Basement Family Room Made Merry

Anyone else singing Christmas carols? I know, I know - it's a little early but I can't help myself. Especially since I just outfitted my friend's basement family room for the holidays a little bit early.

[In case you missed it, check out the pretty drastic transformation from a dank storage space to a ski lodge inspired lounge] My friends at Hayneedle provided the goodies and put me right into the Christmas spirit!



I am seriously crushing on these wingback chairs. I need to find a spot to put at least one somewhere in my own house. This window ledge made for the perfect spot to add a hanging star and frosted garlands. The perfect nook for sipping hot cocoa.


I adore a good frosted tree.  Without much in the way of ornaments or other frou frou, it looks so festive!  I simply added a few red berry garlands and some sticks before lighting it up.





Got antlers?  Hang a wreath on it!


 I'm so happy with how this space turned out and has put me in the holiday spirit at the perfect time!


Shop the whole look here or click over to the specific products:
Belham Living Flocked Pine Pre-Lit Tree
Belham Living Flocked Pre-Lit Garland
Finley Flocked Pre-Lit Garland
Christmas Lodge Pillow Set
Woven Dark Brown Tree Collar
Santa Boots
Flocked 28 inch Wreath
Cheer Rhinestone Throw Pillow
Sequin Reindeer Throw Pillow


Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Hayneedle but all opinions expressed are my own.

Anna's Modern Classic Dining Room Renovation

A few weeks ago I shared the amazing kitchen renovation that my friend Anna had just completed. The transformation was pretty impressive but I've got an even better one today!  This before and after serves as such an inspiration to anyone who ever bought an ugly house.

Here is what it looks like today. Isn't it just a stunner? She is waiting on the rest of the chairs but I I just had to share it. She added great trim to add so much architectural interest here and then brought the look into the future with that great counterbalance light fixture.

Beauty right?  Well take a gander at what this room looked like before....



Yes this is the same room!  Not only is it hideous but it's also such a throwback to growing up in Brooklyn in the 1980s.  Nearly every house had that orange brown shag carpeting and a mirror wall. Classy!   Not many people would have been able to see the potential here.  Bravo Anna.



Sources:

Credenza + Dining Table | Hedgehouse Furniture 

Light Fixture  | Ebay

Copper Chair | The Lucy Chair by Bend Goods

Dining Chairs | Aeon Albany

Rug | Loloi Anastasia

Do you have a room makeover of your own you'd like to have featured?  Drop me a line!

Safari Nursery - Warm Sophisticated Space Makes Lasting Memories

Create a cozy safari nursery using warm colors, precious mementos and a few new pieces. It's the perfect space for your future world traveler.
 

While I didn't quite meet my self imposed goal of having this nursery complete before Oscar's arrival, it was finished within a few weeks.  I'm call that a win! We went with a loosely interpreted sophisticated safari theme with a few whimsical touches to keep it baby appropriate. This makeover was an easy one with just a few changes to the decor - keeping it different enough from Agatha's nursery look without putting in too much work.

As you can see, I left the walls



While I created this safari nursery for my son, it works just as well for a baby girl.



Even though the room is very small, there are a lot of great little touches that make me smile.  Staring with photographs from our trip to Kenya in 2010 (arguably one of the best vacations we have ever been on!).  We also have the hot air balloon that we received as a thank you gift from my brother and sister in law (your might remember that was the best wedding ever).  A rocking elephant that a sweet friend sent that is just perfect.  And finally an amazing reversible quilt from local artisan Brooklyn Quilting Co that I can't get enough of.

 

Dark walls and personal touches make a warm, cozy space

It's cozy and warm and I hope we'll make the same wonderful memories in here that we made with Agatha when she was in this room.  Now if only we could all sleep through the night and then it would be magical.

