May Richer Fuller Be

Join Me at Mix & Match Design Company!

2016-11-10T09:55:00.001-05:00

Hello, friends! Today will be the last post on May Richer Fuller Be, but don't worry, I'm not going away. :) Since going full time with my e-design business this summer, I've devoted all of my time and energy to growing it, and I would love it if you joined me over at Mix & Match Design Company! I blog about all things interior design and decorating, and it's where client project reveals are too. Yesterday, I posted a great gift guide for your Thanksgiving Host/Hostess - this year, show your appreciation to them for opening their home by bringing something a little more creative than a bottle of wine (though that's always welcome in my book!).

And if you've been waiting for the kitchen reveal, you're in luck, because it's over there in all its before and after glory! Our IKEA kitchen turned out even better than I could have imagined, and I'd love for you to pop over and see it.

These past four years(!) at May Richer Fuller Be have been incredibly formative, and have given me the chance to grow in more ways than I can count. Writing here gave me the confidence to start my business, and it's been such a joy to pursue something that I love so much. Thank you for your support here - it means the world to me, and I do hope you'll follow along with Mix & Match!

Here are three easy ways to do that:

Follow Mix & Match on Instagram
Subscribe to the blog: Enter your email address (Delivered by FeedBurner)
Like Mix & Match on Facebook

Thanks again, friends, and I hope to see you around the new blog and social media soon. Don't be shy in saying hello and letting me know you're coming over from MRFB!

E-Design Giveaway Before + After: Springfield Dining Room

2016-09-30T11:37:00.000-04:00

It's time for another project reveal! You may remember that back in the spring, I hosted a giveaway for a full room e-design package, and over on the Mix & Match blog, I'm sharing the before and after! You can catch a sneak peek here, but the full before photos, plan and after photos are over there. :)

The winners, Erin and Ryan, submitted their dining room, which Erin described as "pretty much a blank canvas" that had a $100 table from Craigslist, a dated light fixture and a hodgepodge of other pieces they were ready to let go of so they could make the space into something they really enjoy. They love hosting friends for meals and large gatherings, so they couldn't wait for the room to be done.

Here's what it looked like before:

And after!

This was such a fun project, and I'm thrilled with how it turned out. Head on over to the Mix & Match blog for all the details!

Sources:

Slater Mill dining table
INGOLF dining chairs
Lawford Charcoal Herringbone dining chairs (head chairs)
Barrington chandelier
Jubilee braided rug
Buffet - Craigslist (similar)
Table lamp - T.J. Maxx (similar)
Warmest Arrow throw
End table - T.J. Maxx (similar)
Chair - Craigslist
Paint color: Benjamin Moore Sea Star

Philadelphia Suburbs Modern Farmhouse Bedroom Reveal

2016-09-19T09:09:00.001-04:00

It's reveal time, y'all!

You may remember when I shared the design plan for this modern farmhouse master bedroom in the Philadelphia suburbs a few months ago and I'm excited to show it to you today in its completion! This project was a blast to pull together, and I was thrilled that it was local so I could go snap some photos on a beautiful Sunday afternoon a couple of weeks ago.

My clients, Courtney and Kit, were going through some big transitions this summer including a move from a tiny one bedroom apartment in the city to a two bedroom in the suburbs and both starting new jobs, so the last thing they wanted to do was figure out how to furnish their bedroom. That's where Mix & Match stepped in to help - I created a design plan and then all they had to do was purchase the items and install them in their new home.

Here's what the final design board looked like:

And here's the finished room!

To see more photos and read more about the process, head on over to the Mix & Match blog. That's where I'll be sharing full e-design project reveals and more. You can also follow Mix & Match on Instagram in between posts for more design goodness!

If you or someone you know needs interior design help in their home - whether a big project or small - feel free to contact me. I'd love to help!

Kitchen Renovation: Demolition + Putting It Back Together

2016-08-26T14:39:00.001-04:00

The long-awaited kitchen update is here! If you've been following on Instagram (@mayricherfullerbe), you've seen some sneak peeks here and there on our progress, but it's high time for a full blown post on it. I wanted to share about it in real time, but quickly discovered it was almost impossible to take on a full kitchen reno and launch an interior design business at the same time (and still sleep!). Now that we're mostly done with the kitchen, my time is a little less crunched, and that means I can update the blog!

Last time I wrote about the kitchen, I shared the design board and plans, but as a quick catch up, here's a little about where we're headed - we're doing a modern white IKEA kitchen with quartz countertops, brass hardware and charcoal tile floors. It's a complete cosmetic gut job. There are no structural or plumbing changes, but everything else is OUT.

I'm going to break this reno up into several posts starting with the demolition and the beginning of putting it back together. It felt like it took forever, but all in all, it only took three weeks to get the major work done thanks to the amazing contracting by my father-in-law. This was his last job before retirement, and man, we worked him hard and we're so so grateful for his work!

Let's begin, shall we?

First step: take down all of the old cabinets and remove the appliances. (If you want to see the kitchen before, check out this post.)

The main wall of cabinets had exposed brick behind it, which is pretty sweet, but it was looking totally disgusting from years of grease buildup. After a little bit of deliberation, we decided to simply clean it up and paint it glossy white to match the rest of the trim in the house. It looks like a rustic subway tile now and I love it (photos to come on that!).

Next to go was the old tile. The floors were pretty uneven, so a lot of the tiles were cracked and some had been replaced over the years with non-matching tiles. My father-in-law spent a lot of time scheming and figuring out how to make the floors dead flat so the new floors won't have a tile cracking problem in the future.

One little fun fact - we only went without a sink for two days during this who renovation. It was amazing! We waited until the very last minute to swap out the old one with the new sink and sink cabinet, so those of you who are going through or are planning a kitchen renovation, see if your contractor will work with you to do this. It makes living in a construction zone so much less bad.

After everything was disassembled and cleaned up, we started installing the new IKEA cabinets! I spent many, many hours assembling them while my father-in-law did the skilled labor in the kitchen, but it really wasn't so bad. I had 13 cabinets and 17 drawers to assemble and let me tell you, IKEA has an incredible system that just works. It's pretty difficult to mess up if you follow the directions. And though it's time-consuming, if you break it up over the course of a week or so it doesn't feel totally overwhelming.

Here's an awkward picture of me putting one together. You're welcome.

Ahh! New cabinets! It's starting to look like a kitchen again, right?

We also purchased a new range, microwave/hood and refrigerator for this project. I've never had new appliances in any of the places we've lived and they make me oddly happy. They have all these fancy features that I never knew I needed (ha!), but now that I have them there's no going back. :)

These two tall pantries are amazing. We put a lot of shelves and a few drawers in them and they're perfect for dry goods, small appliances and our coffee station (more on that soon...). These are helping us keep our countertops clear, which was one request from my husband, and he doesn't request much, so you know I had to make that a priority, right?

Once all the cabinetry was set, it was time to take on the radiant heat flooring project. This was on my dream wish list and I'm SO happy we decided to do it. Our kitchen gets ridiculously cold in the winter because it hangs over our garage and the outside world. These radiant heat floors will make a huge difference.

