Phuong’s Design Dilemma: Solved
When Phuong and her husband Jeff sent over their Design Dilemma after pictures we couldn’t wait to share the goods. We know that many of you are chomping at the bit to see how our mood boards turn out (believe me, we are too) so we’re always thrilled to see how those spaces transform after each homeowner gets down to business. You may remember that we whipped up this custom mood board for Phuong and Jeff a while back when they came to us for help turning their bare and basic bedroom into an inviting and cozy place to unwind after a long day. Here are the before pictures to refresh your memory:
And here’s the mood board that we created to add a splash of color and some crisp and modern layered interest for ambiance to spare (see more mood board details here).
And now for Phuong and Jeff’s after pics. Here’s their newly spruced bedroom thanks to some colorful and textural accessories (which really amp up the formerly brown on beige space):
Didn’t they do a fantastic job in there? The room is so much cozier and more inviting thanks to everything from those fun striped slipper chairs to the large abstract art print that they hung across from the window. We love the pops of aqua and amber along with the added texture and interest that things like the area rug and the curtains introduce to the room- and even the smaller upgrades like the blue faux coral on the tall chest across from the bed (or those pretty mirrors placed behind each night table to bounce around more light) make the entire space feel polished and special. And here’s what Phuong and Jeff had to say about their big bedroom makeover:
What can we say? We LOVE it! We ordered nearly every single item that you recommended and everything came together very easily (sorry it took us so long to send the after photos to you). The room looks great and we are very happy! Thanks so much for the awesome mood board… we’ll be back again for more help! -Phuong & Jeff
No thank YOU Phuong and Jeff, for sending us your room update (we get positively giddy whenever they turn up in our inbox). Didn’t they do an amazing job bringing that mood board to life? It looks so warm and yet so modern at the same time- and we love that the mix of their gorgeous high-end existing furniture blends right in with affordable slipper chairs and curtains that we hunted down from Target along with the on-sale decorative accents and pillows (in the $20 range!) that we found at places like ZGallerie, Crate & Barrel and CB2. So let’s all shower Phuong and Jeff with praise for being so wonderful and sending us their pretty after pics. And here’s hoping more Design Dilemma after photos will be landing in our inbox very soon…
Psst- Wanna see a plethora of mood board makeovers? Check out our Portfolio page for a slew of transformations (of all budgets and styles).
Natural Amenities Freebie Winner!
You probably don’t need us to point out how much we enjoy natural elements in our home, so we’ll cut to the important stuff in this week’s giveaway from Amenity Home. First, since so many of you seem to covet the organic duvet prize (but we can only give it to one of you), Amenity Home is gonna hook you up with a 20% discount on their site. To get the code, register for Amenity Home’s newsletter (bottom left of their homepage) and you’ll get the deets via email.
But as for the one winner, we took random.org outside for a “chat” and it provided our random winner’s name: Kristy (who displays rocks and shells her kids find on vacations). Congrats! You’ll have to tell us which color duvet you’re picking: amber, peacock or celery.
And fret not if your name didn’t rise to the top this time, next week’s prize is a trio of treats so stay tuned for that…
Find more freebie info on our Giveaway FAQs page. Pics courtesy of Amenity Home.
Bonnie’s Design Dilemma
Bonnie’s ready to give her living room a light and beachy look with a dose of glam worked in. Here’s her letter:
I can’t even tell you how excited I am to have your help. We’re looking for a beach inspired space with touches of glam. I love crystal, mirror and silver. The only pieces I really want to stay are the two Pier 1 side chairs. The cream leather sofa can stay or go, as I believe I am drawn to slip-covered white sofas more (but if you can work in the sofa, that’s fine). We need a new rug, and I like sisal and jute. We are open to anything really! We are having our wood floors sanded and varnished (not stained) so in a couple of months they’ll be a much lighter color. We love blues and greens, and color combos like turquoise and teal. I would like a new neutral wall color that I can carry throughout the whole first floor. I am at a loss when it comes to curtains because we need privacy and I don’t know what to do with those tiny windows by the fireplace. I like the mix of curtains & woven blinds like you have in your own living room. We will need a stand for a new flatscreen TV along with new lighting, end tables, and a coffee table. Maybe something with a little storage? We also like white furniture, and I’m open to mixing white with wood. All of the current art can be relocated, and I desperately need something pretty for over the fireplace. Thank you so much for your help! -Bonnie
Here’s the plan:
And here’s the new layout suggestion:
Now for the mood board breakdown.
