Inspiration: Before & After kitchen nook

So some fun news… we officially have a dining table and chairs! Woot! “Where on earth would you fit it?” I know you’re asking. Lets just say, me and the hubs spent all day rearranging every piece of furniture in our entire apartment. So hopefully I’ll take some pictures to show you.

So i adore the table. It’s a classic “farmer” table with the wood top and white painted legs. Perfectly fits 6 and its just too cute. And then theres the chairs. They definitely match but they just don’t match us. So we are on the hunt for our first piece of furniture purchase as a married couple: dining chairs. I know what else you’re thinking; “Umm, didn’t ya’ll just buy the whole set?” Nope. Randomly hanging out with some friends that were trying to figure out which goodwill to dump their table. Then I said “our apartment”.  And done. How sweet is that?! Now we can eat at a table instead of on the couch! You guys have no clue – i would make a beautiful steak dinner… and then serve it on the couch. Oh it was just sad. But no more!

Anyway, when i eat at the table, I’m usually there a lot so i definitely need some cushion for the tush. I’ve been looking around everywhere for some chairs that we could afford on a mini budget. And of course, I’m 98% sure they are from ikea. I’ll let you know when we cross that road but until then. Check out this AMAZING before and after from Liz at It’s Great to be Home.

YES! That is the same nook. Can you believe it?! Such an incredible difference. I love the flooring, the built ins got a beautiful facelift… and just look at those chairs. So cute!

Can you believe they are PAINTED? Yes. Liz painted her kitchen chairs. And they are stinkin cute! Check out the whole step by step on Liz’s blog over here.

The more i read about these chairs, the more im pretty sure its a done deal. You will find out soon though! Until then, check out Liz’s blog all about her 5 house flips in 3 years! Its one of the most incredible stories on the interwebs. So read it.

Hey Gorgeous!

Ok, im usually not into brand new houses. I love the 70s, i love the 30s… i miss the beautiful houses in Savannah and all their weird qwerks. BUT with that said, Rhi from Hey Gorgeous Events bought one of THE most fabulous houses ever. I mean its stinking adorable. I love every detail about it. How bright every room is, the arched ceilings, the built ins… Oh I just wonder what sort of house I would have if it was built from scratch. Anyway, she has posted the initial interiors and her kitchen after they moved in. Be prepared for cute perfection.

Le gasp!

Two toned grey with a YELLOW front door?! (passes out)

Seriously, are you prepared for the most adorable kitchen of all kitchens?

I really cant handle this adorable vintage blue drink cart.

Eww! cat… Well, I guess it can’t be perfect…

 

Seriously, how cute are these two four? I can’t wait till she posts shots of the rest of the place! Soon please, Rhi! Check out more shots of her place here, here and here. If you want to check out her amazing wedding design (along with breathtaking photography) check out her site and blog. Now I’m off to track down a blue cart on Craigslist…

I love lamp

For freelancing, its important to have a good “office space” at your casa. Especially for me. i get very distracted and need a creative, calming space to be able to really sit down and get to work. I got this glass lamp from Target a few months ago and its been a life saver – especially when i work late at night which tends to happen a lot. I have to have some really nice lighting.

Its been such a great lamp but i saw this shade at Target and i just had to have it. I made googly eyes at Kenny as i held the shade like a baby. He said “it definitely looks like you” and that was the end of it. She was comin home with me! Lamp shades are a great way to bring color into a space and i definitely am a sucker for yellow these days. And pattern on pattern? I dig it. I dont think i could ever have too much pattern. Plus having a small grey pattern with a large yellow one just makes me happy, ill be honest. Plus my little wooden dude loves it, so its a done deal.

Bam.

-Rachel

Pin Post!

How many times have you drooled over some easy DIY project on pinterest and just left it at that? I loved these paint dipped cans and thankfully i had a few different sizes just lying around! Yay recycling, organizing and designing all in one. Woot!

source

First off, let me just say the paint part was an epic fail. Without the right colors, this project will look pretty lame. So i suggest picking your colors wisely first. Wish i had a picture for you guys, but I’ll spare you the sight and show you the finished product. To cover up the hideous paint I used some lovely Washi tape!

I just made this purchase last week from PrettyTape on Etsy. I can’t even tell you how confused my husband was that i bought tape off of Etsy. He is still confused but I am excited about all the different options with usin this stuff. Hopefully more projects soon!

Whoopsies!

Well hello from my iPad! Temporary job perk, but definitely digging the heck out of it. So what is the first thing I do when I get a fancy shmancy new iPad? I get apps. Of course.

There are so many great interior design apps out there but this one is definitely a fave. It’s called HGTV’s Shelf. Its a great resource for trying to design with new colors, organizing your closet, etc. Beautiful images and great ideas!

UPDATE: obviously, this is my first time using this thing and apparently, the top right button didn’t mean what I thought it meant. And then, whoopsies! Posted instead of added a photo. First of many iPad mishaps I’m sure. With that said, enjoy the beautiful photos – all from HGTV!

Oh my goodness, i love these lights:

Ok, pretty sure this is my dream closet…. how beautiful is this?!

Found any good design apps lately?

-Rachel

Lettuce Turnip the Beet

Hey guys! I’m excited to tell ya that I’ve been selling a lot on Etsy! I’m definitely excited… its definitely something I’m doing for fun instead of for profit but its always reassuring if people are interested and making purchases! Today I’m going to be shipping to Australia! How cool is that? Anyway, I have a new print to add to my kitchen prints line. This really all started with me really needed a conversion chart in the kitchen but they were all so ugly so I made my own pretty one! They are all up on Etsy if you are interested. Anyway, this one, i think i saw the quote on a tshirt somewhere and i thought it would be really cute in the kitchen. So here ya go!

