Black and White Accessories at IKEA

As evidenced by my half bathroom post yesterday, I've got a thing for black and white stripes.  While browsing the aisles of IKEA I found they have a thing for black and white stripes too.  They have so many affordable options to bring this look into your home. 

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Although not black and white stripes, a good buffalo check is classic.  I think this would be great in a boy's room.  I'm tempted to buy some and just hoard save it just in case I need it one day.

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I could only find a tiny picture of the black and white outdoor umbrellas and sunshields.  They show them in different colors online, but not the black and white for some reason.  I did see them in the store though.  I think black and white on a patio is so classy.  Pair it with some boxwoods or some lemon trees and you've got a lovely little space.

The sunshields are only $14.99and the umbrellas start at $9.99.  I'm not sure of the quality, but I'm loving the look and the price.

outdoor cushions always liven things up

Do you love black and white?  Seen any other must have items at IKEA lately?

Black and White Striped Bathroom

I've been meaning to do a full post on my half bathroom for a while now.  Small bathrooms are absolutely the hardest rooms to photograph which is why I've been putting this post off, but I finally just decided to jump right in and go for it.

It's always best to start with a before picture, because then you can really appreciate the after.  This bathroom felt small, dark, and orange.  It was time for a change.

I'm loving black and white right now and decided to go bold with some horizontal stripes.

I would eventually love to add a fabric skirt to the bottom of the pedestal sink, but for now I'll leave it as is.

Here's a list of sources for the room:

Mirror: Thrifted, before and after here

Floating Frames: Michaels

Framed Shell Art Prints: cutout from this book

Framed 3D shell art: DIY found here

White Shelf: Ikea (brackets spraypainted brass)

Metal Seltzer bottle: purchased on clearance a few years ago at Tuesday Morning

Soap Dish: thrifted vintage glass

Soap Dispenser: Target

Switchplate covers: DIY found here

Mermaid Towel Hook: Hobby Lobby  (spraypainted gold)

Spice Spice Baby

I don't know about you, but I love organization and my spices were far from organized.  They were spread out over three different cabinets and I never knew what I had.  I found myself buying duplicates of certain spices just because I didn't even know I already had them.  So, when I started organizing the cabinets to make sure everything was baby proofed I thought why not get my spices in line too.  I found this great tutorial on iheartorganizing and pretty much copied it.  

I could have sworn I took some step by step pictures, but they have gone missing.  Thankfully this is pretty easy. 

Start with some ball jars.  I used 4 oz ball jars for the smaller storage and the 8 oz ball jars for the larger storage.  

I ordered mine online from Walmart and picked them up in store.  It saves on the shipping and saves you from having to walk around Walmart hunting them down.

Then, just take the lids off and separate the rim from the lid.  I sprayed the rim (not sure what it's actually called) with Rustoleum Seaside Green.  I had it leftover from my bathroom mirror makeover.  Then, I just painted the lids with some chalkboard paint I had leftover from other projects.  I used the brush on kind because that's what I had, but spraying them with chalkboard paint would be way easier. 

Then, I just used a chalk marker to label the spices.  That way if I need to change things up I can just wipe it off and start fresh.  I also used a chalk marker to write the expiration date on the bottom of the jar that way I can make sure things stay fresh.  Then, I can just wipe the chalk marker off and change the date when I add new spices.  I just lined the drawer with some wrapping paper I picked up at Homegoods for $2.  I did adhere it to some posterboard first so it wouldn't be too flimsy.  On a side note, Homegoods has the best wrapping paper lately and you can't beat the price!

Client Redesign

I've been working with the sweetest client on the redesign of her home.  We are moving through the house room by room and updating things.  We just finished up her living room and dining room and are moving onto her kitchen, office, and bathroom next.  I thought I'd share the progress we've made in the living room and dining room.  

A little background:

-the walls were painted a few years ago so the color needed to stay

-the living room rug was also purchased recently and needed to stay

-the dining room furniture is a family heirloom and needed to stay

-if possible, we needed to work around the sectional and try to make it work

-the ceiling fan needed to stay

So here's what we started with

And here's the after.

