Moody Mondays.... {new house den}

Once again, Moody Monday almost didn't happen today.   Lately I have been living by the mantra "If it wasn't for the last minute, nothing would get done."  ;)

"Procrastinators unite!  ... tomorrow..."

Aaanyyywhooo,  one of our favorite features of the new house is the den.  There is a fireplace, built in bookshelves, beams across the ceiling, a skylight, and a three-season porch off the back.  We are hoping to keep some of the Mid- Century feeling to the house but, as you know by now, I simply can not commit to just one style.  I love just about EVERY style out there, and would get so tired of all Mid- Century modern, or all Traditional.  

That being said, I have been having a fun/ hard time deciding what I want to do in this house.... I have never had a blank canvas like this!  (EEEK! Still getting used to the fact that we bought a house!!!  Yippee!! )  

The below board is just the first of many for this space, until I figure something out that really hits me.  

New house Den, take 1

I had fun playing with the funky curtains and trying to blend them with some more serious, sophisticated pieces... not sure if I would actually want to live with the curtains, but they are definitely cool!  I really liked that crazy vintage ottoman.  I would love to find some unique vintage pieces like that, those chairs, and even maybe that dresser at Allegan this summer.   (In the actual room, the fireplace is opposite the slider, which is why I did not include it in the board.  The furniture would be facing the fireplace.)  

Like I said- I am going to keep playing around with it until it feels right, but this was a fun start!   I think I just need to find one piece that totally inspires me, and that will help me get the ball rolling for the rest of the space.   

Hope you all had a lovely Monday!

G'night :)

xoxo,
Lily

Home sweet, wonderful, outdated home...

Party ovah' here, party ovah' there- we got the house!!

It was a bit touch and go for a while, but our offer was finally accepted!

We are in awe of how it all went down, and are praising God for His perfect timing and provision.  What a blessing this house is!  HUGE ENORMOUS GIGANTIC thanks to my Aunt Karla, aka. world famous realtor... lets just say without her wisdom, experience, and support we would not have this house.

We had the inspection last night.  I had NO idea what to expect, but the inspection was actually a very enjoyable experience.  Scott, our inspector, was so down to earth and funny, which really put us at ease and helped us to enjoy the night. AND, he ordered a pizza for the three of us to share, which is a sure-fire way to my heart. :)

This is what I was doing while the menfolk were inspecting:

Picking colors, babayy!!

We can not stinking wait to get in there and put our stamp on the place!!

Here are a couple (read: TONS) of pictures I snapped of the interior in it's pre-philipandshainatreatment state.  It goes without saying that these are BEFORE pictures.... =)   

MAIN FLOOR:

Front living room- first room you see when you come through the door

blurry pic of the fireplace.  It is a pass through and is shared by this room :

our favorite room in the house... beams on the ceiling,  fireplace, skylight...

other side of room- opens out to an enclosed porch!

Skylight!!

the enviable carpeted kitchen and dining area....

I actually really like the pendant light.  I have big plans for this space... stay tuned. 

view from kitchen to dining area

worlds teensiest bathroom off the kitchen

awesome lift on the toilet...

door to garage, door to basement, bathroom around the corner

bedroom 1

Bedroom 2

Bedroom 3

 bathroom... carpeted, naturally.

I actually kinda like the bathroom wallpaper... but not enough to keep it. 

"Swans in love"; artist unknown

Anyone want a wreath?  It has a $2 sticker on it, but we think it is priceless...

BASEMENT:

Jealousy inducing carpet

worlds second teensiest bathroom under the basement stairs

favorite feature: this beautiful wall 'mural' with custom lighting.  If you look closely, you will see a seam down the middle- it is a mirror image of itself on either side...

Score!  Another fireplace!! And a floral sofa!!  Double Score!!

Narnia lights and a sweet canning station...

Love this old thang

Our very own Detroit Jewel!!  Triple score!!  These things are honestly quite impressive.

