Showing posts with label decorating ideas. Show all posts
New Pillows for Our Sofa + Caitlin Wilson Textiles Giveaway!
I thought it was about time to show you some summer touches in our home, seeing as we are halfway through summer now! Where does the time go?! I'm super excited to show you some our new pillows for our sofa for a few reasons!
First, pillows are one of the easiest ways to update your space on a budget. They also do WONDERS for adding texture, color, and pattern to your space. I can never understand why people don't have pillows on their couch ;) My husband is one who throws all the pillows off the couch, except for the one he's using, when he plops down...and that's fine with me, but during the day while I'm working, you can bet the sofa looks just like this. Karate chopped pillows are my jam. They just make this little apartment of ours look more put together than it actually is! Mess on one side, perfectly chopped pillows on the other...that sounds about right ;)
The other thing pillows do is make a living space feel inviting and homey. And I'm all about creating a warm and inviting environment for us + our guests. I loved the pillows we had before, and will be keeping them to change out every now and again, but these watercolor floral pillows have me swooning big time. They have just the right softness, while still providing a pattern that mixes well with our lattice print curtains and work well with the seaglass colored accent pillows.
Lincoln insisted he get in on the photo action ;)
The final reason I'm over the moon with these gorgeous pillows is because this watercolor pattern was designed by my sweet friend Jenny of Graceline, who designed our wedding floral pattern, envelope liners, and did all of our calligraphy!! How special is this, that now her work is also on our sofa?! Jenny did this GORGEOUS collection of floral pillows for Caitlin Wilson Textiles, my favorite textile designer, and the result is stunning. Gold zippers, linen fabric, perfect attention to detail. I would expect nothing less of these ladies!
Our wedding invitation suite (see more here):
Our pillows:
I love how recognizable Jenny's beautiful art and illustration is! I can tell something is her work from a mile a way.
DETAILS | similar coffee table / sofa with a chaise-- thank God it's slipcovered because we may need to order a new slipcover after Lincoln's puppy stage / wood sign -- custom piece, they take custom orders! / curtains -- on sale now! / similar garden stool -- under $30 / gold moroccan pouf / rug
I can't even handle this last picture. The hairs in front of his eyes kill me!! Look at that blurry tail wagging!
Okay, want to know the REALLY exciting part about this post?! Not only does my couch look really pretty with these pillows, but one of yours will look equally as beautiful with the Graceline Collection for Caitlin Wilson Textiles soon! That's right, the next giveaway are these gorg pillows!
One lucky winner will get to choose 3 pillows (either in blush, gray or navy) for their own home. You can enter the giveaway on my Instagram. It will start around 12pm EST.
Do you like the pillow combo in our living as much as I do? Hopefully this sparked some inspiration for minor updates in your home that bring you joy!
Happy Tuesday,
Michaela
8 Things You Can Do Now to Improve Your Rental
Today I'm having a chat with all my fellow rental / apartment dwellers. Just because you live somewhere you don't OWN shouldn't stop you from decorating it and making the most out of it. That's a lesson I learned through college, especially while living in situations I didn't love...you can make anything feel like home! (Trust me, I lived in a dining room of a downstairs basement apartment once...) Living in quite a few rental places over the course of my adult life had me thinking about all the ways you can improve the look of them. Most of these ways don't even break the bank or take too much effort!
1. Hang curtains.
I think this is the number one thing that helped transform my last apartment! I hung pretty gold curtains from Crate & Barrel really high up above the window, which gave the effect of taller windows and ceilings. It really opened up the space and added height, texture and color. If you're not hanging curtains, you are missing a huge opportunity to dress up your rental!
Designer tip: make sure your curtains are not hung right above the window, but instead, a lot higher to create the look of even taller windows and ceilings. Also be sure your curtains touch the floor!
