Organizing my closets

Happy Tuesday!

This weekend I was super productive. I think I am in total count-down mode now until the baby comes. There is soooooo much to do and so little time...and that's before I'm up every two hours for feedings :)

Sorry quick tangent...do you remember the fabric I picked out for the nursery...well my mom and I were headed to Calico Corners to buy the fabric and make a pillow and crib skirt when we decided to "swing by" Marshall's first...and look what I found!!!!!!!

Yes my EXACT Wilmington fabric from Calico Corners already made into a pillow...and for only $20! Can you believe it? I think they call this divine intervention :) Now all we have to do is make the crib skirt. How amazing does this fabric look against the rug!!!

Okay back to organizing...

I started by cleaning out and organizing all of our upstairs closets. Ever since I got booted from the nursery closet, my extra clothes have been pitifully spread out everywhere in our guest room.

We currently have two hall closets, both dedicated to coats, so I decided to condense into one and move my stuff into the second.

Here is what it looked like before (terrible):

And hidden behind the coats were these EMPTY and amazingly deep shelves that were just sitting unloved! Shame on me! So first I cleared out everything and then I started to organize...you can see all of my extra pillow covers that I started to fold on the second shelf...PS anyone need pillow covers? I seem to hoard these :)

 

Then I folded all of the scarves I don't wear every day on the third shelf along with my hats (that always seemed so fabulous when I purchased :) Most of these were hanging out in the second closet that I was able to empty.

 Then I took all coats we haven't even worn once this year downstairs to store away. I also was able to fit the random cleaning supplies in the basket (along with umbrellas) on the left. Now we only have one "coat" closet with tons of room to spare!

 Finally our fav scarves when back up on the hooks and I was done...with one closet!

Next, I put all of my "extra but still wear a lot" clothes into the now-empty second hall closet. I realize having your "things" in a hall closet is not ideal, but this is what happens when you live in a 50's rambler with an expanding family!

Somehow this closet is even smaller than the one in the nursery. And don't pay attention to the shelf above...this will totally change. I still have to add most of my shoe boxes up there and find somewhere else for my every-day bags.

That's right...next I need to tackle my shoes...and three more closets...ahhhhhhhh!

Nursery Progress - 2

Happy Friday! Wow am I glad this week is almost over :)

Here's a sneak peek of the nursery. We have painted the walls white, removed the carpet, refinished the hardwood floors (thanks to AG Floors--amazing) and the Urban Outfitters rug arrived!

Next step is to add the wall molding and then my favorite part--add the navy stripes...stay tuned!

This weekend I have two goals: first is to get all of my clothes & shoe boxes (that got booted from the old office / nursery closet) organized in my new office downstairs--space permitting! My second goal is to possibly finish painting the stairs (with No-VOC paint obviously) since they are looking dire lately.

And finally, and completely off topic, the new Rue issue went live this week. There were some great shopping finds (see below) but overall I was underwhelmed with the design spreads. Oh well you can't blow it out of the water every time...I still adore the pub!

Here are two finds from the RUE mag that I'm loving...

I must get these Container Store bins for the bookcase. How cute and at $10/pop a total steal!

And does this $350 pendant look familiar?

It kind of resembles my $64 brass pendant from Urban Outfitters...

Here are the other shots I love from Rue...

If you are ever wondering how to perfectly style a coffee table...this might be it!

 And they featured my hometown, DC, in this issue including some can't miss shops. Read the story in detail here.

Inspiration Board: Allison's Family Room

Happy Tuesday!

I wanted to share a new inspiration board I put together for my friend Allison's family room.

Allison already has a great dark brown sofa and two red chairs, so I drew inspiration from those colors.   She wants lots of pop in this room so I tried to pick some bold patterns for the throw pillows. 

When I was sourcing I tried to give Allison as much storage as I could. First, I want to replace their coffee table with a leather storage ottoman. This is kid friendly, and offers tons of storage. A great modern tray on top will allow you to have magazines, remotes, drinks, still on your coffee table. In the ottoman you can add throws, magazines, toys, etc. I also sourced a great wicker storage cube that could go on the side of their media stand for extra storage.

Above their fireplace, I think a mirror on it would look great! It would bring lots of light and style into the room. I love this mirror because it looks like a paned window. Personally, I am not a fan of plants in rooms...mostly because I can't keep them alive :) but also they don't always look super stylish. Instead I would put some great candles and glass vases with flowers on your fireplace mantle.

I would add two matching floor lamps, one on either side of your fireplace. I like how this adds symmetry...and I think the drum lamp shades create a more modern look. 

In between the two red chairs (if space allows) I'd love to put these stackable end tables. This is nice for guests to put their drinks, etc. But it's definitely not necessary if it feels too crowded. 

Lastly, I did a ton of research to try and find you the best storage for kids toys possible :) I keep coming back to this stackable cube/bookcase from PB Kids. First, you can't tell that it's from PB Kids (it looks very sophisticated), and you can put up to 10 baskets in these cubes. You will have plenty of storage for toys!

