I Feel Pretty

I have the best mom.  The best.  She's lived in her house for almost 15 years. Its a beautiful house, and for all of us it is home. But. Even the Prom Queen needs a new look after a decade flies by! We've all seen the brassy, goldeny-oaky goodness the late 90's gave us. So she's decided its time for some updates. Woo Hoo!  I don't know anyone that deserves it more than she does. 

We started with the main bathroom that everyone uses.  

{Before}

My disclaimer here is that I'm super lame and lost the before pictures. So I took some of the master bath. It is the exact same size, and has the same layout and finishes that the main bath did. The only exceptions are that the bath in these befores has a small window and the door is on another wall.

It had your basic builder-grade huge frameless mirror, UGLY vanity lighting, faucet, cabinets, you name it.  Also, these are pretty small bathrooms. .  

So not that bad, just not that good.  We decided about a week before Thanksgiving to do a complete cosmetic overhaul before the turkey was served.  The goal was to update the look as much as possible while still keeping the flooring, vanity, counters and shower insert.  We still have a few small touches and fluffs to add, but I'm so excited about the results that I had to share what we've got so far.

Drum roll, please...

{After}

My mom likes warm colors and has pretty traditional style.  She was picturing painting the vanity darker and maybe putting a nice color on the walls.  But I saw bright, light, shiny things because there is no window-this bathroom was dark and small.  And I really wanted it to just be... pretty.  You know, a pretty room for a pretty girl!  I talked her into gray for the vanity (secretly getting a lighter shade than she approved) and painted the ceiling, walls, door and trim all bright white, which she questioned (questioned!). 

Luckily now there is no question.  Only love. I used  pearlescent white on the main wall that houses the toilet, vanity and mirror with my favorite design and created awesome hand-painted wallpaper.  I seriously love this design.  I've used it here and here before.  This version is gorgeous and subtle, but has some of my much-desired shine and adds a lot of depth to the overall look.

We used baseboard trim from the HD, a simple miter box, hand saw and Liquid Nails to frame the mirror.  I had pictures of how ridiculously easy it was, but they are lost with the befores.  Luckily, there are a million tutorials in the blog world.  I used this one as a reference.

To keep with the warm tones and traditional feel of the rest of her house, we used Oil Rubbed Bronze fixtures and a Dark Walnut stain over the gray paint on the vanity and mirror frame. 

 We also changed out the shower curtain rod and rings and added this pretty shower curtain.  I love that it's bright, but still has touches of warm gold and brown, and a dark rich shade of peacock blue.

 When the door is open it blocks a good portion of this back wall-what you see is just about the only open space between the door and the shower- so I left if pretty plain.  We changed out the towel bar, added yummy new towels, and hung a J that I snagged from the living room.

 We just shopped her house for shiny accessories to fill the shelves.  She actually had golden sparkle handmade soap sitting in a closet.  Meant to be, I tell ya.  They could maybe use a little more fluffing.  We'll have to keep our eyes open in our travels.  But pretty, no?

  Can I just say that I love that apple?  I've loved it since I was little.  I kind of want to steal it.

  Again, trying to keep it warm I painted the vanity gray with dark walnut stain and a clear coat for protection and shine. No distressing.  My mom's not a distressed kind of lady.  It still needs hardware, which will add much.  I've gotta get on that.

 Even the ceiling got a makeover.  It hadn't been painted in years (like maybe 15) and there was no overhead lighting.  Just the base to a sad broken boob light.  We bought a cheap cheap globe and I sprayed the base Oil Rubbed.  Crazy how something so insignificant could make such a difference.

I loved doing this room! If you could just walk in and feel how much brighter and bigger it feels. Its so hard to get a good picture of the entire space. As I mentioned, it still needs a few tweaks. The near future includes new flooring and cabinet hardware and more fluff, so check back for updates.

I love you mom!

 

 

Stools in the House

First off, a big thanks to those of you who provided input about the crib in my last post.  Although it could be absolutely beautiful if restored, I've decided to concede to safety and go with a re-purpose.  After all, we have safety guidelines for a reason.  I have an idea brewing that I hope will still be a wowzer.

Today I am adding this cute set of three bar stools to my shop. I wasn't with it enough to remember the before pic for these, but they started out as your average pine kitchen stools that were generously donated to my ever-growing junk project pile after a kitchen remodel.  While they were still in great shape, these girls needed a serious wardrobe update.

The curve at the top of the back and the turned spindles made them seen a little dated and maybe a little too country. Now don't get me wrong, I love pretty country style. This just wasn't it. So I used a cream base with french blue accents to bring them out of bad country and into good country. They've each got some random stripes on the seats with a dark walnut stain, distressing, and polycrylic for protection and a bit of shine.

(1)

(2)

(3)

The shiny brass ring around the bottom of each stool was a necessary blemish for support reasons. So I changed them to oil rubbed bronze. It made a HUGE difference.

 Each stool swivels and is standard counter height (not the taller bar height). The measurements are 36" from the floor to the top of the stool and 25" from the floor to the seat.

Grab the whole set for only $75!

