A touch of pink...

I finally decided on the fabric to slipcover our chair and I ended up going in a different direction than my initial thoughts...

Pink! Well fuchsia to be exact.  I was a little hesitant to go with it for a couple of reasons since it's a really girly color but my amazing husband was ok with it.  I've also always tended to steer clear of color in the past so it was a bit of a risky move but I love how it turned out. 

Irene with Interior Touches did a great job.  Here's an idea of what the living room looks like now-

I love how the chair pops but the room is far from done.  I need to add some throw pillows and window treatments.  What do  you think?

New Kitchen Chairs

It's high time we get a new set of chairs for our kitchen dining area.  I'm thinking of only getting two for a couple reasons: First, we rarely, if ever, eat our meals in the kitchen.  And second, we already have bar stools at the kitchen island which we can use should we ever need additional seating.  I've also always wanted a banquette in the kitchen and have been trying to convince the husband we can DIY one using Ikea cabinets (which isn't going too well).  So the banquette idea is TBD but we still desperately need chairs.  The ones we have now are Ikea Granas chairs which are several years old and have been painted over once too many times.  So after some heavy online window shopping, here are my favorites:

1. Love love love this chair but I was hoping for a chair where I can use a chair pad so I can add some color to break up the yellow and brown in the curtains and rug.  It's also the most expensive out of the bunch.

2.  I was really drawn to these the moment I saw them.  I love their uniqueness and the reviews have said they are comfortable unless you're sitting for an extended period of time (which isn't likely in our case).  They will also work well with a seat cushion.

3. Can't beat the price on this chair.  Nice, clean and modern.

4. I've always liked this chair- it adds a nice vintage feel.  It's also nice and small so will fit nicely on our 5x8 rug.

5. Ghost chairs are always something I've wanted to use somewhere in our new house.  I'm just not sure if the kitchen is the best place for them?

6. I like the modern look to these chairs- not sure how comfortable they are.

All of these chairs are pretty reasonably priced but I can't decide on my favorite.  For reference, the chairs we go with will likely be paired with the Docksta table from Ikea:

 

Which is your favorite?

My DIY No-Sew Curtains

Curtains are an easy way to add color and fun to a room.  Especially to the kitchen where it can be hard to infuse personality.  But one thing I don't love about them is how expensive they can be.  I've been wanting to try to make my own curtains for a while so after obsessing over fabrics, I decided to try it out.

Since I don't have the patience or a sewing machine, I decided to use hemming tape instead.  My basic tools included:

1.  Hemming Tape
2. Curtain rod & clips
3. Fabric

I knew I wanted the curtains to hang from the ceiling to the floor so I ordered seven yards of fabric to be safe.  Once it finally arrived (after being on back order forrevverr) the whole process was pretty easy.  I laid out the fabric to measure it and cut the panels.  After hemming the edges, I used ring clips to hang the fabric off the rod.

Not the best picture- the lighting is tricky in this room.  I still have to hem the bottoms but overall I'm pretty happy with how they turned out.  What are your thoughts?

Mission Organization...the Kitchen

Check out one of my kitchen organization tips on Emily's blog here.

Look what arrived....

Our new living room rug arrived.  It's nice and thick- the color is supposed to be grey but it definitely has a hint of blue to it which I don't mind.  I'm excited to see it paired with our sectional which should be arriving soon.  Stay tuned!

Which to Choose?

Fabric samples I ordered arrived today and now I'm trying to decide which fabric to use to cover our living room chair.  I've been leaning towards a black and white print fabric but maybe I should try a pop of color like the yellow? Thoughts?

Living Room Design- Edited

One thing about myself is that sometimes I know exactly what I want and other times I can be incredibly indecisive.  Trying to plan out our living room has left me being the latter.  I'm trying to take my time and choose only things that I really like but sometimes figuring that out can be difficult.   When I decide I really like something, I usually give myself a couple of days to let it settle in and see if I still like it or not.

Which brings me to the living room rug- I'm not so sure if I'm still loving the zebra wool rug I wrote about earlier.  I thought about flokati rug but after reading about the upkeep, I think the size rug I would need would be too large.  I've always liked trellis rugs and found this one that I like.

source 

I like the gray and white together and think it will play nicely with the sofa and ottoman.  Here's a mock up with it.

I have two identical owl vases which were given to me as gifts that I want to use. I also thought of reupholstering my slipper chair in a black and white ikat rather than a houndstooth print.  Thoughts?

Sources: sectional, chair,
ottoman, chandelier, rug, owl vase

How to Know if a Room is "Done"?

I don't know if anyone else struggles with this, but I feel like I am never done decorating a room.  I feel like it gets "close enough" and I stop and focus my attention else where on rooms that need it more.  Case in point, my foyer:

Having taken photographs of this room, I can now pinpoint exactly what I want to change about it.  Those baskets are irritating me and so is the lamp shade .  Also, perhaps another rug to cover up the tan tile? (Definitely not my choice of flooring). 

The things I do love about the room are the lantern chandelier and my owl-umbrella holder.  I'm not sure if it's actually supposed to be an umbrella holder since it's a little on the small side but I love it so much, I don't care.

Any thoughts/suggestions? Does anyone else ever feel like they always want to change something about each room?

Stripes & Houndstooth?

In designing our new living room and going off the board I posted yesterday, I've been trying to find a rug that will match with everything but still be practical, easy to clean and look stylish.  I considered several trellis rugs but I felt none looked right.  I then turned my attention to something different-

I found this rug from Rugs USA and I was drawn to the silvery-grey color of it.  After reading the reviews, several of them said that the stripes are more of a taupe color but with silver high-lights in it.  I did a quick mock up of what it would look like:

What are your thoughts? I don't know if it's too much with the houndstooth? I'm also not sure if my heart is set on houndstooth (I may go for a black and white plaid instead) but still...any thoughts, suggestions, etc are welcome :)

Sources: sectional, chair,
ottoman, chandelier, rug

Designing the Living Room

Well we have our minds set that we are definitely going to buy a sectional couch for our living/family room.  Now the question is, which kind to get? I feel there are so many options that I get lost in them.  One that we're seriously considering is the Ian sectional from Room and Board.  I never would have thought that I would ever buy a sectional but I have to say I've come around after seeing that not all sectionals are hideous monsters. 

If we do go with that one, here's what I've come up with for the living room. We have a large ottoman coffee table that I want to reupholster in a black patent faux leather and a slipper chair that I want to do in a fun fabric- maybe a houndstooth or plaid? I also have a chandelier that is very similar to the Robert Abbey Bling Chandelier.  My thinking is I can add color with throw pillows, etc.  I also still need to decide on a rug.  Thoughts?

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