House Happy: 2014

It's December

Yes, It's December ! My time of year. I so look forward to time spent with family and friends. I have everything up and ready this year , so I intend to enjoy every moment of everyday of the season. Before I was transplanted to Georgia I dealt with very cold winters that looked something like this:

And although I must admit that I miss it at Christmas, It's probably the only time. This year I really didn't change much (didn't have time if I was going to meet my deadline) but I do like the way the stair rail came out this year even though I used the same decor, because i install it all by hand it looks a little different to me this year.

If you're looking to be inspired before getting started on your decor there's plenty of inspiration going around. Here's a few I pinned;

Have a wonderful December. If you look closely you'll see there's beauty all around us, Remember to Live Life Beautifully!

Black is Beautiful/ A Gorgeous Bedroom

I don't know if any of you were following along with ORC last week, but Jessie from Design Daredevil nailed it. I say this because I simply cannot get this bedroom out of my mind. If you missed it, you're in for a treat.

So there you have it. Be sure to check out the other participants here .
Remember to Live Life Beautifully!!

Guest Room does double duty as closet

Wouldn't we all love to walk into a room and its actually a closet. That is all the rage right now (so I'm hearing anyway). But what if you need that room for other purposes as well. Well... that was just the case here. In this E Design the client wanted to acquire more closet space. but needed the room to also serve as a guest room whenever they had company. So here's the Plan : use Ikea Pax closets along one wall. opposite that wall the lovely RH bed. Bookcases flanking the bed and add sconces on each side (Ikea), beautiful lighting, hardwood flooring, cute rug, mongolian lamb pillows, you get the picture. Here's what I'm suggesting . Lets see where it ends up.

The room actually has only two useable walls. One the bed will be on. One is a wall of windows(So beautiful curtains a must) One the Pax system will be on.and one is the existing closet that is mirrored so why not use the overlay system on it.

The bed will be upholstered in a grey velvet.

And the flat screen will be installed inside the Pax closet.

Can't wait to see the finished product.

Remember to live Life beautifully!

What I'm Loving Right Now

Hey All! it's been a while. The past few weeks I have been working on some projects. In doing so I have come across a few things that I'm loving right now. First off, I was so happy to see that Ralph Lauren Paints have made a return to Home Depot. I have always enjoyed using his paints. (my dining room is painted in one of the RL metallics , I've used his suede application and the denim treatment in navy and loved it as well.

I'm also loving the new re-positional wall paper available at Target by Devine Color. The paper comes in several colors and patterns. While in Florida this past week helping a friend with a temporary rental for the winter months I thought why not use it to wallpaper her foyer, since we can't paint or use pasted wallpaper. We decided on the linen weave pattern that looks like it has metallic going thru it.

The application was very easy. Kinda reminded me of contact paper. The pattern is nice, went up very easy and looks great. A few times I had to reposition the paper but it was literally so easy. and what a transformation! what once was bare white apartment walls, were now given some depth

and presence. I've been thinking of other ways it could be used. It's so easy you could actually cut it up to create your own design instead doing an entire wall. Here's a peek before:

During and After:

I would really love it if we could paint the door and that vent. Maybe beef up the trim. But that's a big fat NO!

The foyer is octagonally shaped so we purchased a large rug and then used a box cutter to cut it into the perfect octagonal shape for the foyer. the light fixture is actually a shade from Ikea

that we placed over the existing lift fixture. Yes there are ways to create comfortable spaces in creative ways on a tight budget.
On another note I also spent some time in St. Louis and while there was able to attend the Hot air balloon glow event isn't this just beautiful

Live A Beautiful Life!

Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles Serenbe Designer Showhouse

The Serenbe Community is nestled amongst the woods, just a short 35 miles from Atlanta, where you will find the cutest english inspired cottages, retail shops and restaurants. Quite different from Atlanta , You feel as if you're in another world. A much quieter place and time. Here is where you will also find Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles Magazines Showhouse. the price is $20 and the proceeds benefit the Art Farm at Serenbe. Worth the trip if you live here. The show runs through to September 28th. The showhouse features 12 designers over three floors. Here's a sneak peek.

Hope you can make it. For those of you not living in Atlanta I'm sure AH& L will publish it soon. Will keep you posted.

Live Life Beautifully!

A Mini Makeover

One of the design services I provide through Marsha B Interiors is what I call a mini makeover or "It's all in the Details". Sometimes a home is in need of just a little tweaking. You may already have pieces that you love and have no intentions of getting rid of, but the space just needs a little this and a little that. After figuring out your budget for the space, It is always a good idea to assess what you have, what you want to keep, envision what you want it to look like and how the space will function. In this particular space my client's kitchen/keeping room was in need of just that . Her home already had good bones, but just needed some tweaking. This is the before:

Don't you love the white planking.

The must stays were the terra-cotta colored walls,the new leather sofas they had just purchased, the chandelier and the cocktail table. While the rug being used was too small, there was a rug in the breakfast area that could replace it and then we would purchase a sisal one for the breakfast area. So here's then plan; Some refreshing of the accessories, add new lighting, pillows, etc. as well as custom made window treatments and seat cushions for the window seats. In the breakfast area we'd add some art work for the walls and a sisal rug.

And here's the After:

The square boxwood wreath on the door welcomes you to the outdoor areas that you actually saw in an earlier post here. So we dressed the windows and added custom window seat cushions.Here's a look at the seat cushions:

Hate I didn't take a close up. The fabric is really nice and textural.

close up of window treatments

I know I've mentioned this in other post , but I am still awaiting this gold lamp (Argh)!

that will actually replace the lamp on the left. I will be sure to revisit this space once the lamp arrives.

Here is a peek at a look into the kitchen part of this room .

The roosters will be removed and replaced with with just the right accessory.(oops forgot to remove that greenery)

Nothing like fresh flowers

A look from the hall back into kitchen.

I know, I know ! I need to either one; take a photography class, or two; find a professional photographer. Know anyone? hope you've enjoyed.

Remember to Live Life Beautifully!!!

Hanging Pictures

I was browsing my favorite sight (Pinterest) and came across this graphic on hanging art above a sofa. I for one like to float my furniture, But thought this might be helpful whether it was over a sofa or not. While there's a couple I don't agree with, It's always nice to find something new. hope this diagram gives you inspiration.

via Pinterest/ interiorpl.com

Remember to Live, Life, Beautifully!!!

A Thing for Mirrors

Mirrors are one of the best home accessories as far as I'm concerned. There are so many uses for them. With a little creativeness they can be used as trays, hung on the wall, placed in bookcases, used outdoors to reflect beautiful mother nature, used to visually expand a space, etc... I could go on and on, but instead I will show you a few that have caught my eye.

All mirrors can be found here.

Live Life Beautifully !!!

Model Home Tour

You can always tell when real estate is picking up by the model homes opening and new home construction. Well I just happened to see a sign for a new model home the other day and figured I'd stop in. So here's a Looky Loo. Enjoy!