Marcie and a Houzz Ideabook: Boys

This is a weird title. Explain.

Marcie, my great friend, has 3 boys. They all do every sport known to man. Every season. This comes with an abundance of "gear". Otherwise known as "crap all over the floor so someone trips and kills themselves".
She has found a way to wrangle it all, and that is her own LOCKER ROOM (this is not her locker room--pics coming soon!)

Get out! (Insert Elaine shoving a Seinfeld cast member)

Yes. Locker Room. Apparently, other people have done this, and I'm hooking you up with some peeks at this "sports-stuff wrangling" method, right here. Check out this Houzz ideabook, and watch for more on Marcie and her Locker Room!!

Fall: Rosie-Style

Let's all welcome Rosie. She is my 2nd or 3rd mother...I've lost track. She follows this blog faithfully (most important fact) and is my BFF's mom (second most important fact).

She attended my blogging class on Saturday, and discovered some new things, but prior to that, she sent me pics of her gorgeous house decked out for fall, that I'd like to share:

Rosie, luckliy, was able to nab a batch of those flameless candles from Costco that I referenced, here, and she snazzed them up with this great fall ribbon.

I think she normally has floating candles in these hurricanes, but they are lovely-awesome with these fall orange candles and some garland/wreath around.

Just so you all know, Rosie and her super husband, Galen, live right on Lake Sammamish. Its a beautiful lake here in the Seattle area, and even when its raining its so serene....so she doesn't need a lot of snazzing!

Rosie is also a pot expert. No, not that kind of pot. (Cracking myself up...its late)....

 Flowerpots. She always has stunning pots all summer, and now has these festive fall mums, along with some friends.

Feel free to send me what you're doing...I'd love to see it!

xoxo, Rosie!

Update on a Post: Housecall to Kim's Living Room

You may remember this post I did a few months ago. It was a Housecall to my friend Kim's living room. To remind you, here's a pic of her room, then:

She recently sent me some updated phots, of some of the changes they'd made:

Yowzee! Better, right? Don't those cream club chairs tone things down a bit, and the curtains really add some softness!

Here's what Kim had to say:

I wanted to give you a quick update on the living room status….progress is happening!  Trying to work within the budget and while things are going slower than I expected I found some good finds the past couple weeks I am excited to share with you!  I found two great club chairs in a beautiful white/some khaki color weaved in thru a gal that was selling furniture used for staging.  They replaced the two wicker and big pink floral chair. HUGE difference just there.   I was going to spray paint the wicker chairs but these are a  bit bigger than I excepted and work well just the two of them.  Then finally I found the curtains I wanted at the price I could afford (great sale!). They are similar to the ones you pointed us to. I think you will like them.  Hard to tell in the picture as it doesn’t really do it justice but they have the circle shapes on them and really finish/soften the living room windows.  I also found a few table runners that compliment the chairs and curtains for over the top of the piano and side table. 

For our anniversary we ordered one of these Family Rule signs I saw on pintrest (totally addicted!).   They let you customize it to your family so we changed out a few things.

It is 4x2 and will fit perfectly on the wall the couch faces with the side table on it. I think it will go really nicely with the chairs and curtains!

Next up from all the great ideas you gave me:  change out the 3 lamps, figure out the décor on the piano (decided to decorate with vintage cameras thru the room), redo the picture wall and eventually get a black couch.  May need to do a black slip cover for now…the sage green isn’t horrible and it will work for the time being. We are adding another room right now so funds have  been going in that direction.  I think the other things will help a lot though!  Just the chairs and window treatment change the look so much… I would love to have you over again once school starts if you would be up for that to get your thoughts on the little décor stuff we talked about and see what I get finished on my to do list. Then we can update your  housecall with new pics! :) 

Thanks SO much again for the direction and inspiration!  We have clearly had no direction for that room. It was fun to finally hang curtains after all these years. Oh the things that get me excited! :) The downstairs is all starting to flow together better now. It’s fun to see how it’s coming along little by little. The lamps and picture wall will make a big difference to hopefully tie everything together while we wait on the couch.

Thanks for the great update, Kim!! Looks great!

Haven's Housecalls: Suzann's Living Room

Here we are with another housecall. Quite a few of these this summer, and my kids have loved running around town giving decor advice playing in other people's backyards.

So, down to business...this is Suzann's living room. She is my good friend, who is also a military momma. She and her husband have lived in like 8 places in the 15 or 16 years they've been married. They will be in Seattle for 2 more years, then head on back to Colorado. We will miss her, but might as well get this room in shape, while we're at it...

