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

Happy 2012!

Happy New Year!

After more than a week off of work, I feel totally relaxed and energized. I can't remember how my brain works...but hopefully that will come back slowly :)

2011 was such a great year. I feel so blessed for my family, friends, husband, home...and of course my biggest event of 2011...getting pregnant!

I am beyond excited for 2012. I'm not even sure what my New Year's Resolutions are?

Except maybe to be a good mother, friend, daughter, sister, wife...and find time to still take care of myself and pursue my passions...man that seems like a lot :)

Here is another thing I am proud of for 2011...I finally finished my gallery wall downstairs. This has been hanging without pictures for about one year...so with the help of Ryan I finally completed it before 2011 ended! Yeah!!!

This family frame is by far my favorite...

Ryan and I also moved my office furniture downstairs to get ready for the nursery...here is a shot of my desk and bookcase now downstairs...don't worry that lamp is not staying!

I can't wait to get this room organized and painted. I'm still thinking Green? I bought a gorgeous white metalasse duvet and shams this weekend at Potterybarn...so really I can paint the walls any color I want. I'm also thinking a fuchsia would look beautiful with the navy rug??

And finally here is a photo of what my beautiful old office...and soon to be nursery currently looks like...YIKES! That's my crib, bookcase, changing table, and curtains in the boxes, bedding poking out of the shopping bags, and a ton of baby clothes :) I think we'll begin painting next weekend!!!

Happy New Year!!!