wallpaper emo

 I put it in front of my great-grandfather's "library table" (more on that here). I think it works perfectly there! It also adds a bit of (soft) color and further balances that side of the room.

Here's some more ideas from around my house!

A pretty, simple centerpiece...


 I LOVE displaying blue and white in a grouped collection... I used to actually display twice this amount (I have a lot put away) on this table below, but I like to change it up every now and then!
Oh, and they hold pink flowers beautifully!



A cute little umbrella/whatever holder in our foyer...


 Also, a tiny touch of blue and white in the kitchen...


These have flanked our sink for years. I just love these little topiaries. Adding some symmetry with blue and white is one of my favorite things to do.
It's just simple and subtle.



So like I said, check out antique stores for unique blue and white finds. If you're looking for a lot of pieces to group together and you'd like them to be somewhat similar, you can sometimes luck out at antique stores, but you may find more similar pieces at places like TJ Maxx and Homegoods. Even Pier1! I'd say to stay away from big catalog stores or specialty "catalog" stores/websites. Lots of their blue and white pieces are crazy overpriced and that's never a good look. Don't go broke starting a collection! If you love it like I do or want to start a collection of your own, make it fun! Gradually hunt for unique pieces at good prices rather than settling for every blue and white thing you find or randomly searching for and buying up a ton of it to get an insta-collection of the stuff.  Let's face it, that's no fun.

So I hope you all enjoyed this week's little home decor break! Do any of you collect blue and white too?

Oh and for more inspiration... This is one of my FAVORITE decor books. TONS of blue and white gorgeous-ness. Mine lives on my coffee table in my office. ;)

 **COME MEET-UP WITH ME AT IMATS LA!! I'll be at the Sigma Beauty booth from 10:30am-12:30 pm on January 18th (Saturday's show). Be sure to stop by and say hi! I'd love to meet you!!

So for this week's home decor break, we're headed down to the basement.  I had mentioned in previous posts that we had made some changes down there. Two HUGE things in particular that we had been on the search for since we moved in, and one lighting update I mentioned in my recent home decor haul here.

Before I get ahead of myself, here's what we started with...


We had been on the hunt for the perfect piece for that big blank wall since before we moved in. We knew it had to be pretty huge. Notice how tiny that mirror looks against it! That mirror used to hang in the living room at our old house and I actually considered it quite large!
Also, the big empty space in the middle. Having the little bar built in is really nice, however, we really wanted an actual "bar" that people could sit at for the middle area. We looked at a lot of them (they're not easy to find), and they definitely aren't cheap. We considered getting one eventually when we found the perfect one, but I also didn't want to limit that area to JUST a bar, you know? A giant bar isn't exactly the most versatile piece of furniture...  Plus, for the price we'd be paying (the cheapest option we found came in around $1700), I just couldn't justify it. There was no reason we needed an actual "bar" with storage and all that good stuff that a typical bar would have since we already have more storage than we need for that area in the cabinets. I really just wanted a seating area, at least counter-height.
So the bar idea was toast.

So I had seen some photos of large counter-height tables (a little taller than an average table, but not quite as tall as "bar" height) used in basements and kitchens and decided that one would eventually be mine.  I didn't expect to find the perfect one so soon...


First of all, this thing is huge.  The guys who delivered it said it was the heaviest table they had ever lifted. It's really made nice and solid too which is a huge plus.


This photo shows off the pretty natural grain in the wood.  It's the same height as the adjacent counters which makes it all look "pulled together".


Notice the huge leaner mirror?? I'm SO in love with it! I got a great deal on it at Ballard Designs during a recent mirror sale. It goes with the whole "industrial" theme and really opens up the space by bouncing around a ton of light. It makes the room feel so much larger! We waited on that baby for almost 4 weeks... Getting that thing delivered was not easy.

I'm planning to refinish the light colored base of the table to something a little more dark and rich to compliment all the bronze and darker finishes down there.  We'll get there soon!
Also, I'm going to keep my eyes peeled for six industrial-style counter-height stools so we can put three on each side.

I actually found the table at a local furniture store when I had gone to look for my tufted chairs. I wasn't looking for it at all. I just turned a corner and there it was! They had the exact same one with a darker base for $1700. This one was normally that price and I got it for $500 because it was marked down because of some inexplicable sale.

I'm loving the versatility of the table- It's taller and the dimensions are a bit more "stretched" than a typical table. By that I mean it's super shallow front to back, and very wide left to right.  So we can use it as a bar, serve food on it during get-togethers, or sit at it like a typical table for game nights.  We could even push it back further toward the wall if we needed more floor space for whatever.