This is a beautiful two story front room

With completely white walls and lots of natural light.

Not sure if you can see in these pictures, but her husband is super into stuff like Tommy Bahama. (see lamp, prints, etc).

Apparently, the originaly owner was an architect who used lots of cool angles, etc.

So, you got it? Here's what I suggest:

1. Slipcover the red. Its pretty powerful, and in the perfect "environment" would be fine, but its pretty red in this particular environment. It also doesn't speak to the Tommy Bahama look.

2. Move this chair (in above photo) to replace recliner in this photo (below)

3. I also think they should move scooch the sectional toward the window wall just a tad. It would allow more breathing room around the fireplace.

Then, while we're here, I think they should slide the bookcase (above) over to center over the sectional, reposition the prints to surround the bookcase, then add something tall on top of bookcase to balance the whole thing, while filling the space with proper scale in mind. Whew!

Let's talk slipcover and other decor....

This is an Ikea sectional, and they have a khaki slipcover, like this:

Sorry for all the "dead" space...Ikea pictures just do this, and I'm too lazy to cut it down. Ok. Then, some more Tommy-esque stuff:

Ok, before you freak....these are bolder than I would normally suggest, but this girl has a bright red couch in her family room...they can certainly handle these apple green geometric curtains. It would add some pop to the rest of the khaki, and would add the green necessary for the Tommy-look.

I would love to see some more texture in there, with something woven:

Yes, I know this is a laundry basket, but what's stopping her from putting a great big green plant in this, and setting it on top of the bookcase. Awesome!

Now for some throw pillows with all that khaki...

Pop of color amongst all that khaki and green...

Add some red back in for some more color, and a nod in the leafy Tommy direction. Voila!

Happy decorating, Suzann!! xoxo

Haven's Housecalls: Nicole's Masterbedroom

Yeah!! I got to visit my friend, Nicole, who is also my fab.u.lous. Uppercase Living rep!!

I dropped in to do a Housecall, today, to see what we could wrangle for her Master bedroom.

Uh, are you kidding me? It looks pretty good...

Here's the good, then I'll give you the tweakers:

1. Nice, calming atmosphere.

2. All the furniture matches and looks like its meant to go together.

3. Neat and not in need of decluttering (this is where I start w/ decor...)

Tweakers:

1. Everything matches a little too much for Nicole's taste. What can she do to darken some things, or make it not feel so matchy matchy?

2. Curtains.

3. To headboard or to get a complete bed?

4. More softness....

Here are a few suggestions, to work with what she already has:

They have a khaki/white/pale blue theme going on. She has these three as a stripe on the bed. They need a "floral", but to maintain the good masculine/feminine balance in the master, I'm choosing this super popular Ikat pattern from West Elm. I would do a nice dark oil rubbed bronze rod, w/ either 84 or 96" panels.

I completely love this headboard. Nicole said her husband wanted a sleigh bed, but unfortunately, they take up a lot of space in a room. This adds some great texture, and different warm wood tone to their room.

Its fine to "mix woods", in a room, as long as you repeat it a couple of times, so you can tell you were trying to be intentional.

Other random things: art over their bed.

Nicole's husband is a graphic designer, so he's kind of artsy and picky....so, they default to family pictures. This is another "artsy" take on something personal, from RedLetterWords that would function as art, but be sentimental and personal. Just a thought....

Other than that, and maybe adding something "green", like a houseplant in a nice pot, on one of the dressers, I think this space looks pretty darn good!!!

xoxo Nicole!

Haven's Housecalls: Heather's Family Room and Toy Re-Org

So, this little adventure is running me ragged. Why did I say I would do this? Hmmm.....anyhoo.

Here's Heather's Living Room, soon to be Family room, while her Family room becomes the living room, but really the toy room. Follow?

Well, buckle up. She is 9+ months preggo with #4, and in no mood to be trifled with. I didn't have the heart to tell her, but here we go.....

Meet the Living Room, aka 3 boys toy room. This looks fun if you're 5, but for a husband and wife who'd like to relax after a long day, entertain some friends, or just have peace when they walk in the front door, this is not ideal.

Here's the more peaceful "adult" family room, that Heather is going to flip with the living room. I think this is a great idea. As you can see, in the distance, on either side of the mantel are some great builtins.

You might also notice that there are a lot of shelves in the builtins. One suggestion is to take out a few of those, to allow for some taller toys, books, etc. The shelves are fairly shallow, but I'm sure one of those great organizing stores would have some bins that would fit nicely.

