Pillows, Plants, and Purging the Past

First, I wanted to thank Andrea over at The Cottage Market Blog for including me in her round-up of Ikea Hacks with Pottery Barn style.  I thought it was quite the compliment that my Tarva nightstand hack has Pottery Barn style!

I can tell spring is near because the days are getting longer, the cherry trees are blooming, and we are  having some warmer days.  Not to mention, my allergies are starting up! I can't tell you how excited I am about Daylight Saving Time approaching.

There's been a lot on my mind lately, but one thing I am aspiring to do is stop shopping.  I've sort of unintentionally stopped buying.  Lately if I go to the store and see something I like, I ask myself, "Do I need this, or do I have anywhere to put this?"  And I usually walk out without it.  One blogger that inspired me is Cait over at Blonde on a Budget.  She's on a two year shopping ban after going thru a serious purge over a year ago getting rid of things she didn't need.  She inspired me to clear out my guest room and clean out my closet.   I also started going thru things in my attic, and got rid of a lot of clothes I had put up over the years with the hope I would one day fit back into them.

I also love reading Janet over at The Gardener's Cottage.  I love that she lives in a small 970 sf home, has also cut back on her possessions, and lives simply yet beautifully.  We live in an area where it would be almost impossible to find a house that small, but she inspires me to appreciate the abundance of space that I do live in.  The conversation has come up in our home of moving, and I can honestly say, I don't want any more space.  To me it's just more to clean, heat and cool, and maintain.

With spring approaching, instead of shopping, I've been swapping.  Since we had been sick, I did a major house clean yesterday, washing all of the pillow covers and bedding, cleaning bathrooms, and mopping the floors.  It felt like a bit of spring cleaning.  In the process, I swapped out the pillow covers for my sofa back to my spring/summer set.  (I love blues for the summer and warm colors for the winter.)  I also have been picking up some houseplants that to me enliven my home.  And with just those few changes, plus the amazing sunlight we're having, things feel fresh and ready to welcome spring!

Of course, I still have quite a bit of actual spring cleaning to do, plus the outside of the house needs quite a bit of work, including some landscaping (with the tree we took down last year), and house painting.  I can't figure out which one needs to be done the most, but we are hoping to get around to both of them this year.  I'll be back to share more of what I am doing to prep for spring.

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One Room Challenge-Week 4 {4 Ideas and 1 Dresser}

It's Week 4 of the One Room Challenge!  Where has the time gone?  This week I feel like I haven't really gotten a lot done.  I was still adding polyurethane to the chests over the weekend and adding hardware on Monday.  It was more so a week of moving things in and out of the room and testing out ideas.   The only one I feel for sure I am keeping as is would be the new/old dresser.  I originally used it as a sofa table in my family room, but love it in this space.  

I added some frames around the TV to see if they would work.  I LOVE these frames, but definitely feel like black would be more cohesive.  So I will probably swap those out with Ribba frames from Ikea. I have a fun project planned for what I want to use for artwork!

I also moved in this chair from the front playroom to test out seating in the bay window.  It's interesting how much more space I have with the new bed and changing its location.  Now that it's centered on a longer wall, I have more space on the side near the bay window.  Plus, without the sleigh, there's almost a foot more space at the end of the bed.  Loving this chair here, and I probably have room for its big sister-the original Ektorp chair.

Next is the 'new' artwork over the bed.  I like the height and presence they have on this side of the room.  The ceilings go up to 13' tall, so these take advantage of that height.  These were the seafan artwork that I talked about doing a DIY on.  I made them several years ago and they hung for years in the playroom.  I took them down recently to add a gallery wall in the playroom, so they were stashed in the guest room waiting for a place to hang.  I plan to write up DIY instructions.  I was considering keeping them in these dark frames, but now feel like they are too heavy for this side of the room.  I am thinking of painting them gold, and reframing them on a linen mat board with gold frames.  What do you think?

My final 'steal' was taking these drapes out of my dining room to test out.  I am thinking of moving them into the bay and using four panels.  I do like the height they add and how they frame the bay window, but I have become accustomed to having the full view out of these windows, and they block it a bit.