Design Star

I have multiple blogs that i follow almost daily. I tend to panic if i dont get some Young House Love or MadebyGirl into my daily schedule. Amy at  Lovely Nest is at the top of the list… read all about her beautiful design and fabulous blog design over here. She recently she posted about Design Star… now, we don’t have cable so I miss out on all the good HGTV shows out there but OF COURSE, Amy decided to blog about a FABULOUS kitchen that was on Design Star this week. So… i jumped on my computer and watched 3 episodes in a row. Who knew there were full episodes online?! Anyway, i am completely in love with this beautifully designed kitchen!

How cute is this!? I love the yellow and turquoise color palate with the modern vintage feel. i ADORE the bakers rack – i love having metal and wood together and it just adds so much character. I also have a new found love for round breakfast tables. It just looks like a place where i can just have some girls over and chat over coffee. or wine.

And seriously – just look at this buffet. How can you buy matching room sets or crappy ikea furniture when you could have something with so much character and texture?! Don’t get me wrong – i love me some ikea (obviously if you read my post on friday) but for furniture, id much rather put down some extra time into fixing up an old piece than buying particle board that will just break in 6 months.

I’m only a few episodes in but I’m definitely looking forward to watching this episode!

All images by HGTV

Thanks Amy for sharing this beautiful space… I definitely know what color theme to go with in my kitchen now…

-Rachel

Say Hello to my Little Friend!

This lil wooden mannequin was a necessary purchase. No, I’m not doing any life drawing anytime soon – that class was just intense. I just remember my mom having multiple of these little dudes and playing with them when i was a kiddo. I saw him at ikea this weekend for about 4 bucks and he just HAD to come home with me. So into my awkwardly large ikea shopping bag he went. He has landed right on my desk. I think he likes to take care of my pens for me.

He also likes to hand me things like scissors. Hes pretty strong for a little dude.

And he’s been making friends really quickly. He’s definitely bonded with my chinese lion bookend….

Yes i know im a geek. Anyway, lots of fun entertainment and all for just a few bucks! I thought about painting him a fun color or even staining him, but for now i like the light natural wood. Now i just need to figure out what the heck im going to name him. Of course, woody was my first thought. which is terrible… so we’re still working on it. Any votes?

Roadkill Desk

So my dad used to call my boyfriend in high school Roadkill bc he rode a bike and my dad drove an SUV. My dad loved to traumatize me as a child. Anyway, this post has nothing to do with that. Its actual road kill. Not really but kind of. Last week i was cruisin around a neighborhood down town to meet a friend and i slammed on the brakes because i saw this baby on the side of the road:

Free. Solid wood. Adorbs yellow. And freakin dirty. I HAD to have it. And no, i didn’t take the tv.

So i threw it in the back of my car. By myself. BAM.

Yes, i know… i even impressed myself. I really enjoyed meeting up with Kenny later and saying “BTW, i might have a very large piece of furniture in the back of my car.” I dont know why things like this suprise him anymore…

Can i take a moment to just tell you how much I love my car (Scion TC)? Seriously, who else with a two door vroom-vroom car can fit a 7 drawer desk into their car? By themselves? This girl can. Go buy one.

Anyway, back on topic – so where on earth am i going to fit my brand new dirty but cute desk? Especially in our tiny one bedroom already full of furniture apartment. Honestly who cares? I’ll make it fit or give it to a friend to hang on to. Because when you’re in between apartments and a house – you need all the furniture you can get! Especially the free kind. So i brought her home in search of a good spot. Here she is in the hall. Just look at her dirty self…

So after shimmying things around the apartment, i found a good spot for her right around the corner. And then cleaned the sh*! out of her. Eww. Lets just say it was a bad idea to use paper towel… almost went through a whole roll.  And then… voila!

From roadkill to adorable! Yes, she is in need of new knobs, and yes, she has one really wonky odly placed knob… yes shes still dirty and beat up, but nothing some good TLC wont fix. I’ll keep yall updated with what i decide to do. Step one: get her some pretty (anthro?) pulls… or DIY? who knows?!

Have you found any good roadkill lately? Or bad roadkill? Ok, dont share about that last one if you did…

Till next time!

-Rach

ATX Digs

I love finding really fun and unique homes. I love it even more when they are from my hometown, Austin, Texas! The McCarthys were only in this home for SEVEN months before they almost completely transformed this house. Every room has quirky prints, bright colors and unique design. To see the original article on Design*Sponge and more pictures, click here. Read Bailey’s blog, Peppermint Bliss for design tips. All photography by the lovely Paige Newton Photography!

Image above: who wouldn’t love sailboat wall paper and quatrefoil tile?! I know i would…

A lot of furniture is from estate sales, hand me downs or from her old own in Chicago.

Ok seriously, does this chick love to take chances with fun wallpaper or what?!

I love this kitchen and the two part door… modern feel with older touches. Love it!

This picture definitely tells me these are Austinites. Who else would have longhorns above a guest bed? Hook em Horns!!

Yup, more fun wall paper!

This one would definitely be my husbands favorite part of the house. Freaking awesome shower. I love the unique look of it thats its almost window panes.

So many elements of this house I’m drooling over! Found any cool houses lately?

Have a good weekend!

-Rachel