Curtain Making

I just finished making this pair of

navy curtains for a friend/client

of mine.

(shown in my little girls room)

They are for her little boys room,

he has the Star Wars bedding from

Pottery Barn

And his room is painted light blue,

so the navy ties right in!

Now that they are complete

I can enjoy my long weekend,

and I hope you do too!

Lonny+ West Elm

Lonny Magazine and West Elm are

pairing up and giving away a $10,000

room makeover.

Go HERE to submit photos of your space!

Speaking of Lonny, check out this

"kids office" they featured.

I love it, especially the bookshelves.

I have dreams about having bookshelves

like that some day.

Book Review- Home Rules

My sister and her husband just bought

their first home and we were discussing paint

colors the other day.

People who have been renters for a few years

seem to go a little paint crazy once they have

the freedom to choose their wall color.

Nate Berkus has a few good tips in his book

Home Rules that I thought applied well.

1. Don't be afraid to experiment with colors.

Sometimes it's the only way to find out what

colors you really love and can live with.

2. Try out my rule of four: One color, top to

bottom, can be a bore, two might work, three

can be interesting, four adds up to a rich,

sophisticated scheme

3. Your clothes closet often knows best.

If you feel comfortable wearing a particular

color, you'll probably feel comfortable living

with a shade of the same color.

4. Paint is cheap and changeable, and it

creates a rich result.

5. Try out your paint coors in the rooms where

they'll be used before you make an all-out

commitment.

6. Remember three things if your going to paint

it yourself: prep, prep, prep

7. To play it safe, keep walls and major pieces

neutral, then add color in the details. A patterned

pillow is a lot less risky than a set of boldly

upholstered dining chairs.

8. Unify your fabric and paint story.

Collect all the pieces of the puzzle on a story

board to see if you like the mix before you play

the decorating game.

9. When in doubt, men's suiting colors such as

camel, navy, gray, and crisp white are

reliable choices.

10. Use lighing to create mood and

influence the colors in your space.

Number 8 is probably my favorite tip. I love the

look of layered spaces that you can add to over

time, but in general you should have an overall

color scheme in mind BEFORE you start

painting and picking out furniture.

Once you have your large pieces taken care of,

then you can add more life and color to the

space with accessories.

This book was a fun read and had some

great tips and ideas for designing spaces

as well as some great inspiration photos.

Oh and the multiple photos of Nate

throughout the book were nice too!

Anthro's DIY Hardware Tool

Have you seen Anthropologie's new

DIY Hardware Tool?

you can play around with hardware on

cabinets, desks, and dressers.

I designed this little dresser and I think

it would be PERFECT in my living room

under a flat screen TV mounted to the wall,

and wall mounted lamps on either side.

Go on and check it out, and leave the link to

your creations as a comment, I'd love to

see what you came up with!

Before and After- Kitchen

Here is a kitchen design I did while I was

working full time at a design firm.

It was one of the first projects of mine that

I designed and then saw come to life.

There's nothing quite like the feel of

seeing a design completed after working

so hard on it.

Here's the before plans that I drew up

in AutoCAD.

(unfortunately I misplaced the pics)

It was a large space, but it just

didn't have a good layout.

There was a lot of wasted space.

So after working with the client,

we came up with this plan

And here is the completed kitchen.

Oh how I miss designing kitchens!

Book Review- Shoestring Chic

I recently checked out this book at

my local library thinking it looked

cute, and might have some fun ideas.

Well... don't judge a book by the cover.

I was very unimpressed by the book

and even though I like the look of country

and shabby chic decor,

this just didn't do it for me.

I wouldn't recommend going out of your

way to check this one out.

But don't worry, I just checked out a few

more books and I'm much happier

with the ideas and inspiration I found,

so stay tuned next week for another

book review.

Check This Out-Bathroom Renovation

One of my friends from design school recently

finished a bathroom remodel in her home.

She lives in this charming 1940's home

which came with one not-so-charming

bathroom.

Here's the before:

outdated, and boring

Here's the during:

more during:

and after!!

new toilet, new paint, new trim, new

lighting, new window coverings,

new accessories,

new subway tiles in shower

and new travertine floors.

And it's beautiful!

I know this transformation took a

lot of hard work, but with a reasonable

budget, they made a HUGE improvement!

Don't you love it?

Nautical Nursery Design

This is the nursery I was working on last

weekend in Salt Lake City.

And thanks to Danielle's tips we

were able to find lots of great ideas!

Here's the inspiration board I put

together for the nursery:

1. PBK Darcy Changing Table from

DownEast Home

2. We found these GREAT oars at

Home Goods similar to these

3. Cute blue lanterns found at

Emilie Jayne

4. Blue Sailboat also at

Emilie Jayne

5. Land of Nod Rocker in Navy

from DownEast Home

6. Navy upholstery on rocker

7. DIY rope lamp

8. Sofia navy and white stripe

fabric from Ikea used to

upholster ottoman and cribskirt

9. PBK Harper Crib that

client already owns

This little boy is due in just one month,

so let's hope this nursery gets finished in time!

I can't wait to see what she decides to use.

Book Review- domino

I recently checked out this book from

my library and enjoyed every bit of it!

It was page after page of inspiration

and some great tips.

Here are their 9 tips on getting

started on a design

1. find inspiration

2. determine your style

3. consider how you'll use the room

4. assess your stuff

5. draw up a floor plan

6. set a budget

7. research, research, research

8. create a design scheme

9. make a decorating schedule

I graduated from design school 3 years ago,

but I still enjoy reading design books

and finding inspiration for new projects.

If you need help with designing a

space email me for pricing information.

This Aint Your Mommas Wallpaper

I heart wallpaper.

I'm not talking about the 1970's kind,

I'm talking about the new and improved!

Like this:

which is currently on sale at Land of Nod for

$14.95 a roll!

It would be perfect in an entryway,

or a small powder room.

Or how about this one:

It's a little more fun and modern.

Cute for an accent wall in a nursery, playroom

or even the back of a bookcase!

What do you think?

Thumbs up or thumbs down when it

comes to wallpaper?

A Wedding Cake

Well the wedding was beautiful, and

I survived making the wedding cake.

Here's how it turned out:

and another view:

And me with the cake.

I'm sure glad that's over!

I will be back with our regular scheduled

design posts tomorrow!

Celeb Style

Check out Sarah Jessica Parker's New York

living room.

image Elle Decor

I love everything in this space, especially

the fern prints and the two Lack side tables

from Ikea used as a coffee table.

It's great to know that even celebrities shop

at Ikea. Those side tables are so versatile and

are a whopping $7.99 a piece.