Music Mancave & Vintage Furniture from Charish

Vintage Furniture from Charish

I've finally convinced (after many years of begging and pleading) Evan to let me design his music room.  It hasn't been touched since we moved in because he wanted to make it his own. Nothing really stuck. It was cluttered, random, and didn't function the way he needed it to.

So before we really start working on the room, I thought it would help ease his fears of change and put together a design board. We are huge fans of vintage furniture so when I came across Charish I knew it would be fun to use their pieces to create something that Evan would love.  Charish is an amazing website where design lovers can buy and sell vintage furniture, decor, jewelry and accessories to one another. It's also incredibly addicting!

My husband works in the music industry, and when he's not touring, he is doing something with guitars. Or friends are over recording. Or they came over to jam. Basically what I'm getting at is that there are a lot of dudes being loud and artsy and they need a room to encourage that.

We've established that it needs to be a space that inspires creativity. But it also needs to reflect my husband's personality, gain my approval, and fit with our overall aesthetic.  Luckily, we are huge fans of mixing in the old with the new to create something different and interesting.  Evan loves collecting vintage guitars and gear.  He also has a lot of memorabilia, so the space really needed to compliment all of his loves. Including me. ha!

When designing the music mancave I immediately thought of a beautiful antique rug. Most of his guitars are a variety of wood finishes and his drum set is white. So the red and orange tones in this one would compliment all of his gear really well. Plus, every music room needs a slammin' Persian rug. The curved, gray midcentury sofa practically begs for you to curl up and write sweet heartfelt indie songs with a 5 minute intro. The green chairs bring in an unexpected hit of color, provide extra seating for friends, and make my designer heart happy because they are Milo Baughman.  I want to marry them. So, there's that... The coffee table brings in much needed texture and the Art Deco dresser provides storage for strings and guitar parts. What guy doesn't want to store his tools in an Art Deco dresser, am I right?!

The art is not only really fun and graphic, but helps tie in the green chairs. I really like the Farrow & Ball Lotus wallpaper because it provides much needed drama and is a little unexpected. It works with the rug because it's dark, but the pattern has a more modern feel so it goes great with the sofa. The pillows add some cheeky personality and hint at the whole music vibe without just yelling "THE ROLLING STONES MAKE SENSE BEAUSE IT'S A MUSIC ROOM!" Finally I had to use the Brass Starburst Chandelier because it's a total conversation piece. It's the first thing that you will see, and you are going to want to talk about it! Or I will talk to you about it and tell you stories about why it completes me and makes me want to weep tears of joy.

After I was finished with the design, I showed Evan and he really did love it. So it is totally approved.  Just imagine guitars all over the place and me in the corner hugging one of the Milo Baughman chairs to complete the whole deal. It was a blast working with items from Charish to come up with a design that is fun and super unique.  I am a huge believer in vintage and it's ability to take your design to a whole different level!

*This was not a paid partnership opportunity-I really just love Charish and love Vintage Furniture!

Bread Making-November

I've been working like crazy on a new venture with a dear friend (Lindsay from The Bungalow Nest ) called Coterie Creative and totally missed November here! And we will forget about missing baking an October bread. Can you count pies? I've made a lot of pies lately...

This bread is an Amish Cinnamon Bread & it is so easy. And super tasty. It makes a lot, so you can totally share with a friend. When I was thinking about a bread for November, I immediately thought of something with pumpkin. But lately, I have been burned out on pumpkin things! What?! I never thought that would happen! So my next thought was cinnamon which is such an amazing compliment to your early morning coffee. The top is a cinnamon sugar crust that makes you want to kiss a stranger.

I would've tried something a little harder and more involved, but I had one day left in November and really wanted to have this around the house! There is talk of freezing rain here, so this will be perfect for cold mornings. Just a warning to strangers walking down our street- I might bust out of my doors and plant one on your lips.

Chocolat Inspired Birthday Dinner

Have you ever seen the movie Chocolat with Johnny Depp? If not, go rent it now! It is one of my favorite movies in this world and recently I've forced everyone I love to watch it. There is this beautiful scene where she has an outdoor dinner party filled with the perfect music and company. I could live in that scene, I swear. 

So after talking about this scene for months, this birthday dinner had to happen. It was thrown together last minute, which I like to imagine would be exactly what Caroline Clairmount would do. I picked up some sunflowers, hauled the record player outside, and made sure there was a lot of food.  We talked and laughed in between candle light for hours. It was a perfect night to bid 25 goodbye. 

This nook behind our garage is going to get a lot of attention this year as the nights come faster and the air gets chilly. I am already itching to have an evening like this again!

Kentucky in Instagram

Kentucky you are a dream. Here's a little recap of some of the fun things we did and saw while taking our annual trip! I'm already missing it!

