Tag Archives: interior design

New Furniture In Da Hizzouse!

Awww yea! We got some new stuff up in here!
But really, in all seriousness, we’ve added a few new pieces around the house. It’s surprisingly hard to choose furniture when you have a completely blank slate, but after 15 months of living in our space, I think we’re getting a sense of what will work for us.

Every entryway needs a little something to welcome guests through the door. So we’re starting with a simple console table, decked out in its Easter finery.

At some point, I’d like to add a mirror above the table. And dress up the walls with paint and maybe some moulding. But, it’s a good start!

Meanwhile, upstairs…

Our “bonus room” is finally starting to look like a room! Even if that means a rather sparse college/bachelor pad room. We’ve been using it as a workout space since we moved in. We’re keeping our elliptical in the corner, but we’re also planning to use the space as a more casual family room/hangout spot. We recently purchased a sofa, coffee table, end table, and brought our Ikea Poang chair and footrest upstairs. It sounds silly, but it’s nice to just have a place to sit down in this room!

(the TV stand is on its way)

Now all this room needs is a little color! And accessories 😉 I’m loving the shades of blue in the throw pillow fabric, so look for these colors to start popping up!

Update: if you’re curious, the console table is by Winsome Wood and was purchased via Amazon; the sofa is from Front Room Furnishings (Larkspur model by Simple Elegance).

Decorating Confessional

In the spirit of a New Year, and all the resolution-making happening this week, can I make a confession?

I am terribly nervous to pack away all of the Christmas decorations.

I realize that this sounds silly, but getting all of the usual things back out stirs up all kinds of thoughts and doubts on how to decorate our house. It was nice to focus on Christmas decorations, which obviously fit a set theme. But we’re still figuring out our style (and trying to agree on the same style/s), and as silly as it sounds, thinking about this, plus how to incorporate it into each room, and get all the furniture and art and accents to work together, stresses me out a bit! Okay, maybe more than a bit. Maybe alot.

So I keep trying to remind myself of some of the points that Sherry and John of Young House Love made during their talk at Books by the Banks. Mainly, don’t feel like you have to do everything perfectly, and all at once. Because I feel like this all the time, and I really need a reminder.

Maybe I need to print this out on poster-sized paper and hang it in every room in my house???

Am I the only one who gets stressed out about home decor? Do you have tips on how to deal with stress, home-decor related or otherwise? I always like to remind myself that “stressed” spelled backwards is “desserts”… and I do still have plenty of holiday sweets lying around the kitchen…

My New Year’s Wishlist

I’m tabling my usual “Weekly Wishlist” this week in favor of a more broad look at the year to come, and what I hope it brings, from home projects to life in general. Corny? Maybe. Rife with things resembling “resolutions”? Also maybe. Indulge me.

2013 Wishlist

– paint the following spaces: entryway, my office, family room, kitchen, powder room (pretty much our whole first floor); our master bedroom/bathroom, and maybe our “bonus room”

– reorganize the pantry (and get Tom to follow the system!)

– create a better, combined filing system for all our important documents, tax info, etc

– build bookshelves & a window seat for my office

– install crown molding

– install wall molding if we feel like it / have time to get fancy

– pick out a pattern and fabric so my mom can make us a quilt for our bed

– furnish some of our emptier rooms (dining room, bonus room)

– expand the vegetable garden; try growing some fall/winter items this year! (pumpkins???)

– attend Haven Conference in August

– take a trip to the West Coast (Oregon/Washington) to visit family and friends

– start some personal writing projects (that novel ain’t gonna write itself!)

– try to be more patient and get less discouraged when things don’t work out the way I want them to (oh, this applies to so. many. things.)

– try running again. (reminder to self: take it slowly. starting with intervals is okay. everyone has their own pace.)

Whew. Okay. That sure seems like a lot of stuff. But I think it’s doable! And if it’s not, that’s what the “try to be more patient” item is for 😉

What’s on your wishlist for 2013? A special item? A long-awaited project? A personal goal? I’d love to hear what you’re working on in the new year!

House Tour: Part 1

I guess it’s about time for a house tour, right? Since everything is better / makes more sense with pictures? Well, here are a few pics to get things rolling!

First things first – the exterior! (which you’re probably tired of seeing given all of my outdoorsy photos)

Once inside the front door, you have a straight-shot view to the back of our house / family room.

To the right is the “formal dining room.” Or at least, it will be someday when we finally treat ourselves blow our life savings on a dining set. There’s not much to see here. Just our “mini bar” and some knick-knackery.

To the left is my library / office / study, i.e. The Room I Dream About Daily. Again, not a ton to see here yet, but it’s in better shape than the dining room. At least it contains a desk and a reading chair that I can actually sit at and work / sit in to read a book. We’re planning to install built-ins to the left of the window, along with a picturesque window seat (in order to maximize book-reading nooks in this room). Not sure if my desk will stay against the opposite wall or not. I’m open to layout suggestions!

That’s all for now! Mainly because 1) the evening light is messing up pictures of the family room / kitchen and 2) my kitchen is a mess and by the time I get it cleaned, I won’t have the benefit of natural light (I know, that’s a poor excuse.)

**Note: Let’s call this a preliminary house tour, mainly because I think it’s becoming more evident that I need to take photos with a real camera and not my iPhone, haha! Stay tuned for more house, and (hopefully) better photos!