Making the old new again!!

Hi guys!  I know in an older post, I told you to not get rid of your old furniture, but paint or refinish it and make it new again..  Why by new when you can revamp your old??  Below are some of my recent projects:

This is an antique mantel from the early 1900s.  I found this at an antique store in Hamilton.  It would be great to hang on a wall in your den to give the illusion of a fireplace.   

This is the mantel all finished.

Victorian Table

White wash

Cross

Why buy new when you can repaint your old!?!  Also, painting is the best stress reliever.  Remember, you are too blessed to be stressed ;). 

Antiques

ANTIQUES!

If you know me at all, then you know that I have a love for antiques!!  So..... I am starting my wish list.  I have been to a few antique stores here lately and below are some of my favorite finds:

Love the finish on this buffet

This would be a fun DIY project

Headboard LOVE

This would be another fun DIY project.  Love the sconce

Gilbert's Lake House

Gilber'ts Lake House design 

I am so excited to share my design ideas for the Gilbert's lake house inspiration.  I want my design to reflect both of the individuals as well as the baby.  I also want to accomplish making the lake house feel like a getaway home.  I want to satisfy their cravings of the beautiful view and enjoying that cup of coffee on the outdoor veranda.

Kitchen and Living Area

Master Bedroom

Outdoor Area

This design is very whimsical and rustic.  I wanted to make it as comfortable as possible.  Again, this is a getaway weekend home for them.  Hopefully, this will give them an idea of furniture and accessories that will reflect their personality. I love it!  Enjoy!

Nursery Design

Nursery design for Dr. Elizabeth Holmes:

Dr. Holmes and her husband are going to welcome a baby boy in December.  I am honored to get to design his nursery!  Below is an inspiration board of some ideas.  I have a feeling he is going to take after his daddy and have a love for baseball, so I am proposing soft baby blue walls with pops of red.  

 

Since this is their first child, I wanted to give them furniture and bedding that they can re-use.  The overall look of the nursery is shabby chic with a baseball twist! 

Summer is here!

Summer is here!  Get outdoors! 
My favorite season is SUMMER!  I want to be outside as much as I can.  I think your outdoor space whether it be a back porch or pool deck needs to be as welcoming as your living area.  You can accomplish this through comfortable furniture, fabrics, throw pillows, accessories, and plants.  Below is a "outdoor board" I created to give you some ideas. 

Restoration Hardware inspired me on this concept board.  Most everything on this board is from Restoration Hardware.  If you like anything on the board, please let me know and I let you know how to order :)  I almost forgot one thing: It is important to be able to relax after a long day and have a glass of wine or a cocktail of your choice.  Below are some fun necessities:

All of the pictures above are from Pottery Barn.  It is a great resource for entertaining!  Enjoy and Cheers to a great summer. 

Fashion + Design

You can't be a good interior designer without focusing on your own personal fashion first!  I am a "girly girl" and I love fashion.  Sometimes I get my design inspiration from fashion.   I want to share with you a designer that I went to school with at the University of Alabama - Lauren Leonard.  She is the founder/owner of Leona.  Below are some of my favorites.

These are from her Summer collection.  Check out her website :

www.leonacollection.com

If you are in Macon Georgia and love these styles, please go to Sorella and shop all of Leona's styles!   I am so glad we have a store here that sells Lauren's designs :)

I get some of my design inspiration from her designs.  I love all of the pattern, textures, and color she uses in her designs.  I am redoing the bedding on one of our guestrooms and the one-shoulder blue dress above inspired me. 

Where do you get your "design inspiration" from?

Hello friends!  Where do you guys get your design inspiration from?  Of course you could search your design problem on the Internet, but that is just boring!  I wanted to share with you some of my favorite designers and also a few of my favorite design magazines.

My favorite designer is Nate Berkus!!  He has a show that comes on everyday at noon.   He talks about anything from fashion to finance to relationships.  I DVR it everyday.  I get most of my inspiration from him!

Please check it out: www.thenateshow.com

I also really love Candice Olson.  She has a show on HGTV called divine design.  I have never seen a bad design on that show!!  I love it.  She also has her own collection of fabrics, furniture, lighting, and lots more.  Check out her website: www.candiceolson.com

I collect design and fashion magazines.  My husband gets so mad because I do not throw them away!  I want to be able to look at them 20 years from now and see what the styles were...  Here are a few of my favorite design magazines.

