Showing posts with label furniture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label furniture. Show all posts

Monday, July 22, 2013

{decked out}

When my mom and sisters were visiting, they helped me sand down my deck. Talk about a labor of love. There are chores I don't think I'd ever accomplish if someone weren't around to encourage and help me. My mom bought all the supplies, showed me what to do, and left us with just a wee bit of staining to do and a bunch of pretty flowers to pot (since all of mine had lately died). Phillip and I finished the staining on Saturday and touched it up on Sunday and I not-so-patiently waited until this morning to move our furniture from the back porch to the front. My grandparent's neighbors recently sold their house and wanted to get rid of their staging furniture. I got all this gorgeous stuff for free! Yay! We currently have 3 dogs tearing up our back yard (2 of which we are watching on a semi-permanent hopefully temporary basis) so I needed to get that furniture away from their grubby sleeping bodies and boredom-induced pillow shredding sessions. I want to show you the flowers, too, but I haven't weeded my yard in a shameful number of weeks and it's not pretty. Also I just potted them yesterday and they're not great looking just yet. I cannot wait to drink my coffee out here in the mornings and read books in the shade of our giant pine trees! 
P.S. The stain is photographing weird, but it's actually incredibly pretty. We used Cabot's Australian Deck Oil in "Natural" and it is awesome so far. 
It feels great to finish a project now and then! Thanks Mom, Lydia, and Sophie! 

Monday, April 8, 2013

A peek into my bedroom

Over the weekend, Phillip and I met my grandmother at a furniture consignment store she's been telling me about. We've been looking for a dresser to turn into a vanity when we remodel our hall bathroom and my grandmother had seen one she thought we'd like. 
And she was right! There was a really great sideboard at a really great price, and we bought it and promptly stuck it in the garage to wait. 
And lo and behold, just to the right of the sideboard was this beautiful headboard:
I stared at in longingly for several minutes, checked it hopelessly for a price tag, found none, and walked away. But then I mentioned it to my grandmother. Being much more assertive than me (and less afraid to know how exorbitantly expensive that piece was), she promptly asked the store owner how much the headboard cost. 
$100.
One. Hundred. Dollars.
I mean, I know. It sounds like a lot of money when you say it out. But go ahead, google this beauty. Look her up. I found two very similar headboards sold for $500 and $700 and a third being suggested to retail at $5000. This headboard was steal, I tell you!
So I talked Phillip into buying it. 
And I love it.
It also inspired me to clean my bedroom up, especially the dreaded chore of organizing my jewelry and cleaning off the tops of my dressers.
I totally should have closed my dresser drawers.
I've had this IKEA wire hanging thing for months because, like a true hoarder/shoppaholic, I just *knew* I would do something with it! IKEA normally hangs curtains or postcards and stuff, but I find it perfect for my million necklaces. Hurray! 
Ah yes. I still have to fold a huge pile of clean laundry. Keepin' it real, ya'll.
Tiny changes make me super happy. I hope your Monday is as motivated as mine!

Friday, January 20, 2012

Things I definitely almost want to buy

Happy Friday!
Yesterday I went out to my grandmother's house and cleaned her bathrooms and floors and cabinets. She's a slave driver, that grandmama of mine. 
But after I finished cleaning and she finished a doctor's appointment, we met in Denver and went to a consignment store and an antique mall together. We're big shopping buddies, and we both have a passion for old, used stuff. Antiques. That sounds better.
Anyway, I thought I'd share my favorite finds with you all.
Remember when I told you about my desire for a green chesterfield sofa
Well, I almost found it. This one's blue, which is almost as good, or better, when you consider how neutral this sofa could be.
Sigh, isn't that just the prettiest sofa you've ever seen? To me it is. I don't dig the pillows, but I love the shape, the nail head trim, the tufting, the rolled arms. I also love the price. It's about $450! We've actually been talking a lot about getting a leather sofa because our white cloth couch is starting to get awfully stained. Also, the upholstery is falling off in the back. This blue couch is pretty much my dream sofa. It's only problem? It's too short to lie down on. My feet had to be propped up on the arm. Sigh, I don't know if it's smart to get a sofa you can't lie on. What if someone needs to sleep on the couch??
And then there's this.
I have never seen such a cool hall tree/umbrella rack/thing. It's an awesome shiny orange-y red and I just love it. I've been drooling over hall trees for some time, and all the antique ones I've ever seen were literally $1000 or beyond. This one's $142. I have that much money saved up in cash in my H&M fund drawer. 
I know. This post coming on the heels of my "we're so broke/spoiled" post from yesterday. I'm a hypocritical pendulum of excess and miserliness.
What do you think? Should I, shouldn't I? Would you? 

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Thursday's Child: Rolling

Last weeekend, I went to an antique show with my grandmother.
For some odd reason we were talking about the pros and cons of co-sleeping with your baby and she told me the cutest story.
She was an only child, and her parents were always very strict about bed time. They would put her to bed and then tiptoe around the house quietly with the TV turned way down and no loud noises allowed. When she went away to college, she had a really hard time sleeping because of all the noise and activity constantly going on in the dorms. She said there wasn't a day that went by that she didn't get up in the morning saying "I am SO tired!" 
When she married my grandpa, she was still a very light sleeper. Nine months later she had my dad, and she became an even lighter sleeper! She'd never been around a baby before. She said that if there was any sound at all, she would jump up to check on the baby. She would lay awake trying to hear him breath and be scared all the time that something was wrong. She wasn't getting any sleep. 
Apparently he slept in a small bassinet on wheels. She solved her sleeping problems by putting him to sleep in her room, laying him in his bassinet, and wheeling it out into the hall right outside the door. She could shut the door and go to sleep but still hear him if he actually cried! 
I love imagining my grandmother as a young girl and the mental image of her wheeling my dad's bassinet around the house, for some reason it is so funny! But now that I think about it, why don't more cribs have wheels?! 
Did you/would you co-sleep? Or would you wheel your baby out into the hall? 