1. Cotton picking 2. Forever pumpkins 3. Jumping photos, they are the best. 4. More pumpkins. This time from an Amish farm 5. An amazing barn sale full of vintage and handmade. 6. My favorite barn I saw there. 7. Delicious local soda that tastes like Holiday Pepsi. Has anyone had that before?! I miss you HP. That applies to Harry Potter and Holiday Pepsi. 8. Bikes with flowers for the win. 9. Old bridges and a minimal closet outfit

Halloween Crow Wreath

Decorating for Halloween has always been high on my list. I am an October baby (actually tomorrow is my birthday!) and so it's near and dear to my heart. And although I love decorating for Halloween, I never seem to find the right wreath for our door.

That and birds seem to love to build nests in them. Hey guys, can you stop that? Thanks in advance.

Enter this Crow Origami Wreath. It feels a little creepy, and a little modern. So I am down with it all Halloween long. *Also side note, did you know that the comma after and (like- and, blah blah) is called the Oxford comma? I guess a lot of people get super fired up about it because some feel like it's not needed. I always use it because I love the controversy. So welcome to my controversial blog! Actually I just use it because I've always used it. So...

Crow Wreath!

 Supplies, yo.
-Black Ribbon
-White Ribbon
-Scissors
-Floral Picks
-Hot Glue
-Styrofoam Wreath
-Black Paper

I had the floral picks already, but I would say that overall this costs about $15! Which is a steal, I tell you!

I spray painted my wreath before wrapping it with ribbon, just in case something a little white peaked through. But that is totally optional.  All you do is wrap the ribbon around the form while securing it with hot glue.

 I did the same thing with the white ribbon, but spaced it out to get the stripes. You can totally opt out of the white ribbon if you are just going for coverage. I just wanted it to have a little more of a modern look.

Fold yo cranes, or in this case crows! I followed this video to refresh my memory and then just folded them while watching Vampire Diaries and other ridiculous tv shows. This can be a little time consuming, but by breaking it up it doesn't seem so bad. Plus, who doesn't love origami?!

After you have your cranes folded, you can stick the floral picks in them. These are metal so they stab through the paper relatively easy. Then place your cranes on the wreath. Every so often, I would hang my wreath on a door and stand back to make sure I was filling in all the gaps. Leave a small space at the top so you can finish it off with a ribbon to hang it.

There ya go! I would suggest keeping this bad boy inside if you don't have a covered entrance.  I'm in the process of making another one because of our whole french door situation. That and I really do have a thing for origami. Happy folding!

Kentucky

Last Wednesday, we hit the road for adventure. Kentucky style. There was a lot of antiquing, pumpkin picking, and fried green tomatoes. My mom, sister and aunts do this little trip every year and we always come back with big dreams of front porches and the smell of tobacco fields on our clothes.

 I'll be back later this week to share some more fun details and photos! Have a good Monday!!

Apple Harvesting

The first day of fall was celebrated harvesting apples at my parent's farm. How cliche! We gathered in my mom's kitchen over apple peelers and lemon juice talking about all the things we are going to make. Apple Butter, apple sauce, apple crisp, apple pie filling, ect. Only to find out that none of us really like most of that stuff and just prefer apple accordions. You know, what the apples look like after you peel them. There you have it!

We also decided that my parent's need to name their farm and have a sign. Being that their chickens now lay eggs and they straight up dedicate a week to harvesting all the apples from their small orchard. It's time to go ahead and make it official. All we could think of is semi inappropriate names in-between bites of apples. 

And it really occurs to me that I am in love with my family. Apples and all. 

Hope you have a wonderful weekend full of your loved ones and swear words.

Entryway Design

I started working with Ali and her husband, Aaron, a couple of months ago. And just a disclaimer that they are awesome and hip. And hilarious. They also have the cutest dogs. So basically, they are dream clients.

Anyway...They are newlyweds who recently built an amazing house, but they just wanted a some zing. It just felt a little too "new build blah" and they are way far from blah.  We started with the entryway, because it can really pack a punch and set the tone for the whole house.

Ali really loves a pop of color, so the ceiling inset was a perfect place to incorporate something fun and dramatic. The navy immediately grabs your attention when you walk in and draws your eyes upward to the funky lighting and copper medallion. We wanted to bring some of the navy to the floor to make it a little more cohesive, so we chose a graphic rug with blue tones.

Let's talk about this art and how I'm obsessed with it. First off, I love designing spaces, but what I am really passionate about is collaborating with clients.  The art is totally Ali. We were pinning images back and forth until she found this one. I mean all I can say is mic drop. And that is why I love collaborating.

The table brings in the midcentury feel that they love. We kept the accessories minimal and refined because we didn't want to overpower the space. As far as setting a tone, we totally achieved it. And if it is any testament, I got a text from Ali saying that a girl came over to pick up a table from craigslist and she told her that it was the coolest house she's ever been in. And I totally agree. This space really shows off their personalities and reflects their style.