2. Add character.
Need more surface area in the kitchen but don't have an island? Consider getting a piece with character to wheel in for an island. My roommate and I did that in our LA apartment. You can do this with other pieces of furniture and wall hanging that you might find a flea markets, consignment shops, or the like.
via
via
3. Replace a few light fixtures (and keep the old ones!)
In my last apartment, I was able to replace a hideous light fixture above the dining table with this beautiful chandelier. It made a WORLD of difference! The old one (which I don't even have a picture of) looked like a UFO. It was nuts. This one helped open up the space because it was more delicate and airy. I got it from World Market and though it's sold out, this one has the same look.
via
4. Paint, if possible!
If your landlord allows it, a fresh coat of paint always breathes new life into a space! The apartment we live in now has a nice greige color on the walls, which I would have picked out myself, but in my last place, it was ALL a flat, builder white. I know white is in, but I would have chosen a different one ;) The bathroom shower, sink and toilet weren't stark white and since the walls were, it was just an awful combo. I got permission to paint the bathroom and ended up going with Stonington Gray by BM. It looked SO much better! I got a white shower curtain and that really made the gray/blue shade I chose pop.
Granted, the floors and cabinets are still terrible, but it's so much better!
5. Hang art.
What a major way to add personality and color! Whether your art consists of abstracts, wedding photos, wood signs-- hanging things on your wall not only brings interest and something to look at, but it always creates height in the room + makes it feel more "lived in" and homey!
6. Switch out your hardware!
I've switched out hardware in my apartment kitchens and bathrooms before and it really does make a big difference! Sometimes rental kitchens have terrible hardware because, well, the landlord just doesn't care! You can go to Anthropologie, World Market, or an antique shop and find adorable hardware to change it to. Instant facelift!
via
7. Bring in life.
A few house plants and succulents always make a huge difference! Bring the outdoors in, no matter how big or small your place is.
via
8. Add a rug.
Even if it's on top of carpet, it's okay! Rugs help define spaces, which often needs to be done in apartments. They also add warmth and texture.
Design tip: if you're building a house or replacing carpet in your current house, I always prefer a low-pile carpet for bedrooms (and anywhere, really!) Low pile carpets give you the freedom to layer rugs on top so easily. Another tip is if you have a higher-pile carpet, try not to layer with a really high-pile rug.
via
Hopefully these tips are helpful in making WHEREVER you live feel like home! I really do believe you don't have to wait until you've purchased a house, or live in your "forever" house to love where you live. Did I miss any tips for decorating rentals?!
Happy Thursday!
xoxo
1. Hang curtains.
I think this is the number one thing that helped transform my last apartment! I hung pretty gold curtains from Crate & Barrel really high up above the window, which gave the effect of taller windows and ceilings. It really opened up the space and added height, texture and color. If you're not hanging curtains, you are missing a huge opportunity to dress up your rental!
Designer tip: make sure your curtains are not hung right above the window, but instead, a lot higher to create the look of even taller windows and ceilings. Also be sure your curtains touch the floor!
2. Add character.
Need more surface area in the kitchen but don't have an island? Consider getting a piece with character to wheel in for an island. My roommate and I did that in our LA apartment. You can do this with other pieces of furniture and wall hanging that you might find a flea markets, consignment shops, or the like.
3. Replace a few light fixtures (and keep the old ones!)
In my last apartment, I was able to replace a hideous light fixture above the dining table with this beautiful chandelier. It made a WORLD of difference! The old one (which I don't even have a picture of) looked like a UFO. It was nuts. This one helped open up the space because it was more delicate and airy. I got it from World Market and though it's sold out, this one has the same look.
4. Paint, if possible!
If your landlord allows it, a fresh coat of paint always breathes new life into a space! The apartment we live in now has a nice greige color on the walls, which I would have picked out myself, but in my last place, it was ALL a flat, builder white. I know white is in, but I would have chosen a different one ;) The bathroom shower, sink and toilet weren't stark white and since the walls were, it was just an awful combo. I got permission to paint the bathroom and ended up going with Stonington Gray by BM. It looked SO much better! I got a white shower curtain and that really made the gray/blue shade I chose pop.
Granted, the floors and cabinets are still terrible, but it's so much better!
5. Hang art.
What a major way to add personality and color! Whether your art consists of abstracts, wedding photos, wood signs-- hanging things on your wall not only brings interest and something to look at, but it always creates height in the room + makes it feel more "lived in" and homey!