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Thursday's Child: It takes two

                                                                        Source: mattersofstyleblog.com via Daniella on Pinterest
                                                                   Source: room-galleries.myhomeideas.com via Daniella on Pinterest
                                                              Source: brianvandenbrink.photoshelter.com via Daniella on Pinterest

I absolutely love the matching beds in these shared bedrooms. I even love the idea of matching twin beds as a guest room idea - if you had a married couple stay, you could just shove the beds together. I also really love the architectural feel of these rooms and how cozy they look with two beds so close together. But I suppose if you only have one child, you could put up two beds as a place for their friends to have sleepovers. 
Which room is your favorite? Do you prefer two beds to just one?

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Green with envy

                                                                  Source: kickasshomes.imgfave.com via Daniella on Pinterest

Wow am I ever in love with this room! I have actually googled the words "green chesterfield sofa" about a million times in the past year in hopes that a fabulous couch for a little money would present itself to me. But never, ever, have I seen such a beautiful sofa! I actually found a similar one at Urban Outfitters, but it sort of disappoints me when I compare it to this beauty.
Couch envy aside, I have a lot of housecleaning to do in anticipation of some more company this weekend! Two of my friends are on a road trip and are stopping in for a few days, and we'll be taking in a Rockies game and possibly some 16th Street Mall shopping.
What are you all doing this cool and cloudy Wednesday?

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Zen Wednesday 3.2.2011

via lonny
We're over half way through the week! Let's celebrate with a big airy room full of soothing neutrals, chevron painted furniture, furry poofs, gorgeous metallics, and phenomenal lighting and art!
Happy Wednesday!

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Blue Velvet

Some day, I should very much like to own a piece of blue velvet furniture! In fact, I have two chairs that I am just dying to reupholster. But these things, they take the money, you know?
 
What fabrics do you long for in your home?

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Impressive

This living room is incredibly impressive! I want a big green velvet daybed! And those chevron mirrors are awesome. This is also pretty much the antithesis of my white and empty rooms of yesterday. I may never be able to choose between too much and too little, but I'll let you know if I ever manage to find that balance.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Another bed post...

If I had all the money in the world, I think I would definitely buy a gorgeous wicker bed. They are just so pretty and unexpected! Issues of durability aside, do you like wicker beds?

Monday, August 23, 2010

Decisions, decisions...

I hate making decisions. Especially decisions that will be fairly permanent. I mean, what if I make the wrong choice?! Then I'll be stuck living with my own lousy decision, often for years! And right now, I have one of those long lasting decisions on my hands. In about a month, I will be getting a new bed! But first I need to choose one. Right now, I'm considering simple canopy beds and sleigh beds. I have no idea which one to buy! I need help! Which bed would you choose? Or would you not choose any of these?
 
 
 There seem to be more canopies than sleighs, and I think my favorites are the first and third options. Our master bedroom is probably going to be mostly black and white, with a few colorful accents. What do you think? Should I buy one of these beds? Do you know of a different bed I should buy? Help!
Sorry about all the drama. Happy Monday! I hope you all had a fabulous weekend!

Friday, August 20, 2010

Couch Crush

This week, I have a crush on warm, buttery gold couches. These are so classy and cheerful. What say you? Yea or Nay?
Happy Friday!!

Monday, August 9, 2010

Happy Mirrored Monday

Anyone want to buy me a fabulously ornate vintage mirror? So I can hang it in a glamorous vignette with some gorgeous blue chairs and a table with awesome and sexy legs? I'd buy one for each of you, if my budget would allow it.
Happy Monday!!

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

How to accessorize your brown leather couch

My lovely friend Shannon has a big, brown leather couch with nail-head trim. While I love it and think its beautiful and totally stylish, she is not a big fan. Right now, the couch is in her front living room, and is basically the first thing you see when you walk in the door. She was complaining that she isn't fond of that room, so I thought I'd play around with accessories for a brown leather couch on Polyvore. So Shannon, here are my ideas for your front room. Obviously, all of this stuff is ridiculously expensive, but I think we could DIY a lot of it. The mirror frame, for instance. And the artwork. And I'm positive you could find some totally cheap and awesome shelves and lamps etc. Hobby Lobby trip??
Neutral/GoldFashion Trends & Styles - Polyvore

Neutral/Gold by DaniellaHouk on Polyvore.com
Network Shelves
$499 - roomandboard.com


Cindy Table Lamp - Bronze
$273 - barneys.com


A+R Store - Work Lamp Product Detail
$110 - aplusrstore.com


Coral Stool
yliving.com


Brown Leather 3 Seater Couch
honolulu.craigslist.org



So what do you all think? Do you like it? Hate it? How would  you accessorize a brown leather couch?