Archive for February, 2010
Reader Redesign: Baby Love
When Robyn sent over some photos of her charming nursery (full of adorable details) we had to share the love. Here’s her letter:
We had our first baby on 9/9/09 and I wanted to share his nursery with you. It started off as our guest room but shower water leaked through the bathroom wall onto the berber carpet so when I was many, many months pregnant my husband ripped it out and we laid tiles from Home Depot that we bought for about $75. We painted one wall Shark Fin blue, put up some old shelves I had for years (from West Elm), used some curtains we had stored away (from Pier 1), moved in a recliner from the living room, and added a rug that used to be in my office. The dresser was a 1950s piece found on Craigslist for $35 (we bolted the changing pad to the back and slipped it into the closet enclave). The book shelf is from Target and the dragonfly magnetic wall art is from umbra.com. The crib is Di Vinci (a gift from the grandmother), the egg lamp is J. Schatz (a gift from friends), and the bedding is Dwell (scored on ebay for 40% off). All told we spent around $700 on the floor, paint, mattress, bedding, the fan (about 50 bucks on sale at Restoration Hardware), the side table (40 bucks on clearance at Hobby Lobby), the paper star mobile, our NYC and BKLYN posters, and the Craigslist dresser. Take care and congratulations on your own little one on the way!! -Robyn
Here’s the nursery before the big baby-friendly makeover:
And here’s the nursery after Robyn worked her maternal magic:
Isn’t that a sweet and happy place to raise a bambino? Everything from the dragonflies on the wall to the origami mobile has us feeling all warm and fuzzy. Thanks so much for sending the photos our way Robyn! And what about you guys- do you have a favorite part? Is it the art? That great vintage Criagslist dresser? Do tell.
Note: While Robyn’s crib sports a bumper in the photo she actually removed it once her son started sleeping in the crib due to the associated SIDS risk. There are definitely a lot of highly personal decisions that are made on the crazy adventure that is parenthood and we love that every family can make choices that work best for them.
Burning Question: Collection Connection?
After recently admiring John’s mom’s display of chic mixed & matched tea cups and saucers (she has an entire end table devoted to hers) we got to wondering what you guys collect. Are you into saving something specific (we love wine corks from memorable celebrations and matchbooks from meaningful meals)? Or do you prefer to display something else en masse (cobalt glass vases? fiestaware? glass candlesticks? ceramic animals?).
From black and white art prints (like the stunning collection above) to bottle caps, tell us all about what you love to accumulate.
Image courtesy of Domino magazine, may she rest in peace.
House Crashing: Stunning In Sydney
We love personally crashing every house that we feature but this amazing casa was just too far away (as in, Sydney Australia) to drop in on. Not to worry, we decided that holding back the amazing eye candy was just too cruel, so we opted to “virtually” house crash Max and her husband Peter’s home after they invited us to have a little look-see. They’re the masterminds behind Murchison-Hume, an amazing and eco line of posh cleaning products that are even carried here in the states by shops like Anthropologie (stay tuned for a YHL giveaway with them in April). Max and Peter live in an unbelievably inviting and organized home with their two adorable boys named Charlie and Ben. But enough jibber jabber. Here’s their house. Oh and you might recognize it from this Apartment Therapy House Tour, but we snagged tons of never-before-seen pics so you can enjoy every inch of their home (just keep a napkin nearby to catch the drool).
First we have their kitchen complete with a charming chalkboard wall. They ripped out the old 1980s cupboards in 2007 and replaced them with customized IKEA “Lack” shelving instead. It’s basically an IKEA kitchen with fancy knobs that Max imported from Restoration Hardware. She’s so happy with it, she wouldn’t change a thing. And we think the idea of bringing in Ikea bookcases to create an open pantry is a seriously genius idea. Yeah, we weren’t kidding about the drool factor here.
How much fun is that sweet and functional chalkboard wall that they use for everything from reminders and shopping lists to an “art spot” for the kids? So simple yet so chic.
And speaking of chic, it’s no surprise that their bathroom is sleek and organized- especially since they’re all about keeping everything crisp and clean thanks to their cleaning line. Everything from the diamond paned windows to the gorgeous mosaic floors have us oohing and ahhing up a storm, and simple ideas like storing bathroom stuff in glass containers and on clean-lined ceramic trays can definitely be implemented in your very own home to add some spa to your loo just like Max and Peter did.
As you’d imagine, their laundry room is just as sorted and orderly. Not only do they keep extra cleaning samples on hand, but they even manage to make things like an iron and an ironing board look downright stylish. And even though Max and Peter don’t have a single linen closet (talk about a challenge!) they used an inexpensive Ikea Expedit bookcase to create an organized and functional stash spot for everything from linens to laundry soap and more.
If it weren’t already blatantly obvious, their children are super lucky to enjoy such a cozy and livable home. Case in point, here’s six-year-old Charlie’s room.
