Inspiration Photo Friday: Renovation Dedication

26 Friday Apr 2013

Posted by melissaoconnor in Everyday Design, Inspiration Photo Friday, The Home

Tags

antique, art, diy, Ikea, interior design, kitchen, natural, nature, renovation, rustic kitchen, vintage, wood

My husband and I are finally fully renovating our kitchen. It has been a little over a year we are in the house and feel its time to take on the project. What was done before was only temporary until we had the funds and the time to get it done so you can imagine how excited I am to see my dream kitchen alive.

This is the first space I’ve designed from scratch and have really enjoyed the process. I want an authentic vintage kitchen so collecting items for the space has taken some time. We started a few months ago, visiting antique shops every weekend until we collected everything we were looking for. The whole room will be free standing pieces, nothing is installed or connected to the walls like cabinetry would be. So finding exactly what we wanted and making sure we had enough storage space was a task all in itself.

We were lucky to have found the perfect pieces at great prices, which helped out a lot considering our budget wasn’t big. Everything has been painted the same color to bring cohesion to the space. Whites and creams will grace the room beautifully. Thanks to Ikea, we were able to get a butcher block countertop at an affordable price and the sink cabinet is being built from scratch, another design I am excited about. When you can’t find what you want, build it!

We purchased wood planks for the ceiling and painted them white as well. And because of our budget, we chose laminate planks for the floor in a nice neutral, honey tone. The new schoolhouse lighting I chose will truly bring the vintage charm to the space and the large piece of art we had custom framed will look gorgeous. Every detail was thought of when it came to this renovation. Floor plans were drawn, measurements were taken, and I considered every inch of the room so we can really maximize the space. I’d have to say, its the most dedication I’ve had for a project in a long time and I know it will all pay off.

So for this inspiration photo friday, I wanted to share my inspirations for our kitchen renovation, since this project has been a focus for some time now. I looked to these and saw elements I loved. Then made them work for our space and combined them in way that worked with our budget. I feel its really important to have a starting point, some kind of inspiration to work off of. And these truly helped my creativity and determination.

Photo Credit: House of Anais

Inspiration Photo Friday: Renovation Dedication
Photo Credit: {Left} Unknown {Right} Kitchen Building

We are currently in the middle of the process and are ready for demo. Everything is getting ripped out, walls and all. Besides my uncle helping us with the drywall, Dan and I are doing this all by ourselves and we couldn’t be more excited. We are DIY all the way and when its all finished, we can look back and be proud of what we accomplished. It just proves that with true dedication, you can do anything. Check back for my before and after photos soon as well as a detailed post about the project.

The Key to a Cozy, Comfy Living Room

25 Thursday Apr 2013

Posted by melissaoconnor in Everyday Design, The Home

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

comfort, Country Living, cozy, design, floor plan, furniture, home, interior design, living room, Simple Country Wisdom, Susan Waggoner

Being a designer, I can’t help when I am in someone’s home and my mind is racing with ideas. I usually pick out a few things that aren’t working, which is normal because not everyone has the eye for design. I find that most people have issues with layout and not understanding the space. This is the most important key in creating a cozy and comfortable home that not only you love but others love being in as well.

I am currently reading Country Living’s, Simple Country Wisdom and it has so many great ideas and advice. Its a great book to run through for helpful tips and ways to simplify your life. Author Susan Waggoner hits a lot of good points and includes so many beautiful photos. I just came across the section on how to stage a room and it reminded me how many people get this wrong. I had to write about the issue so my readers can learn how to create a fantastic space they love. Even if you have layout figured out, you can gain some inspiration.

I think the number one problem with living rooms is ignoring the center. Having a small space can be easier to figure out but when you have a large room, it gets tricky. As Waggoner states, “the bare space in the middle of a room becomes an alley people want to pass through as quickly as possible, because there’s nothing to keep them there, no objects of interest or comfortable places to perch.” I think we’ve all been in a space where the furniture lined the walls and the middle of the room was like a black hole. You’re far from the TV, far from the other couch or chairs, and everything is just laid out without any thought of people actually living there. And its funny because the resolution is easy!

