Houston Life TV Appearance-Easter Tablescapes
My Thanksgiving Table
Nov 25, 2015
My new dining room furniture is all dressed up for the first time and I couldn't be happier. I love the simple and neutral décor this year. It just feels right and has made me smile as I walked past it all week. Not only will it be our first Thanksgiving here, it will also be our first meal in this room. I can't wait to share it will all of our family tomorrow.
I need to get to work ironing those table linens and scotch-guarding those chairs now. I hope you have a great Thanksgiving and a successful Black Friday!
I need to get to work ironing those table linens and scotch-guarding those chairs now. I hope you have a great Thanksgiving and a successful Black Friday!
New Living Room Furniture and Fall Mantel
Nov 15, 2015
I know I'm a little behind with fall decorating since most bloggers are gearing up for Christmas, but I'm behind on everything these days as you can tell by my lack of updates. Some people are very particular about not decorating for Christmas until Thanksgiving is over, but that's not the case with me. I will happily eat my turkey next to a twinkling garland any other year. The only reason I'm not dragging out the tree is that I never got to really enjoy my fall décor since I just decorated my mantel last weekend. Don't worry though, I am prepping for Christmas in a big way so I will be ready to go as soon as the pumpkin pie is finished. A new magnolia garland for the fireplace, a dried boxwood wreath for the kitchen vent hood, a huge deer statue for the entry, and other goodies are waiting for me in the hall closet. I can't wait! But, first let me show you my fall mantel!
Yes, that's my new mirror! I got a great deal on it from Wayfair considering how large it is. Everything I'm buying is large these days because of the tall ceilings in the new house. It's definitely a different look from my former cottage-style home. The house is French country and as easy as it would be to decorate just in that style because of its popularity these days, I want a few transitional pieces included so it doesn't look like I went completely "French chateau." It's a beautiful look, but I would get tired of it after a while since I am fickle that way. That's what happens when you truly love so many different decorating styles. I blended my traditional horse and ornate candle snuffer with the contemporary candle holder from Target I'm using as a vase. It makes my heart sing... for a little while. I did tell you I'm fickle!
Now, comes what I am so excited to show you! All of the new furniture I have ordered so far has come in. I only have a few small things to buy and then I can focus on the accessories that will really pull it all together. Will I meet my deadline to have the downstairs done by Christmas? Probably not, but it will be good enough by then.
I have to apologize in advance for the terrible pictures. This house is so difficult to photograph because of the tall ceilings and large windows. I'm sure I will eventually figure it out. These shots were my third try and they are a huge improvement from the previous ones.
One the first pieces of furniture I ordered for the house was this sofa. It took forever and a day because I changed the fabric to an indoor Sunbrella that looks like linen. I know it will be worth it in the end because real linen is like kryptonite if you have kids and pets.
I'm still working on the lamp situation. The new standing lamp is from Pottery Barn. It has a bit of dark gold in it to complement the mirror over the fireplace. The gray shade on the silver lamp is what goes with it, but I was trying to see if the gray shade would also work on the silver lamp and forgot to switch them back. Unfortunately, that silver lamp just doesn't work here and will have to be replaced. I'm hoping it will find it's way into another room.
Eventually there will be drapes above the three transoms. I'm avoiding that for a while because I know it will cost a fortune.
I wasn't quite sure if I was going to place the sofa in front of the windows or put the chairs there. I've tried it both ways and they both look good, but I think it's going to stay in front of the window after living with it a few days. There's just something more comfortable about having it this way. Now, that means I get to pick a rug and coffee table based on this arrangement. It was the main reason I was holding off on both until now. If you remember, I really bought this rug for the dining room and temporarily parked it in here.
The new cream chairs are from Pottery Barn, but also covered in a Sunbrella that looks like linen. I'm still a nervous wreck I'm going to spill wine or coffee on them despite their stain resistance so I usually drape a throw over them before I sit down. I think I might be worse than the kids when it comes to spilling my drinks.
Now, on to the other side of the room. In my previous home I always avoided taking pictures of the TV wall because it was such an eyesore. This new media cabinet makes me love this view. I'm not a fan of the artwork and mirrors, but I needed something temporarily because the TV on that huge wall by itself looked terrible. Eventually, I will surround the TV with better artwork. At least it looks finished even if it makes me cringe a little. I'm not even going to mention the fake florals. Let's just pretend not to see those. Let your eye skim around them.
I absolutely adore this media cabinet from Restoration Hardware and have eyed it for a couple of years. I never bought it because I knew there was a very good chance we would move even though I didn't want to admit we were outgrowing our house. I immediately knew this was going to be in my living room when we picked this house. The best part is that hardware! I really wanted the same hardware on my kitchen cabinets, but I couldn't find a way to make them work since the doors aren't flush with the frame. Believe me I asked the cabinet maker for these kind of cabinets, but it's not something they offered. The skeleton keys are very cool too for the doors on the ends. I have to admit I take way too much joy in opening these doors.
