the purchase....

so i saved all of my b'day money and what we made from selling our china cabinet on craig's list for my trip to Scott's. i knew i wanted to buy dining room chairs (it's kind of nice to have something specific that you are looking for...b/c i could have easily been persuaded to spend my money on a lot of other things). i spent the day browsing at beautiful things but knew in the back of my mind, i was there for DR chairs. i spotted six louis xiv chairs at a booth during our tour w/ eddie. i talked quickly w/ the dealer about them...they were from a highend NY country club....i decided to think about them...
when the tour was over, we started shopping. i kind of had in my head what i was looking for and the chairs i found first definitely fit the realm that i was thinking....then i got hit by some mega bling....these metal chippendale chairs. they weren't old but i was smitten...the only thing was, they weren't too comfortable. the seat definitely needed a cushion added to them and the dealer wasn't the nicest guy...i was completely torn. i looked at my mom and my friend becky to talk me through it. i knew that the louis xvi chairs would look great w/ the table; they were classic chairs that could blend nicely with several styles; and w/ new upholstery, they would be me in a second. the chippendale chairs were just cool...totally "me" and the metal would look awesome w/ my DR table base.....
sooooooooo, i went w/ the louis xvi. it was really a hard decision b/c i LOVED the chippendale chairs but i think down the road, these will be more of a transitional chair that will stay w/ us for a long time....now, i just have to reupholster them!! i am thinking about burlap in the front,keeping the nailhead and then doing the back in the lulu dk stripe that i have in my kitchen...much like the reversal of the picture above.....

Scott's....

i have found a new love and it's name is Scott's. it has been quite sometime since i have been to the antique show: like high school when i forced to go by my parents...i can now look back at those times and thank them for instilling the love of design into me (although i am sure it was equally as painful for them to hear the bitching of a 16 yr old not wanting to spend her precious weekends antique shopping).
so anyway, back to my new love, scott's....you must go there if you live anywhere in the SE area and have a love for great things. they will surround you, they will call out your name, they will drain your wallet, and mostly they will come home w/ you and make you a really happy camper!! oh, and if you happen to be there on a weekend when eddie ross is giving a tour- that's just the icing on the cake! his humor and knowledge on design is a winning combination!!
tomorrow, i will show you what i came home with......

GA peach....

sooooo i am busy trying to pack (while tay basically unpacks everything) b/c i am going home for a little visit...tomorrow i will be shopping w/ these handsome guys!! i'm excited to finally be able to meet eddie and jaithan....and i hope scott's will produce some awesome DR chairs for my table (at a great price of course!!)...i wonder if any of y'all will be there??!! i haven't quite put my finger on what i want for the table...the possibilities are endless but here are some that would make me a very happy camper...

the rest of the trip will be spent hanging w/ the fam, visiting my grandparents, junk shopping whenever possible, and getting in a lot of quality time w/ my best girlfriends....you know those friends that you just love and can't live w/out- well, that is what these girls are. we all grew up together and went to CofC together. katy (is like my sister and we were college roomies for 5 yrs) just had her first baby, an adorable little boy who i haven't been able to meet yet. bec (one of my oldest friends), will be joining my mother and i at scott's for some serious shopping. her husband gave her the go ahead to spend some cash so watch out!! and em (we always manage to get in trouble together) is getting married in about three wks (we all kept our fingers crossed that vegas would be the destination, but her soon-to-be hubbie is a little more traditional)...our b'days are 10 days apart so tomorrow we have a joint b'day celebration planned...then we have her bachlorette party the following week....i hope this momma can keep up!!

tune in next week to see what goodies we find at scott's!! i hope y'all have a great weekend.....

*images courtesy of eddie ross, elle decor, bliss, domino, ryan brown design

things that are making me happy this AM...

1) i have been grinning from ear to ear b/c i FINALLY put our DR table into our house...it's been sitting in my parents and then our garage for over a yr....i cannot tell you how much i have enjoyed being able to just wipe up taylor's mess after eating vs. the antique wooden table that was there before...way less stressful! more on this later....

2) connie over at Linda & Harriett sent me wonderful samples of their beautiful letterpress note cards...i can't tell you how amazing they are (the mermaid and zig zag patterns are fab...they would make great wallpaper). and she wrote a sweet note on the notepad paper; i am dying to get this notepad and for $12 it won't break the bank...if you haven't checked out their designs, you are really missing out.

3) riding my new-to-me beach cruiser in the AM is so much fun (thanks dad)....sometimes i giggle to myself at how funny i must look trying to ride fast on this kind of bike. you know what the best part about getting out early is- seeing how people live- you catch the closet smokers on their walk, the lady who tries to run out in her robe to get the paper, the really in shape girl who can sport just the sport's bra and shorts and look great in it (i'm happy for her, really...i just hope she doesn't get too close to my bike tire)

4) i am getting my hair did :) thanks to my sweet in-laws, i will no longer have roots and can sport that summer blonde hair i love to pretend is real :) i mean come on, who at my age really is a true blonde??!!

