Finally Fall

I promise I didn't forget about fall! I was just doing a good job of ignoring it. The kids wouldn't stand for that another day and demanded we pull out our Halloween and fall decorations. Well, here it is! It might feel like summer outside, but fall greets you the moment the front door opens.

 

 

 

One thing I love about blue and white is that it goes with everything. It's a great choice for the seasonal decorator.

 

That's my husband's face in the mirror if you are wondering. Oops!

 

I also decorated the mantel a bit. It's much more neutral to match the great room.



 

The only thing I added was the mercury glass pumpkin and wheat in the vase. I'm keeping it simple because by this time next month it will be time to decorate for Christmas. Can you believe it? I need to make something pumpkin before the season passes me by!

Pretty Hamptons Home

Did anyone watch Million Dollar Listing LA last night? One of the realtors was showing possible vacation homes in the Hamptons to his client and the first home had me hitting the pause button each time they showed a new room. I found pictures for you on the Bravo website because sharing is caring.

 




















It has all of my favorite features...white woodwork, dark floors, a white cottage kitchen, pretty windows and transoms, and a wine room. These are all things I've tried to incorporate into my home, with the exception of the wine room since I don't have the space. I did seriously consider turning the mudroom into a wine closet. But, let's get real. I drink wine, I don't store it!

Boys Industrial Workspace

I should have known that buying my 12 year old son a desk for his room would mean that his little brother would also want one. There were two major problems that almost had me saying no. One, I know my 8 year old will not be able to sit in his room alone to do homework. If he happened to see a squirrel outside the window his homework would be completely forgotten. The second problem is his room is super tiny. He already has a full size bed, nightstand and dresser that barely fit. Where could I possibly put a desk? He did have a little space next to his bed, but I didn't think I could find that small of a desk so I mentally scratched the idea. Well, I happened to notice a tiny industrial desk at World Market several weeks later that I knew would fit, and it does!

I also bought a metal chair at World Market to go with it. I love the rubber feet on the bottom so it doesn't scratch his wood floor. I was a little worried it might be uncomfortable, but it doesn't seem to bother him. Ah, youth.


Can you believe I found the sconce at Lowe's for $40? I've always admired this type of light, but the price tag has always been too high. I suppose if you wait around long enough someone will make a knock off version.

I'm a huge fan of pinboards in kids rooms for displaying their favorite artwork. All of my boys look at them regularly, and show off their projects to friends and family.

 

I love the little slot in the desk (just like when I was in school). He's already storing a few school papers in there that he doesn't have room for on his pinboard. Even if it doesn't get much use, it's good storage. He didn't say much about it, but I wasn't surprised since he's always been a boy of few words. I could tell by the half smile/smirk he loved it. I knew he would since he's drawn towards everything rustic and industrial. He might be quiet, but he's got style!

A Cute Nightlight: Boys Bedroom Update

If you remember, all three of my boys' bedrooms are getting makeovers. I've got the youngest two boys' rooms almost finished. The only thing left to do in their rooms is paint the trim and add a few accessories. It's the caulking and painting of the trim that I hate with a passion. Accessorizing is fun, but I've put it off in lieu of other projects that need my attention more. I've still managed to pick up things here and there as I'm out shopping. On a recent Ikea trip, a red lantern caught my eye and I knew it would be perfect for my son's room. The best part is it was only $8! It's fairly large and he didn't have a place to put it so I decided to hang it on the wall.

I used a garden hook I found at Lowe's to hang it. It was just over $3. You can't beat that! Unfortunately, they only had them in black so I had to spray paint it. To make it easier to paint I screwed the hook into a scrap piece of board I had in the garage. This way I was able to paint the entire hook and screws at once. I also use this method when I spray paint drawer pulls and knobs. Any time I paint hardware I use a spray paint with primer in it. I don't like using anchors to hang things since they make big holes in the wall, but it's absolutely necessary for something this heavy. It took me a while to hang this because I wanted to make absolutely sure this is the spot it was going to go before I used those dreaded anchors. I didn't think there was a better spot than next to the bed since it makes the perfect nightlight once you put a candle in it, faux of course.

It doesn't put out a lot of light, but it's just enough to make my son comfortable sleeping alone...most of the time. ;)

 

Neutral Home Office Reveal

Remember that mudroom I was planning on finishing last week? Well, I took one look at the mess in there and shut the door on it. I'm not kidding. I literally shut the door after opening it and thought this can wait. After spending all summer long at home with the kids I wanted to celebrate them going back to school with a much needed shopping trip. ;) I found a large wall clock at ZGallerie last Monday I knew would be perfect in the office and it spurred a week long decorating spree. I've always thought of myself as a slow DIYer. Well, I obviously make up for it in the shopping department!

If you remember, this home office used to be a formal living room. We hired a contractor a couple of years ago to build two walls to enclose it and add a set of French doors, and voila...we have a home office. I bought the main furniture pieces, but I never finished decorating since I had already moved on to other projects. Well, it is now done!

I tried to camouflage the TV by adding a photo gallery of the kids above it and tall accessories on either side. I think it works since my mom never noticed it when she first looked at the room. The downside of having a TV in here is that my husband never wants to leave. He said he just needs a bar set up in the corner somewhere. I think he watches too many soap operas.

I have always loved neutral rooms and thought it would be a good choice in here since my husband and I share this office. I mixed light and dark shades of neutral, a touch of rustic for him, and a bit of feminine for me. I noticed I gravitated towards the darker shades and more rustic pieces while shopping this week, probably because I have fall on the brain!

This is also Mario's favorite room. The chair near the window is his spot to bark at all the neighbors walking by.

He takes his guard dog job very seriously.

 

Unfortunately, he is also the reason there isn't a rug in this room. It's a good thing he's cute.

This room is heavy on accessories. I noticed it helps distract your eye when the room is cluttered with work-related messes. I think I will have to try this approach in the great room. That room gets messy fast!

 

As with all of my rooms, this one was also done on a budget. Here are the details of where I got most everything.

Pottery Barn Desk-Found secondhand online
Credenzas and Baskets-Ikea
Desk Chair-World Market (with a coupon of course)
Desk Lamp-Ikea
Credenza Lamp-TJ Maxx
Wall Clock-ZGallerie
Shelves-Target
Mirrored Map Picture-Homegoods
Key on Wall-Garden Ridge
Burlap Pinboard-Homegoods
Orange Tray-Target
Side Chair-Target
Plaid Throw-Ikea
Throw Pillow-Pottery Barn
Drapes-Ikea
All Picture Frames-Target
Horse-ZGallerie (years ago)
Glass Vase on Desk, and Hourglass and Iron Globe on Wall Shelf-World Market
Globe on Credenza-Homegoods
Box on Credenza-Bought last year at Homegoods
Gray Candle on Credenza-Ikea
Letter Tray on Desk-Target
Copper Candleholders-Bought last year at Target
Basket on Desk with Accessories, "C" on Desk, Stack of Books on Desk, "&" on back Credenza-Hobby Lobby

 

 



 



 

Savvy Southern Style