Eclectically Boho-Chic Living and Dining Room Reveal

One of my absolute favorite things about being a designer is, that I get to do completely different styles with each new client. This rental, eclectically boho-chic and feminine apartment was one of the wildest and most fun projects I have had the pleasure of working on. This client in particular has a passion for travel, DIY and painting projects and she picks up pieces (especially textiles) from all of her different travels. She wanted her home to be bright, colorful, bold, eclectic and cheery. I had an absolute blast blending the many different patterns and textures that she painted or collected along her journeys. Her apartment is a reflection of her bright and beautiful, sunshiny soul. This place is oozing with wanderlust and passion. She has incredible style and was such an inspiration to me! It will be nearly impossible to be blue during the dark German winters when enveloped in such warmth and cheer! I have shown you snippets of this project as I have worked on it and am elated to share the rest with you. Come along and tour her space with me!

 Here is my client's dining room before.....

Below is the design concept and inspiration board that I created for her after hearing her wants and needs, to give her an idea of how the space would feel and look when it was completed. 

And here is the after!

My client painted both her buffet and her fabulous piece of art. The pillows were made from a textile she picked up on one of her travels and were sewn together by her best friend.

Now, on to the living room... Here are the "before" shots.

Below is the design concept board that I created for her.

And this is the finished product! 

Here interiors matched much of the landscape out her windows!

She painted her ottoman using fabric medium and acrylic paint and it absolutely made all the difference in the world. You can find that tutorial here.  The antlers below are a memory of when she hunted a unicorn-deer hybrid...Just kiddin', they were just a boring non-magical antler found on her parents' property and I had her add some gold to the tips to schnazz them up a bit. 

The chairs were simply re-upholstered with some $2 floor mats. They really add to the bohemian "collected" look that she desired. 

The beautiful watercolor art was painted by her and was inspired by a rug that she was in love with. The lampshade was an IKEA find that I had her add gold leaf to the inside to add some glow, sparkle and mood to her cafe corner. 

These precious gem (Anthropologie knock-off) knobs were created using this tutorial from one of my favorite blogs, View Along The Way! You can find that tutorial here! They definitely add raw  blingy to her bar. 

I am hoping this space can be a sunny escape for her and will evoke precious memories of her incredible travels. I can hardly wait to share the rest of her apartment with you real soon! Stay tuned for more, her hall reveal will be coming soon!

Oh! How I've Missed You So!

I am sure you have noticed that I have been missing from the blog the past few months... If you follow my Facebook page, you know that I have had a bit of a difficult and chaotic summer. I have gone through some pretty big changes in my personal life and have recently arrived back in Northern California. While my blog has been quiet, my life has been busy. As I have been adjusting to these major changes, I have been working on some incredibly fun design projects, traveling, and getting my business re-set up in California!

I am absolutely thrilled to reconnect with you all and to start taking on more design clients, both locally and virtually. I will be sharing pictures of my barn before it was packed up, some design and DIY projects I worked on and plenty of photos from my European travels. I will also be designing up my new space here in California and am excited to share that process with you.

Here are some photos that I took of my village and local area before I left Germany. That beautiful land will have a piece of my heart forever...

 Thank you so much for your patience, love and support and keep your eyes peeled for some new posts this week!

Striped Hall Reveal {Before The Teardown}

Long time, no see, dear friends. Life has taken over and absolutely been insane and chaotic lately. I have been trying to accomplish everything I can before my time in glorious Europe is up. My home has felt like insanity as well. I have decided to sell EVERYTHING I don't simply LOVE and all the things I brought from The States, so that I could do more traveling and stock up on some European antiques before I head back to America in less than a year. As of late, my home changes daily, and as soon as I get it how I like it, I find a piece I like better and sell other items to pay for it! I have been collecting decor and antiques since I was a wee little one, and to be honest, it feels good to get rid of all the things (that don't have sentimental value) that I have been lugging around for years.
I had the striped hall like this for about a month before selling my childhood dresser, but wanted to share with you how I had it set up! I got the painting at a thrift shop and it reminds me of the wine region along the Mosel. When you drive on the Autobahn you see dozens of little villages and steeples like the one in  the painting. It will be a beautiful memory for us and a piece of my home here in Germany, all in a vintage painting.

