Storage storage storage!

My little baby is not a baby anymore! How did that happen??  Here's what his room looked like 4 1/2 short years ago.

His room looks tiny, doesn't it?? Well, it is. I have friends whose closets are bigger than this bedroom! 

To me, kids rooms can be the hardest rooms to keep up with. Their needs change, their stuff multiplies and a crib can no longer contain their little energetic selves. 

After the baby setup and before I settled on his current bedroom setup, we had a full size bed, an antique dresser and a bookcase in his room. BORING! It was really a better set up for a guest room, which was my main reason for setting it up that way, but when we realized he hated his room, I decided to give him a room he liked and just let guests stay in a hotel. 

My little guy loves green. I mean LOVES green. The first change in his room was the wall color. Yes, it's green.

I found this table herb container and decided it would be perfect for his collection of treasures! Added some hooks and hung it on the wall. The green isn't perfect so I very sweetly asked if I could paint it blue but he adamantly refused. I think he would run away if I painted it so green it stays! 

Almost everything in his room is from craigslist. The bed is a craigslist find that was originally a dark cherry color but it was too dark and heavy for the size of the room. Tried to paint it with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint but it failed me miserably so I ended up spray painting it. 10 cans of spray paint and 20 new holes in the ozone layer and his bed looks great!

My goal with every piece of furniture in his room was to get additional storage. The bed functions as his dresser and even gives us additional toy/book storage. 

The storage cubbies were also a craigslist find. Thankfully Annie Sloan worked for me on the doors, which were changed from neon green to Grecian Blue.

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The storage cubbies are fabulous! They don't take up as much space as the Expedit systems but give us just as much storage. 

My little (big) guy loves his room now so I would say my summer project is a success. 

My final idea requires some help from grandpa. Start with a simple sheet of plywood and transform into a 5 feet tall rocket shaped, magnetic board for the  abundant artwork my little guy creates! What do you think, dad? Feel like pulling out your Skill Saw?

Basement Makeover

A few months ago I posted some Before pictures for a basement I was working on. Here are some reminders of what it looked like before I got called in to rescue this space.

It was dark! Did I mention it was dark? The floors were black, the ceiling was black, the paneling was dark brown and the stone walls were a nice 100 year old gray. 

The bedroom for the 12 year old son was just as colorful.

Our first course of action was to paint and paint and paint! Well, not me personally, but a great big crew of guys who looked at me like I was crazy when they saw the basement and asked, "Are you sure you want to do this? Maybe you should call it a cellar and walk away..." Fortunately, I'm pretty stubborn and I had a vision of how this basement could look!

As you can see, the ceilings were painted white, the walls were painted a cheerful yellow, the floors were painted a fabulous blue and the paneling was painted a soft yellowish white. It looks like 20 lights were installed but it's just paint. 

Here are After pictures of the bedroom:

I rearranged the furniture and shifted the red storage unit and drawer unit in from the family room and installed a couple shelves to give him more storage. New bedding and artwork help brighten the room even more.

Now to the family room!

Quick reminder of the Before

Drum Roll Please!

The color palate stayed simple since there are so many different textures going on with the walls and ceiling. I flip-flopped the furniture placement so the tv area is more open and easier to access. View as you come down the stairs. I love it now!!!

The dining area is now where the tv used to be. I reupholstered the chairs with a bright cheerful print. The table in the background was made by the homeowner and his son so this sentimental piece needed to stay. It is now a great place to sit and do homework! 

The youngest member of  the family (5 year old boy with a hilarious personality) has claimed the area behind the futon as HIS play area! So keep out.

 Matching rugs unite the two areas, cream slip covers give new life to furniture, and an Ikea Expedit holds games, toys and videos. 

The whole family loves spending time in the basement now instead of avoiding it like the plague  I hear there has been a Little House on the Prairie movie marathon weekend enjoyed by all in the new and improved basement!

I would like to give a special thanks to my friend Karen Reinsch for taking the After pictures for me! Check out her photography blog HERE. 

Paint colors/products used:

Dry Fall in white on the ceiling

Sherwin Williams, Classical White on paneling

Sherwin Williams, Manitou Blue on floors

Virginia Limeworks, Washed Sand (a lime paint) on the stone walls

All Jazzed Up!

When can a leaky shower be a good thing? Well, pretty much only when the home owner doesn't like the bathroom and decides to get some outside help to make the bathroom lovely, functional and leak free! 

This bathroom was fine. It offered virtually no storage, no counter space, and the toilet was so close to the shower that there was no elbow room. But, it was fine and the home owners had no plans to renovate. As I mentioned, a leaky shower changed their plans and I had the joy of being a part of the project.

It all started with the tile. It's called Jazz Glass- St Louis Louie Linear. This tile is gorgeous! A whole shower of this tile would have been overkill and it would have lost its charm so we had the jazz tile installed as an accent and used simple white subway tile for the rest of the shower, which lets the jazz glass sparkle!

Everything after the tile selection was easy. In fact, the color of the bathroom is the same color they have in the adjacent family room. 

The home owner calls this her "guest bathroom" but this is actually where she gets ready every morning. So, this is not a bathroom that sees action every couple months, this is a bathroom that gets used every single day and may be the hardest working bathroom in the home! Now, the bathroom has plenty of storage and is lovely enough for the lady of the home. 

Put a wall in a tiny bathroom?? Sounds counterintuitive but now storage is a bragging point of this bathroom. Clear glass shower doors also increase how open the bathroom feels even though the shower is actually larger. 

