BEFORE // CLAIRE'S BEDROOM MAKEOVER

Were you inspired by Lauren's amazing bedroom makeover? I sure was! My bedroom has been on my makeover list for awhile. My husband and I have a decent size three bedroom apartment but our bedroom is pretty small, so we don't spend much time in there apart from sleeping. Because of that, I haven't worried too much about how it looks. It's always been a rotating random mess of hodgepodge items and decor. I'm finally ready to clear out and decide on exactly what look I want for the room. Instead of walking into the room every day and hating the way it looks, I'm excited to create a comfortable bedroom space that will help me relax and feel at peace!

Here are a few goals I have for the room:
• Paint the walls white to brighten the room. Our landlord painted before we moved in and I HATE the two shades of green she chose!
• DIY a wood headboard (like this one) for the bed.
• Night stands on both sides of the bed. The space is small so beside tables can be tricky. I found some inspiration here. Now to figure out if I DIY or buy.
• New window treatments and bedding.
• Pick out new artwork that compliments the neutral color pallet.
• Find mirror for above the dresser?

Have any ideas or suggestions for me? I always love to hear your creative ideas!
Also, please excuse these not so flattering few photos. With one window and not a lot of natural light, plus those ugly green wall (they MUST GO!), the room doesn't photograph so well.

{Claire}

BEFORE // Lauren's Bedroom Makeover

Hey guys! We're starting off this Monday with a little peek at my bedroom. I was super inspired by Claire's oh-so-lovely living room make over and decided that my boudoir was in needed of a bit of freshening up. It's the room where we spend the bulk of our time but somehow it was neglected when it came to designing and decorating the rest of our apartment. Most of the elements in the room are an after thought and I'm ready for the room to feel a bit more intentional and "grown up".

I love that our bedroom gets ton of natural sunlight but it's a pretty tiny space, only about 8 feet by 10 feet or so. There's barely enough room to fit our bed and dresser in there comfortably but I like to think of it as cozy. ;)  I've tried rearranging the room about a million different times but it's current layout seems to work best. I'm happy with the furniture we currently have, it's functional and pretty enough. So I'm looking to update the room by refreshing the paint, updating the bedding, organizing, decluttering, and rethinking the overall vibe of the room.

What do you think? Should I bring in more color? Ditch the vintage school map hanging above our bed? Play with textures in textiles? It was so fun to read your suggestions and tips for Claire's living room make over, so lay them on me! I can't wait to get started redecorating and share the final reveal with you later this month!

{Lauren}

BEFORE // Claire's Living Room Makeover

"Spring Cleaning" has crept up a couple months early in my home. Wanting my apartment to feel a bit less cluttered, I've slowly started to go through my place, purging unwanted and unused items while also working on some redecorating. The first room to conquer: my living room. When you walk in the front door this is the first room you see. I like a lot of the elements in the room, but want it to feel more polished and convey a cohesive overall look. It's time to ditch some old furniture that doesn't work well in the space and give the room a few upgrades and "TLC". Here are some photos and ideas of what I'd like to accomplish.

Find a new solution to hold the DVD's. This bookshelf works fine, but I really don't like that every thing in the shelves are on display. Now with streaming services like Netflix and Hulu Plus, my husband and I barely watch any of our DVD's. I plan on donating at least half of them and then creating a solution to hide and hold the rest. Maybe put them in the tv stand? Getting rid of this bookshelf will also free up some space by the couch. Maybe a nice place for an end table?

Sorry tv stand, you gotta go! Bite marks (from an old roommate's dog), dents from being dropped during a couple moves, and the fact that the wood stain doesn't match any of our other living room furniture....it's officially time we parted ways. My goal is to get something a bit wider and taller, to fit the space more appropriately as well as find a piece that will hold more to hide some of the clutter.

Reorganize plants. It's no secret I have a slight obsession with plants. I love having my back porch full of greenery in the summer, but when winter arrives and all the plants come inside, it can be a bit overwhelming. I think it might be time to pair down my plants, only keeping a select few.

I really like the large amber table lamp we have between our couch and chair, but I've never liked the original lampshade it came with when I found it at a thrift store. Also it takes up a bunch of room, so I'm thinking of moving it to a different room and purchasing a floor lamp instead.

A lighter colored rug, maybe new couch pillows, and curtains for all three windows (instead of just two) will be subtle changes that will make a significant change to the room.

Do you have any suggestions for my living room? I'll be back in a few weeks to show you the transformation! While you're waiting, check out the before and after of my porch makeover.

{Claire}

BEFORE // Claire's Back Porch Makeover

One of the (many) things I love about my apartment is the back porch.  When the weather nice, my husband and I spend countless hours outside: whether its having a cup of coffee and reading a book in the morning, playing a board game and enjoying a cold pint of beer, or grilling with friends and having a nice dinner outside, our porch is used constantly.  Every spring we bring lots of our house plants outside, plant some herbs in pots, put out a knickknack or two and voilà! that's the extent of our porch decorations.

Since it is a space that we spend so much time in, I decided this season I want to give it a bit of a make over.  Below are a couple of snapshots of the current state of my porch.  We'll call these the "Before" photos. My goal is to give the space more warmth and comfort through decoration and by reorganizing the way I display my plants.  You can see my inspiration and design ideas on our PORCH Pinterest board.  Can't wait to share how it turned out.  Stay tuned!









{Claire}

Chuck, my adorable 6 year old pug, decided she wanted to jump in the photos and say hi to everyone on FOXTAIL + MOSS.