Heather has a few "extraneous" pieces of furniture. You can see the bookcase to the left of the leather chair is kind of bigger and not really needed. By editing (nice word for decluttering) a few things and pieces of furniture, I think this furniture would fit well into the living room.

When you have 4 kids, all under the age of 8, in a semi-small house, its inevitable that the niceties (ie candles, extra family phots, dried roses, etc) will have to go. Only the essentials...only what's "Mission

Critical"!

Also, when I had kids this age, I used to take away at least half the toys, store in the garage, then magically bring them back in in about 3-6 months, and take away the "old"/boring toys.

Obviously, Heather's family (extended) has given them lots of toys. One idea is to ask (at birthdays and Christmas) for "experiential" gifts, ie zoo, Children's Museum, or tickets to a Children's theatre. This could help cut down on the extra toys, and still have something the kids would enjoy that's somewhat different than the norm.

As you can see, she already has a cute red accent wall, great khaki paint, and some nice curtains off there in the distant. Once all these toys are cleared out, put away/orgainzed down in the family room, this living room will sing with its former glory.

Its so hard when you're in the final stages of (any) pregnancy, but especially when its your fourth! Ugh!

Heather, put your feet up, have a cup of coffee, and deal with this, this summer when all the kids can go outside to play and the baby's napping! xo xo

Haven's Housecalls: Kelly's Master Bedroom

Yeah! I haven't done a Master bedroom, yet, on housecalls...here we go.

Why is it that the Master is the last room to be done, in one's house? Its because no one ever goes in there, except "Mommy and Daddy".....

Well, here's Kellys.....again, a room that needs to go from "good to great!"

Ok, so things that are great:

1. Nice, new, and solid bed.

2. Nice, newer bedding that she likes.

3. Great, nice, newer dresser, mirror and ONE side table (still working on getting the 2nd).

Things that make this room difficult:

1. Those two tiny windows on either side of the bed.

2. Husband is a big reader, and they have a big bookshelf crammed with books (not pictured)

3. No time to do projects (3 little kids...3 under 5!)

Haven's Quick Fixes:

1. Take down scones, and place to the outside of the little windows.

2. Put up curtains (see below) on big window

3. Put up mirror (from dresser) over bed

4. Get nice print for over dresser (break up sets!!) (see below)

5. Add some throw pillows.

6. More art on surrounding walls.

7. "Snazz" bookcase"

DONE!!

Here are the actual items I'm suggesting:

Curtain panels for big window (Ballard Designs) The background color is similar to the wall color, so it would just add some texture, without adding too much going on. The darker stripe adds just a little interest, without being too busy.

Two of these, over the dresser. Kind of whimsical and feminine, yet the choppy nature of them are slightly masculine, as well. They come in different sizes. (CostPlus)

Love these, from West Elm!!! (Either one would work with Kelly's room)

This top shade, a nice solid, would work well with their taupe and lavender bedding. You can always mix and match bedding...it doesn't have to come in a matched set. Kelly should use these as a Euro (square) sham, to add to her standard shams and quilt.

Alright....what else? What else? I think that's good.

We all have those bins of kids books, piles of laundry, etc, but if the "basics" of your master are taken care of, then you will find it to be a retreat at the end of a long day!

Good luck!







Haven's Housecalls: Malia's Living Room

Yeah! I was so excited when I saw this room.

Great teal paint color. Great solid furniture. No clutter. What's not to love....

This is Malia's living room. It just needed a little lovin'.

Let's talk about what's great.

1. Awesome scale to the mirror over the fireplace. That is what its supposed to look like, people!

2. Nice, quality, NEUTRAL furniture. Yes!

3. Interesting, but not obnoxious area rug.

There are only a few things I'd do to up the "great" quotient...

Furniture up against the walls: Lots of people do this. Malia has done this partially because her kids play on the rug, but she said she's ready to be done with that.

Here's another angle of the room

To fix this, the couch should go on the opposite wall (where the chair is now), and have the black console (here) behind the couch.

She can add two chunky lamps there, to add some more light. Like this ($50 at Pier 1):

Then, the two black cubes they are currently using as end tables can be butted up together to be the new "coffee" table. Lastly, the chair and ottoman can move in front of the window at an angle. She does need one more accent chair, curtains, and a few more accessories.

Here is an awesome rounded accent chair ($499) from West Elm The reason I saw rounded is because she has a lot of square stuff going on, and its nice to break it up.

See the close up of the fabric below.