6. Switch out your hardware!
I've switched out hardware in my apartment kitchens and bathrooms before and it really does make a big difference! Sometimes rental kitchens have terrible hardware because, well, the landlord just doesn't care! You can go to Anthropologie, World Market, or an antique shop and find adorable hardware to change it to. Instant facelift!
7. Bring in life.
A few house plants and succulents always make a huge difference! Bring the outdoors in, no matter how big or small your place is.
8. Add a rug.
Even if it's on top of carpet, it's okay! Rugs help define spaces, which often needs to be done in apartments. They also add warmth and texture.
Design tip: if you're building a house or replacing carpet in your current house, I always prefer a low-pile carpet for bedrooms (and anywhere, really!) Low pile carpets give you the freedom to layer rugs on top so easily. Another tip is if you have a higher-pile carpet, try not to layer with a really high-pile rug.
via
Hopefully these tips are helpful in making WHEREVER you live feel like home! I really do believe you don't have to wait until you've purchased a house, or live in your "forever" house to love where you live. Did I miss any tips for decorating rentals?!
Happy Thursday!
xoxo
Client Room: Dining Room Progression
Have you ever wondered what the design process of working with me on your home would be like?! Hopefully more than 5 of you are excited to learn, because I'm giving you some behind the scenes peeks today at a dining room design I'm doing for one of my sweet virtual design clients. Jean and her family live in California and I was fortunate enough to meet her at our last Bloom Workshop in CA. After the workshop, she told me she and her husband just built a beautiful new home and she wanted to hire me to help her with the design of a few rooms in the house. It's always fun to work with someone who I really click with, so I knew this would be a fun project. When I got some pictures of her house in my inbox, I was even more excited. I love working on clean slates like this!
After gathering information about the family's style, taking a peek at her Pinterest boards, and discussing their needs for the space, I got to work sourcing (this is a designer's way of saying "shopping" for the perfect items for a client). For me, I find it easiest to stay organized by having a Google Doc for each client. I organize the doc into categories and rooms (if I'm doing multiple rooms for them) and then any time I find an option that might work for the space, I add the link for it in the doc. This saves me the headache of loosing the items and never being able to find it again ;) Also important to note is that if I were sourcing for dining chairs, when I do my initial cull of dining chairs that might work, I put the links to ALL options I think have potential. Though I might only show the client a few of those (or even just one in the initial inspiration board), I always want to have back up!
Here's an example of the Google Doc system. The items highlighted in pink are the items I showed my clients in the inspiration board.
For Jean and her dining room, she had already ordered her dining room table, so we were focused on finding chairs, a chandelier, and island lighting that coordinated well with the dining fixture. So instead of just making one inspiration board for the room, I decided to send Jean a few different boards with options. I'm going to share those with you here:
You can see that option 3 is a lot more modern than the others. I sent this option to her because she originally mentioned that she wouldn't mind trying something more modern to spice things up. As I was making the board, I knew that it wouldn't fit with the integrity of the house, but I wanted to send the look to her anyways so I could visually explain that to her. I sent these options back to my client and she responded by saying she loved the upholstered end chairs and thought maybe she would love the look of a slipcovered end chair. She also mentioned that she wasn't gravitating towards dark wood for the other chairs. She told me she LOVED the orb chandelier (it's a favorite of mine, too!) so we kept that in the following boards.
The next board I made was with a slipcovered chair option-- one with an arm and one without. It also included 3 other chair options that reflected the "farmhouse" look Jean told me she wanted, after the initial 3 inspiration boards. Finally, I included 3 island pendant options that coordinated well with the orb chandelier we decided on for the dining room.
I find it SO impactful to show my clients options mocked up, because you don't truly know if you're going to like something together until it's actually visually in front of you (as opposed to sitting on different web tabs, going back and forth to each of them + seeing if they look okay next to each other ;))
She agreed with me, that she loved the slipcovered chair WITHOUT arms for the end chairs. She also told me she preferred option A for the wood chairs, but in black (which I explained in the email was an option). I love adding in the black, because the rug we choose for the family room has black in it, so this will really tie it together. Jean also landed on option B for the kitchen island pendants (there will be 3 in a row...such a statement!)
From there we began choosing fabric for the slipcovered chairs. Jean wanted to see what bringing in some color would look like AND wanted to see a more gray option. I showed her both below, as well as added in the black chairs she decided on and explained that I didn't love the blue tone with the black.
