Friday, January 31, 2014

Friday Interior Inspiration

 
Spanish tile. Over-sized tub. Subway tile. Bold artwork. I will take it all!! This fantastic bathroom is by one of my favorite bold designers, Bailey McCarthy and if only all bathrooms looked like this I might never leave the premises. What about you? Have a fantastic weekend!

xoxo,
Amanda

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Adventures in Wallpapering

You guys probably remember my post about half baths two weeks ago and that I had something up my sleeve. After gathering some inspiration and browsing Lowe's one afternoon I came across some black and white damask wallpaper on clearance by Allen and Roth. It was marked down to $11.99 a roll so we grabbed four, went home and attempted my first time at wallpapering.

Here are the before pictures of the half-bath:
 

This mirror was not the original. After we selected the wallpaper we took our trip to Ikea and found the perfect mirror, called the Ung Drill mirror, for the half bath for $39! It's just the perfect touch now that the bathroom is done and the first mirror was too small and boring so I'm so happy with it!

So let's break down the price for the half bath shall we?
  • 4 rolls of wallpaper at $11.99 a roll = $48
  • Exact o knife, edger, wallpaper paste = $20 
Without including the new mirror, rug and towels (something I had to buy anyway), it was a pretty inexpensive upgrade to the new place! In terms of wallpaper, (and knowing how much you may need) one roll generally equals about three panel drops for a 9" ceiling height.

Wallpaper probably seems scary to most, but the process wasn't terrible. My mom has some skill when it comes to house hold projects so I enlisted her help for the weekend in applying my new wallpaper! Something to note, and we do not recommend others purchasing the same wallpaper, is because it was unpasted. It made the task a lot more difficult and the paste dried pretty quick so it was definitely a two person job, so grab a friend, prepasted wallpaper and get started y'all! It's really not as bad as it seems, I promise.


I don't want to waste this whole post with my how to hang wallpaper, so here's some easy to follow instructions from the DIY Network.

Here are some photos of the progress via my iPhone:

Messy, but fun at the same time. I know that's weird to say. All in all, the project did take about 8 hours in total over the weekend. It can be time consuming but you can easily finish it in a day, but like I said, enlisting someone to help you is a wonderful option and hopefully someone who's been there before. If not, no fear, I'm sure you'll be able to do it too!

Now the reveal shall we?!
 

We had to change the original lights we had when we bought the house because they were no fun, and we replaced them with these fun designed lights. I'm sorry the photo isn't great but I just wanted to share our new lights too! SO!! What do y'all think of the wallpaper?! Do you want to try it now for yourself?! I hope so! I think it's a great way to spruce things up! A big thanks to my mom for helping me in my first adventure in wallpapering and I look to continue my knowledge in home ownership.

xoxo,
Amanda

Friday, January 24, 2014

Friday Interior Inspiration

 

If I were a Kardashian (and I'm glad I'm not but if I were) I'd totally be Kourtney. This home tour of her ridiculous Calabasas, LA home is crazy cool. While it's not for everyone, I kind of dig it. I'd also love a home office that looked like this and all my books sorted by color. Yes please.

xoxo,
Amanda


Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Rockin' Rugs

When we moved in to our new place we knew a big expense would be the fact that we would need a few rugs downstairs since we have beautiful hard wood floors. Upon further inspection, it was easy to see that the larger area rugs can be 5, 6, 7, even $800... and as much as I love to have expensive taste, that was not a reality right now.

