decorating

Decor Dilemma… I Need Your Help!

My latest obsession is Wayfair. Truly, I don’t think there is any item that I have done a search for on their site that I haven’t found in one fashion or another. Amazing! Even better- a few weeks ago I received a $100 Wayfair gift card from a friend. (Cheer of jubilation!) Since then my mind has been reeling about making the right purchase. I’m not in a place in my life where I want to acquire things I don’t need or won’t use. (Which is not to say I don’t have an extensive wish list.) I just want the things I purchase to serve a purpose and have a function (even if that function is in the form of art that is pleasant to look at). There are just so many choices… So I’ve decided to include my readers in the decision making process! I’m going to show you my top faves and ask you tell me your favorite in the comments. Whichever item gets the most love is the one I’m going to buy!

Firstly, if I want to be completely practical, my daughter could use a new dresser. The one we have was passed on to us from an uncle. I appreciate the notion of re-using items and giving them more life. It was an ugly pressed-board set that we painted white and gave new hardware. It has done it’s job, but no longer works very well. The drawers never stay on track, they fall on the drawer below making about all of them darn near impossible to open. You know how it goes. This Beachcrest Home Dresser was made in the USA (an optional search setting on Wayfair.com) and is already painted white! Yay!

Next, I really like this stand up mirror. Isn’t it so pretty? I think it would be perfect on the wall in my bedroom! Look at the detail! And I have to tell you that it is called the Sadie Mirror. Sadie Mirror! I mean, come on. It’s meant to be.

I’ve been wanting to replace the art that hangs behind my living room sofa for a long time. My mom and dad bought us a very nice print for our first apartment. It was exactly what I wanted; whimsy, cheerful, colorful… and I’m just tired of it. My tastes have changed. I think this “Blue Nest” print would update my space and compliment my curtains nicely. It evokes the farmhouse feel that I love while keeping the colors and textures simplified. I just think it’s beautiful. (Side note: The name Sadie’s Nest, was more of an epithet to capture my home, but I am surprised how many birds, poultry, fowl, and the related items I literally have around my house. The endearment is real.)

 

The aforementioned fondness of bird decor is also why this “Usual Suspects Birds on a Wire” print is in the running for the same spot. How cute are those birds on a wire! Is it me? My mom has had this great, retro, pewter birds on a wire necklace that I love. My sister has it… it’s a sore spot. (Not really.) Needless to say, my affection runs deep, and I think this too would look great hanging above the sofa.

   

Wayfair has so much more than just furniture and home decor. I could go bananas in the kitchen department. Their selection of tableware, small appliances, cookware, gadgets, linens, etc. is huge! However, due to my already full storage I have to be selective. Which is why I’ve narrowed my search down to oven-safe soup bowls. For years I have wanted to place my individual servings of French Onion Soup under the broiler to melt and slightly brown my Gruyère… to no avail. So, it’s only right that they be included in the possibilities! But here’s the other thing, I can’t decide on which style… so if this is your pick, I am also leaving that up to you! (Be specific please.) The selections are: Graupera Pottery Artisans bowls made in Spain, the white Le Creuset, or the clear glass Luminarc bowls made in the USA.

Last, but not least, is the option of this bench from the Wayfair French Country Bedroom collection. I’ve wanted to replace the treadmill with a dainty bench under the window from the moment we set it up. (I’d probably use it a lot more too.) I think this Mayotte Two Seat Bench would really transform the whole space. La vie en rose.

I could go on… but I don’t want to overwhelm you with choices. Do you see my dilemma? And don’t even get me started on TV stands! Maybe one day I’ll do this again with only entertainment centers? (That’s a good idea!) Until then, I would truly be happy, over-the-top elated with any of these! I can’t wait to hear what you think and I am looking forward to putting my gift card toward good use on the winner!

Feature image courtesy of Wayfair French Country Bedroom collection.