In all seriousness, we LOVE the house and it's quirks and are SO excited to live there.  It is about 30 minutes away from my family, which is the only sad part of this whole picture and will certainly take a bit of getting used to... but we really feel that this is where we have been led, and so we will make the most of the longer commute.   We absolutely love love love the location in all other respects... it is close to all of our favorite hangouts: coffee shops, restaurants, parks, ANTHROPOLOGIE... oh my gosh.  I am going to be 5 minutes from an Anthropologie.  Pinch me!!   Who knows, my fam may move out to our side of town eventually anyways.  

Now we just can't wait to close so we can start tackling projects!  We have so many grand ideas swimming around in our heads for this place.  It will be a big job that will definitely keep us busy for a while, but we are confident it will be worth it!!


Have a great weekend!!
xoxo

Shaina

Moody Mondays.... {fun, classy, fresh}

Good Evening!

Moody Monday almost didn't happen today due to my lack of preparation/ distraction with house shopping.... but better late than never!  I am going to keep this one short and sweet.

This is my take on a fresh, fun, yet classy living room:

(Obviously the sofa would be facing the fireplace in real life, but I'm not cool enough to do 3-d stuff yet, so you'll have to bear with me!)

I can not get over that emerald/ kelly green lately... And of course I will never get over mixing styles!  This ended up being a little bit more frilly than what I would normally lean towards, but that is what is so fun about making these boards- I get to experiment!  

This week I am going to do my best to post more than once.  We will see how that goes...

Sleep tight- don't let the bed bugs bite!
xoxo
Shaina

Moody Mondays.... {from scary to airy)

Happy Monday to y'all!!

 

I hope you had a lovely sunshiney weekend! 

We kicked our weekend off with a fabulous dinner and much cherished fellowship over at B-ma's house... we absolutely love her, her hubby ,and their beautiful babes.  They are true-blue freinds who love God with passion and zeal and live their lives with such zest and contageous joy... they are honest, encouraging, humble, caring, loving... and funny as all getout.  We are truly blessed to call them our friends.  (and blessed to eat Jana's famous cooking :)

 

Saturday consisted of working, and afterwords vegging on the sofa with my man and some Sherlock Holmes BBC action. 

 

On Sunday after church we went through the house a second time... and PUT IN AN OFFER!

 

We are supposed to find out tonight if they accept/counter our offer.... eeeek!!  I don't even know what to think.  I don't want to get too excited right now, because there is always a chance that it will not work out... but goodness, it would be pretty cool if it does.

SO excited to see what happens... whether or not we get this house, we know that there is a perfect plan unfolding that we get to be a part of!

 

 

In light of all of this, I have been very neglectful of this poor little blog lately.  At least im stickin' to my Moody Monday series...  that counts for something, right?

 

I have been playing on polyvore like crazy in the past few days, trying to get my creative juices flowing and forming a vision for this house, should it become our home.

One room that I would be VERY excited to transform is the main bathroom in all it's carpeted, wallpapered, flesh- colored tile glory. 

 

I would show you a picture, but I don't want to give you bad dreams.

 

Below is the mood board I threw together for the space, hoping to turn it from scary to airy.



bathroom inspiration

I would love to find (or have my dad build) a vintagey, Mid Century looking buffet in an oiled walnut finish that we could use as the bathroom vanity.  Im thinking we could get a slab of marble for the top and some vessel sinks... and of course some sweet vintage mirrors and swing arm sconces to go above.  I would LOVE to do either white or grey- veined marble penny tile on the floors and a beautiful, pale, seafoamy gray for the walls.  I would want to complete the look with a vintage, possibly overdyed, kilim rug and a clean graphic shower curtain.  (which would replace the oh-so-lovely exsisting glass shower doors, complete with a pair of etched swans....) 

If we do get the house, it would likely be a while before we could tackle this project, but at least I have a plan should that day come!  =)

xoxoxo
Shaina

 

Moody Mondays... {spring fling}

G'mornin!

Happy Monday to you all!  (all two of you  ;)

And a very happy Monday it is for this girl- Mister Hott Husband is in town this week!  Can I get a 'WOOT WOOT'?!  Party ovah here!!

I can't believe another week has begun already... last week flew by.  It's already time for another Moody Monday post!

