Here is how a headboard grows from a wee idea to a being installed on your wall…

Playroom: Bright and Cheery, Top 12 Interiors of 2012, photo from Style at home.com

#13 Fresh and Playful, Top 25 Bedrooms of 2012, photo from Styleathome.com

Do you love it?? Which room would you put it in?

PS: This is available at Cottage Industry and I think they may have one assembled for you to check out.

All images from Houzz

 We love subway tile. It’s a classic and never fails to look great. But why not mix it up and lay it in a zig zag, rather than the classic brick pattern? It doesn’t cost more and has impact. And think about the grout, too. The grout in this inspiration pic makes the pattern stand out even more. Or, go with white grout and the look is sleeker and more modern.

We love this inspiration kitchen! And after studying it for a moment, we realized that the floor is actually  economical linoleum tiles. Why use one colour or even the classic checkerboard pattern when you can create this for the same cost?! This wouldn’t work for everyone or all kitchens but why not play around and be creative with your space, especially when it costs the same? Cutting these linoleum tiles would be easy enough so you could have thinner stripes… plaid, chevron… anything really.

Here’s a ‘higher end’ kitchen but with the same floor idea. But even though it’s tile, it’s still just simple square tiles laid creatively. A step up from the linoleum kitchen, for sure but a budget idea nonetheless.

Do you covet Scandinavian style? Here’s a great solution if you’re on a tight budget. One word: plywood. This floor is inexpensive 8” pieces of plywood, primer and deck paint which kept her flooring costs at less than 50 cents/ square foot! Looks great, and it’s a no fuss solution. This is a great idea for the second floor. Go ahead and put your nice hardwood flooring downstairs and use this idea for the upstairs. I love this look!

 Or, how about working with what you have? If you like the look of patina in your home, this floor is right up your alley. Grab a can of paint and your stencil. Done.

If you’re going to paint your cupboards, how about in Pantone’s Colour of the Year? Emerald green! Just joking. This is hideous. If your kitchen looks like this, contact us

But seriously, if you’re going to paint your cabinets, how about painting your lowers and uppers differently?

Or, painting your cupboards one colour and your Island a different colour? This costs the same and has much more impact! I love this kitchen.

Or, leave your lower cupboards wood stained and paint your uppers white, like this:

yum!

In conclusion, I would like to say that you can have style and mind your budget. Be creative, think about how you can tweak what you have or how you can get the most impact out of low cost solutions. Thank you.

We’re pumped that the new Pantone Colour of the Year is Emerald green! I love this colour and judging by how much orange has been around in the last year due to Tangerine’s status as Pantone’s Colour of the Year dor 2012, I’m looking forward to how much gorgeous greenery will be around in the months to come. Here’s some emerald inspiration! Will you use it in your home? Do you already?

Little doses of emerald will go a long way in introducing the trend into your home. You can easily swap a pillow out if you tire of the hue.

 Or, paint a used treasure emerald. I love the green with the grey walls.

 It looks so fresh with crisp white too.

 If you’re a commitment phobe, then just a pop will do it.

 I think my favorite is paired with black. Sophisticated.

If you are feeling bold, how about an emerald room?? It helps when you have 12′ ceilings…

In between cautious and brave when it comes to emerald touches? A bold chevron and accent pillows in the vibrant green, paired with a neutral sofa and walls will make a big statement with moderate commitment to the trend.

I’m partial to this green latice fabric. I have a kitchen roman made with it and I love it!

We call this chair The Chair. You may have seen one in your Grandmother’s house. You may have one in your attic. You’ve probably passed one by because it was in such a sorry state, like the one pictured above. We saw something- past the worn upholstery, dust and exposed batting. We saw potential! Occasional chairs are great because you can have fun with them.

We spruced this pair up with cheery yellow paint and reupholstered them in a seafoam fabric.

(Picture courtesy of Katelyn Fraser Photography.)

A lovely client saw our first reincarnation of The Chair and brought in her own The Chair, picked a custom printed fabric so its second chance at life begun.

