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Top Ten Mismatched Nightstands
My favorite type of decor is that which doesn’t feel forced. I love being in someone’s home and finding unexpected pieces all over the place, but realizing they all work with each other nicely. So you might not be surprised to learn I’m not a fan of matchy-matchy when it comes to nightstands, table lamps, couches, or other items. I like to mix things up. Read on to see ten of our favorite beds flanked by mismatched nightstands — or !(just one)! Keeping a space clean + neat without allowing symmetry to rule your decisions can be challenging. It’s easy to find a nightstand you like and buy two. This…
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How to Transform A Card Catalog
Has anyone not seen the photo above, of the coolest, most gorgeous card catalog we have ever seen? The proportions of it are part of what I love so much, but it still baffles me how they managed to construct it lengthwise and still end up with a sturdy piece. I’ve been in love with this piece for years, so when my mother came across an antique spice cabinet at an estate sale, she bought it for me and I tried my own hand at transforming a card catalog. The Antique Spice Cabinet This piece was a pretty amazing discovery. It had been altered by someone else before we got…
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Five Best Gray Paint Colors for a Tranquil Room
Gray paint. It’s all the rage. But how to choose one that doesn’t look flat and boring? How to know how dark to go or which room to paint which gray in? Over the past few years, we have painted 17 different rooms and we have chosen gray 15 times. Read on to discover which grays are my favorites and why. This post will focus on Benjamin Moore paints because that’s the line of paint our local hardware store sells and I like supporting local businesses so I only buy from them. Stonington Gray Part of the historical collection by Benjamin Moore, Stonington Gray is my number one go to…
- Custom Furniture, Decor + Furniture, House Tours, Montauk, My Market, Renting, Renting As A Vacation Rental, Space Tours
Tour the Cottage
This little cottage has come a long way since my dad used to rent it year round. In the past couple of years, we have painted, built a pergola, added a patio and ping pong table, rebuilt the deck, and totally redecorated inside. My father is a master craftsman. He can build anything from wood. Almost every aspect of the cottage was hand crafted. From the front door & storm door to the floors, built in corner cabinet to the furnishings, he’s designed & created it all. Interestingly, he has been using driftwood and reclaimed wood to create his pieces since the 1990’s, long before it was popular. Together with…
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Splurge vs. Save: Lighting
We’ve all been there, for some reason lighting is intimidating. Maybe it’s the electricity element, the fact that some fixtures are hardwired, or just that you’ve always rented and never had to even know the difference between a sconce and flush mount fixture. But spending more money doesn’t necessarily mean you get a better result. What’s important is that you end up with gorgeous fixtures that don’t blow your budget, that are appropriate for the space you’re filling, and you LOVE LOVE LOVE them when it’s all said and done. Here are a few of the most popular styles – and a splurge or save option for each. Some of…
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Keeping a Rustic Kitchen Light & Bright
I love all the elements that bring a rustic kitchen its charm. The super old, wide plank flooring, lumpy and worn over time. The deep brown patina on an ancient slab of butcher block or antique farmhouse table, that lovely grey that comes from adding barnboard to your space. But when you google image search “Rustic Kitchen” all the images are dark. Even with the lights on, these spaces seem closed in and, well, not bright at all. If you’re searching for inspiration, it’s easy to become bogged down by all those dark kitchens and decide, maybe rustic isn’t for me. I’ve set out to help you conquer the problem…
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Step by Step Guide to Sketching Your Space Before a Renovation
Are you dreaming of a new master suite or can’t stand the bottleneck in your kitchen? Maybe you’re thinking it might be time to renovate. Don’t know how to begin? It’s not always best to leave it all up to a contractor or designer. After all, you are the one who lives there. Never done it? I’ll give you a step by step guide here to get you started sketching out your space so you can give those contractors and designers a better idea of what you really want. YOU know how you live and what your most important factors are in your space. So why not try drawing it…
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Top Five Modern Farmhouse Dining Chairs
The search for the perfect dining chair is often crunched into some kind of horrible, stressful deadline. Last winter, one of my best friends was known to cry, “I have 16 people coming for Thanksgiving dinner, a gorgeous new pendant light in my dining room, a farmhouse table on the way, and I have no chairs!” Sound familiar? That’s because most often, the chairs are the last item people buy and the one that can cause the most stress. After all, you need 6, 8, 12 of them. And who are you kidding? You want them all to match. You can’t try them out or sit in them before you…
- Decor + Furniture, Design, Details, Finding Your Style, Flipping Houses, House Tours, Lighting + Small Pieces, Living In a Flip, Make Money From Your House, Renovations, Shopping + Sourcing, Space Tours, Trends
Tour the Trailer
Our trailer was the first piece of real estate we owned. We gutted it and made it our own, all the while keeping in mind what we thought would appeal to the most buyers. We listed it, held the open houses, agonized over the showings, and eventually we sold it! As an added bonus for us and as a huge compliment to our design, the buyer asked if he could purchase all the furnishings as well as linens, kitchen utensils, etc. He bought almost everything (some things were sentimental and came with us)…right down to our silverware. A year and a half after the flip was over, we can happily…
- Cabinets + Pantries, Countertops + Islands, Design, Designing for Small Spaces, DIY, IKEA Kitchens, Kitchens, Smart Design
12 Reasons to Choose an IKEA Kitchen
Are you considering an IKEA kitchen but aren’t sure if it’s the right way to go? Jason and I have installed 4 IKEA kitchens in the past 5 years, have seen 3 wealthy families choose an IKEA kitchen over other options, and have helped another friend design + plan her IKEA kitchen on a budget. Read on to see 12 reasons why an IKEA kitchen can be the solution to all your problems. #1 – P R I C E An IKEA kitchen is affordable. Hands down, it is probably one of the cheapest options out there. If you are on a budget, look no further. You will not be…