We went with a loose coil system from Warmup (best customer service ever, by the way. I can't speak highly enough of them - and no, they're not sponsoring this post!). You basically nail down these guides and then weave the wire through them, keeping the wire at least two inches apart throughout. You also want to make sure you keep the wires out from under appliances and cabinets.

Here's another fantastic picture of me for your viewing pleasure. I'm adding some hot glue to places where the wire wanted to stand up. This helps keep them from popping up when you're pouring thinset onto the system. And no, I didn't do this by myself - my father in law gets most of the credit for making this dream happen!

After a layer of thinset dries on top of the wires, it's time to tile!

Once the tiling was complete, we were done with the major stuff - minus the countertop installation - big high five!

I'll finish up today's post with a few shots of the cabinets with all the doors and drawers installed:

This little bank of cabinets on the opposite side is probably my favorite new addition. It's kind of like a floating sideboard. We put butcher block on it for a countertop and I love the warmth it brings to the kitchen. Those deep drawers are awesome for storage too! You can also catch a glimpse of the fancy new fridge. Can't wait to share details on that soon!

So that's where I'll wrap up for today. I think that's enough to take in for one day! Our countertops were install this week, so it's looking even better now. There's some finishing work to be done including painting, caulking and installing knobs and pulls, but we're thrilled with how it has turned out so far!

One Good Thing: Throw Pillow Combinations

2016-07-28T13:36:00.003-04:00

A new series started this week over on the Mix & Match (my e-design biz) website's blog called "One Good Thing" where I share a favorite quick design tip or trick. I figured a lot of y'all over here might appreciate the post since this week's topic helps solve a common decorating conundrum: how to mix throw pillow patterns so they look cohesive. I put together five super combos to help show you how to mix patterns.

You'll have to head on over to Mix & Match to see the full post, but you can check out a preview of the combos below!

I've got lots of ideas up my sleeve for other posts in the "One Good Thing" series, but if you have any suggestions, I'm all ears! Feel free to leave a comment on the Mix & Match post or email me at chaney@mixandmatchdesign.com.

Tracking Budgets + Keeping Projects Organized

2016-07-26T04:00:00.000-04:00

As y'all know, we're about to embark on a serious kitchen renovation over here! Last week I filled you in on plans, materials and finishes, and today I'm going to talk a little bit about how I'm keeping this project organized and making sure we're staying on budget.

Since so much goes into a kitchen renovation (or any big house project for that matter), I knew there was no way I could keep everything straight in my head - let alone stick to a budget - without a little bit of help from technology. I found that a combination of two tools, Pinterest and itsums, worked beautifully for me.

The first tool I used, and probably the most obvious one, was Pinterest.

Pinterest is an awesome resource for finding inspiration and keeping track of favorite images you find on the web, but did you know that you can create secret boards that no one else can see? These are perfect for project planning because you can corral not only the pretty images, but the practical things too, like floor tile samples, that you like. You can also invite others to pin to these secret boards (or regular boards if you want to go that route), so if you have a partner in the project, it's a nice way to be able to collaborate together.

I started a secret board (I guess it's not so secret anymore since there's a screenshot of it above!) for our kitchen remodel almost a year ago, way before we knew it was going to happen for real. It was fun to dream about it and allow my plan to develop over time as I honed in on how I wanted things to look and what kind of budget we'd have.

Speaking of budgets, one thing Pinterest can't do is track those. That's where my second tool, itsums, comes into play. This one's a game changer, y'all - for real.

I started using itsums for my kitchen remodel, but now I'm using it for client projects too because it's just that helpful!

It has some similarities to Pinterest in that you can create different "boards," (called sum boards) "pin" from websites, and add bits of information to each image, but where it differs from Pinterest is that it's primarily a budgeting tool. It's much less focused on pretty images and more focused on the practical part of a project - knowing where the money is going.

For example, for our kitchen project, I created a sum board called "Kitchen Remodel" and put in our budget. Then, every time I picked out an item for the kitchen, I added it to the board using the handy little itsums bookmarklet, which, when you click it, pops up in a window like this:

There you add the item's price, how many you need, which board you want to add it to, the category (if you want - this isn't always necessary) and any notes about the item. Once you hit save, you can choose to view the sum board, which looks like this:

On the left, you can scroll through and see all the items you've added, and on the right you can see the sum of the items, your overall budget, etc. Once a project is going and you start buying items, you can hover over them and click "purchased." The "purchased" section on the right will automatically update and show you what you've spent in real time. Pretty cool huh? There's also an option to "hide" the item from your budget if you're not sure you're planning on purchasing it. I've used that option when I've found multiple options for an item (like tile) and I'm not sure which one I'm going to buy yet, but I want to keep track of them all for the time being. I can toggle the hide/show to see how different ones will affect my budget.

And if you're super organized, you can add categories to the project and keep track of how much you spend on each one. I created a bunch for our kitchen remodel like appliances, flooring and cabinets. It can be handy to be able to go right to the board and find out the total cost of a group of items.

Now, could I do this kind of budgeting in Excel or something similar? Well sure, but it's a heck of a lot more cumbersome to do it that way! With itsums, all the information is right there - no math to do, no copying and pasting of links, and no trying to remember what something looks like.

Have I sold you on itsums yet? :)

It really is so so helpful and I've found it to be a lifesaver for staying on track with this project. A kitchen remodel is no small undertaking and this tool has helped keep me sane during all the planning and purchasing!

What projects are y'all working on these days? Have you ever used itsums to help you manage them? Or do you have other tools you like to use?

---

(P.S. I feel like I should make the disclaimer that Pinterest and itsums did not ask me to write about them - they don't even know I exist! I just love to share about awesome tools and tricks that I find all over the web with you, my lovely readers!)

Kitchen Design Board + Floor Plans

2016-07-19T13:11:00.003-04:00

The countdown is on! In about two weeks, we'll be starting our kitchen renovation and I cannot wait. Demo is set to begin in about two weeks - in other words, things will be getting real real fast. (Any advice on living without a kitchen for awhile?)

I basically started planning this kitchen reno the moment we first laid eyes on our house last year and if you've been around the blog for awhile, you might remember that in our "30 day blitz" after closing we took down a wall and did some quick reconfiguring to make it work for us before we could move forward with a true remodeling project.

It went from this (real estate photo):

To this (wall came down, installed a dishwasher and moved the sink to where the fridge used to be):

Since this photo was taken back in the winter, the only thing we've done is install pendant lighting (shown in the design board below) over the peninsula. Though it's been in a state of limbo - for example, our only ceiling light in there right now is a hanging bulb from a ceiling fan we took down, ha! - it's been great to live with the kitchen in this form for awhile to really be able to know what we wanted our new one to be like.

A few months ago, before I took time off from blogging in June and July, I shared my kitchen inspiration, and I'm happy to report I've stayed pretty true to that vision! Light, bright and modern are the key words.

So without further adieu, here's the design board for our new kitchen!

(Please note that some of the following are affiliate links, which means that if you purchase through the link, I may earn a small commission at no cost to you. Thanks for supporting the blog in this way!)

