A Nursery for Margaux

It's hard to believe that we moved to Michigan almost two months ago! The days have been busy with settling in, adjusting to our new surroundings, and exploring this cute little town. Our housing situation is pretty temporary as we figure out our next step (to rent or to buy, that is the question!) but we're doing our best to make things feel cozy and like home.

I knew that the first room I wanted to tackle was Margaux's nursery. She's 14 months now, that age where she's definitely not a baby anymore but also not a full blown toddler either. I wanted her room to inspire creative play and foster independence while still channeling calm and peaceful vibes. I took a lot of cues from the typical Montessori-style room and sprinkled in our own sweet bohemian style.

Margaux loves loves books! She likes being read to but she's also exploring sitting quietly by herself, flipping through pages, and "reading" to her dolls. I created a cozy nook that is devoted solely to story time. The shelves are just the right height for her to choose the book she wants to read and having a chair of her own to rock in definitely makes her feel like a big kid (this vintage rocking chair sat in my nursery long long ago!)

This cubby shelf makes organizing toys so simple. Staying in line with Montessori philosophy, we only keep a few toys out for Margaux to play with at any given time and everything is within her reach. Extra toys are stored in baskets and we switch out and rotate play things every couple days. This has worked really great for us. Margaux never gets bored or over stimulated and my minimalist heart loves that there's not toy clutter everywhere!

The 'Live Wild, Flower Child' window painting is from our baby shower. I love that it hangs in her room now. I think about the sweetest memories whenever I look at it!

Hands down, my favorite piece in the room is this woven rug from Armadillo & Co (you can find the exact rug here)! It's made of the softest jute so not only is it way comfy to sit and play on, but it's extra sturdy and durable. The perfect combo for a kiddo room. It also happens to be, like, the most beautiful rug I've ever laid eyes on, don't you agree!?

The nursery is forever a work in progress as Margaux grows and her needs change but for now we really love spending time in this room. Now if we could just convince her to sleep in her crib through the night! What do y'all think? Have questions about sources or about Montessori style toddler rooms? Leave me a comment below!

DIY Leather + Dowel Textile Display with Centered by Design

It's been a couple of months since we partnered with the darling Claire Hurwitz of Centered by Design to give our little studio a big makeover. Check it out HERE if you missed it. Today, Claire is sharing her DIY for the Leather + Dowel Hanging Textile Display. It's absolutely one of our favorite elements of the makeover and makes such an impact on our bare white walls. We love that we can switch up textiles and play with color and texture whenever we're feeling bored! Take it away, Claire...

This Leather and Dowel Textile Display served as a decorative and versatile focal point in the girls’ studio makeover. It's also one of the fastest and highest impact DIY projects I’ve ever done! Check out the directions below. - Claire

Supply List:
Wooden dowel from hardware store (we used a 1” x 72” hardwood round)
Leather strips from craft store (we used 1.5” x 42” cut to our desired length)
Brass wood screws with matching brass washers (depending on your wall you may need drywall anchors)
Power drill
A level may help

Directions:
Determine best location for your dowel and measure from the floor up making sure your marks (for holes) are level and even.
Pre-drill your holes with power drill bit.
Use drill to put screws through both layers of leather securing leather to wall, creating the loop that will hold the dowel.
Place your dowel through the leather holders, and hang your favorite textiles!
You could get fancy and stain your dowel with some wood stain. Or paint it if you want to change up the color.

We tried hanging one, two and three textiles on the 72″ inch rod. I like the layered look best, but if you have one really large textile this display is a great option too. Bonus- I think it would also look fabulous as a headboard of sorts!

(Textiles: Territory, Lost Girls Vintage)

Thanks so much for sharing this DIY, Claire! Check out Claire's blog for tons of design and interior inspo. And don't forget to follow her on Instagram for a dose of lovely rooms and spaces on the daily!

About a Chair (from White to Bright with Chairish!)

Are you guys hip to Chairish? An online market place of impeccably curated pre-owned and vintage treasures, the site makes it fun and easy for the design inclined to buy and sell furniture, knick knacks, art, jewelry, and the like. It's like Craigslist for the cool kids, with none of the creepy and questionable junk and only all the raddest vintage finds!

Recently Chairish enlisted us to take a room from "white to bright", centering the design around a colorful accent chair. We poured through the pages upon pages of Chairish goodies until we fell head over heels for this golden velvet tufted Hollywood Regency chair. We can't get enough of the glam 70's thing it's throwing our way. Room challenge accepted. Let's do this!

Chair / Lighting / Ottoman / Pillows here + here / Antlers / Rug

Claire and I are both big on neutrals in our own homes- we dig the calm and centered feeling they give our spaces. You'll find lots of white walls with accents of rich wood furniture and tons of plants and greenery. But to keep things from getting too bland, we build off our pale palettes with big bold pops of color, like bright textiles or pillows and vibrant art work on the walls.