We are finishing up her master bathroom currently and moving on to the dining and living room spaces. The house is getting a fresh coat of white paint in October and it's really going to show off all of her amazing furniture and accessories. Her new table is so, so good. As in I want to hang out and eat breakfast with them in the mornings. Would that be weird? I can't wait to share the rest when we are finished!




P.S. Send me an email if you are wanting design help! I would love to work with you! I offer a huge array of services from Pinterest Boards to hourly and room rates. I am working on getting all the information up in a separate tab, but you know how that all goes!

Master Bathroom Update

Something super pretty and hip and modern and amazing happened to our master bathroom on Friday! Phase two of our bathroom redo (ultra scary and embarrassing before photos here) is finished and I have been raising the roof all weekend.  I knew I wanted an accent wall of some sort and am so happy I decided (when I say I it means Evan was like "sure") to go with this awesome pergo flooring in Orchard Plum from Lowes.

I ended up ordering two mirrors from West Elm and love how they fill up the space. Not to mention that whole awkward area is now completely functional. As in I am putting my makeup on in front of it because I can actually get close enough to see!  Also, if you are building a house or needing to replace your mirrors, please order these.  I can't brag enough about how heavy and well made these are.  Before they were hung I made everyone try and lift them while saying "AREN'T THESE SO SOLID?" I apologize for my actions, friends. Oh and you can't beat the price.

One thing I wasn't really anticipating was the height that the wood wall added to the room.  The ceiling feels like it was lifted 2'.  I really dig the grain and color of the wood. It feels very modern hotel meets simple nature girl.  Which was my nickname in high school. So what's next? Why I have this cool little diagram for you.

My main focus is on what color to paint the base cabinet.  Originally I thought about staining it, but I am thinking that painting it is the way to go.  I keep going back and forth between white, black, and dark grey.  What do you guys think?

Then of course I need to change the terrible strobe lighting. I have a hunch that they didn't center the light above the sink, so I am really going to have to figure that little joy out.  That being said! The bathroom is SO much better to brush your teeth in now. The wood accent wall turned out amazing and I couldn't love the direction this whole thing is headed any more.  So basically what I am trying to say is come over and brush your teeth in my bathroom. :) Happy Monday!

Bread Making-September

Cooking involves me heating things in the microwave. Namely leftovers...From Resteraunts...I can cook, but I just don't jump out of bed in the morning for it if you know what I mean?  I actually do like baking, but is totally a seasonal thing with me.  I rarely make cookies unless they are going to be bats with goggly eyes for Halloween or pies for our yearly pie party. The only real reason I can get away with this is because my best friend is an amazing baker and she feeds me her treats at all times.

Anyways...I have always had a fascination with bread making. It's like on another level of Martha Stewart.  "Oh your cake is good. WAIT DID YOU MAKE BREAD? HOW DID YOU DO THAT?!" I mean that's how I feel about it anyways.  So here's my new goal-I plan on baking a different loaf of bread once a month for a year. That way I can really experience this whole bread making thing.  Plus I hope I come across some recipes that I will make forever.

For September, I made a a no knead bread.  The process was super simple and the bread turned out delicious! My friend Blake, who is a boss at bread making, told me about using your dutch oven to get the perfect crust.  So I was really excited that this recipe used that process. And the crust twas chewy and perfect. Plus it shapes your bread into the most beautiful artisan circle, causing people to believe you are magic.

I love setting tiny little goals like this. It's nice to set aside a little time to fine tune something random and new.  Like the time I made root beer floats out of different sodas all summer.  I should do that again...Do you guys set mini goals? I'd love to hear them!

California Recap

Since this trip turned into something a little unexpected, we were able to rent a car and drive all around California which was absolutely beautiful.  We devoted one day to the beach where we drove through the mountains, stopping whenever we felt like it to take pictures and soak up the view.  I was totally devoted to swimming until I stuck my feet in the water. It was freezing. So, the rest of the day was spent chasing the tide and trying not to fall. 

While Evan was in rehearsals, I was able to spend a lot of time with my cousin Mattie who lives there.  We walked around the Venice Canals which is this neighborhood of amazing houses that face a series of canals.  Can you imagine waking up and drinking your coffee on your rowboat? I mean...This is what life is for! We went back at night with Evan and it was even better.  Twinkle lights everywhere, people sitting on their back porch with their living room doors thrown open talking about their art shows.  It was all very romantic.  

I had the best diner coffee of my life at a retro place called Franks Restaurant. It was this wonderful midcentury style place with deep tufted leather booths. They just happened to be closing early because they were filming a movie inside. Our sweet waitress told us that they filmed "Gone Girl" there.  I actually just finished the book and was excited for the movie, but now I am even more stoked to spot our little place.  I hope they sat in the same booth that we did!