Archive for June, 2011
House Crashing: Classic With A Twist
We do our best to crash a variety of homes, both old and new, big and small, traditional and modern, expensivo and super cheap, etc. This one falls into the glamorous high-end realm, but its cup runneth over with adaptable ideas – even if you’re on a tight budget. So we’re happy to bask in the inspirational eye candy (and pass it along to you guys of course). As we mentioned in yesterdays post, this gorgeous home is located in Charlotte, NC. So on with the tour. Here’s the charming exterior:
And here are Jennifer and her sweet six week old daughter Eleanor to let us in:
Here’s the gorgeous view that greets you when you step in the front door, which you might recognize from yesterday’s surprise-we-were-road-tripping post. Seriously, I pretty much walked into this house and went crazy with delight and excitement. So sorry for jabbering mindlessly and running around screaming, Jennifer. Your house is just too much goodness for my brain to handle.
When it comes to that gorgeous tonal zebra carpeting on the stairs, it’s by Stark. And that gigantic mouthwatering mirror is from Circa (well, I’m 90% sure that’s what she said – remember my brain was exploding). I think the lights on the floating console are also from Circa, but I’ve seen dead ringers at HomeGoods along with other starburst mirrors. So checking there (or at their sister stores: TJ Maxx or Marshall’s) can help you get the look for less. And speaking of that floating console, how cool is that? Finding a four-drawered piece like that at a thrift store or garage sale and adding nail heads around the edge of each drawer along with ring hooks could mimic the look. You could even remove the legs and mount it on the wall like Jennifer did. The girl is creative to the nth degree.
Behold, the kitchen. The cool thing is that it wasn’t a massive space but Jennifer made the most out of it by adding as much function (along with a heaping portion of form) as she could. The steel pendants (by Visual Comfort) provide task lighting for the island, which is packed with useful range space as well as food prep area on either side and a spot to sit and eat in front of the cooktop. And instead of using pricey granite or marble, Jennifer actually chose poured concrete for the top of the island, which was molded to wrap around the base of the cabinets on each side like a parsons desk. I was in lurve (she also said it held up really well for those considering DIYing concrete counters like this previous House Crashing homeowner did here).
There were two small areas next to the sink with marble, but it was actually scored as a remnant to save loot (using concrete for the majority of the kitchen was definitely a money saving choice). And how great are those simple clean-lined shelves on either side of the window? So simple and sweet. The faucet is Rohl (I love the raised neck) but overstock.com often has similar looking versions for those on a budget (you might have to check back a few times since they seem to go fast).
Oh and did you notice that cluster of items under the shelves in the photo above? I loved this idea. Jennifer got a few glass apothecary jars (HomeGoods, Marshall’s, and TJ Maxx sell these for under $15) and filled them with kitchen stuff like granola, pretzels, and cookies. Such a chic way to dress up any counter.
And file this under never-seen-it-before-but-I-went-crazy. The fridge is “quilted” with a cool diamond pattern that actually bumps out ever so slightly to create a faceted textured look. Jennifer went with standard GE appliances, but she sent the door of her fridge to a guy in Atlanta who added the special detailing for a completely customized look.
Beyond the kitchen was the dining room, which was a gorgeous contrast to the light and lovely space.
It felt moody and luxe thanks to darker tones (in that stunning wallpaper and those great gray velvet drapes). If you’re looking to recreate this look on the cheap you could always experiment with a light gray stencil on a dark gray wall. You could even dye some $7 Ikea curtains (we like the Vivan ones) in a deep gray tone. It won’t be completely the same (the sheen of the wallpaper and the texture of the velvet curtains is amazing) but it would definitely swank things up and add that moody vibe.
And how amazing is the light fixture? This picture doesn’t even do it justice (it’s by Baker). You can kind of see the shadows that it casts on the ceiling but it was ten times cooler in person. Oh and look closely at the chairs above. See those cool hardware handles on the back of each one? Those are also the brainchild of Jennifer, who added them because she thought it would be easier to pull them out (and they might save the upholstery a bit more since grubby hands won’t constantly be gripping the sides). Is she a thinker or what? I love that no detail was left unaddressed. Especially since I know firsthand how hard it is to have focus like that when you’re furnishing a house (it’s so easy to get caught up in the big stuff and forget about all the cool little finishing touches that make a room feel personal and functional).
