Mirror Mirror

I saw this little round mirror at Home Goods and it quickly found a way into my basket (one of the great mysteries of shopping). I'd love to find more of them -- being an overstock store, they only had the one! For now it's hanging up in the guestroom looking pretty in place of an old frame.

A Guest Nook

I'm not sure what you'd call this besides well, a guest nook, because that's all it really is. A bed in a corner. For those times when the guestroom or the floor of the loft are already claimed (since friends & family tend to be overnight guests from out of town).

I made just enough room in the corner of the office to fit my old twin mattress, bought a small bed frame, and used a bedspread & some pillows from the closet (along with striped pillowcases found on clearance...every bed needs those, right?).

The picture ledge & frames had been sitting in a closet, too, and the old filing cabinet next to the bed now leads a double-life as both nightstand and office storage. The 'guest nook' has already been put to good use a few times and is proving to be a cozy little spot!

(bottom pic borrowed from my instagram feed)

Kitchen Makeover

There must have been some momentum from fixing up our living room/fireplace, because we gave our kitchen a little makeover in December as well (before we ran out of steam!). There was nothing really wrong but I've always wanted to lighten up the more permanent, dark features I'm not as fond of. We also have this exaggerated space in the center of the room between the sink and the fridge, so it all started with wanting to add a small island there...

Here's what we changed:
- painted walls & ceiling a light gray (over this)
- replaced cabinets above sink with open shelving
- added a small island with storage & seating
- installed new lighting (pendants for the island & dining, a globe for the sink)
- upgraded our short, deep fridge to a taller, counter-depth model that doesn't stick out as much (so worth it in a high-traffic area!)

I snapped these after cleaning post-new year's eve, so although it probably hasn't been as neat and tidy since, we're loving the changes (here's what it used to look like). The open shelving lets extra light in from the dining area, and we can't imagine not having that island now...for prepping food, eating breakfast, accumulating piles of mail, and just about everything else.

Living Room, Updated

Well, we finally finished the fireplace project! The funny thing is that after all of that, we decided not to put the TV up there. I flipped the sectional around - one side against the windows & the other extending in front of the room opening - and it just felt a million times cozier having the TV there along the wall, with the newly built-in space above the fireplace for books and things. We also painted the room and added wall shelves behind the sofa corner.

I'll share more detailed shots, but for now this post is apparently more of an ode to Christmas decorations. ;) We moved the fake tree upstairs and got a tabletop Fraser Fir...boy are they pretty.

Season of Lights

Hope you had a good Thanksgiving - we loved spending our weekend with each side of the family this year. And once we were home again, we got right to decorating the house for Christmas!

(photo from my instagram)

Cabinet Door Storage

A few weeks ago I picked up this nifty wall storage set at ikea. After hanging the tallest bin above the counter for mail as I'd planned, I realized the short ones would be perfect inside cabinet doors. The hinges on our cabinets help create a bit of extra space when the door is shut, so the bins actually take up very little room inside the cabinet.

So, I ran back to the store to grab smaller quarter inch screws (to avoid having them poke out the front) and another set of bins, because I suddenly felt like putting them in every cabinet of the house... I came to my senses and settled on two in the spice cabinet, one under the kitchen sink, and two under the bathroom sink. They're easy to install, and because the bins rest on a rack, you can easily remove them to clean or rearrange contents. I'd definitely recommend them! Although now every time I open the cabinets, I totally geek out.

Fireplace Progress

We've made a lot of progress on the fireplace project, but still have a little way to go.

So far we've removed the upper wall and mantle/tile around the fireplace, framed out new walls for the built-in, added electrical outlets, and put up drywall. Then came the slowest part: drywall mudding (and mudding some mooore), and sanding. Now we're ready to add shelving to the built-in area, put up trim, and finally...paint.

Q is so cute about projects like this. Being an engineer, he'll randomly send me an email during lunch with detailed renderings of the entire project (like the plans above). Meanwhile, I've been overly comparing paint colors, and think I've decided on moonshine for the room walls, and white dove for the shelves and trim. Hoping it will all come together soon!

(middle row: interior inspiration photo by Emily Gilbert)

Updating the Fireplace

After thinking about it for some time, we're planning to update our corner fireplace to include a built-in area for bookshelves and our tv. The layout of our living room is awkward, with several doorways and focal points, making it tricky to arrange and include everything. We both said before that we'd never put the tv up above the fireplace, but the idea started sounding better the more we thought about...and we're both kind of giddy about the potential it has (Q might just be in it for a bigger tv).