1. IKEA cabinets (VEDDINGE) || 2. quartz countertop (Caesarstone London Grey) || 3. butcher block countertop || 4. refrigerator || 5. range || 6. dishwasher || 7. brass hex knob || 8. brass pull || 9. pendant lights || 10. faucet || 11. sink || 12. floor tile

We decided to go with IKEA for our cabinets, doors and quartz/butcherblock countertops. Their system is amazing (soft close doors, anyone?!) and the prices are hard to beat. Though there's a lot of assembly involved, I'm not too concerned since I'm an avid do-it-yourselfer and I have a contractor father-in-law spearheading the project. :)

I went back and forth for a good while on whether to go with flat panel doors or shaker style and ultimately decided to go with the more modern, flat panel doors. I'm pairing the simple door style with some really fun brushed brass pulls and knobs that take the kitchen to the next level. (By the way, the hardware I chose is super affordable - especially those Target pulls. I went into the store the other day to see them in person and they're a great weight and color, which I wasn't necessarily expecting for a Target find! #targetdoesitagain)

For the countertops, I wanted something that looked like marble, but was more durable, and these London Grey quartz countertops fit the bill. I loved the veining and the grey tone. They'll be everywhere in the kitchen except for a small section that will have butcher block. Those cabinets will imitate a credenza - more on that in the floor plans below.

I haven't nailed down the exact tile for the flooring, but I know it will be a dark gray/charcoal and likely be in a 12"x24" size. We're also pretty sure we're going to install electric radiant heat under the tile since our kitchen is freezing underfoot in the winter. Does anyone have any brands they recommend for that? I'm still researching...

Our sink and faucet were ordered this week. I can't tell you how excited I am to be replacing our cheap double basin, stainless steel sink with a deep, single basin one, and our leaky, low faucet for a sleek, pull down one!

Lastly, appliances. I've been thrilled with our Whirlpool dishwasher (it's silent and cleans really well) and we'll be going with them for our refrigerator, range and microwave/hood as well. I'm not sure exactly which models yet, but the three I linked above are strong contenders.

Now let's take a look at the rough floor plan! If any of you have ever tried out the IKEA kitchen planner, you know it's a bit maddening to use, but it gets the job done for the most part.

Here's the overall view:

The main part of the kitchen will maintain the existing L-shape, but the countertop on the peninsula (where the sink and dishwasher are) will extend out into the dining area so we can have a real bar with stools under it for seating. The new items are the "credenza" (represented as brown in the above floor plan) and the floor-to-ceiling pantries (labeled 10 and 11 above).

(To see our kitchen as it stands now, check out this post.)

Below you can see the pantries on the left side. The cabinetry surrounding the range has basically the same layout as the existing cabinetry. A microwave/hood will go above the range.

And P.S., I have no idea why the knobs aren't parallel with each other - a quirk of the software I guess!

Here's a better look at the "credenza" on the opposite side of the space. It will have exposed legs since a small radiator will be sitting under those cabinets. I'm excited to gain a bit of counter space here too!

Our sink, dishwasher and pull out trash can(!) will be in the peninsula and the bar area will extend out the back.

I think that's it. Phew! That was a long post, but I hope it gives you a better idea of where we're headed. Hopefully the next update will be a real life one where we'll be saying adios! to the old kitchen!

*Psst! Need help with your home? Come on over to Mix & Match Design Company and let's chat!

And I'm Back!

2016-07-14T04:00:00.000-04:00

Did you miss me? I feel like I have a lot to catch y'all up on, so I'll divide this post up into three sections: where I've been, what's happening now, and what's coming up.

Where I've been:

The reason I took a little break (ok, maybe 6 weeks isn't exactly short...) from blogging was because my husband and I had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help run a series of summer programs on Martha's Vineyard! Never in my life did I think that we would have the chance to leave our normal lives behind for awhile to work together on a property that hosts week-long programs for middle and high school students on an island in Massachusetts. Crazy, right? "Real adults" don't do this sort of thing, do they?

Well, we did!

With my husband finishing graduate school in May and me deciding to leave my career in healthcare to pursue Mix & Match Design Company full time, we created a gap of time this summer that freed us up to do this crazy thing. Our primary responsibility was to work behind-the-scenes to ensure that the programs ran smoothly from week to week. I nicknamed the two of us "the great communicators" because a lot of what we did involved collecting and disseminating info between the summer-long staff (kitchen, office and facilities folks) and the week-long staff/volunteers so that everything would go according to plan from day to day and week to week. We were also in charge of developing community among the college-aged summer-long staff and running weekly Bible studies for them. We had such a great group and I already miss them!

While we were on the Vineyard, we also managed to have a lot of fun in our off time. I feel like I should put together some kind of guide for all the fun things you can do there - we had a blast exploring beaches and cute little towns, hiking, catching sunsets, fishing, eating lobster, etc. I put together a little collage of some of the photos I snapped with my iPhone, which doesn't do our adventures justice, but it gives you a flavor!

What's happening now?

As of this past Monday, I'm a full-time entrepreneur! I've turned my attention to running and growing Mix & Match Design Company.

I'm excited slash a little bit terrified. Running your own business is no joke! Transitioning from a job where pretty much every minute was planned out for me to a job where I'm the boss and it's up to me to run this thing is quite an adjustment. I'm definitely up for the challenge though, and I'm pumped to finally be able to put all my energy toward my passion of offering folks affordable and approachable interior design services! With that being said, if you or anyone you know is in need of help in their homes, send them my way! You can find out more info through the website (linked above) or contact me via chaney@mixandmatchdesign.com.

What's coming up?

So many things! I've got two Mix & Match projects in the works right now that I hope to share photos of soon. I shared the plan for one of them before I went on sabbatical - the Philadelphia suburbs master bedroom. In case you missed it, here it is:

We tweaked a few of the items along the way, but this is the general gist! It's going to be beautiful and I can't wait to see it in person soon.

The second project is an industrial farmhouse style dining room. I'm still working with that client to finalize a few things and I hope to share more about it in the coming weeks!

The last big thing that's coming up is that in a couple of weeks we start our big kitchen renovation. Yippee! We're ripping everything out and starting from scratch. It's time to say goodbye to cracked, mismatched floor tiles, the makeshift "bar," old appliances, a leaky faucet and oh so much more... This may be one of the last times you see it like this, so get a good look now!

I shared my kitchen ideas and inspiration awhile back and now plans are firming up, which is exciting. My father-in-law and I will be taking this project on in August and y'all will get the full scoop as we get going. The #phillyrowhousereno is back for round two!

I think I'll wrap things up for today, but it's good to be back in action here on the ole blog. More to come!

MRFB on Sabbatical

2016-05-30T14:05:00.003-04:00

Hey friends! Happy Memorial Day! Just a quick programming note to say that May Richer Fuller Be is taking a little break between now and mid-July. My husband and I have headed off on a little adventure helping out with a summer program in Massachusetts and the blog will be on sabbatical during that time. I'll probably be popping in on Instagram (follow MRFB here and Mix & Match Design Company here) every now and then, but otherwise things will be pretty quiet!

