Graham and Brown, you have done it again!

Today's Agenda:  Figuring out where these lovely wallpapers can go!! 

I love Graham and Brown wallpaper.  Okay, I love a lot of wallpapers but their paper is such good quality, designs beautiful and price point great for the quality.  And their samples are fantastic -- I'm like a kid in a candy store the day they arrive! (my poor husband...)

I'm not sure which one is my favorite but I know that if I had a little girl that pink plaid would be my starting point for her room...

While wallpapering a whole wall or room may either not be what you want to do or not in your budget, there are some other fun options to work wallpaper into a space.

Recently, I worked wallpaper into a space by making a coat rack.  This was the inspiration.

 

I had found some ready made coat racks at Target and Ikea but they were just so boring and not terribly sturdy.  Plus, we really needed as many hooks as possible for coat hanging for this client's awesome parties.

So, I went to work finding a wallpaper that was perfect for the space and hooks that were above all sturdy and great for coats and reasonable. 



I found this wallpaper from Graham and Brown (through Target so if you end up not liking it it's easy to return to the store).

And, these cute (and inexpensive!) hooks from Ikea that went well with the style of the house and coordinated with the hardware that was in the kitchen which is just down the hall from this space.  

Then went to Home Depot and picked up the rest of my supplies -- (1) two pieces of plywood cut to the exact measurements I needed and (2) some brown little screws that would blend in better with the color of the hooks (but you can easily just paint the screws to match with a little sample of paint or a permanent marker). 

I already had wallpaper paste at home so I then laid out all of my supplies on our kitchen island and went to town covering the plywood with the wallpaper and measuring the space between each hook (definitely the most tedious part of the project!)  

Just a little bit later I ended up with this!

I couldn't wait to get them up on the wall and see how they looked! 

The next day, we went to install them.  This is what was there before. 

And, now!  {We've made changes to the living room as well but am saving those for later!}

The hooks worked out really well!  To install the boards, we removed one of the hooks on each end and drilled through there so that there would be no visible signs of how it was hung.  See?  Seamless :)

As you can tell from the after photos, we made some additional changes to really max out this space and to try to keep all "entryway clutter" -- shoes, hats, coats, etc." in one spot.  In DC, it's really important to use every bit of space smartly to eek out a bit more storage!

To max out this space, we went vertical using all of the available wall space and I chose things that used all of the depth of the wall as well.  I used a simple white shelf and some brackets that mimicked the scrolls in the wallpaper for additional storage for things that you don't use every day -- hats and gloves for really, really cold days, sporting equipment, etc.  The baskets are from the Container Store and are made of a plastic woven material that is water resistant and really durable and they are slightly oval so that I was able to fit two on the shelf instead of one large one to be able sort the items a little bit more and make it easy to find things. 

Below the coat racks, I hung one of the most versatile items out there -- the Ribba picture shelf from Ikea.  In the morning, you can set your phone, keys, important piece of mail here while you are putting your coat and shoes on and in the evening, you can empty out your pockets when you are hanging up your coat at the end of the day.  I had to be sure to put something there that had a narrow enough profile so you could still sit on the bench and the coats could hang over and the Ribba shelf is perfect for that. 

We then found this great storage bench from Grandin Road that fit perfectly in this nook.  I was a little hesitant about the storage bench -- most of the ready made options I found online looked a little cheap to be honest and I wasn't sure how they would hold up.  I then found this one at Grandin Road and while he was a little bit more expensive than some of the other options out there he is really sturdy, has a safe opening mechanism and looks classic -- I was psyched about how well the molding on it went with the molding in the house! 

Look at all that storage in there!  

 

Finally, I added a runner that will hide dirt and be easy to keep clean but still look nice enough to finish off the space. 

This is what you see when you first walk in to this home.  I think it really maximizes this space but still looks pulled together and will be easy to keep neat.  

Yikes -- I need to go run a few errands for clients but I'll post a step-by-step how to and some tips that I learned along the way tomorrow!



**PS Did you know that Graham and Brown has a pretty decent sale section on their website?  Check it out here.  This could be dangerous...

Tech Savvy

Today's Agenda:  Finally going through that bag of phone cords, blackberry chargers and other random tech stuff that I keep moving from closet to closet...we finally got rid of our home phone and I'm also (finally!) blackberry-free so really really no need for ALL of this stuff...

BUT maybe I should have saved all of those floppy disks I had from law school...this is pretty cute!  Especially if the couple were both really into technology...or really NOT into technology...