I feel like this has been a 'try it and see if you like' it week.  The final big project is still adding the bookcases.  This is what that fourth wall is looking like. 

Blah.  

The good news is that The Beast has a buyer that should be coming on Saturday, so it will be gone soon!  I took some time to clean up that corner today as well, both of which will make room for the bookcases I want to build.  I still need to flesh out all of the other ideas above too.  Can I do that in two weeks?  I've got a couple of orders in The Shop that I need to get out too. (Forgot about that!)  So we will see!  

{Just a side note, I just heard that the Auvi-Q auto-injectors for severe, life-threatening allergies have been recalled.  So if you happen to carry one, or know someone who does, please pass on the information. We have someone in our family that has a severe food allergy, but happen to carry the EpiPen.   I know we would want to know if we carried that brand.}

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One Room Challenge-Week 3 {The Master Bedroom Redo}

It's week three of the One Room Challenge, and time is flying by!  I feel like I can never get as much done as I want to.  Remember last week, when I couldn't decide what project to move forward on?  The nightstands won out!

I went back and forth over whether to order the one on the design board, but ultimately decided to do my first hack.  I had seen this nightstand hacked over on Dear Lillie as was really drawn to it.  Also, the base piece was one-third the cost of the the one from World Market.  And the shipping alone on the one from World Market was almost the cost of this one, and if I for some reason didn't like it, I would have been out of pocket for the shipping.  

So I went with the Tarva chest from Ikea.  I like that it is solid wood, the scale, and the drawers.  I haven't added hardware yet.  I was literally working in the 11th hour last night!  But I ordered antiqued brass cup pulls, and I've just got to get them attached.  But enough words, let me show you the space and the chests!

You may have noticed I did flip the floorplan.  The nightstands fit so well on this wall.

So this was the starting point for the nightstand.

It is a solid pine and I gave it a stain and glaze coat so that it would have a gray/aged finish.   I also cut the legs down flush with the apron and lined the drawers with paper for a nice surprise on the inside.  I am thinking of adding tulip feet, but may keep them as is.

I am loving the progress made so far!  Let's take a look back to see where it started.

And the plans:

And now with the new bed and new nightstands:

Ok, are you all tired of looking at pictures of this space?  I'm just excited y'all!  I have never had matching nightstands!  I will share more details about the nightstand hack later, plus pictures of them with the hardware.  Time to get cracking for next week!

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Entering the Fall 2015 One Room Challenge-The Master Bedroom

I found out this weekend that the One Room Challenge hosted by Calling It Home began on Wednesday.  I have loved following along with room renovations by several of my favorite bloggers in the past, and have wanted to link up, but never have.  But since I have been talking about a redo of my master bedroom, and I have a tentative plan drawn up, I think I will dip my feet in the water this fall.  It's about time I crossed this project off my list!

If you're unfamiliar with the One Room Challenge, it's a six-week long room makever challenge, where 20 different invited bloggers post progress on their room makeovers with the goal of having them completed in six weeks.  Other bloggers like me can link up and work on a space as well.  It can be a boost to finish because you're all working toward a common goal.

I posted about my master bedroom last week and shared my design board.  So this will serve as my inspiration and starting point.

I mentioned before that I had ideas for money-saving hacks and DIY's.  They include the seafan artwork, the nightstands, sewing custom drapery, and the building the shelving unit.  It may be a bit ambitious to complete the custom built-in unit within the six weeks, so I haven't decided if I will attempt it.  The bed I already have, I just need to take down my current one and set-up the new one.  I know how to sew custom draperies, but tend to dread the process, haha!  So hopefully the challenge will get me motivated.  I may also add more fall color because I have ideas for that as well.  But this is a start.

Here are a few more pics of the space as it its now, which isn't horrible by any means.   The room actually has quite a few positives, like the vaulted ceilings, huge bay window, and great natural light. The furniture set is what my husband and I bought when we first got married and thought we were grown! You know the sets where they only sell you one night stand?!  Once I painted and replaced the flooring last year, it made a huge difference because it complemented the cherry wood tones so much better than my previous paint color.  If you have this wood tone, I highly recommend the color Slate by Restoration Hardware.  

