Stumpworks!

As I mentioned in my previous post, I'm loving the tree stump turned table idea. I actually scored a little pile of tree stumps (not ideal but its what I have) after being inspired by Kara Paslay's use of one as a nighstand. They've been sitting out in my yard for the full year so I'm not sure what shape they are in but I'm going to give a go at the project this weekend. Wish me luck!

She was even kind enough to do a video tutorial on her blog after I had asked her about it.

And evidently there are a few other stumpers out there who have managed to do this sucessfully. As Im completely enamored with these, they are worth a share.

This version from Under Construction involves leaving the bark on and adding some padding.

This example from Martha Stewart has the stumps all shiny lacquer red. Hot.

A slightly more upscale interpretation straight from Adrian Grenier's home courtesy of renest.

If you want to completely avoid getting your hands dirty, you can buy one from West Elm.

While clearly not an actual tree stump, this side table, from a company called Because We Can, would be just about adorable in a nursery. Don't you think?

Thats enough inspiration for now. Are there any other stumpers out there? I'd love to see what you've done with landscaping cast offs.

Shore files: Living Room Foufing Follow-up

Whoa! Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions on how to improve the living room. I would have never guessed that I would get such an overwelming number of suggestions!

For those that didn't read all of the 80+ comments, I'll pull out some of the topics and great suggestions that are swirling in my brain right now.

Lots of comments about the television (this seems to be a reoccuring theme!). I agree it draws the eye but I'm not so convinced that its possible to really do much to make it less of a draw. I liked vanessa's and cathryn's idea of adding some framed prints around it but I'm torn about whether that will help or hinder the cause. It might just make that wall more of a feature which is not my intention. Shelia had a great idea of using a much lower piece of furniture to put the tv on but Im just not willing to invest in big piece of furniture and I do love the gray console I have already. (Im not worried about medical problems from hanging my tv too high - I don't watch THAT much!) To put it another way, the tv just doesn't bother me that much. I'm okay that its there - its not that attractive but the reality is that I watch it so I want to be able to see it. As soon as they make that wallpaper tv, I'll be the first person in line. Until then, I'll be having a black rectangle.

Several suggested (anon, never a plain jane, teller all about it, mudrick, design love, pamela, L. Duncan, Teresa) a ceramic garden stool as a side table. Now why didn't I think of that? Good one.

What I was really in love with was the suggestion for using a tree stump as a side table from Erin (and seconded by Stacey, Dana and anon) . Will you believe I have several tree stumps I made poor Mr. L donkey home for me last year? (Inspired by Kara Paslay)I'm not sure if they are quite big enough for the task but its worth a shot. You would think that with these bad boys waiting for me in the yard I would have thought this up on my own but I didnt connect the dots. Duh.

A few other great side table suggestions as well but I'm hoping I can make the stump thing work out.

Quinn and a few others suggested painting the room a different color. I see what you mean but I really like this color and the open airy feeling it provides. Its not the most striking but its intentionally meant to be plain - I don't want it to be too dark and heavy (even though I absolutely heart gray and darker paints, its just not what I want in here).

Shelia hit the nail on the head by pointing out that everything in here looks like it was purchased yesterday. I definitely don't want to go overboard on the old stuff (that is what the limestone is for!), a few well placed items will add some personality.

Another mysterious anon poster suggested a vintage trunk near the stairs. LOVE! Being a realist Im not going to hold out much hope for finding one anytime soon but its going in my head for future flea market shopping trips.

Hillary pointed out these fabulous customizable beach signs. I don't the scale is right to use them in the area over the stairs but I like them. Maybe I can use them elsewhere?

Cathryn and Vicki suggested putting a long low bookshelf under the window while political exile suggested replacing the stair railing with a built in bookcase. I like both ideas but they might be projects for another day (or year or decade) because I'm too cheap to make that investment.

And who knew there is a website that sells books by cover color. While I would be way too anal about these things to ever use that service, it could make for some fun decor projects. Thanks Claire for pointing it out.

