Inspiration Board: Upstairs (Blake's Half)

The upstairs is a very large space and we wanted to split it between the two of us.  We are both creative people; I need a studio space to design and create and Blake needs a relaxing space to listen to music and play drums (with my hammering and his drumming, this is going to be one noisy upstairs!).  The most challenging part of decorating this space is having both sides flow well together.  For Blake's space it's important to have a place for his drums, records, and record player.  As well as display some records and band posters without it looking like a college dorm room.
On a recent shopping trip to Bed Bath and Beyond, Blake pointed out an oriental rug that he liked and we began to gather ideas from there....

Inspiration Board: Bedroom

I was unsure on what direction I wanted to go for the bedroom until I saw the inspiration room photo here, and loved the way black, white, green, and gray were used. Our bedroom in our apartment now is decorated in black, red, and gray so it will be an easy transition. We already have just about everything for the bedroom, we just need bedding and some pieces for decor. The furniture was my first bedroom suite in my apartment in Savannah, GA and was painted cream and gold. We painted it black when I got a wild hair before we moved to Knoxville. The furniture is pretty feminine so I think the black and white combo with army green will help make it more gender neutral. 

Another Look

I try to stay current on appliances and pricing with weekly ads by way of computer. This seems like a good deal to me, bang for your buck, although I'm not up on my Frigidaire appliances. This is in the most recent Electronic Express ad out today. I've looked up customer reviews for Frigidaire, these models specifically, which are also carried by Best Buy, all with decent marks. Including four appliances in stainless steel, 26 cu. foot side by side fridge with ice, water and a self cleaning, flat top range for a $1,900 price point, I'd say it's a good deal. Tell me what you think. 

Frigidaire: The Kitchen of the Future!

DIY

I don't know if we mentioned that the house is about 200 miles from where we are living currently which isn't too far but not close enough to be working on it just yet. In the meantime we are doing small d.i.y. projects to be used in the house when all the big stuff is done. The last time we were home my Mom and I went thrifting and found some great stuff! We found two wall sconces for about $3 each, an iron one and a brass one. To make the brass sconce look more like the iron one we took an old necklace apart, wrapped the links around it and then spray painted it black. It was a fairly easy fix to make the two look more like a pair and I think they will look great on the wall in the living room!!

Inspiration Board: Guest Room

My absolute favorite color is turquoise and I wanted to use it somewhere in the house.  I think it's a little to bold for a wall color so we'll be using gray and painting a desk and possibly the side table turquoise to add pops of color.  I also want to use orange and silver as accent colors.  Since the house doesn't have too much closet space and I have a ton of clothes, I'm figuring out creative clothes storage ideas (suggestions welcome).  

Pressure and Time

A house remodel portfolio is in order. Paige has drawn floor plans and collected paint swatches including more deviations of white than a bridal warehouse. Yellow seemed like a good choice for the kitchen although we're having second thoughts. 

I've been searching DIY tutorials online and have enjoyed watching most. We're thankful that people have been offering us their older appliances, helping with furniture and fixtures. 

Recovering furniture seems like more of a headache than expected in all the explanations I've watched. 

This is a good tutorial of refinishing hardwood floors though with the real estate of our hardwood, it'd take a while to accomplish. 

Inspiration Board: Living Room

As an artist before I even start sketching I find images that inspire me. I've been doing this for the house on a cool website called Pinterest, you can virtually pin images from websites in one place. Since I started this my mind has changed a few times on what to do in each room so who knows what the finished product will look like. For now I put this board together to show the feel that I want to have in the living room; French provincial mixed with rock n' roll (I can get that to work, I think...). We already have the lamp and chair to the right. We're getting crafty and recycling pieces to use throughout the house, finding pieces for cheap or free. My mom has already started upcycling pieces for us to use (but that's for another post).