Ellen's House ~ Part 2.

You may remember a few months ago when I helped Ellen freshen up her family room and kitchen? We transformed her space into something fresh and airy all the while keeping it family friendly. Then, a couple of months ago, Ellen contacted me again. This time for help with her living room and bedroom. I enjoyed the process so much the first time, that I was game to tackle another one and got shopping!

Ellen, knew she didn't want her living room to be considered formal. Rather, a space, where she could escape on her own to read her book and maybe watch her own television shows, an escape for a busy mom of two boys.

Here is a before shot of her living room:

We had the walls painted in Benjamin Moore's Revere Pewter. (A tad beige on the chip but a true grey on the walls - just what we wanted!) and she purchased some new tables and a white slipcovered Ektorf sofa from Ikea. All the windows where dressed with white lined breezy drapes. A few accessories and it's a brand new space!

Still to come is a new rug and two Strandmon wing chairs from Ikea. I've been obsessed with them since their release so I was thrilled when she agreed to using them in the space. They will sit against the back wall with a little black garden stool between them.

Next up is the bedroom. Here is the before shot:

We had the walls painted out in Benjamin Moore's Coventry Gray. Similar tone to what she had before but we steered away from the green and went with a soft blue grey that gives her the spa feel she was wanting for the space. All the furniture stayed and we just added new bedding and a few accessories.

It was darker in there, so challenging to take good shots, but it's feels quite soothing and restful. The bedding is West Elm's Organic Diamond Texture (I wish I had the time to press it!) and the throw pillows were added in. The mirror above the bed and the lamp were Winners finds. The white linen curtains are just awaiting a new curtain rod.

I found some black frames on sale at Zellers and used them to frame a set of pretty art prints to hang over the console table. An easy inexpensive project for a large wall.

Ultimately, I think Ellen was happy with the result. She likes simple, classic styling without too much clutter and that's what we ended up with. Actually, I left feeling like I have a lot of stuff in my home and I enjoyed the simplicity of hers. New Year's resolution? Who am I kidding? I love my "stuff"!:)

I'm so happy she has it all finished for the holidays! Time for a party! Thanks for letting me share, Ellen!

I'll be back this week with a recap of our trip to Montreal. We did some shopping!!

DIY Herringbone Table Runner.

In the last couple of weeks, I've had two emails inquiring about the herringbone table runner that I made for our styled shoot that was featured on Style Me Pretty. If you follow my Facebook page, you may have spotted in on my cover photo. I decided to share a little tutorial for you all today because it was really quite simple!

At the time, I was obsessed with anything herringbone. I saw it as a fresher take on the tiresome (sorry!) chevron and was dying to try it somehow and somewhere. I'm glad it ended up on a table runner and not a big wall in my house. That's commitment but I'm telling you, I was obsessed! Anyhoo, I digress! Let's get to it!

DIY Herringbone Tutorial

First, I purchased some hot pink fabric with matched the color scheme of the wedding. I knew the dimensions of the table we were using so I planned the length accordingly. (Disclaimer.. I wouldn't recommend this but I didn't even sew the runner. I knew if was just for photos, so I simply ironed a nice flat seam on all four edges.)

Next, I taped a herringbone pattern with painters tape right on the fabric. Here are my instructions for taping:

1. Find the middle of your fabric and tape a straight line down the center. I then added another strip on either side because I wanted a thick line. I also taped a strip on each side.

2. You should also decide how deep you would like your chevrons to be. Do you want a somewhat subtle look or a perky look? Totally a personal preference. Let's say you decide you want them 10 inches apart. Start at the top and mark off every 10 inches. Then, tape from one little mark diagonally down to the next mark. Repeat on the other side. Push down all the edges of the tape with your fingernail. Take a few minutes but you'll be glad you did!

3. Next up - painting! I did 3 coats using a gold acrylic craft paint. (Tried a foam roller first but found a brush worked much better)

4. Let it dry overnight then peel off the tape to reveal a modern, geometric pattern. Thankfully, I only had one little bleed!

So there you have it! A modern geometric pattern with a little tape and some paint. Who every said you couldn't paint fabric? It was so easy that I ended up adding a the same technique to some napkins as well! 

Be sure to share your painted fabric projects with me! The possibilities are endless. So many colors, patterns, stencils to work with!

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Ellen's House.

This winter a new client, Ellen, invited me to visit her home to help her freshen it up a bit. A newer build, the home was bright, spacious and immaculate but perhaps lacking a bit of personality. The walls were a warm brown with dark finishes. I made a few suggestions of how she could lighten the palette.

A few months later, Ellen emailed me photos. I was shocked but how much she got done. She had the walls painted a soft grey, changed the hardware on her kitchen cupboards, purchased a new table and chairs, and a sectional.

However, the walls were bare, the windows naked and there were hardly any accessories. A busy mother of two, working full time and living out of town, Ellen felt she had no time to shop. This is where I came in. She asked me if I would be interested in being her personal shopper and style her home. Everything from shower curtains, plants, art, accessories, mirrors, window treatments.

Let me think for a second..

I get to shop?

For home stuff?

Decorate your house?

Let me think.. Yes!

It was a wonderful experience. Ellen put her trust in me and I went to work. Yesterday, I went to her home and got to work putting it all together. After 3 hours, I walked through the house smiling and wishing I could move right in. At the same time, I was holding my breath, hoping she would be happy with everything.

Thankfully, she loved it!

Here's a rather large peek, starting with a couple of before shots!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Eight white frames are hung over the Karlstad sectional bearing black and white family photos. 

Lamps were a Winners find.

 Ikat pillow covers from my favorite ebay seller.

Three Ikea Lack shelves were hung in the empty space next to the TV console (a vintage find that got a coat of white paint). I had great fun shopping for accessories for the shelves. I left her a little space on the bottom to fill with her own finds.. I'm thinking vintage boxes or pretty books? 

Fresh flowers from her garden.

Of course I had to add an owl somewhere. Why not one that can have a flower head? :)

The windows in the kitchen (and powder room) have custom-made roman shades using a sophisticated black and white stripe fabric from Tonic Living. The center one was the wrong size so we are waiting on having it fixed up.

Still to come are some modern white bar stools which will tie in perfectly. Can't wait to see those!

Once again, a fantastic experience for me. I'm passionate about interior design and styling and love when I have opportunities like this. Thanks so much for allowing me to share with me readers Ellen! I hope you enjoy your "new" space!

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