Safari Nursery Resources

map quilt | brooklyn quilting co.
glider | Lyon Swivel by babyrelax
crib | stokke sleepi
curtains| striped flambe via overstock 
mobile | petit collage safari
animal head | pillowfort target
rug | Zulu by Loloi
wall color | Glidden Wrought Iron
hot air balloon | authentic models
rocking elephant | pottery barn
picture frames | Ikea odby (now discontinued)
chair pillow | designed by me, printed at zazzle
safari photos | taken by me on our trip to Kenya

For More check out:

Baby Closet Hack

Anna's Modern Classic Kitchen Remodel

It will come as no surprise to you that I love a good renovation before and after. I'm one of those people that get irrationally excited when my friends renovate their house. Well my friend Anna recently finished her remodel and it's so amazing I just had to share it with you.

This is what it looks like today. Pretty impressive right?


Well you are about to be a lot more impressed because here is the before.

Hard to believe this is the same space at all no less a very similar layout.  Just go to show you what great style can do to any home.  High five Anna - you crushed it.  




If you loved this as much as I did, stay tuned for more great renovation inspiration from Anna's house coming up soon.


Source List

Cabinets | Euro Custom Cabinets -Long Island City

Cabinet Pulls | Top Knobs

Countertops | MSI Quartz in Arctic White

Backsplash | Neolith in Calacatta Polished

Faucet | Newport Brass East Linear

Filtered Water Faucet | Newport Brass 

Pendants | Visual Comfort Hicks

Stools | CB2

Range | Wolf- 36" AG

Refrigerator | Sub Zero 36" 

Hood | Prestige Pro

Oven | Bosch Benchmark

Coffee System | Miele

Floor Tile | Roca

Rustic Living Room Makeover with a Modern Twist

So time for the big reveal of the Rustic Living Room makeover at the country cottage. I'm so pleased with how it turned out and excited to share it! This room started out with pretty meager beginnings but it's now transformed into something comfortable, inviting and personal. Disclosure: World Market was kind enough to provide the items featured in this makeover post but all opinions expressed are my own. A huge thank you to them for their help in making this makeover complete! A little look back to the before and the during... And now... A little backstory: My brother and sister in law have been slaving away up here doing all the not so glamorous parts of renovating a fixer upper but they had very little budget for the fun stuff - furniture, decor, etc.  They were literally spending weekends sitting on the floor after all their hard work!  So I reached out to my friends at World Market and I was so overjoyed when they agreed to lend a helping hand. With their help, I was able to surprise my brother and sister in law with a great makeover. Their collections of updated and eclectic decor were perfect for this space!

Let's break it down and See how to do a Rustic Living Room Makeover.

As you can guess, the room needed a little prep work before the decor could get started.  After some electrical and sheetrock repairs, the floors were sanded and the whole room got a coat of soft white paint (Glidden's Marshmallow White in flat finish).

The room design started with a pair of Blue Velvet Kendall Sofas from World Market. I loved their slightly unexpected color without sacrificing a neutral palette.  And their low scale was perfect for this cozy room with low ceilings.  I paired those with the Aiden Coffee Table and Bar Cart.  The Blue and Gold Tufted Wool Rug pulled together the conversation area. Finally, the Distressed Wood Harrow Dining Bench is used for another surface area as well as to better separate the living space. A rustic living room can't live on furniture alone so we needed to add some personal touches.  First the oversized artwork as a whimsical nod to the hipster outdoorsy vibe their town projects.  We took wood planks and framed them out with 1x2 trim before staining and painting. The bar cart got outfitted with some favorite libations as well as this wood framed chalkboard.  Today it reads: Conserve Water, Drink Champagne.  For a little accent lighting, a fun Edison Glass Cloche lamp fit perfectly. The stair risers were painted an inky charcoal shade and then had a numbered treatment added on for visual interest.  I think this was the most controversial design element - I personally loved it and so did my sister in law.  My brother scratched his head at this one but did admit it looked cool after it was all done. A wall of vintage handsaws (sourced on eBay) were hung gallery style as another rustic touch. For even more personal touches, the vintage wooden crates tucked under the bench and the telescope were used at their wedding.  A succlent garden planted inside my sister in law's great grandmothers bundt pan made a great coffee table accent. To finish it off, a few lilac branches clipped right from their front yard graced this beautiful recycled glass vase. What a joy to put together and my brother and his wife are excited to have a finished space to enjoy all their hard work!

