Becca’s Home Refresh & Living Room Inspiration Board

My super talented friend Becca is ready to make some changes at her home at the beginning of the year. She is in a situation that I think is common for many of us. We neglect keeping up with our home, look around one day, then all of sudden realize that we suddenly hate all of it. Looking at Pinterest, magazines, or maybe someone’s new home, you start feeling like you can’t find any redeeming qualities in your own place. It can almost make you feel like the only solution is to start over with a new home. Not a very practical option for most of us though, so we end up grumpy in our spaces until we get this brand new space we envision in our heads. It’s the “all or nothing” approach.

One approach that can really help if you find yourself in this situation is a “refresh” of your current home. Instead of requiring contractors to start construction or realtors to get you out of the house, a refresh requires looking at your space through a new lens. And imagining what it “could” be if you invested a little energy and time into it versus turning your back on it. And although it probably won’t be free, it will probably be a fraction of the cost of a full remodel, new construction or buying a new home.

So back to Becca. Their current home isn’t feel like “her” any more. It’s like wearing a shoe the wrong size. She is working with brown leather sofas, tan walls, and light wood cabinets in the kitchen. None of these things are bad individually, but together, it is a lot of brown, and very far off from what she loves.

Becca-Home_Before-(web)

Becca’s style is a mix of cottage, traditional with touches of rustic elements. She likes everything light and bright. She also loves a touch of glam and sparkle. Becca’s husband  enjoys hunting and the outdoors, so we have to find a nice balance for him too.

Here are some of the inspiration photos of what I envision for Becca. There is a lot of variety in these because there are elements from each that fit her. Using those elements in combination with each other will create a space that is unique to their family, and not a copy of someone else’s style.

The GREAT NEWS there is that for very little money, we can make a DRASTIC change in her home with just paint. Here are the first 3 changes that she can make that will take no longer than a weekend and take significant steps towards creating the home of her dreams:

1. Paint all the walls in the open living space. We both love and are set on Benjamin Moore’s Gray Owl, lightened by 50%. Light and airy. Cool, but not too cool.

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2. Paint all the trim work a nice, bright white. We chose Benjamin Moore’s Simply White. There are so many whites out there, but having seen several spaces with this combo, we know they work well together.

Simply White by Benjamin Moore

 

3. Paint the kitchen cabinets the same white as the trim and change out the hardware. This is actually an example of the cabinets in Simply White with the walls painted in Gray Owl lightened by 50%.

Once the space is painted, I truly feel Becca will love her home 100% more. That might be enough to make her love her home again. And with such little time and money and such a huge return, it is a no-brainer.

I am in the process of putting together mood boards for the different spaces in her open-floor plan space in case she wants to continue taking her refresh to the next level. The living room is first. We are working with her current leather couch because a) it is super comfortable, b) it is extremely expensive to buy a new couch, and c) by getting rid of the other brown surfaces in the room, a little warmth is welcome and necessary! I also included her current natural fiber rug, which is so perfect. The textures and colors we are bringing in are light, bright and natural. This will help bring dimension to the space.

The colors were inspired by this pillow. The fabric, Carnival by Christopher Farr, is so gorgeous and has so many colors to pull from. It also has the added benefit of being very light and fresh, which completely changes the feel of a leather couch.

Christopher Farr Carnival Pillow Cover (Pink and Piper Etsy)

Source: Etsy

 

Becca Living Room Mood Board-First Draft

 

The pieces in the mood board are a mix of high and low. Since this was completely for inspiration purposes, I wanted to find pieces that worked. Later on, if Becca decides to make any changes to the choices on the mood board, she can make swaps. In fact, I also created an additional board with different choices Becca could go with if she wanted to go in a different direction with decor, using the same wall and trim colors as a base.

Choices - Becca

 

Working on these has been so much fun. Next up…the breakfast nook!

 

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Handmade Goodness

One of the trends of recent years that I am so happy to see is the popularity of handmade crafts for sale. Obviously, Etsy has played a huge role in this. While I know Etsy is not perfect, I love the idea that they created this online marketplace for handmade goods. Not only did it make it a viable option for people to start selling their products, I think it created more a demand for handmade things.