Here we have the cozy living room with a gorgeous ottoman that I wanted to strap on top of our Altima and take home. It was covered with this amazing painted fabric. That’s right, I said painted fabric. It was a velour/velvet type upholstery that was stenciled with paint and then weathered/distressed/worn down so it looked irregular and tonal and amazing. The weathering process (sanding it down) made it soft, so it didn’t feel crunchy or hard. Just textured and special. I’ve never seen anything like it.
So for anyone brave enough to try stenciling velvet our velour with watered down paint and then sanding it with high grit sandpaper for a weathered and worn in look, I can tell you firsthand that it might just be the coolest thing you ever do. In your life. Ok that might be an exaggeration (creating a human or graduating college might be up there too).
Oh and see those pieces of fabric folded over the top of each arm chair? Once again Jennifer used her brainpower to creatively solve a problem. Her cat loves to jump up from the floor to the back of her chairs, so draping some pretty fabric over the back of each chair was her solution to keep the chair’s upholstery from being clawed (it’s much easier to switch out the draped fabric if it gets ruined than redo the chair). Smart right? And that’s something you can make with a fabric remnant and some Heat N Bond (or a sewing machine if you’re getting braver every day like I am).
Aren’t those built-ins gorgeous? I loved the elegant greeny-gray color (try Benjamin Moore’s Senora Gray for a similar look), and the hidden storage underneath will definitely come in handy when it comes to stashing Eleanor’s toys.
Since Jennifer loves to add unexpected pattern and texture from room to room (like her light kitchen next to her ornate wallpapered dining room), she thought the small powder room was the perfect place for a little more wallpapered drama. It was a very small room so we were really impressed with her bravery (bold pattern, dark trim, dark sink) but it looked like a bling-y little jewel box instead of a tiny and bland little builder bathroom, so it was such a great call.
I also loved the dark modern sink, which was poured concrete just like the kitchen island. And the faucet is by Kohler (so sexy, right?) which often ends up on overstock.com or a place like plumbersurplus.com for those in a deal-hunting mood.
This room is a little office/bill paying area that was another modestly sized space that Jennifer maximized with a skinny floating desk and two comfy chairs (so much more inviting than traditional office chairs and still just as functional). And those amazing paneled walls make you notice the luxe architecture of the room instead of how small it is. As for how they attained that paneled look, it’s just cheap wood from the home improvement store that they used to create a rectangular grid pattern with molding around the edges to finish each one off. Then they just painted it all for a seamless effect.
Oh yeah and this mirror is another thing I wanted to sneak out with. How pretty is that patina-riddled glass? It’s an antique from Circa, but there are tutorials online for antiquing your own mirror (like this one), so finding something new and then glazing the frame and patina-ing the glass could yield something similar on a budget.
Jennifer and her husband are hardcore art collectors, and one of their favorite pieces is this giant figure by Carl Plansky. It’s such an amazing focal point in a hallway without much else going on (except for that cool zebra runner which snaked upstairs). A giant abstractly painted canvas (made by you) or even a large wooden frame with colorful fabric stretched around it could add similar color and boldness.
And of course little Eleanor needed a nursery to call her own, and Jennifer didn’t spare a single detail. The gorgeous chandelier is from Circa and the dresser is actually her own childhood dresser that she painted to work with the wallpaper.
Speaking of the wallpaper, here’s a shot that might be easier to make out. It was actually these tone on tone vines that snaked up the wall with squirrels and birds on some of the branches. So sweet yet sophisticated. I felt like I was in an enchanted forest.
And you know I love a good quatrefoil worked in there, so of course this lamp was yet another thing I wanted to grab while screaming “what’s that over there?” and running out to the car with it while Jennifer looked the other way. But I didn’t. It looked perfect right where it was. And how cool is the camel pillow (by Rikshaw Design)? I love how it layers in with the tones of the room while adding more of that “enchanted animals” vibe from the wallpaper and the giant giraffe near the crib. Clara was in love with this room (and that camel pillow in particular).
