Time Flies... Better Late Than Never!

Well, time's really flown since we moved into our new house. It's been 6 months! I've been pregnant the whole time & when we first moved (during my first trimester) I was pretty worthless with helping out. I fell asleep on the sofa almost every night around 7 & poor Dave got so much done.

Second trimester (and summer) just flew by with an insane amount of home improvement projects and travel plans....

And now, here I am with a baby due in a little over a month & I can't believe how quickly the time has flown!!! (haha and back on the couch again! - but not really ;)

First pregnancies & second pregnancies are VERY different. (at least for me.) For my first pregnancy with Christian (now 2) it was pretty much all we talked about for MONTHS. We had lots of name ideas & found out as soon as we could that we would be having a baby boy. (I really thought I was having a girl & wanted one badly!! haha) We talked to Christian the whole pregnancy long. The nursery planning & painting began in February & he wasn't due until July. It's really a magic time & there's nothing like it. (Christian's nursery below.)

Now for my second pregnancy... sometimes I forget I'm even pregnant! Christian takes up so much of my thoughts & energy that I just don't have as much mental room cleared out for this pregnancy as I did the first time. (I can only imagine how subsequent pregnancies go! :) We don't know if we're having a boy or a girl and decided that when Baby 2 gets here, he or she will be loved & coddled an insane amount so that for now (while he/ she is still "inside") we'll focus on Christian. But, when we sing & talk to Christian, this little baby is hearing it too so I'm okay with this.

Anyway, what this is all leading to is the fact that we've done NOTHING with the baby's nursery. eeeeeeeek It's definitely a lot harder to plan a nursery this time not knowing if we're having a boy or a girl. Of course we're keeping all of the same furniture, but I do want to do something a little different from Christian's nursery. (Hey, I'm a decorator! I live for this stuff! ;) And, let me be totally frank here: a nursery is for the parents. (in our case, for me.. Dave could really care less how cute it is ;) But no baby cares what his room looks like. They just don't. So when planning this nursery I'm under no illusions that this is going to make my baby happy or that the color of the walls will matter at all to him or her. It's for me. It will make me happy. Below is the seashell mobile my cousin & I made for Christian's nursery over 2 years ago... It really did make me smile...

Here's the chaise lounge that we're still using: (pictured in our old house/ nursery)...

And now sad & lonely in the new nursery:

Here's the new nursery... just waiting to be done!!! We're keeping all of the furniture you see along with the bumper & sheets. (We're doing a new blanket- the striped blue one I made for Christian & I'll do a new one for the new baby- and also new mobile, and crib skirt & pillows... don't worry the pillows won't go in the crib to suffocate the baby ;) And of course we need some paint!

So... I was thinking owls a bit back if you remember... and then I came across this awesome owl lamp from Gallery Designs: (top 2 pendants are from them as well.)

Finally when I saw this lamp, a vision started forming. (It took long enough! ;) Since we don't know the sex of the baby, I'm going to stay super-neutral: creams, browns, oatmeals, black and white... I can always add in color in accents once the little one arrives... (really more likely once the "3-6 month blur" passes over this house ;) But I just want it to be totally relaxing & subtle & textural with a little hit of fun. I loved the tone-on-tone stripes in Christian's nursery & want to do the same thing in cream in here. Since we sometimes call our house "the treehouse" I thought that owls & trees would be great for the nursery... So I want to make a huge tree growing on the wall behind the crib out of decoupaged newspaper... Then we can tape up photos and pictures & little notes & fun things all over it.... Sort of like this wallpaper tree from Romp but out of newspaper:And I'd love to add a sculptural natural chandelier similar to this one from Arteriors Home. (This one is unfortunately too big with only 8 foot ceilings.)

And for a fabric option, I love this: Does anyone know what it's called or where to get it?? I found it at southlandpology.com:

And I'd love to add a Dash & Albert rug:

Anyway, I'll be looking for some good artwork to hang above the toy/ book shelf and of course a bunch of fabrics, so if anyone has any ideas, I'd love to hear them!! For the windows I'm just doing Sears Roman shades in 'natural.' (I probably won't add any ebellishments to them because I want to keep the window treatment pretty blank for future room switches..) We plan on painting in the stripes (SO TEDIOUS!!) this weekend...

xoxo,

lauren

ps- for the full story & photos of Christian's nursery, click here

***UPDATE: Ok, I decided to go "cuter" than originally planned. After talking with family & thinking about how Christian will be in there enjoying it too, I'm going a little more "baby" than I wanted to go. It's still going to be really textural with some hits of color (and we're doing the newspaper tree) but it'll feel like a little more of a vintage-modern mix & maybe a little more "fun" than originally planned. I ordered the Dash & Albert pale blue rug above (boy or girl, I like it ;) and am sticking with the cream striped walls, but am using this colorful mobile made by a super-talented etsy -seller.