Read the rest of this entry »
Window Shopping: More Target Trolling
We’re back with our it’s-almost-spring installment of window shopping at Target. We recently found ourselves ogling so many things that we knew it was time for another post… so here it is.
First we have what is quite possibly our favorite collection of bath stuff that we’ve seen yet. The circle towels are actually pretty reminiscent of the TJ Maxx ones that we snagged for our big bathroom renovation, and we love how easily mixed and matched everything on these shelves can be. You could grab the bamboo shower mat along with those circle towels and a few of those green ceramic accessories on the top shelf and have a totally fresh look in your bathroom. Or you could go for a plush striped bath mat along with the white and blue sea-shell towels on the far left and then add white ceramic countertop accessories instead. It’s virtually error proof!
But maybe you’re feeling more of the high-contrast thing these days? How crisp and modern would these great polka dot Dwell accessories look on your counter along with that bulbous white soap pump and some dotty hand towels? Especially if you opted to get pinstriped bath towels (or some other variation on the dot theme) to keep things from getting too matchy in there. Could be very chic indeed.
And since I’m not ready to get off the black and white thing just yet, we think these incredibly priced black sphere lamps (just $19.99 or $29.99) are the fastest way to a Domino-worthy room that we’ve seen in a while. Many designers say that every space needs a splash of black, and we think these babies (topped with a crisp white drum shade) would add so much classic elegance. You could place them on either side of a sofa, atop a console table, on either side of the bed, or even just pop one on your home office desk for style to spare.
But wait, there’s more black and white where that came from- in the form of this $49.99 zebra ottoman. Sure it might look a bit out of place among the aisles of Target, but again we picture it in a far more fitting setting- like a modern or eclectic room with a textured jute rug and a stack of chic hardcover books on it. Yup, it’s definitely that Domino look again- and the price makes it a lot more attainable than many other upscale ottoman options out there.
Next we just have to mention how glad we are to see a lot more Thomas O’Brien stuff. He’s one of our favorite Target designers (he’s responsible for both the brown houndstooth floor pillows in our sunroom and the green and white circle pillows in our den) and his mixture of sophisticated navy and airy light blue bedding has us loving them for an easy bedroom makeover. So if you have a sleeping space that’s calling out for a bit of posh personality, just picture the subtly graphic tone on tone comforter on the bottom shelf or perhaps the girlier navy and white floral number on the middle row. And you can’t go wrong with the polished light blue quilt with the navy detailing that you see on the top row. There are even coordinating-but-not-matchy-matchy patterned sheets to go with them, which is always better than stepford-ish identical linens. Plus they can feel a lot more effortlessly chic than regular white or solid blue sheets.
And we noticed a bunch of red sale stickers (score) on a ton of Dwell bedding so we just had to highlight that as well. From a graphic brown and white quilt to colorful and modern comforters there’s definitely a lot of interest to be added to any room with just one purchase from their collection. And how cute is the coy and romantic little pink and brown floral pillow up on the top shelf? It would be so sweet on a cozy chair (that could be any color from white or cream to tan, mocha or chocolate).
To stay on the patterned and graphic theme for a bit longer, we also saw these great little bowls that would add instant interest in your kitchen (or beyond). Of course a stack of them would look endlessly charming in a glass fronted cabinet or even piled high on your dining room buffet, but we could also see someone grabbing a set of two and using them to organize everything from q-tips and cotton balls in their bathroom or even paperclips or rubber bands on their desk. And we especially covet the ones on the right since they remind us of a much pricier Hermes pattern that’s nearly ten times the cost of these babies. Oh and if you have basic white china how great would your table setting look with these bowls added to the mix, just for a bit of sophistication and fun? I might just be going back for those babies soon…
And in more ceramic eye candy news, we also loved these timeless white vases (for $14.99 and $19.99) that you could literally use from now until the day you die. We think there’s something very luxe and Jonathan Adler about them, and they would look great with any type of bloom or even some chic branches. File them under “instant classics.”
Now we’re back to Thomas O’Brien. Oh how we love him. Let us count the ways. Well, way number one = this rug. The raised chenille floral pattern is interesting yet neutral enough (thanks to the cream and tan palette) to make it fit into nearly any space without much effort on your part. Score.