So there you have one of three house crashing adventures (well one was actually an office crashing) of which we partook during our weekend road trip. We’ll be back to share the other two in a little while (we don’t want them to be jammed on top of each other and we’re still waiting on some source info for those, but they’re definitely coming within the next week or two). Oh but we can’t sign off without sending a huge thank you to Jennifer and her sweet family for so graciously letting us in to snap photos for you guys (even with such a fresh little newborn around)! They were amazing and we’re so happy that we were able to stop by. Now let’s play the what’s-your-favorite-part game. Mine is the floating nailhead console with the sunburst mirror over it. And the poured concrete counter that runs up and down the side of the island. Le sigh.
Psst- Wanna check out other house crashing adventures? We have them all right here.
More random pssst- Is anyone else watching The Voice? I’m in love with Dia and Xenia. Who are your picks?
We Came, We Saw, We Bought Stuff
Earlier this morning we mentioned that we slipped through Mary Jo’s fabric store outside of Charlotte, NC again (read about our first trip here) where they have bolts of discount fabric stacked higher than my 5’2″ self.
We thought it would be fun to share what caught our eye along with what we actually bought since some of you guys might be on a fabric pilgrimage of your own. And the good news is that a lot of this fabric should be sold by multiple places (although MJ’s prices are hard to beat) so if you see something you love, I’ve tried to include as many details as possible so you can sleuth it out online or in a local place near you. Enough jibber-jabber. Here we go.
The first fabric that caught my eye was this pretty yellow & gray ikat loveliness, and at $13.98 a yard (down from $35+) you could reupholster 2 dining chairs for under $15 (manufacturer: Richloom, style: Modesto, color: Charmom).
This red and blue floral-but-not-stuffy fabric also struck me as fun yet sophisticated thanks to the color and intricate pattern. It was also $13.98, so you could make a great little headboard out of it for under $28, assuming you need two yards (manufacturer: Richloom, style: Cornwall, color: Garden).
And then we have my favorite find: this gorgeous oversized medallion fabric with tons of texture, color, and associated cheerfulness (I stood there and grinned at it like a crazy person). Oh as for the details, the manufacturer was Richloom, the style was Brompton, and the color was Citrin.
This designer suzani fabric was on clearance for $16.98 a yard (down from $50.95 per yard!) and I couldn’t walk out without one yard of the one I loved best. After vacillating between each bolt (I love aqua and greeny-yellow but in the end thought the gray one with the greeny-yellow detail might be the most versatile) we left with one yard of the one on the right. I actually have plans to use it for some giant wall art – kind of like a tapestry. So more on that when I get there.
We didn’t find any curtain fabric (boo) but we talked about a few ideas on the ride home so we just have to sleep on them a bit more to decide which direction we want to go. Then you know we’ll blog about every last detail (I’m guessing in at least 1,500 words, because we’re anything but concise).
But now let’s switch gears to our Pottery Barn Outlet trip in Gaffney, SC (also mentioned in this morning’s post). Here’s the rundown of what we saw (and the one item that we couldn’t leave the store without). And so sorry about the terrible pics, my camera battery died so I took most of them with my phone.
First we have this charming little jewelry box with pretty gray-purple velvet lining and a crackled metallic leather-ish exterior. At $34.99 (down from $50) it still wasn’t cheap enough for me, but it did look like something you’d pay $75 for at Anthropologie.
This cool upholstered bar stool was $149 (down from $229) but I snapped a photo more for the DIY idea than the notion of actually buying this specific stool. Places like HomeGoods and Target and Garden Ridge sell extremely similar stools with basic brown upholstery on top for under $50- so you could get this look with a quarter of a yard of fabric and a staple gun (just unscrew the top of the stool from the underside and staple the new fabric nice and tightly before putting the seat back on).
These pretty tiered plates would look sweet on a kitchen counter (or party table) full of goodies or fruit. I forgot to note the price but I think they were $14 or $19.