Thankfully, she agreed with me and we ended up going with a Sunbrella fabric in a medium-light charcoal color. This will be awesome because she has kids and Sunbrella fabric is known for being the most durable on the market. It's completely amazing; what started as an outdoor only fabric company, expanded their line to indoor fabrics that are super soft, and they even sell the fabric at places like Pottery Barn now! My parent's sofa is covered in an oatmeal color Sunbrella fabric. They spilled red wine on it within the first few months of getting the sofa, and instead of seeping into the fabric, it balled up and wiped right off! Not even a faint stain remains!!
Anyways, here is the final board for the dining room, along with a trio of mirrors that will go in the great room within eye sight. The only thing left to do is find a rug for the dining room + get the art ordered from Feather & Birch. I can't wait to see this space come together!
table / end chairs- sunbrella charcoal / wood chairs / light fixture / kitchen pendant / mirrors
I hope the progression of this design was fun to see come together! I also hope it gives you a bit of a look into how my design process looks. I always tell my clients that this is all about them. The end goal is for them to be happy and love their rooms! So that's why I put so much care into showing them options.
I can't wait to keep you posted with this project and show you how it turns out soon!
xoxo
After gathering information about the family's style, taking a peek at her Pinterest boards, and discussing their needs for the space, I got to work sourcing (this is a designer's way of saying "shopping" for the perfect items for a client). For me, I find it easiest to stay organized by having a Google Doc for each client. I organize the doc into categories and rooms (if I'm doing multiple rooms for them) and then any time I find an option that might work for the space, I add the link for it in the doc. This saves me the headache of loosing the items and never being able to find it again ;) Also important to note is that if I were sourcing for dining chairs, when I do my initial cull of dining chairs that might work, I put the links to ALL options I think have potential. Though I might only show the client a few of those (or even just one in the initial inspiration board), I always want to have back up!
Here's an example of the Google Doc system. The items highlighted in pink are the items I showed my clients in the inspiration board.
For Jean and her dining room, she had already ordered her dining room table, so we were focused on finding chairs, a chandelier, and island lighting that coordinated well with the dining fixture. So instead of just making one inspiration board for the room, I decided to send Jean a few different boards with options. I'm going to share those with you here:
The next board I made was with a slipcovered chair option-- one with an arm and one without. It also included 3 other chair options that reflected the "farmhouse" look Jean told me she wanted, after the initial 3 inspiration boards. Finally, I included 3 island pendant options that coordinated well with the orb chandelier we decided on for the dining room.
I find it SO impactful to show my clients options mocked up, because you don't truly know if you're going to like something together until it's actually visually in front of you (as opposed to sitting on different web tabs, going back and forth to each of them + seeing if they look okay next to each other ;))
table / end chairs- arm, no arm / chair a, chair b, chair c / dining light fixture / pendant a, pendant b, pendant c
She agreed with me, that she loved the slipcovered chair WITHOUT arms for the end chairs. She also told me she preferred option A for the wood chairs, but in black (which I explained in the email was an option). I love adding in the black, because the rug we choose for the family room has black in it, so this will really tie it together. Jean also landed on option B for the kitchen island pendants (there will be 3 in a row...such a statement!)
From there we began choosing fabric for the slipcovered chairs. Jean wanted to see what bringing in some color would look like AND wanted to see a more gray option. I showed her both below, as well as added in the black chairs she decided on and explained that I didn't love the blue tone with the black.
Anyways, here is the final board for the dining room, along with a trio of mirrors that will go in the great room within eye sight. The only thing left to do is find a rug for the dining room + get the art ordered from Feather & Birch. I can't wait to see this space come together!
table / end chairs- sunbrella charcoal / wood chairs / light fixture / kitchen pendant / mirrors
I hope the progression of this design was fun to see come together! I also hope it gives you a bit of a look into how my design process looks. I always tell my clients that this is all about them. The end goal is for them to be happy and love their rooms! So that's why I put so much care into showing them options.
I can't wait to keep you posted with this project and show you how it turns out soon!
xoxo
interior design website / services / portfolio
PS! I'm now taking on clients for June. Email me at hello@michaelanoelledesigns.com to inquire!
