chair

Busted - Target Nailhead Dining Chair 3

Busted - Target Nailhead Dining Chair 2

Neither of us have any idea how or when that happened.  Needless to say I insisted on returning it.  Jefe was skeptical as it had been two months and he didn’t have his original receipt.  But I insisted.  One quick trip to Target later and we had our $85 back.  Lesson: never doubt the Target return policy… but be weary of their furniture!

As the chair was DEFINITELY an impulse buy, we hadn’t checked the reviews, which turns out, are quite mixed.  So I did a little digging and after some inspiration from Ellen’s Design Challenge, I decided to give Wayfair a try.

We really had liked the look of the nailhead chair but also knew it had to be sturdier than the Target version, have a slightly larger seat (as the one we returned was admittedly a little small) and have a chair seat height of 19″.  That’s a LOT harder to find than you might think.

But after a full week of research, I landed on this beauty which we are currently awaiting delivery:

Hudson Nailhead Dining Chair

I can’t wait to finally see it in the space.  My only hesitation is that it might be TOO close to the Oscar arm chair we want.  So we’ll just have to wait and see.

For now, we’re still using one of our dining chairs at the desk until the new one arrives.  Not ideal, but it will do for now.

Office Revamp Preview

So what do you think?  I’m really loving the vibe the office is giving off.  A traditional, masculine study with a few feminine touches.

Heat Wave…

Posted in Design Challenges, Design Projects, DIY, Mood Boards, Redecorating by

For those that don’t know, LA was slammed with an unexpected heat wave this past weekend.  It really feels like summer and has only accelerated my plans to redo our backyard.

Since we moved in last year we haven’t really had a chance to do much with the space but now that the weather has really turned towards summer, I’m raring to go.

Here’s where we currently stand:

Backyard 3 Backyard 2 Backyard 1

Backyard Pano

Most of my plans consist of working with what we’ve got.  I’d like to relocate the trash cans entirely out of the backyard, but that’s not really an option.  So I’m going to scoot them over to the back wall where I feel they’ll be less of an eyesore.  The wall they’re currently in front of only contributes to them sticking out like a sore thumb with that big empty orange wall above them.  As of right now, we have some crawling vines along the targeted back wall and they’ve only been filling in with each week.  I’m hoping in the coming months the vines will really liven up the space.

With the trash cans out of the way, I need to spruce up that giant blank wall.  One of our neighbors added a few free trellis panels they got last year so I’m planning to lean the two of those against the wall.  To anchor them and fill in the space with some visual variety, I’ll add one of the small potted trees in the middle and a bunch of existing potted plants along the base of each.  It will provide a secure foundation for the panels and the plants are varying heights so it will really give that wall some newfound visual interest.

And a really rough mock-up I shared with my landlord to get the A-OK:

Backyard Mock Up

Now with our new rearranged space, we’ll pull out our furniture set and grill for cookouts.  But we can’t just leave it at that, can we?  As most of our cookouts happen later in the day, we’ll need some string lights to brighten up the otherwise dark space.  As there aren’t any outlets, I’m on the hunt for some great solar options.  I really want those beautiful cafe bulb-style lights, but I have yet to find any in great solar options.

And since we’ll be the new place to hang, I’ll obviously need some backyard-BBQ safe dish ware and beverage containers for all of our guests, am I right?  And because I can’t get enough, I’ve decided to go with a blue theme which I think will contrast nicely with all the burnt orange painted stucco of the backyard walls.

Backyard Revamp - Mood Board

solar lights  |  lantern  |  string lights  |  goblet  |  silverware holder

beverage dispenser  |  dish ware  |  beverage bucket  |  table runner

chair pad  |  furniture  |  grill

Minted Is My Favorite Flavor

Posted in Design Challenges, Product Review, Redecorating by

Artwork.  It’s a tough one to tackle.  It’s hard to justify the expense when you’re on a budget.  The usual haunts – Ikea, Target, World Market – you can’t rely on them for this category like you can for cheap accessories and fiscally-conscious furniture because no one wants to walk in to their aunt’s home and realize that Verna’s got the same fake painting over her couch as you.  Art stands out MUCH more than if you both, say, have the same Nate Berkus serving tray.

Usually I turn to Etsy, but let’s be honest, their site has become such a HUGE place for artists, that it’s often difficult to find something if you’re just in a browsing kind of mood.  It’s great if you know what you want, but what if you just want to peruse or are in the mood to maybe discover some new artists you never would have stumbled upon on your own?

Etsy 4 Million

4 MILLION options!

Enter MINTED.  They recently contacted me about checking out their site.  And I can honestly say with 120% certainty – WOW.  It’s an incredible resource for independent artists to showcase their work as well as us design-savvy folks looking for a bargain on an original piece.

