Art and Accessories for the Kitchen

For our five year anniversary gift to each other, Mike and I bought some artwork for the kitchen/ dining area.  It's a four panel map of lower New York City and we love it!  It's the perfect reminder of our home for the past 11 years and the city where we met.

I found the artwork at the furniture store (in Seabrook, NH of all places) where we ordered our sectional.  (I'm counting the days until it arrives!)  It's definitely an older map, although I'm not sure of the time period, and the colors match perfectly with our downstairs color scheme.

I had been hunting for a large-scale panel piece of artwork for the dining area for quite some time.  Since it's a large wall, I wanted it to have a few panels and look oversized to fill up the space.  I was inspired by Guiliana and Bill's octopus artwork and by the wallpaper panels on Little Green Notebook. At first I thought I could create the look myself by blowing up a print and using Ikea frames but I couldn't find a print that I loved.  And you definitely need to LOVE it when it comes to an over-sized piece of artwork.  So it was fate when I saw these map panels at the furniture store.  It was a map of our old home and the colors were perfect.  I even loved the fonts used in the map!  It was definitely a splurge but we love it and know that we'll have it forever.





But now that the artwork has been hung, it just highlights everything else that needs to be changed in the kitchen.  We have a lot more work to do:

I just have to keep reminding myself that it all takes time.  I have been adding some little touches though.  Like this rabbit hook that I found at Anthropologie:

He looks so cute perched by the back door.  And it's the perfect place to hang my keys.

And I love my Rifle Paper Co. Calendar.  It makes the kitchen look so cheerful.

And finally, here is the awesome rug that I'm basing all the kitchen colors off of.  I found it at a local junk warehouse called Building 19.  Have you ever heard of it?  They sell the most random things, from clothes to food.  Almost all of it is junk, but they have the most amazing selection of oriental rugs for some reason.  Like 9x12 Safavieh rugs for $300!  Incredible!  I think I paid $19 for this guy.  Seriously, it must be an interior designer secret around here.  Who knew?

So there you have a mini tour of our kitchen.  I still have a lot to do so I'm holding off on the reveal.  But it's slowly coming along!

Cam's Nursery Reveal

I'm so excited to show you Cam's nursery!  It's the first room in the house that feels "finished."  When we were in the rental we had Cam's crib set up in the corner of the master and it never really felt cozy.  This was the first room in the new house that I decorated and I'm so happy with the way it turned out.

I went with a color scheme of gray and yellow which I thought could definitely grow with him.  And I wanted it to be cute but not overly babyish.

We started off by having the walls painted in Benjamin Moore's Gray Horse.  Basically I googled "gray nurseries" and this was the color that came up the most.  It's not too dark or too light and feels very warm and cozy.  I absolutely love this shade of gray.

It's hard to tell from the pictures but the rug is a 9x12' wool berber remnant in a cream and yellow check.  I purchased it from a local carpet store and it was a steal at $299.  I can't tell you how amazing carpet remnants are.  You get a fabulous, high quality rug for the fraction of the price.  I love West Elm rugs as much as anyone but they are thin, thin, thin.  The key to carpet remnants is to look for wool berber rugs instead of the plush rugs that is typical in wall to wall carpet.

Aside from the paint color, the curtains are my favorite part of the room.  I knew I wanted a wide yellow and white stripe but I was having a hard time finding the right fabric.  Then I discovered that West Elm had exactly what I wanted but it was a shower curtain.  But after measuring the windows I realized I could use the shower curtains as drapes by just cutting them down the middle and hemming each side.  It was soo easy and not to mention cheap! The shower curtains were just $39 each and for that price I got two panels.  Usually one curtain panel costs more than that!  I was thinking about lining them with a blackout liner but I was lazy and decided to use a blackout shade instead.  Eventually I'd like to embellish the shades a la House of Fifty, but I'm saving it for a rainy day.

The crib sheet is from Carousel Designs.  They have a fabulous selection of crib bedding in beautiful patterns and designs.  

The glider is probably my least favorite part of the room.  I really wanted an upholstered glider but we bought this glider while we were still in the rental.  We needed a chair that could come apart to get up the super narrow stairs to the master bedroom so this was our only option.  But really I can't complain.  A glider is a glider and this one works perfectly.  

I am a huge fan of Ikea frames... you just can't beat the price.  The Ribba's are streamlined and classic and it's just so easy to pop a print in it, hang it up and be done with the whole thing.  Without Ikea frames, I don't think I'd have any artwork hanging on my walls.  See the map above the bookshelf?  It's one of my decorating secrets... it's wrapping paper and it was only $3.95!  Most paper or stationery stores carry single sheets of wrapping paper and they have gorgeous designs.  They fit perfectly in a $20 Ikea Ribba 20x28" frame.  For less than $25 you have a large scale piece of artwork to fill your walls.  Awesome.

Etsy is my go-to for children's prints.  The selection is endless and there are just so many cute designs.  I'm going to do a post on all my favorites because it can get overwhelming sorting through them all.  The designers for all these prints are listed below in my source list.  

Finally, here are some detail shots of Cam's room.  

All in all, I'd say he likes it!  I hope you enjoyed the tour!