And it seems loads of you love the big trees indoors. I'm not trying to convince anyone else to be a hater like me but the only thing I would hate more than an indoor tree is a fake indoor tree.

Pam is totally right that the pillows are too formal. I need something a bit more laid back.

And I definitely agree the coffee table needs something on it. I'm just saving that til last. I'll probably spray paint a big branch kind of like the photo above.

You've all given me soooo many options on the window treatments. I was thinking of using drop clothes to do something but now I'm torn by so many of the pretty options out there. (Thank you willoughbywhimsy, never a plain jane, mudrick, heather spratt, Honeyed Hashette, Just Beachy, Missy, Teresa, Laura, and everyone else who provided links!)

In case I didn't mention you specifically, please know I did read every single comment carefully so I haven't missed you. Thank you all for taking the time to comment. And feel free to add anything else you think might be helpful.

So now I have to get to work! This is just giving me a major shopping itch.

Shore files: Living Room Needs Foufing

So you might recall that in my last beach condo update, I mentioned the living room had one more round of changes before its been frozen completely. So here we are. I added this gray console table (from Target in 2009 if I recall) which I absolutely love. And I moved the little slipper chair (originally purchased for my bedroom) here as well because we needed some extra seating.



I should say that I really do like this room and when Im here in person it feels very calm and relaxed to me - all good things. But its also a bit flat. So how do I make the room more visually appealing without robbing it of that chill factors? Help!



You might notice that those plastic blinds are still there. UGH! I absolutely need window treatments. Im thinking grommet panels on either end but not sure. I definitely need a little side table next to that chair but at a loss as to what specifically. I could also use another little table under the set of four black and white photos to the left of the window. And maybe a more hefty bench near the stair railing? I'd love to put something huge and fun in that white space near the stairs but I'm no sure how I could handle the logistics of hanging anything there b/c its a hard to reach spot. I think I need to bring that lovely color gray into other parts of the room but not sure how. But even if I ever finish all that, I feel like its still a bit flat.



I'm quite sure that if this was the first time I was seeing the room I'd have all kinds of ideas but I have a problem. And that problem is after I've seen a space a few hundred times, I stop being able to imagine it any other way. Its a sickness, really.



So what do you think? Here is the questions I'm wrestling with now.

a) What color curtains? (Gray? White with a gray ribbon sewn on? A striped pattern? Plain white?) Should I do shades as well. If so, what?

b) Where can I find a cheap, tiny round table. (Why doesn't anyone make a cheap knockoff of the marble saarineen side table?) Also willing to do some kind of unconventional side table but I'm drawing a blank. (A stack of white, gray and blue books would look cool but I don't happen to have any of those laying around)

c) What else can I add in here that won't make it look like a circus or a theme room but will up the style factor?

I'll tell you what I don't want to do: I don't want to replace anything I have (I like the items in here - even if they aren't perfect, I don't want to waste money unless I hate something) Noo big plants (i kill them), no busy patterns (see chill factor comment above), no rope or jute (nothing wrong with them, I just get the heebies touching them). Aside from that, I'm all ears.

Phew- that was a lot of blabber jabber. I hope you're still reading.

Hey there strangers.

No guest posts today - its just ol me after a nice long break. As you probably guessed we did a little bit of traveling but I also had some free time. (Free in as much as I was working all day, but free of blog writing responsibilities) I had all kinds of plans of the cool projects I'd be doing with all those extra minutes. Guess what? I've done nada, zero, zilch. I haven't even started going through my photos no less writing dimwitted posts about it.

Lucky for me, these talented and generous guest bloggers have kept this place hopping for the past 3 weeks so I don't feel quite as guilty not having anything special to share.



And I just have to thank these guests bloggers for their generosity and help one more time. If you haven't done so already, please visit them!