I added the side table and desk last year.  The side table was a Ballard Designs outlet find that I stole from my sunroom.  And the desk and chair are from an amazing craigslist score for $60.  I also 'borrowed' them from my sunroom.  I tend to play musical furniture!

I am thinking of replacing this dresser with the black one I have behind the sofa in the family room and moving it to the wall that currently has the armoire.

This beast of an armoire, which we had in our first apartment, used to house our tv.  But since we have a flatscreen, we no longer use it for that, but do use it for storage.  The goal of the built-in is to replace that storage.  Now I am thinking, where are we going to put this?  I may have to post it on Craigslist.  I am thinking of putting the dresser on this wall and the built-ins on the wall facing the bed.  

This picture doesn't have great lighting, but I wanted to give you an idea of the bay window.

Overall, I am excited to finally be a linking participant for the One Room Challenge!   The 20 invited participants will be posting their progress on Wednesdays, and us linking participants will link up on Thursdays to share our progress.  Yikes, I already feel like I am in a bit over my head!  But I will be posting progress on Instagram @oakhousedesignco as well, so be sure to follow along! 

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Master Bedroom Redo Ideas

It's a dreary looking Monday morning outside my windows, so I've got almost every light on in the house to brighten up the day.  I am an unabashed lover of sunlight and bright days.  That's one thing I like about Georgia--most days are sunny days!

I have been dreaming of this new look I would love for my master bedroom for years and slowly taking steps to make it over.  Most of my furniture is the original furniture my husband and I bought when we got married 13 years ago.  Although I still like the furniture, my taste have changed over the years.

Last year I painted the walls Slate by Restoration Hardware, replaced the carpet with hardwoods, replaced the bedding, and rearranged furniture in the house to bring in a desk for the bay window.

Those things alone made a big difference in the space.  It was like I finally found a color to compliment the wood tones.  But I am kind of ready to get back to work on it.  I got a new bed months ago, but still need to sell my old one to make room to put it up.

Originally I wanted a completely neutral Restoration Hardware feel for the space with botanical or bird prints for artwork...

via

this beautiful raw wood finish on nightstands and on a wall of custom built-in bookcases...

via

a linen upholstered bed,

 

via

and linen drapes on the windows.

drapes

But I this one from Cassie over at Hi Sugarplum has me craving more color!

via Hi Sugarplum

Of course, I don't have a Restoration Hardware budget, so most of my plans will probably involve DIY's and hacks to recreate the look.  But having a plan will help me be cohesive with my choices.  I'll have to share some of those ideas later!

I hope y'all are having happy Monday!

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Adding Fall to the Dining Room

As I was posting my dining room on Instagram last week, the weather was finally starting to cool down here.  I actually pulled out a jacket to wear as I walked my son to the bus stop.  And I could hear the sound of leaves crunching beneath my feet.  And now...fall is actually here!

All of that, plus all of the beautiful home tours, going on now here and here, inspired me to bring out the warm colors in my dining room.  I love that the bones of the room are neutral, so that really any color can work no matter the season.  

My poor fiddle leaf fig hasn't held up well!

My shelves haven't changed too much since I originally built them, but I do like to rotate in some of the coral dishware and warm metals like copper for warmer tones.

Fresh and pressed clippings from trees and shrubs also warm up the space.

Happy Friday Y'all! 

(Many of these items have been purchased over the past several years and are no longer available, but I will source as much as possible.  Let me know if you have any questions!)

Sources:

Bookcases: Custom Made by Oak House Design Co.

Table: Ballard Designs Outlet-Final Call (no longer available)

Table Runner, Vases, and Orange Dinnerware: Pottery Barn via Ebay, Outlet Stores, and Craigslist 

Dining Chairs:  Ikea

Curtains: Ikea

Linking up to the DIY Showoff-That DIY Party, Crafts a la Mode-What to Do Weekends, Craftberry Bush-The Inspiration Gallery, Domestic Superhero-Pinworthy Projects, Home Stories A to Z Tutorials and Tips Link Party, and Cherished Bliss-Moonlight and Mason Jars Link Party, and Bless'r House-Your Time to Shine Link Party.

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