Max says: “Charlie’s room is all about toys and access. I bought that another amazing IKEA Expedit bookshelf (a modern classic, if you ask me) and some nice looking baskets and that is how he manages to play in there and tidy his room almost all by himself at the end of each day.”
Gotta love a house that looks good and works so well with little ones- especially when it even encourages them to clean up after themselves!
And we can’t forget about ten-year-old Ben’s room, which also works double-duty as Max’s office during the day.
“Yes, It’s tiny but it keeps me virtually paperless (there’s no room for files). It’s amazing what you can get away with these days…” she says. A woman after my own heart!
We just love how Max accessorizes every surface with things that never feel too precious but always create interesting vignettes (all while keeping function and organization in the forefront of her arrangements).
Here’s Max and Peter’s master bedroom. We love the chic asian influences and the simple tone on tone curtains and bedding. It’s certainly not one of those gigantic master bedrooms and we love that they prove that it doesn’t take square footage to create something inviting and lovely.
Warning: if you’re anything like us, here’s where the pangs of jealousy will really kick in. As in: owww. Check out their amazing backyard cabana surrounded by their gorgeously lush lawn:
They transformed the garden in 2007 with clean-lined pavers (that happened to be discontinued and on sale) along with a custom made awning. It has virtually doubled their living space and it’s where they do all of their entertaining. Pretty dreamy, eh?
Max says that their yard isn’t large but it’s all that they need. We agree that their private and lush lot proves that less really can be more- especially when it’s so green and gorgeous!
So that’s the amazing casa that we wish we could have shot in the flesh for ya. Thankfully Max’s great photos really paint a gorgeous picture of their home and we’re thrilled to share the virtual inspiration with you guys. What do you think? Are you fighting off those envious feelings? Are you marveling at their smart and economical choices that look like a million bucks? Ikea bookcases in the laundry room, bedroom and even the kitchen! Discount pavers! Chalkboard paint! It’s all pretty genius. What do you guys like best? Let’s play the what’s-your-favorite-part game. And thanks so much to Max, Peter, Charlie, and Ben for virtually opening up their doors to us. Next time we’re in the neighborhood we might just come a knocking for even more photos. Hey, a girl can dream, can’t she?
Psst- Wanna see more House Crashing tours? We have a slew of them right here (no foot wiping or hostess gifts necessary).
Say Grace Freebie Winners!
Your entries on this week’s giveaway totally win the award for “most unexpectedly amusing bonus question responses.” Plus they sparked Sherry and I to share some funny foreign phrases that we learned back in high school when she took French and I took Latin. My favorite was definitely a French idiom that Sherry mentioned which meant “that’s the last straw” but literally translated to “that’s the end of the beans.” I’ve been using the English translation around the house quite frequently lately. Perhaps I could even convince Grace Hester Designs to turn it into a print?
Then again, it’s probably best that we let her stick to the graphic and playful designs that she’s already so good at. After all, there are plenty of eye-pleasing options for our TWO winners to choose from with their $50 gift cards. And now the rest of you can get in on the fun. Just enter “YOUNGHOUSE” at checkout to get 20% off any item in her shop through March 4th (regular shipping fees still apply).
But back to our two lucky winners. We had a multi-lingual chat with random.org and it happily provided us with two random names: Jermaine D (who didn’t realize she spoke a smidge of Hindi) and Diana (who can’t seem to stop saying “Yes” in Spanish). Congrats! We’d love to know what you two will be snagging with your freebie gift cards (just be sure to tell us in English…).
Oh and next week’s giveaway will be a nice wrap-up to this month of love, especially for those who didn’t get everything they wanted for V-day last weekend (yup, that’s a clue).
Find more freebie info on our Giveaway FAQs page. Pics courtesy of Grace Hester Designs.
Anne’s Design Dilemma
Anne’s living an dining room is ready for a fresh new look. Here’s her letter:
I’m BEYOND excited to be getting a mood board from you two!!! I need your help with my living room, which is the first room you enter in our home. It does connect to our dining room, so any suggestions for that adjoined space would be welcome. My husband and I like modern and contemporary styles, perhaps with a dash of eclectic-ness. The only things we want to stay in the room are the entertainment center and the picture above the love seat (although that can be moved to a different wall). Everything else can go! I’d love an ottoman that can handle feet and has good storage along with window treatments- and I’d like to display pics of our family! In the dining room I’d love a new table and chairs and a new rug. I’d also love a new wall color. As far as colors go, I’d like it to feel warm, inviting, and homey– I totally love and trust your taste. I think I like most patterns and I like the idea of having a lot of texture in the room. We do have kids, so that’s something to keep in mind. THANK YOU SO MUCH! Words can’t express how grateful I am to be receiving your help! Giddy with excitement, Anne (& Colby)
Here’s the plan:
And here’s the new layout suggestion:
Now for the mood board breakdown.
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