The Decorating Begins

After being in our house almost a year, we are finally ready to start decorating.  Since having the kitchen redone when we first moved in, we have not purchased anything and have only painted some chevron stripes in our glass cabinets and the wall of our family room red.  This is partly due to wanting to live in our house for a bit and learn how we live in it and partly because after buying the house, my husband needed to recover from the spending and interior design was not an option.

When it comes to where to start in our house, everywhere you look, we need furniture.  We literally have rooms that are sitting empty.  It is going to take some time to work through them all (or perhaps years) but with how much time we spend in the kitchen and family room, it was the obvious place to start.

On Monday I met with Hovie Interiors and am so excited for all the ideas they have.  We decided to hire a designer to help us find the big pieces and ensure we did not make any purchases that we would regret later.  I have too many ideas running through my head and need someone to help me sort them out.  It is going to be such a fun project and I am excited to get started.  This is what we are starting with in the family room.  

The only items that will remain are the coffee table, wall art (but who knows where they will go) and the red wall (I think....).  Other than that, it is going to have a major makeover.  

In the kitchen, we have already purchased rugs, a table and new bar stools (which I just ordered, are cowhide and I am obsessed) so all we really need is a chandelier and perhaps new handles. It definitely is not as big of a project as the family room will be.  

I will of course share the process with you and the final product as we begin looking at pieces, fabric and all the fun that goes into redecorating.  

Now, if I can stay in budget and keep my hubby from having a heart attack, all will go well.......

Mixer

As I continue to work on decorating our kitchen, the one thing that is missing is wall art.  I have gone back and forth on what I have wanted.  As previously stated, I have a VERY mixed up mind for decorating.  One day I am really traditional and then the next day I am 100% modern.  Apparently last Friday I was in a modern mood because I ordered this adorable Mixing Bowl print from Three Bees Design on Etsy.  

I customized it with red chevron stripes that should match the chevron stripes we painted in our glass cabinets.  They will be on opposite sides of the kitchen but I am really hoping the color comes out well.  Anyway, I should be receiving it shortly and cannot wait to see how it turns out.  Three Bees Design also has this really cute utensil one that I will definitely be ordering if I like how the mixing bowl turns out.

  I will definitely share a photo when they are up on the wall!

 Interested in seeing some other posts on decorating the kitchen?  Just click  here, here, here, and here!  

Owl

Truth be told, I feel like crap right now.  My cold that was supposed to go away is putting up a pretty good fight and apparently we (the cold and I) are battling it out to the very end.  I have been drinking apple cider vinegar like it is water, inhaling every fruit and vegetable that I can find and still it does not seem to be working.  Don't worry though, I am pretty stubborn too and like I said, there is NO WAY this cold is messing with the plans I have coming up.  One being lunch tomorrow with Brooke Jaffe, Fashion Director of Accessories and Shoes for Bloomingdales!  Cold or no cold, I will be there.  AND, my Best Friend arrives in town on Thursday so that we can head off to our other Best Friend's bachelorette party for the weekend.  See what I mean?  Give it your best shot cold, you will lose.

Even though I feel terrible and need to go rest, I could not leave without sharing these measuring cups and butter dish from West Elm.

I don't know why but I love them.  They are random, bright, eclectic and I just can't stop thinking about them.  This is what I get for looking at the catalog.  Just another thing I can add to the list of "since I moved I now need EVERYTHING new".  Oh to be able to register again....

A Place to Eat: Part 2

Remember when I ordered our new table and rug for our kitchen?

Well, they have arrived!

What do you think?

Table: Comforts of Home
Rug: Ballard Designs

I love that the navy brings some color to the area.

The table is perfect for the 5 of us and our dining room can take a break from hosting our little monkeys.

Now I just need to find some great kitchen wall art for the walls surrounding.

Perhaps something with a little orange?

And remember the clock I picked up?

That is up and running too.

My country kitchen is slowly coming together!

Time

While waiting for a gift to be wrapped I did what most people do and began "window shopping" for myself.  More often than not this leads to me "purchasing" for myself.  Today was no exception.  I blame Williams Sonoma and the 40 minutes it took to wrap my present.  It gave me entirely too much time to walk over to Pottery Barn, spot this clock, and purchase it with plenty of time to spare.  I am thinking it will make a great statement piece for the kitchen but we shall see.

Grand Hotel Clock

 

Change

Who doesn't love change?  I do!  In fact, I am obsessed with it and as soon as I decide one thing, I want to go in a different direction.  Perhaps Bi-Polar or perhaps, I am just a woman and that is what we do.  Anyway, when we purchased our house, part of the buying agreement was that the seller would redo the kitchen and butler pantry for us.  Why?  Because this is what it looked like.

Excuse the realtor and hubby

Not terrible, just SO NOT my taste,  Too dark, not a huge granite fan, no comment on the backsplash and overall, it was definitely something we would want changed.  So imagine our excitement when it all worked out and we knew the kitchen would be done before moving in.  Nothing like planning a kitchen remodel while packing up your house, having a sick family and living the crazy I call life.  BUT, I could not be more happy with the finished product.

Excuse my box of randoms coming from the old house.  I was too lazy to move it.

Baby Girl would not move, no matter how nicely I asked.

So MUCH BETTER!!  The countertops are a grey quartz, the backsplash is marble cararra, the paint is obviously white and I now know that I could never build a house because picking out three items was incredible stressful.  I cannot even imagine what designing an entire house would be like.