6.30.2012

Blogs I Follow: The Cottage Mix

There are many blogs I follow, some to read for information, some to read for laughs, some to read for inspiration and some to just look at pretty pictures.
For my first Blogs I Follow, I'd like to introduce you to The Cottage Mix. When I first came upon this blog, I was immediately in love. Lauren Leonard is the author of this blog, and I so love her design style. There are so many pictures she posts that I feel like we are design soul mates.
Here are some pictures of her own house.








How cute is her own house?? Love it! I am a sucker for planking, woven textures and industrial elements, so this is a house I could move right into. If you haven't been to her blog be sure to check it out, and tell her I sent you. Enjoy!

6.28.2012

Come On Get Happy, Go to HomeGoods Today!

FINALLY, a HomeGoods store opened up near me! After seeing and hearing about HomeGoods on blogs and seen designers shopping in the stores on their HGTV shows (even seeing Giuliana and Bill shopping there) I have been anxiously awaiting the chance to go to one myself. The day finally arrived and I hopped right on over there to see what all the fuss was about. I had a lot of high expectations and I can say I wasn't let down.
Right after entering I found a cute Lemonade pitcher, just in time for summer. Only $14.


And I picked up a woven tray for my coffee table.


I didn't have a whole lot of time to peruse but found some other cute items that I am debating over. I know I am taking my chances though, since they may not be there when I go back.
But here are some prints that I am thinking about.




Sorry about the glare on the last one.

I saw some pretty cute lamps there as well and they were pretty reasonably priced. I however didn't get a chance to look at the rugs like I had wanted to  but I am sure I will be back very soon. If you live in the Seattle area, there are now two new stores, Lynnwood and Federal Way and if you haven't been there yet, I highly recommend you check it out. Just don't take any of those prints until I decide. Haha.






6.27.2012

Design Star Party Lounge Breakdown

In episode 5 of Design Star this week, the designers were given a challenge of creating a lounge area in celebrating Hollywood's 125th birthday. The designers were each given their own space (thank goodness!) and were given seperate eras to recreate.
Here's my quick breakdown of the challenge.


Britany was given "Hollywood Regancy", which is her natural design style. I think she nailed it. Everything about this space was a homerun to me. Way to go Britany!


Danielle also did a great job with her "Art Deco" room. She did a Parisian flair to it, and I thought it was very well done. She got props from the judges for being the standout designer from this challenge. I agree, with Britany being a very close second.


Hilari was given the "80's" and though she was only a small child in the 80's, she did a very nice job on creating this era. I really liked the floor treatment, the light pendants and neon lights in the back of the room.


Kris was given the "70's" and created the old basement look. As Genevieve pointed out, it looked like a room that they would be called in to makeover.







Mikel had "Midcentury Modern" and though I liked the colors and pieces in the room, there wasn't much to it. Again, quoting Genevieve "it felt flat". All the furniture was pushed up against the wall, and it was sad that he had to end up covering the fireplace he had brought in. But Mikel is quite the cutie, look at his great smile.



Rachel designed a "Victorian" lounge and I feel her pain on this project. I would've hated to have gotten this one. While I am still rooting for her, I did feel along with the judges this may not have turned out as well as it could have.


"The Future" was given to Stanley. I was not a huge fan of this room, for it is no where near my style but the judges seemed to have liked most of the room except for the err, strange table he made.

Spoiler alert! Kris was the one they sent packing. I would totally have to agree with the judges on this. I wish the show was a call in show though, like American Idol. That would be cool.
I am really looking forward to next week, as they are challenged with creating a kitchen.
Whose lounge did you like best?