* Isabella & Max Rooms * Restored Style * Jeremy + Kathleen *
* Blu Label Bungalow * Emily A. Clark * Ella Minnow Pea *

*Southern Comfort in a Northern Life * Aubrey & Lindsay Little House *
* Yellow Brick Home * DIY with ADD * Fog City Sparkle *
* Kara Paslay Designs * bspoke * Maggie Rose * Wild Ink Press *
* Kerrisdale Design * A Design Story * Sketch 42 *

Ok, enough gushing. Its time to get down to business. Mostly to keep myself to task (but also whet your appetite a little) here are some things I'm working on.

1. Recapping a really wonderful trip
2. The best styling I've ever seen in a home away from home
3. Tackling the husband's man cave
4. A sparkly wedding invitation for friends
5. More on the shore
6. A day in Chicago

Oh and if there is anything you'd like to see or know (aka post topics I haven't though of), just ask. Always need something to yammer on about.

But until then, I hope you are all having a great start to your weekends! See ya next week.

Guest Post: Nicole's Wow Worthy Renovation

To finish up this series of guest posts, I have a really special treat - a triple room tour courtesy of Nicole, author of a fab new blog, Sketch42. And this is no ordinary home - she did a full on reno and has outifitted it with fabulously stylish pieces. The result is just wow worthy. Off we go...


Hey All, Nicole from Sketch42 here! I decided to give you guys a little evolutionary tour of my apartment since I moved in almost 2 years ago. There were tons of misteps and mistakes
along the way, and I am definitely not finished with it yet, but here is a little bit of the journey I took with this apt.

Everyone always seems to move when they are pregnant or have a new baby. I
was no exception. With a two week old kid, we signed the contract for this:

And a few months later moved into this construction site.... We were
combining two apartments and extending the kitchen... This turned out to be a
never ending project. My kid is turning two in a month, and we are still not
done! We have come a long way since then, but I can still remember having white
dust on the hem of my jeans every day!

First, we added a beamed ceiling with lighting built into it:

This picture was taken in March of 2009. We area already somewhat comfortable. We had no couch until I bought a floor sample from Jonathan Adler! Of course the first thing my husband did was hang a TV.

By Feburary 2010 we had a lot more going on! We started filtering out all of the ikea stuff we bought when we moved in... The stuff that we needed because we literally had nothing.

And here it is in June 2010... We just got the bench, the last piece that I was waiting for to complete the basic seating for the room. I actually saw that bench on 1st dibs and had it copied!

Meanwhile on the other side of the room:

I added a wall of beveled brick mirrors to reflect the trees in the windows...

Here is dining area a few weeks ago....

And through it all, the biggest issue was the kitchen. Because we combined two apartments, we also decided to extend the original kitchen to accommodate a bigger fridge, two ovens and a breakfast bar.

I lived for six months with NO OVEN and a mini fridge. (With a new baby, I might add.) Thank god for ordering in!

This is the kitchen in March 2009, when they FINALLY installed the appliances and countertops. You can see the mini-fridge still tucked under the countertop. (To get an idea of what the kitchen looked like before - it ended where the wall and beam are.

And this is how it looks now.

I hope you all enjoyed my little house tour... You can read about all of these adventures in more detail here.

Guest Post: Lindsay's Temporary Home Makeover

Say hey to Lindsay, newlywed, e-decorator and bloggess. Today she is kindly sharing how she decorated her home in simple ways that didn't require a huge investment of time or effort. Ideal for her short term needs or other temporary spaces like rentals, dorm rooms, etc.

Hi! I am Lindsay from A Design Story and I am so excited to be a guest on Brooklyn Limestone! Since Before and After posts seem to be the ticket, today I am going to show you just that! Well, this makeover isn’t going to be grandiose and luxurious quite like some of the major renovations showcased here sometimes.

