IKEA Basic's Round Up

It's no secret I love IKEA! 

So much that I will make the four hour round trip to the store on a regular basis. Over the last few years I have come up with my own personal IKEA list of must have products and typically one or more of these items are on my list when I go. I'm a huge believer in quality over quantity and when saying that I love IKEA , it may make a few of you scratch your heads because honestly I think we have all heard the horror stories of their products not lasting the long haul. 

I agree. Some items found in this giant box store of amazing, glossy, interior goodness are well, not that great. They break. They peel. They lose their shapeliness and well basically don't look so good after a few years. My grandfather always said, "You get what you pay for!"

But that said, I think that you can find really great and cost friendly items if you know what to look for.

Ikea has an enormous amount of basic items that can add so much beauty to your home and they will fit perfectly right along side your quality pieces and you would never even know they cost way less! 

I also believe that if you follow this one basic rule when shopping this super store you will always end up happy with your purchase, here it is......

The items with mechanical working parts tend to fall apart over time. This is purely from my own experience so if you have a totally different opinion than Yay for you and we should talk because I would love to know your experience.

I have just found that every time we have purchased a dresser with moving drawers, it just didn't hold up all that well. So now I stick to items that you put together once and none of the parts move ever again. Examples.....table, bookshelves, lamp, etc. You get the idea. 

Now I will say we did recently purchase two small dressers to use as nightstands in our master bedroom. But we went in to this knowing full well that those drawers will NEVER be used....EVER. 

I will always will love are their textiles! Curtains, fabric, bedding etc. Everything I have purchased in this category I have been very pleased with.

 So now that I am done with all my disclaimers, here are my all time favorite go to items. I have every single one of them somewhere in my home and I love each and every one. Not only do I own them but I suggest them to my clients for their homes on a daily basis. They are really that good! 

1// RITVA Curtain panels 

2// HEMNES Coffee table 

3//  RANARP Work Lamp 

4// DVALA Duvet Cover 

5// RIBBA Frames 

6// FJADRAR Feather Pillow Insert 

7// FOTO Pendant Light 

8//  KOPPANG 3 Drawer Chest

9// MELLTORP Table

10// RANARP Pendant Light   

11// BERTA RUTA Fabric

12// RACKA Curtain Rod

Little Peanut Magazine

I was so thrilled when Little Peanut Magazine asked to feature Ev's nursery a few weeks back. They did an amazing job with the images and I just love how the article turned out! I would love for you all to stop by their magazine not only to see her nursery but also because its a really wonderful on line resource for stylish mama's like you, of course! 

Just too much goodness all wrapped in to one magazine...you will love it!

New Entry and Front Room for Best Clients Ever

One of the reasons for starting my styling business is that I felt that there wasn't anyone out there for the "regular" gal like me. I would of loved to hire someone back when I was still trying to figure out my design style. Just for a bit of guidance so I had a plan of attack when it came to my home and how I wanted to execute the design. It actually would of saved me quite a lot of money in the long run instead of making so many of those small but worthless purchases on items that I ultimately didn't love or that didn't work with the design of my home. 

Thats why it makes me so happy to work with clients like #thebestclientsever who don't need an entire home makeover but instead just some tweaking with what they already own and all the while staying with in a reasonable budget.

This particular couple just wanted their once empty entryway to feel inviting and welcoming as you stepped in to their home but didn't want to spend a ton of money to do it. Thats where I came in. I helped them select items that would warm the space and make it feel cozy. One of the things the client knew they wanted was this awesome grasscloth wallpaper for the entry that we had chosen together...so good, right! I love the way the blue paper and the molding work with each other to make a bold statement as you walk in the front door.  Once the paper had been installed we needed some furnishings. Ikea and World Market are two of my favorite places to shop when I am looking for something modern but well with in a budget. 

Ikea Mirror $99

Ikea Rug $139

World Market Console $299 
(but $225 in this case because they always run a sale...like they are now!) 

World Market Chairs $319 for 2 (on sale for 35% off..$208!)

Once the main pieces were in place now all they needed was some quick styling. I switched out the clients vases for these lamps and added a basket, both from Tj Maxx. Most of the time when I style a clients home, I am shopping their home to see what else that I can use that they already own. I found this vase and added in some branches I picked from the woods down the road from their home to bring in a little texture. I love how the greenery is reflected in the mirror. 

