Knock Knock

We will be painting our front door soon and I have a few colors in mind.

A warm shade of green...

A true vibrant yellow...

Or hi gloss black...

I'm leaning toward yellow.

Which would you choose?

~Danielle 

(Images sources via Pinterest)

Thoughts

Hello again!

I'm getting super excited about my home finally coming together. Living in our 1 bedroom condo with 3 kids has been rough, but the end is near and I'm thrilled.

Painting will begin next week, but I've been thinking about wallpapering the dining room. And this is what I may use...

It's The Vase by David Hicks in Coral (it looks more orange to me) from Clarence House. 

Here's a closeup next to my Craigslist chairs that I had reupholstered in a vintage French print awhile ago...

I'm loving it, but the smell of the sample is so strong that I may choose something else. I know it's not vinyl, which is great. A Clarence House rep explained that it is just the ink, which will dissipate after a few days. 

What do you all think?

~Danielle

Update on Homefront

Hello there!

Yes, I know it has been forever since my last post. It seems as though I'm averaging about 3 posts per year. Please bare with me while I take care of my little ones. I know how fleeting childhood is now that I have a teenager.

Anyway, I'll try to post more often now that things are finally shaping up in my home...yay! So I thought I'd share just a few snapshots...

 

Master bath shower below. I'm thrilled with the tile in the master bath. I know marble isn't the greenest choice, but I have always loved it. It reminds me of my childhood overseas and it was the best choice given our budget...

Floors in main level bathroom below. This powder room will have a vintage feel with an old radiator cover as a sink basin. I can't wait to see it finished...

Kids bathroom below. I used very inexpensive white square tile...

Wood floors throughout home...

We went for dark wood for a change. All of our previous homes have had light wood, so it's nice to see something different. 

Below is an image of the back of our home. It's dark grey with white trim. I almost had the entire home painted black including the brick, but I just couldn't bring myself to paint the vintage brick. It has such a warm and welcoming feel that I love. And for the past 85 years it has been able to breathe, so I let it continue.

Hope everyone has been well! 

~ Danielle

Grateful!

Hello there! It's been quite awhile since I've posted last. Let's just say I've been extremely busy loving my babies...

It's amazing how much work two babies under two can be. We welcomed our little girl in October and she's just wonderful. 

We are still living in a one bedroom condo with our large brood and waiting on our addition to be complete. Can't wait to move back home! Here's a snapshot...

More on that later, but for now I just wanted to say thank you to my parents for all of their hard work and dedication in helping us out during this time. They have made countless dinners, taken our very active toddler out almost daily and on top of it all they have been doing our laundry for over 6 months (we don't have a washer or dryer in our condo). I feel so blessed and grateful to have such wonderful and giving parents. 

THANK YOU MOM AND DAD! 

A Bedroom Makeover

A few weeks ago a good friend of mine showed me her and her husband's bedroom and the space was AMAZING. She had indicated that she was interested in redesigning it a bit, so instantly my mind was swirling with ideas. It has high sloped ceiling with many windows and fabulous built in closets and dressers. Not only that. it leads into a gorgeous, spacious and dramatic bathroom with a claw foot tub, window surround and charming Greco inspired mosaic tiling throughout.

Long story short I'm helping them redesign their space. Sadly I don't have high tech software to recreate the images I have in my head, but I do have pic collage and I created a few designs for them to work with. Yes I'm aware scale isn't perfect, but you get the general idea.

Here's the first design I created, it was in my head even before she asked me to help...

Contestant number 2 would you please step down...

I love the idea of a colorful mirror on a window as seen in the image above...something fresh and unexpected. I also adore the affordable bedding designed by my good friend, Jill Sorensen of LiveLikeYou.

The last design is a little brighter and lighter...

The end result will probably be a mixture of these along with a few items/elements they've chosen already. So, which one would you all choose? 

~Danielle

WWYC?

What would you choose?

I plan on painting my old mirror a bold color to match the bathroom in the condo better. Only issue is I can't seem to decide what color. Here's the space with the colorful shower curtain included...

 

Here's another close up via instagram...

The mirror is just too shabby chic for the space, so I'm thinking one of these colors...

Ruby 

Sapphire (I'm leaning toward this)

Emerald 

Amethyst 

So, which would you all choose? I know, I know...there are many more important things in life, but hey a little painting distraction for me at 35 weeks pregnant is welcome. 

~Danielle 

Sneak Peek: Condo Kitchen

We are finally in our old one bedroom condo, while our addition is being built. (Yes, we are packed like sardines in here with a toddler, preteen, 2 sort of grownups, a cat and baby on the way...CRAZY!) We had to renovate before moving back in, so I have a few before and afters to share soon. The kitchen isn't quite complete, but I wanted to post a midway snapshot before it's finished...

I had simple inexpensive cabinets put in and then painted hi gloss black, Carrera marble counters, and currently working on wallpaper throughout. I've wanted to try black cabinets forever. One thing I learned is that it's hard to find a true black cabinet, most come in a dark grey or very dark brown.  I had to have mine painted, so the black appliances would match. I also just like the look of painted cabinets over foil wrapped. 

The wallpaper is from Spoonflower in Tropicali Afternoon by Domesticate. I love bringing the outdoors in, especially in a petite kitchen with no windows. And this wallpaper is just beautiful! 

Also, if you live in the DC metro area Legacy Home Improvement Consultants are amazing. They did a fabulous job on my bathroom and kitchen renovation and were/are a delight to work with. Here's a contact number if you're interested:

703-835-0027. I'll share more when complete.

~Danielle