When I get back, there are a few projects I can't wait to share with you including photos of the finished Philadelphia suburbs master bedroom design I shared recently, a dining room e-design from the giveaway from Mix & Match and eventually, our very own kitchen reno! It's going to be a fun second half of the summer - stay tuned!

Thanks for following along, and as always, if you need help with your home, head on over to Mix & Match to check out my e-design services!

E-Design Project: Philadelphia Suburbs Master Bedroom Plan

2016-05-10T04:00:00.000-04:00

Hello friends! Long time no talk! Things have been ca-razytown over here recently and I've hardly had time to breathe, let alone post on the blog. Between my husband finishing up his semester and graduating with his MBA this weekend (I can't believe how quickly two years have gone!), a bunch of traveling, things ramping up with Mix & Match, and heck, just life, I've had to pick and choose where to spend my time and sadly, blogging didn't made the cut. I've still been pretty active on Instagram though, so if you want to catch me in between posts, you can follow me over there.

But! Some big news in my life is that as of the end of this week, I'll be full time with Mix & Match! Yep, I'm quitting my day job to pursue my e-design business and I couldn't be more excited. I'll have more on that in a separate post soon, but what that means for y'all is that you'll probably be seeing more interior design-focused posts - hope you're ready!

Big stuff, friends, big stuff.

Now, speaking of e-design, I've got a really fun project going on for a new client, and she was kind enough to give me permission to share the inspiration, plan and, fingers crossed, after photos once everything's installed. Since e-design is all done online and installed by the client, I don't always get to see the final product, so this is a real treat.

My client and her husband happen to also be great friends of mine and they're transitioning from a small one bedroom in the city to a larger two bedroom apartment in the suburbs. Since they're gaining a bedroom, they decided to put their current furniture in the guest bedroom and start with a clean slate in the master bedroom. I was thrilled when they asked me to put together a plan for that space!

The look they're going for is modern farmhouse with a touch of industrial. It definitely has Fixer Upper vibes and it's going to be beautiful!

Here are some of the photos she shared with me as inspiration:

{Sources: clockwise from top left: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6}

What I pulled from these photos was a primarily blue and white theme (with a little bit of green) mixed with warm wood tones. There's also a lot of great texture going on with both the textiles and furniture. It'll definitely be a cozy and inviting space.

Here's the design board I came up with based on these ideas:

What do y'all think? Is this look up your alley?

Another fun treat with this project is that I get to share many of the sources! You can shop the post for the items below:

Upholstered Bed* | Nightstand* | Lamp* | Dresser* | Curtains | Mirror | Trunk* | Rug | White Sheets* | Navy Duvet | White Quilt* | Striped Euro Shams* | Green Leaf Lumbar Pillows

(*affiliate link used - I earn a small commission for your purchase, but your price doesn't change. Thanks for supporting May Richer Fuller Be and Mix & Match in this way!)

I can't wait to share the progress on this project with you. They'll be up and running in their new place later this summer, so I should have photos to show you then!

I think the next project I'll be sharing is from the e-design giveaway I wrote about a couple of months ago. The winner was a dining room that was just begging for a makeover! That project is coming along too - more soon!

*Psst! Need help with your home? Come on over to Mix & Match Design Company and let's chat!

Kitchen Renovation Inspiration

2016-04-28T08:40:00.000-04:00

{Sugar & Cloth}

That's right, a kitchen renovation! Though it's not going to happen until later this summer, it's never too early to start planning and dreaming, right? I'm also hoping that y'all will chime in with your two cents on kitchen renos. I'm all ears!

Nothing is set in stone yet, but let's start with a few facts about the direction we're headed and then I'll get to the pretty stuff. :)

We're planning:

Modern white cabinets (who's surprised there?)
Marble-like quartz countertops
Brass hardware
Dark floors
Stainless steel appliances

We'll pretty much be starting from scratch while basically keeping the same layout. The one lone survivor in the demo phase will be the dishwasher (we bought it when we moved in since the house didn't have one). For cabinets, we're 90% sure we'll be using IKEA Sektion system with VEDDINGE fronts, so lots of cabinet building will be happening over here! I can't wait to get started.

Here are a few kitchens I've found that I love that echo the style/look we're going for:

{Annabode via Design Sponge}

{Sita Montgomery Interiors via Style Me Pretty}

{Francois et Moi}

{Oh Happy Day}

{Nicole Davis Interiors}

{Burke Decor}

{House Updated}

Get the idea? ;)

Of course I'll be sharing all the nitty gritty details from the planning phase all the way through to the reveal, so get ready for lots of kitchen happenings soon!

For reference, here's what our kitchen looks like now:

I can't wait to get rid of the green laminate countertops and that seen-better-days stainless sink!

Make It: DIY Sputnik-Style Light Fixture

2016-04-20T04:00:00.000-04:00

*Psst! Thanks to everyone who entered Mix & Match Design Company's e-design giveaway! I'm hard at work going through the submissions and it's going to be SO hard to choose just one. Y'all have such awesome homes and I can't wait to work with one of you!

If you saw my Instagram from last week, you'll know I've been working on a fun little DIY light fixture for my office. It's been way too long since I've DIY'd something and shared it here, so I figured it was high time to get 'er done to show y'all!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BEHbwwQyWE7/?taken-by=mayricherfullerbe

I've been a fan of Sputnik-style light fixtures for awhile now. They're modern, kinda funky and fixtures with exposed bulbs are definitely "in" right now. I needed a ceiling fixture to replace a sad-looking fan in my office, but wasn't ready to commit to spending the big bucks on a new fixture just yet.

Then on Pinterest (of course!) I spotted Little Green Notebook's DIY branch light and I thought a variation on that would be the perfect thing! I made a couple of modifications to make it work for my space and the step-by-step is below in case you want to make one yourself.

Supplies needed: (* Denotes an affiliate link. That means I get a tiny commission when you purchase through my link. There's no cost to you - thanks for supporting this little blog. :))

Putting this light together is a little bit like building with legos - it's super straightforward and you really can't mess up. You get to be as creative as you want!

Start with the 3-in-1 socket adapter and screw a Y socket splitter into each end.

Keep adding additional Y socket splitters to open ends until you get to the look you want. I ended up using 15 and gave it a pretty symmetrical look. What can I say - I like balance!

Once you finish attaching the Y splitters in a pattern you like, add lightbulbs to the remaining open sockets. You'll take these out to paint the fixture (unless you want to leave it white, which is pretty too!), but I liked seeing how it would look in its final form before heading to that step.

Finally, screw on the flexible extender and outlet box mount to finish the assembly before painting. Here it is before I got my spray paint on.

Before taking it out to paint, I installed it temporarily to make sure I was really happy with the scale and amount of light it gave out. My office isn't huge, but I found that with my original design, it wasn't quite bright enough. No big deal - I just added a few more Y splitters and bulbs to increase the amount of light.

Onto the painting!

But, here's one other pre-painting step that's very important!! Make sure to stuff the sockets with some newspaper to protect the light bulb contacts. It would be a shame to finish painting, screw in those bulbs, and then have the fixture not work!