To bring even more dimension to the room...I think we could bring out one of the light browns in the middle paisley fabric...and paint the bottom of the wall separated by the molding (see inspiration pic at bottom right of board).

What I'm loving at West Elm

Happy MLK Day everyone!

Of course my company doesn't celebrate :) so here I am at work...but at least traffic was manageable!

Hope everyone had a great weekend. I stopped into West Elm this weekend and was blown away by all of their unique and utterly spectacular new pieces. West Elm used to have bold graphic patterns that were out of this world--and then they went a little too granola and blah--but boy are they back!

Check out my favorite pieces below...

 Cool rustic headboard...

Coffee table that hides so much storage...

 Ottoman in super cute fabric

Loving these menswear-inspired bath mats...I might get both to alternate in my bathroom...

 Perfect for a guest room dresser

Beautiful rugs! Seriously these patterns are so graphic and would go with anything!!

 Bold dish ware...

 And napkins...

And last but not least I'm loving this dandelion colored tufted accent chair. So beautiful!

Happy Monday everyone!

Nursery Progress - 1

Happy Monday everyone!

I hope you had a wonderful weekend...if you are in the DC area I hope you enjoyed the insanely beautiful weather (aka 68 degrees)!

Ryan and I were super productive. We took down our Christmas decorations, had our Potterybarn Kids Glider delivered...and with the help of my parents painted my super dark walled office into a bright white nursery.

But what I'm most excited about are my two great finds from Urban Outfitters!

Thanks to one of my favorite bloggers, Look Linger Love, I discovered this amazing brass tiered pendant shade for only $64! This will look so cute in the nursery, plus it doesn't hang too low, and at $64 it is so much cheaper than any drum pendant I could find, the $400 Restoration Hardware Baby & Child iron pendant ...and easier than me trying to recreate the Thomas O'Brien Hicks Pendant!

And then I decided to check out the rugs...Urban has always had the chevron patterned rug I've been looking for, but never in orange. Well guess what?!?! They just got it in orange. And at $74 for a 5x7 this already orange/white chevron is cheaper than my mom and I painting an Ikea rug with the chevron pattern. (I'd still like to try out that DIY project because it looks awesome) but my time is running out so I'll happily buy a super cheap already complete rug for now!

So far I'm sticking pretty true to my nursery mood board...

Here is a pic of my new glider...it is soooooo comfortable...thanks to both of our parents who gave this to us!!! (I haven't put the cream twill slipcover on yet...)

And here are some pics of my office to nursery progress...

Before

Last weekend

And today

We bought Valspar's new ZERO VOC, certified ashtma & allergy friendly paint and I can't speak highly enough about it.  I had Loews match it to Bejnamin Moore's Decorator's White...and since it has zero VOC's I could even help out a little.

Valspar⁺ is the first paint certified asthma & allergy friendly^™ by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. It provides a durable antimicrobial finish that is mold and mildew resistant. With no lingering odors and zero VOCs, you get a long lasting finish without adding asthma and allergy triggers. Valspar⁺ is ideal for bedrooms (especially for children), bathrooms, basements and kitchens.

Inspiration Board: Allison's Den

I recently helped my friend Allison with her guest room...and we are now moving on to her den. Her den is immediately to the left when you enter the front door, and this room really serves as a place to put the kids coats and shoes on, to drop the mail, etc. But it is also one of the first rooms in the house so it has to set the right tone.

The room already has great built in white bookcases encasing a large front window. I hope to extend these bookcases slightly to make room for a cushion the kids can sit on when they are getting ready.

Since most of the house is bright, light and airy, I thought this small room would be beautiful and dramatic in a dark navy like Benjamin Moore's Old Navy. The room would still be bright because of the big windows and white bookcases and molding, but the dark color would be unexpected, a little dramatic, and offer a cozy feeling.

Version 1

I also wanted to give this room some pieces to feel more like a den. A place Allison and her husband can retreat to when they want to read a good book with a cup of coffee on weekend mornings. In one version, I found these great graphic patterned slipper chairs from Target that I want to create a conversation area with. In the second version, I selected two whiskey colored club chairs, also from Target. Since the walls are dark I selected a warm neutral rug (West Elm), distressed barn wood mirror (Potterybarn), and farmhouse chandelier (Potterybarn).

Version 2

For those pesky bills and letters that may pile up I love the idea of a secretary desk like this one from Ballard Designs. This way you can keep your mail and magazines organized and have a drop down desk when needed--but when guests come over it can all get neatly tucked away.

I had to add the owl umbrella stand for a bit of fun and whimsy.

Kid-friendly and Cool?

Happy Wednesday!

This past weekend I had my 19-month nephew stay at my house and I quickly realized that my house is anything but baby-proof.

While I want my house to be safe and fun for my baby, I still want it to look like a sophisticated grown up house. My recent purchase of a sectional for upstairs is a great example of both...light stone (grown up color) but in micro-suede (child friendly fabric). 

I came across Celebrity Chef Trish Magwood's house tour on House & Home's website that perfectly blends kid-friendly and approachable, while still being super cool and chic. Love!

Designer: Rebecca Muha
Photographer: Stacey Brandford