All you need to do is focus on the center of the room. This is where your furniture should be along with a coffee table and side tables, if you have them. This will enable all foot traffic to stay around the edges where it belongs. It also helps you create clusters of little areas where people can relax, talk, or just admire your belongings on display. I like how Waggoner mentions, “life takes place in the center of the hut,” which is how it has been for hundreds of civilizations such as the Vikings, Native Americans, and villages in Africa, to name a few. This creates coziness.

The room below isn’t really cozy. The warm colors in the space help but with the furniture so far apart, it seems a little bare. By bringing in another 122DESIGN chair, adding a small table in between them, and shifting the pieces a little closer, it will surely be cozier. The addition of a small rug will top it off nicely. It’s always good to have an anchor in the room so your furniture doesn’t look like its floating.

Photo Credit: Shelterness

This next space may look a little cozy, thanks to the colors and textured rug, however, it seems very museum like. There is at least two feet between the couch and the table, so the spaces seem like aisles. This is not cozy in my book. I think the room would be more successful if it only had one large couch and maybe a smaller one across from it. The space is so airy and lofty, it’s screaming for cozy! Focusing on the middle of the room would do the trick.

Photo Credit: Home Interiors

To successfully pull this off, its good to draw up a floor plan and play around with different scenarios. Pay attention to the scale of your pieces. For example, if you have large furniture, don’t crowd lots of pieces in the space. Let everything breathe. A good thing to keep in mind is what Waggoner suggests, use the letter H to guide you. First, start from the center. Then, arrange two large pieces {sofas, a sofa and chairs, etc..} across from each other acting as the two parallel lines of the H. Adding a coffee table in the middle links them together.

Photo Credit: They Call Me Domesticate

Arrange seating in the space so that they are facing each other instead of just next to each other. This also helps create an inviting and more friendly environment. With the open space you now have around the room, you can dress up windows and have a corner or two to create another cozy cluster. Who doesn’t love a reading nook? And finally, with the addition of textiles, accessories, and wall decorations, the space will feel much more comfortable, inviting, and whole.

Here are some good examples for inspiration.

Photo Credit: Ohua 88:Interior Design Resources

Photo Credit: Country Living

Photo Credit: Houzz

Photo Credit: Country Living

Photo Credit: Indulgy

Photo Credit: Country Living

Photo Credit: Home Decor Interior Ideas

Photo Credit: Country Living

Celebrate the Return of Spring with Appropriate Colors

11 Thursday Apr 2013

Posted by melissaoconnor in Everyday Design, Guest Posts, The Great Outdoors, The Home

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Tags

blue, color, colored decorations, exterior home decor, front porch ideas, lavender, nature, pink, plants, purple, spring, spring colors

As the chilly weather and winter snow thaws away, the colorful and vibrant colors of spring approach. Spring is the time in which life begins again for many deciduous plants including pretty hellebores, daffodils, tulips, and crocus. Animals awaken from a long winter’s hibernation and step into the warm, soothing sunlight. For us humans, it is time to once again step outside our humble abodes and enjoy being outdoors again. Gardens are tilled and prepared for the season’s plantings and décor shielded by the harsh air of winter can be brought out and shown off again. The unhappy shades of gray and brown will eventually become beautiful colors once more. But what are “spring” colors anyway?

Celebrate the Return of Spring with Appropriate Colors

While the picture above may appear moderately attractive as a result of the old style windmill, look at the grass, trees, and color within the photo. Brown, gray, and dull – these are the colors apparent in the picture and while perhaps palpable for a few weeks or a month into winter, it truly gets old after too long.

Winter depression is not just a result of the 10 degrees temperature, as you scrape the ice and frost from your vehicle windshield in the morning. It’s also because the colors we see in winter are depressing as well. Colors that brighten our day also brighten our lives, and this is no different when people drive by the house and see brightly colored decorations and flags hanging outside the house.

What colors should you look to decorate with? Well it’s pretty straightforward. First ask yourself: What colors make me happy or which colors brighten my day? The most common colors which fit this description including various shades of pink, including lavender, amaranth, salmon, fuchsia, magenta, and puce. These are all different variations of pink and each represents a different color of spring.