Our plan/sketch is still a little rough, but here's our general idea: removing the current tile and mantle, putting in square white tile (#4) on the hearth and some white painted brick (#2) extending up to the mantle. Above the fireplace will be the built-in area, with a large opening for a tv (the green tape in the photos above are marked at our current tv size, but the opening will be much larger). I'm not sure yet if we'll have mini shelves running up each side of the tv opening (#1), but I would like to have a wide shelf run across the very top (#3).

So that's it. I have a feeling it will change as we go, but I can't wait to get started. If it all works out, we'll free up just enough wall space (where the tv used to be) for our Christmas tree this year. : ) 

(images: 1. Design Files 2. Serena & Lily 3. Emily Gilbert 4. home depot)

Organizing (The Pantry)

I re-arranged our pantry area a little over the weekend...there's a linen-sized pantry closet (with folding door removed) and a wall cabinet that hangs up beside it. Neither have ever been very sightly or well organized, and I began by turning the wall cabinet into a recipe station for my favorite cookbooks, recipes, and handy items (I love it so far).

The closet part isn't finished yet, but I figured out a general layout and am making use of a shelf divider, jars, and a few bins. (And someday I'm gonna repaint...if I can decide on a color. Too many pastel blues and greens going on!)

Mudroom Pt. 1 (The Closet)

I never thought I'd write a post mostly about our litter box, but it played a big part in our little mudroom makeover. We've always kept it in the closet with the door removed, as it's the only spot in the house for it to go. And it's always been a huge mess and pretty unsightly, too. But then I spotted the modkat box and it inspired me to make my own built-in version:

I like the actual modkat, but with two cats I wanted something a bit roomier (and cheaper). I went to our local Ikea and picked up a $3 frosted bin that happened to be the perfect fit for our closet, and Q built a platform above it with a 10 inch square opening for the cats to jump down inside the bin below.

We rested the platform on wood brackets that we attached to the wall, which allows us to lift (or even remove) the top if necessary. I painted everything the same color as the walls (Bakery Box White), and after living with the setup for about a month now, I am really happy with it (and so are the cats). It keeps the whole area neat & clean, and doesn't scream litter box when you walk into the room.

Above the box went all of our cleaning supplies (except the vacuum & mop), and Q installed a light way at the top of the closet ceiling that turns on with the main switch. It's amazing what a difference making over a small space can have on your everyday life, isn't it? Hopefully soon, we'll finish the other side of the room: the laundry & coat area.

Living Room, Lately

I took a few photos of our living room the other day, when it was bright and sunny, which always makes the space feel happier and somehow cleaner (even if the furniture is covered in cat hair and the rug has crumbs hiding in it).

I've also made a few small changes since Christmas: bought a larger, fluffy rug for in front of the couch (the cats loove it, and we do too); added a black bookcase (formerly from my studio), and we've been slowly filling it with our favorite books; and hung taller, lighter curtains on the front windows (I accidentally shrunk the other pair, so they went into our bedroom). It feels cozier in there now, and next I'd like to try expanding our gallery wall a bit and repainting our tv stand a bolder color...

Happy February Weekend

With each new month, there's always something pretty to anticipate from this calendar. Hope your weekend is lovely.

Bedroom in White

I've been sprucing up our bedroom a bit and finally bought a set of good quality, white sheets at the beginning of year. They're crisp & soft and help to brighten up the room for the winter (it prompted me to hang some white curtains, too).

PS. My mom will cringe if she sees those unironed pillowcases... (*post edit) but yes, I find them cozier wrinkled : )

Mudroom Progress

Below are a few shots from my phone of the back entryway so far. We painted it Bakery Box White in December, and it lightens the whole room up from its previous dark yellow walls.

Stacking the washer & dryer to make use of vertical space opened up a corner area that also made a huge difference. It feels ten times bigger now! We have plans to cover that washer hookup on the wall with a box shelf, and add a small bench and coat hooks. We'll get there...

New Year

(baking cookies on Christmas Eve)

Instead of jumping back into blogging last week, I decided to wait until sometime after Epiphany to start anew. We started taking down decorations over the weekend and organizing and tackling some house projects. Going for a run/walk every evening. Eating homemade soups and actually making grocery lists. Twinkly lights still left hanging in the bedroom. We'll see how long I feel this energized about winter, but for now I'm trying to enjoy the small things. Wishing you a happy 2012.

(vintage baubles from my mom)


(our waking orchid)


(borrowed book on organizing. love!)

under the tree...

(similar lens I had borrowed)

Q surprised me with an early Christmas gift: a 35mm lens for our camera. It has a low f-stop to let in extra light & blur background objects, and one of my favorite unexpected features is the silent motion motor - it runs smooth like butter when you focus on your object (and consequently, makes me even happier when using it). I'm sure there will be a lot more picture-taking happening over Christmas this year.



(first few photos snapped with the lens: a candle by the tree, and potted plants waiting to be gifted)