Finished Project: Mitch's Study Upgrade

Okay, it's finally finished!!!! The study is done and it's looking good if you ask me. This project started a while ago after my mom and I decided my dad's study needed an update. After looking at the study we decided that a new coat of paint in a calming neutral would update the feel of the space, make the room look larger, and highlight the desk's stained wood finish. after painting rearranging the desk so that it sits facing the door opening and positioned so that it looks like it's in the center of the door opening commands the space a purpose rather than where it was, diagonally positioned in the room. Taking an old bookcase cabinet that use to be apart of an entertainment center at our house and painting it the same color as the room make it look similar to a built-in only much cheaper. After filling that with all of Mitch's books,humidor, etc. we placed the wooden tripod lamp my brother gave him in the corner and put books, this duck statue I found in our house (don't let the size fool you that thing is heavy!) and a metal bucket my mom pulled from somewhere. The room was in need of a new rug- a larger rug that fit the space- on top of that per Mitch's request it needed to be blue. We ordered this steal from Ballard Designs and it works great.

After much contemplation about what to do with the large BLANK wall- I remembered last summer while I was doing my internship and researching old photos of Birmingham- my dad was really interested in them, so my mom and I had 3 printed and framed for him for his birthday- Morgan 1 blank wall 0.  Then came the long drawn out search for a bar. We were trying to do this and not spend a fortune, and find a table that was large enough to go on that side wall. After searching we found this one at Nadeau in downtown Homewood and painted the old Pottery Barn floating shelf that was in the study before black to go over the self. Now a few more decanters, new tray and small square lamp and the space is done!

I hope you like it as much as we do- I think it turned out great, there are tons of little odds and ends, pictures and great deals that went into this study upgrade!

Mitch's Study

Photo from back right corner

Photo from back left corner

Bar- I think it turned out well- complete with family photos on the floating shelf. 

Tripod Floor Lamp - Gift from Hunter/ Duck statue and metal bucket

Photo wall formally known as the "Blank Wall"

Birmingham Photos - courtesy of Gallery Services in Birmingham

Entertainment Center turned "Built-in" I hated the idea at first but it doesn't as like what I thought it would 

Odds and Ends in the Bookcase

 That's it!  more stuff to come soon!

New Kitchen Perspectives- Nashville

So my brother and sister-in-law are looking at redoing their 1950's style kitchen in Nashville.  To help them know what they want will look like in their home I built a 3D model and perspectives of what it could look like. Complete with warm "Stony Gray" cabinets and light granite this kitchen is a total redo down to the new appliances. Here are the perspectives of what the kitchen could look like, I hope you like it as much as I did when it was finished. If you would like something similar to this for a future/upcoming home project please contact me.

Den entrance / Refrigerator-Sink wall

Dining room Entrance/ New wall "Cutout" 

New Wall "Cut Out" with pantry and trash cabinet

Stove and Sink/Refrigerator walls

Projects in Progress

Thought I would share a couple of current projects in progress right now. Once they are complete I'll post the finished product.

1. Walk-Through Office:

       This project started in May and is a small remodel of a walk-through office/study front living area.
       The Fireplace mantel is new, as well as the nice surprise of the brick beneath the tile. Here are
       some of the before pictures and the room as it is a work in progress.

Study: Fireplace View Before

Before Fireplace Close Up

Old Mantel AKA my new headboard with possible paint color above

New Mantel with the brick we found that was under the black tile.

Wide view of new mantel with brick 

Desk to be changed with Built in Bookcases 

2. Home Study:

     This is a project that is close to home, my home that is. My dad's study needed a fresh touch, adding a 

      few small touches and a new rug, This project is the closest to being finished. Here are some of the 

      photos including the entertainment cabinet turned shelves, shelves after the were "styled", and the old
     Birmingham prints which were printed and framed at Gallery Services. Still to be done: finding a piece of
     furniture to make into a bar area with floating shelves above. 

Here it is.... Mitch have to have a blue rug so we made it work.

Part of an entertainment center painted to look like a built in

Bookshelves "Styled" 

TO BE DONE: Where the bar will go

Birmingham Prints Wall with Custom "Tripod" Floor Lamp

Close Up: Old Prints of Downtown Birmingham 

  

As I said, these are works in progress, just thought I'd share what I'm working on right now-

 Until next time...