I found this vintage concert poster & will have it framed with oversized matting for one wall:

I'm loving this owl fabric. Such a pretty pale blue... I'm thinking either for a blanket or a pillow or bedskirt or even as banding on the roman shades... depends "how" cute I want to go ;)

And I'm crazy about this vintage crewel owl family (below). They look so lovingly-created! I plan on layering them above the shelves with the toy baskets along with a large mirror, lamp & some other things...

Finally, depending on if we have a boy or girl, I'll still add in "girlier" fabrics, curtains & accessories or some more boy colors...

Informal Entryway Checklist

Since Fall is here and the cold weather's on its way, we really need to get our entryway working for us or the mess that comes with hats, scarves, wet shoes, bags, etc. will take over our house. Our coat closet is actually up the stairs and down the hall from our entryway so although it has nice storage, it's not a good "catch zone" for our house. Here's a pic of our linoleum-clad, sickly-lit entryway before we moved in:

We did some damage control and here is is now:

There's fresh white paint on the walls, wall to wall seagrass (we had leftover from our family room and figured it was better than linoleum but turns out it's SO PRACTICAL in the entry!!) a little bench for shoe/ accessory storage and for sitting on (great for putting shoes in my little guy--- needs new fabric) a newly painted over cheapo mirror, a small plate ledge we had hanging around the house for keys, sunglasses and some pretty things, and hanging over the entry is this caged lantern from Bellacor:

But, we're still not finished and it doesn't quite work for us yet because we're missing some key elements. Obviously, I want it to feel pretty & happy & stylish (and I'm not there yet!) but it's the functional I'm focused on right now.

Here's a CHECKLIST of what I think makes for a great entry:

1. Mirror: Obviously, mirrors are functional in entryways so we can check ourselves on the way out the door, but they're also a great opportunity to add some style & personality to a small entryway. (WE went for budget & used a cheapie mirror we already had but one day I'll find the perfect one! Love this one in Betsy Brown's entry below)

2. A spot for keys & sunglasses, and little things that make their way in. We don't have enough space for a table so I'm listing some space-saving ideas. I thought I was being very original when I thought of using a vintage soap dish on the wall:
And then I found this image from Martha who did it first!! ;) ah vell!

3. A spot for something pretty: It can be the smallest surfaces ever. In our house I hung a little ledge that we've had around for years. I actually like how small it is because we don't junk it up the way we would a whole table.. Here is is now (below) sans- soapdish. (The red mirror in the reflection has been moved too.) But it's a great spot for a small vase of flowers:

4. Hooks for coats & bags:

I'm going for something like this:

We don't plan on keeping the hooks full of coats, hats & bags all the time, but want to use the hooks more as a stop-gap to keep from tossing everything on the poor little bench or the floor. Hanging for a while before they make it to the coat closet is much better!

5. A Spot for wet boots:

We don't have a little tray yet either but I've even seen people use baking dishes that work & look adorable! I plan on keeping it hidden in the storage bench unless needed.

6. A place for scarves, hats & mittens: Again, for us, this'll be "the bench" but there are lots of great options out there like hooks or baskets or pretty boxes:

7. And finally, I think it's important to have some type of hidden storage. This can be tough to get in small spaces. But this hidden storage is a great space for quick clean-up and those odd items that accumulate in entryways like a bag for returns or things you need to bring out to your car. We use "the bench" for this but if you absolutely have no space for a storage bench or small dresser or any piece of furniture, then you could use pretty boxes piled up:

Anyway, I'd like to finish up on the entryway pretty quickly so I'll be posting pics as soon as I'm finished! Also, I have that huge wall that goes up to the ceiling & am considering lots of options to add something pretty & personal & to set the tone for the house. Maybe fill it to the brim with old prints (but I don't have enough yet) or maybe even have it painted with something??? Any ideas?? (check the top pic to see the space again!) Would love your help!!! (Wallpaper unfortunately won't work unless it's only on 1 wall because the entry walls continue right into the living room upstairs. If you think it would work on just the one wal, let me know! I'm not really big on accent walls but who knows?)

xoxo,

lauren

ps- my email is down right now because I've made a new website & during the crossover time before it launches, I have no email -arrgggg-- so if you sent me something & I didn't get back to you, email me back this weekend (it should be up by then)... Sorry & thanks!!!