PS! I'm now taking on clients for June. Email me at hello@michaelanoelledesigns.com to inquire!
Combining Styles & Decorating for the Two of You
Being married has been so fun and sweet. One of the things I looked forward to the most about being married (aside from the fact that I was marrying my best friend!) was creating a home together; a safe place for the two of us to start our lives together. We'll always remember our first apartment together (well, at least I will ;)) At first, I was overwhelmed with how to make McCann feel just as at home as me, considering we would be bringing almost everything from my last apartment to the new one and he was only bringing his clothes, bathroom essentials and record player...ha! The pieces he had in the place he lived before getting married weren't quite up to par...aka I didn't allow them in our house ;) Now I sound like a bad wife, but if you saw the beat up dresser he wanted to use, you'd understand!!
Anyways, after the initial overwhelm hit me, I decided to treat our first home design like I would a client, where I would help them merge their two decorating styles into one beautiful space to call home. I have to be honest, I have it a bit easier than most with my husband. He is very agreeable, allows me to do mostly all the decorating, AND his style is very easily blendable (I think I just made that word up) to mine. So here are the stats:
My style: farmhouse, eclectic, traditional
His style: industrial and rustic
As you can see, our two styles are very similar! Whereas I would want more painted wood and white, he prefers more exposed wood and rod iron. The one thing he absolutely didn't want coming into our new place were my pretty gold curtains I had in my "bachelorette pad". So sad, but also understandable! He did let me keep my floral accent pillows in our bedroom, so I was willing to give up the curtains. It's all about compromise! See?
White buffet for me...
Wood bar stools and wood framed chalkboard for him... (pink dish soap for me ;))
This conundrum of learning to blend your two styles together seems like a big feat, so I'm going to walk you through some simple steps to achieve a cohesive home where everyone feels represented.
- Discover both of your styles. This is the first obvious step! I suggest both of you pinning interior rooms on Pinterest into separate boards. Pin anything that catches your eye! Once you've pinned 30-50 images, go through them and see what things each image has in common or look for any common themes throughout. Maybe you're pinning a lot of exposed beams, a lot of rooms with white walls, or sleek modern sofas with clean lines. Finding the commonalities in the photos will help you determine what you most gravitate towards.
- Both styles should be represented in multiple aspects of the room. Once you've discovered your styles, you need to figure out how to display both of them. If your husband likes the mid century modern style and there is only a coffee table that reflects his style amongst your shabby chic style, it will look completely out of place. In order to get a unified look where both styles are present and look cohesive, here are a few guidelines to help:
1. Repetition is key: repeating an element (whether than be color, pattern, shapes, or textures) always help unify a space. So no matter what two styles you are blending together, remember to repeat an element throughout the space to bring it together. For example, if you were melding traditional with contemporary styles, you could bring the room together by sprinkling green elements throughout the room (pillows, plants, vases and books for bookcases, etc.)
2. Strategically spread out the decor: if all of the modern pieces are on one side of the room and all of the coastal pieces are on the other side, the room will feel really disjointed. Spreading out the decor equally throughout the room will keep an aesthetically pleasing flow.
3. Use color to unify: painting open spaces in one (neutral) color will create a flow throughout the whole house instead of breaking it up. This also creates a blank canvas for you to show off your decor and furniture. Anything you can do to create a cohesive, smooth look will help when meshing styles together. This home tour does that so well:
4. Balance: equal distribution of weight is also really important. This doesn't mean something needs to be symmetrical, but it does mean things need to be visually balanced. You wouldn't want to hang a huge piece of art on one side of the room without anything on the other side of the room with the same visual weight. Here is an example of balance being achieved really well:
Note that the fireplace is the focal point of the room, and if the window / window seat to the right of the fireplace wasn't there and was instead a blank wall, the bookcase on the left would feel extremely heavy and off-balance.
5. Furniture, accessories and finishes need a BFF: if you're using a red tone wood for a coffee table in a mid century modern space, you'll want to repeat that tone in at least one other item in the room. This "rule" states that most textures and colors in the space need a buddy to create cohesion. Using brass an accent in your lighting? Make sure it shows up at least twice in the room through lighting and a sculpture for your bookshelf.