First a little bit of info…

I got married last July 12^th… yes; it has almost been a year! It has been the best year of my life because I married the most amazing guy! Anyways, we had planned on moving right into my husband’s house, which is why we had painted the entire house, renovated the bathrooms, and made plans for other overhauls to the kitchen and other areas. Well, long story short my hubs is a realtor and owns this (and other homes) with his friend. Let’s just say a week before the wedding; we realized it would be better to get a place ‘all our own’. So, with the wedding so soon, we decided to look when we got back from our honeymoon for a place we could make “our first home”. We waited and looked and looked and looked… and found an adorable townhouse. We had decided the perk of a townhouse was there was still a pool (we didn’t have to take care of) and a lawn (we didn’t have to take care of)… basically maintenance free for our first couple of years in marriage… please and thank you… more time for us!

So… long story short…. We picked up the townhouse and decided we would only live here about two years (we still have another to go)! Since we decided that we didn’t want to be here but for so long, we weren’t going to go crazy with renovations (our place was built in 2006) and painting etc, that way the place would be easier to sell when we are ready to leave!

Our house was bare before we made it a home! Here is a sneak peak at a few of our rooms...

Living Room...

Kitchen...

Laundry Room...

Master Bedroom...

Guest Room...

I am a huge believer in the trans-formative power of color! Since we only did a few accent walls with paint, we brought in color with our furniture, fixtures and accessories! We did this all on a pretty small budget and are very pleased with how the rooms look!

Ok… so here is how we made “Our First Place” Home…

Living Room... (Now tiled)

Kitchen...

Laundry Room...

Master Bedroom...

Guest Room...

So, here are a few tips on adding color to your space if you are like us and want to keep your walls white so you can sell soon, or even if you rent!

- Area Rugs: An easy way to define a space within a room and add color is an area rug. One large dramatic and colorful area rug is much better than multiple smaller area rugs scattered throughout a room. If you are decorating the living room, for example, select one large area rug to anchor the center of the room and then place the furnishing around this area rug with the coffee table in the center.

- Artwork: Of course you can add color to walls without painting by using wall art which can certainly be purchased or made. Choose bold paint colors that reflect the theme of your room. If you are doing French Country style, you will want to choose golden yellows and lavenders to reflect the French Provence countryside. If you are in the mood for a little DIY Project~ you do not need to paint a picture, unless you want to and are artistic. Simply paint the entire canvas the color of your choice. Then hang 3 large canvases side by side on your biggest wall. This will give the illusion that the room has been painted that color.If you choose to purchase artwork, pick a piece that showcases intense colors but also works well with the existing pieces in your room.

- Curtains: Use colorful curtains at the windows to add color to a room without painting. It will look more dramatic if you use solid color curtains or draperies and not prints. Make all the draperies or curtains the same color and purchase the longest length available. Mount the curtains way above the top of the window, as far up as you can with still having the curtains reach the floor. The curtains should puddle about 4-6 inches on the floor.

-Pillows & Slipcovers: If you have a dark room, and you want to lighten it up for spring, add a few bright-colored throw pillows to accent your furniture. Buy a couch slipcover for every season, and change it out as desired. Try light, airy colors such as light blue, yellow, white, or green for the spring and summer months and deep, rich colors such as purple, gold, red or navy for autumn and winter. You can also try the same with duvet covers for your bedroom.

- Fresh Flowers: Group your favorite spring flowers, or scatter single stems, in bud vases around the room to infuse a little freshness and a dash of color into your space. Just remember to dispose of them when the color fades.

- Lighting: Add color with lighting? Sure! A simple solution would be to incorporate some colorful lamps and pendants. Also, Incandescent lighting can add more warmth, and accent lighting can highlight an area of the room adding some additional cheer.

- Accessories: Incorporate colored accessories within your room. It’s OK to be playful and fun when dispersing your accessories around the room. Also, bookshelves aren’t just for books, incorporate some freestanding bookshelves, and use them to display a colorful collection of pottery, figurines or glassware.

Again, in design, sometimes it can be the small things that make a house feel like a home! We like breezy, comfortable and relaxing spaces that also make our guests feel welcome! I have my fair share of designing high-end homes that have that "magazine ad" look to them, and although I love to be the interior designer on those projects, my home is my refuge and we "live" here. With all the design ideas I have bouncing around my head, when we do buy a single family home this year, I am going to run wild with them! So, stay tuned for that! In the meantime, I am still painting accents, arranging and re-arranging and as Kevin (the hubs) says, accessorizing the accessories!!