Comments are closed and the decision has been made! Thank you everyone who took the time to comment below and on Facebook! It was a close vote, only winning by one… but the results are in… and I ordered the dresser! Thanks again to everyone who commented. 🙂

At The Nest

There’s nothing like the joy of a toy-filled Christmas… to make me reassess our home organization- specifically the kids bedrooms. Oh, the inspirational clutter of packaging, Lego pieces and Barbie clothes. Although to be fair, I’ve been contemplating a plan to take down the nursery for a while. We are fortunate to live in a home that provides 5 bedrooms upstairs, which gives each of our kids their own room. Except, one of the rooms is significantly smaller than the others. When my grandparents built this home, they had six children in mind. Their oldest son was given the smallest room, but the trade off was that he didn’t have to share. The only daughter in the family was given her own room, and the other two bedrooms were shared by two boys each. When we first bought this home, my desire was to turn that smaller room into an upstairs laundry area (dreamy sigh). However, when baby number four arrived, it was the perfect solution for the nursery. Now that he had outgrown the crib, it was time for another transformation. Originally I thought of one of those cute raised beds, which offers more floor space or a little area for a desk. Then in a stroke of brilliance (possibly overstated) it came to me… the youngest two boys could share a room and I could turn the smaller room into their own personal play area!

It worked out well considering my youngest son received a wooden train table for Christmas, that wouldn’t have conveniently fit in his room with a twin sized bed. (And I really didn’t want it in my living room). I must admit, that my motives might have also been a little selfish- in that I was hopeful the two boys might be more apt to sleep through the night in their own room if they weren’t alone. I think that’s actually why my second-youngest son was so keen on the suggestion. Well that, and the promise of a play room.

I wanted their playroom to reflect their bedroom somewhat, so I kept the blue and white theme with the curtains and toy box. The boys’ bedroom was easy to complete, we just had to steal their sister’s bed frame; which originally was part of a bunk bed set that she split with her brother. As luck would have it, Pottery Barn Kids still carried the striped quilt to match the other. (Well actually to make it a perfect match I need to wash it a couple more times.)

Thankfully, I still had my old bed frame in the basement. And I finally made my first Wayfair purchase! I ordered a made in the USA pillow top mattress, shipped to my front door for free! (Which sure beats trying to slide one over the top of my kids heads in the minivan. Hurray!)

I think the best part of this whole undertaking was the car load of items we were able to drop off at Goodwill, and the broken toys, odds, and ends we kicked to the curb. Sayonara!

(And if you’re wondering, the “Sadie’s Nest” pillows were a thoughtful Christmas gift to me from my parents created at collage.com)

Identity Crisis -of Sorts

It’s in those times, when you’re ready to do a full-on overhaul; because nothing you’ve done seems right, when you have to ask yourself the hard questions: “Who am I? …Do I even have a style?” It’s as if all the sudden, or actually maybe it’s been progressively happening for a while… anyway it is in this moment… that I admit I can’t stand the color of my kitchen!

Oh sure, like half of America, I’ve been watching Fixer Upper. And I’ve convinced myself that unless Chip and JoJo Gaines come and do a complete renovation; tear down walls, access all natural light and put up as much shiplap as we can find, my home will never be complete. Of course, without any real experience taking care of animals, I consider myself to be a farm girl. So naturally I have a tendency to think my home should resemble a farmhouse… But in reality I’m far more traditional (and my backyard is more pool than lawn). I do appreciate country decor; primitive, traditional and inspired by folk art. I really love English Cottage. I can be carried away by the contrasting elegant and rural touches of French Country… the idea of a beautiful chandelier with tear drop glass prisms over a rustic farm table. Swoon. I’ve been known to walk out of Pier I with curtains replicating fabrics straight out of Bombay. I love my traditional Irish plaid wool blanket we brought home from the Emerald Isle (it’s my favorite throw for the back of our rocker)! Maybe my “look” is considered eclectic? But I don’t want to be eclectic! What does that really mean anyway? Hodgepodge-esque? (Which is even more upsetting when you add in that on any given day I’m really inclined to feel like I live in a toy store!)

Thankfully, before I got too crazy, my mother talked me out of painting all of the refurbished brick in my living room around the fireplace. It seemed far less permanent to paint the walls a trendy light blue/gray. So in true DIY form I put down drop cloths and rolled out a color coating adjacent to the brick, and fortunately I only covered 1 and half walls before I came to my senses and realized I hated it. It’s sooo bad. Ugh! But I really like the black cast-iron-ish paint we put over the out-dated brass fireplace frame. And I love the darker stain I put on the mantle. Baby steps. Slowly I’m figuring it out, I’m thinking I am Country Cottage (it makes sense in my head)… and soon I will tackle that kitchen.