Be cheap yet chic when decorating your space!
Happy weekend, everybody! What are your plans? I think I’m just going to take it easy because it’s been a whirlwind week! Here are some things I’m loving from around the Web…
1. I am IN LOVE with this paisley headboard. How could you ever wake up on the wrong side of the bed?
2. Ahhh, milk glass.
3. I’d love to have cocktails on this striped porch.
4. I have to get this pillow! It’s so fitting for my life!
Photo from Pinterest
When you’re furniture shopping, is there a look or detail that instantly draws your attention to a piece? Mine, without a doubt, is nailhead trim. Whether it is around a mirror, on a chair, on a sofa, or on a headboard, I am obsessed. It adds just the right amount of interesting detail and texture to a home decor item.
I think of nailhead trim as wearing a leather jacket with a floral dress. The dress (in this case the piece of furniture) is light and airy on its own, but with the addition of the leather jacket (here, the nailhead trim), it’s instantly tougher and more bad ass.
It’s my ultimate goal to make a headboard with nailhead trim. Using upholstery tacks or nails, which can be found at any craft store for about $5.00, you can inexpensively update any piece of furniture you own. There are so many different designs of upholstery tacks that the possibilities are endless!
I’m loving these images. They’re definitely fueling my obsession!
Photo from Style by Emily Henderson
Photo from Centsational Girl
Photo from Budget Wise Home
I hope y’all have had a great week! I’m off to my favorite state, South Carolina, to visit some old college friends and attend a dear friend’s wedding. I’m also hoping to stop by my favorite junk shop while I’m there!
Here are a few of my favorite things from around the Web this week…
1. I’ve had several people ask me how to distress furniture. I’ve never actually done it myself, so I think I’m going to follow this tutorial some time.
2. Lilly Pulitzer is my favorite clothing designer. Her prints are amazing and so timeless. That being said, I’m dying to try this out to make my own Lilly Pulitzer-printed wine glasses!
3. One of my best friends is expecting her first baby (a girl…yay!) in August, so I’ve been obsessed with finding images of beautiful nurseries. Babble.com compiled a list of the top 20 most extravagant nurseries. I’m in love!
4. I want my dining room chairs to be just like these below. So fun and unexpected!
Photo from Chinoiserie Chic
It’s now time to show y’all my favorite part of my apartment…my bedroom! I think every bedroom should serve as a restful, calming place where one can escape the hustle and bustle of every day life. I had an idea of what I wanted my bedding to look like (sumptuous sheets, fluffy pillows) and I worked tirelessly to make my idea come to fruition!
My headboard was made by the same amazing upholsterer who re-upholstered my seat cushions and armchairs. This green fabric was used to make slipcovers for my couches in college, and I knew I wanted to have green and white as the main color scheme in my room.
Headboard and Bedding
The bedding was purchased from Pottery Barn and it was actually not at all as expensive as I thought it would be. I found the bedding in the clearance section on PB’s website, but I was having difficulty purchasing it online. I called the Customer Service number and spoke with a lovely woman who told me that bedding was a part of their “call in” specials, and I would get an additional 15% off my order for calling in! I had no idea that Pottery Barn did this…they do it every day on various items (furniture, bedding, wall decor, etc.). The duvet cover, two standard shams, and two European shams were all purchased for just under $200.00, including shipping.
My lamps were a Christmas gift from my mom. She found them at a funky thrift store in Tampa. The lampshades were purchased at Lowe’s (their selection of lamp shades is great!) The side tables were found in my grandfather’s storage unit and were carefully restored by a furniture restorer in Tampa.
Side table and Lamp
The trunk at the end of my bed served as my coffee table for three years of college and now holds all of my old issues of the New Yorker. The rug is very special to me because it was in my mom’s first apartment that she lived in after graduating from college. It was then used in my nursery when I was a baby, and has now become a part of my first apartment. Though my bedroom is carpeted, I think the rug adds great color and texture to the space.
Chair, Rug, and Trunk Area
The chair was a part of my patio set during college, but I wanted a chair on which I could place dresses and clothes when I was getting dressed. I spray painted the chair a soft lime green and had a yellow and white striped cushion made to fit. The painting above the chair is of women walking in high heels and it says, “Fashion.” It was purchased at Hobby Lobby.
I have recently fallen in love with Bargello needlework, a design that is also known as a “flame stitch” pattern. I think I like it because it looks like a faded version of Chevron stripes.
Photo from Decor Arts Now
I’ve recently purchased two chairs with this pattern to be used in the veterans’ home. The first is an easy chair with shades of blue, navy, and purple. The other is a rocking chair with a peach and coral color pattern. They’re so pretty and I think they add such spunk to a space!
