Styling Right Along

Day 9: Research Your Decor Pairing Project or Product
Looks like I jumped the gun a bit on picking out the specific poufs I wanted to buy for the playroom side. I have been looking at ideas for months even before the Style Cure began though, so I think I had this decided for some time even if I didn't know it. I've seen some other ones I liked as well, but think I will stick with my gut on this one. I may incorporate some of the other poufs in future rooms I plan to style, but don't think there will be much room to spare in this one. Looks like the pillow set is in stock so shouldn't be any delay there - I'd like to check out the rest of the site and see if there's anything else that might complement them and order it all at the same time, so plan on doing that tonight so I will be ready to buy soon!

Day 10: Make a Shopping List & Set Your Budget
I absolutely love lists! Especially hand-written ones...I love the satisfaction of crossing something off. So this is a fun one for me - we're supposed to write out anything and everything we think we will need to complete our room and set the budget while we're at it. So here goes...I wonder if I'm forgetting anything:

blabla Pebble Pillow Set in Blue
Small rug for playroom side
2-4 Play bins for Conley's toys - need to fit into white shelf, 3 Sprouts, Fluf
Wall art - have a couple prints that are colorful and travel-themed, one is framed and one isn't - maybe a few more? Or white framed photo collages of our travels?
Easel with chalkboard/art pad
Bookends for storage cubby
Floor lamp
Desk lamp
Desk organization accessories - have cute stapler and tape dispenser from sale room at Anthro, still need pencil cup, paper tray or letter organizer to collect stuff
Small desk cabinet in white wood or a signature color
2 outdoor chairs for patio
2 planters with succulents for patio
Front door mat to leave shoes on
Decorate existing indoor planters with stickers in chevron or polka dot patterns

Day 11: Plan a Get-Together & Send Invites
So this is supposed to be planned for Labor Day weekend (or close to) because that is right after the end of the Cure and the purpose is to celebrate all of the hard work and show it off. We're hosting a couples baby shower for my sister and brother in law the last weekend in September - so while it doesn't exactly fit the bill, I think I will count that as my get-together. With a 19 month old and football season approaching, I don't think I have the time or energy for two get-togethers in one month! Plus, since our house is so small, most of the party will be outside and I'll plan to leave the newly styled study/playroom lit up and unlocked so all of the guests can admire all of my hard work! :) Invites were mailed on Friday, so check!

Day 12: Shop 'til You Drop
Woo-hoo! After starting off a week behind, I have finally caught up to the group. It's so much more exciting to be able to complete each of the tasks in real-time, so I am planning to stay on track from here on out so I can get the full benefit of the this group project! Since I am not much of a DIYer, my tasks were focused on really researching all of the options on my to-buy list. We weren't supposed to feel rushed in to purchasing everything though if it didn't feel right, so while I feel I've made some progress, it's not all final yet. I have become even more convinced about a few of my initial Pinterest items, so seems like my initial instincts are pretty spot-on. Here's a look at some of the things I plan to buy, what I already have that I want to incorporate, and what I'm thinking about (this is my first attempt at using Polyvore, so still kind of learning the ropes!):

1) 3 sprouts walrus caddy  2) land of nod color reference drawers 3) stray dog designs aqua katie lamp 4) storage can set, from pinterest 5) land of nod woven cotton rug 6) serena & lily atelier side table
7) rifle paper co. nyc print 8) stray dog designs alicia table 9) jing zhang london minimalist print
10) blabla kids bubbles the cat doll 11) pakhuis oost animal polka dots bookends 12) night owl paper goods colorful curls pencil cup

The Cure Continues

Plowing right ahead on The Cure assignments - I'm really enjoying the process so far so here's to keeping up the momentum!

Day 4: Set-Up a One Room Outbox
I loved this assignment from the January Cure as well - everything I put in it that time around ended up leaving the house in some way - either to Goodwill, the consignment store, or family and friends. I won't really have that much to put in the outbox this time around since the room is already so empty, but I decided to put the polo player canvas in as my first item. Peter bid on it at a charity auction, so will give him the final call on it - but the one thing I do know is it is not staying in this room!

Day 5: Make a Floor Plan
I decided to go low-tech for this assignment and drew my plan by hand. In my mind, the desk and bookshelf will stay (but of course I still want to accessorize both), so the two main areas to be styled are the other two corners. I do want to replace the existing cabinet that holds the printer though - the current one is very light fake wood-colored and not so cute!

Day 6: Let's Learn About Color
This was an interesting post about warm and cool colors and the rooms that each are better suited for. I am definitely a cool color person - I love shades of grey, blue and green. Luckily the office is one of those rooms that you want to be calming, thus a cool color (although even if it wasn't I would still prefer them.) I do like pops of "warm" colors though - so I'm sure some bright pinks and oranges might make their way into the room somehow.

