Out Early

I'm making an unexpected trip to Chicago. I don't know all the details, but some exciting and crazy things are going down!

Our Office's Little Beginnings

This weekend I started working on our little home office (a.k.a husband's second home for the next 3 years of law school). As much as I would love to make this a home office out of the pages of Adore magazine, this room's main priority is being the best work space for my husband. So, we're keeping it simple, a no fuss kind of office space.

My husband's only request was that the surface space be large. I was way ahead of the guy. A long while ago I knew I wanted a desk that felt spacious and natural. I did not want a chunky piece of furniture with a million drawers and a hutch, but something that felt light and was off the ground. I love these looks below if I was creating an office for me and not a manly man.

 images via Pinterest 

So. . . I decided to build my own desk. After looking at legs, table tops, and prices it seemed a simple decision to go with this Ikea table top and these legs. Then, just days after I purchased my desk, and was waiting for it to ship, the design gods told Bryn from Bryn Alexandra to post an office project she was working on where she built using the same table top. I followed her directions in staining the top and here is what we are looking at now. . .

I threw some things on the desk to give you an idea of it's awesome potential, but my husband's books quickly replaced my design books.

Expressions Furniture

Just this last week I was sitting in the car while my husband filled it up with gas and I saw a furniture store with the most colorful and stylish window display across the street. I told my husband I had to go inside and so I dropped him off at home to do some home work and headed back to Expressions Furniture.

Expressions Furniture is the first stylish and selective furniture store I have seen since moving here to St. Louis. The walls are lined with fabric rolls and their back room is laid out in a put-your-furniture-dream-together with fabric and rug swatches scattered everywhere. I scoped out three other furniture stores that same day only to find that every other store have a very traditional style and didn't offer any creativity or other style choices. The owner of Expressions Furniture hand selects her furniture pieces for her floor and the options are endless for the customer. You can buy a piece as is or you can pick your fabric, color, piping or no piping, throw pillow choices, the options are endless for a piece unique to you.

I only had an hour to look around, but I spent it grilling the owner about her furniture selections and we definitely bonded over a few pieces.

This couch is incredibly comfy and has the perfect touch of pink piping.Yes, it could be a girlie couch, but I could definitely see it in my living room with a few different green and blue throw pillows to make it a little more guy friendly.

My favorite pieces in this photo are the gold and mirrored coffee table (check out that leg action going on under there!) and I was dying over the floor rugs. They're like a mod twist on kilim rugs.

This purple Moroccan table was calling my name. It would have come home with me had I been. . . rich. See those amazing drapes? Yup, the owner's stylist grabbed some fabric and put those together. I want those for my windows!

I held this number in my hands for a while. Who isn't in need of an embroidered colorful bird pillow?

These side tables were a part of the window display that pulled me in in the first place.

I apologize for the window shot, but I needed a picture of the back of this chair. That pineapple lamp? Love the color and the large shade.

With so many options, you all would have been drooling in their too.

Room of the Week

Happy Friday! Last night my husband and I went to a concert in the park, he has some surprise outing planned for tonight, and tomorrow we are hitting up the Downtown Art Fair! Is there anything exciting on your radar this weekend?

Before I checked out, I pulled this from my inspiration file and wanted to share with all of you. I love design that is effortless. That looks lived in, has evolved, and will continue to change. All of the sofa pillows look used and comfy. I love the fabric draped over the sofa and those gold photo frames, gold mirror, and the rest of the artwork reflected in the mirror look discovered and meaningful to the person who's life is lived there. I find it to be a beautiful and calming room.

image via belle maison

Cane Chairs

See this photo? I pinned it on pinterest 2 months ago. Reason: I was in love with the chairs and decided I wanted some for our living room. I loved the small scale, but gorgeous possibilities with the chair frame and fabric.

We have been in dire need of more seating in our living room. Our one couch is not cutting it.

After 2 months of searching I found a pair of chairs very similar to the style above. I found a pair of CANE CHAIRS!!! I picked them up this morning and they are perfect. Cane chairs are great for a small space, like our apartment. They don't feel chunky, sit off the ground and the overall frame is petite.  I can't wait to paint and reupholster them!

Take a look at some other great cane chairs.

       

  images via pinterest and apartment therapy

Faux Bamboo Furniture

The other morning on craigslist I found a faux bamboo dresser for $30! It was an absolute steal so I had to get it. It wasn't until I picked it up that I found out it had been in a smoke filled house and smelled awful. I drove home with my windows down and changed my clothes when I got home because the smell was so strong.

I let the dresser air out a couple days in the back parking area of our apartment and then moved it down to the basement. I hope to clean it up, sand it down and repaint it. If I can get the smoke smell out I know it will be a beautiful piece of furniture.

In honor of my new dresser (who has seen better days) I wanted to show you some great faux bamboo pieces that create another level of interest and texture to a room.

Faux bamboo side table

 Faux bamboo nesting tables

 Faux bamboo credenza

 My two favorite gold faux bamboo mirrors which are both show in pretty pink rooms. I would give anything to have one of these.

 Faux bamboo chippendale chairs in a Jonathan Adler design

Faux bamboo chippendale chairs in the home of designer Diane Bergeron

images via pinterest, centsational girl, lonny

How do you feel about faux bamboo? My husband called it wicker. No! It is not wicker. Some people still like wicker, I am not one of those people. Never did like it and I don't think I ever will.

ONE MONTH- Building a mini closet

We've been in our new place for one month now, but half of that time we've spent driving around the country visiting family. We got unpacked fairly quickly because we had family come stay with us soon after we arrived. However, with twice as much square footage, all of our unpacked boxes have left every room looking a bit empty. I have already started projects and have great plans to fill our place.

One of those projects was addressing the closet space issue. As much as my husband and I LOVE our St. Louis apartment, we have one tiny closet in our bedroom. I mean tiny. We each have a 2 1/2 foot rod to hang all our clothes.  My husband uses his nightstand for the rest of our clothes and I use our dresser, but this organized mess has been sitting in our room for the last month.

A bit unsightly. My first thought was to have my husband build us more storage, a mini closet or dresser looking type of closet. After my husband reminded me that he does not own the tools to do such a project right now my mind went to Ikea. Ikea has inexpensive storage solutions, but I had googled Ikea locations long before we moved out to St. Louis and I was a bit sad to find our nearest store to be 256 miles away. After the thousands of miles we've driven in the last month I was not about to hop in the car for another road trip. So, after a bit more searching, Target came to the rescue and I was able to buy individual storage pieces to assemble my own mini closet. Here is what we ended up with.

 

 It isn't a custom built walk in closet, but it works.