A La Styling Mode

Today's Agenda:  Pulling together items to style three bathrooms in a project that are almost ready to go!  Definitely in a complete styling mode...i mean, tonight's friday night plans consist of me styling our guest bedroom/lounge and office loft and husband having a drink while i ask him tons of inane questions about what he thinks about where things should go -- I would normally just ask these questions out loud with no one at home so comforting someone will actually be here to hear me...BUT I just hope he responds with the right answers!!! :)

Digging through some old inspiration photos and found these two -- love to take me some photos of ideas from stores.  First one, Urban Outfitters.  Second one, Anthro. The hands and heads in the one from UO creep me out though...what I like are the black objects against the pale nude/pink color of the furniture piece.  And in second one, I love the use of basic materials -- simple hooks from hardware store, burlap, tags.  Could be art; could be functional and totally DIY.

Speaking of styling, have you been checking out emily henderson's blog, The Brass Petal???  If not, you should.  I like that her writing sounds like she does on TV.  And seems true to who she is.  It's just fun ideas and photos and doesn't seem so serious.  Loving it!

A Week Of Before and Afters - Day 1: A Bathroom

Today's Agenda:  Edit photos, write copy and finish teeing up a week's worth of "Before and Afters"! 

I get so excited looking back at all the before and after pictures to see how a room can really be transformed, no matter how much money you spend.

The first post this week is of my mom's house, specifically the bathroom in her house.  I had to do this one first since it's my mom {and I love her!} and I was proud of us for getting this done, plus my mom's scarlet macaw makes a cameo appearance, which is just fun {that's for you BW!}

My mom has a really sweet house.  It's the perfect size for her and she's been in the process of purging or repurposing "the old stuff" {you know, stuff I recognize from when I was 10!} and going streamlined and modern.

One of the rooms that needed attention {but was liveable so it took us awhile to get to it -- doesn't everyone have one of those rooms??} was the bathroom!  It just needed a cosmetic lift.  Namely because of this:

 

 Yep, that is a stenciled border in green on a lavender wall.  

{DISCLAIMER:  It was like this when my mom bought it.}

The house needed a ton of work when my mom bought it and she did such a great job -- knocking down a couple walls to make it flow better, painting the kitchen a beautiful aqua with smoky gray cabinets with green glass inserts {yes, way before the "year of aqua/turquoise"}, and hanging some classic, modern light fixtures.  But after that she was tired.  So the bathroom waited patiently for a few years to get it's facelift. 

Here are some other "before" pictures of the bathroom.  

  

 

 

  

  

  

 

The problem was really the lavender/green bordered walls and the need for a unifying theme {the bathroom is a "Hollywood bath" so has two sink/toilet/dressing areas and one shower area}.  

Here's a close-up glamour shot of our macaw.  

{He loves the shower...we think because it's the closest thing to a rainforest.}

After repainting the walls a light gray {a special mildew resistant high coverage paint}, touching up the white trim and mirror, raising the vanity {and my mom had already replaced the toilets with low profile toilets}, replacing the fixtures on the vanity cabinets and buying new towels, towel bars, curtains, curtain rods, rugs and adding some accessories...we had a new bathroom! With the plush rug and soothing colors it actually does feel like a Hollywood bath!

 

The shag rug feels very luxurious underfoot.  And no need to replace the flooring.

   

The towels are a deep, rich color but still neutral to maintain the sophisticated look of the bathroom.

We added some antique pieces to the room to offset the modern towel racks -- the painting of Paris and the mirror on the vanity along with a couple hints of color with the yellow vases (see photo above).

The fun thing about this bathroom is that your eye does pick up the different points of interest that all compliment each other.

We brought two more modern touches into the bathroom -- the graphic pattern of this shower curtain and the gray in the shower curtain.

And then used one of the towel bars we had left over for easy curtain rod installation over the window.  We also added another texture with the gray velvet curtain tucked in a modern curtain hook with a glass finial. 

Still trying to keep a clean, streamlined look but use the space wisely, we added another towel bar below the window in the other vanity area.  Here you can hang neutral towels for easy use and easy drying too.  And, using a white, covered trash can kept even the utility items streamlined.

 

A different view of the bathroom, still with the neutrals coordinating with each other in a purposeful way.

   

  We have had this mirror {with birds on it!} since I was in 8th grade and this is a great place for it.  Able to get a good side profile while getting ready and is in the same color tone as the Paris painting in the opposite vanity area to create continuity between the two sides of the bathroom.  

It's a huge improvement!  Easy to keep clean and looking sophisticated but still very functional.