Don't think I could pull this off, but loved the image
 from today's  post. Well, maybe I could pull of the turquoise door...

Day 7: Weekend Chores: Clean Your Room & Collect Paint Chips
I am definitely not a fan of the cleaning tasks (well I imagine most people aren't), but this time around it won't be too bad since the office is small and there isn't much in there to collect dust. Our cleaning lady comes every other week and this room is usually not on her list, but we did have her clean it a couple months ago and will again this week - so that will count as my deep clean! ;) I did go through and take what little there was in the room out and made use of the small outbox so that I could become very familiar with the space and envision different design options - a benefit of getting into a space and really cleaning every aspect according to the post. And since we just painted last year, that is one less task on the to-do list! No paint chips needed, I am happy with the robin's egg bluish color we chose!

Day 8: Choose Your Paint Color and Think About a Decor "Pairing"
The first part is easy since our painting is done, but it's been harder for me to decide on the second part. We're supposed to think about what our room is most lacking in terms of visual depth and/or what it really needs to be more comfortable. I know this won't be my only addition to the room, but I keep coming back to the blabla Pebble Pillow Set that I pinned earlier during my hunt for inspiration images. I think it definitely fulfills both of these needs in that it brings in some texture that is sorely lacking so far - all I've really got is a lot of white wood furniture, bamboo floors and wood paneled ceiling planks.  It also brings in some of my favorite colors to a pretty neutral room - blues and greens. And lastly, it is a major component of half of the room's intended function - a soft spot for Conley (and two friends) to sit and read. So maybe this was easier than I thought!

The Style Cure

One of my favorite design/home decorating blogs, Apartment Therapy, is at it again with their month-long "cure" program - this time we'll be redecorating one room in our homes as a group through daily/weekend assignments delivered each day via email. I made a good effort at completing the January Cure as I blogged about earlier this year, so was excited to see another one come along - and hope to do a better job this time around! I have a few rooms I'd like to make over, so I'm hoping to repeat the process a couple times if it works!

We were in San Francisco the first few days of the month and then getting settled and unpacked so I am a week behind the group, but here goes!

Day 1: Complete the Style Cure Interview
This was a series of questions about some of your favorites - from actors and movies to rooms from your past and present. The idea was to help identify your personality and style and some of your goals for the project. Here were some of the conclusions that stood out for me:

How I would describe my style (got some of these ideas from the blog and other participants and I am aware some of these don't usually go together ;) :
preppy, classic, spa-like zen, craftsman chic, pops of quirkiness, bungalow chic

Features I like in some of my favorite rooms:
1 - NYC living room - even though we furnished it like a college apartment, I loved the character of the old parquet floors and the light coming in through the window

2 - Current kitchen - white cabinets that go all the way to ceiling (hate the "hanging" cabinet look), clean, punches of color via the decor, stained glass cabinets, and turquoise mixer, molding, bright, natural light, sliding window and windowsill of flowers and plants

3 - Conley's room - the only room in the house that I decorated completely from an empty room, grey walls, white beadboard and molding, neutral with punches of color (greens and blues for most part), dark wood floors

How I want the "cured" room to be described:
Happy, bright, inviting, cute, colorful, unique, uncluttered

Day 2: Weekend Chores - Go on a Style Treasure Hunt and Share Your Findings
I think of my Pinterest boards as my daily treasure hunt, so decided to just add to that. I kind of jumped ahead and already decided that I would be working on our outdoor office for the project and finally turning it into the office nook/playroom for Conley that we had originally envisioned. So with that, here are some of my favorite inspiration images from Pinterest:

Day 3: Choose Your Room, Sit for 10 Minutes & Take Before Pics
I sat in the office for a bit and it didn't take long to decide what would stay and go - since we just built it last year and have hardly done anything with it, there is not much clutter.

The desk, chair and cubby were bought specifically for the room, so those stay. Will think about the little table for Conley (depending on what else I find), but the accordion lamp, Ikea drawer cabinet and wicker storage trunk will all go - all leftovers from years of previous apartments. Unfortunately Peter needs that huge clunky printer/scanner for work, so will have to find a way to work it in along with the hideous wall AC unit - not sure what we were thinking having it installed there. And of course will want to get those cords under control! While I'm at it, I'd also like to finally get a couple of chairs and planters for the front porch - have been pinning ideas for months, just need to make a decision and this should be the motivation I need!

Love the natural light that comes through these tiny windows along the ceiling!