Guest Bedroom Makeover

Generally speaking, I have an eclectic eye for style.  But that being said, I can tend to get caught up in a single design idiom for long periods of time and then find myself trying to mash-up items I already have to create a cohesive, well balanced space.

Now that we're all moved into our new house in South Florida, we've been working on getting all of our rooms up to par.  There's tons of work to be done all throughout the house, but we are going to focus on the bedrooms first, since those will require the least amount of effort.

First up, Guest Bedroom #1.  This room is pretty basic.  Other than the king size bed and the little library, there isn't much else going on in here besides a small chair and two "side tables".  We don't have to do too much to this room, but we are going to add crown molding and drapes after we paint the walls and a ceiling fan - an essential down here.  And I think it goes without saying, the vertical blinds have to go!  We'll also be adding a few more pieces of art to the room once it's all buttoned up as well as a lamp or two.

As a quick little study, I threw together this design board to see how everything we already had in the space (or will have soon) would work together.  Right now, the only thing I'm waiting on is the Marimekko Kivet duvet cover - which will be here Thursday!  As you can see, the palette is pretty modern, so I'll  need to find some fun little antiques to throw in here to keep the vintage modern vibe we've got going on throughout the rest of the house.

1. Blue-Green Sheet Set  2. Panton Chair 3. Coral Painted Wooden Side Table 4. Marimekko Kivet Duvet Cover 5. B&B Italia "George" Low Table 6. Alias Tamar Tables 1 & 3

I also photoshopped some down and dirty images to help us make some decisions concerning the drapes and a headboard.  Excuse the crappy executions, and give me your thoughts.  I think we're leaning towards the white drapes and a tufted headboard, but in white instead of black as shown below.

1. Gunmetal 2. Coral 3. White

1.Black Tufted 2. White French Provencial

What's Your "Design Idiom"?

I was just working on my next blog post when I made a reference to my design idiom and realized that I have yet to identify my design idiom on here, nor have I offered to define "design idiom" in general for those of you who aren't quite sure what it means.

I guess I've put off doing this for so long because I'm no etymologist and I've yet to find a definition online that I could plagiarize - I mean "reference".  Joking! 

So I guess I'll give it a shot.  Here goes:

Design Idiom: A language one uses to describe their design aesthetic.

Or in other words, your design philosophy - or style.  For example, if you want to create a space that evokes images of the industrial era, but you want to maintain a sense of warmth and livability, you might define your design idiom as "Industrial Chic".

Via Desire to Inspire.

Via Curated Style.

Via Restoration Hardware.

Other popular design idioms are: Art Deco, Spanish Colonial, Shabby Chic, Mid Century Modern and so on.  But most of us tend to marry one or more styles together, creating our own unique aesthetic.  So, I ask you, what's your Design Idiom?!

Mine?  Well it's pretty eclectic.  Maybe you'd say, Vintage Modern.

Just Like Christmas!

After renting for the past two years where most of our artwork and furniture was in storage, I've felt like a kid on Christmas uncrating everything!  It's so exciting to see all of the pieces we've collected over the years again and although our new house is as vanilla as it gets - beige walls, beige floors, beige doors, beige cabinetry - it's already starting to feel like home with all of our furniture out and some of our artwork hung.

The Sitting Room - We still have to wrap up some styling in here and need some artwork to fill in the empty frames and a frame to finish off the George Washington, but it's getting there.

The Dining Room - We're thinking about doing a Nelson Bubble Lamp over the table, but that's still up in the air.

The Kitchen (with the Living Room in the foreground) - Where to begin? We need a breakfast table...new light fixture...etc.

Over time, we will replace the original beige tile and carpet in our home with hardwoods and the outdated kitchen will be gutted and revitalized with modern cabinets/appliances, but in the meantime, we'll start adding character to our house with a bit of color on the walls and updating light fixtures and window treatments.  Our house was built in 1991, and while the original owner meticulously maintained the home, e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g is original! 

Stay tuned for updates and photos as we make progress...