This big round mirror looked Restoration Hardware-ish and would be one of those pieces that makes a room. It was also marked down by almost $100 (from $279 to $194). Still steep but pretty darn gorgeous.
This window-looking mirror was $208 (down from $299) but for a dark room that’s missing a window (like a basement) or even a large span of wall that could use some architecture, two hundred bucks is a lot cheaper than actually adding a window. Or you could use it as inspiration and DIY something with an old mirror from a salvage yard and some add-on mirrors.
John died for this oversized clock but after drawing a blank when it came to where the heck we’d hang it we decided to leave it for the next person. It was marked down from $249 to $124. Still semi spendy, but this is another one of those room-making things.
This is also a photo that I took more for the idea than the concept of buying this specific item. This charming chalk board easel might be something we could DIY someday (it was $169 down from $199, but I bet the materials would be substantially less expensive if someone were to make it themselves).
These urchin bowls were textured and fun (priced at $9.99 each, down from $15).
I wish I could have taken a picture of this out of the box (none were on display and I cracked a box open but it was disassembled). Apparently PB sells a pink kids version of a Dyson vacuum complete with realistic sounds and little beads that jump around when you push it back and forth. It was $24 (down from $50) and I actually debated it for the bean (it’s a lot cheaper than a real Dyson and it never hurts to get the young ones into cleaning from the get-go) but the car was pretty packed already (baby stuff + dog stuff = tons of stuff). So we left it behind.
I could totally envision a few of these chairs painted white (or soft gray) with chic cushions at our future kitchen island (I love the idea of comfortable stool seating with a back). They were priced at $99 a pop (down from $200 each) but since we don’t even had an island yet (and there was no room in the car) I tearfully walked away.
These little silver ornament frames were just $5.99 (down from $10 a pop). Cute for adding family photos to the tree (and pics of your dog in a Santa hat if you’re weird like us).
I loved the idea of someone getting this faux sea fan “placemat” (it was made of flexible cut-out rubber) and then spray painting it a bold color (navy?) and framing it on a homemade burlap or linen backdrop. It was $9.99 (down from $16).
These cute braided red lamp shades could definitely add texture to a room in need of a shot of color or interest (they were on sale for $19 each):
This pretty pillow sham was so textured and tonal (priced at $32, it was still a little not-outlet-y enough for me thought).
And then there was the lighting. Oh the lighting. There were so many great sales in that department I could hardly contain myself. Especially since our house has a whole lotta lighting to be updated. This charming bronze sconce with the oversized seeded glass bulb cover had me at hello (and it was just $39). But the color isn’t exactly what we’re going for (I’m an oil-rubbed bronze or silver/stainless/nickel girl lately) so I left it for the next light-hunter to pounce on.
But I couldn’t leave this baby behind. At just $29 (cheaper than most lamp shades and down from $80) this 8″ wide hardwired pendant will be perfect for over the sink when we start upgrading the kitchen.
Everything from the mercury glass tone to the subtle honeycomb shape on the shade (you guys know we have a thing for bees right?) screamed buy me. So we listened.
Which explains why these pendant photos were snapped at home (and not with my iPhone in the store). Now it’s just sitting in the playroom until the big kitchen makeover gears up (soon I hope, J and I were brainstorming stuff on the drive home along with writing our book – yes we had laptops charged and Microsoft Word open for most of the trip). So that’s what we saw while window shopping slash actual shopping. Any favorites? Have you guys seen anything lately that you couldn’t not buy? Let’s talk shop shopping.