What I am also amazed by is how Instagram is playing into this trend. It is such a visual platform that it seems to be the perfect way for an artist to offer their pieces to the people who love their work.  Artists are able to post their products as soon as they are listed and within minutes, it is SOLD via IG.

I am a good example of how well this works. Recently, another artist I follow on Instagram, Jessica Handmade, posted a photo of her first set of Christmas ornaments she had just finished making and that would soon go on “Instasale”, which basically means if you want it, you put your email address in the comments, and the first person gets it. She then bills you via PayPal and sends the piece. Here’s the ornament. It should be here soon and I can’t wait to hang it up.

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Handmade painted clay ornament by Jessica Handmade

If you are interested in this movement that supports independent makers, Grace Bonney’s “After the Jump” podcast is a great resource. Every week she interviews someone from a creative industry, oftentimes independent artists. They share their stories of how their business came to be, and what its like being in business as an independent artist. Fascinating!

There is definitely a community and culture for “makers” that I hope continues to grow and be celebrated. I will be on the front lines cheering (and buying when i can).

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Step Inside: Julee’s Eclectic Art-Filled Home

Welcome to what I hope will be a regular series for the blog, “Step Inside”. One of the most inspiring things for me is to step inside people’s homes and see their personalities shine through. My hope is to share some of these homes with you and the inspirational people that live in them. Here we go!

My friend Julee lives a few blocks down from me, in the heart of the historic district of downtown Ocala. She lives in a beautiful pink Victorian home with her husband and 3 talented sons. Julee is someone you feel like you can talk to about anything without her thinking you are odd. In fact, if it is not the norm, you can tell she’s even more interested. She asks good questions and has insightful observations. She also relishes in the art world, and you can tell by the glimpses of her home that she surrounds her family with art. I was super inspired by her home the first time I visited, so Julee kindly allowed me to photograph it. I hope you enjoy stepping inside this lovely local home and hearing more from Julee.

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Your home has so much character. What do you think it says about you? 

That I like a lot of different styles and like to incorporate a variety of likes in my decor. 


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How would you describe your aesthetic/style?

Eclectic. Always evolving. Unexpected — putting unexpected themes/items together. I like extremes. If I didn’t live in a Victorian home, I’d like to live in a modern/stark/green home.

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Where do you find your home inspiration and ideas?

Magazines, other homes, Cass Retz, friends’ ideas and opinions, TV shows/Movies. Set design has so much thought behind it and if I like a character on a show, I really look at the sets designed for their personality (if that makes sense).

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Do you have an approach for decorating your home?

To work with what I have…Resourcefulness and repurposing are key for me. If something doesn’t feel right, I’ll switch it. That may mean taking down all my art and rehang pieces in other rooms. Move furniture. I get bored easily and am always striving for better function and aesthetics. My mother-in-laws jokes that every time she visits the furniture has been rearranged. Meanwhile she hasn’t moved furniture in her home for decades. Lastly, if I see something I really LOVE, I buy it (unless out of my budget). I may not know where I would put it or how it would work, but if it speaks to me, I’ll find a place. With that said, when I bring something new in I try to take something else out…I don’t want to walk over that line into clutter.

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How do you think your kids will remember their home when they are older?

I think they’ll remember it fondly. They like the stairs, wood floors, the history. They have a “secret passage” between their rooms (it’s really just a closet between their rooms with doors on each side), but calling it a “secret passage” is much more fun. They love the front porch. Mostly, I hope they think of it as a place where they were loved, felt happy and safe. We’re lucky, too, that the home’s location is walking distance to downtown and parks. I do love my house, but ultimately, it’s just a house. I don’t want to be too attached to any thing. What counts is family, love and experiences shared.

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What traits draw you to others’ homes?

Personalized taste. I like it when I can discover something new about a person…it may be the books they read, the art they choose, the messiness or neatness of their space. I really dislike homes that feel sterile. They may be objectively aesthetically beautiful but if there isn’t a hint of personality, it feels bland to me.