For More Living Room ideas Check Out

Shore Living Room Makeover Family Room Makeover

Room Redo Recap Cont'd Upstairs

Finishing up the recap of before + afters, here is how far we've come on the top floor.

The guest bedroom:

Long story short: Didn't want to spend a lot in here so we reused mostly things we had. Scored that comforter for $15 from Walmart. Repainted and recovered (using fabric I designed) an old chair, repainted and silver leafed the nightstand. And yes, the people in that black and white photo are strangers.

Hallway Bath:


Long story short: Tiny but practical. Moved the clawfoot downstairs and used the vintage tiles to do our kitchen backsplash. Refinished the original wall hung sink. Gutted and redone with new tiles with a nod to the period.


My office:

Long story short: What was once the crappiest kitchen of all time is my workspace. A fun color, a whimsical rug and painted birds on the window to block an ugly view.


The master bath:

Long story short: A windowless room turned into a master bath (and two walk in closets!) off our bedroom. The first time we've had a private bath and loving it.

Our bedroom

Long story short: Gray, blue and yellow all over. WWII kiss collages, a personal painting and black and white photos from our trips, a textured rug, a vintage chair, a comfy bed.

The little room

Long story short: A tiny room with no purpose outfitted with some repurposed items along with some favorite touches. A door found in the garbage turned workspace, drop clothes turned table skirt, a vintage mannequiin, a rustic birdhouse and a gallery wall of old paintings.


Ok, thats pretty much the full tour. Hope you enjoyed taking a trip down memory lane with me. It feels kind of nice to actually have an after photo for each room even if I have some tweaks in mind for most of them.

Thanks for sharing your own before and afters with me! I love seeing such great changes. And stay tuned next week for some wonderful room makeovers courtesy of a few special guests.

Room Redos Recap

There are few things that thrill me more than a proper room redo (also known to me as house porn). Not the kind you see in glossy mags that are all impossibly perfect - filled with the highest end furniture, designed by a famous decorator and fueled by a vault full of cash - the kind that "real" people create in their own homes. The rooms that you can tell just by looking at it how much time and effort and care was put into every decision until it all comes together.



So why am I bringing this up? Because next week I have a handful of room redo's brought to you by some wonderful guest bloggers. I can't help but be excited to share these but until then I thought its only fair I do a cliff notes version of my own room makeovers (apologies to the regular readers - I hope this isn't too boring for you). And while they are not perfect or even finished in some cases, I like to think they make some fairly dramatic before and afters. (mostly because the house was in such terrible shape to start out with but I'll take the credit anyway.)

Starting off with the main floor:

Easily the most startling before picture of all time, the parlor bathroom.
Long story short: It was pink and gross and smudged with mysterious brown stains. We gutted it and made it slightly smaller. We moved the clawfoot tub from the upstairs bath down here. Design choices inspired by the marble used in new york city institutions, I hung some of my favorite photos of Brooklyn in here.

Cliched but true, the most used room the house, the kitchen.

Long story short: Used to be a tiny water damaged bedroom. Blew out the wall and stole a few feet from the pink bathroom next door. Didn't try too match the original floors in the dining room next door - used a horizontal skinny plank instead. Maximized the vertical space to make up for the lack of square footage. White and gray and blue all over. Mixing metals = old world mets new.

Considerably less dramatic and still very much in progress considering I still haven't figured out a solution to the table dilemna, the dining room.

Long story short: Already a great room that just needed some tweaks. We moved the pier mirror from the living room in here for added drama. Found and refurbished vintage light fixtures, a repro ceiling medallion, refnished floors and shades of creamy white make a nice backdrop for whatever get together we are hosting.

And the much discussed 'i admit, i love tv' living room.

Long story short: Yes, I love tv. So sue me. I watch tv every single day so hiding the set from myself didn't make sense (although I agree the room would be prettier with a painting, just inpractical). Soothing tones of gold and grey (and mixed metals). It still needs a few finishing touches but I'll call it finished for now.

I'll recap the upstairs tomorrow.

Do you have a room makeover you'd like to share? I'd love to see it!