Balancing design and kids!

I am not a mother yet BUT I understand that being an interior designer means finding a way for mothers to still have STYLE and a home that caters to their children! So for my young readers who are mothers, I have a few tips for you!  So many of you don't jump in to get help with design because you think you kids will destroy it ( I know exactly what your thinking..."They will!!) but let me share with you a few wonderful ways to build an elegant home that still works for them!

1.  Pair formal shaped furniture with tough, durable fabrics!

Rather than a loose piece of furniture, choose chairs that are "fully stuffed".  A wingback chair looks much more put together than a slipcovered plop-in type of chair! You can cover these wingback chairs in fabric that is completely durable for your kids! Find fabric that is dark, patterned or a tough natural material like linen or burlap that you can scrub! 

(I LOVE this room!!!!)

2. I am not a big leather fan but keep in mind, it is definitely a kid-friendly choice! Don't buy a whole set but one sofa or an armchair can work with any space! Leather looks better with age so you have no worry about what your kiddos will do to it! 

3. Your rugs! One of the most popular spaces for spills! Take advantage of those new outdoor rugs! Most of them are made from recycled plastic and can withstand spills! You dont have to fill your entire home up with them but think about the areas in your house that get a lot of use or are likely to be spill zones! 

4. Install high shelving over your doorways so you know that they are out of reach of small hands! Also choose bold, deep wall colors! They can easily make your space have more still and hide the crayon drawings much easier!

5. Go for some wicker or rattan! It can take a beating and still look great! Wicker brings a simple chic French vibe to your house, which is very popular right now! Another good think about this type of furniture: Its usually has a fairly reasonable price tag! 

6. Bring outdoor fabrics in! The world of outdoor fabric has improved so much! JoAnn Fabrics always has quite a selection! These fabrics are incredibly sturdy and still very appealing indoors! You can try them on dining chairs, cushions or for pillows on your sofa! 

7. Bring a sense of play into your house! If you have kids, make it their space too! Chalkboard walls are great for YOU to make lists on and great for THEM to doodle on! Think about ways you can use their art as decor! Especially in the kitchen and laundry room! 

8. When it comes to designing a nursery or kids room, choose grown up pieces!  Stay away from furniture aimed specifically toward kids! Real grown-up furniture is perfectly appropriate in a childs space and will last much longer! Add fun whimsy pillows and art to instead to make it a fun space!

9.  Some things kids cant hurt! Think of the these things: the ceilings, the lighting, and the colors! Paint your ceilings! Choose stylish light fixtures! And don't settle on boring colors!

I would love to hear more ideas that you have about creating a family home that balances the reality of kids with design! Feel free to comment below! 

Enjoy your Wednesday! 

Fall is here!

I am no longer pushing my wreath making business (obviously focusing on interior design) but I did want to share two with you that I recently made! Hopefully it will get you into the Fall spirit! As if you weren't already ready! :)

On another note, I wanted to share with you some of my favorite fall pillows I found on etsy! Love the understated approach!

 

My Favorite: { See Plaid Pillow Here }

 Love { these } too!

{Birch branch Pillow!}

 { Spider Web Pillow! }

My Style! { Lattice! } Pillow!

Enjoy your weekend!!!!

Old Ladder! Basement Project!

Have any of you seen on pinterest the old ladder used for blanket storage?  Garrett and I decided to give it a try! Living in an older house is a plus when it comes to repurposing old things! Its like we have a treasure chest in our basement... all kinds of old, random things.  This ladder was one of them! We wanted it to be distressed which made the project EASY!!! We quickly brushed it off, spray painted it and sanded it! We like the way it turned out and best of all...it was free! We bought NOTHING and it was literally a 30- minute project total! 

Also...Look at the mess we got ourselves in!! Garrett and I want to stay in our house as long as possible which  means we need a completely functional house and need to use every square foot! So this is the project we've started!  Its going to be awhile before it is finished! You cant eat an elephant in a day! :) 

The project includes:

Scrapping the walls to remove all the old paint and loose pieces, clean, waterproof it the best we can, clean again, repaint the walls, clean some more, paint the floors a cool pattern, remove the insulation in the ceiling and paint it, the list continues! 

During this project, I need to remember to tell my sweet, hard-working husband, I love him over and over again! Lets be honest, he does most of the work in this department and I just bring him bologna sandwiches! 

Wall Decor!

One of the hardest decorating jobs people struggle with other then paint color: Wall Decor!!! 

One reason I think most people struggle is because they automatically assume they should buy a painting or a mirror to fill the empty spot! While mirrors and paintings are great, there are still so many other options for you! I thought I would share some of my favorite ideas! 

Rather than going with one large painting, consider a collection of frames all differing in size, color and texture! Also consider not JUST using photos to fill them! Think about maps, sketches, children artwork, text, postcards, etc. 

Just because you may not be an artist doesn't mean that you can't create your own piece of art! This especially works in a contemporary house! 

Mirrors are always great!! They usually make a space feel more formal! However, consider changing up the idea! Instead of using an ordinary mirror, think about extra large mirrors, or grouping a set of mirrors together! They will always make a smaller space feel larger and can definitely add some glam!

Shelving is another great way to fill up space! They allow you to either display your favorite pieces, add some personal touches or make your space more functional! When decorating your shelves, keep in the mind to switch up the size of the pieces and keep your numbers of items odd! One of my biggest pet peeves is when people use to many items on their shelves and too small of items! Chances are you don't need as many items as you think you do! Here are some pretty successful shelving installations!

Try to show off what you are passionate about, group likes items together, forget about symmetry, vary the height of accessories, and layer your items!

Also consider this idea: Take ONE items and repeat it multiple times! If you find a round mirror your love, buy 3 of them and arrange them randomly on your wall! You are more likely to be successful having the same item repeated then an array of different items. Small items lose their importance, but clustered items give a "designer look!"

Also consider:

Wall Art Sculptures

Sconces

Vinyl decals

Collection of Vintage Plates

Using trim to make a wall feel more architectural

Hanging fabric corner to corner, ceiling to floor

Lacquered Animal heads :)

 

Comment and let me know what other ideas YOU have! 

"Urban Vintage Modern"

Remember when I said I had a red/orange/aqua e-design to share!! I finished it today! Hoping my clients love it! This client is not afraid of color! The couple described their style as "Urban, Vintage, Modern" so I combined a lot of different textures and colors to achieve the look! I cant wait to go visit them and see how everything turned out!!!

As for a paint color... I choose Benjamin Moore's La Paloma Gray! I love how it is a borderline gray but still warm!

Let me know what yall think!

Thank you for your business Renee & Justin!!!

The Scott Family E-design!

I am excited to share with you another e-design board I did for a client! They loved how everything turned out and I am so confident everything is going to look fabulous in their new place! This client LOVES gray (obviously) but wanted some color incorporated somewhere so we went with a subtle color on the wall and limited color in the furnishings! Very small touches of green keep it fun and modern cabinetry updated their space tremendously! 

I am working on another design currently that incorporates red/orange and aqua! So different than what is pictured above so check back soon! 

Denah Rumah Ukuran 11 x 23 m

Denah Rumah Ukuran 11 x 23 m

DENAH LANTAI 1 - DENAH LANTAI 2 - DENAH ATAP

TAMPAK DEPAN - TAMPAK SAMPING KANAN