Beach, please

Max Wanger Photo (stylebyemilyhenderson.com)

Growing up just minutes from the beach one doesn't always appreciate its beauty. Not having one around for 10 years brings much greater appreciation for the lovely views of bright blue water and sand. (California has my favorite #helloLaJolla)
One trend I have seen a bit of is oversized beach photography in the home and I am loving it. I think it looks fresh, beautiful, and it's quite an affordable way to fill up a wall space as well.

Pinterest

Pinterest (Elle Décor)

Here's a favorite example, she took a photo & enlarged it for above her sofa and I couldn't love it more.


Danielle Oakey Interiors


If you are looking for an inexpensive idea for your walls enlarge a photo of the beach, stick it in a large matted white frame & there you have it, a beautiful picture to look at. Happy Weekend!

Dreamy Space of the day: A House In the Hills

I came across these photos on Friday. This is a blog written by Sarah Yates called www.ahouseinthehills.com and I've followed for a while because I loved the her previous home and these are photos from her new space with much of the same pieces. This room is absolutely gorgeous and there's so much to learn from the space!

I love this rug, how she mixes metals, color on the couch & those walls are just perfect to me.

 How I wish I could keep a fiddle leaf fig alive - alas...those windows are gorgeous and there is so much to be said for white curtains & lots of light. Keep those windows sparkling clean, a bright space is just so inviting.

 I am smitten with those African JuJu hats on the wall. They are a few hundred dollars so completely out of my range, but they add so much texture to a space and those pillows on the couch are to die for. Again, out of my range! The coffee table is styled perfectly with flowers, books, candle and a bowl. When in doubt of what to put on your coffee table, you can't go wrong with any of those things. It's not easy with little fingers that want to touch things, but your kids can be taught it's off limits & even if it's a just a tray with one or two things on it, makes a big impact.

Another favorite element in this room is the Moroccan wedding blanket thrown on the back of the couch. Between the leather couch, bright colorful pillows, plants, African JuJu hats on the wall & this gorgeous throw, texture is everywhere and works beautifully together. For more inspiration make sure to check out the blog & all the eye candy there. Happy Monday!

Design Mistakes I've Made (and how to learn from them)

Brace yourselves, these pictures might make you throw up in your mouth a little bit...

This was our first condo up north. It took a few years to get the balls to paint these walls and turns out, I made a big mistake. I liked the yellow for a few months and now you couldn't pay me to paint yellow on my walls. It's funny how time changes you! Oh my word, where do I begin with all the problems I see here? Right off the bat, that mirror is too high, the frames along the side look dinky and not right for the scale of the room. The recliner chair was amazingly comfortable but ugly as sin. There's no way to sugarcoat it. The lamps are not at all my style now...the ottomans were practical but not at all cute. Basically the only thing I like in this photo are my pillows!

So this is our home when we moved into this rental. The dresser was a craiglist find and not at all my style (it lives in the bedroom now, where non wow furniture goes to rot). The ottomans are a little cuter but still not great. The rug was cute but too small with the space. The task lamp was a favorite find from Goodwill up north but it broke. The curtains were not hung high enough.

I don't hate this, but it could use some help. The garden stool was spray painted white shortly after this photo but broke to pieces last year #sadface. The mirror moved to my room but it was wrong for this space all along. The tray looks out of place in the middle of the desk & the mismatched hardware bugs me.

This is my room. Not very cute. It's come a long way since this photo, but it could still use lots of help. What's wrong here is the ugly floors but it's a rental so out of my control. Also, the curtains (blah...I sold them). The chair is too white with the dark desk (it fell apart). The desk should be painted but I've never gotten around to it. The mirror I got rid of, it was a nice shape but this area needs something larger.





Oh my word, I can't believe I'm showing this picture. I got this "coffee table" at the curb and sprayed it white. Again, the rug is too small for the space, the navy ottoman drives me nuts next to the black and gray rug, gray sofa, white coffee table, yellow pillows. It just is so much STUFF going on that has nothing to do with anything else. There's no story going on here, it's like I just found everything and threw it together (well, that's kind of what happened).

I learned my paint lesson from my condo and pained all the walls in this house a neutral shade of gray. I invested in a few cute pieces and searched craigslist and thrift stores for others. Many things have been sold as I've never truly had a "design" budget to just get stuff. Many cute things have been gifted to me and I've even had a win that got me a west elm coffee table.