Thanks for thinking of me Katie!  I hope I did them justice.

What Would You Do? And, Full of Guts.

As mentioned in my previous post, I'm currently recovering from a giant butt-kicker of a summer and fall and am trying to get back to work. I have a couple of projects brewing, but one of them poses a conundrum for me.  It's this beauty here:

An awesome vintage solid wood crib with beautiful detail and inset panels on each end.  I about hyperventilated and peed my pants when I found it.  I swear, if Zoe wasn't halfway through her crib usage, it would be hers. 

It is totally sturdy, with all metal parts. Tyler laughed that its probably in better shape than either of the plastic-part cribs our kids have slept in.  I have amazing plans dancing through my head.  So here is the question of the hour: If you felt that it was completely safe and sturdy, would you buy and use a vintage crib?  What if it was all rebuilt?  Or is it better used in a re-purposed way?  I also have some ideas floating around for that, but I would love love love to refinish and sell it as a crib. I just think it's gorgeous.  Please people!  Give me some input!

And there's also this little girl with her guts hanging out. Hopefully I can remedy that.  Stay tuned.

Thanks!

A Little White Desk

I recently finished this sweet little desk for a client, my cute friend Brooke.  I have a lot of cute friends :)  It started out a dated golden oak but had pretty lines and was nice and solid.

She wanted bright white, with just a little distressing and some dark glaze to add a little balance to a 12 year-old girl's bedroom with brand new, glossy white furniture and a shabby chandy.

 She'll add new hardware and a fun upholstered chair.

I also painted and glazed two of these shelves with stained pegs to hang above the desk.  (Sorry for my lack of good pictures.  This summer and fall seriously kicked my butt.  I'm hopeful the butt-kicking is mostly over.) 

Brooke has fabulous taste and is currently in the process of building up her design portfolio.  I hope this helps a little!  Thanks Brooke!

Can't Get Enough

More pink!  It seems when I did these tables, I may have created a very pink-very cute-monster.  But that's ok, I really like pink monsters.

Another project for my ever-adorable friend, miss Lindsey.  She had two matching twin beds from her childhood that she wanted to paint for her two equally-adorable little girls. Here is the before of one of them: 

The perfect shape, just a little flowery and beat up.  She wanted pink and cream with dark walnut stain and distressing again, to go with dresser that I recently refinished for her.

I may never get tired of this particular monster.  It is so very sweet.  Plus, keep in mind that when the bed is all made, with the box spring, mattress, duvet and pillows a lot of the pink on the headboard will be covered up.  I think that'll keep it from being too much.  You'll get just a hint, which is what we are going for.

The inside of the foot board, which again, will be mostly covered with bedding.  But I wanted the consistency.

Lindsey is going to tackle the other bed herself.  Last we talked the plan was gray where this bed is cream and cream where this bed is pink.  Won't that be gorgeous?!  I'm sure she'll do a fabulous job and I can't wait to see it!  Please send me some pics of both rooms when you get them put together, Lindsey!

Thanks! It is always so much fun to work with you!

Prettier in Pink

Yes, long time no blog. What can I say- sometimes life takes you by surprise and plans change. So I was so happy when my super cute cousin called.  She is having her first baby girl! Yay! When Kellie asked if some of her boys' nursery furniture could be done to look like this dresser and the Molly tables, I was so excited!  I'm loving how they turned out. Without further ado...

The crib:

You would never know that this crib used to be chocolate brown and live in big brother's room.  White with pink accents and a dark walnut stain-nothing brother about it now! 

With no dust ruffle, the under bed storage trundle will be getting the spotlight.  I added a pretty little applique for another fun touch of pink.

 After all the painting and staining was said and done, I distressed, distressed, distressed.  But don't worry- all that chippy goodness is completely baby-proofed and sealed in with a clear polycrylic.

 Just love.

 Kellie also brought me this adorable bookshelf and hutch that was hers as a little girl.  It was all white and in good condition, but I just had to add some fun to pink it up a little more.

 I added my favorite pattern on the back panels, then stained and distressed the whole thing.

She plans on adding pink glass knobs like those I used on Lindsey's dresser. 

In real life the pink is softer than in the pics.  I amped it up just a little to make it easier to see on a screen.

Kellie, thank you so much!  I hope that you and baby girl love it!  And I wouldn't hate some pictures of it all put together sometime, either :)

6th Street Design School

If you were here with me as a I run through my daily list of favorite blogs, you would know that 6th Street Design School by Kristen Krason is one that I never, ever miss. She is an adorable and hugely talented interior designer here in Utah.  I'm always in love with everything she does. So you can imagine my extreme excitement when I opened her blog this morning and saw this:

Kirsetn Krason Interiors

Remember the Rock Star Ottoman?  This is it!

Kirsten Krason Interiors

 It's been recovered in the most perfect fabric for the room.  Love it.  And of course, I also still love the legs and apron with their chippy layers of paint.  It's not often that I get to see how something looks when it goes home with someone, so I'm so excited to see it in this beautiful room!  You can read the whole post about the rest of the room here.  She did an awesome job!