Aug 11, 2014

House Plans- Keeping Room

It's tempting to hide all pictures of the new house until everything is "done", then have this huge reveal of my perfect house.  Which will never happen.

So I will tamp down any feelings of fear or insecurity, and show y'all the before and what I am planning on doing with each room.  I always like to see plans and progression, so hopefully you do too.

Besides the backyard and the closet I use for toys, I believe the keeping room is my favorite part of the house.  Kingsley and Margaret (and assorted other gals who occupied the upstairs bedroom) had a sitting area in their tiny kitchen in a post-collegiate house in Peachtree Heights in Atlanta.  I loved that room!  It was so cosy to sit in the keeping room and chat to whoever was cooking (or, ahem, much more rarely, washing dishes).

 So excuse my iPhone night pics and random stuff everywhere (must quit apologizing- confidence in all things, right?).




 So the couch is facing a wall with a TV.  We just bought the sofa from IKEA, and assembled it the other night.  I'm a fan- never thought I would say that about a white sofa, but cheap, washable, easily replaced, bleachable slipcovers have won me over.

However, I took a packing break to go to my favorite antique store with my mom last Saturday, and happened upon these loveseats.

Twins!  With just the right proportions.  Basically the Wakefields of loveseats.  And (drum roll, please)- $150 for the pair!

So now it's time to reconfigure.

I'd like the loveseats to face each other like these couches-


First, the loveseats obviously need to be recovered.  The upholstery is in good enough shape that I think I can get by with custom slipcovers for a third of the price of reupholstering.

Have any of y'all ever used Crypton fabric?  You know by now everything in my house needs to be golden retriever and child friendly.  We like to get messy.

I'm thinking tailored slipcovers in this Crypton fabric.  Morgan keeps talking about navy.  The guy is just dying for a navy couch.  All I can envision is a navy couch covered in blond Buddy hair.  But this just came to me (blogging is so useful for organizing one's ideas and/or brainstorming)- what about doing contrast welting?  The cushions would be piped in navy?  Kind of like this-



Or in this ticking?  I just adore it!  Although, I'm really feeling ticking for the living and dining room- story for another day.

 Have you seen the Tilton Fenwick fabrics for Duralee?  I LOVE them.  What about this stripe (Eze in Sapphire, in case you are curious) for the little side pillows on the couch?  We get our color, but I get a more versatile look for my loveseats.

Then eventually, I want to add some kilim rugs for color and texture on top of the seagrass-esque jute rugs that are currently there.  Like this-



It's my birthday today, so please feel free to send me this one from Overstock-
Whew.

I have a lot of work to do.  The IKEA couch and Morgan's leather chair are going to move down to the family room, where our sectional currently resides.  The sectional is down-filled, which sounds lovely, but ends up looking saggy and dumpy in reality.  Back to my favorite furniture store it will go (Thanks, mama for the loan!).

Oh, I do apologize for the lack of links and sources- I saved all of this on my phone while feeding the baby, and forgot to save links.  I will try to backtrack and find all my sources.  Just not right now.

Aug 6, 2014

Breathing (Barely)

I'm alive!  And kicking!

I'm currently sitting at my kitchen island (I have an island!  Whee!).  I'm working right now- playing frantic catch up to work and life that took a backseat to unpacking.  Toys and kitchen have been unpacked, so now I can attend to other matters.  Although I'm dying to just go to sleep.

Painters start next week, then I will have some pictures to show y'all.  Paintings aren't getting hung, or furniture fully arranged until I get these colors off the wall.

Oh, what else?  I'm potty training for real now.  It is no fun.

Deeds is starting solids- I'm doing baby-led weaning like I did with Dell Harper.  It's super fun!  He's had bananas, carrots, broccoli, avocado and sweet potatoes.  The boy has a sweet tooth like his daddy and grandaddy- sweet potatoes and bananas are tops in his book.

I finally laid the hammer down on his middle of the night wake ups.  Now that I have to walk up stairs to his room, that night time feeding had to go.  Tonight is the last of the required three nights, so hopefully he will be wail-free.  Isn't funny how it's always three nights?

Ok. Going to bed.  I took a bunch of cookbooks to the used bookstore today, then spent triple the amount of my credit buying more books.  Oops. Going to delve into a book and bed.  I will probably last about 3 pages before I pass out.

Oh yeah- I just remembered TODAY that my birthday is next week.  What?  I really am getting old.  I had to do the math to figure out how old I will be (33).  Oh, law.