How to Decorate for a Dude

It always makes me sad to walk into a couple’s bedroom that is wall to wall pink or florals. Some poor husband has to relax in what he would consider his worst nightmare. My apologies if that is the bedroom youre sitting in right now.. but come on ladies… at least try to decorate for two people! And i know, i know… he has his man cave, so this room is for you. Nope! Most of time time you spend in your house is in your bedroom. Its for you BOTH! Let your man come home and relax instead of want to gouge his eyes out.

One thing that I’ve learned in our (almost) 1 year of marriage… dudes (at least my dude) have no clue how they want to decorate. Well, Kenny usually knows what he DOESNT want. So sometimes they just need a little help. And as women its hard to read their minds and know what it is they actually do like. And even when you do figure out what they like, it might be the opposite of what you like. For example, my man loves rustic. It makes sense since his dad is a carpenter and built his parents (very rustic) house himself. Is that impressive or what? So it makes sense that Kenny would love a rustic look – but thats pretty much the opposite of what I like. Lets just say I’m a city girl and the lets-hang-dead-animal-heads-on-the-wall-and-live-in-a-cabin kinda look is just not my cup o tea. But its all about balance. Balancing my weird antique/modern style with his rustic is always a challenge but it can work! I’ve found using raw woods in minimalist pieces work for both of us – it has the warmth and rustic-ness that he likes with the simple lines that I like.

So to decorate for a guy – don’t think that you have to put up neon lights and beer posters. Guys like design more than you think they do.

I love this space because it works for men or women. Its sleek, elegant, not to feminine, not too masculine.

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Need help figuring out how to decorate for a man? Heres a few hints that (most) men love.

Styles

Minimalist, rustic, natural,  industrial, modern. Once you figure out his style, it’s easier to decorate for both of you.

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Colors

Neutrals, blues, greys, greens. Pretty much every color except pink or purple.

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Patterns

Geometric, Greek Key, stripes, solids, texture, chevron. You definitely want to avoid florals. One piece here or there is OK – but only a splash, please!

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Materials

Metals, linens, wood, stonework, brick. Have a masculine brick wall in your bedroom? Add a chandelier for a feminine touch. It’s all about balance, people!

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Decor

Books, glass decanters, b/w photography, metal sculptures, candles (men love fire), succulents, maps/globes and minimalist paintings.

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Furniture

Comfortable couches and chairs, mid century buffets, trunks, industrial storage pieces. And you know he has that one piece that he absolutely loves that you can’t stand? Just let him have it! I’m sure for every one piece of his you hate, theres 12 of yours that he cant stand.

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It’s really easy to get selfish when you’re designing, but keep in mind you’re not the only one who lives there. Lets give our husbands a break from florals and have a house hes actually excited to come home to.

*All images were chosen or approved by Mr. Kenny himself.

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…

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

Happy Birthday, ‘Merica

Heres some fun 4th ideas! This one has always been my favorite: Fireworks Cookies! Throw some pop rocks in there and a 4th of July pop! Kenny suggested not telling your guests they are in there so they are very surprised!

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How about some cute 4th nails? I love these because they aren’t as cheesy as so many others are – and i love me some anchors!

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And how about a cute outfit idea? Have a striped red cardigan anyone? And yes, i enjoy getting dressed up for the 4th!

Can’t locate the source 😦

And the best part about the 4th of July? People being horribly stupid with fireworks:

PS, the last few seconds there are some bad words. I think id say some bad words too.

Happy 4th! BE SAFE!!

Wakeboard Camp!

So last week is always one of my fav weeks of the year – wakeboard camp! Yup, i get to spend a whole week hanging out with cool highschool kids while out on boats wakeboarding,wakesurfing and other shenanigans. I love it!

I took photo and video all week just like i have for the last 5+ years… love it!

Man, i love my job. Btw i had about a bazillion compliments on my bright pink tosies, it was just a bottle at Nordstrom. I love that its neon and makes me look tan.. yay optical illusions!

A friend is doing all the video editing so hopefully it will be all ready to go soon and I’ll try and post it!