Sneaky Little Petersiks
S’prise. We’ve been on the road for the past five days and just got home last night at 7pm after a nine hour drive. Did we unpack or snuggle up to Karl the Sectional after our home sweet home arrival? Nah, we threw this post together. Just your typical case of “unpacking procrastination” at its finest. Actually I’m just dying to fill you guys in on our adventures, and typical annoyingly energetic gal that I am, I’m too excited to relax. Anyway, we headed out early Thursday morning for Charlotte, NC and stayed there through Saturday morning. Then it was off to Loganville, GA where we remained until early Monday morning when we hit the road for home. Thank goodness Clara and Burger are car-loving fools kids. What did we do? Here’s just the tip of the road trip iceberg:
First we visited with our stylish friend Kristin (and her hubby Matt and her pooches Sage and Simon) in Charlotte. You guys might be familiar with them from this House Crashing post. Here’s one of our favorite shots of her kitchen nook from a few years back:
And here’s that nook now (still just as cute, but there’s a baby in a booster seat- and it’s ours):
We also house crashed two sa-weet homes while in Charlotte, like this one (sigh)…
… and this one (delightful shudder)…
… and even the coolest little office (fans face with hands):
I also got some really great fabric at one of my favorite gigantic warehouses (Mary Jo’s right outside of Charlotte):
Then it was off to Loganville, Georgia to hang with my blog (and real life) BFF Katie B. (and her hubby Jeremy along with her cutie pie little man Will, who was born just five weeks before Clara). It was nice to give our betrothed children some getting-to-know-you time (since Katie and I were pregnant together it was fun to see our buns out of the oven and being social):
Aside from playing Minute to Win It games all night with Katie and Jeremy once the babes were off in dreamland (yeah, we’re that cool, and Katie was the only one to get a cookie from her forehead into her mouth within the allotted time), we also carved out a moment to saddle up to Goodwill and pick out a ton of things that we loved. Or would love with some upgrades like paint, fabric, etc. We even had a chance to check out Stone Mountain Park, where the kiddos ran around and we stared into each others eyes while the men did manly things like talk about sports. To cap off that field trip we took a tram to the top of the mountain, which was life-alteringly scary but also fun (in that what-doesn’t-kill-you-makes-you-giddy kind of way).
Oh and Katie and I got this “Friends” photostrip that makes us snort (it might be a you-had-to-be-there thing though):
And here’s a gratuitous bean picture that Katie took. Doesn’t Clara look like an angel? Ah, to have mad photog skillz like Katie. This is total inspiration for me and J to get to know our Nikon half as well as she knows her Canon (before Clara hits her teenage years and bans us from taking a million photos a day of her).
On the way back from the Bower residence we got to stop in at one of my favorite places in the world (the Pottery Barn Outlet in Gaffney, SC) – not only for the deals but for the peach that looks like a butt that’s high in the sky near that exit (as seen in this old road trip video where my hair is down). More on what I would not leave the PB Outlet without (for under $30) soon.
Actually when it comes to the details on everything pictured (and not pictured) there are many, and they are coming. So stay tuned for those house crashing posts, a rundown of the fabric that we loved (and bought) at Mary Jo’s, more on our adventures with the Bowers, an in-depth look at our Goodwill hunting trip, and a whole lot of other stuff that my was-in-the-car-all-day-yesterday mind is forgetting. We only have about five million photos to sift through, but we’ll try to make it quick. Did anyone else sneak off for a road trip this weekend? It was a hot one (over 100 degrees almost every day). Whew. Anyway, off to sort through all of those pics. Inside with the air on.
Psst- After a bunch of requests for a breakdown of what products (shampoo, cream, sunscreen) that we use for Clara (and how we store it all) we’re spilling the beans right here on BabyCenter.
Fab Freebie: Here’s Looking At You, Mate
***This giveaway is no longer accepting entries – see who won below!***
Good news: everyone can get 10% off their MirrorMate order with code VIRAL. And if they get 1000 new Facebook followers or new email subscribers, that code doubles to 20% for everyone. But here’s the better news (at least for one of you): random.org has chosen our winner as… Jessica (who says she’s usually checking the mirror to “make sure nothing is obviously out of place or gross”). Congrats!
So maybe I fudged that line from Casablanca a little. Thanks for letting it slide. It’s turning out to be a mirror-tastic day today, so if you’re stuck with a basic builder mirror that’s held up unceremoniously by dinky plastic clips, this is your shot to score an easy and elegant upgrade thanks to MirrorMate. You can customize a frame that sticks right over your existing clips, for a nice little mirror makeover. Check out more before & afters (and shop their collection of frame styles) here on their site (and on their Facebook page).