Here is what I gravitate to in terms of rockin' rugs:
Fun black and white inspiration from Rugs USA
Persian rug awesomeness from esalerugs
Another amazing persian rug from esalerugs
Neutral animal print is stunning from Surya
Traditional rug in stunning colors from Orley Shabahang
Hard to say no to an animal print rug, especially zebra from Joss & Main
Vibrant Turkish vintage rug from Etsy
How awesome is this antelope rug?! From Pinterest

So with some of these rugs obviously being out of my price range, I kept on searching. When mom and I recently visited Ikea I stumbled upon an awesome black and white rug that I loved and for $99!! How could I say no?! I immediately placed it in my cart and brought it home and I love it! It's so soft too and it was the perfect fit for the space. It's called the Lappljung Ruta rug and it's available now. Here's two photos from my house:

I absolutely love it. It's rad and comfy and bold and bright all at the same time. It's something I would've been looking for and just happened to stumble upon it, so it was fate, and in my price range. Score! What do y'all think?

xoxo,
Amanda

Monday, January 20, 2014

Fabric Finds

I'm still scheming on colors and patterns for the new digs and happened to come across a new fabric store in Raleigh that I'm totally head over heels for! All the fabrics are made in the USA and are between $9.99-$12.99 a yard. Yes please!! The store is called Premier Fabrics and I highly recommend you check them out ASAP! I'm currently cooking up an idea for the master bedroom to be in navy blue, like so:


But if navy isn't your thing, just have a peak at more of their fabrics!
 
Y'all know I have a thing for orange.. now how to incorporate... and this black and white, OMG!
 
How gorg is this combo above?! I didn't get to see this in person yet, but I can't wait to venture back!

I hope these fabrics give you some inspiration on this Monday, and if you're in the Raleigh area I highly recommend you all stop by Premier Fabrics and check out their awesome fabrics! I can't wait to finally pick some selections and get started on some pieces for the living room and bedroom. But first, deciding on my color combos.. 

xoxo,
Amanda

Friday, January 17, 2014

Friday Interior Inspiration

 
This kitchen. I simply adore a white kitchen with light marble, but I love the contrasting island,  the wicker stools, and the globe pendant lights!! Sigh... See more of this glorious kitchen over on Style Me Pretty Living, but seriously the whole house is very rad y'all and also designed by Bijou and Boheme.

Happy weekend!
xoxo,
Amanda

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Figuring Out My Living (room) Style

One of the things I think that has been the hardest is figuring out what my style and focus is. When I first graduated college one of my big purchases was a couch from Ikea, the Ektorp in white. I actually find it very comfortable and have really enjoyed it. I have purchased a great amount of our furniture from Ikea while mixing in other pieces. I'm the type of girl that will wear Old Navy dresses but will splurge on shoes, so that's how I feel about my house. I don't have a mass amount of money to spend on furniture so I pick and choose my battles and realize that accessories can add a lot to a space!

Here's what our old apartment looked like. I quite liked it and thought it looked pretty great for what I could afford.

So once we bought the new house my mind started spinning with ideas and a good 30 days of Pinteresting while we closed on the house. These living rooms stand out the most to me and have allowed me to sort of narrow down my style. I'm realizing that I am inspired a lot by mid-century modern and a bit eclectic. I really enjoy bright colors, animal prints, black and white, and of course patterns and textures. Definitely love the likes of Jamie Meares, another Raleigh native!

Here are some of my favorite living rooms:
 
Bright and eclectic with a pink ceiling via Garden & Gun

 Calm and collected via A Life's Design/Better Homes and Garden

 
Obsessed with colored sofas, especially in velvet.. via Studio Anneta

 
Bold and beautiful and home of Jamie Meares via Furbish Studio

Can't deny my love for orange and this bold and beautiful space via La Maison Boheme

Got mad love for that blue couch and black and white rug y'all.. via Style by Emily Henderson

This beaut by Jamie Meares in Raleigh is so rad, love it all via Furbish Studio

Gotta love that coffee table and the pops of color in this room via Dooce

I've got the serious blues over this room.. via Mrs. Blandings

I've always been obsessed with Bailey McCarthy's green couch via Peppermint Bliss

Orange is the new black, duh.. via Zhush

Amazing curtains and fun colors for a big wow via Daily Dream Decor

So which living room is your favorite from the above? I can't decide, I love them all. They're all so different and it would be so fun to come home to such cheery colors and interior inspiration! I can't wait to really start making our living room what it can be and have the opportunity to change things if I don't like it, because it's my home! Hooray!! Stay tuned!

xoxo,
Amanda