Chair to be Used in Nautical Room
I did some research about Bargello needlework and found that the name “Bargello” comes from a set of chairs in France that had this pattern, thus it has been known as Bargello since then.
Photo from Rittenhouse Needlepoint
Traditional designs are very colorful, and use many hues of one color, which produces intricate shading effects. The patterns are naturally geometric, but can also resemble flowers or fruits. This is a difficult stitch to master because of the layering required to achieve the multi-hued look.
Photo from Satin Moon
1. This article reignited my passion for decorating, my blog, and my dream of becoming an established home décor blogger and writer. Hope it inspires you to tackle a new project!
2. I see these types of tables for sale at thrift stores all the time! I never thought about making them into shelves by stacking them on top of each other.
3. I love old maps! What a nifty way to repurpose a chair and incorporate a map. I think I want to make one for my best friend’s classroom.
Photo from Salvage Love
4. This isn’t home décor-related, but as the holidays roll around, I want to spotlight great causes. My good friend, Spencer, has started a campaign through Generosity Water that will raise money to provide clean water for an entire village in Africa. For more information, check out this website. I’m going to donate to the cause in my friends’ names…instant Christmas gift!
I start decorating the veterans’ home in a few weeks, and I’ve come up with some items I’d love to incorporate into my design scheme. I already showed y’all the color palette I want to use (if you missed that post, here it is). The challenges I face with this project are: 1. Keeping it masculine and functional; 2. Utilizing every square inch of the small space; 3. Refurbishing the furniture quickly and tastefully! I’m hoping I can meet all of these challenges and provide these amazing men with an awesome place to live. Here are some of the items I’m hoping to imitate or find…
Photo from Belle Chose Home
1. I think nail heads on a chair or ottoman would look really masculine and chic.
2. Wide navy stripes on a bed spread, curtains, or bench would be manly, hide any stains (since these rooms will be occupied by different people over a period of time), and match my color scheme.
Photo from Prep From The Midwest
3. A large oval mirror like this one to be placed over the fireplace in the one bedroom apartment. This will allow light to reflect off it and around the entire room, making the space appear larger and more open.
Photo from Pinterest
What was the world like before there were zebra print cushions, chairs, and most importantly, rugs? I love a good zebra print, especially if it’s a zebra rug! I have visions of using a zebra rug in my living room one day to add an eclectic touch to my more traditional decor.
I’ve seen a zebra rug paired with an all-white camelback couch with light pink pillows (emphasis on lightpink; hot pink would look like Snooki exploded in your living room) and Lucite chairs. In my opinion, this would be glamorous perfection.
Photo from Pinterest
I’ve been scouring the Internet for places to purchase zebra rugs and I’ve found some good ones. They’re a bit pricey, but I think they’d be worth the investment because they’d add such a punch of pizzaz to a space.
This one is available on Overstock.com (this place is amazing!) for $91.99. Remember, shipping is always only $2.95 no matter how much you order!
This one is available on Kohl’s.com for $99.99. (Price depends on size).
This one is on West Elm.com for $99.00. (Again, price depends on the size of the rug you choose).
I hope y’all fall in love with zebra print rugs like I have!
Upholstery can make or break a piece of furniture. Done well, it can make an old couch purchased at a garage sale look like a million bucks. Done poorly, it can make a $5.00 thrift store chair look like, well, a $5.00 thrift store chair.
Cushion Made from Drop Cloth, Photo by The Virginia House
I have not yet learned the art of upholstery. I would love to take classes on how to do this, but for now, I let the professionals handle my upholstery needs. The last time I had something re-upholstered, it was kind of pricey. Purchasing the fabric and then paying someone to do the labor really adds up!
I’ve seen tutorials like this one on Pinterest, but I get worried about messing up! Has anyone tried these tutorials? If so, did they work for you? Learning how to do this myself would definitely cut down on cost. I think I’m going to challenge myself to try to upholster a small, inexpensive piece of furniture as an experiment.
Photo by Little Green Notebook
I would love to learn how to upholster furniture to look like these pieces. Well, a girl can dream!
I have always loved these amazing stripes, but never knew their “official” name. Now, I know and I want to spread the word! You can find these stripes everywhere these days! From walls to pillows to rugs to purses, chevron stripes make everything instantly chic. They update anything (a wall, a door, a rug), taking your space from drab to fab without a lot of money or time spent. These are a couple of decor pieces that incorporate my beloved chevron. In a few weeks, I’ll be teaching y’all how to make your own chevron rug…so get pumped!
Chevron Rug in Dining Room. Photo from House Full of Pretty by Jenny.
Chevron Art above the Mantle. Photo from Made By Girl.
