DIY "Pottery Barn" Inspired Decor

I love Pottery Barn.............I love browsing through the catalogs, I love searching the website, and I adore shopping in their stores. 

Their style is my style.  I love an eclectic, collected look, mixing the new with the old.  I get inspiration seeing the way they set up rooms and displays, doing just that.  Being an antique dealer means I always have an assortment of collected items just waiting for their next location.

If you have been following our blog, you'll know that I have been working on my Master Bedroom Makeover for quite some time. Take a look at these posts.  Since I'm doing it on a budget, using some of what I already have, and only adding or replacing what I really need to, it is taking me a while to get it right.  I never just go out and purchase "a new look."  What fun would that be?  I love to try using what I already have (sometimes I steal from other rooms).

That said.........Karli took me to a Pottery Barn store just before Christmas and I finally found the bedding I had dreamed of for our bedroom.  I found their Pick-Stitch Quilt and Pillow Shams in white to be exactly the look and feel I wanted...... washable cotton with the look of a vintage quilt, yet stitched in a more modern design.  They were on sale so they went home with me.  The weight of this quilt is perfect too.  I could not be happier.

I am still trying to figure out what I want at the end of the bed, (a throw or quilt)  but I have not found it yet.  The final reveal of the Master Bedroom is yet to come.

But, I am moving on to a new look for the top of the armoire.  It used to look like this........

After the new gray paint, I changed it to the style shown in the picture below.  I was trying to add some white, going for a more feminine look.  This was OK but it really wasn't right with the more Arts and Crafts look of the armoire.

We'll call this Look #1: Shabby White Frames

Now for some new "Pottery Barn Inspired Looks."   I am taking things from other parts of the house and "trying" them out on the top of the armoire.....trying to get that "Pottery Barn" look.


Look #2: Ceiling Tin

Look #3: Framed Driftwood

Look #4: Framed Metal

        


Look #5: Vintage Landscapes

I actually love several of these "looks" and I am having a difficult time deciding which one is best.

I could use your help! What do you think? Leave me a comment and let me know which you like best. One winner will be chosen at random on February 1st to receive a $20 Pottery Barn gift card.*** (UPDATE---the winner was selected on February 1, 2014. The drawing is now closed)

I'll be waiting...Kandy

We linked up to Jennifer Rizzo's Fabulously Creative Friday!

Refreshing a Master Bedroom

Today I'm sharing a little bit of a refresh on our master bedroom.

I showed you all our master bedroom a while ago, but since then we've added a couple things.


It went from this when we moved in....

 

To this last spring...

 

To play off the yellow that I've been loving, we purchased a large yellow rug from IKEA. I love the pop of color it adds to the room! It makes you not notice the bad carpet as much...or at least that's what I tell myself. :)

 

The next thing I did was add two mirrors. I hung them behind each of our side tables. I love how they bounce the light around the room! They also add some weight to the otherwise large, overbearing wall.

 

We also added the yellow throw. We keep it on the foot board, because it's really just for looks.

Porter decided to take a snooze during the middle of this photoshoot. I can't blame him.

We also got a close-out Sleep Number Bed under those covers. We can both have our own firmness now and we're sleeping better!

There are things I still want to do to this room. First, I'd like a larger sitting chair over in the corner where the small black wood chair is (something I can look for at flea markets this summer). I'd also like to replace the baseboards with the large white ones we used on the main floor. Obviously carpet is on my list too, but that will be quite a ways down the road. And looking at these photos makes me think I need some larger pillows behind the white ones on the bed. There's always something to do!

Here's to another year of style (and better sleep too!)
~Karli

Love participating the Thrifty Decor Chick's Before and After Parties! Here's to many more!

Indigo-Go!

I'm dying to decorate with indigo (or navy or dark blue--whatever you prefer to call it). When I received my Pottery Barn catalog this week...that sealed the deal!

I have some ideas in my mind on how I'll do this. It needs to be in a room with enough light, so it doesn't feel like a cave. It needs to have a good amount of white accents, trim or furniture. I also think it would look great with subway tile. Any guesses as to which room I'm contemplating?



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What I'm loving so much about navy is that it is so many things. It is warm and cozy. It is traditional but totally modern now. It is moody and serene at the same time. And it doesn't have to be "coastal" or "nautical" at all.

 

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So if you haven't already guessed, I think I'm going to use navy paint in our guest bathroom. We have subway tile in the shower area. The floors aren't my favorite right now, but I still think we can work with them. The toilet and vanity need to go though, so if we tear those out we may as well do the floors too.

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This next picture is really what did it for me. I LOVE the mix of wood, brushed nickel, white, navy and little pops of yellow. It is beautiful (although a slightly darker shade than I'll probably pick). Since we don't want to tile up the walls, I am planning an easy faux wainscoting in white.