For this challenge we did the exact opposite. No more playing it safe for us- bring on the color! The lush chair and vivid turkish kilim rug make brilliantly eye catching focal points in the room. We love how the gold in the rug and the gold of the chair play off each other in just the right way without being too matchy matchy. We accented with stacks of neutral throw pillows and a pile of faux antlers to tone things down a bit and add an earthy element. Also because every room just looks that much cooler with a nonchalant pile of antlers strewn about, no? The bamboo and faux fur ottoman give some warmth and texture in a subtle way. And then let's talk about the rattan globe chandelier...drool. We're thinking a hanging fern or two (oh! or maybe this piece) and we're ready to move right in! We absolutely adore the vibe this room has going on. Playful and colorful with out being obnoxious, vintage while still feeling modern, and cozy but still cool. What do you think?

Feeling inspired to infuse your space with a splash of color? We definitely are! Shop Chairish's accent chair collection to score some vintage goodness and get a dose of bold hues (now even easier with this handy app for your phone!) Happy hunting!

We're loving...Fig+Yarrow Atmosphere Mist

We've recently become completely smitten with Fig+Yarrow.  This small batch organic health/beauty line originating in Denver, Colorado is creating amazing products with earth elements like roots, leaves, flowers, minerals, and oils. Our favorite from F+Y is the atmosphere mist.  We spray it on EVERYTHING.  Pillows, curtains, linens, our couches, beds, rugs, and even just in the air.  You name it, we're spraying it! The current scent we're diggin' is Rosewater + Vetiver. It's just so fresh and Spring-y smelling!

Unfortunately the room spray is currently out of stock online, but visit Fig+Yarrow's Stockists list to see what stores near you carry the line. We snagged a few bottles at our favorite local home shop, Gather Home + Lifestyle. What scents are you filling your home with this Spring?

*This is not a sponsored post. We just genuinely love this product! 

AFTER // Claire's Living Room Makeover

Back in January I started a Living Room Makeover. Almost two months later and it's finally complete! There were a few things that held up the project, but I'm so happy with how everything turned out. I purchased a couple new items, created a few DIY pieces, built a piece of furniture (yes!), and did some rearranging to make the room meet all the goals I set out to accomplish.

One of my main goals - DECLUTTER! I got rid of some underutilized furniture, gave a lot of my little plants to friends, and picked out some light colored accessories that make the room feel lighter and a bit larger. Curating the room and paying attention to small details gives the space a more cohesive and polished look.

Getting rid of the shelf that held all our DVDs instantly made the room feel less cluttered and less overwhelming to me. I swapped the shelf out for a table I picked up in Michigan a couple of years ago. It holds my knick knacks and vintage radio perfectly. Originally I was thinking of putting a circular side table in that space, but once I put the rectangular table against the wall, I ended up really liking the way it looked. Eventually, I might make a piece of furniture that better matches my new TV stand, but for now, this works.

I moved the amber lamp to another room and purchased a floor lamp. At first I was worried about not having a side table between the couch and chair, but I'm not missing it at all and am glad the space is less crammed with furniture. I picked up some new couch cushions from West Elm, grabbed some lovely new ceramics from Gather Home + Lifestyle, purchased new curtains from IKEA and had the biggest Craigslist score of my life (thanks Ali!) with a light colored rug that I absolutely love. I moved our wall hanging that was above the couch to a space that works better with it's vertical layout. My husband is working on a painting for above our couch so in the interim, I created an inexpensive temporary piece of art. All these little improvements have a huge effect on the room.

What I struggled with the most was a TV stand. I looked all over and couldn't find one that was both in my budget and fit the space. My solution...IKEA hack! This credenza brings the TV higher off the ground, holds all our DVD's, and hides miscellaneous items. Also, it feels totally awesome to have built a piece of furniture! It definitely gave me the courage and confidence to build more pieces for my home.



Thanks everyone for the great makeover suggestions. I hope this inspires you all to tackle any redecorating projects you have in the future. We'll continue our home makeovers next month so stay tuned!

{Claire}

Four easy tricks to freshen up your space.

Coming home to the same space every day is extremely comforting. All the personal touches you add and the familiarity makes the space feel like a home, not just a house. In the summer season, we always feel a renewed sense of inspiration and a desire to redecorate. Here are four easy tricks to help freshen up any space in your home without having to spend lots of money and or do a major redesign.

Let that sun shine in! 
Summer is here and the sun is shining bright. Don't let your windows ruin it for you. Take an afternoon to clean them so your space can absorb a greater amount of light. Also, don't forget to keep your windows open as much as possible. This might sound like a no brainer, but sometimes that air conditioner can become your best friend and your home gets closed up most of the summer. Finally, get curtains that are a lighter fabric and color. You will get more light through them, but still keep the privacy you desire. Bringing more light into a space will make it feel completely different.

Rotate and rearrange your art. 