I decided to spray my fixture metallic coppery-gold and since it was a tricky fixture to paint, I used a cardboard box as a makeshift paint shed - it worked perfectly to prevent overspray from getting on the concrete and helped it stand up for painting and drying purposes. I made sure to use multiple light and even coats and rotated the fixture several times to make sure all surfaces were well-covered.

(Side note: for those who are wondering about priming prior to spraying the metallic paint...I skipped that step. Should I have? Probably not, but since this fixture is installed on the ceiling, durability isn't an issue and I decided to be a total rebel and not prime. Many of these pieces are plastic though, so it will chip if you scratch at it. So far so good though!)

Now let's get to the good part - seeing it after installation! (Outlet mount boxes are super easy to install - just follow the directions in the box. If you don't feel comfortable with that, definitely hire an electrician!)

I added a ceiling medallion to really finish it off around the outlet box and I think it looks great. Here's how it looks with my office area in the background:

Love all those fun bulbs!

I'm thrilled with how it turned out. It brings such unexpected personality to the room!

Hooray for successful DIY projects! What have you been DIYing lately?

Must-Have Decor: Round Brass Mirrors

2016-04-13T04:00:00.000-04:00

{via Amber Interiors}

Round brass mirrors are definitely one of the most versatile decor items you can have in your home. Its clean lines and warm metal finish make it a classic that fits just about every style: mid-century modern, boho, traditional, hollywood glam and more. And, bonus, there's a place for one in most any room in your house. You can't say that for many pieces of decor, can you?!

To show you how pretty and versatile these mirrors are, I pulled the best examples I could find from around the web. I hope you enjoy browsing these, and if you make it to the end of the post, I've got a little surprise for you in the form of a very affordable option that I just purchased for our house!

{via Becki Owens}

Mirrors have the ability to make a room look bigger and brighter, especially when there aren't any windows nearby. The living room above and entryway below are great examples of that.

{via Architectural Digest}

They also work well as a nice, polished touch of decor over beds. How fun are they in this twin bedroom below?

{via Birmingham Home and Garden}

{via West Elm}

Mantles are another piece of prime real estate for these mirrors. The roundness balances out and softens the sharp edges and angles of the mantle nicely.

{via Maggie Stephens Interiors}

{via A House in the Hills}

So what do you think? Are you sold on adding one of these to your home? Or do you already have one? Where?

Alright friends - hooray! You made it to the end of the post, and here's your promised surprise: Target recently came out with 28" round brass mirror for - wait for it - $49.99. If you're not on the hunt for mirrors regularly, just know that's a crazy good deal (especially for a good sized mirror). For comparison, the next cheapest option I've found is $249. Run, don't walk, to Target for this one! #targetdoesitagain

Check it out below:

{via Target*}

*Affiliate link: That means I get a small commission for your purchase, but it doesn't change your price. Thanks for supporting MRFB!

Featured Designer on Roomhints

2016-04-11T04:00:00.000-04:00

Hey y'all! Happy Monday! I hope you all had great weekends. I wanted to pop in and let you know about a fun opportunity I have this week to be the featured designer for Roomhints.

{via Roomhints}

So what's Roomhints? Well, it's a free app you can use to get ideas for your home. You have the option to chat with a real live interior designer (that's me for this week!) who can help you solve your design dilemmas by giving you "hints" and sharing furniture and decor pieces you can often buy directly from the app. You can think of this as a more basic service than the e-design services I offer through Mix & Match Design Company. If you end up liking the hints you're getting from the app, but want some more comprehensive design help, stepping up to e-design may be a good option for you!

Here's how Roomhints works:

Download the app.
Upload a picture of your room.
Use the Roomhints color-matching technology to find products that match with your furniture.
Select what you are looking for - save the products you like or click "buy" to purchase the product on the vendors site.
Click the "designer chat" option and a real interior designer will take a look at your room, answer your questions and send you products ("hints") for your room.

Give it a try and let me know how I can help you with your home! :)

{via Roomhints}

*And don't forget, if you're local to Philadelphia or DC, you can enter the e-design giveaway that's open until the end of this week (April 15th). The submissions I've received so far are awesome - it's going to be really hard to choose just one!

April 2016 iPhone + Desktop Wallpapers

2016-03-31T08:07:00.000-04:00

Well, my friends? It appears that March has come and gone and tomorrow we'll say hello to April! Is anyone planning any good April fools pranks? I don't have anything up my sleeve, but I do appreciate a good prank as long as it's not too mean-spirited. ;)

For today, I've treat for you - new iPhone and desktop wallpapers! This month's round is full of punchy graphic hexagons in two different colorways. They have a springy vibe (fingers crossed that April brings some more *consistent* spring weather!) with their lighter colors.

You can grab one with or without the April calendar. Click the link underneath the one you'd like to download. It will take you to Dropbox so you can download the full-size version.

Enjoy!

iPhone Wallpaper with Calendar

Blank iPhone Wallpaper

iPhone Wallpaper with Calendar

Blank iPhone Wallpaper

Desktop Wallpaper with Calendar

Blank Desktop Wallpaper

Desktop Wallpaper with Calendar

Blank Desktop Wallpaper

Favorite Gift Finds at UncommonGoods

2016-03-28T04:00:00.000-04:00

*Note: This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of UncommonGoods. As always, opinions and words are mine - I only partner with brands that I love and that I think y'all would too! Thanks for supporting MRFB in this way. See my full disclosure notice at the bottom of the page.

I'm always on the hunt for new and unique sources for gifts for folks, so when I ran across UncommonGoods, I knew I had to come share some of my favorite finds with y'all. Considering we're entering a big gift giving season soon (Mother's/Father's Day, graduations, weddings, anyone?!), I'll bet you have some shopping to do in the coming months.

UncommonGoods certainly provides a great source for new and unique gifts, but what I really love about this company is that they're focused on being an online marketplace for emerging artisans, makers in low-income countries, and handmade pieces. Each item has a story behind it and they want to make sure you have a chance to hear it. Also, every time you make a purchase they donate $1 to your choice of one of their non-profit partners. Isn't that cool? You can read more about the company and its values here.

Alright, let's get to the good stuff! I've pulled together a list of my favorites from the UncommonGoods website, including a couple of items that they were kind enough to send me for this post!

1 | Layered Block Print Table Runner

This table runner caught my attention because of its funky mixed patterns, pom pom trim and modern-meets-boho vibe. It was one of my picks for our new dining table and I think it looks great in there!

This would make a great gift for someone who like me who loves to entertain. Perhaps it would even make a great wedding or Mother's Day gift? (P.S. if you're on the hunt for Mother's Day gifts, UncommonGoods has a great selection over here.)

2 | Gilded Branches Jewelry Tree

If you've got pretty jewelry, why not display it on something pretty? This jewelry tree certainly fits that bill.

3 | Succulent Living Wall Planter

I think y'all have probably figured out by now that I have this thing for succulents. They're easy to keep alive and pretty to look at. If I had a wall that got some great sun exposure, I'd be all over this wall planter!

4 | Coral Carved Hanging Planter

Speaking of plants, here's another planter I thought was very pretty. It would be perfect on a front porch.

5 | Free Form Bulletin Board

The organizer in me really liked this bulletin board for an entryway, command center or office.