How To: "Gray-Wash" Furniture

Grey-Washed Chest

I'm sorry it's been a while since I posted, I recently with my mom "Gray-Washed" a chest for the guest room at my parents house. I followed a blog from kfddesigns to start with. I started by sanding the stain completely   off the dresser. I used Pantone My Color paint, Gardenia and Griffin, then I bought a white glaze from home depot. The mixing is the tricky part, it's kind of a see as you go. I ended up mixing equal parts glaze and both paints then adding water and paint as I went till I got the Consistency I wanted.

Once I got the paint right I tried a few techniques but the one I ended up using was taking a rag and dipping a little in the paint mixture and the rubbing it on the chest. I did this until the whole thing was done, I hope you like the results.

The Chest with the original stain

After being sanded

Finished Product

Currently I'm Loving...

sorry it's taken me so long but I thought I'd share what I'm loving lately!

1. Jonathan Adler kitchen and bathroom sinks for Kohler

2. Exposed Frame Club Chair- Restoration Hardware

3. Ikat Textile - Madeline Weinrib

4. Acrylic Moon and Lola Monogram

5. Steel City Pops- Gourmet Popsicles in Birmingham

6. Elephant Poof- Serena & Lily 

7. Firefly Pendant- CB2

8. Chunky Necklace- Anthropologie

9. Chair Print- www.minted.com

10. Rugs by Genevieve Gorder for Capel Rugs

11. Large knobs to put away jewerely- knobs from Anthropologie

12. Brightly colored Furniture, just because!

Until Next Time...

how to: quick and easy room makeover

Diane Keaton and Mandy Moore rearranging furniture in the movie Because I Said So

Tired of a space in your home? Surprising there are some easy fixes that can make your space look completely different with out a ton of work and money. Here are three quick and easy tips to change a space on the fly.

1. Rearrange the furniture. simple and fast, sometimes just changing where the bed is in the room, or the
   arrangement of furniture in the living room and completely change how a room looks; how big the space
   feels, and how much natural light comes in.


2. Change up the small decor- an easy fix to spice up a space, and change the way it feels- change up
    your "accessories". moving books from the bookshelf to a neat stack on the coffee table, putting a tray
    with candles on the ottoman, changing out the artwork on the wall etc. this tip is easy and endless in the
    ways you can change things. It can be something as simple as changing out the decorative pillows on a
    sofa or bed, but it can give a completely different feel to the space.


3. Change up the paint- painting the room and different color can have a huge impact on the space. Some
    shades can make a space feel larger and calmer than others. If you don't have the time, paint one wall- an
    accent wall it will draw your attention to that wall and change the dynamic of the space.

See how different the living room is after they changed the furniture the TV was on to the book shelf and put the table and chairs in front of the bay window.

Adding new accessories such as rain boots under a table or new candlesticks can change the look of a space.

One room four colors- four different looks

The Accent Wall does tons for the room- drawing your eye to the seating and the arch/round opening. photo courtesy of apartment therapy

product highlight: Serena & Lily- Pillows

If you don't know who/what  Serena & Lily is- It's a home catalog/internet company that started selling nursery bedding and decor, but now sells anything from pillows to frames to furniture. Enough about the company I could talk about it all day, what I want to focus on is their pillows- they have awesome decorative pillows with fresh vibrant textiles that would brighten, accent and liven up a space. I should just let the pictures do the talking. just go to their site and look around- I know you won't be disappointed

Bark Jaipur Pillow

Kyoto Pillows

Scarf Print Outdoor Pillow

Soleil Print Outdoor Pillow

Leaf Diamond Pillow on top and Clover Spade Pillow on Bottom

mirror, mirror

Mirrors are a great statement piece for a space. Whether they are on a table, leaning against the wall, above a piece of furniture or hanging with other pieces of art or photographs they can give a space that certain punch to go from okay to fabulous. The good thing about mirrors is that there are so many styles, shapes, materials that it can fit and work with any type or style of space.  Here are some of my favorite examples, if you can't tell I tend to like them above a side table.