Minted to the rescue

But it’s not just pretty pictures you guys – Minted has a TON of categories to offer, all created and curated by these lesser known, but oh-so-talented artists.  You’ve got your basic photos, paintings, etc. but you can also get custom art, unique stationary (including wedding invites and their latest addition: Save-the-Dates), fabric and home decor!  Had I discovered them a month ago, I totally would have ordered my holiday cards through them.  And honestly it was only a matter of time before I stumbled upon them on my own.  So in the vain of trying to provide you guys with new, exciting suggestions for decorating on a budget, I decided to give them a whirl.

As my apartment is really coming along and I rarely use stationary, I decided to focus on artwork for my much-needed, very bare walls.  After a little perusing I found the best part about the site (aside from the actual artwork) – if you find a print you like, they offer a TON of moderately priced, custom framing options.  No worrying about sorting through a crate of frames to find an un-dinged simple black number from Ikea!

Frame Options

Ladies and gents – you can now order custom-framed artwork from the comfort of your couch, in your matching flannel jammies, ON A BUDGET!  Not that I did that or anything….(yes, I was wearing the matching set version of this while watching the first episode of Agent Carter – Hayley Atwell, I want to be you when I grow up.)

So what caught my eye?  There were LOTS of options, many more modern than others.  My favorites weren’t necessarily Jefe’s favorites so I had to compromise.  I did end up selecting two photos, one that was perfect for framing in the kitchen and another one without a frame because it reminded me of home just too much to pass up.

Bottles with Frame

Open Door

(I ordered this one without the frame, but left on here to show the edges)

And who can turn down a stunning black & white photo for $20?!  I also decided to test out some of their other categories, so I picked up this new notebook for the office.

Arrow Journal

Overall, the site was super easy to use.  You can customize your searches based on style, shape, type, and color of the artwork.  They also have curated sections that include limited edition pieces.  Also most of the artwork can be shipped in multiple sizes which is great if you find something but are looking to fill wall space that is slightly smaller or larger than the original piece.  Once you select the art, you have ELEVEN different frame options including such awesome styles as reclaimed barn wood, whitewashed herringbone, and my personal favorite: distressed indigo stain.   I did, however, notice that for certain photos or artwork, certain framing options weren’t available, yet that same frame was for other photos.  Not sure what that was about.

Minted Frame Options

As my selected photo was intended for the kitchen, I knew I had to chose a frame wisely.  The distressed indigo stain was coincidentally a PERFECT match to my Melrose Trading Post chalkboard in the kitchen.  That alone was totally worth the cost and honestly, you’d pay just as much for a nicer frame from Aaron Brothers that you have to insert the image (with no matte) yourself.

The first item, the notebook, arrived about 5 days after I placed the order.  Apparently they ship as each piece is ready.

Minted Notebook 1

Minted Notebook 2

Minted Notebook 3

Minted Notebook 4

A week later I got my framed photo and was pleasantly surprised with how thorough the packaging was.  No doubt that it could have been thrown around and jostled heavily and it would have stayed in perfect condition.

Minted Packaging 2

Minted Thank You

And it came with a thank you note and free gift tags!  (Although I’m not sure why I got holiday ones since I order these pieces in January.)

Minted Thanks and Tags

I’m still waiting on the black & white photo, but I wasted no time in getting the other one hung.  My one gripe is that they pre strung the frame for hanging, only allowing me to hang vertically.

Prestrung

Now I know certain photographers and artists will say that they did that so the image can be hung as the artist intended HOWEVER not everyone abides by that.

Framed Photo

The photo I chose for framing I specifically wanted to hang horizontally to better fill the wall space I had intended for it to be placed.  I am not a fan of not at least being presented with the OPTION.  Now as Minted prides itself on supporting independent artists, I get that they strung the image as it was intended.  But that was not my intention when I bought it.  So they lose a point for that one.  They gain back a point for the sheer quality of work:

QUALITY!

Now for the grand reveal in our kitchen!

Minted in the Kitchen

Minted in the Kitchen 2

Minted in the Kitchen 3

I love the image and think that combined with the frame are perfect for the little nook above my stove. However, I wish I would have gone a size bigger.  Regardless, I still love the photo and am so happy with Minted’s service.  I will definitely be using them again.

And just for comparison, my Minted frame’s detail:

Minted Frame Detail

And our our chalkboard.  Very happy accident.  (And yes, Jefe’s aware that it’s his turn to change the message on the board….)

Chalkboard

So head on over to Minted and get yourself some art!  Or stationary!  Or anything really!  And they’re currently offering 15% off Valentine’s Day cards with code HEART as well as 20% off foil art and Valentine’s Day cards with code FOILLOVE!