Lamps $80 for 2 (similar here) 

Basket $13 (similar here)

The clients also had this front room that they really wanted to use but it just didn't feel inviting. 

The first thing I did was rearrange the furniture and pull it away from the walls to create a space for conversation. I added in the coffee table and the curtain panels.  The clients also happened to be  having a party the following day and needed some quick styling, so I headed over to the local Homegoods to see what I could find and here is what I came up with...I literally had an hour to pull this off! How I found pillows that coordinated with those chairs perfectly is beyond me!! Thank you HomeGoods! 

I love the way it all turned out but what makes me the happiest is that they love their new entryway  and front room and that they are actually using those spaces in their home everyday now. 

Best feeling ever! 

Blogger Stylin Home Tour Fall 2015

Hello.

I'm so excited to start this Fall season off with a Blogger Styling Home Tour hosted by the always lovely and talented Lindsay from The White Buffalo Styling Co. I hope that you are joining me today from the Nesting Place where the Nester herself is sharing her gorgeous home with all of us! So head on over to these talented ladies amazing homes first if you haven't already and I will see you here shortly.......

Hey, you're back.....Welcome and Happy Fall!!

Over the past year I have strived to create a home where less means so much more. I want our home to feel calm and cozy. I want our surroundings to be free of clutter because I truly believe that keeps the mind clear. I want our home to serve us instead of being a house that owns us. This is my simple approach to the new season. Instead of bringing in "things" that represent the season we will bring in friends, family and neighbors to share our home and hearts with and celebrate the season together. 

Dining Room 

Our minimal dining space with little white pumpkins and some navy buffalo check pillows. 

Living Room 

I'm approaching my design this Fall with lots of whites, blacks and wood tones. Mixing in different elements and textures to keep the space light and bright but still feel cozy enough to sink in to the sofa for hours of laughing and hanging with friends while drinking lots and lots of warm cider. I'm so ready for cozy fires and hot drinks....if only the weather would realize its not supposed to be 90 degrees anymore!! 

Kitchen 

Entry

Master Bedroom

Office

Thank you so much for stopping by our home. I hope you will return and see all of the DIY projects we have been working on over the past few months. I have big things to show you all soon but until then I hope you will continue on this amazing Fall tour by stopping over to the sweet Julia's home at Cuckoo 4 Design and see all she has been working on to get her home ready for the season...Enjoy!!! 

At {mine}......the newest way to pin?!?

So I'm here today to give you the low down on this new to me sight called at{mine}
I'm pretty sure it was designed for my ever lovin design heart in mind but I also invite you all to hop aboard this jet straight to interior design heaven! I would guess if you are even reading this than you are going to love it because well, don't you come to blogs for the sheer motivation and inspiration they bring to your creative mind...I know, I do!

Let me say that I love the way it is set up so that you can explore so much easier then say some other design site. When you are in the Explore section it brings all these wonderful categories up and you can choose where you feel like going today. I love that these photos are uploaded from a community of design minded peeps just like us! These aren't all glossy, unattainable, perfectly photographed homes. They are real homes created by mamas and others too that love home and design and want to share it all with us! Pretty cool.

 

So check this nifty little gadget out. When you scroll over the images all of a sudden the info. about the contributor pops up. Just like here above. You can see where they are from, their name and their at{mine} profile name so following your favorites is so much easier!
Most of the people contributing to the at{mine} community at this time are from Europe and not so many from the US so I seriously feel like I found the next P.....uh, um!! You know what I'm saying...(insert winky face ;)
Its better y'all!
Here is the profile I started just a little while back....it's a little sad and needs some work because honestly I have spent most of my time on here looking at everyone else's images!!

Okay so check this out. Not only can you find amazing pics to inspire you but you can also tag items for others to shop from! GET OUT!!

See here above how I tagged this sign in Everly's nursery.

I am seriously crazy about at{mine} and I think you will be too! Its so full of inspiration and new design and such a wonderful community of creatives just like you and me! I really hope you give it a try because I think you might love it too and I would highly recommend taking a peek at the at{mine} blog featuring all kinds of inspiring work and super fun contests. Here is my disclaimer as always... that I will just apologize now for wrecking any chances of you get anything else done today.....Enjoy!