6 | Neighborwoods Map Coasters

Local art gets my attention every time, and these wood coasters with snippets of city neighborhoods are awesome. They had Philadelphia on their list of available cities and I almost pulled the trigger on them, but realized that I already have three sets of coasters in our house. I probably don't need a fourth. :) I love when gifts have some sort of personalized element (there are more items like that here if you're in the market!).

7 | Woven Daily Crossbody Bag

This is the other item that came home with me. I love crossbody bags and this one goes with just about any casual outfit. I tend to bike a lot in the city and this kind of bag works perfectly for that. It holds the essentials, but has room for extras when needed.

8 | Whale Booties

Another kind of event I'm headed to often these days is baby showers. While it's always great to snag something for those off the mom-to-be's registry, unexpected, adorable little things (like the ones over here at UncommonGoods) are always fun too!

I hope these ideas have inspired you to think outside the box the next time you're in the market for a gift! Do you have a favorite source for unique gifts?

Have a great start to your week, friends!

DIY Large Scale Art & A Few Styling Tips

2016-03-25T12:55:00.002-04:00

(Note: Modern Masters provided the Pale Gold metallic paint for this project, but I was not otherwise compensated. All opinions are my own, as always!)

Art. It's a key part of making a room look finished, adds style and personality, and can unfortunately cost a pretty penny for good, quality pieces. I'm all about investing in beautiful pieces that you love, but sometimes that's just not in the budget.

Enter DIY art: the affordable alternative that lets you flex your creative muscles as well! Making art can be totally fun and therapeutic even if you're not what you'd call, ahem, artistic. You can make some beautiful stuff for your home. Promise.

I talked about a bunch of options for DIY-able art here, so if you're ready to take a project like this on, try my idea below or check out the other ones in that post.

In our dining room update earlier this week, I mentioned that I created these two pieces of large scale art for one of the big ole blank walls in there. Here's where they are:

(*Side note: ugh, I just can't handle that brass chandelier - it's high on the list to replace!)

Let's take a closer look at those two pieces. They're super simple to make.

Here are the supplies I used if you'd like to try your hand at making some of your own:

Royal blue acrylic craft paint
Modern Masters Pale Gold paint from their Metallic Paint Collection
Craft paint brush - I used a fat round one
White poster board - yep, nothing fancy here! If you mess up, it'll only cost you about 25 cents to start over.
IKEA Ribba frame - these are the 24"x35 3/4" size and the poster board fits perfectly in it

I decided to make two patterns: one "U" pattern and one "V" pattern. I sketched these out on a smaller scale first to make sure I liked them and then just went right at it. I chose blue as the predominant color and gold as an accent color, adding it in randomly when it felt right. I was inspired by the mud cloth and shibori looks that are so popular right now and wanted the patterns to look more on the imperfect side. I think I achieved that!

Plus, perfection is overrated sometimes. ;)

After the paint dried, I popped them in the frames, securing them to the mat with washi tape at each corner.

I like how these two complement each other in color and style, but that the patterns are still distinct from one another. Also, that Modern Masters Pale Gold paint was the perfect metallic touch - it ties the art into the nearby kitchen pendants and the overhead lighting in the living room, all of which helps make these rooms look cohesive, but not matchy matchy. The gold paint is such a dream to work with: it goes on smoothly and is a true metallic with beautiful reflective qualities. Open floor plans can be tricky sometimes!

I had a lot of fun figuring out how to style these pieces for photos - styling is always a trial and error process for me - and thought I'd share my process as a fun little bonus for this post! I even made a gif for it - I think that's a first for MRFB! If you can't see the gif, just scroll down. The photos are there individually too.

I started with two stacked stools from our bar area and topped them with a potted succulent (jade)...

Added a second potted succulent...

Brought in a dining room chair...

Then a pillow...

And finally, one more plant for good measure.

I'm not an expert styler by any means, but I've learned a few things that are important to make vignette look great:

Always include something living - either a plant or flowers.
Vary the textures. Here I've mixed in metal, wood and soft fabrics.
Gather items in groups of threes.
Mix up the height of objects.

I hope you'll try some DIY art! It's a fun project that can totally transform a space.

Have a great weekend, y'all!

"State of the Dining Room" Update

2016-03-23T04:00:00.000-04:00

Hello friends! I hope you're having great weeks so far. Work has been keeping me quite busy lately and I'm ready for things to slow down a little bit! I'm popping in today to share a little update on our dining room. Though it's far from what I'd call "done," I'm ok with that and I figured y'all would like to see some of the progress and hear about the process. After all, real life makeovers don't happen overnight!

The last time you saw a full shot of our dining room, it looked like this:

Our petite, but lovely farm table (a family piece) lived here, and we were using a secretary for storage. We knew we wanted a larger dining table to host folks for the elaborate dinner parties we're planning - I kid, but seriously, we wanted to be able to have more than two people over at a time - and better storage for serving pieces, barware and china.

I hit the jackpot with a thrifted china hutch I found at my favorite local Philly spot, Uhuru, back in January, and that piece has become a workhorse. I wrote about it in this post if you want more details about it and the little DIY magic I worked on it. You'll see it a little later in this post.

Then, after months of hunting Craigslist for the perfect dining room table that my husband and I could both agree on, the Dylan table from CB2 popped up for nearly half off the retail price. It was the perfect mix between traditional farm table, mid-century modern and industrial, and we love it. Enough chit chat though, let's get to to the photos!

Can I just tell you how pretty this table is? It has a thick, solid wood top and iron hairpin-like legs. And yes, it does weigh approximately a thousand pounds (I'm exaggerating, but not by much). Like true city-dwellers who don't have a large car to pick up giant Craigslist finds, we called an UberXL to pick it up and bring it home. The driver was so awesome - he even helped us carry it into the house. It was quite a hilarious scene.

It fits six to eight people, and clearly we are in need of more seating! We're contemplating doing four chairs and a bench - do y'all have thoughts on a bench? I think it would look less crowded visually than having six chairs since our space isn't huge, but I worry a little bit about comfort for the folks sitting at a bench for long periods of time.

I can't get over how thick and beautiful the table top is.

If you're paying very close attention, you might notice that the china hutch swapped walls and I added some large-scale art to the wall where that piece used to be.

I'll share a little more about that art in another post, but I will let you in on a little secret: it was a DIY I put together with some acrylic craft paint and some Modern Masters Pale Gold from the Metallic Paint Collection. They're super simple and add a nice graphic focal point to the room.

I'd say the dining room is coming right along!

What's left to do in here? A few things:

Change out that unfortunate shiny brass chandelier for something awesome. Jury's out on what that will be, but I talked about some recent favorites last week in this post.
Figure out the seating. I'd like to get four of these white Eiffel style dining chairs (*affiliate link) and a bench. My husband isn't sold on those chairs though.
Paint the radiator white.
Maybe add a rug?

So that's the "State of the Dining Room" update. Do y'all like these "in-process" posts?

Like I said above, I'll be sharing more about that DIY art in another post!

*Don't forget to enter the giveaway for a FREE e-design package if you're in the Philly or DC areas. All the info on how to enter is here.