Here's another good shot of the mirror...


It has sort of an antiqued finish so that's why the actual mirror looks cloudy in some places. It's super pretty in person.

As far as adding any accessories to the table top, I think I'm going to keep it really simple.  I posted a photo on Instagram a few days back of some pretty hurricane style candleholders I found at Target. I actually purchased a large size as well. I think before the day is over he'll be living atop the new table. Totally just got that idea as I'm writing this post...haha.
Here it is...

Here's that Instagram photo of the smaller ones in our dining room...

Totally just got an idea for next week's post. ;)



I think it worked out pretty perfectly in that little stairway heading down to there.  Still can't believe what a great deal I got on it! I actually found the fixture on the website and was mistaken about the original price... It was actually $198 originally and I got it for $60. Always fun finding an amazing deal on something you'd been wanting and didn't expect to go on sale!

So that's it for the basement...for now. Like I've said before, we've got SO many plans for it! Including a completely empty room that is twice the size of the area I just showed you that we can't wait to get our hands on...  I'll keep you guys updated!

Happy New Year Everyone!! I'm so happy that you all have stuck around and shared another great year here!
A new year always brings about new changes--  Fresh feelings, resolutions, and most noticeably... a suddenly very open (and empty) house.
Does that happen to you all?? You take down all of your Christmas decor and feel like you've suddenly been left in a new, open house with tons more space.

Well that change brought about this change in the family room...

Early in December, I found these gorgeous tufted chairs at a local furniture store. I had seen similar ones all over the place online, but I knew there was no way I was going to buy chairs online without sitting in them first. So I was so surprised when I found these there and that they were exactly what I was looking for for this space! You may remember what we had in here before...


These chairs were totally fine, but way to small for the area. They remind me more of dining chairs anyway, and not of a soft, family room-ish chair that screams, "Hey you... You come here to me.  No, no. You come here to me."

5 points if you know where that's from. ;)

But seriously, no one ever wanted to sit on them. I wanted something a bit more comfortable and substantial for the space since that side of the room always felt super unbalanced. These are SUPER comfy.


I love how well they work with the tufted coffee table/ottoman as well.

That shot gives you a better idea of how much better they sort of balanced the area.

Well, that, and my new pretty antique "library table".


This table belonged to my great-grandfather. He was a preacher, and used it as a desk where he would sit and write his sermons. There are still pencil marks underneath it where he would "sharpen" his pencils. Really special.
My Grandma used it in her house for years, then when she moved in with my parents, my mother used it in their basement. She recently gave it to me a few months back and I've been searching for the perfect space for it.

I wasn't originally planning on using it here actually. This came about in literally about 5 minutes.
We took down our tree and moved the chairs over to this space. Then, I put the little white tray table I used originally between them. You may remember (in this post) I had moved it up to the guest bedroom while the tree was up. Well, it was WAY too small. It worked fine with the smaller chairs, but it looked too tiny between these. Plus, it was just too many lighter shades. Using this table crossed my mind, but I was convinced it would be much too large. Turns out, it worked perfectly!

...and I still was able to use my little tray table! Well, a part of it at least. The prettiest part.


The little tray top detached from the bottom so I centered it on the table. I think it works perfectly!


As far as styling everything else, I kept what was actually in the tray exactly the same, and added some lamps from target I've had forever. They were packed up, all sad and unused. I couldn't bear to part with them at our last garage sale. Glad I didn't!
They actually match the lamps on the other side of the room pretty well! These are a bit smaller and not actually glass. The larger ones on the sides of the couch are a bit nicer, but I like the size of these for this space.

Here's a closer shot of the chairs...


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Yup. The outlet had ONE. My mom actually spotted it and said, "That would be cool in the basement."  I don't think she believed me that it was the exact one I had been wanting... So I scooped that baby up at $60.


These are custom pillows that you can order from their website in the colors and fabric of your choosing. These were the only ones they had, in any color. Someone probably returned these, or either the store made the wrong color. Who knows. But get this, they were $8. Yeah. Depending on the color and fabric, these run from $34-$59.  So I'm super excited about them. Not sure where they're going to live yet. I think they'll look nice on our white couch, or even on a pair of accent chairs. They even look cute on the head chairs in the dining room.
So those were all of my great outlet finds. I actually ordered something really awesome from their website last week for the basement. Something I've been looking for for a particular space down there for a while.  There's actually been some progress down there recently! Can't wait to share that soon when it comes!

