Design Kryptonite

I've spent so much time in corporate design that the finessing that residential requires has become my kryptonite.  Ironically, that finessing is what drew me to design in the first place.  Hm.  Ok, maybe kryptonite isn't the right term.  I LOVE that stuff, but its my design weakness.  When I say 'that stuff', I generally mean 'interior styling.'  It's what I admire most in other designers.  It's what I notice first in any space.  It's the antithesis of a corporate cubicle farm or healthcare space.  I'm beyond out of practice. I have lofty goals of styling the house perfectly for the housewarming on Sunday.  Its current state is chaos.

As I go through the house cleaning to make it presentable, I've been taking all the decorate pieces and putting them aside.  The dining room table currently houses unused mirrors, frames, and a few other random items.  The tv stand currently sports some pottery, candle holders and misc decorative items, and the shelf in the office is where every other decorative knickknack sits in disarray.  Each of these items need a strategic placement in the house and juxtaposition (love that word!) with other items and I've been putting off this task until all the dirty work of cleaning is done.  Strategic placement will no doubt be the most fun part of housewarming prep, but also the most challenging.

I've been looking to other designers and blogs for inspiration to spark my styling creativity, so I thought I would share some inspiration as I gear up to style my own space.

Ok, I admit it.  I have a huge style-crush on Emily Henderson from HGTV's Secrets from a Stylist.  The above image is from episode 7.  The below is episode 11.

I also love that she gives you all her sources on her blog.

Pinterest is also dangerously addicting for finding inspiration.

Source: lonnymag.com via Aria on Pinterest

Source: honeywerehome.blogspot.com via Karen on Pinterest

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I could go on, and on.

Hope these inspire you for the weekend. Keep your fingers crossed for some nice weather!

Light Fight

From day 1 in the house, Hubby and I wanted to replace the hall light.  It was a dated, cheap looking, gold flush mount fixture.  I wasn't actively looking for a replacement yet, since there were other items that were higher on my list.  The perfect light, however came into my e-mail via Rue La La a few weeks ago. It's the right balance of modern with a vintage flair and it's looks make me very happy.  It's installation did not.

On moving day when we said "Good Riddance" to the ceiling fan, the installation of the new dimmable light was speedy.  I left the room as the first fan screw was being removed and came back a few min later to find that Hubby and the dads had the new light fully installed.  I had high hopes of the hall light being as easy......

Here's what we started with:

After waiting patiently for a few weeks until I couldn't wait anymore we had time, I we decided to give the new light a try.  The game changed the moment we removed the old light.  Let me first remind you- this house is over 110 years old but looks like its been totally updated.  Key work in that sentence is LOOKS.  This is what we found when we took down the ugly old light:

What??  It even had my handy dad stumped!

Hubby and I first attempted to attach the new light the same way the old light was attached.  That didn't go over so well.

After a little thinking and figuring- Handy dad asked me to hold off fixing it until he came up this past Friday.  He has much more electrical experience than I do and he was afraid I would open a can of worms if I delved deeper.  It was torture having a half installed light for an entire week!

A day off from the 9to5 Friday was such a whirlwind of projects that I neglected to take progress pictures like I wanted to, but we (helpful parents and I) got a TON done!

The old 'box' or whatever you may call that relic, was screwed to the lath, behind the plaster, behind the drywall, yet it wasn't recessed enough to install a modern light fixture properly.  After removing it, and doing some poking around with a flashlight and tape measure, dad discovered there was a stud behind the lath we could attach a modern electrical box to!  Huzzah! So we bought one, and Handy dad took a hack saw to the plaster and lath in his way.  Not too long later, we had a working light fixture what was installed properly and looked pretty!

Ta da!!

Sadly, though the new perfect hall light and the living room light aren't on the same page.  Although I still very much like the living room light (and its WORLDs better than the previous fan), I think it may be destined to be in the office ultimately.  Not any time soon, but eventually.