Don't be afraid to try something new! Do you have lots of art, but don't have room for it all to be hung up on your walls? Try separating your art into two seasonal piles: pick the bright bright pastel colors for summer and the dark/rich tones for winter. Rotate your art every six months, your space will have a new feel each time. If that seems like too much for you, then rearrange the art you currently have up on your walls. Even something as simple as mixing up the placement of your art can make a room feel completely different.

Layer rugs.
Experiment with different textures, colors and patterns to find a rug combination that works in your space. We love the look of a patterned rug and a textured rug together. A bonus in layering, is that you don't need to find a large area rug that fits the entire space. You can find smaller rugs that work well together and will cover the space.

Rug odor eliminating tip: One of the simplest ways to remove odors from carpet or rugs is to simply shake baking soda over the item. Let it sit for 30 minutes, then vacuum it up. The baking soda will absorb all those unpleasent odors!

House plants. 

Some awesome benefits of having plants in your home is that they absorb pollutants and improve your air quality. Aloe, spider plants, golden pothos, bamboo, snake plant, and lilies are just a few plants that will help purify the air. Check out an expanded list here of more plants to choose from.

Note: Make sure you buy plants that work well with the amount of sun you receive in each room.

5 Simple Steps to a Happier Home

The word "home" means something different to each and every one of us. But one thing rings true universally, homes are an extension of who we are. Where we dwell and what we do within those walls affects our daily outlook on life and shapes how we live that life day to day. Here are a few simple things you can do to make your home a happier one.

1. Keep fresh flowers on hand. Its hard not to feel happy with fresh flowers (or a pretty houseplant) around. You don't have to spend big bucks on an elaborate bouquet (although that certainly is worth it from time to time). Pluck a flower or two from your own garden or ask a neighbor for a couple of clippings. Keep an eye out for good deals on pretty bunches at your local market. And don't underestimate what you're putting the flowers in. This is the perfect opportunity to let that little used vase you love so much see some action!

2. Keep clutter contained.  I'm messy. Unread mail gathers on the bench by our front door.  Shoe mountains pile up in the kitchen of all places. Stacks of "I'll make a craft out of this one day" items litter my desk. In other words, I'm cluttery.  Recently I came up with the idea for a "clutter basket". Its a designated messy spot in our house. A catch all for the stuff that I just can't seem to find a spot for (ahem...or am too lazy to try to find a spot for).  Once a week I clean out the clutter basket. This keeps the mess from spreading all over the house and makes the task more manageable when it comes time to tidy up.

3. Display special keepsakes or your favorite collection. Most of the curio sitting around our house has been collected in roadside shops and vintage stores on vacations and weekend trips. Some knick knacks  are gifts from friends or family heirlooms. Every where I look I am surrounded by pieces that contain specific memories and make me smile. Decorating your home shouldn't be about expensive trinkets or designer furniture. Its about showcasing what makes you happy and proud. Let your home tell a story by intermixing items that are close to your heart. 

4. Share your home. Often. Whether you have one friend over for afternoon tea or host a raucous twelve person dinner party, invite others to share your home with you. If you fill your house with laughter and love, you're filling your home with happy memories. I know that sounds like a cheesy phrase better embroidered on a pillow in your grandmother's house than said aloud in this post. But seriously, these are words I live by.

5. Make a date with your home at least once a week. Set aside a few minutes every week (bonus points if you find time every day!) to spend some quality time with your home. Turn off your laptop/phone/television and cozy up in whatever room brings you the most joy. Then just absorb. Admire the way sunlight dapples through a curtain. Appreciate the creaks and groans and other sounds your home makes when you're still and quiet. A couple times a week I wake up an hour earlier than normal, make myself a cup of coffee, put on a favorite record and just sit. For that brief period of time my apartment becomes so much more than just a place I dwell.  It truly feels like home.

Hope you found these tips helpful and enjoyed this little sneak peek of my house. What makes you happiest in your home? I'd love to hear from you! 

{Lauren} 

MAKE: Holiday Decoration

This week, Lauren and I spent some time decorating our respective homes for the holidays. Traditional holiday decorations leave us feeling super “Christmassy”, but they can be a bit...well...cheesy. Wanting something a bit different this year, we decided to forego your run of the mill plastic mistletoe wreath and opted to make our own rustic wall hanging. This easy to craft decoration is just so lovely and is perfect for apartment dwellers and those with limited space. The best part? We didn’t spend a dime making it!

Use what you have around the house and make it your own! Search your yard or local park and see what you can find (after all, it’s free!). We foraged twigs, pine cones and branches. Looking through our craft supplies, we found clear glass ball ornaments and beautiful white feathers. We designed a layout and then hung each element from our twig using white thread. Attach twine to either end of the twig to make a hook and presto! You have a beautiful holiday wall hanging. Add a string of christmas lights for a bit more festive feel.

Will you be crafting any homemade holiday decorations this season? We’d love for you to share your ideas!

{ Claire }