At Home: Living Room Tour

Photo by Cleland Studios

Hello friends! I'm spending some extra time at home this week recovering from a little surgery and I thought that I would share our living room digs where I'm spending a lot of extra time, with y'all. This space is constantly changing and recently went through a rearrange to accommodate this settee that was in our bedroom. Truly, I love it down here but I'm missing it in it's former home. Our home is never finished and I live by the motto that good design is never done. I've never let not a having a place for something that I love, stop me from buying it... simply rearrange your life to make it fit. Kevin truly loves this mantra of mine. I also think that in order to meet varying needs you have throughout life, your space and what is in it, has to be able to accommodate those needs. 

Bringing this little animal print guy down, gave us extra seating for entertaining and made our space feel so much larger. Our basically windowless 1970's condo needs its space maximized and although open floor plans are lovely, I needed a little bit more space definition. 

Photo by Cleland Studios 

To make this large wall make sense, I used one large painting by Kiah Bellows grouped with smaller vignettes of art and accessories. This large antique frame groups smaller items together and makes them feel more like a collection.

Photo by Cleland Studios 

We moved our large sofa into the wide open space to create some room divide and actually placed a small desk behind so that I can work from home some and watch tv at the same time... i mean, look out the window.  Now the large sofa is facing our one window which is a nice mix-up from always having the room centered around the television. Windows are for sure at the top of the check-list for our next place. This week at home is making it apparent that for everyone's sanity natural light is a must.

These Design Legacy pillows mixed with these lovely Loloi textured pillows make for the perfect mix of all my favorite hues. 

Photo by Cleland Studios 

This bookshelf from World Market is a go-to for clients and me. This piece is a great price point and works so nicely in so many spaces to house books and collections. 

Photo by Cleland Studios 

Photo by Cleland Studios 

Photo by Cleland Studios 

My favorite reading spot by our one window with lots of lamps and our friend Figgy, who I am trying desperately to keep alive. 

Photo by Cleland Studios 

Maisy girl outside of her natural habitat which is the sofa. 

Details of my favorite chair in two of my favorite fabrics of all time. Green citrus velvet from Tonic Living and Magnolia Tercan Yellow

Monograms on everything and one of my favorite hues

Photo by Cleland Studios 

My treasured dog collection that is bursting at the seams. The next living room change will have to encompass a larger display space for these babes. 

Lesley Grainger is one of my favorite artists and i love this piece that hangs in the living room. 

Photo by Cleland Studios 

Here is my new little workspace and I have to say that Kevin and I are constantly fighting over this spot. 

Photo by Cleland Studios 

Photo by Cleland Studios 

Here's the living room through the past couple of years... a lot of the same stuff but contantly changing and moving and editing and adding. Kevin loves it. 

Happy late Monday, friends! 

One Room Challenge Favorites

Photo by Cleland Studios 

There are so so many reasons for gushing about how great and fun and wonderful the One Room Challenge was. Sooooo, here's a few.

1. This thing creates such a fun community of people who are all in the midst of the challenge, waist deep together.... Linda from Calling it Home, heads up the challenge and does such a great job cheering everyone along. Feeling like you are part of the ORC community makes seeing everyone's finished spaces so so exciting. 

2. The ORC allowed me to work with a ton of talented Greenville artists and artisans and showcase their awesomeness. 

Photo by Cleland Studios

Marquin Designs | Andrea Sabugo | TJ Breil | Wheaton and Whaley 

3. Stephanie from Olive and Tate had to hang out with me so so much and she taught me so so much about so so many things. I am so grateful that Stephanie called me in to design the space and work on it with her. She helped me figure out this whole blogging thing and so much more. I love when you meet people who not only become good friends but can help make you better at what you do. 

Here's a round up of my favorite One Room Challenge spaces...

1. Jill Sorenson's yellow and blue bedroom has to be my absolute favorite. EVERYTHING about it. You know, yellow is my jam and the mix of wood tones and vibrant colors is just too good. I am also obsessed with the custom lamps that Jana Bek created for the space. 

Photo by Anna Maria Noellert

2. The Mimosa Lane girl's room is just blowing my mind, I love it so. I would have died for that room as a kid... or actually now. The thin picture frame molding and intense pops of color like that red secretary just have me swooning. 

Photo by Megan Weaver 

3. Jana Bek's ORC space showcases her new line of textiles and they are just so good. I cannot wait to get my hands on them for a project and Jana is just the best. 

4. I don't think another picture from the ORC grabs my attention quite like this kitchen from Design Manifest. That pop of persimmon and the Pierre Frey’s “Arty" fabric makes this space one of my faves. 