Sources  

{Many of the items we used were one-of-a-kind sale items or things from other rooms/antique stores so I don't have links to items to buy.  I have, however, included the stores where we purchased some of the items since they would likely have something similar to what we used.}

Shower Curtain - Crate and Barrel Outlet

Towels - TJMaxx and Marshalls

Towel and Curtain Rods - Ikea

Shag Rugs - Target

Antique Mirror - Our own

Framed Art of Paris Scene - Our own

Window Curtains - West Elm

Thanks for reading!

Finally...Friday's Organizing Item!

Today's Agenda:   Trying to get back to normal a little bit each day.  After my last post {which seems like ages ago!!}, I trucked up to NYC {okay, I bused up there...love the Bolt bus -- wifi!} and worked on a new project helping a client/friend put together a New York 1 bedroom apartment from soup to nuts.   We sat on every sleeper sofa couch in the city {if you need recommendations let me know!} and the West Elm Chelsea folks became our fast friends -- it was a ton of fun and we got a lot done in a few days.  Unfortunately, when I got back I ended up going to the hospital to treat cellulitis that I had been dealing with for awhile.  A trip to urgent care, the ER and my first ever hospital stay were the high points of last week.  I have been staying off my feet {which is hard for me to do} and trying to rest since then.  This little episode definitely made me thankful that I have been so healthy my whole life.  I'm feeling a little better, definitely sleeping better and getting back into the groove of the life I love...

I've been dying to show you a couple projects I finished last year {isn't it still funny to think it is 2010??} but I still need to get myself organized and edit the pictures and pull the sources.  I did show you a preview of my DIY project in my last post -- the ribbon organizer and that is today's Friday's Organizing Item!

A home office client had a beautiful collection of ribbons from various wedding projects she has worked on.  The ribbons are gorgeous colors and fabrics but as those things go they are also odd sizes and didn't fit in those "handy dandy ribbon organizers" which, maybe it's just me, but I feel like they never really work.  You know the ones -- with the holes that you daintily leave the ends of ribbons hanging out of.  I just end up lifting the box and grabbing the ribbon I want, cutting it and put it back.  Basically, it's an expensive box.  Anyway, I thought about those wood shelves with pegs on them and I liked the idea of the peg -- you could put two or three spools on them and they would be uncomplicated and easy to get at.  After looking at a couple of stores {kid stores/sections are good for this kind of stuff} I didn't really find anything.  So, off to Home Depot. 

One peg board, 20 dowels, 1 can of spray paint, 1 thing of Gorilla wood glue, 2 handy peg board baskets, and 1 black picture frame later I was off to construct my ribbon organizer... 

...and, here is the final product!

It was pretty easy to do.  Here are the steps I took.

1.   Have dowels and peg board cut to the size you need.  {Note if Home Depot doesn't do this or have a self-help area where you can do this or you don't have an area at home to do this, try Lowe's.  My wonderful husband/unpaid intern actually did this step for me and it was a huge help!!}

2.  Spray paint peg board and dowels.  {I used a high gloss black which looks great.}  Be sure to lay them on a plastic surface or large piece of cardboard.  Towels or any surfaces where leaves or dirt can blow in are bad.

3.  Let dry overnight {or at least a few hours -- some spray paints have a faster drying time than others}.

4.  Attach peg board to open frame.  I went to the picture framing section of Michael's and bought 1/8" fasteners that you just screw on to the sides of the frame.  It's not a tight fit but for this project worked well.  You could also go to a framer and ask them to insert the framing staples to secure the peg board.  Just depends on where you are hanging it {I was just going to lean it against a wall on the floor} and how much time you have.

5.  Lay peg board/frame down and begin to fill in each hole with wood glue and insert a dowel in each hole.   {Note that you can't put too much weight on each dowel but for other projects you can find a hook that fits in the size peg board you have purchased.}  The Gorilla glue expands to fill the hole which let to some dripping -- you could spray paint over that or by laying it down flat avoid that.

6.  Let dry overnight. 

7.  Go to town organizing!!!

It also has me thinking of how else I can use peg board, especially with a high gloss spray paint and a fantastic frame {love some flea market or Marshalls finds!} -- you could do so much! {I also want to know what else can I spray paint -- the spray paint available now is amazing! Lamps, vases, chairs, desks, etc.!}

* What about a silver ornate frame with a fresh aqua paint in a bedroom -- for necklaces and bracelets!

* Or a white simple frame with a high gloss white in the kitchen-- for colorful spoons and tongs, etc. in the kitchen!  Ooh, maybe tangerine colored utensils...against a light gray wall...

* Or gold frame with high gloss red or emerald green in a dressing area -- for your black bags or fun evening bags!!

* Or a cute little frame and peg board in a high gloss yellow for your keys -- a cheery way to start the day!