At the mall, my mom treated me to this precious "hot cocoa" pot from Williams-Sonoma.



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So you may remember in my Christmas decor video (check that out here if you missed it), I mentioned that I was in the middle of painting our kitchen walls.  Well that painting project is DONE and I'm loving our new light and bright kitchen!

























I selected a really warm "greige".  We'll get more into that in a moment, but first let's take a look back at what it looked like before...




You can check out how I created my chalkboard wall in this post.  It's so fun! I don't always plan on having a fancy little creation on there. I just think it's fun for certain holidays when I know we'll be having people over.  The possibilities are endless!

As far as future plans for the kitchen, it's still very much a work in progress. Which I think is what living in a home and making it your own is all about. I love that we still have so much to do over the rest of our lives in this house (yeah, I really don't want to move again...ever), so it's exciting to think we could eventually make it into anything we want over the years.

I really want to update the range hood soon. Maybe add something that looks more custom? Also, eventually update the appliances. Not for stainless for the sake of having stainless because that seems to be what people are thinking is only acceptable now-a-days.  Which is kind of silly to me.  I actually love white appliances when they're done right. Like this and this.  To me, it actually looks more thought-out.

I hate to say this because I hate doing things for the sake of being "trendy" especially in your own home, where decisions should reflect your taste, not someone else's, but I think stainless is kind of losing it's appeal. It seems in most newly-designed kitchens I've seen lately, white has been the popular choice. At our last house, when we re-did our kitchen, we replaced all the appliances with brand new, shiny stainless appliances in our pretty white kitchen. I love the look of that kitchen and I still do. Mostly because we got these amazing smudge-proof stainless by Frigidaire Gallery that have a really professional look without all the upkeep of stainless. I'd make that decision again and again.

But for this kitchen, I want to go another direction. I want it to look a bit warm and homey, while still looking very sleek and designed (eventually)... not like a professional test kitchen...haha.  I know we're going for white when we need to replace anything. Now, there are so many brands that are offering white in some of their best appliances. Right now, I just can't justify replacing appliances that look fine and that work perfectly.
...Well, with the exception of our wall oven, which has done some sketchy things lately.  So we've been giving it the side-eye. But when it does call it quits (hopefully not anytime soon), we'll go with a pretty shiny white like this one.
Our wall oven, range, hood, and dishwasher are original to the house and are about 15 years old. So they make me a little nervous...haha.

Our fridge isn't my favorite, but it's brand new so we'll work with it for a while. Maybe building it in like we did at our last place.

Like I said, lots of plans! But I feel like the wall color made such a difference and is a huge step in the right direction.

So what about you guys? Have you all done any painting projects lately? Isn't it crazy what a difference some paint can make??

Hello, Loves!

So for this week's home decor post, I'm sharing some new updates around here. Well some new, some old. Actually a quick little lighting change up I did (all by myself) a few weeks ago spurred this entire post and sort of triggered me to share lots of the lighting updates we've done around here. Most were done the week we moved in! Some of these are old news to us, but still something I haven't shared yet, so new to the blog, right? ;)

So my point here is that when you move into a home, usually it doesn't reflect your personal style right away. People usually think to change paint colors and of course bring in unique accessories and furniture that reflect their style,  but I've found that a lot of people overlook something that makes a HUGE difference. Lighting.  It can really change the whole feel of your home.
We talk about decor and fun stuff to make your home unique on here all the time, so I can't believe I've never really talked a lot about this subject!

Part of that is because it can get expensive. The other part is because they can be a hassle to install. This post definitely isn't a how-to on that, because the day I start giving electrical advice, I'd probably need to re-think this blog... haha
So we're not even going there. If you're unsure about installing fixtures yourself, hire an electrician to be safe.
Ok, back to the post...

So our house came with builder-grade fixtures. However, they were brand new. So we brought a few fixtures from our last house we loved (the dining room and breakfast area chandeliers) and replaced the ones at the old house with the ones at the new house. The dining room chandelier at our current house was actually really beautiful. Looking back, I kind of wish we would've kept it for the foyer, but the lantern-style fixture in there is really growing on me.  Oh well, it's living at our last house and that's fine by me.

So we'll get to those in a moment, but my point is that we knew we'd want to change out a lot of the "boob" lights. Surely, you know what I mean. No other way to describe them. They look like ceiling-mounted boobs. Not really what I'm going for around here.

So anyway, I'm going to share with you all the fixtures we've added so far, but first I want to share these little guys that inspired the whole "lighting" post.

