Quick and Easy Bathroom Upgrades

Quick and Easy Bathroom Upgrades

After kitchens bathrooms are the most commonly renovated room in your house and lying back in a spa tub after a long day is a whole bunch of awesome…right!

If you don’t have budget or you live in an apartment where you can’t bring in a contractor to start swinging a sledgehammer and gutting the place, don’t despair. There are some quick and easy bathroom upgrades you can do all by yourself and finish in a weekend or even an afternoon. Your bathroom will look just like new and most of these tips cost less than $100 and no contractor required.

Quick and Easy Bathroom Upgrades

1. Get new accessories. Head over to Bed, Bath & Beyond and score yourself a new toothbrush holder. Okay well a little more than a toothbrush holder, if you have a vanity full of stuff the upgrade to some new accessories, a nice unique dish for soap, you can use a mason jar to hold toothbrushes. Just spruce up what goes on the vanity.

2. Clean off the countertop. While you’re sprucing up the vanity with some new accessories start clearing off the clutter. Nice bottles and accessories look good aspirin bottles do not. Put away the shaving cream the razors and anything else that can go into the medicine cabinet or a drawer.  Here is some help de-cluttering your bathroom.

3. Now get some art. Add some sculpture or some piece of art to the vanity find some that can handle the moisture of the bathroom.

4. Add a table lamp. Soften the light in the bathroom with a small table lamp, perfect when you want to relax in the bath and don’t want glaring overhead lights disturbing your relaxation.

5. Switch out your mirror. Your mirror is one of the focal points of the room simply changing the mirror and you can change the whole look of the room.

6. Switch out your shower curtain. Get rid of the icky shower liner and get a bright colored shower curtain to liven the room up.

7. While you’re throwing out the funky shower curtain get rid of the bathmat too. Try something different; instead of a rug get a bath mat made from stone or mold resistant wood. If you’re a traditionalist then grab a rug, it is a cheap way to change to look.

8. Add a fresh coat of paint. Paint is your friend, a new color on the walls can make your bathroom look bigger and brighter. Most cabinets can be repainted as well so don’t forget them too.

9. Put up a wall decal. If you are unable to paint because it’s rental property you can grab some brilliant wall decals for next to nothing. They leave no marks when it is time to take them down either.

10. Get a new bathrobe. Does your ugly old terry cloth robe look like something your granny would wear? Then treat yourself to a new one, find a nice kimono or something stylish and luxurious.

11. Switch out your fixtures and hardware. Your local hardware store has some beautiful pieces that can totally change the look and feel of your bathroom, or look online. You’ll have no problem grabbing something gorgeous and

Categories: Home Design

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Give Your House the Makeover You Want

Give Your House the Makeover You Want

We all want homes that we can be proud of, beautifully designed with exquisite pieces of furniture and accessories that manage to pull everything together perfectly.

But….

Not everyone has the money, time, resources or the skill to get the results they want.  Some people work tirelessly and spend a great deal of money to make their home the perfect show piece they have always dreamed about, while others just want a house that works for them.  It doesn’t matter which category you fall into (but if you’re reading a blog about design I am guessing it is the former) your choices of paint colors and proper maintenance of your home are both going to play a part.  Painting is a cheap and effective tool to give your house the makeover you want or to make it functional and relaxing.

  1. Show Your Personality: You don’t want to live in some bland house that looks boring.  What are you into?  What are you passionate about?  What colour would describe your personality, I am pretty sure you’re personality isn’t beige.  Before you start slapping your favorite colour on the wall, think first about what your goals are.  If you plan to stay in your home long term then let your personality shine through.  If the house is a short term stay and you plan to sell in the near future then strike a balance between personality and what will appeal to a potential buyer.
  2. Make Your Home Look New: No matter how well you maintain your home and how clean you are there will come a time when the paint looks drab and dull.  Painting breathes new life into your home and conveys pride of ownership.  Painting just isn’t for the living room keep the outside of your house in mind too, it will need to be repainted on a regular basis too.
  3. Warm and Welcoming: Does the color of your front door make people want to come into your home?  Simply changing the color of your front door can totally change the look of the exterior of your home.  On top of that if you plan on selling your house a new door is one of the best returns on investment. Coordinate your door with the exterior of your but use contrasting colors to make your door pop.
  4. First Impressions: You get one shot at this and peeling paint isn’t going to cut it.  Pay special attention to the places people come into first, your entryway or foyer, the door and of course the outside.  Will you paint and paint color make a good first impression?
  5. Add Color to Door & Shutters: Your front door takes a ton of abuse, and it is going to show after a while. A fresh coat of paint can make guests feel welcome and make your house look cared for.  Your shutters, can do the same thing and no they don’t have to be the same colour as the door.  Personally I love bright colors rather than the tired old black or white shutters you see on every other house.

Categories: Home Design

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Southwestern Rugs

Trying To Find A New Area Rug When You’re Obsessed With Every Southwestern Rug You See

I’ve recently been digging into Southwestern Home decor and Native American inspired design. If you’ve ever found yourself going down this road then you know how tricky it is to settle on the furniture pieces you love. Why? Because everything is so different. Their designs are so bright and colorful that you can’t really just say, ‘I’d like a red rug’. A red rug will be accompanied with so many other crazy colors. There isn’t really just a ‘red rug’ in Southwestern design, nor would you want to just order a red rug. What a waste.