E-Design Services Giveaway!

2016-03-16T11:34:00.001-04:00

Do you live in the Philadelphia, PA or Washington, DC metro areas?

Want to win some free design services?

If you answered "yes" to those two questions, you're in luck! I'm excited to announce that Mix & Match Design Company (my e-design business) is giving away a free full room design package to one lucky person. So if you've been dreaming of transforming a space in your house - be it a bedroom, living room, nursery, etc. - and need a little bit of help making that happen, now may be your chance! Interested? Read on to make sure you qualify and how to enter your space.

The winner will receive a full room design board package. Here's what's included:

A consultation about the space via phone, email and/or Skype/Facetime
A design board with a visual representation of the items needed for the space
A source list with item prices and links to purchase

What might your design board look like? Check out these examples:

In order to be considered, you must meet the below requirements and agree to the following:

Live in the Philadelphia, PA or Washington, DC metro areas
Be willing to have photos (before and after images) and information about your space featured on the Mix & Match Design Company website portfolio
Assume the cost of any furniture purchases and make those purchases by a mutually agreed upon deadline on or around August 1, 2016
Allow me to visit, style and photograph the finished space in your home

How to enter:

Fill out this survey with questions about you and the space you want to transform
Send me a few photos of your space via email (chaney@mixandmatchdesign.com)
That's it!

The survey will close on April 15th, 2016 and a winner will be selected after that date. I can't wait to work with one of you!!

P.S. I would love it if you would help spread the word about the giveaway to your Philly and DC-area friends. The more the merrier!

Favorite Finds | Modern Dining Room Light Fixtures

2016-03-14T06:00:00.000-04:00

We've been slowly chipping away at pulling our dining room together (can't wait to share some progress soon!), and one item we haven't figured out yet is the light fixture. I've heard it said before that light fixtures are like the jewelry of the room and I think I have to agree. They can add such spunk and personality to a room.

Since we just forked over a significant chunk of change for a new-to-us dining room table, I'm a bit reluctant to purchase a light fixture at the moment, but that hasn't stopped me from window shopping my way through Google, Etsy and Pinterest. If you're in the market for a new modern chandelier, I've found some really awesome options for you to check out! Or, if you're like me and not quite ready to make that purchase, but appreciate great lighting design, you can just ooo and ahh over the ones below like I have. You'll notice I have a tremendous affinity for brass and black fixtures - I make no apologies for that, ha!

Here are my favorite finds:

1 | 5 Orb Chandelier by Lucent Light Shop via Etsy

2 | Vega 5 Chandelier by Schoolhouse Electric

3 | SAIC Together Pendant Light by CB2

4 | Pelle Chandelier Gooseneck by West Elm

5 | Vintage Metal Large Chandelier* by Unitary via Amazon

6 | Cabildo Chandelier by Sazerac Stitches

7 | George Kovacs Pontil Chandelier* by Kovacs via Amazon

Which one is your favorite?

* Denotes affiliate links. When you purchase an item using my link, I receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thanks for helping support this little blog!

Small Bathroom Makeover {The Full Before & After}

2016-03-07T04:00:00.000-05:00

Last week I shared a little bit of the makeover I gave our small bathroom and I'm back to give you the full details of what I did - all the way from the beginning. I feel like you need to see the true before photos to really appreciate how it looks now. :)

In case you haven't been around since we started renovating out little row house in Philadelphia back in the fall, let me show you where we started with this bathroom beginning with a real estate listing photo:

Helloooo purple! Two shades of purple, in fact. This was the actual photo the real estate agent put in the listing (crooked, poorly lit and just so much stuff). They certainly weren't doing the house any favors here, but thankfully we were able to see past all that and realize that the bones were good - it just needed some serious help in the paint and decluttering department.

Let's move on to how it looked once all the previous owner's stuff was gone:

Please forgive the crazy lighting here and the other junk. This was taken before I figured out how to shoot this tiny, windowless room and right before I was about to paint! :)

The first step in this bathroom makeover was getting rid of all that purple. I gave it all a coat of Kilz primer then two coats of regular paint: Behr Ultra Pure White on the beadboard and Benjamin Moore Winter White on the walls. I also took down the glass shelf by the mirror, the small accordion vanity mirror and the two towel rings on the linen closet doors. I felt like all of those things were making an already small room feel cluttered.

Again, the lighting in this photo is terrible! Oh well - can't worry about that now that it's in the past. Even with the terrible lighting, it was looking so much better already.

The next step was to paint the boring white medicine cabinet mirror a beautiful matte metallic brass from Modern Masters. I talked all about that in last week's post, so head over there if you'd like more details.

This mirror just blended right into the wall when it was white...

Then boom. Brass. Now it's a focal point!

After the mirror was done, it was time to really make that wall a showstopper with some pattern. I talked a lot about wanting to use wallpaper in here, but in the end, I realized I could get the look I wanted for a fraction of the price using paint. Plus, with paint there's no need to worry about humidity issues that can sometimes be a problem with wallpaper in bathrooms.

I picked up a sample pot of paint at Lowe's in Valspar's Gotham Gray. Depending on the light, it looks like a charcoal gray with some blue in it or nearly black. I love love the color.

I sketched out some patterns on a piece of poster board and ended up with a simple repeating hash pattern (is that what you'd call it?). It's almost like a basketweave. I decided to throw caution to the wind and freehanded it all the way across the wall. It took a couple of afternoons to finish, but was surprisingly therapeutic. Here it is in progress:

And here's a finished section:

Now let's get to the good stuff and see the whole thing!

I'm thrilled with how well the pattern plays with the brass mirror. In an all white room, this was just the pop it needed!

The other small change I made had to do with the sconces. They're not my favorite, but purchasing new ones wasn't on my list for now, so I decided to get creative. Here's a closeup of one of them pre-update:

I realized that I could swap out the glass shades since they were a standard size, so I snagged two of these more modern ones from Lowe's while I was picking up my sample pot of paint. (The online photo does not do them justice - I'm glad I saw them in person first!) When I got home, I flipped the sconces upside down and put the new glass shades on. I like them so much more now!

These small details can make all the difference, can't they?

So that's full story behind our sub-$50 bathroom makeover. I'm thrilled with how it looks and it makes me so happy to go in there now. Three cheers for the power of paint and a little creative thinking!

March iPhone Wallpapers {Free Download!}

2016-03-02T14:17:00.004-05:00

Hey y'all!

Just popping in quickly to let you know that the March iPhone wallpapers are available for download (a freebie for y'all!). I decided to have some fun with this design and go with a color-blocked abstract design. It's got a fresh, springy feel, and I think that reflects the fact that I'm hoping spring is right around the corner! The weather here in Philly is slowly starting to warm up, and I even saw some crocuses popping up on in our neighborhood.

Both a calendar version and a blank version are available for download. Click the links to go to the Dropbox site and you can download them directly from there. Enjoy!

{iPhone Wallpaper - Calendar}

{iPhone Wallpaper - Blank}

Small Bathroom Makeover: Before & After with Modern Masters Paint

2016-02-29T04:00:00.000-05:00

{Note: Modern Masters provided the lovely matte metallic brass paint for this project, but as always, opinions are 100% mine.}

Oh, how far we've come!