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What do you think? I think...Go Navy, Baby!
Karli

Dining Room Conversion: Part One

Brent and I love to entertain at our house. We often have people over for dinners, bbqs, yard games, game nights and more. We had a need for a larger dining room, but didn't have the money to tear out walls. So one day I told Brent my plan and he thought I was a little crazy...

(Just for a reminder here are two pics of how the front room and dining room were set up)

My crazy plan...Convert the small-ish dining room into a sitting room/wine lounge. To do this, I moved the small loveseat from the front room under the wall of wine art. I also pulled in a small white coffee table, two side tables and two wonderful chairs I'd found a couple years ago at a flea market. I left the bar and hutch in the room.

I love the result! And since we've had the room arranged this way, people have already been sitting on the furniture. When those pieces were in the front room, they were NEVER used.

The room is cozy and comfortable now. It also feels more appropriate for the square footage in the room.









And it's just off the kitchen, so guest can sit in there and enjoy a glass of wine while I'm finishing up meal preparations.

 

Someday...in my dreams, I'd really love to make that window a set of french doors that open out onto a larger deck in the back yard. It would create really nice flow in and out of the house to the yard. Even better for hosting large gatherings.

For now, we'll enjoy this new lounging area.

And soon, I'll share what we did with our dining table, because I'm sure you're wondering where we're eating our meals now. :)

Karli

Vintage Brooch and Earring "Necklace"

I've been seeing lots of very expensive necklaces that look like they're made of old vintage brooches. Instead of buying a new one, I decided to make my own for a wedding we were attending this winter.

I hit up my local antique mall and started my hunt for the perfect old jewelry. I found one fantastic brooch and several sets of clip earrings. I purchased them and then began planning how I'd lay them out.

While Mom was visiting, we took a trip to the craft store to purchase a chain and some safety pins to attach all the jewelry on a necklace. Seems easy enough...


Except it wasn't. The jewelry didn't lay right and I had a terrible time attaching them all in the layout I had planned.

So what does a girl do? Understand, I'd pretty much planned my entire outfit around this necklace... (forgive the slightly blurry picture...it was taken at the wedding)

I pinned the suckers right to my dress. That way I was sure I liked the placement and they wouldn't fall out of place. I had a couple girls say they loved my dress and the bling sewn on. (HA! My trick must have worked...it was a $20 Target dress!)

Because I love the large brooch so much, I've worn it a couple more times just clipped on a chain. It looks great by itself too.

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday season!

Here's to more projects in 2014!
Karli

I linked up to That DIY Party @ DIY Showoff 

 

Powder Bath Reveal!

As promised, today I'm revealing our new main floor powder bath! I'm so excited to share the progression of this drab little bathroom.

 

It started like this. Tan, brown, builder-grade mirror and lighting. It also had a medicine cabinet on the small wall to the right of the sink. The floors were tan tile.

 

 

Some paint on the walls and cabinets, new cabinet hardware, a new mirror and towel rack, and the addition of some DIY paintings made the space look better.



 

 
We covered up the medicine cabinet hole with a painting.

 
And then, when it was time to get new floors on the main level, we just tore the entire thing out! It was liberating.

 

 

So, on to the big reveal after the new floors. Here was our inspiration post.

 

Love this new sign on the door that I found at an antique mall. People never knew which door was the bathroom. Now there's no question. :)

 

 

 

The hall where the bathroom lives looks so different now too!

 

 

 

When you open the door you're greeted with a brighter, clean looking room. I plan to change out the towel and a few other small items each season. For now, it's red for the recent Christmas season.

 

 

We need a bit of art to hang on the walls, but for now I'm loving the clean lines of the tall beadboard.

 

 

The vanity and sink are from IKEA. My dad helped me install it. I love how tall it is and how easy the sink is to clean. There's just something about a spotless white sink.

 

 

The vanity is awesome! The drawers are soft close, which I love. And the bottom one is tall enough to hold spray bottles, so all of our cleaning supplies live in here! I also love how it sits on little legs instead of on the floor. It looks like a piece of furniture now.

 

 

And that hole where the medicine cabinet was is now invisible. (Can I just point out that sink again?! Love that its all one piece!)

 

 

Here's another point of reference for where this bathroom lives in our house.

 

 

Just between the front door and kitchen. By the way, do you love that I painted all the trim bright white and the doors black?! I can't get over what a difference it makes in the house. It has a classy, timeless look. (And those new floors...are you kidding me?)

 

 

And another new piece that lives in that hall...

 

 

I found this at the antique mall too. It's a lovely pond with trees reflecting in the water. It makes me feel calm and serene. The black and white decor is really working in this part of the house.

 

Thanks for stopping by to see our latest makeover. Working on a home can be a slow, tedious process. But as we complete rooms and projects like this, it gives a huge sense of accomplishment. We did it!

 

 

 

All my best,

Karli