I get to spend the week with this hunk

We spent yesterday afternoon walking through a couple of houses with my aunt, who is our superstar Realtor, Karla Huitsing of Towne Square Real Estate.   We found one that we are pretty excited about... and we have hit the ground running/ praying and are eager to see if this ends up being the 'one'.... EEK!    I'm trying to stay calm about it, but failing pitifully.  I just can't stinkin' wait to decorate sumthin' for goodness sake!  

The funny thing about this house is that it is by far the most outdated house we have walked through, but the one we are most excited about in all our time of house hunting.  We love the layout, the neighborhood, the location, the fireplaces, porch, backyard... the psychedelic carpet in the basement ...etc. etc.  ;)  From what we gather, the previous owners were actually the original owners.  They lived there for 50+ years and they were incredibly meticulous in the maintenance of the home.    It gives me such a good feeling to think of that- that this was some sweet couples dream house that they built and loved and cared for so well all those years....

Anyways- I created the mood board below a couple of weeks ago, but I think it fits the feel that I would want to do in the master bedroom of the house we are looking at.  Romantic, light, airy, comfortable, restful.... and, as always, very eclectic.

  

The chandelier is a little quirky in the room, but I have always been intrigued by this style.... and what a better place to put love letters!  I tend to shy away from symmetry for some weird reason, but in this instance I really feel that it grounds the space and gives it such a restful quality.   I have been loving a palette soft pinks and grays and creamy-whites lately... it just feels fresh and springtimey to me, and I feel that the leather chair and the clean lines of the bed help to balance the feminine aspects of the room.  Pink does not have to mean 'baby girl'.  It can look so sophisticated and soft when used in small doses in grown up spaces.  AND- did you know that pink is considered to be one of the most relaxing colors?  It is sometimes even used in prison cells to calm inmates.  Not that I want to think of prison cells while decorating our room, but it is an interesting fact nonetheless!

To my surprise, hubster said that this was his fave of all the boards I have done.   (I didnt know what he would think of the pink, but he totally approved!)    

What do you think of pink?  Would you decorate with it?

xoxo,

Shaina

Moody Mondays....{frock style}

Time for another edition of 'Moody Monday'!

(Thanks to these I am actually starting to look forward to Mondays now... never thought I would see the day...  =)

Today's board is brought to us by my ultra- talented mother.  

Take it away, Frock!

***

Thank you Lily!  Today's board is all about COMFY.  I envision curling up on the sofa in my worn out sweat pants, my hubby's oversized jean shirt and my fluffy slippers, watching another episode of Downton Abby... for the third time (admittedly a recent addiction of mine... thank you very much Lily for introducing me to Downton).

Of course this scene is completed with the sipping of wine of some wonderful English Tea.  Aaahhhh yes.... Serenity at it's best. 

Future Great Room by tami-simplelivingdesign on Polyvore


Many times my clients have asked me what my personal style is.  I'd have to say that this room, at least today, is my style.  Tomorrow may be a whole different story as I enjoy a wide variety of styles and find myself too easily bored with my surroundings. However, what I love about this room is it's timeworn brick wall, the inconsistencies and natural distressing on the hardwood floors, and a mixture of furniture that is as cozy and comfy as my slippers.  And lets not forget about the color palette.  It is a calm, quiet color scheme (at least in my opinion).  Who doesn't long for more calm and quiet?  I know I do!

So there you have it... my mood for Monday.  Quite honestly... even to my surprise...this room/ color scheme may last as a favorite for at least another week or two. :)

***
Thank you Frock!!  This is SO, so, so beautiful!  Can I come over and watch Downton  and drink tea with you in there?  
My momma has got some serious talent, folks.

What about you?  Do you have certain colors and/ or fabrics that seem to calm you?  I would love to hear from you!

Moody Mondays... {romance}

Good Morning sunshines!  

It's Monday, and you know what that means...time for another mood board!

With Valentines being only three days away, I have been dreaming of romance....  and of course a cozy, romantic hideaway. ;)

via Polyvore

Frock and I had fun playing around with this one.  We wanted to create a sophisticated, cozy, and sensual atmosphere, and tried to balance the masculine and feminine elements. 
Of course we had to include candles, a fireplace, some fur, a champagne bucket, and some volumes of poetry. ;)   

What is your idea of a romantic hideaway?

