Some new additions to the fold....

We are trying to save to buy a new sofa for our family room which has been much needed for a few years now but since we sold our couch on craigslist its reached the critical level!  Then I go and purchase 2 new chairs..... but they will go so perfect with everything....?

My old ottoman recovered by my friend Michelle who did an awesome job! I need to paint or stain the new legs?  any suggestions?

I love these in front of my fireplace!  (My husband mocked me incessantly, "but how can you see the TV?")

The little end table(plantstand?) from Ross for 30 bucks.

For a mere 135 dollars you can have these babies too.  The sale goes to the end of the month at World Market and comes a few different fabrics and colors. 

Which spot do you like them in better?

I'll post later about all the couches we have looked at and our final decision :)

Voila! Shelby's Birthday Surprise

I half-heartedly did Shelby's bedroom last year.  I thought the bedding was cute, but I just never loved the room.  I think it was something about the grey blue walls and the bright pink that never quite looked right.

 So I had the great idea to give Shelby a refresh for her birthday this year.  We sold the old daybed (it used to be mine! that's how old it was!).  We bought her the bed, desk and mirror from a dear friend (who gave us a great deal, thanks Linda!).  The rest of the stuff I collected for a month and stashed behind the couch in my bedroom.  I transformed her room while she was at school (with the help of my mom and my sister!) and kept her locked out until the next morning for a birthday surprise.  She loved it!

It's not so apparent from this angle, but it's a vintage French theme.  I know that the Paris Apartment style is all over the place and super trendy.  But I tried to mix it up with some fun patterns and colors to make it not so predictable.  And really... will Paris ever go out of style??

I couldn't believe how much Paris themed stuff is out there.  

Found the perfect little side table at Marshalls for $25!    

I took that picture of the Eiffel Tower when we were there about 10 years ago!!

That canvas is what started it all!

It was fun to pull out my box of stuff that we brought back from France.   I saved all my ticket stubs, shopping bags, everything I could fit in my suitcase.  This little trinket was perfect for Shelby's room!

Happy Birthday Shelby!  Enjoy your new grown up almost a teenager room!

Nautical inspired loft

Our friend Cathy decided it was finally time to redo her loft.  It was a project she had definitely been putting off for a while, but once she decided to do it, it didn't take long for the transformation to be complete!  We can't take the credit for this one though.  She did most of the design herself.  We just came in for the finishing touches.  But I love it, she did a fantastic job.  Welcome to her newly redesigned nautical inspired loft!

Love the crisp navy and white scheme.  She originally said she wanted to go beachy.
But I love this more sophisticated take on it.  

The coolest thing about these lanterns is they have battery operated candles that came with a remote!
Instant ambience at a touch of a button!

We found the perfect artwork at HomeGoods!

She bought the sofa but the coffee table was a thrift store find that she painted herself.

A few beachy accessories make it fun, but not too "themey".

It's basically a kids' space but I am glad that she decided to go more
grown up with the theme.
I am sure they are going to love this room for a long time.  

Two Rooms ... which is your favorite?

Oh have we been busy having fun!  Busy being the operative word.  It has been non-stop refreshing this past week!  We have been working on two girl's bedrooms and doing a little here and there around the rest of the house too.  The family has been on vacation and it's a good thing.  There has been painting and more painting and molding installers and furniture moving and mountains of shopping bags.  You know to make beauty, there's gotta be a little bit of messy first.   The girls are coming home to new rooms.  We hope they love them as much as we do.

The first room is for an eleven year old with very sophisticated taste.  When we first walked into her room and saw the bedding she had already picked out from ZGallerie, we knew we were in for a treat!

Before - the room was pretty much stripped for the painters.  
It's not really an accurate before shot, but it gives you an idea.

Here's our inspiration for her Asian Spa Room

Are you feeling the zen?  





Now on to Room #2... the big sister is 15 and definitely had a theme of her own.  From looking at her before room you know that she is a beach lover!  She really loves everything about the beach and the ocean.  She even had an aquarium hanging on her wall.  Her mom wanted to go in the direction of "elegant beach".  Is that an oxymoron you ask?  Well, here's what we came up with!

Before- getting ready for painters so she had to take everything out of her dressers
that were being moved out of the room.  But you get the picture....

Here's our inspiration.

I could definitely live in this room!

And last but not least, the bathroom!  It was pretty plain.  We figured it's an upstairs kids' bathroom.  Let's have fun!

So what do you think?  Do you like the asian inspiration?  or would you go with beachy elegance??  Let us know!

There's more to come from this house as we head downstairs!!  Stay tuned.

Serenity Now!

Shari came to us with a storage dilemma.  She had just given away the roll top desk that she used to store her sewing machine and supplies.  Everything that used to be in the desk needed a new home.  She was also trying to decide if she needed new bedroom furniture.  It was functional, but she was a little tired of it.  She figured it was a good time to do a little refreshing.   But should she get rid of the furniture and buy all new??  Nope ...  we found the best solution!

The beautiful upholstered headboard is from Pier One.  We used it as the starting point of this room.  It broke up the bedroom set and made it much more interesting!

 We decided to keep the dresser and nightstands and try painting it.  

Amazing results!  We love the gray in the room.  This dresser looks better than new.  Thanks Nathan!

Here's where the desk used to be.

We replaced it with a great bookshelf.  The sewing machine went to a nearby room.  We wanted to keep this room serene and work-free!

She loved her reading corner.
 We just painted her bookshelf and added a cool new lamp.

New lamps and pictures add a touch of glam.

The print was meant for the wall above the bed,
but the headboard stood
a little taller than we anticipated.
We actually love it over the dresser.

The headboard is pretty enough to stand alone on the wall!

 Thanks Shari!  Enjoy your room and tell your husband we are sorry about all the pillows!

Do you have some old furniture that you are thinking of throwing out?  Think again!  We know someone who can help you too!