Idea Storm

Is it possible to have too many ideas swirling around in your head?  At this point, I would say emphatically YES!!  I have so many ideas- for the house- for the yard- for future business ventures- for a friends wedding...  and zero time to actually execute any of these ideas or to come up with the solutions for the unanswered ones.  They keep multiplying and pretty soon there will be an idea avalanche of epic proportions.  Be warned! Lets see if I can unload a few random thoughts/ideas/dilemmas here to start with.

#1. I heart estate sales.

I may have a new addiction.

Pretty bottle + amazing chair to refinish = $5 & 1 giddy buyer (a.k.a. ME)

The bottle is destined to have some jewelry draped on it (for now at least).  The chair's future is somewhat uncertain.  Definitely getting painted and getting a new upholstered seat.  Potentially upholstering the back caned area- that might be a game time decision depending on how the paint comes out.  I'm thinking it would look spectacular in glossy white (don't tell Hubby, he thinks he hates white furniture) with a punchy fabric.  I'm even thinking it might compliment our future Hollywood regency bedroom nicely.  We shall see.  Its currently sitting in the yard waiting to get hosed off.  Once it's cobweb free, it's going to go on an adventure through the house, being carried from room to room to see if it'll live with us or be sold after refinishing (I'm rooting for living with us, its so sexy!).  This project might get done sooner rather than later.  I just need to get a jigsaw (to cut a seat), stapler for upholstery, some spraypaint, some zazzy fabric, and padding for the new seat.

#2. Yard work.

The fantabulous (you heard me) parents are coming up from CT this weekend to celebrate their 34th wedding anniversary and help with the yard.  Their idea, I SWEAR!  If the weather allows, we'll be putting some bushes out of their misery to make way for an epic veggie garden in the side yard and better curb appeal in the front.  I know the oversized bland bushes in the front need to go... I just have no idea what to replace them with.  Any ideas?  I want color or texture- something different that will still look decent in the 9 months of winter we seem to get in Massachusetts lately.

#3. Curtains- living room and bedroom.  This is the biggest 'question mark' in my mind right now.

Hi, my name is Karen, and I am severely indecisive.  Here's where I have too many ideas on one topic and I can't make a decision if my life depended on it.

Living room.  I know I want white sheer-ish curtains with a subtle texture which I then plan to add a ribbon of vertical color to.  Great, I have this decided! right?  Close, but not quite.  What white sheer-ish textured curtains do I get?  White crinkle?  Satin stripes? Linen-y stripes? Burn-out circles? I'm forcing myself to answer this week so I can move past this and nix the heavy looking brown curtains living there currently.

Bedroom.  As I mentioned a few times before, its going to be delightfully Hollywood regency (eventually) and I want curtains to reflect that.  I've decided on an accessory color scheme and that I want a simple white comforter with black trim (which will be punched with various patterned pillows).  I can't decided if I want a dark silver luxurious window treatments to compliment the light gray walls, or if I want a bold black and white stripe (or gray and white) that will be complimented by colored accessories, or if I want a lattice-type pattern in a color (particularly yellow).

#4. House guest preparation.

Brian's sister is coming in from NYC this Sunday for a few days- making her our first official house guest!  I only have a few items on my house list before we pick her up from the bus depot.  Also, in addition to my parents semi-frequent visits, Hubby and I have offered to to make Easter dinner- just for my parents & siblings basically, but still our first holiday!  Hubby will take care of the meal and making the plates look Iron Chef-worthy.  I'll make some dessert and make sure the house and table looks as pretty as the plates.  In planning additional house projects, I decided that I needed to pick a date for a housewarming so I would have a date to work toward.  End of May.  Now I have to pick and choose what projects I do first!  One step at a time.  I have to keep reminding myself of that.

#5. Chevron rocks my world.

I need to find a way to incorporate it into the house.  Maybe on the cool new chair above.  Maybe on a throw blanket, or curtains...

As you can see, my mind is pretty blank lately ;-).  Other topics racing through my head include: chandeliers, dining chairs, cat doors, and event planning (just to name a few).  Hopefully I can share all these topics/projects with you as I tackle them.  Are you as excited as I am??

*images via Tonic Living & Apartment Therapy