I still have quite a few things to do for this room-coffee and end table, rug, drapes, pillows, artwork, accessories, and a chandelier. Eek! It almost seems done until I type out the list. Honestly, I'm just hoping to get the new tables, a rug and a lamp before Christmas. If that happens I will be a happy camper.
Next, I will be showing you the new dining buffet and entry table. I promise I won't take a month this time!
Now, comes what I am so excited to show you! All of the new furniture I have ordered so far has come in. I only have a few small things to buy and then I can focus on the accessories that will really pull it all together. Will I meet my deadline to have the downstairs done by Christmas? Probably not, but it will be good enough by then.
I have to apologize in advance for the terrible pictures. This house is so difficult to photograph because of the tall ceilings and large windows. I'm sure I will eventually figure it out. These shots were my third try and they are a huge improvement from the previous ones.
One the first pieces of furniture I ordered for the house was this sofa. It took forever and a day because I changed the fabric to an indoor Sunbrella that looks like linen. I know it will be worth it in the end because real linen is like kryptonite if you have kids and pets.
I'm still working on the lamp situation. The new standing lamp is from Pottery Barn. It has a bit of dark gold in it to complement the mirror over the fireplace. The gray shade on the silver lamp is what goes with it, but I was trying to see if the gray shade would also work on the silver lamp and forgot to switch them back. Unfortunately, that silver lamp just doesn't work here and will have to be replaced. I'm hoping it will find it's way into another room.
Eventually there will be drapes above the three transoms. I'm avoiding that for a while because I know it will cost a fortune.
I wasn't quite sure if I was going to place the sofa in front of the windows or put the chairs there. I've tried it both ways and they both look good, but I think it's going to stay in front of the window after living with it a few days. There's just something more comfortable about having it this way. Now, that means I get to pick a rug and coffee table based on this arrangement. It was the main reason I was holding off on both until now. If you remember, I really bought this rug for the dining room and temporarily parked it in here.
The new cream chairs are from Pottery Barn, but also covered in a Sunbrella that looks like linen. I'm still a nervous wreck I'm going to spill wine or coffee on them despite their stain resistance so I usually drape a throw over them before I sit down. I think I might be worse than the kids when it comes to spilling my drinks.
Now, on to the other side of the room. In my previous home I always avoided taking pictures of the TV wall because it was such an eyesore. This new media cabinet makes me love this view. I'm not a fan of the artwork and mirrors, but I needed something temporarily because the TV on that huge wall by itself looked terrible. Eventually, I will surround the TV with better artwork. At least it looks finished even if it makes me cringe a little. I'm not even going to mention the fake florals. Let's just pretend not to see those. Let your eye skim around them.
I absolutely adore this media cabinet from Restoration Hardware and have eyed it for a couple of years. I never bought it because I knew there was a very good chance we would move even though I didn't want to admit we were outgrowing our house. I immediately knew this was going to be in my living room when we picked this house. The best part is that hardware! I really wanted the same hardware on my kitchen cabinets, but I couldn't find a way to make them work since the doors aren't flush with the frame. Believe me I asked the cabinet maker for these kind of cabinets, but it's not something they offered. The skeleton keys are very cool too for the doors on the ends. I have to admit I take way too much joy in opening these doors.
I still have quite a few things to do for this room-coffee and end table, rug, drapes, pillows, artwork, accessories, and a chandelier. Eek! It almost seems done until I type out the list. Honestly, I'm just hoping to get the new tables, a rug and a lamp before Christmas. If that happens I will be a happy camper.
Next, I will be showing you the new dining buffet and entry table. I promise I won't take a month this time!
Goth Lights Be Gone!
Sep 4, 2015
There was one thing I could not wait to change in this house and that was the light fixtures in the bathrooms. I still haven't ordered all of them, but I've made a lot of progress.
The black sconces in the master bathroom were the worst. I have since replaced them with these polished nickel and crystal sconces.
This is much better than the before.
The next step is to frame in the mirrors and add hardware to the cabinets. I'm also looking for a chandelier to replace the main light in the master bathroom. The powder room light and guest bathroom light has been replaced, but we still need to order lights for the three boys bathrooms upstairs.
Yes, that makes a total of six bathrooms. Good grief! As you can imagine we have a lot of furniture to buy. I'm trying my best to get it all done before the holidays. I ordered two sofas, two chairs, and a new dining room table and chairs so far. I'm trying to get the big things/custom pieces done first since they take a while to come in. I wish I could have gone with stock pieces, but they weren't the most family and dog friendly. The living room is going to have all indoor Sunbrella fabric on the sofa and two chairs. I am planning on taking a video soon of how amazing it is. Look for it on Instagram soon!
The black sconces in the master bathroom were the worst. I have since replaced them with these polished nickel and crystal sconces.
This is much better than the before.
The next step is to frame in the mirrors and add hardware to the cabinets. I'm also looking for a chandelier to replace the main light in the master bathroom. The powder room light and guest bathroom light has been replaced, but we still need to order lights for the three boys bathrooms upstairs.