 

Southwestern rugs are all so different and it’s been so hard for me to pick the one I love. Not to mention, the room that I’m beginning to decorate is completely empty so I can really go in any direction I want with it. I figured I’d start with the rug and build out my interior design scheme from there. “Find a rug you love you love and then build up from there” has usually been the interior design wisdom I try to follow when I’m able. So anyway, here’s a roundup of the designs that I’m considering. All of these design are from Southwestern Rugs Depot. This post isn’t sponsored by them, but I love their designs, they’re all made in the USA, and one of the owners spent so much time with me answering questions and even suggesting different designs, that I will definitely be buying my rugs from them (if I can ever decide, that is). If you’d more of their work and more beautiful Southwestern rug designs go to southwesternrugsdepot.com.

Southwestern Area Rug Photo

Southwestern area rug photo

rustic southwestern rug design

area rug photo

modern southwest rug design photo

rustic area rug in southwest style

As You Can See All of These Southwestern Area Rugs Are Each Amazing

Let me know what you guys think! Do you have a favorite?

Categories: Home Design

My Interior Design Methodology

Decoration is one of the largest factors in what shapes my mood and outlook on the day. I personally depend on being surrounded by the aesthetics and organizational elements that are present in my room. Though the overall appearance and flow of my bedroom has a large importance to me, the smaller individual elements leave bigger impacts. After my grandmother passed away, I was given small little decorative pieces that she once placed all around her room. Simple and tiny decorations, such as a little bronze bear sculpture and small glass ornaments, reminds me of all of my memories that I’ve made with her, and also light up my room.

 

Once given her small pieces, I developed a love for filling in spaces with small antiques and trinkets from thrift stores as well. Though they may not be designer or have the most well-made designing schemes to them, they still hold a story and history. It’s all about how they are placed in a room, how they interact with other pieces, and how they make me personally feel to really help them embrace a second life of display. I typically put these small knicknacks in spots where I know they will be noticed. Glass decorations will be hung or sat by windows to catch the sun and reflect light into the room. Minuscule, yet weighted, pieces are used as paperweights or bookends so that they are felt and appreciated every time they are adjusted or moved. The idea and message behind decoration can fall into many categories or organizations for each individual person, but to me personally I use my decor as fragments of memories and history.

 

They tell stories, contribute to a comfort and homey feel in my room, and also typically have a whimsical or vintage appearance to them. To me, decoration matters because it keep memories and stories alive, even as time progresses forward.

 

 

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Travels & Trip-ups: Turkey

Hagia Sophia, Photo credit: Margaret Pate

Pattern in cobblestone path, Photo credit: Margaret Pate

Dome Madness, Photo Credit: Margaret Pate

Ever since I worked in the fashion industry, I’ve traveled alone. It is pretty much a prerequisite that if you are going to model you have to be well adjusted enough to coordinate your life even in countries where the language is so foreign you confuse a word for a sneeze or cough. So I’ve been to my fair share of places: Italy, France, England, Switzerland, Japan, Thailand, and Singapore. In Asia, I was constantly stared at, which is rather unnerving. I would second guess every move I made for fear that I might offend someone. More often than not, I would spend months completely alone. No human contact except for occasional emails to home and orders from my agent to go there and do this. When I was living in Milan, my mom came to visit me during a rather rough patch. We took time together riding on trains, eating pasta, visiting quaint villages along the coast of Italy. Cultures are best absorbed with people you love, I’ve come to experience. While working in Singapore, my dad came to visit me. I remember greeting him for the first time. That hug was the first time I had been hugged in over 4 months. I am not a touchy feelie person but that moment remains one of only good experiences I had in Singapore.Turkish Cottage, Photo Credit: Margaret Pate

Heading down to dip my toes in the Aegean

Aegean Sea, Photo Credit: Margaret Pate

Fish netting at the seaside, Photo credit: Margaret Pate

Against friends and family members’ wishes, I headed out for an adventure in Turkey this past October.  I’ve always been a history nerd. Seeing the landscape and ruins that had been echoing in my head since school was breathtaking. I hadn’t expected to feel so welcome there. The food, the architecture, the art, the COFFEE…it was a great time…on the ground. Naturally, I loathe flying. Spending more than 8 hours in an airport or one airplane for that matter is just short of a prison sentence. The only negative point of this trip happened to be my flight back where I contracted food poisoning or something similar thus condemning me to the bathroom or forcing a barf bag to be attached to my face. Here are a few more pictures from my most recent trip that reflect the good times that were had rather than the latter on the flight back.

Lunch under apple trees, Photo credit: Margaret Pate

Spice Market in Istanbul, Photo Credit: Margaret Pate

Library ruins in Ephesus, Photo Credit: Margaret Pate

Arch in Istanbul, Photo Credit: Margaret Pate

Hanging lamps galore in Bazaar of Istanbul, Photo Credit: Margaret Pate

Lunch in a cave, Photo Credit: Margaret Pate

Sunset in Istanbul, Photo credit: Margaret Pate

Hoping to share more of my travels with you if I can ever find the photos from them.

-Maggie

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Pink

Doug got me these pretty carnations a few nights ago.

I made raspberry macarons.
Valentines day is coming. I got this card from My Zoetrope.
Packing up orders from our shop and our sample sale and putting candy hearts and lollipops in every order.
I had a sample made of wallpaper from a painting I did and Maggie edited. It looks pretty, I’m ready to get a roll using a high res image.
Life is okay today.
xxo,
Beca

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