 Even though my style is a blend of antiques and contemporary pieces, I am collecting all the antiques I can while I am here.  It would be absolutely ludicrous not to, since I can purchase them at a fraction of the cost as in The States.

I left my time-zone clock wall and eccentric art the same. To read about the meaning of our time-zone clock wall, click here.

I have also done some rearranging in my kitchen, living room, dining room and bedroom to add beautiful pieces like this hand painted and burned clock from the French countryside. 

What would you do with your last little bit of time in a foreign country??? Would you travel and stock up too?

{DIY} No Sew, Grain Sack Pillow Case

I don't know about you all, but I love a fantastic, frugal and stupid-easy DIY every now and then (or always). I am sure you have seen a zillion faux burlap sack pillowcases on expensive design and furniture sites and they aren't even the real deal! For the same price or less, you can get yourself an authentic vintage sack and make your own pillow that will have an awesome story behind it! Also, an authentic sack is classic and won't go out of style. 

I scored these two gorgeous sacks in France a few weeks ago and they are from the late 1920's. The coolest part is they have our monograms (we have the same monogram) on them! They have a different graphic on the front and back. What's even better is it will remind us of our flea market date day in the French countryside. It's a more pleasant reminder of our day than the pounds I have gained from stuffing my face with French pastries....

How perfect is this anchor for summer decor??

If you aren't the flea marketing type, click here to see a bunch of vintage sacks that you can order online from the comfort of your home. 

Because our 87 year old sacks were filled with dust from sitting around the past century, I washed them with a mild detergent on delicate and dried them out in the sunshine. It took the dust right out. They washed up beautifully! If your sack has any holes or tears, you may want to hand wash them. Authentic sacks are made for heavy wear and tear and are pretty darn durable. Most will hold "bed" pillows perfectly and will make a fantastic lumbar pillow. I didn't bother to even stitch the end of mine up because it stays closed and I like the option of cleaning the "pillowcase" or using the sack it for other purposes. 

 Do you enjoy decorating with old grain sacks as much as I do? They look relaxed and breezy and are perfect for summer (or any season really). It's the perfect way to add a "kiss" of industrial style to your home. 

Meet My Mantle-O

For me, there is nothing more dramatic than an over-the-top mantle or fireplace in a dining room. It reminds me of the how things used to be in days gone by. It is so romantic to have an abundance of candlelight flickering while you eat dinner and enjoy a glass of wine or three with friends. When I rented out the old barn, I knew I needed a mantle in the dining space. This room called for a mantle. We also wanted to have a piece that we could bring home to The States when we are forced to leave this gorgeous land of Duetches. The best thing about a mantle is you can bring it everywhere you go and you have the "feel" of having an elaborate fireplace in any room we choose and in whatever home or homes we live in next. Being with the military we need things that are portable but also help make our rental feel like a home. 

I teased you all with this little snippet of our mantle below, and then left you hanging for two months while life stepped in and got in the way of things... Oh, silly life. 

Here is a reminder of what our space looked like prior to having our dream mantle. We have since moved our dresser to our striped hall and have done a fun, new arrangement with that!

Don't you think the wall on the left is crying in pain for a dramatic mantle??!!! WAAAAA!

I will show you a full room shot with the mantle in it once I change a few more details that I have in store for this space.

BEFORE:

Meet my Mantle...Mr Barry Mantle-o (let's see how many people get that reference). 

Because our bleached-out and scuffed up wooden mantle was a similar color to our cream wall, and I am too lazy to paint that massive wall for our last (less than a) year here, we painted the small wall behind it charcoal grey to make the woodwork pop! It reminds me of the bleached-out wood from Restoration Hardware. This FABULOUS mantle originally came from European Country Living (for those of you in The States, there is one in VA) and they originally scored this piece from England. I am pretty darn in love and have been wanting one like this for years.
Mantles can be filled with anything...candles (obviously), flowers, stacked books, lanterns, and the list goes on. I encourage everyone to get one for their home. It is perfect for seasonal decorating, too. I am looking forward to doing it up for the holidays.

Here is a phone shot of my dining room from a little breakfast I put on!

If you are on a budget, check out how we made the mantle in our living room (below) for absolutely free! Click here to check out the tutorial! By the way, do like our smiling luggage? 

Are you as gushy over mantles as I am??? Alright, folks, I am off to watch some stupid, mindless TV and zone out for a bit...