Yes, that makes a total of six bathrooms. Good grief! As you can imagine we have a lot of furniture to buy. I'm trying my best to get it all done before the holidays. I ordered two sofas, two chairs, and a new dining room table and chairs so far. I'm trying to get the big things/custom pieces done first since they take a while to come in. I wish I could have gone with stock pieces, but they weren't the most family and dog friendly. The living room is going to have all indoor Sunbrella fabric on the sofa and two chairs. I am planning on taking a video soon of how amazing it is. Look for it on Instagram soon!
Finally, The New House!
Aug 25, 2015
When we started building this house in December it felt surreal, then I went though a phase of regret, and then through a phase of "How the hell am I going to do this!?" Between three kids, a dog who thinks he's a kid, a full-time job, a side job in design, and a husband that's out of town all the time...I was freaking out.
Now, I'm in a phase of just being glad my to do list is more of a yellow priority than red. My husband did help a lot with setting up utilities and working through the to do list I gave him. I had just enough PTO time to close on the house, but not to do anything else. We ended up closing on a Friday instead of a Wednesday because our loan people didn't realize our approval expired after 120 days. They had to rush the loan through and there was a point I was concerned we would be homeless. But, it ended up working out for the best because there is no way my husband could have guided the movers on where to put everything. Moving last Saturday was kind of a blessing in disguise. That would be a really, really dark disguise.
Anyway, now we're here! How do I like it? I am the first to admit I'm not good with change so it's a lot when I say that I absolutely love it! I don't think I let myself fully realize what it would mean to live here until we signed off on the papers just in case it fell through for whatever reason. The space is just amazing! I had no idea how much we would really enjoy it before. The biggest concern I had was the change of schools and neighborhood for the kids. A part of me felt like I was moving out to the middle of nowhere even though it's only 10 minutes from my previous home. Currently, we are the only family in a small subdivision of a large neighborhood. I thought it would be weird, but it's kind of cool. We can hit golf balls across the cul-de-sac without worrying about hitting another house. Plus, we get to tour all of our new neighbors' homes! We have a family that's moving in within the next week or two so we won't be out here by ourselves too long.
Of course, the entire reason for moving out here is being able to build our home with the finishes we chose. I ran to take pictures inside the house before everyone started bringing boxes in. No one was going to wait on me to take pictures after such a long day so some of them are a little crooked and awkward. Sorry! I'll make it up to you with some pretty pictures soon.
Don't worry, I've already ordered new sconces to replace the goth ones. I'm also planning out the trim for the mirrors.
These are the only lights that came with the house I like!
One of my favorite features of this house is the privacy. It's a good thing too since we don't have shutters yet on our windows.
Master Bedroom
Guest Bedroom
Home Office
Powder Room
That's just the first floor! I need to show you the media room, the kids' bedrooms, and the gameroom that's being turned into a home gym. Everything looks much better with furniture in it. Well, it kind of looks better. My furniture looks like dollhouse furniture in these big rooms. I've already started shopping and will show you some great things I've found.
Now, I'm in a phase of just being glad my to do list is more of a yellow priority than red. My husband did help a lot with setting up utilities and working through the to do list I gave him. I had just enough PTO time to close on the house, but not to do anything else. We ended up closing on a Friday instead of a Wednesday because our loan people didn't realize our approval expired after 120 days. They had to rush the loan through and there was a point I was concerned we would be homeless. But, it ended up working out for the best because there is no way my husband could have guided the movers on where to put everything. Moving last Saturday was kind of a blessing in disguise. That would be a really, really dark disguise.
Anyway, now we're here! How do I like it? I am the first to admit I'm not good with change so it's a lot when I say that I absolutely love it! I don't think I let myself fully realize what it would mean to live here until we signed off on the papers just in case it fell through for whatever reason. The space is just amazing! I had no idea how much we would really enjoy it before. The biggest concern I had was the change of schools and neighborhood for the kids. A part of me felt like I was moving out to the middle of nowhere even though it's only 10 minutes from my previous home. Currently, we are the only family in a small subdivision of a large neighborhood. I thought it would be weird, but it's kind of cool. We can hit golf balls across the cul-de-sac without worrying about hitting another house. Plus, we get to tour all of our new neighbors' homes! We have a family that's moving in within the next week or two so we won't be out here by ourselves too long.
Of course, the entire reason for moving out here is being able to build our home with the finishes we chose. I ran to take pictures inside the house before everyone started bringing boxes in. No one was going to wait on me to take pictures after such a long day so some of them are a little crooked and awkward. Sorry! I'll make it up to you with some pretty pictures soon.
Don't worry, I've already ordered new sconces to replace the goth ones. I'm also planning out the trim for the mirrors.
These are the only lights that came with the house I like!
One of my favorite features of this house is the privacy. It's a good thing too since we don't have shutters yet on our windows.
Master Bedroom
Guest Bedroom
Home Office
Powder Room
That's just the first floor! I need to show you the media room, the kids' bedrooms, and the gameroom that's being turned into a home gym. Everything looks much better with furniture in it. Well, it kind of looks better. My furniture looks like dollhouse furniture in these big rooms. I've already started shopping and will show you some great things I've found.
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