Curtains fabric: This is from my fave place, Lewis and Sheron. This fabric is $35/yard, which is a little spendy, but she will only need 5 yards. I wanted to offer another suggestion besides store bought curtains. Malia said that she and her husband bought curtains, sheers, and rods from Pottery Barn, and took it all back due to buyer's remorse, after spending almost $1000. This will only set you back $170 plus construction. ($40/panel). These would stand open all the time (you don't need to have them functional when you have blinds the way Malia does.

In terms of choice of fabric, I've been on a "match a texture fabric to my wall paint" kick. She has those beautiful teal walls, and those are the bang for the buck. Any window treatments shouldn't compete with the wall color or, specifically, that area rug.

Other than a few wall art pieces, like this (ooooh! scrump!), I think she's good to go. Doesn't this art have so much life and light to it? Its only $129 at CostPlus! Love it!!

I really hope these housecalls are helping you see that there's no magic to this. Just thinking the room all the way through to the end is the key. Mixing colors, textures, and adding color in the right spots.

Happy Decor!

Haven's Housecalls: Kim's Living Room

My friend, Kim, was so sweet to let me crash her house yesterday, to give some thoughts on her living room. She and her husband are just finishing up a gorgeous kitchen renovation, and you know when something at your house looks awesome, it makes everything else around it look just o.k....hmmm...

This is "Living Room USA"....literally everyone has a living room like this, has had a living room like this, or knows someone with a living room like this. Its not bad, but as I said about the kitchen, its just looking a little tired now, comparatively.

They've been married for 17 years, and have resorted to using the slipcover to cover all those blue and white gingham 1990's plaid couches. You know you have one too! We all do. The rest is a combination of hand-me-downs both from other people or from other rooms around the house.

Kim also has some "trouble spots", like an upright piano (difficult design-wise), and some too-small accessories, as well as outdated lamps.

My goal with "Housecalls" is to use real life houses, in order to make recommendations, that you might use in your own house. Not everything will apply, but some will. It will get perfected over time, hopefully!

So, here's a design board, with some suggestions (sorry for the small numbering...you'll figure it out!):

1. This great circular mirror (Pier1) would add some shape differential in between the two picture ledges. All the square lines of the frames get to be overwhelming, and this would finish out the photo wall over the couch.

2. Update the slipcover to a slate gray, or save up for a great dark couch, like this, from Ikea, for only $499 (Karlstad)

3. Use these gorgeous geometic curtain panels from Ballard Design, to add softeness to the windows. (in charcoal)

4. This paisley pillow from Pier 1 would be an inexpensive way to add great color and style to the new white chair (#6), as well as the updated (spray painted) wicker chairs. Its a way to bring the blues and greens from the family room, into the newly updated living room.

5. This whimsical green short bolster could be used (a pair of them) on the couch. It would soften the otherwise modern/sleek couch, and bring in more of the greens.

6.Then, instead of the floral rocker, she could add a crisp white chair, also from Ikea (Ektorp $249)

In terms of the wicker chairs (seen here) in the bay window....

 

My suggestion on those, is to get spray paint in a warm taupe or gray, and recover the/make cushions in cream or white. Again, adding the aforementioned throw pillows.

Her lamps were somewhat dated, and didn't match, but that can easily be a fake out by updating the shades to cream or white drum shades. When the shades match, most people don't notice that the bases don't. The brass lamp base could quicly be sprayed with ORB (Oil Rubbed Bronze), a tried and true solution to dated brass.

Additionally, I did suggest that she blow up some of those great pictures, and arrange them differently on the wall, to make more of a feature wall, picture-wise, as you can't really see any one picture very well due to their small size.

As you could see, they have a bay window, which people are always a little freaked out about. The reality is, is that its not a problem. You need two short rods, with a panel to each outside window, then a longer rod in the middle with two panels. Four total panels. Easy-peasy.

What else, what else....a little accessorizing on the coffe table, and I think we're good to go.

Thanks Kim, for inviting everyone in to your house! Good luck. Watch for a future posting on what she did to update.

Haven's Housecalls: Trish's mantel

Brace yourself. Here's Trisha's mantel

Isn't this amazingly huge and different? Its just in a regulation family room, but remember, this is my Texas friend. So...like they say, everything's bigger in TX!

She's asked me for some ideas, and it sort of has a whole different personality than just your regular brick, ho-hum mantel. It feels like it needs something more massive.

Here are few pics of mantels I've done

(pardon the dark pic...camera phone!)

But, I thought I'd whip up a Houzz Ideabook, again, for you to see what others have done...just to get the ideas flowing.

 Here it is! Browse through to see different options!

Thanks for letting me help, Trish. Hope you can find something suitable for your beautiful stone mantel, down South!