When we purchased this house, its only bathroom was painted not one, but two shades of purple (yikes). It had good bones though, so I knew all it needed was a little paint to freshen it up. In December, I got rid of the purple, but was at a bit of a loss for what to do next. Here's where we stood once the walls and beadboard got a few coats of Benjamin Moore Winter White and Behr Ultra Pure White, respectively.

A little bland, but much better than purple!

Then, in January, I got an email from Regina at Modern Masters asking if I was interested in reviewing a couple of their paint products. Of course! I said immediately :). I had heard about Modern Masters several times through reading posts from other bloggers, so I was excited to try some of their paint myself. Though I had several projects in mind, I ended up zeroing in on the bathroom - this paint was just what I needed to start tackling this space!

I requested some of their Matte Metallic paint in Brass and boy, is this stuff awesome. I decided to paint the bathroom medicine cabinet mirror to make it the focal point of this small bathroom. I'm really loving mixed metal finishes in spaces like kitchens and bathrooms, so introducing a brass mirror to a bathroom with chrome fixtures was a great opportunity to add that idea to our home.

The mirror can't be detached from the medicine cabinet so I painted it in place. After a light sanding, I used a regular angled paint brush (this one from Purdy* is my favorite) to paint three coats onto the white mirror (I followed the directions on the container regarding drying time between coats).

Here it is after one coat...

Two coats...

And three coats...

This paint goes on like butter and after three coats, it looked like a solid brass mirror - no one would know it's actually dinky plastic under there (shh!). I was really amazed at the coverage and that there were no visible brushstrokes. Thin, even coats are the way to go. I'm also a huge fan of the matte finish. It's timeless and won't ever be mistaken for bad shiny lacquered brass from the '80s. ;)

Here's the finished product!

You might have noticed that I got a bit of paint on parts of the mirror as I went along, but not to worry - that was easily remedied after it dried. I just scraped it off with my fingernail or a flat piece of plastic like a credit card.

I am thoroughly impressed with this paint and can't wait to use it on some other projects! I want to #mattebrasseverything. We can make that hashtag a thing, right?

Here's a wider shot of the whole bathroom. It might be pretty tiny, but it's becoming quite mighty!

Once I finished painting the mirror, I was thrilled with how much that changed the whole look of the bathroom, but I knew I could take it up another notch. As you saw from the photo at the beginning of this post, the upper part of the wall didn't stay plain ole Winter White - I brought in some more paint and made one other small change to the sconces. These updates, plus the newly brassed-out mirror have absolutely transformed this bathroom, but I'll save the details of that for later this week. For now, I'll leave you with a teaser photo!

A couple more note notes on the Modern Masters paints before I sign off for today: the kind folks over there also sent me a container of Pale Gold from the Metallic Paint Collection that I didn't use with this project, but did in another that I can't wait to show you soon. Thank you, Modern Masters!

If you'd like to try some of the Brass Matte Metallics Paint (that I've now fallen in love with) or any of their other products, head over their website where you can look up retailers in your area or order online. You can also find them on social media to check out other projects folks have done using their paint. Here are the links to their Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram accounts for starters.

Have a great start to your week, y'all!

*affiliate link (That means I get a tiny cut of the price of the item if you buy the product using my link. I appreciate your support of this little blog!)

Thoughts on Slow Decorating and Enjoying the Process

2016-02-26T04:00:00.000-05:00

Right now I've got a million ideas swirling around in my head for our home. There's a running list of projects I'd like to do, furniture I'd like to purchase, spaces I'd like to organize...it's really hard to resist wanting to have it all done and done right now.

Does anyone else feel this way? I know I can't be alone in this.

Embracing patience while putting together our new home is slightly maddening to me, yet I also know it's the right thing for us. This idea of "slow decorating" might not lead to a magazine-worthy (or Pinterest-worthy) home overnight, but you know what it does do? It gives me time to live in a space, understand how it works (and doesn't work) for our family, be creative about pieces I add or subtract, and learn to enjoy the process itself. The reality is that we don't have the time or budget to transform our house into something magnificent overnight à la HGTV, and I'm learning to be ok with that.

It's also important to remember how far we've come in the four months we've owned this place. Remember this real estate photo of the living room?

Here's where we are now (and actually, this room deserves an update post because things have even changed since this photo was taken!):

Or how about this photo of the previous owners' master bedroom?

It's seen a few happy changes since then as well:

People often ask how the reno/decorating process is going and if the house is done. My answer is usually something along the lines of, "Well, I'd say 'phase one' of the reno is done. We have new floors, paint and light fixtures, a wall came down, and we rearranged the kitchen...but we're planning a full kitchen reno, and I'm still on the hunt for a few key pieces of furniture like a dining room table. If you walked into our house now, you'd probably call it done, but really it's got a ways to go..." The reality is that sometimes I'm really happy with much we've accomplished and how the road ahead looks, and sometimes I'm frustrated at how much we still have to do.

For this home to truly become a place that we love - a place that's welcoming to others and reflects us - I want to be intentional and thoughtful about what we do. I want to be intentional about what I bring into it and how we decorate it. Embracing this idea does have the potential to devolve into plain old indecision, but I'm hoping to avoid that part :).

So what's your part in this? You, my friends, are along for that ride if you're regular readers here. I'll continue to brainstorm and obsess over ideas on the blog, post updates as they happen (if you've learned anything today, you'll know it'll happen slowly!), and hopefully inspire y'all to embrace some slow decorating principles into your own home.

*If you need help making your home into a place you love, take a look at my e-design services: Mix and Match Design Company. I'm passionate about helping folks make thoughtful, intentional decisions about choosing pieces for their spaces!

Favorite Find {Organization}: IKEA TRONES

2016-02-22T04:00:00.000-05:00

If you've been around this blog for any length of time, you know I love me some good organization. When we moved into our new house around Thanksgiving, we were suddenly faced with something we had never had before: tons of storage space! Since we have fairly large closets in each bedroom, a linen closet in the bathroom, an unfinished basement and a garage, we haven't been very efficient or thoughtful about storage organization. We were desperate to get everything out of boxes and out of sight when we moved in, so we haphazardly threw things in closets upstairs and whatever didn't have a home there got demoted to the basement - not so good! All this disorganization been starting to bug me lately, and I'm hoping to get on the organization train soon. I figure if I write about it here, y'all might help keep me accountable :).

One place we've struggled with since day one in this house has been shoe storage, so I did what any normal human on the hunt for organization inspiration would do - headed to Pinterest. There I found my new love: the IKEA TRONES. I had noticed it in store before, but after seeing them in real folks' homes, I've become a big fan. It's a versatile little guy that provides great storage for shoes, but can also be used to store a variety of other small items as well. It blends in nicely with many decor styles.

Let's take a look at a few examples, shall we?

Gosh, the possibilities are endless! I can see these being used in so many ways other than shoes. Also, did I mention the price? $39.99 for a set of three boxes. Unbeatable!

Do you have any of these in your house? If so, what do you use them for?