admitting you need help is the first step...
I’ve had several requests from you guys to see the “after” of the living room that now resides in my old dining room. Here it is:
“New” Living Room
This was the room when it was set up as the dining room – as it had been for the last 10 years. [Read more...]
I have been married for fifteen years and have spent a lot of that time decorating the homes I’ve lived in during that time. My husband and I have restored four old homes during our marriage, doing everything from gutting and rebuilding a kitchen on our own, adding bathrooms, tiling, wallpapering, laying flooring – you name it.
My husband has an opinion about decorating – most men do. Some things are pretty man-standard. They don’t usually dig the idea of painting wood (see my post all about that by clicking here). They hate the idea of wallpaper – mainly because they have experienced wallpaper-removal trauma at some point in their life. They don’t “get” why the wifey might get the itch to move the furniture around every few years. They don’t like change.
Through all of our experiences, I have learned something. [Read more...]
While many people nowadays have luxuriously large master bedrooms, there are many others that have to deal with the confines of limited space and awkward window placement.
Petite Master Bedroom
What would you do if you had a space like this and needed to include a full-size bed, bedside table, dresser, and a comfy chair?
Master Bedroom Before
Tired of your bath but have limited funds? Why not perk things up with a fun, new shower curtain? If you haven’t bought a new one in awhile, you may be surprised at the many great options out there.
Shopping is supposed to be easy and fun, right? Especially when shopping for decor bargains. There is no shame in shopping for decor in any variety of stores, and I am the first to encourage you to do so. But sometimes that is easier said than done – many of my clients find shopping for their homes frustrating and overwhelming. Are you able to zero in on inexpensive things that can give you a higher end look in the right context? My decorating clients value that I can quickly weed through the stuff that will only hinder the improvement of their decor and zero in on the things that take their space to a new level.
Shopping is FUN! Or is it???
How about we take a little quiz? The following photos are of items from my local Hobby Lobby. Hobby Lobby is one of those places where you can sometimes find good accessories for your home. Sometimes. Most of the time, however, Hobby Lobby accessories look like . . . well, like they are from Hobby Lobby. Let’s don’t make this about personal taste, rather consider whether each item is currently on-trend and if would appear more high-end than typical Hobby Lobby fare. For each photo, give it a “thumbs up” or “thumbs down,” then see how you did at the end of this post (no cheating!).
1. Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down?
2. Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down?
3. Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down?
4. Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down?
5. Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down?
6. Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down?
7. Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down?
8. Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down?
9. Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down?
10. Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down?
11. Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down?
12. Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down?
13. Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down?
14. Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down?
15. Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down?
16. Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down?
I certainly don’t want to offend anyone for their own personal taste – this is simply an exercise in whether or not you can distinguish between what looks on-trend or current and appears more high-end (expensive) than it is. If you like something, buy all means get it if it makes you happy! Ok, let grade the quiz: give yourself 1 point each if you voted thumbs up to the following: 1, 2, 5, 8, 9, 11, 16. Now give yourself 1 point each if you voted thumbs down for these: 3, 4, 6, 7, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15. Will you be brave enough to share your results?
If you find shopping for your home frustrating and overwhelming, contact The Decorologist to help you make the right decisions more quickly and efficiently!
I took a day trip last week with the fam to Rock City atop Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, Tennessee. If you’ve never heard of it, it’s perched above a mile high mountain where you can literally view 7 states from one vantage point.
Waterfall in Rock City
It is one of the most beautiful places imaginable – Native Americans lived and Civil War soldiers hid amongst the majestic rock formations and caves all over the area.
Rock City Enchanted Gardens
Wowza.
Rock City
Everything there seems enchanted, like right out of a storybook.
I want this in my backyard
Rock City was developed in the 1940′s. Everything is made of stone or wood, since the site was rich with those natural materials.
Natural Stone Paths
When we rounded the corner here, I gasped. My daughter said, “This is Mommy-Heaven!” (meaning she knew this was my kind of place). All this beautiful nature plus a little vintage kitsch? Nothing better in my book.
The Decorologist in Fairyland Caverns!
So this gets me to thinking about interior decoration (big surprise). How do you incorporate this kind of natural enchantment into your decor?
I’m a bit enamored with (ok, let’s be real, i’m totally enamored) with tree stump tables.
West Elm has a side table that is too cute for words . . .
Besides tree stump tables, what else can bring a touch of enchantment into your home?
Necklace Stand by Urban Outfitters
Do you think you can go too far? Can enchanted decor go too kitschy?
Can’t help myself!
Well, going whole-hog isn’t for everyone. But we can all make our homes more enchanted in a more subtle way. Maybe it’s a rough-hewn dining table paired with a glam light fixture.
