the cutest kitchen

I was browsing the IKEA site yesterday and came across this little kitchen under the "inspiration" tab...

I love all of the little details and the clever use of space!

living room sources

Ugh, has a month really gone by since I last posted? There are so many things I want to write about...the rest of my house, our new diet, and Calder's 29-month letter. Bear with me...I have a toddler!

Let's start with the living room sources...

My couch is made by Lee Industries, ordered through Crate & Barrel during last year's 15% off upholstery sale (ps: they run this every fall and it's going on right now!). Read more about that here.

The pillows are from Serena & Lily. A spurge, I know. But I had a 20% off coupon and they matched the shade of my couch (grayish-brown) perfectly. It's the only pattern in there currently, so I feel like they really make the room.

The coffee table is actually a bench made by my late Uncle Dave. I was lucky enough to inherit it and painted it white.

The white chair was my grandmother's. It was this horrible orange-tweed, so I had it reupholstered in white cotton. It really belongs in the bedroom because, let's be honest...white and toddlers don't mix. I'd love to find two upholstered chairs in a pattern that complements the pillows (and that hides stains).

I found the throw on clearance at Z Gallerie.

The pouf is from Morrocco. Literally. My brother in law lived in Morocco for two years and hubs went to visit him and his new wife this spring. After lusting after the ones from Serena & Lily (which go for $450), I pleaded with hubs to bring me back a cheap one from the souk. Ours was about $30!!

The curtains are the basic white Vivan style from IKEA. Hang your curtains high and wide for maximum impact!

The rug was about $100 from Lowe's. I don't love it and it's not a permanent solution, but I needed to put something down for little man. I'm loving this one from Dwell Studio.

Here's a closer shot of the fireplace (which I painted, but we'll save that for another post):

The "Bellesol" mirror is from Ballard Designs. Sometimes they run special prices on Ballard favorites called "Bring Home Ballard," so I got mine for a great deal!

I found the mini farmhouse chair at an antique store for $15! It was purple, so I just gave it a thin coat of white...not too perfect because I wanted that shabby chic look.

Here's a shot of the other side of the room...

The cabinet was a floor model from Arhaus, marked down to a third of the original price! I didn't know what I was going to do with it when I bought it, but it ended up fitting perfectly to the left of the door leading out to the sunroom. It's a great place for our mini bar and I use the bottom to store our books for now.

I found the French bottle drying rack on clearance at Wisteria. I don't think they sell them anymore, but I've seen them in catalogs like Viva Terra, etc. Just google "french bottle drying rack." These were originally for drying wine bottles so they could be reused, such as this display from ABC Home:

But they're also a clever way to hold drinking glasses, spools of yarn, clay pots...whatever floats your boat!

So there you have it!

Before:

After:

dining room sources

So, now that you've seen the whole enchilada, it might be fun to break it down room by room with paint color names, inspiration, etc. Let's start with the dining room...

(ps-these pictures aren't very good. I need to reshoot them, but you get the idea). So this is where it all started. I was in Williams & Sherrill back in the fall and fell in love with a paint color (Stone by Benjamin Moore) they used in one of their "rooms." It's a dark gray with a hint of purple. I also notcied that they had used a similar color in the Arhaus showroom (where I bought my table and buffet). I knew I wanted something dramatic in the dining room, but I still wanted a shabby chic/french industrial/gustavian feel that would mesh with the vibe of the shutters.

I had already installed (by me, I mean hubs and my Dad) the white coral chandelier. It was originally bronze, but was on clearance at Ballard Designs and I thought I could just spray it white (I am the queen of spray paint now, by the way). If you like the look, Ballard now sells a white version (although not on clearance, I'm afraid). It turned out great and meshed nicely with my Vienna chairs and the white shutters.

As I mentioned, the table and buffet are from Arhaus. I looove this store. I searched forever for a dining room table and this was it. I love the reclaimed wood and the fact that Calder can destroy it and it will only look better. Although I did not love the price tag. Luckily they were having an anniversary sale, which knocked off 35%.

The hutch is from Crate & Barrel. It too is reclaimed wood and originally I was going to put it in the living room for books, etc. But it fit so beautifully in that corner and really finished the room. Plus it gave me a place to display our wedding china (still unused after 7 years of marriage, but pretty to look at. I WILL use it for Thanksgiving/Christmas this year). I got this random 10% off coupon from Crate & Barrel in the mail back in the spring and they were also having a free shipping promo on furniture orders over a certain amount, so I also saved some money there.

The curtains are from IKEA and are unfortunately discontinued. Yes, they are the same curtains in YHL's living room. No, I did not copy them. I bought them back in the fall and they have actually made their way through 3 rooms in my house. First they were in the bedroom, then the living room and finally ended up in the dining room. I felt like they popped the most against the dark gray walls. I smiled when I read their post about them...they are great curtains!

So I guess that's it! I still have more to do, like hang some art and style the table. My grandmother's mirror may also not stay on top of the buffet. But it's certainly come along way from this...

to this...

to this!

house tour

Well I do believe I owe you a house tour! Let's step inside, shall we?

To the left is our living room...

To the right of our foyer is the dining room...

To the back, behind the dining room, is our kitchen...

Upstairs is our room, an office and Calder's room...

Step out into the fully fenced backyard to find a lovely deck and cozy firepit...

Not what you expected? I've been very busy...

27 months

Dearest Monkey Man,

I know it's been six months since I last wrote and for that I am sorry. Mommy has been quite busy taking care of you while Daddy was in Africa for awhile. But now we are all back together and loving life.