-Rachel

House Hunting

So we’ve gone back and fourth about getting a house the last few months partly because we are both in between jobs. Since we both got new fancy (and one not so fancy) jobs, we are back to hitting the webs for houses! Nope, no lake houses with infinity pools, but a fun fixer upper sounds perfect-o. There are definitely pros and cons to buying a house… lets start with the obvious pros:

Pros:

• Umm, you have a flippin house! Awesome!
• Complete design freedom (i cant wait to knock down some walls, build porches, and paint the crap out of it)
• Equity – you’re putting your money into a mortgage instead of someone else’s pocket
• Most mortgages we are looking at would be around the same price as apartment rentals in Austin
• PRIVACY! We can hear our neighbors newborn baby crying all night. We also probably annoy our current neighbors with our loud music and movies – not a problem if you own a house!
• Space – We are fo sho crammed in this apartment. Its a decent sized apartment but just my stuff alone filled the place up – add another person stuff and whadya get!? Cramped. Not so much in a house!
• Yard! One of my favorite parts – my sweet pup would be able to run around at her hearts content
• Art Studio! – Ok this might be my favorite part… I cannot wait to have an entire room dedicated to creativity, painting and pure awesomeness! Anyone wana come over and paint?!
• Guest room – right now everyone who stays over has to sleep on the couch. Which, we have people stay over quite often. and our couch is horribly uncomfortable to sleep on.
• Garage – i dont care much about protecting my car as much as i want a workshop! Building furniture on our little porch gets really old really fast. Also garages are great for storage. No more christmas trees in your hall closet. Woot!
• Stairs – i definitely wont miss three flights of stairs anytime i forget my phone upstairs
• Tax incentives

Cons:

• $$$ – not only the mortgage but also buying more furniture, paint, updates, etc. are pricy.
• Repairs & Maintenance – No more maintenance workers at a simple phone call. If something breaks you have to fix it. (or pay someone else a lot to)
• Utilities – heating a one bedroom apartment vs. heating a 3 bedroom house – expect prices to go way up!
• Mobility – with owning a home, you don’t have it. Unless you want to deal with long term renters, you’re probably not going to go anywhere for a few years. But i love austin – why would anyone want to move?!
• Amenities – bye bye pool 😦 this is a big downer – i love the gym and the pool here! I guess i could tan in the backyard. Kiddie pool anyone?
• Location – the better location the more expensive. The further away from central, the better the price and the better the house. But we want to be as central as possible… its definitely true: “Location, Location, Location”
• Down Payment – You’ve gotta have a lot of cash saved up. Banks require about 5% down which is $10,000 on a $200,000 home. Yikes!
• Property taxes – eww

We are definitely flexible – if we stay in this apartment for another year (or three) we are completely content. We have so much and so much to be thankful for. Someday we will most likely buy a house… I’ll keep you updated on if its sooner or later!

-Rach

Memorial Day Sales!

Well, its memorial day and of course that means great sales! Yesterday me and a buddy, Amy headed over to one of my all time favorite stores in the world. West Elm! Because of Memorial Day, everything thats already reduced is on sale another 15% in addition to whats already marked down! On top of that, they were trying to sell their floor models so a lot of items were marked down by 100s of bucks! Halla!

This table I’ve been eyeing for a while… our ourdoor table isnt so much an outdoor table. Its more a cheap $10 target temporary that is falling apart with all the moisture. But at 70 bucks, i just couldn’t make the purchase. BUT there was a floor model on sale for 30 plus the 15% off! Still suprised I didn’t snatch that up… so cute!

Amy was eyeing these pillows for her living room. But i thought it would be fun to find just a plain white pillow cover, get some fabric paint and paint it yourself! That would be so much more fun (and cheaper!)

Can’t wait to have a sweet dining room and dining table! Love the mix of the cozy chairs and the bench!

You know i have a love for succulents, I’m diggin them as a centerpiece…

I am definitely lovin this centerpiece – definitely a little messy for Memorial Day weekend but the mix of silver and teal just makes me happy…

Love this guy. Definitely approve of the faux animal head mounts. Always creeps me out to have an actually dead animal head on the wall. So sad. This is a very agreeable alternative.

Though this would be a horrible idea in my house (Im pretty sure I’ve mentioned how horribly clumsy I am, but i just loved those dozens of bottles all clumped together. Please dont do this at your house either. I think it works for West Elm, but not a home. Maybe pick up half a dozen. Not 100.

LOVE the mix of white lacquer and whitewash of these dressers and bed frame. It just has a beachy spa-like feel to it. I dig it.

I laughed out loud when i saw this cute lil owl in his cage. Poor lil guy.. his friends are free but he is not.

I ALWAYS love the displays… this would be awesome! Just paint one fun wall with chalkboard paint and add frames! Such a fun idea!

I love paint. Having “painted” bedding is definitely my idea of a good time. Plus i love the blues!

Amy crashed after a long day into one of the most comfy, absurdly expensive outdoor chairs in existence. Pretty sure its around 1,300. But its on sale! (for maybe 1,200…)

So go out and get you some cheap ol furniture. Also, did anyone notice the Room Store going out of business? So sad but you can definitely grab a great piece of furniture for super cheap!

Happy Memorial Day, Y’all!

-Rach