- PRIZE: A $200 gift certificate to MirrorMate, which will cover most frames.
- TO ENTER: Comment on this post with the words “LOOK AT ME! and…
- BONUS QUESTION: … confess what you spend the most time looking at when you’re in front of a mirror. Are you always fixing your hair? Doing outfit checks? Making sure nothing’s in your teeth. Or – be honest – are you constantly leaning in to examine every last pore on your face?
- GIVEAWAY CLOSES: Wednesday, June 8th at 8pm EST
- NUMBER OF WINNERS: One
- PRIZE SHIPS: The US and Canada
- USUAL STUFF: One entry per e-mail address is permitted. The winner will be selected using random.org and announced on Thursday as an update to this post. That’s right, come right back here on Thursday for the announcement of our winners. Good luck…
Note: We weren’t paid or perk’d for hosting this giveaway, we just like rewarding our lovely readers! See our Giveaway FAQs page for more info. Pics from MirrorMate.
Hating The Scale
Nope, this isn’t a weight loss post. The scale that I’m talking is this too small had-it-so-we-used-it bookshelf that we shoved into the guest room (just days before my mom arrived) a few months back. Talk about teeny tiny:
And somehow we forgot to update you guys about a little switcheroo that took place after we got our new (well, very old) dresser for the bedroom from John’s dad. So here’s a very belated dresser related news flash: we moved our old malm (from Ikea five years ago when we moved to Richmond from NYC) into the guest room. So it looked like this:
The scale is definitely better. Someday we’d love to get a thrift store dresser or cabinet (our old malm guy has a wonky drawer and more than a few scratches if you look closely enough). But for now it works. Especially because it’s in the we-already-had-it-so-it-was-free category.
There it sat looking a little lonely and still a bit bare up top for a while until late last week. Something got into me and I decided to hunt around in our crazy storage room (aka: the future playroom/second kids bedroom) to find the big mirror (scored for $5 at a garage sale a while back) that used to rest above this very dresser in our old guest room (and then in our old sunroom once the guest room turned into our office as well). It was still wrapped in bubble wrap from back when we moved and leaning in the corner of the playroom. Talk about delayed reactions. It has always been a little bit too big for our malm dresser, but since we someday hope to upgrade to a great thrifted dresser (preferably a smidge wider and made from solid wood so it’ll really go the distance) we’re ok with the 1″ overhang on each side for now (it was like that in our former guest room and sunroom so maybe we’re just used to it).
As for baby safety, Clara’s never in this room alone (we keep the door closed) and we’ve slammed the door and tugged on the dresser a bunch to make sure it’s not too tippy (thankfully it stays put) but if we ever use the room more with Clara we’ll be sure to mount it to the wall (along with the dresser). You know, in the name of maintaining our Captain Careful nicknames.
Oh and of course I added some guests-might-like-it stuff to the top of the dresser too (do you know me at all?). Like a stack of magazines, a book called The United Cakes Of America (who doesn’t like reading about the history of cake and looking at so-amazing-you-wanna-lick-the-book iced creations?)…
… and our piggy bank (that’s really where we drop our change- no idea why it always ends up in the guest room but it was in there in our last house too). So to those who stay with us: look how much we trust you. We must really like you.
I love that the dresser provides a place for guests to store clothing (and for us to shove things they might need like spare shampoo and towels, which we’ve stowed away in the top drawer):
So thanks to inheriting our new dresser from J’s parents when they were selling their house, all this guest room tweaking was free. And nothing feels better than spending zero point zero zero dollars (anyone get that Bronx Beat from SNL reference?). Warning: it’s semi scandalous (read: not work or kid friendly) but it also makes me snort sometimes.
Have you guys done any furniture rearranging or swapping? Or wrestled with scale issues of your own? How about finding something awesome on the curb or near a dumpster that’s perfect for your house and totally free? I love those stories. Even though they never happen to me. Hearing them makes me feel like someday my perfect curbside find will come. Gotta keep the dream alive.