The chair’s new home is in the foyer of her gorgeous house. A cute chair to perch on while you put on a your shoes or a handy place to plop the kids down so you can take their wet boots off. Those would be the perfect occasions in which to use The Chair

Coincidentally, we happen to have two 16×16 custom pillows available in this graphic pattern at Cottage Industry.

This chair was brought to us by a client who saw a spruced up The Chair and happened to have three of them in her possession. The newlywed recently purchased her first home and was excited to put her stamp on it. She wanted The Chair to be a fun print in purple, to work with her existing decor. We decided not to paint the wood out and we think it’s so cute!

Here is our latest attempt at revamping The Chair. We went with a sunny yellow and graphic, colourful chevron. This chair may not be for the faint of heart but remember it is an occasional chair! We think it would be great in any number of scenarios: a child’s bedroom, so you could pull it up to the bed to read a good night story, a bold welcome in your entryway, the pop that every living room needs, ready to be pulled out when entertaining…. Where will you put it? It is available for sale at Cottage Industry.

Hi.

A little more subdued, our final makeover is a grey and black geometric pattern and still packs a punch.

This chair could go anywhere! I would bring it with me to parties and insist that I alone perch upon it, drinking a fine glass of wine. Or a dark beer. Because I think this chair is so versatile, it can go either way! You can visit this chair and take it to your own party at Cottage Industry. (Photo courtesy of Cottage Industry)

What would you do to spruce up a The Chair?

This winter seemed especially long to me so I for one am really excited to enjoy summers at the cottage. Alright, it’s not my cottage, it’s Melissa’s cottage and she’s been working really hard on it but I still feel like I deserve to relax, put my feet up and enjoy a cold drink. Check out some Befores/During/and Afters of the cottage below! It’s a work in progress so we’ll post more pictures as it evolves.

Well, check out the view!

Here’s a before!

The spruce logs weren’t touched but the knotty pine received a refreshing coat of paint to brighten up the space and break up all the wood. The kitchen peninsula was demolished and a wall was built beside the stairs. The kitchen is much more functional and brighter without the black tile countertops and sink at the end of the line!

So much brighter! The bank of cupboards and the counter top were a second hand steal and fit perfectly. The cupboards were professionally sprayed out and the drab uppers were removed and replaced with open shelving. A fresh backsplash makes a big difference in brightening up the space, too.

How convenient is the dumb waiter for lugging up the wood from the basement? All that was missing was a wood stove…

Much more open and functional! Melissa DIYed a runner for the galley kitchen out of a linoleum remnant.  Nice work!

 One of the walls that was painted out.

 Downstairs seating area

 Here’s a Before of the 2nd floor. Needless to say, it looks quite different now! Updates still to come so check back soon!

In the meantime, try and slow down and enjoy the beginning of summer, ok?

Here’s a glimps at a cottage we worked on. Two sisters contacted us to help breath new life into their cottage, which was the house they grew up in. Now they visit with their young family and take advantage of the Island’s beautiful summers. They wanted a space that was cheery and family friendly. Check out the pics of the progress!

Here’s a ‘during’ shot of the kitchen. We went for a bright, country kitchen with pretty blues and yellows to brighten up the space. I especially love the thought of the curtains blowing in the summer breeze…. ah summer…

We refreshed the kitchen chairs with a cheery yellow.

We pulled the living room colours from the curtains. The existing chandelier was given a coat of fun aqua paint. The walls are Gray Cashmere by Benjamin Moore- one of our favorites.

 We were able to have three different seating areas in the living room which is key for cottage living when there are always visitors and different places to relax are a must! This chair (one of two) was a used find that we had reupholstered and the topped with a custom pillow.

 The guest room. If you can’t have polka dot curtains in a cottage, then where can you have them?

More to come!

See you soon! In the meantime, enjoy the summer- it’s officially here!

The pic is of a gossip bench that we made over for a Scary Furniture Contest that we held two Halloweens ago. It received a fresh coat of paint, new knobs and a graphic chevron upholstery treatment. Visit here to see the Before and After of this bench!

In case you’re bored and want to see where else we’ve been featured, visit our About section and look for us in the August 2012 issue of Style At Home! Weeeeeeee!