Source List 

Wall Color: Benjamin Moore Gray Horse
Curtains: West Elm shower curtains
Crib: Walmart Baby Mod Park Lane
Dresser: Ikea Hemnes
Owl Lamp: West Elm
Arch Lamp: Found in our trash room
Bookshelf and Baskets: Ikea Expedit
Night Light: You Know Fine Night Lights
Frames: Ikea Ribba
Cameron Print: Apple Blossom Print 
Sea of Love Print: Henry James Paper Goods
Alphabet Print: Sea Urchin Studio
World Map: Cavallini and Co. wrapping paper
Picture Ledges: Ikea Ribba
Ceiling Lamp: Ikea Fillsta
Rug: Carpet Remnant from Pellitier Rug Company
Closet knobs: Anthropologie
Crib Sheet: Carousel Designs
Crib Skirt: Dwell Studio
Changing Table and Changing Cover: Land of Nod
Glider: Dutalier
Toy Basket: The Container Store Rugby Stripe Basket
Clock & Baseball Mitt: Vintage
Bunting: Directions here

Mailbox Makeover

The other day I decided to give our mailbox a little makeover.  It had some small rust spots on the hinge and the numbers were just your run-of-the-mill hardware stickers.  It definitely needed a little sprucing.  Sadly, I forgot to take a "Before" shot (I'm out of practice with the blog!) so we'll have to jump right into the spray painting phase.

I bought a can of Hammerite Rust Cap spray paint that encapsulates rust and sprayed the entire box.

While that dried, I designed the letters and numbers on my computer.  I was inspired by Blueprint's first cover so I tried to pick fonts that looked similar.  In the end I downloaded Gold Plated from DaFont and used Bodoni for the numbers.

I printed it out to size on my printer...

And then shaded the back with pencil.  This creates a mock carbon paper so you can use it to trace.

Next, I taped the design onto the mailbox and traced the letters and numbers with a pencil.

Which left this outline:

I couldn't find any black paint in my stash until I remembered I had my old art kit.  Seriously, I think it's from the 70's.  Surprisingly the paint still was in good condition so I just used the acrylic paint to fill in the outlines.

And here is the finished version!  Just need to spray a top coat of clear sealant and we're good to go.

I love the way it turned out and it makes me smile every time I walk through our gate!  

House Tour: Hallway & Living Room

Instead of Navy Friday I thought I'd continue on with our House Tour, since I know you guys have been clamoring for more pictures of the house!  But don't worry, there's lots of pictures of Navy throughout so you can still get your Navy Friday fix.  (The little guy is such a camera hog.)  Welcome to our front hall and living room!

So as you climb up the stairs you can see that the banister wraps around to a little hallway. 

This is the view looking towards the front of the house.  The front room is our little office but I'll show you that in another post.  The living room is the doorway on the left.

Once again, there is another gorgeous light fixture in the hallway.  It is this one from Pottery Barn.  I love the filament bulb. 

The hallway is just big enough for a little console table.  My in-law's neighbors gave us this table that they no longer wanted and it fits perfectly in the space.  Eventually I would like to paint or re-stain it and change the hardware.  I'd also like to add a sunburst or convex mirror above the table but I'm still looking for the perfect one.  

One of the things we've had to deal with in this house is the plaster walls.  You can really get a sense of it from this picture.  I'm sure the walls have been repaired multiple times so they have an rough, uneven texture and pictures are a bear to hang since the plaster just crumbles.  So for now we've been using command picture hangers or using the screws that the owners already drilled and stabilized for the artwork that they had.  That's why some of our picture or mirror placements are a little off.  

Now let's take a peek into the living room.

Although it's still not large compared to most living or family rooms, this room seems huge to us.  There's just so much more space to work with vs. our tiny apartment in New York.  You'll recognize most of the furniture from our old place.  The side tables are hand me downs from Mike's parents.  Again, I'd like to paint or re-stain them but since they're functional they go way down on the to-do list.

We also ordered this ottoman from West Elm and I absolutely love it- it is by far one of the best purchases we've made.  The colors work perfectly with our existing furniture and the bold pattern adds some more interest and texture.  It's so nice to be able to put our feet up in front of the couch and plus, it's child friendly.  No sharp edges to worry about here.  I was definitely thinking of the future with this purchase! 

Here's the light fixture in the living room... don't you just love the ceiling medallion that they incorporated at the top?  It's another added element that gives the room so much visual interest. The owners also left their silk curtains and window fixtures.  Thankfully, that was one element that we didn't have to worry about because window treatments are expensive.  It's so nice renting from people with fabulous taste!

Our tree tucks in nicely in the corner of the room and adds lots of coziness.

And here is the opposite room view looking back into the hallway.  You can really get a sense of the old wood floors.  While I love the look, they also drive me a little nuts because they are so bowed.  Half the furniture is on shims to compensate!  It has definitely been an adjustment moving from super modern and 90 degree angles to old and crooked but with tons of character.  

The owners also left their huge Ikea tv unit for us.  I love the look but after moving in, I quickly threw in some books and pictures so it is in desperate need to be re-arranged and stylized.  But this weekend we're heading to Ikea to buy some more storage baskets and down the road I'll show you how it turns out.

This is a close up of the tree lamp that is in the corner by the window.  I inherited it from my mom's cousin along with this lamp.  I think it's mid century modern and the electrical is so old that it's probably a fire hazard but I love it all the same.  It's a tension rod so the effect is very streamlined.  Maybe down the line I'll give it a re-paint but for now it works.

I'm thinking about adding a console table with matching lamps underneath this mirror.  There's definitely enough space and I think the room needs a little something more.  

Finally, here are some detail shots of the holiday decor in the living room. Nothing too elaborate this year... simple is about all I can handle right now.  Hope you enjoyed the tour.  More to come in the following weeks pending on the baby's arrival.  (Only 3 more weeks to go!)