I’m so in love with this room!
How do you add a little enchantment to your home?
Many clients I work with are very interested in my helping them with color (primarily wall color) and accessories. Furniture can be expensive, so it’s not in everyone’s budget to go there.
Sometimes clients want help with lighting, but I usually am the one to bring up the subject. Why? [Read more...]
I’m at the beach this week, so it seems fitting to share a recent home make-over with a touch of turquoise. The homeowner had a penchant for neutrals, but wanted to inject turquoise into her color scheme.
Kristie Barnett
You might recognize the living room from an old post of mine called “One Day Makover.” That one day makeover was the beginning of my relationship with this client who has been working toward making this new home her own. This is the before of the living room:
Kristie Barnett
That first day, I rearranged my client’s furniture and helped her re-think how she was going to use her public spaces. You’ll see more about that in a bit. Remember this family photo wall I created? Since then, my seamstress made custom pillows to fit her style exactly.
Kristie Barnett
Here’s another before of the entire living room:
Kristie Barnett
After creating a new furniture arrangement throughout the house (no new furniture was bought), we started interjecting the turquoise color in carefully selected spots.
Kristie Barnett
Here’s a view of the right side of the room before:
Kristie Barnett
We traded out the piano for an airy console table and a pair of lamps from the bedroom. I stacked a couple of mirrors to reflect light and add a little glamour. My client painted this wooden dresser stored in the garage according to my instructions.
Kristie Barnett
I chose a fun Benjamin Moore turquoise called Spirit in the Sky. One of my all-time favorite songs, by the way! Here’s another piece we decided to paint turquoise:
Kristie Barnett
This fun dresser makes a great spot for keys and such in the entry of my client’s beautiful home. We found the gorgeous lamp in downtown Franklin, TN.
Kristie Barnett
Here’s a before as you enter the home – the door is to the right.
Kristie Barnett
Now the entry is warm and welcoming. It’s really important to my client to only use accessories and art that have specific meaning to her family – we used lots of family photographs and things passed down from her family of origin.
Kristie Barnett
Now, if you follow my blog you already know I like to shake up a floorplan if it isn’t working for the family I am decorating for. This was formerly a living room, but it was adjacent to another living room (which seems redundant, no?). The previous owners of this house set their home up in a similar way, which influenced my client in how she set up hers when her family moved in. See how the dining room is at the back of the space in front of the french doors.
Kristie Barnett
We moved the dining room into this space, which is directly next to the kitchen. And we exchanged the crystal light fixture with this large burlap pendant from Pottery Barn to better-fit my client’s style.
Kristie Barnett
While this area was formerly for dining:
Kristie Barnett
Now it’s a sitting area where my client can read a magazine as she watches her children playing in the backyard. The bookcase (formerly dark green) was also painted in our Spirit in the Sky. I really love the pillows – I came up with the design and my seamstress from Ruffled Linens brought them to life.
Kristie Barnett
My goal is always to take the things that are important to my client and make it all come together in a beautiful and cohesive way. I hope that’s what I’ve done here.
Kristie Barnett
If you need help making your decor dreams come true, contact kristie@thedecorologist.com to schedule your appointment today!
Happy Monday, dear readers! Have I got a fun room makeover for you . . .
Kristie Barnett
Suppose you lived in a home that looked about the same as it had for the last 50 or more years? Same paint color (or lack thereof), same finishes, same old groove.
Before Makeover
This mid-century ranch needed to find a new groove. It was kinda like a Sleeping Beauty, just waiting for The Decorologist to pucker up and . . . well, you get my drift. [Read more...]
I typically begin Design Consultations by walking through the home and talking with my clients about how they use their space and how it functions for their family. And more times than not, I find that people let their home’s floorplan dictate how they live in it. Even when it really isn’t working for them! In this home, we actually switched around 3 rooms - today I’m going to share 2 of them.
Random House Floorplan
This is the dining room before I started switching everything around. This room is carpeted, which doesn’t make it ideal for a dining room – especially when there’s a space open to the kitchen that is hardwood (it was being used as a living room). The homeowners LOVE color, especially bold color. They favor modern design, but with a retro twist. They are artlovers, as well, and the husband is a gifted artist, so it just seemed as though their home should have the feeling of an art gallery. Art galleries typically have a neutral backdrop so that the art really stands out – so we decided to mute the background a bit and add bold punches of color.
Dining Room Before
The homeowner had a desk tucked back in a corner of her bedroom where she used her computer. As we talked, it became obvious that with two small children, it would make more sense to have her office area in a place where she could monitor family activity better as she worked. So, we started moving around the furniture . . . [Read more...]
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