Decorating Cents

I visited another model home this past week, but this time it was in my own neighborhood.  I told you how much I love walking through model homes, drooling and taking in the inspiration.  I love to see how other designers see a space.  My subdivision is pretty large and still growing.  According to the agent on duty, we are supposed to have over 900 homes by the time they are done.  That's huge right?  Well, they recently built the new model home closer to the newer builds.  The original was sold.  I frequently pass the new one on the way in but we never stop.  Well, on this day I did.  It was just me and my girl. The house was huge.  It has 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms , and a full basement.   It has the option to go up to a 6 bedroom.   I constantly joke with my husband about how we need more space.  This house was enough to make me want to move but then regret moving because there 's so much to clean. Excu se the...

My little guy needed some book storage.  I originally used the Ikea picture ledges but he pulled one of them down.  He was reaching for a book on the top shelf but tried to climb up the lower shelf to get it.  It came right down.  I didn't install them with wall anchors so it was bound to happen.  They were cute but not practical because the top shelf was out of reach for him. So my new system is totally within his reach.  I re-used the wooden storage crates .  They were fine as they were but I wanted to add something to them for a little mor e presen ce .  I decided to labe l them. Instea d of finding a stencil to add my words, I simply free handed the letters and filled them in with white paint.  I pain ted one " Toys " and t he other "Books".  I sat them in front of the wind ow for easy access.  They are the perfect height for him.  I k ept the white Ikea chair. I went back and forth with it beca...

Well my little man will be 3 this spring.  Where oh where di d t he time go?  We just moved him out of his crib to a big boy bed so of course my gears sta rting t urning on re-d ecorating his room.  I was sad to let go of the crib but so excited th at we are starting a new chapter. Here is the nursery that I did when he was born. I still love the colo rs so not much will be changing.  I plan on swapping the light blue for green though.  Just to throw in a little bit o f a change. Here's what I'm thinking.     I definitely wanted navy blue and white striped bedding , which I already bought.   It was the first new thing for the room.   The navy was a color I wanted for his nursery but never incorpora ted. His new twin bed is still dark espresso.  It was a must for me.  I love the dark against the lighter gray and white stripes.  It also matches the color of his dresser which is staying.  Glad we boug...

I have a beautiful kitchen to show you today.  It i s from the home of Alison Victoria.  She is the host of DIY Network's Kitchen Crashers .  On her show she helps unsuspecting people wandering down the aisles o f home improvement stores with their hopeless kitchens.  I love going in home improvement stores so I'm hoping I'll run into her or one of the other crashers one day.  She and her crew knock down the homeow ner's existing kitchen and rebuild one that is stunning in only a few days.  Like, "Yeah bo ss , I can't come in to work t oday.  Alison Victoria is here!" Check out her large and open kitchen.  It has an 11 foot long island with a built in microwave.  That's plenty of room to host a party, which she states she loves to do.  Her kitchen boasts marble countertops and subway tile.  Seems she has a marble addiction. S o much storage with all those cabinets !  I lov e all the white with the contrast of th...

As I pour through inspiration pictures of kitchens, I can't help but to notice the trends.  One of th ose i s open shelves in kitchens. source source source source source source source source source source I don 't know if I 'd ever do it , but done right it looks awesome.  I like having my collection of plastic cups and mi x -matched dishes under cover.  Open shelving can make a kitchen appear larger because y ou don't have a larger cabinets in the way.  Most of the time , the upper cabinets are replaced w ith floa ting shelves and shelves with decorative bracke ts. Here are a few tips I found for c reating and keeping your open shelving looking good and functional. 1. Keep it simple.  Do n't overl oad the shelves and try to keep to the same color palette. 2. Display what you use often and be practical.  Just a few mugs and everyday plates and bowls will do. 3. Display like things together ....