Moody Mondays...{fresh}

Good Morning everyone!  

Welcome to the second installment of "Moody Mondays". 

Whether it's because spring is around the corner or because I have finally taken a much needed shower, this week I am all about FRESH.  I am craving clean, cheerful, and fun.  I am also craving lime flavored jello, but I won't bore you with that.

My sweet mother, aka. Frock, has been longing to redo her lower level for quite a while.  Like me, however, she loves SO MANY different styles and color palettes that it has been difficult to zero in on a direction for the space.   We decided one dreary day last week to play around with colors and styles and find a look that is fresh, spunky, comfortable, etc.  

This is what we came up with:

 

Via: Polyvore


(The green polka-dot would be wallpaper in the dining/ game nook)
It's not 'basement-y' in the least, but I think it would be a fun space to hang out regardless!  
I am loving those shades of green lately... with hits of lemon... grounded by warm brown, charcoal, and blue-grey... *sigh*

By the way, Frock introduced me to this cool website for color inspiration called Design- Seeds, and I will most surely be visiting it regularly.  Check it out next time you are in an uninspired design-slump!

Though we are not sure that this is the look that will end up in the space, we sure had fun playing.

xoxo

Moody Mondays....{cozy}

Well folks, Monday has arrived in her usual too-soon fashion.    Like most other people in this world, I'm not the biggest fan of Mondays....especially the Mondays that take my beloved away from me for the week.  Darn you, busy season!  

(In all honesty, we are so thankful for his job and the awesome opportunities that it provides.  Such a blessing.  It's just that I am a sappy romantic to my core, and am a bit selfish/whiney at times.  Also?  I can't help it he's a good kisser.)

blurry old pic from our honeymoon

 

Bunny trail- sorry 'bout it.

Anyways,  Mondays need some jazzing up if you ask me.  I think a fun little design/art/ fashion/food brainstorming sesh is just what the doctor ordered.  I'm thinking inspiration.  I'm thinking mood boards. 

So without further ado, I bring you......Moody Mondays. 

Each Monday I will be sharing my current 'moods' (or cravings) in any of the aforementioned areas.  I do realize the word 'moody' tends to have a negative connotation, but it fits with the word 'Monday' just beautifully in my mind.  

   

My current craving is for all things soft and cozy. 

 Michigan has turned into a white wonderland over the past week, with snowshower after snowshower after everlovingsnowshower.  It has left me daydreaming about cozy neutral colors, scads of texture, and a memorable mix of styles to keep things interesting.  (It has also inevitably resulted in me lazing about in my trusty yoga pants with my fluffy blankie,  listening to Enya like my life depends on it. )  

May I present to you my very first little Monday mood board:



that random black floral would be either wallpaper or curtains...

It's far from perfect, but hopefully you get the idea I was trying to convey.... Soft and cozy, but interesting, with a puppy thrown in for good measure. ;)

I hope to eventually figure out how to make these suckers the right way.   I really have no clue what Im doing yet.  (what do people use to make e-design boards, anyhow?  I used polyvore, but it was SO frustrating...)

So enough about me, what are you in the mood for these days?

Im all ears!  And eyes!  

(well, I'm not actually all eyes...that would look a bit freaky.)

xoxo

House dreams....

My mister and I are currently in the throes of shopping for our very first house, and goodness- we are chomping at the bit to find a space in which we can truly experiment with our style.  We have been renting since we married two and a half years ago, and while it has been wonderful, we are ready to plant gardens and paint walls and really leave our mark on a place.   (and get a puppy, who surely will leave marks of his own.... )
So, since our house dreams are still just in dream form, I thought it would be fun to share a handful of the images that have inspired our vision for this future abode.

image via

Yes, we will live in the Shire.

The kitchen will likely be some crazy mash-up of this:

image via

this:

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and this:

image via

(I suffer from multiple style disorder.)

The rest of the home will go something like this:

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image via

                                                                   

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                                          ..... And there you have it.  The home in our heads.