HAPPY THURSDAY!! only one more day until the weekend :)

*image courtesy of me, linda and harriett, shelter, flickr

grouping...

may it be completely random or straight laced....may it be challenging or plain and simple....may it be what the heck was she thinking or totally predictable....whatever it may be, may it be your own....

*images courtesy of decor8, the city sage, sf girl by bay, domino, decorology, flickr

white room w/ a twist...

obviously, i don't shy away from patterns...in fact, i love them. here are some great examples of how to spruce up a basic white room...whether it's one accent color or several, wallpapering a focal wall, or using fabulous fabric to add a punch- the outcome is delightful!!

*images courtesy of design my way/massucco warner miller, flickr, blueprint bliss/kay douglass, massucco warner miller, blueprint bliss/kay douglass, palmer weiss, massucco warmer miller

monday, monday....

sometimes it's nice to see something pretty to get your week going right; especially when you wake up dreading your morning run-not that i would ever do that :)...here's to a calming, happy monday....

*pics courtesy of the simple home, anna spiro's bathroom, domino

seeing stripes?

need to make a statement...pull out the black and white stripes....

*images courtesy of martin lof, domino, canadian house and home, design sponge, diane bergeron

it's official...

goodbye 20's, hello 30....yikes ;)

i think i am going to play "waking up in vegas" all day...i wish i could grab all of my bff's and husband and head straight there!

*image courtesy of we heart it and cig harvey

kay douglass + south of market= goodness

there is something so rewarding about seeing an interior by kay douglass, owner of south of market. maybe it's the clean lines and the uncluttered effect that all of her spaces give off (her interior covered by house beautiful is one of my all time favorite homes). whatever it is, i could easily find myself right at home in a house designed by her! lucky for us, we have the store right down the road....

*images courtesy of south of market, coastal living, south of market

making your house your own....

warren recently found pictures of our house when we first bought it (5 yrs ago)...i thought it would be fun to share a little before and after. and it is always good to show people what you can achieve w/ a little bit of imagination and a tiny bit of cash. even when funds are tight (aka. first time homeowners), small improvements can go along way. so let's begin:

here is the before picture: scary, i know.... i carried around a notebook of things that i wanted for the house. we started off by painting the entire house. b/c we have an open floor plan in the main rooms (kit, LR, DR, entry), i decided on a historic charleston color: eliza lucas by lord and evans (i think sherwin williams has now bought that color palette).

now the original 1992 kitchen was awful: the floor were a lovely shade of linoleum, the cabinets a nice honey oak from the early 90's, lovely brass pulls on all of the doors, pink-PINK-countertops, an overmount sink, dated appliances, and some wicker light fixture that screams painful over the eating area. a makeover was a must....

when i said i was putting granite in the kitchen, people thought i was crazy...why does a 25 yr old need granite in a starter home...well, b/c i wanted it. i have a strong opinion that you should make your house how you want it , regardless of the value of the home...also, why update right before a house goes on the market...never enjoying it seems very odd to me. so granite is what i got. i made friends with the guy at the granite shop and he gave me a great remnant piece leftover from a beach house. remnant pieces are wonderful for a smaller kitchen or bath...always check and see what selection they have if you are wanting to save money. you may have a seam but if the installers know what they are doing, then it should barely show....a sink is a perfect spot for one.

since we added granite, we needed to install a new sink, ALWAYS use an undermount sink w/ a solid surface. it makes clean up so much easier; you can just sweep the crumbs straight into the sink. i prefer one bowl. lowes didn't offer this, so i went online and found the cheapest one possible and love it. you can do so much w/ one deep bowl- like bath your newborn baby!!

the honey oak cabinets had to go...we didn't have the money to replace the cabinets so we had them painted...what a difference two coats of paint can do!! i had a painter come and put a glaze over them (wouldn't do this now, but at the time i thought it would add some interest). the last thing we did to the cabinets was chunk the brass hardware and add brushed nickel.

we updated the appliances w/ stainless steel. the one thing i would say splurge on, if possible, is the dishwasher...we got a bosch and it is worth every penny; they are so quiet and clean so well. the lovely linoleum was replaced w/ hardwood floors and the wicker light fixture was updated w/ a fabric drum shade. we added an island for more counter space (bed, bath, and beyond) and i had a roman shade made for the window. all of the updates make my kitchen so much better. they didn't break the bank and have been worth every penny spent. and when we do sell our home, it is an investment that we will see return full circle.....so if you are living in an outdated kitchen, start saving...i promise the results will feel so rewarding!!