It’s been awhile since I’ve shared some house updates! In general a lot of our home improvement projects slowed down after I got pregnant — not being able to paint has put a damper on some of my DIY abilities. One room that has gotten a bit of a makeover since we moved in that I’m excited to share today is the dining room. We painted the dining room, and removed all the doors that close it off from the kitchen and living room only a few months after moving in. After that, we just popped in some hand me down furniture and craigslist pieces from our apartment and walked away. With the holidays coming up, I really wanted to “finish” this space and have it be a place where we could entertain friends and family. Of course no space is ever really finished, but we did tackle a few improvements to give it a fresh look.
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So, nesting is a real thing, huh? I love me some decorating, but I’ve never really been so meticulous about a “plan” for a room before, until I started thinking about how we’re going to decorate Baby B’s room. We were both on board with finding out the gender, so it’s nice to go into the planning process with a girl-scheme in mind. It’s been really fun to research the pieces we want to use in the space, and now I feel like I have some clear marching orders for what we need to invest in, what we’re adding to our baby registry, and what little details will pull it all together. 
I finally feel like we have our first ‘complete’ room in our house after a mini-makeover of our downstairs bathroom. Of course this is the one room in our house that I forgot to take ‘before’ pictures of, so you’ll just have to trust me when I say that these small projects made a huge impact on this little space. The bathroom was a dark rust color and had a huge dark wood cabinet on the wall and a beat-up, yellowed laminate vanity. Our first order of business was giving it a fresh coat of paint with a really rich blue color — Hamilton Blue by Benjamin Moore — I love how it looks. Once we started painting, it made the laminate flooring look so dingy and gross, so I made a brave decision to try to tile the bathroom floor myself. I did lots of research online, and got some advice from a friendly sales associate at Home Depot, and managed to do a pretty solid looking job of installing a marbled hexagon penny tile. 
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A few weeks back a member of our Boston Bloggers group approached me about photographing our apartment for Houzz. I’m sure anyone who rents would agree with me, that apartment living isn’t always perfect — you have to work with what you have (in my case, crazy zig-zag carpeting and a kitchen with no cabinets!). Knowing those imperfections can be the things that I dwell on, I was a little apprehensive at first — but Faith from Design Fixation photographed our space and I’m so touched seeing the images that she captured of it. We’re in the very beginning stages of house-hunting (exciting! terrifying!) and I’m so happy to know that this imperfect little apartment where we got engaged, married, and built a pretty cool adult life is preserved. I pulled a few of my favorite details from the shoot below, if you’d like to see more of the images and interview (plus lots of product resources) head on over to Houzz. 
All photos taken by Faith from Design Fixation
A few weeks back I was getting ready to host a baby shower at my apartment and I felt my living room could use a little ‘zhush’ — but I also didn’t want to spend a ton of money making updates. The fastest way to get a new look for your living room? Mixing up the textiles! I added some new pillows from Wayfair (I’m pretty obsessed with the Paris street map pillow, doesn’t it have a little bit of a Kate Spade vibe?), a cozy Mexican blanket that I got this summer from my trip to Creative Overnight, and pulled in my floor pouf in for some extra seating. Just layering some new colors and textures on top of my existing pieces made a huge difference.
Want to get in on this fun? I’ve rounded up a few of the items used in my living room below, and bonus: Wayfair is sharing a 15% off ANYPillow, Pouf or Throw through November 24th! Just use the promo code: WFPTP15
Mexican Blanket | Paris Map Pillow | Knit Pouf Ottoman
Please note: This post was sponsored by Wayfair.com, all opinions are my own.
I think is going to be my first post where I claim the ‘holiday season is upon us’ — because I officially saw them rolling out the roasting pan displays and racks of Christmas decorations at Target last night! I did a little DIY project a few weeks back to create a custom chalkboard and I think this idea is perfect for adding a little rustic touch to your holiday decorating. It’s as simple as this: I found the tree stump slices at Michael’s and painted them freehand with black chalkboard paint, leaving a little border around the edge to show some of the wood. I think they would be just perfect for writing out your holiday dinner menu on, sharing your signature cocktail recipe (like I did below) or even a thoughtful note about what you’re thankful for at Thanksgiving.
Photography (Image 2) by Bring to Light Photography and Florals by Little Flower Cottage
Can we say ‘styling-crush’? I got the new-to-me Schoolhouse Electric catalog in the mail last week and it’s one of those things that I think will end up in my magazine box for years to come — the styling and photography are amazing. Not to mention the actual products are beyond lust-worthy, it made me want to start from scratch and redecorate my entire apartment. I love that slightly messy, collected-Americana look to the pages. And gosh does it make me want to invest in new light fixtures!
Images via Schoolhouse Electric Catalog
I am constantly trying to make my bed incrementally more comfortable and cozy (we got fluffy new pillows this weekend, a must!), but don’t you just always wonder how stylists get that “coziest place on earth” look when bedrooms are featured in magazines and design books? I ran across this image and I want to dive head first into that freshly made bed — the layered pillows, the slip-covered headboard, smooth crisp duvet… I mean — it might actually be dangerously cozy, I don’t think I’d ever leave!
Source: Stephen Shubel Design
Just a little round up today of a few things have caught my eye recently. I have that preppy striped vest on my fall wishlist, and was eyeing that fabulous pair of sunglasses and chunky statement necklace when I popped into the mall this weekend. I’ve also been doing a little home decor day dreaming on Pinterest lately and love those ticking striped chairs from Serena and Lily and a bold door knocker for my hypothetical future front door. Plus that tomato red desk lamp? Perfection.
Clickwise from top left: Striped Chair, Brass Door Knocker, Sunglasses, Necklace, Desk Lamp, Striped Vest
I love a good high-low collaboration, and right now Jonathan Adler and Conran have just that — two new collections at JC Penney. What’s interesting is how perfectly the two collections work with each other! I pulled together a few of my favorite items below, that couch is a major deal, and I’m eyeing the knit pillow and greek key tumblers (just $6!). What do you think? Time to redecorate?
Clockwise from top left: Nightstand, Greek Key Mug, Pillow, Bookends, Lamp, Pitcher, Tumblers, Pom Pom Pillow, Couch