6. Think of formality, function, and form: first, make sure the two styles you are marrying are of equal formality. Trying to mix an ultra glam or very elegant traditional style with a funky industrial or boho style probably won't go as well as you envision. Second, take note of the use of the room and make sure that it still functions the way you want it to while combining the two styles. For example, does a modern, plastic Eames chair function well in a highly used family room? It might look okay, but it's not going to be very comfortable! Finally, do the shapes, or forms, of the furniture and accessories compliment each other? Pay attention to the lines of the furniture you have-- you probably don't want to mix super straight lines in your modern sofa with a very traditional rolled arm chair.
Here are some visual examples of marrying styles to create a home everyone is represented in:
1. Traditional and elegant (seen in the puddling shower curtain and gold fixtures) paired with a rustic vintage vibe (the floor tile and wooden chair accent)
2. Modern (sleek lines, neutral color, use of black and brass in lighting) and farmhouse (all white cabinets, marble, use of rustic wood tones)
3. Traditional (the gold mirror, chunky wood table, wainscoting, molding, and upholstered end chair) paired with mid century modern touches (ghost chairs, light fixture)
Here's our bedroom, so you can see how we compromised.
Hopefully these tips were helpful in combining two styles of decor together to create a home everyone loves! Let me know how YOU do this if your spouses style is different from yours.
xoxo
My Formula for Styling Your Bookshelves
I'm what you'd call a chronic bookshelf styler. If that is such a thing ;) I absolutely love displaying my favorite things on my bookshelves and creating a balanced, cohesive look. I think something people might struggle with is how to arrange their treasures on their shelves in an aesthetically pleasing way. Often I'll see objects and books just shoved on a bookshelf, and I want you to know that there is simple formula to create a well-styled bookshelf in no time at all!
1. Clear off your entire bookshelf. Starting fresh is always the best way to do it.
2. Start by putting the boxes and books back on the shelf first. Turning some books horizontally and stacking some vertically. In the example below, I also placed the boxes on the bottom shelf.
3. Now it's time to fill in with larger decorative objects like candle sticks, globes, art leaning against the back wall, big vases, etc.
4. Finish off with the little decor, like something fresh. Little plants are the perfect finish touches. Adding something green or natural (like sea shells, dried flowers) always bring life to the vignette. This is also the time to add your small accessories like candles, little sculptures, etc.
So the formula is books and baskets, larger objects, decor and art, then little decor and plants.
The goal here is to create balance. Balance is the art of arranging objects so they achieve equal distribution of weight. This can mean darker objects being spread out around the shelves to distribute the heavier visual weight. It can also mean placing larger objects towards the bottom of the shelf (like the large gold vase placed at the bottom of my bookcase below) so it doesn't feel too top heavy.
Other helpful tips:
- Our eyes see things best in 3's or odd numbers! (You can see how I decorated my shelf in 3's)
- Create height by stacking books or even leaving a book out for display if it has a pretty cover! Height can also be created by displaying candle sticks, the globe, varied vase heights, etc.
- Any books that are stacked vertically (generally a stack of 2-4 books is best) requires an object on top of them to ground the look. A candle, picture frame, or plant are great ideas.
- Paint the back of your bookcase a different color or wallpaper it to add interest and texture.
- Arrange your books by color or turn the spines toward the wall so that's a nonissue.
- Sometimes, if you are decorating a lot of shelves, it's nice to give one shelf a breather and only place ONE object on it-- think an oblong bowl full of apples or lemons.
I love how the gold objects are spread out in this to show you balance. They have a great mix of white items with texture here that make a subtle statement, too.
Hopefully these tips are helpful! I always tell my clients you want to fill your shelves, but you don't want to feel overwhelmed when you look at the shelves. If that's the feeling you get, it's time to take something away. Just like Coco Chanel says, “Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off.” We can use this same principle and apply it to our homes!
If you're feeling brave, take a picture of your bookshelves and tag me on Instagram so I can see them! If you need help with the styling, I'll try to offer my suggestions on your post :) @michaelanoelledesigns
Happy Tuesday!
xoxo
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