We moved the old living room rug to the dining room and used those colors in both rooms to tie them together.  The living room got a new rug that was more to scale for the room.  It also helps brighten the space so much and makes everything seem bigger.

We also chose to bring in a different ottoman, nailheads make everything better

This small C table fits perfectly over the arm of the sectional.  I think these tables are so great.  When you don't have room for an end table and still need somewhere to set your drink, books, etc. these work great.

We still used all of her heirloom furniture we just rearranged it so that it would better fit the rooms.  The  large dining room buffet is now used for the TV in the living room (This area is not pictured because we are still working with some cords over there) and the smaller piece is used in the entryway.  The boxes provide some extra storage too.

We used an oversized mirror above the couch to further open up the room.  Before, the two small pictures got lost on that large wall and made the sectional appear monstrous.  Now that everything else is to scale it all works together.

Fun, patterned pillows also help to break up the large sectional and add some nice color.

In the dining room we added this much smaller sideboard that still provides storage, but encourages better flow in the room. 

Since we were able to move the oversized buffet into the living room, we gained extra space that allowed us to add a leaf to the table and provide extra seating.  The chairs also got an easy update with new fabric.

You'll also notice that all the window treatments are hung as close to the ceiling a possible.  That always makes such a difference.  

We used a lot of her existing photographs that she had of her son.  These are the same canvases that were previously above the sofa.  They get the attention they deserve on this smaller wall in the dining room.

Next up, the office and bathroom.  We are pretty much starting with a blank canvas in there so it's going to be fun!

Room Sources:

Ottoman: here

Rug: here

Floral Rug: similar here

Floral Mirror: here

Red Cabinet: here

Large Mirror: IKEA

Sectional: Macy's similar here

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Super Steal

I should be a spokesperson for Lowe's or something.  I just keep running across great deals and can't keep them to myself.  I shared the pillow deal the other day (which by the way it looks like they've upped the price to $9.98 now) and while shopping for a client I found another steal!  It looks like they may be clearancing out a lot of their Allen & Roth home decor items, because this 5 x 8 greek key rug is $42!  It was $168 so that's a 75% savings!  It says it's 100% wool.  I like that the tone on tone greek key pattern is more subtle.  

It comes in blue and cream.

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I picked one up for my office yesterday because I just couldn't resist such a good deal.  I've been looking for a rug for in there for a while for the right price.  I have to say I am very pleased with it.  It has a nice pile and feels very well made.  You would normally pay $42 for one of those cheapo rugs they put out at back to school time for college dorm rooms.  If you are in need of a rug I would check it out!  I snapped a quick cell phone picture of it last night so you can get an idea of what it looks like in person.  You can tell the texture/pattern a little better here.

Found any other great deals on rugs lately?  I usually check out Rugs USA when they have their big sales.

p.s.-If you do a search for "Allen & Roth" I found a few more pillow covers for $2.49 and there may be even more deals that I haven't discovered yet! 

$2.49 pillow cover

This deal is too good not to share.  I purchased these pillow covers for around $7 and thought that was a steal, but now they are on clearance for $2.49!  And you'll never guess where they are from, Lowes!  You have to enter your zip code to check for availability at your local store.  Here's the link.  

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This is just for the pillow cover, but I normally purchase the 20 x 20 feather inserts from IKEA for all my pillows anyway.  They are $6.99, so for less than $10 you have an awesome, feather filled, trendy pillow!

Thank you Shannon for the heads up on these!

Toast Rack turned Mail Sorter

I'm not the first one to do this, but I think it's such a great idea.  We used to have a very basic metal mail sorter in our office.  We've actually had it for the past 5 years and my husband had it in his old home several years before that.  Of course when I got my hands on it I sprayed it gold and it served it's purpose, but it was time for something a little more classy.  I've been keeping my eye out for the perfect vintage toast rack.  I was hoping to stumble upon one while thrifting, but never had any luck so I broke down and purchased one on Etsy.  If you are in the market for one I would check Etsy or Ebay.  The prices range from about $10 to several hundred dollars. 

and here it is without the mail so you can see the unique shape.