Photo Credit: Best Moms TV

Photo Credit: Coco Cozy

Photo Credit: Front Porch Ideas and More

A more masculine color of spring includes lighter variations of blue. Some of the best of these to decorate the exterior of your home with include baby blue, Columbia blue, dodger blue, sky blue, powder blue, and turquoise. Blues can be great for painting the small shed in the backyard or light blue window shutters.

Photo Credit: Country Living

Photo Credit: Luxury for the Home

Photo Credit: Paper Bowls and Lemons

Lilacs are some of my personal favorite springtime flowers because the color violet represents imagination and spirituality. Some other beautiful shades of violet can make for a colorful springtime flower bouquet. Hanging baskets of flowers can be hung outside the house to provide color to your home exterior. Hang some of these baskets up outside the front of the house or on mount them on the patio railing. Make sure to keep them watered too to keep them growing strong into summer!

Photo Credit: A Country Farmhouse

Photo Credit: Coastal Living

Photo Credit: nonizamboniblue

Spring is a time of new life. By decorating the exterior of your home as such, you’ll really improve the aesthetic value of your home. Not only that but you’ll also feel much better knowing winter is gone, the wheels of spring are churning, and don’t look now but summer is on the way!

{Jason Smith is a home decorator and blogger. He currently writes for Australian Outdoor Living, a provider of decorativeoutdoor blinds. In his spare time, Jason enjoys hosting barbecues and hunting.}

Decisions, Decisions

09 Tuesday Apr 2013

Posted by melissaoconnor in Art & Design, Everyday Design, Featured Artists, The Home

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Andrew Wyeth, art, beige, Christina's World, cream, Easterly, Evening on a Marsh, field, fine art, gray, horse, interior design, light house, moon, nature, nautical, neutral, painting, Peter Sculthorpe, sky, Springhouse, white, woman

My husband and I are planning to renovate our kitchen in a few weeks and we are very close to collecting all our new pieces and materials for the space. I am so excited to finally design my dream kitchen! It will be all neutral tones, cream and white, and all the vintage pieces we have found will be painted the same color with an antique finish. The added elements will be soft plaids, grays, and rustic textures. It’s going to look gorgeous.

One of the things I am trying to decide is choosing a fine art piece for the wall across from the sink. It’t basically the only wall with nothing on it or in front of it so I thought it would be nice to feature a large piece of work in the space. Something that will really bring the room together. I know I want a nature inspired piece, preferably an open field or landscape, and one that truly resonates with what Dan and I love. I want to be able to glance at the work and not want to look away. It must be showstopper.

I’ve found a few I really like and wanted to share with my readers. I will look some more but these are very big contenders. If I don’t find anything I like more than these, they are the top choices. I want this piece to be perfect. It has to set the tone for the space and help the room feel peaceful and calm. Just the right work of art to fit with a rustic country kitchen. Decisions, decisions – what is your top pick?

Easterly by Andrew Wyeth
I have always loved Wyeth’s work. I admire the white and gray tones in this piece. Both Dan and I love nautical scenes so this is a true contender. It’s calming and ethereal which totally wins me over.

Christina’s World by Andrew Wyeth
I have this exact piece printed on a postcard on my fridge so it would make sense to own a large print of it. There was something about this piece I have always been drawn to. Maybe it was the distant feeling and vast landscape or detailed strokes in the field. I love how the woman seems determined, yet hesitant to move. Her light pink dress blowing in the wind and her hair, slightly undone and natural. A true winner in my eyes.
Christina's World by Andrew Wyeth

Springhouse by Peter Sculthorpe
The rustic feel of this piece really draws me in. The texture of the grass and the details of the tree, so beautiful. I love the stone structure as well as its placement in the scene. The horse is such a fascinating creature and in this painting, it truly shines in such a natural way. Imagine looking out your back door and seeing this. Amazing.
Springhouse by Peter Sculthorpe

Evening on a Marsh by Peter Sculthorpe
The serenity of this piece is what really attracted me to it. Such silence and so much life. The blues are so beautiful against the green and brown and the gold elements really bring an element of beauty as well. I love art that just goes on forever, like this one.
Evening on a Marsh by Peter Sculthorpe