One thing I wanted to get right this time was the tv stand. I made a few mistakes but am very happy with this choice from Target I got on clearance a few months back. I had a free desk I was using up that that point but it felt too large. Although it my dreams I would like something a little longer this was affordable and I loved the style so I decided to make it work. The plant is a must for me now in a space. No more fakes unless they are the cute little ones from Ikea that I love. Lighting is also key and that floor lamp was also Target and I just spray painted the base. There are SO MANY UGLY LIGHT OUT THERE! If you don't find a great floor one than get a cute side table and invest in a cute lamp. There are such good options, no excuses to stick with a dated ugly fixture. This rug makes me smile every day. It was a gift to me, a vintage Persian rug from London and I'm so grateful my generous friend had no need for it anymore. The coffee table was free (instagram win) and the pouf was a random clearance find at target. 

No matter how many times I change home around I always have a new project in the back of my mind and wheels turning to try and figure out how to afford something new. It's a slippery slope of being content with what you have and yet enjoying your space and keeping it from feeling stale and not something that makes you happy when you look around. I have learned a lot from the last few years and here's my top 3 lessons:
1. "Buy the best and only cry once" - I don't remember who said this, but honestly, there are so many times I should have held off on something but figured since it was so cheap I should go for it. Wish I had held back and only waited for what I loved.
2. Paint your walls neutral. You can always add color and pattern but to have a neutral back drop will keep things feeling fresh and up to date. Gray is a personal favorite.
3. Don't be afraid to sell your stuff and use the money to get something new. I think many times people hold on to things they don't like or care for anymore, but really, there's something so freeing about getting rid of stuff that doesn't make you happy and then finding something that suites your style.

My new couch

I haven't always hated my old couch. In fact, I think I liked it back in the day when Joe and I were dating, he had just bought it & it was the perfect size for two.
Fast forward 10 years, three kids & it wasn't meeting our needs anymore. Our space is limited so a sectional or anything longer than 80 inches just doesn't fit the room well.

A few months ago I was longing for more seating and came across a velvet green sofa, as some of you recall if you follow me on instagram. I loved the look of it (mainly I loved the price) but learned my lesson as it showed every drool mark (from Sawyer, naturally), had an old lady smell that I couldn't get rid of, and honestly just wasn't all that comfortable.
Joe had driven almost an hour to get it and never send a man to notice details because when he got it home there were staples coming out of the back - huge tears, would have been a deal breaker...but there's Joe so proud of himself for lugging this thing to me, I just didn't have the heart to say what a mistake it was.
I waited the obligatory time (for me, which wasn't long at all...maybe a few weeks),  moved it to the porch because it was too crowded and one day on a whim posted it on Craigslist. Two days later it was gone. Lesson learned. Velvet & kids & old lady smell don't mix.

This time around I didn't want to settle. I still wanted to find a score on Craigslist, but I wanted it to be exactly what I wanted, have style yet still be functional for kids. And I HAD to sit on it before we bought it. This catches us up to last week, where I stalked craigslist endlessly, only to see hundreds of ugly, dated & puffy nightmares that would never work.

I noticed a grey mid century modern couch but the price was out of reach. It was EXACTLY what I wanted so I begged in an email to lower the price & found out later in the day it was still available and she would work with me on price. Saturday he became mine. Of course it's a he, much too handsome to be a woman, and yes, couches do have genders...obviously.

I'm so grateful Joe is understanding and although he's sad to be selling our previous one, he understands it's time. It's the perfect size, comfortable, much better fit for a small space (way less bulky and you can see underneath, which helps when you have a small space). The couch is so cute it doesn't even need pillows (as opposed to less attractive couches that need lots of cute pillows to disguise it. )
Well, that's my big excitement. Never be afraid to look to Craigslist for a furniture piece. It makes a home so much more interesting to find a one of a kind item at a much better price than just a big box store piece. It's so nice to have my living room feel like "me".

If you are stuck with an ugly couch and no way out here's my top 3 suggestions:
1. Cute Pillows! Find them at Target or Etsy or get fabric and have someone make them. It's a room changer indeed.
2. Get a cute blanket/ throw, I love the ones I see at HomeGoods and they add so much style and a bolt of color or pattern.
3. Throw a sheepskin on the back for crying out loud and call it a day. They are comfortable, add texture, and look great anywhere.

Navy for the win

I love Target and I am loving navy blue lately. If you have some extra cash to spend and want a quick touch of something new in your home check out these lovelies happening now at Target:

Personally I am loving the look of these shams mixed with other bedding. This would be a little too much blue for me. I would mix the shams with white or coral/ pink or do the bedding and add a pop of color with either pillows or a throw. It looks very good in person & not at all ordinary

How cute is this navy rug? Just loving it so much. Very neutral and fun at the same time.

I can't get enough of this x base ottoman. Would love to have room to put two at the foot of my bed, but they could go anywhere and look good. The pattern is just enough to be interesting yet still neutral.

A pop of pink is the perfect compliment to navy. If your husband is kind enough to not mind a dose of girly mixed with masculine navy this color combo is always lovely.


So there you have it, navy is timeless and these pieces don't last so don't hold off if you need a little dose of navy to perk up your home!