6.26.2012

New Bathroom for the Girls

We completed this bathroom about a month ago, but it's still not quite all the way complete. We need to add some art on the walls, touch up some paint and caulking here and there, the door needs to be painted front and back, and I may possibly be adding a storage cart next to one of the sink cabinets. I am even contimplating painting the medicine cabinets, but haven't committed on a color yet. I am thinking yellow or the same color as the walls.
What we did to this bathroom was add the grey tiles to the floor. I had ordered 24x24 size tiles, but when the flooring company went to pick them up from the manufacturer they had no 24x24 and only had 12x24. I could either take that size or I had to wait another 2 weeks. I decided to take the smaller tile, and I am actually very happy with the look.
We took out a fiberglass one piece tub/shower combo and replaced with a seperate tub and used while Daltile around the tub up to the ceiling.
The walls were planked with pine v-shape planks from Lowe's, they were primered and then painted Benjamin Moore's Gray Owl. The ceiling was painted Benjamin Moore's SuperWhite.
The sink consoles and medicine cabinets were from Pottery Barn and were from the existing makeover from roughly 8 years ago.
The lights, towel rings, and toliet paper holder are all from Pottery Barn.
The hand towels were found at  World Market, and I just love those.
The bathmat is from Target, as well as the soap dispensers and tumblers. Also, the wooden top stool is from Target, that I fell in love with.
The yellow polkadot shower curtain is from Garnet Hill. I had my heart set on one from PB, but it was backordered for a couple months, so I found this instead. I had to get this bathroom back to working order for the girls and I had no more patience at this point. Again, I am very happy with this curtain and it makes the room seem happy and cheerful.
The doors were given a minor makeover by adding dark aged bronze handle and hinges. I really like the look of bright white doors with a darker knob/handle.
So what do you think so far?













6.25.2012

A Story of a Bathroom Makeover

Well, it's not an exciting story but here it goes. We have lived in our home for 11 years now, and this is our daughters' upstairs bathroom in which this story is about. This said bathroom has already been remodeled since we've lived here. This is round two. Why a remodel again so soon? Well, let's just say that there was some concern of possible water damage or a leak, but thankfully we were wrong, and we just got a better bathroom out of it.
Sorry, there are no before pictures. We kept the same sink cabinets, toliet, and medicine cabinets. The rest was changed. We had a fiberglass tub/shower combo and I was so happy to see that ripped to shreads and thrown out. Though there are still a few details to finish up in this room, here is a sneak peak.













I will add more pictures tomorrow of the almost finished project, and details of what we did.











6.22.2012

Outdoor Spaces

As summer is sure to arrive to the Pacific NW one of these days, I can't help but to daydream of a backyard (or I should say back"deck") makeover.  I've been longing for an outdoor sectional sofa for a few years now, and think I may just pull the gun and do it this year. It would be so nice to have an additional seating area for entertaining or to even just cuddle up on an outdoor sofa with a good book or magazine.
There are some good sales going on right now, so I may just have to take advantage of that.
In the meantime, here are some ideas that I am envisioning, while I ponder on whether to go ahead with the purchase or not.






I found these from Sarah Richardson. I didn't know she had an outdoor furniture line. I love it.




I found this at Ikea, another place I didn't think of to look for outdoor furniture.

{Ikea}

Do you have an outdoor furniture set? Any brands you recommend or tips on keeping it looking good?




















6.21.2012

A game I like to play...What would you have done differently?




This week’s Design Star episode challenged the remaining eight finalists to makeover an indoor space and an outdoor space for two sets of homeowners in three days. Guest judge was Sabrina Soto, whom I LOVE! She's so darn cute, and I can just imagine being BFF's and shopping at "Tar-jay" together.

Miera and Danielle were chosen to pair up for the indoor space of the Nitzkin home. They did a fairly good job I think but the pair ran out of time due to their taking on a big project of a custom built-in cabinet. This was Miera’s idea and of course there was drama.



The things that I liked about their project were the natural elements they included like the light fixture in the dining room, the woven shades, the side table in the living area. I guess they must have huge budget constraints because I feel the accessories they picked were so cheap looking. Also, the homeowner said they liked Scandinavian Contemporary. While this was Contemporary, it certainly didn't feel Scandinavian to me, other than the white walls.

For Rachel and Kris, they were given the outdoor space. While, I liked the wood awning over the back doors, the added wood slats on brick fence for more privacy and  the live wood tables made by Kris, the overall feel wasn't that great to me.



The outdoor area for the home owner's little daughter put together by Rachel really failed, which is unfortunate because I think that would have been a nice element for the family.

Britany and Stanley were next door at the Mast home and worked on their outdoor area.
I liked the Chevron fence, and the added wood to the deck area. I however, think it would've been nice for both homes to have added stain the the cement. The seating area was nice but I agree with Genevieve that there was little color in that space.




Inside, Hilari and Mikel tackled the living area. The homeowners  asked for flea market chic and I am not sure that was accomplished.


They did however give them the natural earth tones the family said they liked. This room by far surpassed Miera and Danielle's room makeover to me. I liked the different textures and patterns in this room and the space planning was very good.

After the judges' deliberation, Miera was sent packing.
What did you think about this week's show? What would you have done differently?
I am not sure who I like the best so far but I think I am leaning towards Rachel or Britany. Who are your favorites now?
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