There have been many changes in you since I last wrote. You are so tall! You have gone from chubby baby to long and lean little boy! You are 32 lbs and 37" tall now, 75% for height. Thank goodness you still have some of that baby fat though...I squeeze and kiss it as much as possible while I still can!

You are talking in short sentences now and communicating what you want pretty clearly. Although, your requests are a bit odd sometimes. The other day I asked you what you wanted for breakfast and you said "baked beans."

You LOVE Curious George. Completely obsessed. Forget Elmo...just put the monkey on Mommy! He is going to be at the Children's Museum this weekend and Grammie is going to take you. I can't wait to see your reaction!

You love anything and everything to do with balls. You love to throw/catch/hit/roll the ball and request to do so at any chance by saying "ready Mommy?" You also love to swim. I've been taking you to the pool lately and you won't even hold my hand anymore. You want to do everything on your own and be like the "big boys" you see splashing around. I relish every time you come swimming back to me saying "Mommy up?" because I know this will end soon.

A week ago we almost lost you. Somehow you managed to escape out of the gym daycare and a kind lady found you in the parking lot. You are quite the escape artist and gave Mommy a big scare. Just the thought of not seeing your beautiful smile everyday and hearing your sweet little voice brought me to tears. I thank God that His angels were protecting you that day.

xo,

Mommy

L4L

Photos of interior to come! I need to actually take some pictures of the current space.

Until then...

It's really fun when I'm surfing online and I come across something that's a dead ringer for a more expensive version. So let's play the "look for less," shall we?

Coqo Floral rug, Anthropologie $398 for 5x7

L4L Printed Medallions rug, World Market $149.99 for 5x8

Rhona Round Gilt Mirrors, Pottery Barn $149 for set of 3

L4LBellesol Mirrors, Ballard Designs $75 for set of 3

Tolix Cafe Chair, Design Within Reach $250

L4LGarden Side Chair, Home Decorators $99

farmhouse industrial

Is anyone as obsessed with Sarah Richardson as I am? I was perusing her site yesterday and came across these images from the 2011 Interior Design Show (under her "Portfolio" tab):

I started thinking how fun it would be to do a house with mostly white walls and each room would have a different pop of primary color. The kitchen could look something like this, with a fun mix of different patterns:

Maybe one day I'll have a little cottage on my own private island like Sarah.

1. Pehr napkins

2. Mason jars

3. Radial wave pendant, Barnlight Electric

4. Modernist Mug, West Elm

5. Awning Stripe Table Cloth, Anthropologie

6. Tea and Toast Butter Dish, Anthropologie

7. Groceries Sign, Pottery Barn

8. Lucky Number Knob, Anthropologie

9. Cooper's Small Stool, Wisteria

10. Achla Flower Carafe, Vintage Tub

11. Modernist Bowl, West Elm

UGH on UGG

I reeeeaaallly wanted these boots last year and waited too long to buy them. By the time Christmas rolled around, they were completely sold out. I kicked myself all winter, as I had to trudge around in either my high-heeled boots or my grubby black Converse. These are the perfect "in between" boot. Even though they have a heel, it's small and still totally comfy.

I received this email in my inbox this morning: "UGG Australia on Anniversary Sale." I immediately clicked on the link and squealed when I saw that the Lynnea style was included. Except for the fact that only the suede ones are included in the sale. I really want the leather ones. Suede and toddlers don't mix. UGH (pun intended). Would you buy the suede ones just because they're $60 cheaper? Or would you hold out for the leather? They're not that different, right?

it was a jungle out there: part 2

As I mentioned in my last post, we also did some work to the front flower beds and the entryway. To refresh your memory, here's a before shot:

Let's start with the entryway. See those jelly jars to either side of the door? Yuck. They emitted a fluorescent-like glow at night (because you can see the bulbs) that was not very inviting. Then there were those generic house numbers mounted in diagonally...not my style. I wanted something a bit more charming, so I found these adorable black farmhouse-style sconces at Richmond-based Shades of Light. Dad was awesome and came over one night to help us install them:

I searched forever for the perfect house numbers. Everything was either too modern, too "mission" style, or just plain ol' generic. I just wanted something simple and clean. Then I came across this cute fixture at Pottery Barn and loved the house numbers.

Then I realized I could buy the numbers separately...AND they had little stands on the bottom...AND they were .99/pc!! I thought maybe I could get creative and spray them black (they were icky brass), then stand them up on the little ledge above the door. It worked. And amazingly enough, they have stayed up there with no adhesive. They have lasted through wind, rain and snow! Here's a shot of our house in the winter with the new light fixtures and house numbers:

Sorry, I'd like to zoom in, but for privacy's sake, let's keep some personal space, yes? Much better though, right? I love how the black ties in with the shutters and gives it more of a modern (yet still charming) feel. Now let's talk about the flower beds. To save you from scrolling, here's the before shot again:

See those scraggly low bushes to either side of the railing? And all of that liriope to the left? It needed to be cleaned up. We started with hubs diggling up all of that liriope (with assistance from little man, of course):

and got rid of the ugly black plastic drainpipe (surely there are better options):

We got a quote from a landscaper to do the front flower beds and he wanted $1000!! Um, no thanks. So I decided to try it myself. I worked on the flower beds everyday for a week during Calder's naptime. I started by digging up those scraggly low bushes. Then I weeded, edged the beds and spread some pine bark mulch. Now it looks like this (please note the new water collector, which blends in with the mulch...sort of):

We still need to work on the grass when fall rolls around, but at least the hard part is out of the way. Whew! Glad that's done!