Photo by Courtney Apple Photography 

5. And I am pretty sure that if I had this bright and oh-so-blue bedroom from Elise at Her Heart and Home, I would want to stay in that crisp white bed all day. So much love for this space and all of it's details. 

Photo by Cameron Faye Photography 

6. I tried desperately to narrow it down to five to keep things simple, but I just could not. This boy's bunk room from A Storied Style  is just way too much fun not to include. I hope those boys know how lucky they are. They will remember that room all of their lives. This kind of space is what makes me excited and inspired to do my job and think outside of the ordinary zone. 

Photo by Brian McWeeney

So, minus the one rogue kitchen, bedrooms are on the brain. Maybe that means for the next ORC I should give mine some attention or at least my guest room where everything we don't know what to do with gets piled. 

This has been a lovely experience and I am truly grateful! Peace out for now. 

XO, Amanda Louise 

I'm a Wrapper

So shower and wedding season is upon us and that means so so so many gifts. I love buying gifts for showers, babies, and weddings, but I love wrapping them even more. There's nothing better than a beautifully packaged gift and gift bags are not my jam... boxes, paper, and ribbon for the win. It's always fun to add something unexpected to that package to set it apart on that crowded gift table, as well.

Wrapping Paper | Gold Cord (Similar)

This has been my go-to wrap lately. I've found that for every occasion it is perfect. This Marquin Designs Ice Marsh paper is based on one of Marquin's paintings and if you read my One Room Challenge reveal post you know what a fan I am of this Greenville girl. To keep everything simple, I bought a huge roll of gold cord that works for every occasion as ribbon. 

Of course, there's absolutely no fun in bringing the same exact package to every shower, wedding, and party so I've gotten creative with embellishing the package. 

This look was perfect for a wedding shower. I wrapped the package a few days before and then shortly before I left, I threw some white roses on that I had bought from Trader Joes for the house. It added the sweetest accent to the otherwise neutral package. 

Home Decor Tassels

Tassels have also been a go-to lately... honestly in all aspects of life, tassels just make things more fun. You can pick these babes up in any color imaginable in the sewing section of any craft store and they add so much fun and whimsy to a package. 

Bag Tassel (Similar)

Also... who wouldn't love the wrapping of a package to act as a gift in itself. I will put these bag tassels that used to be available from Urban Outfitters on anything, especially lamps. I ordered basically a million of them when they went on clearance so why not put them on packages as well. Then, they could be clipped on a bag or a lamp or whatever else the recipient wishes. I put one around Maisy's collar one day. She didn't dig it though, so I wouldn't advise them for adorning your animals. You can find these bag tassels all over Etsy or The Providence Story has some incredible options that could be a gift in itself. Don't even worry about filling the box. 

Air Plant

My favorite for a fun couple's wedding gift was just adding a simple air plant to the package. I watered it well before putting it on the package so it was good to go until the couple to get it to its new home. 

Add a gift tag and an envelope with care instructions for the plant and I can assure you that the extra touch put on these packages will not be forgotten. 

To snag some of this awesome wrap for your self or ANYTHING off Marquin's site until May 20th use the code WRAP at checkout. 

One Room Challenge

Photos by Cleland Studios 

Ok, So I feel like I have been on a wooden roller coaster for the past six weeks. The ones where you feel like your'e going up and down, around and around, and the whole thing has been bumpy and you thought you might crash a few times along the way. Yeah? You've been there? If you haven't been on the particular coaster I was last on (where the Wayne's World theme song played over and over only adding to the bliss), then you've been on something similar. Anyway, you want it to be over because you feel dizzy, tired and kind of like you might be sick. It's been exhilarating though, and along the ride you've had to hold on tight to the person beside you and now she's a good friend. It's all a blur, but when the ride stops you're really bummed and get right back in line for another ride. After a little rest, of course. 

Definitely getting back in line for the fall One Room Challenge. This ride has been too fun and challenging in a best way. 

Here we go! But first, one disclaimer... here lies ahead one million photos and one million words because there is so much to share. So so much. 

Stephanie from Olive and Tate and I have worked so so hard on this space and I really don't think I could be any happier with the turnout. I am so glad that she asked me to help her transform this space. Stephanie was comfortable with neutral spaces but wanted to interject some punch into this space. I think we did a great job keeping the space fresh but still adding in a ton of color and pattern. 

It has been the best time. Cheers to you, Steph! 

