Dining Room Refresh with Lightology

I had a friend describe lighting to me as "the jewelry of the home". It sets the mood and can make or break a space. That's so true. If you have followed me on Instagram for any period of time you may have noticed how much I love lighting.

Creating an Outdoor Space

I can't believe it took us this long to create an outdoor space for us to enjoy! Maybe it was Covid and us having to be home more, or Coco getting a bit older and witnessing her love for the outdoors. I'm just so thankful we have a cozy backyard to enjoy now! 

I wanted to take you guys a bit through the process of turning the sad before into an after that we love! First of all, we power washed the patio and decided to level out the concrete patio by filling holes and cracks with mixed concrete. I then primed and painted the concrete slab with Dorian Gray by Sherwin Williams. We purchased it in the patio/outdoor paint finish. I loved the way it turned out! 

15 Chilling Movies to watch this October

 Josh and I have always enjoyed watching a classic horror movie. It's something fun we love to do every October and have done ever since we began dating. We also love to gather around the fire pit with friends and roast s'mores while enjoying a scary flick on the projector. We have watched many a horror film in our day and have seen some really good ones and a few that were a complete snooze fest. I thought it would be fun to share my favorites in case you are looking for some to binge this month. 

Wait Until Dark

Bedroom Refresh/DIY Wainscoting

I am so excited to show you guys our bedroom refresh! Our room had become rather boring and I knew we needed a little glow and warmth to it. I had been wanting to add some kind of accent wall or wall treatments to the space and finally decided I wanted to do a chair rail and some wainscoting! 

One Room Challenge / Week Eight / The Final Reveal

It's REVEAL DAY!!! I am sooooo excited to be able to finally share what I have been working on the past eight weeks. Our little family couldn't be happier with our new den and we have been enjoying  this fresh space so much!

If you missed what the den looked like before then you can see all the before photos here.

One Room Challenge / Week Seven / All in the Details

Next week is the big reveal!!! I can't believe it is finally here! I can't wait to show you guys the entire space I have been working on for the past seven weeks and have been dreaming of and designing long before that.

This week I thought I would share a few of the details we are adding to our den. I was lucky to be able to work with Mitzi for all our lighting and Juniper Print Shop, The Poster Club, and Framebridge for our art needs.

One Room Challenge / Week Five/Six / Painting with Clare

This past week I painted the entire den with a crisp, fresh coat of white paint. It looks soooo good and I can't wait to show you guys the final result!

I was so excited to try out Clare paint! I have always ran to the hardware store to pick up my paint and so it was such a treat to discover the paint I wanted online, along with all of my painting supplies, and have it shipped right to my door.

One Room Challenge / Week Four / The Fireplace

This past week was all about the fireplace! I've been wanting to transform our very dark and drab stone fireplace with limewash for a very long time. I'm going to take you through the process of what I did but first I want to remind you what this fireplace looked like before this project.

One Room Challenge / Week Three / Design Progress

Hey friends! Here we are week three of the One Room Challenge! I am so excited to report that our window is completed! I can now move forward with my project and it feels so good! Next up: limewashing the fireplace! Thank goodness that we have a three day weekend ahead of us since I am a mama first and foremost and for the most part have to work when my husband gets home from work.

Because the construction of the window caused a little delay in plans, I don't have any progress on my end this week to show you yet. I thought I might share more of the mind behind the design and let you get a sneak peek at our new sectional that we picked out this week! Even though the furniture and most of the decor pieces have not arrived yet (fingers crossed) I am envisioning what this room is going to look like and it makes me so happy to see it come together!

One Room Challenge / Week Two / The Window

We are on our second week of the One Room Challenge! This week I am so excited to announce that we have a window in our den! Our contractor came out and he has been working on installing a large picture window. It is so beautiful and much larger than I envisioned which I love. Even in the in-between stage of it all, the room looks sooo much brighter and the window has totally changed the feel of the space.

Our contractor is still working on rewiring the electrical, putting up new sheetrock, framing the window, masonry work, etc. so it is still incomplete but I thought it would be fun to show you guys the process and how different it looks already!

One Room Challenge / Week One / Before Photos & The Design Plan

I am so excited to participate in my very first One Room Challenge! For those unfamiliar with this event, I'll be more than happy to shed some light on it for you. The One Room Challenge is a biannual event that encourages designers to completely transform a space in their home in eight weeks time. Each week, every featured designer (there are 20 of them in all) will blog their progress every Wednesday and each guest participant (like myself) will blog their progress every Thursday. I am so excited to join in on this project this year and can't wait to see this transformation unfold!

For this challenge I will be renovating our family room/den. Currently this space is super dark, with no exterior windows so it's void of any natural light. On top of that, the walls are a taupe color and the brown stone fireplace takes up an entire wall. My husband has called it his "Man Cave" and I definitely feel like the term "cave" is very descriptive for this dark, deary, depressing room.

Here are some before photos of the space....

Cleaning My Home Naturally

During this season when we are spending so much time at home, I have constantly been tossed back and forth with wanting to be super productive and clean and organize and work on home projects, to sitting on the couch watching tv and stuffing my face with ice cream. In an effort to do more of the former, I came across a wonderful non-toxic cleaner that I wanted to share with you guys!

Ways to Find Joy During Quarantine

We are going on 13 days of quarantine over here so I thought I would share some things that we are doing to stay busy/stay sane/and find a little bit of happiness during this very weird time. I asked my followers on Instagram for some joys that they were finding on these slow days so I have compiled a list of ideas from them, others, and yours truly. I hope I can bring some light and inspiration for those who need it!

Stenciling My Bathroom Floor

Growing Pampas Grass

Pampas Grass seems all the rage these days. It's dried plumes create the prettiest accent to a space and I love the beautiful texture it adds. I love it so much that I actually ordered a couple to plant in our yard from PlantingTree. I have since been advised that I should maybe only plant one since they are very invasive and can get out of control very quickly.

15 Whimsical Puzzles for Adults

Move over, adult coloring books! These creative, visually pleasing adult puzzles are all the rage these days! They are perfect for when you need some relaxation and desire to unplug. So grab a cup of coffee and shop these beauties...

How to Make Your Home Hygge During the Winter Months

After Christmas things can feel a little bleak and boring. Long after the Christmas tree is gone I like to keep things super cozy, relaxed, and welcoming. I want my home to exude warmth so I wanted to share a few tips that might help give your home that hygge vibe. 

Hygge is defined as "a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being (regarded as a defining characteristic of Danish culture)."