I really hope you enjoyed "our first little home makeover"… I hope you’ll come by and visit my blog for more interior design tricks and tips, to see our other rooms, or for your very own design package!

A big thanks goes out to Stefanie – love your blog and your home! Thanks for having me as a guest, it was really fun!

Guest Post: Ben's Boyish Bedroom

Another day, another guest. Let me introduce Karla of Kerrisdale Design (check out her professional design portfolio here). She is sharing her adorable son Ben's bedroom. Another great example of how a child's room can be playful without being overworked or cartoonish. But I'll let Karla do the talking...

Hi everyone, I'm Karla from Kerrisdale Design. I'm an interior designer and mom of 2 who lives in South Surrey, BC {a suburb of Vancouver}. I cannot begin to tell you how thrilled I am to be guest posting for Stefanie while she's away on vacation....seriously, pinch me! As a newbie to the design blog world, her blog was one of the first I stumbled across and fell in love with. So you can bet that little old me is pretty excited about getting to make the Brooklyn Limestone my home {albeit virtually} for the day!

A lover of classic architecture, I'd give my right arm to live in an old brownstone or limestone home {lucky lucky Stefanie!}, but they are a non-existent breed out here in the 'burbs. Fantasy homes aside, my husband and I were tickled pink last August when we purchased our first home - a brand spanking new "heritage style" with a wee patch of grass out back for our monkeys to run around on.

Now, while I appreciate some aspects of new houses, it's always a challenge to personalize, decorate, and make them feel like home...which is what we have slowly {oh so painfully slowly at times} been doing over the past months in our new place.

Today I'm going to share with you my son's bedroom {one of the more "complete" rooms in the house, though we all know that few rooms are ever truly "done" if you are design obsessed!}

In designing his room I wanted something handsome, boyish and comfortable. I'm not into cutesy decor for kids, and Ben's never been a babyish kid anyhow. From day one he's been all boy - loves trucks, tools, cars, and bacon! Yup, a manly {little} man who needed a room to suit. The jumping off point for the room were some nautical flags from the Land of Nod...I loved the colours and the preppy feel and knew Ben would think it fun to have them parading around his room. The mood and colours fell into place after that find, and here are the results:

An upholstered headboard {herringbone linen fabric with brass nailheads} sits next to a black painted faux bamboo sidetable {you can read about it's transformation here}. The duvet cover is a taupe linen, sheets are white with a taupe stripe, and touches of red are brought in with the Pottery Barn euro sham and the red cableknit pillow and throw. The rug is an roadmap rug from Ikea, which I'd like to one day replace with a wide stripe rug, but for now Ben has fun driving his cars around on it.

One of Ben's favourite books is Curious George, so when he spied this guy at a store one day, he begged to bring him home!

This antique dresser was awaiting refinishing for my store when I decided that the style and gorgeous grain made it the perfect addition for Ben's room. I love its imperfections and the few chips, I think it adds great character to the space. Stacked above the old faux-bamboo chair are Ben's first {very abstract!} painting and some black and white shots of him as a baby.

Arranged on top of the dresser are a collection of boyish objects ~ wooden cars, a tin soldier {former cookie jar that now houses matchbox cars!}, a vintage trophy, red lacquer box, and iron obelisks. The round mirror is a slight nod to a ships porthole.

In a small space, every inch counts. Kids rarely need to use closets for clothing, so I added an Ikea shelving unit in the bottom of Ben's for toys, books and a "parking lot" for Ben's many vehicles.

The wooden dog's name is "Max" and he does an excellent job keeping lookout for monsters under the bed!

Ahhh, it's so nice to have a room completed! Though I still have a hankering to cover the walls in crisp white painted beadboard {floor to ceiling}, I'll leave that for down the road...no shortage of projects around here still to do!

Thanks for letting me stop by to give you a peek!