If you're just stopping in, you can check out the progress of the room throughout the six weeks here

One Room Challenge: Week One 

One Room Challenge: Week Two 

One Room Challenge: Week Three

One Room Challenge: Week Four 

One Room Challenge: Week Five 

Stephanie had these babes of chairs and dreamed of them being green velvet. We realized that green velvet and little human babes are not conducive, so we tried an alternative that you can see here and it was just plain awful. Awful. They have been described as La-Z-Boyesque, which is of course not at all what we were going for. They headed to the upholsterer for a second round and thank goodness they came back looking heavenly. Literally like heavenly clouds with nailhead detail. 

CB2 Coffee Table | Amazon Poufs | Nuloom Rug 

This CB2 Coffee table is just about the best coffee table I have ever seen in my whole life. I wrote an ode to it's versatility and kid-friendliness in last weeks post and I have been reciting it all week. The baby-proof edges and slide-like qualities are just too good for this household's little precious human inhabitant. We added re-covered Amazon poufs to add to the multi-purpose goodness and threw this crazy-good deal Nuloom rug in to carry some of the green weight that was taken away when we lost our green chairs in that tragic saga. 

Marquin Designs | Bennetts Frame and Art Gallery 

The incredible Marquin from Marquin Designs, painted this beauty for the space and she couldn't have done a better job creating an eye-catching focal point. Bennett's Frame and Art Gallery did a wonderful job with the gorgeous floater frame around this stunner as well. 

And there is that pool table where this all began. The pool table had to stay so we shifted the focal point of the room to create separate spaces and I think it worked out pretty darn well. The windows on this wall were also super oddly placed so we compensated with covering some of the wall space with panels to create some simulated balance. 

Here is a look at the before. Also, new windows have been installed and the panes now run in the same direction... That ones still a mystery.

TJ Breil | Slab Woodworking 

TJ Breil from Slab Woodworking did an incredible job taking Stephanie's once Billy Bookcase and transformed it into this stunner with it's custom dyed cherry wood top. This was a nod to Stephanie's husband. He loves their dark floors and the dark wood from the pool table so we tied it over to the other side of the room. That raw edge is yum, for real. I cannot believe what a huge difference taking the bookshelves off and adding this wood top made for the room. 

Wood Table on Casters | Tassel Pillows 

Wheaton and Whaley tassel pillows... hand tied tassels that just make for the best pillow. 

 At least pool tables have fringe on them, right? 

Wheaton and Whaley 

Elizabeth from Wheaton and Whaley created beautiful green, greek key and tassel pillows for the space. We added in the floral pillow from my stash to tie in the color scheme. 

Originally we were thinking these Hobby Lobby tray tables would become side tables, but once the space was laid out,  we realized they were perfect to use on the other side of the pool table. These trays fold so they can be put away when the babe is at play and brought out for entertaining. We decided to use them as boy/girl bars and hung art around them accordingly to fit the themes and Stpehanie and her husband's personalities. 

Wall Sconce | Tray Table (Similar) 

Boy Bar: All things bourbon, boxed water, ginger beer, and Tigertown. 

Sophie and Lili Print 

Girl Bar: Sparking everything... even straws. 

Painted Walls 

The very talented Andrea who does all things creative along with painting walls to make them look like only the best, most beautiful wallpaper, painted this animal print masterpiece for the space. There were moments when we thought this was just going to be too much, but I think it serves as a perfect backdrop for a large neutral piece. It's been a rare occurrence when too much actually ended up being too much in my decorating experiences. Too much is pretty much my happy place. 

Dana Gibson Tray 

Copper Table  | Bamboo Lamp (Similar) | Trim (Similar) | Panels 

These drapes were Ikea Lenda Panels that we had a seamstress add bands of persimmon silk and tape on the edges to give them a custom look. 

Curtain Rods  

We bought gold curtain rods from Amazon and had our friend TJ make custom gold bamboo finials for the ends. I love these things. Fo real. 

Inspiration | Dock Cleats | Rub and Buff 

We started with inspiration pulls from Anthro and although they were beautiful, they weren't exactly the right size and the price was not fantastic. So, in a late night text frenzy Stephanie and I decided that they sure did look like dock cleats (although I had no idea that's what they were called). Stephanie hails from a boating community and schooled me. She provided the hookup for the cleats and I provided the hookup for magic paint called Rub and Buff. It's seriously magic. 

Persimmon Tray 

A few weeks ago I found this vintage persimmon tray at one of my favorite Charleston shops, Indigo Market Charleston. It works perfectly to draw our color into the neutral kitchen. The doughnuts do a nice job of that too. 

Thanks for following along! This has just been so much fun. 

A huge thank you to Linda at Calling it Home. This One Room Challenge is so great for so many people and I thank you for heading it up. 

I cannot wait to see everyone else's completed spaces! Happy Thursday, Friends. 

xo, Amanda Louise