A new 30" vanity with 3 drawers, an open shelf underneath, and plenty of storage behind the door also offer lots of  storage that the previous 23" vanity just couldn't compete with.

To bump this inexpensive shade up a few notches, I found fabulous trim at Brentwood Interiors that brings in the natural color of the baskets, vanity and mirror and also has subtle blue stitching that ties in the wall color. 

Function and Beauty are BFFs forever.

Here is a reminder of the Before: From dark and dated....

To bright and beautiful!

So, I guess sometimes a leaky shower CAN be a good thing!

P.S. I am starting the hunt for a decent camera so I can actually get good photos of my projects. Would really appreciate recommendations!
P.P.S. Sorry, I was having a junior high moment. I don't actually have anything else to add; It just felt right to say p.p.s.!

Bye bye dungeon

My current project is the basement of a 100 year old house.  The rest of the house looks amazing but the basement looks 100 years old and needs some help!  We are almost done with painting and then this weekend I'll load all the furniture and decorations.

Here are some Before pictures

Any light was absorbed by the black ceiling and black floors.

The basement had become storage for odds and ends that weren't needed in other parts of the house.

Typical teenage boy bed!  

A bathroom was eked out of a small corner in the basement and we are going to do what we can to improve it and provide more storage.  Unfortunately, I can't move duct-work or pipes!   

This has been an intimidating project and I admit my stress level has been pretty high this week but by taking it piece by piece I've broken it down into a manageable project.  This re-do has also included a lot of research on historic masonry and we are going to use a product on the stone that I've never used before.  It's called lime paints and the company is Virginia LimeWorks.  Check them out, there are some amazing products for historic restoration AND new builds!

Stay tuned for the After photos!

Organized and Fabulous

I am so excited to post After pictures of the office I recently finished!  When my client first asked for help, she told me she would shudder and close the door when she walked past the office because it was such a mess and the paint color was just plain wrong.  

You can almost tell that there is an amazing fireplace in this room with a gorgeous tile surround.  The paint color, though, was so bright that it dominated the entire space.  Instead of a file cabinet, there were 6 or 7 small file boxes and several other insufficient shelves filled the room but didn't help with the storage problems.  

This room gets so much light that with the sunlight bouncing off the walls this color was overwhelming.  My client still wanted a green color in the room and I had an idea that I thought would be great~ without detracting from the beauty of the fireplace.

The foundation of this room was organization.  Getting this closet organized and functional was incredibly important!  Thankfully with The Container Store in town, I was able to get a great closet system in place that provides plenty of storage and more than enough function.

A file cabinet now takes the place of all the small file containers that cluttered the room.  I kept 1 for the legal size documents but as you can see, there is plenty of room for it on the shelf and there is no need for it to take up floor space.  Everything is labeled and easy to find.

The fireplace in this room is gorgeous and was our color inspiration.  

I chose a much more grey version of the tiles and picked a neutral taupish grey for the lower portion of the walls.  I chose a desk with a glass top so it isn't too bulky in this small room but it does provide more than twice the amount of  surface space.

The mantle is kept simple with 1 piece of artwork, mercury glass votive holders and some personal accessories.

A cohesive color scheme keeps the room from feeling cluttered.

The fabulous cabinet from Nadeau houses cds, dvds, records and medical binders.  Who says a printer stand has to be ugly?  

A relaxing reading chair that was once covered in files and tucked in a corner now has the perfect home and I'd say the room is done!  

From Chaos and Kindergarten colors

To sleek, sophisticated and functional

To see more about the closet organization from this project, click HERE

If you've got a room that is covered in storage containers yet no organization in sight, contact me and we can transform your home into a functional beautiful space.

Sweetly simple

I recently had the opportunity to create a special room for 2 little girls (big sis is 14 months and little sis will arrive in June).  We started with a tiny nursery......

and a spare room that was just quietly waiting for its moment to shine.

Since 2 little girls would be sharing the room it was crucial to have furniture that offered excellent storage for current organizational needs and that would be just as practical in 5 years.   Take out the toddler bed and crib and you've got plenty of room for bunk beds and plenty of room to grow!

 The Dottie bedding from the Company Store was the perfect starting point!  It set the tone for the whole room and it was such a joy to obsess over this room for the past few weeks.  I love the Morgan bookcase and bench from Pottery Barn.  Durable, practical and pretty- what more could a girl want?  

 I opted to remove the closet door and paint the closet a complementary color so the fun didn't have to end.  Toys are housed in the closet right now but as the girls get older and need more room for clothes they can transition the toys into the bins on the bookcase.

Right now the bins on the bookcase are full of burp cloths, receiving blankets, washcloths, towels and bedding.  Two plastic bins on the top shelf hold shoes.   It is organized but still flexible to accommodate changing needs.

Precious pictures over the crib just make me smile.  That little girl is too cute!

Simple shelves over the dresser provide easy access to diapers, wipes, ointments and meds.  Easy for mom and dad to reach but out of reach of little ones.  

Two of my favorite details in the room are the ruffles on the curtains (sewn by yours truly, amazingly enough!) and the chandelier!  The little things have the chance to take center stage when the bones of the room are in perfect balance and fade into the background... smiling smugly to themselves because they know that there would be no center stage without the stage.  

 I think she likes it!  

Do you have a decorating dilemma that you would rather not spend valuable brain space on?  Let me help!  I love obsessing over organizing and decorating and would be more than thrilled to save you the mental energy.