And we couldn’t scoot through the rug and ottoman area without sharing these clearance finds. These burlap-looking ottomans were marked down to just $24 each. Isn’t that amazing? We literally stood in front and them and dared ourselves to find a spot for them in our house (sadly we couldn’t so we moved on, but they might just end up at your house if you can do a better job than we did in that department). They feel really casual and Lee Industries-ish to us (they do a lot of external seams like that, which we adore). And for less than $25 a pop they’re a stone cold steal.
In the cheerful and fun department, we hunted down these graphic and floral comforters (just $24 for a full/queen one!) which would definitely freshen up any room for spring. Heck at that price you can get one just for spring and summer and switch it out with your existing duvet or comforter in the fall and winter for a whole new look.
And this giant basket had us at hello. Especially because it had little chalkboard rectangles on each side for easy organization (it’s a good DIY idea too, btw). It wasn’t supremely cheap at $39 but we’re fairly confident that it’s one of those purchases that you’ll use for decades for containing everything from soccer balls and sneakers in the mudroom to spare blankets in the guest bedroom. And it would be fun to change that little chalk label every time you give it a new use.
We can’t really explain why we were so smitten with this birdhouse but there was just something about the super rich solid wood and the chic egg shape along with that textured hanging rope that nearly had us taking one or two home with us. I think we just liked the fact that it was a lot less frou-frou than most traditional birdhouses- and the $14.99 price tag was pretty appealing too. Note: they also sold similar looking bird feeders, so you could grab two of them to ensure that your backyard birds not only have a place to sleep but also a 24-hour buffet to saddle up to.
And last but not least we couldn’t leave without snapping a photo of these fun spring-y floral napkins. Aren’t they like a romantic watercolor painting? Heck for $2.19 or $1.99 (depending on the size) you could probably grab a pack and frame one of them for instant painterly art anywhere in your house. Or you could use them for a festive outdoor picnic or just put them on your kitchen table for a quick dose of happy every time you wipe your mouth.
So that’s what tickled our fancy at Target this time around. Oh and since our little window shopping sesh they added the new Liberty Of London collection, which is full of punchy bright spring-like fun. Definitely worth checking out in person or here online. And we’d love to know what you guys think of our latest Tarjay roundup. Any favorite finds among the bunch? Anything that you’ve already purchased or have been coveting for a while now? Is there something else you’ve seen there (or anywhere else) that makes your heart go pitter-patter? Let’s talk about window shopping and what you’re digging these days.
Oh and p.s. – We have no affiliation with Target nor were we paid or otherwise rewarded for this post by those fine red-shirt-wearing folks. We just love sharing affordable items that appeal to us and we hope that you enjoy our little window shopping excursions. If you’d like to check out more of our window shopping adventures, click here for a plethora of past virtual shopping sprees.
Reader Redesign: Light & Lovely Loo
When Grace sent over her gorgeous bathroom renovation pics we just had to share them- especially since she and her husband did all of the work themselves (all while on a super tight timeline). Here’s her letter:
Greetings from sunny San Diego! We recently renovated our bathroom (and did it all in under a month just like you guys). My husband Collin did all of the work himself (with a little help from yours truly) and we really love how it turned out. We especially like the glass tile that we chose for the tub, the lighter look of two pedestal sinks (over our previously bulky vanity) and the nickel fixtures that finish everything off. We hope you enjoy the before and afters! Oh and you can check out my blog for more details. – Grace
Here’s her bathroom before the big makeover:
And here’s the same space after they upgraded pretty much everything- from the sinks, sconces, mirrors, and tile:
Stunning, no? Didn’t Grace and her hubby Collin do a fantastic job? We almost can’t believe it’s the same room. It definitely shows that a dated and dingy bathroom can be totally transformed into a light and airy masterpiece with a bit of thought and some simple yet sophisticated selections (like those gleaming shower tiles, two elegant pedestal sinks and a few brushed nickel accents that feel classic and crisp). Plus to achieve that major transformation in just a few short weeks (well, they probably felt pretty long) of hard work is just amazing. Don’t forget to head over to Grace’s blog to learn all about where she got what and to peruse even more brilliant bathroom details. But first let’s play the what’s-your-favorite-part game. We’re thinking ours is that wall of gorgeous iridescent bath tiles. But we love those double pedestal sinks too. Hmm…
