Country Cottage Patio In Progress
You know when a project seems pretty straight forward but then a few little hiccups set you back a ways and it ends up taking a lot longer than you expect? Yea, that. But the hard part is over now - the circle patio is done - now on to adding a firepit, lighting and a few other projects to spruce it up.
As we discovered a few years back on a country trip, firepits are awesome. The higher the flame the better. And there will be s'mores. Oh yeah.
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!
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!
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 MakeoverSneak Peek: Living Room Makeover
Well that was fun! Spent a weekend running around to finish off the country cottage living room makeover.
Full before and after reveal in the next post!
sources: Bar Cart / Edison Lamp / Chalkboard / Wall Color Glidden Marshmallow White
Bunk Beds!
Well we did it - we finally split the living room in at our NJ shore apartment to make an extra bedroom. We had been thinking about it for ages but were loathe to give up the spacious feel of the living room. But with another baby on the way, we knew our days of sharing one bedroom were numbered so it was time to make the call.
Now the wall is up, it's time to furnish this little space. Perhaps its the 1980s child in me but there was nothing cooler than bunk beds when I was growing up so it seemed like the perfect solution to a small space. Of course I love the really fancy built in bunk beds with all the bells and whistles but that wasn't practical for lots of reasons here so I went all the way to the other side of the scale and headed straight to Ikea.
Simple and cheap, this seemed like a good solution. And it looks like I'm in some amazing company as some of my very favorite bloggers have used this very same bed in their designs. Amazing how a coat of paint can transform this knotty pine look.
sources: Lauren Leonard | Holly Matthis | Oh Joy
Anyone have this bed and want to share their thoughts on it? I'm a little bit lost on the rules of bunk bed bedding - I don't want to create a big nightmare of having to lift the mattress every time I make the bed but I'm not sure if there is an alternative.
Can I add artwork on the wall next to the bed or am I sure to have it come crashing down on the littles?
As for the living room, that is also a work in progress. (to refresh your memory, click here to see what it looked like before) This is what it looks like now. While not 100% ideal, my existing furniture works well enough so I'm super happy about that. I need to get some new window treatments and artwork before I can call it done but more about that in another post.
It's still a bit of a mess down there so pardon the dust.
Now the wall is up, it's time to furnish this little space. Perhaps its the 1980s child in me but there was nothing cooler than bunk beds when I was growing up so it seemed like the perfect solution to a small space. Of course I love the really fancy built in bunk beds with all the bells and whistles but that wasn't practical for lots of reasons here so I went all the way to the other side of the scale and headed straight to Ikea.
Simple and cheap, this seemed like a good solution. And it looks like I'm in some amazing company as some of my very favorite bloggers have used this very same bed in their designs. Amazing how a coat of paint can transform this knotty pine look.
sources: Lauren Leonard | Holly Matthis | Oh Joy
Anyone have this bed and want to share their thoughts on it? I'm a little bit lost on the rules of bunk bed bedding - I don't want to create a big nightmare of having to lift the mattress every time I make the bed but I'm not sure if there is an alternative.
Can I add artwork on the wall next to the bed or am I sure to have it come crashing down on the littles?
As for the living room, that is also a work in progress. (to refresh your memory, click here to see what it looked like before) This is what it looks like now. While not 100% ideal, my existing furniture works well enough so I'm super happy about that. I need to get some new window treatments and artwork before I can call it done but more about that in another post.
It's still a bit of a mess down there so pardon the dust.
New Mattress, Better Sleep {Sponsored Post}
I may have mentioned that the amount of time I'm spending in my bed has increased a lot during this pregnancy - my mattress just wasn't cutting it.
While ol' lumpy and I were no longer getting along, I dreaded the whole process of buying a mattress at the store. Too many options and a somewhat less than open sales pitch really puts me off. So when the lovely people at Leesa, a new online mattress company, asked me if I wanted to give their product a try, I jumped at the chance.
The Leesa mattress arrived on my doorstep in an unassuming box. I was a little suspect of how a truly plush, comfy mattress could fit in there but I held off judgement. Out it came and we laid it on our bed and cut open the plastic. The sound of air rushing into that mattress was a hoot and within minutes, the mattress had plumped up to its full 10 inch size. We were impressed.
The mattress is made up 3 different kinds of foam - dense core support, memory foam and a cooling top layer designed to keep you cool. It's all wrapped up in a seamless, pretty cover. It's also super tempting for toddler jump parties!
But who cares all about that? The proof is in the sleeping! We only had spring mattresses before and I was prepared for a small adjustment period to get used to the foam. Much to my shock, it took no time at all to adjust. We've been sleeping like logs on it for a few weeks and I've really appreciated not waking up with a back ache each morning. I've also noticed that because of the foam, we are less prone to wake each other up throughout the night so that's another big win. So far, I love it and I'm so glad I made the switch!
As if that wasn't enough Leesa is doing good in the world by donating 1 new mattress for every 10 they sell so we can all sleep a little easier.
Want to join me for a snooze? The first 50 readers to redeem the promo code "BROOKLYN" will get $75 off your order!
disclosure: this post was sponsored by Leesa but all opinions expressed are my own.
While ol' lumpy and I were no longer getting along, I dreaded the whole process of buying a mattress at the store. Too many options and a somewhat less than open sales pitch really puts me off. So when the lovely people at Leesa, a new online mattress company, asked me if I wanted to give their product a try, I jumped at the chance.
The Leesa mattress arrived on my doorstep in an unassuming box. I was a little suspect of how a truly plush, comfy mattress could fit in there but I held off judgement. Out it came and we laid it on our bed and cut open the plastic. The sound of air rushing into that mattress was a hoot and within minutes, the mattress had plumped up to its full 10 inch size. We were impressed.
The mattress is made up 3 different kinds of foam - dense core support, memory foam and a cooling top layer designed to keep you cool. It's all wrapped up in a seamless, pretty cover. It's also super tempting for toddler jump parties!
But who cares all about that? The proof is in the sleeping! We only had spring mattresses before and I was prepared for a small adjustment period to get used to the foam. Much to my shock, it took no time at all to adjust. We've been sleeping like logs on it for a few weeks and I've really appreciated not waking up with a back ache each morning. I've also noticed that because of the foam, we are less prone to wake each other up throughout the night so that's another big win. So far, I love it and I'm so glad I made the switch!
As if that wasn't enough Leesa is doing good in the world by donating 1 new mattress for every 10 they sell so we can all sleep a little easier.
Want to join me for a snooze? The first 50 readers to redeem the promo code "BROOKLYN" will get $75 off your order!
disclosure: this post was sponsored by Leesa but all opinions expressed are my own.
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