The Classic Pedestal Table

According to amishtables.com , "The pedestal table was originally designed for smaller rooms and to give an air of status. They were popular because of their functionality and almost all homes had one in some form. Just like today, they could be put to use in an elegant dining room or as a gaming table for friends and family to gather around." (table above by Identity Craft and image below from flicker)

"Pedestal bases have ranged from single columns to fanciful, ornately scrolled, indulgences. Each designer and style seemed to create its own signature of pedestal base. Their commonality is a single leg or central supporting column or pillar, attached under the center of the table top."

"King Arthur was famed for his round table, giving equality to all since it did not host the traditional head of the table that rectangular dining room tables did. Since the focal point of a pedestal draws your eye to the center the tops of pedestal tables have traditionally been visually pleasing."

I've always wanted a round pedestal dining table. (I've also wanted wanted a huge trestle table with a bench for a while but you work with the space you have.) My dining room is awkwardly shaped. It looks large & square when viewing it from the living room, but it's actually rectangular and very narrow when you center a table under the chandelier.

I fell in love with LOTS of tables but due to my size issues, there weren't many tables available in the under typical 5 foot diameter size. I did find one that was more than I would have liked to have spent (I really don't like to spend over $200- $500 on anything, I'll be honest, although I know that can be ridiculous.) and I thought I'd share with you some of the inspiration pictures I collected along the way... The image below is from Nina Griscom's home and it's still one of my FAVORITE houses out there. Each piece in the space seems to be its own sculpture or work of art. One of the reasons I wanted a round pedestal table so badly is because I think they have the most beautiful silhouettes. This table is exactly what I was searching for... (but with a leaf)

Just check out this gorgeous silhouette (House Beautiful) below:

And here's a close-up of the same room. I'mlLoving the lantern over the table below and the pedestal table is a bit more ornate...

Here's a strong pedestal, the "Avignon Table" from Horchow. I love these too for larger spaces...

And below is a similar Sears version for around $300. (Not bad at all for the look!!)The pedestal table below has a more transitional style and even though nothing's really going on with the walls, it's okay because the table's just such a perfect focal point.

Below is the Wakefield Pedestal Table by Nochols & featured in Hosue Beautiful:

And I had to slip this white beauty from Country Living in (below). I just LOVE this dining room.

One of my favorite sources is Martha Stewart Furniture for Bernhardt. I am crazy over their pedestal tables but unfortunatly they were all too big fo rmy dining room. Below is the Grand Lake Pedestal Table and I just LOVE it!!! It has perfect lines in my opinion. Another reason we wanted a pedestal is because we're mostly going to be using our dining are as a reading/ project spot. My husband & I both have a bunch of books going at once & since we love how a pile of books looks, we figured this would be the perfect space to be able to keep our mess out on. (Of course I'll make it a pretty mess and below is what I'm thinking.-- Martha's Grand Lake Pedestal Table again)

And here is is again (below)... it's just begging to be covered in books!!!

Below is the Lyell Pedestal Tbale also by Martha Stewart and it would look beautiful with some Midcentury chairs:

And here's the Dunmere Pedestal table by martha Stewart. I'm crazy over its lines too!!!

Love it paired with these aqua-clad chairs below:

Here's a black oak pedestal table from Country Living and I'm loving this room too. Paring it with the vintage metal chairs is such a perfect yet unexpected touch:

Below, House Beautiful with pedestal table from Mecox Gardens... Love the drum shade over it!

Below is another House Beautifulspace, done by Albert Hadley. It's used as a beautiful library table:

A

nd below is a very similar dining table (Country Living) in a dining room. I'm CRAZY pver this room and also remember seeing it on Cote de Texas. (The lantern?!! window seat in the background?!! It's just so light & airy & I love what that strong dark & handsome table does in there!!! :)

Below is a room featured in House Beautiful and (shockingly for House Beautiful!) they used a table from Pottery Barn! I'm loving it.

And, finally, one more look at my dream table....

And here's the one that arrived at my house yesterday from Pottery Barn. It is the perfect size and comes with a leaf for bigger dinners!! Like I said it was more than I wanted to spend (that just shows you where the budget's at--- when PB is too high-end!!! :) but it really is exactly what we were looking for...

We're so happy with it & I just love what it does for the dining room!!! It really amped it up a notch in there & works perfectly with my velvet sofa. I'm sorry for not posting pics yet-- they are coming SO soon I promise. I'm waiting on a hardwood floor install (happening this weekend by super-busy husband) and a rug to arrive because I want you to see it once it's all done.

xoxo,

lauren