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What do you splurge on in your home? Where do you save?

I splurge on art. But art is also an investment (however, I think you should only buy pieces you LIKE). I purchased two pieces by Doug Bloodworth nine years ago. This summer in Key West an art gallery was selling the same pieces (they were limited prints on canvas) ten times the amount I paid!

Where I save: I have rarely bought brand new furniture. I prefer items found in consignment stores, antique shops, sides of road…every piece has a little story behind it. I may have haggled down the price. Also, I save on having furniture passed down to me. For instance, the Persian rugs inherited from my great grandmother may not have been exactly what I would have picked for myself, but their history brings me joy. Choice is overrated….I like making do with what I have.

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Which room in your house do you like the most?

My bedroom. It’s peaceful (when the laundry is put up) and has my favorite art pieces.

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Thank you for opening up your home, Julee! Your personality, perspective and values shine through in every room.

 

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The Modern Farmhouse Playroom of My Dreams

The boys currently share a bedroom because we use the only other one as a playroom. For the past few years, that has been a great setup for them and us. However, I can see as they are getting older that we may need to give them each their own room. Their shared bedroom is quite small, and as their clothes and interests are growing, it is not as easy to combine both of their things into one small closet and one small dresser. Also, adding back the bedroom to our home would allow us to have a place to host family and friends  by utilizing it as a spare bedroom as well.

The problem is, how can we accommodate the loss of a play space for the boys if we make this change. I think I’ve come up with an idea.

I have dreams of converting our back porch into an enclosed sunroom. We never use our back porch. Here’s why: living in Florida, it is miserably hot outside for a good 6 months of the year. In addition to the heat and humidity, there are gigantic scary frogs that live out on the back porch which also prevent me from stepping foot out there. I figured if we can enclose the back porch, we can add air conditioning and some usable space (although small) that can be the kids’ hangout and homework space as they get older.

I have no idea if we will be able to do this, or if I will change my mind next week. But in the meantime, I channeled my energy into envisioning what this fantasy room would look and feel like. Hence, the mood board.

Sunroom--Mood-BoardSources: Inspiration photo 1 / Inspiration Photo 2 / Inspiration Photo 3 / Flooring Option 1 / Flooring Option 2 / Wall Treatment Inspiration / Bookshelves / Hare Art / Couch / Floor Lamp  Chairs / Table

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Recent Read: Daily Rituals

I have recently started a new book called “Daily Rituals: How Artists Work“. This is a little gem of a book that features dozens of artists, current and from centuries ago. Instead of focusing on their lives or achievements, this book only dives into their daily habits. Sounds like a mundane thing to focus an entire book on, but it is fascinating! There are only a few pages dedicated to each artist, which makes it easy to read and absorb. Things mentioned include what time they got up, what they ate, how long they worked, took breaks and how much sleep they got at night.

 

Daily Rituals How Artists Work

 

What has been insightful for me is learning that these creative geniuses had routines they followed. When you think of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart or Andy Warhol, you just imagine them being gifted with a talent that immediately poured out on a whim. Not so. Their genius came through after dedicated hours to their craft and a disciplined approach to their work.

The second “a-ha” moment from reading these precious nuggets, is that the artists seemed to be aware of the timeframe when they were most creative/productive, and protected that time fiercely. After that, they allowed themselves to shut it down until their next “peak” time. This is comforting to me because I have come to realize that the hours between 5am – 12noon for me are my peak hours. After that, I start losing focus. I am thinking instead of butting my head against a wall when I can’t concentrate in the late afternoon, I can really start front loading my day with the most mentally tasking work in the morning.

Today is the first day of what I hope is to be a new routine for me – blogging 3 times a week in the morning before the kids wake up.  Because I have not been carving out a specific time to write, it has been challenging to keep a consistent schedule of posting. If I am not consistent I will not improve. Having read and blogged about “The Power of Habit“, I understand that unless I make this part of my routine, it will never become a habit. That, combined with reading “Daily Rituals” has been encouraging and eye opening.

So, wish me luck as I attempt to follow in the footsteps of the creators of the past and start molding more productive habits.

 

 

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