Quick Before & After

Although I haven't had time yet to get around to styling and taking proper pictures of this bathroom remodel I've been working on, I'm dying to share it with you! The before shot is quite horrendous and not for the weak of stomachs (LOL!) The walls were a faux finish metallic purple paint and the vanity dated back to the 60's. Brace yourself, it's pretty bad. . .

Here's a quick shot of how things are looking now;

There are still a few missing components (like an updated and centered light fixture and accessories) but all in all this bathroom remodel is moving along quite nicely! I get giddy when I look at the new countertop and subway tile backsplash - SUCH a huge difference. Oh, and the although the purple paint job might have been pretty many years ago, the gray walls looks so fresh and updated now. Like I said, I'll share more details and better pictures with ya'll sometime soon!

Mother's Day Gift

For mothers day I gave my mom this:

It was an empty paint can containing a home-made gift certificate redeemable for "One gallon of paint and painting labor" and tied with a pretty red bow! My mom has been wanting to paint her master bathroom for quite some time but hasn't gotten around to it. I thought I would do something a little non-traditional for Mother's Days and give the gift of paint and free labor! Please tell me I'm not the only crazy person out there that gives gifts like this to their closest family and friends?! 

Anyways, I spent part of the long weekend at my parents house painting and doing a little redecorating in their master bathroom. Here's the inspiration picture for the bathroom makeover:

My parent live in the country on a huge ranch where they grow all sorts of fruits and nuts. It's definitely a country house. As soon as I sent my mom the picture of this bathroom she was sold on the soft yellow color and was head over heals in love with the claw foot tub! Although I would have loved to have spent the weekend doing some demo work on the bathroom, major remodeling and a claw foot tub weren't included in my 'gift certificate' :) Sorry, Moma, just a few cosmetic changes!

The color we decided on was Benjamin Moore Lemon Sorbet; 

It's definitely a buttery, soft yellow which is exactly what I was after. The cheerful color looks amazing in the small bathroom. I'll share more pictures of the bathroom makeover once I put the finishing touches on it!

Quicky

A friend of a friend asked for my help picking out some bedding. Her name is Emily and she's a 21 year old college student. Her parents just bought a beach house on the central coast of California and she has a bedroom all to herself when she's out there. (Lucky, right?!) She loves bright colors and had picked out a few bedding options from PB Teen, but feared they would all end up looking too juvenile. A couple of emails back and forth and I was able to whip up a quick 'e-design' board for her!

 I love the vibrant colors and bohemian feel this bedding from Anthropologie has. It's colorful and fun, without being too juvenile. The sheets are from Bed Bath & Beyond and the throw pillow is from Macy's.

Project Update: My Bathroom

My bathroom has been a work in progress for a few months now. After the arrival of my new striped Dash & Albert rug, I was finally motivated to do a little accessorizing! Here's how the space has evolved over the last few months;

 This is what the bathroom looked like when we first moved in. One word to describe it- Blah!

As you can see, here I am in the process of transforming the old, out dated oak vanity.

Finally, the bathroom got put back together! A fresh coat of paint on the walls, painted vanity and new hardware, new light fixture, mirror and shower curtain. It was finally starting to look a little better!

Here's what the bathroom looks like now with the new rug, new glass shelf and a few new accessories and art.

Here's a close up of the tray that I painted yellow (it was originally blue) as well as a few of the new accessories.

Disclaimer: As a designer, I do not endorse the use of faux flowers. However, if I feel the need to place them in my own home, so be it! Please don't judge :)

The bathroom still needs A LOT of work (ie: new countertop, sink and fixture, tile the floor, and the list goes on. . . ) But in the mean time, at least it looks cute with a fresh coat of paint and some fun, playful chotchkies!

Project Update: Michele's Greatroom

Well, I am back from the coast and had a crazy, long weekend helping my sister Michele re-vamp the upstairs of her townhouse on the beach. (You might remember me mentioning it here.) I'm exhausted to say the least! Our to-do list was pretty hefty and we got a large majority of it all completed. I didn't take into account dry time on the poly urethane coats on the coffee table and dining table (you really should let it sit for 48 hours before touching it) so we weren't able to completely set up the space, accessorize and stage it for pictures, like I had hoped. The sofa slip cover hasn't arrived yet either, so things are still partially unfinished. I'll be heading back to Santa Cruz this coming up weekend (for 4th of July!) so I will be able to tie up the loose ends and take some more pictures. In the meantime, here are a few shots of some of the projects we tackled;

Barstools - Before

Barstools - After. I used fabric I already had (left over from an old client of mine) so we were able to complete these for $0!

Here's the art gallery wall that we created, which is the focal point of the room. My grandma did the two large paintings over 40 years ago and I really love their vibrant colors! I created some of the prints in Photoshop and the rest of the artwork and photography came from one of the other roommates. We used frames that we already had and only had to purchase a couple more. Total cost for this project was $12! You can see the wall color here (BM Revere Pewter) and also catch a glimpse of the new white drapes as well!

Dining Table - Before 

The prettiest shade of glossy turquoise, EVER! (BM Burbank Blue)

Dining Table - After

More photos of the completed space to follow, next week!

Current Project: Great Room Makeover

I'm heading to Santa Cruz on Friday to spend the weekend with my sister, Michele. Typically when I go visit her it's like a mini vacay - we lounge around on the beach working on our tans, go shopping, go for bike rides, go out to eat, visit friends, etc. Well, not this time! We are going to undergo a whirl wind weekend filled with DIY projects, repourposing, painting, re-upholstering and more! Michele has been dying to makeover her great room and this weekend we are going to do just that. Here's a glimpse of what her space currently looks like:

She rents a townhouse that is two blocks from the beach in Santa Cruz and shares it with two roommates. The newest roommate that just moved in brought with her a very large, but very comfortable chaise (not shown in the above pictures.) Here is the design concept board and floor plan I came up with:

We are on a major budget (read: starving-college-student-type of budget. Michele currently goes to Cabrillo College and will be transferring soon to California State Univ. Monterey Bay and is going to become a teacher. She works at a kids camp in the summertime and during the school year she runs an aftershool program at an elementary school. She is one busy chica!) Like I said, the budget it tight, really tight.

The big splurges we made are the sofa slipcover and white grommeted drapes. We will be painting the walls gray (color TBD) and repurposing and refurbishing all of her existing furniture. (Remember the table and chairs I blogged about a while back?) I also have a bunch of left over fabrics from previous clients' projects that we are going to use in the space. We raided my mom's storage shed last weekend and found all sorts of treasures that we are going to repurpose! I also have a lamp, some artwork and accessories that are stored in my garage that we will be using as well.

Next week I'll share all the details and before and after photos with you! I'm exhausted already just thinking about all of the sanding, painting, work, work, work, but you know I love it all!

My bedroom - sneak peak!

Here's a quick glimpse at my master bedroom. I still have lots to do before I can reveal it all, but I just thought I would tease you with a sneak peak :)

Bathroom Update

I am in the middle of redoing my bathroom and came up with an inspiration board to share with you:

This is the state of havoc that the bathroom is in right now:

 I am painting the existing oak cabinet white as we speak (I'm in between coats of paint!) and new hardware will go on the cabinets as well. The walls will get painted next in Olympic's Oasis (from Lowes.) The next thing on the agenda is installing a custom made (by my carpenter--aka sweet boyfriend) concrete counter top with recycled, crushed glass embedded in it. On top of the counter will be a ceramic white vessel sink and faucet in a satin nickle finish. I have already purchased the light fixture and will be shopping for a mirror this weekend. I am in love with this shower curtain but not in love with the price tag, so I might have to get creative and DIY my own version!