"One of these days" - Projects

Have you ever told yourself, I am going to refinish or use this somewhere "one of these days".  Well, I have!  I love going to antique stores and finding really unique things.  It may be a window pane, old door, pictures, baskets, just anything that stands out to me. 

Just the other day I was visiting a friend and we were leaving her house going to lunch.  I noticed her neighbor had a window pane near his trash.  They were throwing it away!!  I told her to stop and get it!!  We loaded the window pane in the back of her car, she probably thought I was nuts!  I thought to myself "one of these days" I will do something crafty with it!  Below are ideas for old window panes.  ENJOY!

This is the fabulous window pane my friend and I picked up off of the side of the road!  I decided not to paint it because I love the rustic look.  Below are pictures of what it looks like now in the room!

I decided to put it above the fireplace and put a wreath on it.  I think it looks very rustic!  I thought about putting fabric behind it, and I just may still do that.  I really like the look of it above my fireplace.

This is what it looks like in the whole room.  I think I need to put fabric behind it to give it the extra POP!

Below are a few more ideas for window panes:

This is from trileafdesigns.com.  You can use the old window pane as a picture frame.  I have seen them with just simple black and white photos in the individual panes.  Very Clever, Love this!

This window pane idea is from visionsfromvoid.com.   Very creative idea to make a side table out of the old window pane!  I love it!  You can use any type of finish for the legs.  They chose metal, which I think looks wonderful!  



Clients: Furniture Re-Do

Why buy new furniture when you can "re-do" your old furniture??  One of my friends and I were wanting to make her living area brighter, warm it up a little.  I suggested we  hang drapery and also paint her coffee table.  I must say it turned out fabulous!  If you are worried about ruining the value of your furniture, NO WORRIES!!!  Research shows that if your furniture is not 200-300 years old and in tip-top shape, it doesn't ruin the value at all!!  So Happy Painting :)

Residential Client:

I want to introduce everyone to Dr. Elizabeth Holmes.  She is a client of mine and also a great friend.  To tell you a bit about Elizabeth, she is an equine veterinarian here in Macon.  She specializes in acupuncture and dentistry.   I want to take the time to thank her for trusting in my designs.  Below are some of our projects. 

First, I apologize for the dark "before" picture.  I got a new camera for my birthday and I am still trying to figure out how to use it.  Elizabeth wanted to add drapery to her space.  I suggested we brighten up the space by adding crisp linen drapery with a decorative rod.  The walls are a warm beige, so the crisp white linen drapery really opens up the space and accents the room.

This coffee table below is in Elizabeth's living area.  It is a dark cherry finish.  Again, I suggested we antique this piece to brighten up the space. 

This doesn't even look like the same coffee table!  I love it.  It is really simple to refinish.  I will upload a picture of the table in the living area later.  It really brightens up the space.  It gives the room character.  Very Shabby Chic! 

More furniture projects

 

This is one of my projects.  I antiqued this oak console table to brighten up the living area.  If you have a piece of furniture you are tired of looking at, don't be afraid to experiment!  I can also help you decide what to do with your old furniture.  No need to go buy new, just re-vamp your old!

Table Scapes

Thinking of hosting a dinner party any time soon??  Be sure to put as much thought in your table scape design as your home!  Below are some of my designs and also some that inspire me.

Spode Table Scape

My table settings are all really simple.  I love the feather place settings with the Woodland Spode china.  I didn't use a table cloth or chair covers because I wanted to keep everything informal and simple.

Rustic Table Scape from Country Living

I just love this setting.  It also is very informal and simple.  I love the bright napkins and the horizontal table runners.  It adds class to the setting and makes it inviting.

Semi-formal Table Scape

This table setting screams PATTERN.  I love the large pattern in the table cloth.  It off sets the square plates on the table.  I also love the multiple flower vases that are different heights.  It accents the table with red flowers and red accents.

MY FAVORITE!!  Rustic Table Scape from 100 Layer Cakes

This table setting is very clean and simple.  I love the way they put a piece weathered wood in the center to mimic a table runner.  Very creative :)  It is the perfect way to highlight the floral arrangement and the tea lights.

I have also found some of my favorite accents for table settings:

Rustic silverware

Rustic Centerpiece

Rustic Floral Arrangements