These are in the little bar area in the basement...


Ugh. that room looks straight up yellow. I will learn how to photograph it one of these days... haha. Until then, imagine it as a pretty tan.

Can you believe I put up those little pendants in less than five minutes??
Ok, don't get too impressed. I cheated a bit- They're a recessed can adapter. They screw in at the top just like a lightbulb. We had these in the kitchen at our last house and the other day it just totally hit me that they would be perfect down there! I got mine from Ballard Designs.  The only catch is that you have to have a recessed (can) light already installed. You just unscrew the bulb at the ceiling and screw in the adapter. Kind of genius.

You may notice the table is gone. Yeah we decided to garage-sale it. I figured it wouldn't really get a ton of use down there. We're still on the hunt for a great bar or maybe a long, taller table that is narrow. So that we can still use bar stools with it. I'll keep you updated!

So speaking of pendant lights... how similar do these look to the ones in the basement??


These are actually hard-wired. We replaced some boob lights with these. We had these in the hall of our previous home too.
But seriously, how cool are the lightbulbs??


They have chrome ends! Pretty awesome. I can't believe we blinded ourselves with regular bulbs in these for so many years. I put these same bulbs in the similar basement fixtures too.

Before we go on, you may notice the little cutie in the laundry room. It was the chandelier in the closet at our last house. I didn't have plans to change the light in there until my dad was over here helping us change out the fixtures and he said, "Hey, let's put it in here."  Good call, dad. Good call.


Seriously how fun is that? Adding a fun little touch like that in a space like a laundry room makes it feel special. I've had this little chandelier for years. I got this one maybe six or seven years ago at Home Depot. I mean, who doesn't want to feel a little fancy doing laundry?

Speaking of fun fixtures (and hanging on to them for years), we added this fun fixture in the little landing area at the top of our stairs in the hallway the week we moved in also.


The hallway is still basically untouched other than the little fixture change up, but I think it made a huge difference!

This guy sat in our garage at our previous house for three years!! I got it on sale at a ridiculous price at a local sale and just held on to it, waiting for the perfect place to put it. Can't believe we never hung it at our last house, but I guess it worked out perfectly!

Here's a very similar one...
This one is nice because it is an actual pendant so you can have some more options.

Next up, the lighting change-up in the kitchen. I have no before photos, because I made it a point to crop the old fixtures out of any photos we took when we moved in. The kitchen was complete with two HUGE ceiling-mounted fluorescent box fixtures. Fluorescent lighting is basically the bane of my existence.
For the few weeks we lived here with them up, I got used to cooking by the light of the chandelier over the breakfast nook and the one recessed light above our sink. It was awful.
So we replaced those with these and have been loving them ever since...



Still contemplating changing the paint in here. It's definitely not as yellow as it looks. It's more true to the backsplash on the left and the front of the island (since those are the same exact colors). Crazy how different it looks up top on camera huh? We think the color is Sherwin Williams Macadamia.
Anyway, those fixtures can be found here.

Ok, so I wasn't planning on going through every changed fixture in the house, but we've come this far, so I guess we'll just keep pushing through! haha
Chandeliers next.

So you may have noticed I changed the chandelier in my closet where I film.


For a tour of this space, check out this post for all the details.

I got such a crazy amazing deal on it (so amazing that they don't seem to be available anymore),  that I purchased two. The other lives in our master bathroom now.


I can't wait to begin the re-do of this room. We've got some HUGE plans to completely makeover the space. Bathroom renovations aren't cheap so this one may come further down the road, but I'm sure you guys know that I'll document all of it here!

I found some similar options below...



Here's our breakfast nook one that we brought from the last house too.


Funny how when we put this one up, it felt more like home.
This one was a great find on Overstock.

For more on the chairs and rug, check out the posts here and here.

And last but not least, my absolute favorite. Our pretty dining room chandelier.

This one is so special to me. It was our first big purchase for our last home. I'll have this one forever. Well, hopefully I'll have all of these forever! But I just love this one so much. It comes without shades, but I added these pretty black ones I found at the Ballard outlet in Atlanta.
Chandelier shades are awesome because you can change the whole look without having to change the whole fixture. You can find inexpensive ones all over the place.

Whew. I totally didn't expect that post to turn into such a doozie.  It's just that I really think lighting is so fun and makes such a huge difference.

So those are just my updates we've made in the lighting department since we've moved in. I'll definitely update you guys as we change any more. We've got LOTS of plans and a ton more to change.  Can't wait to share it all with you!



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