C & C Around the House: A Confession

 

I'm making a confession to you, our trusty readers. This isn't easy. I've done something I NEVER thought I'd do in a million years. We are now the owners of a La-Z-Boy recliner. Yes, you read that right. Dr. B has been wanting one for a while and since I generally get to be point on a lot of the design choices, he was due. 

 

 

 

That being said, this isn't your grandfather's La-Z-Boy...don't you know, Brooke Shields has one too (at least that's what she says in the ads). They have a pretty good selection of fabrics and it doesn't actually look like a recliner (unless it's reclined). I'd be remiss if I didn't say that it's really comfortable. I could do some serious reality TV watching in this chair. If it had to be done, the Jennings High Leg Recliner was the only option. 

 



Since there's a new chair in town, this Broyhill oversized chair has to go. If you live in the D.C. area and are in the market, it was originally $700 and I'm selling it for $150. It's basically new and very comfortable. Send me a note at cardicouture@gmail.com if you're interested.

 

I may have to eat crow once this baby arrives and that chair becomes my favorite spot in the house. Until then I'll play the reluctantly willing card. 



Target for the Nursery Win

While you're going to have to wait for the entire thing to come together before I share all the deets on the nursery, I thought I'd give you a little peak here and there. As you may have read previously, Kate of Kate Collins Interiors is helping me design just the perfect room for our little girl. And you know with her involvement it won't disappoint.

We're mixing a combination of what I'd call "investment" pieces with items that are more affordable. Here are two that won't break the bank and are so cute! Target for the win!

This Scallop Kids Accent Table is so girly with a sophisticated modern touch. Brass will be making its McBreen houeshold comeback in the baby's room.  I was thrilled when the table arrived. It's more substantial than I thought it would be and will be the perfect side table for the glider I've got coming. Bonus: it comes in pink and gray too.

And for all the story reading I have in my future, I know this Glass Ball Table Lamp will go to good use. It's also small enough to leave plenty of room for other things on the side table. It comes in four other colors (navy, white, pink and lilac) and would also be great for a powder room, entry table or dresser top. I love small little accent lamps and this little guy could brighten up any room.



Keep it up Target. Your décor game is strong.

The Remodel Finale

And you thought the basement remodel was over...not quite. The VERY last project was a built-in for our mudroom on the main floor. The space was begging for it. Our powder room is off this space along with the only closet on the first floor. My hope is that our dining room no longer serves as a dumping ground for all of our stuff. And with the addition of our puppy and a baby in July, it will go to good use.

 

All of my friends with kids say a changing station on the first floor is imperative. I plan on using the bench area for that (the pillows typically go on our deck chairs and were made from the photo wall fabric from our wedding). A quick trip to The Container Store helped us outfit the open shelves. We picked up two of these bins - one for the puppy's things and the other for diapers down the road - and two clear lids. Sounds weird right, but they were the perfect size to serve as liners for our shoes (which have been getting a lot of use for puppy potty breaks).



 

The knobs are Restoration Hardware and Kate Collins Interiors inspired the hooks which are from Anthropologie. It's important to me to have a home that feels sophisticated, comfortable and unique all at the same time. I want my own personal style to shine through and little touches like this do just that.  



 

With this last item off the checklist our renovation project is official D-O-N-E done. Now, we enjoy it.

 

C & C Around the House: Basement Renovation Recap



Hallelujah, God bless America the basement renovation is D-O-N-E, done (pending a few minor punch list items)! If you've followed along with my previous posts, you know that we started this project back in October. In case you've forgotten, this is what it looked like before.



Our goals for the project were to finish the space, upgrade the half bath to a full bath, relocate the laundry and maximize storage space. And I'm happy to say we achieved all of them. It was 100% worth the wait...and living with contractors in our house for four months. So, without further ado...

 

At the top of the stairs you're greeted by this ray of light from Schoolhouse Electric (also worth the two month wait).

 

Take a left at the bottom of the stairs and you'll be greeted by an entire wall of storage (do you hear the organization angels singing?)! From toiler paper and cleaning supplies to shoes and vases, this is my heaven.

 

Under the stairs on the left side is our relocated laundry area (room is a bit of  stretch...it's more of a hallway). You can't tell from this photo, but the counter is for us "tall people." I never realized how much I bend over to do things. Don't worry, the builders installed a pull-out step under the sink cabinet for anyone that's vertically challenged.

And don't forget the drying racks.

If you take a right at the bottom of the stairs you enter our new guest suite. We've still got some decorating to do (and a TV to add), but you get the idea.

 

I'm considering a move downstairs for the bathroom alone (that and because now that the basement is insulated it's the most temperature-controlled portion of the house).  

 

 



As the daughter of a builder it was fun to go through our own building project. I really enjoyed picking out the materials, deciding how to best use the space and seeing our vision become a reality. Now who's coming for a visit?!

C & C Around the Houes: Searching for Sconces

As I blogged about in October, we're doing a basement remodel. We're making good progress and I should have a big reveal for you around Christmas time. Just what you asked for, I know.

And while most of the materials have been chosen, there are a few items left on the shopping list, including scones for the bathroom. We're reusing a medicine cabinet that was in the existing half bath, both to be fiscally responsible and for the storage space (can you ever have too much storage?!). On both sides of the mirror we'll have sconces to light the area. The challenge is the space for each light is relatively narrow so they have to be relatively slim. I don't think I'll really be able to visualize the space until the drywall is in, but here are some possible options.

Restoration Hardware

Shades of Light

Shades of Light

Pottery Barn

Rejuvenation

Jonathan Adler (kind of $$$ for a basement)

Lamps Plus

What's your vote? Do you have any sites I've missed for great lighting options?

C & C Around the House: Basement Remodel Before

I couldn't let Regan have all the construction fun...it does run in the family (our dad is a rock-star home builder). Since we moved into our house over three years ago we knew we wanted to finish the basement. And its number finally got called. Construction has started and we should be done by the end of the year! I can't wait to see the finished product and it's drastically going to improve how we use it...i.e. we actually will vs. using it as a storage space and a place to do laundry.

 

Here's a quick pre-remodel tour.



The half bath below is on the left side of this photo



And here's what it's going to look like when it's done.

We're moving the laundry under the stairs along with a small laundry sink. This long narrow hallway-type area will make up the new "laundry room" when you come down the stairs and turn left.

 

Across from it will be floor-to-ceiling cabinets for cleaning supplies, Costco bulk shopping storage, and all the other odds and ends we need space for. On the left side of the drawing are two wall-unit drying racks that pop out along with a hanging bar for laundry.

 

 

When you make a right at the bottom of the stairs we'll have a separate room - with an additional window that we're uncovering from its current drywall captivity. 

 

And the half-bath/laundry area is becoming a full bathroom with a closet. 

 

I can't wait to share the final product with you when it's done! 

 

C & C Around the House: Project Attic Organization

When we bought our house three years ago our attic looked like this. A blank canvas ready to be turned into something awesome. A great office space, extra sleeping space, maybe even a playroom one day.

Unfortunately, that turned into this (but more tidy - I forgot to get a shot until mid-clean). We've used the room more as a "staging area" than a functional space and it was starting to get a little old. Dr. B and I are really well suited for each other in that we like things to be neat and orderly with everything in its place. This, was not that. 

We thought about doing built-in desks, but realized that didn't allow us that much flexibility down the road. And the furniture I was looking at cost a fortune - and this isn't really where we want to be spending our house money right now. So just when I thought I'd "outgrown" Ikea, we were there on a Saturday with everyone and their brother. We picked up two Kallax shelving units with a combination of drawers, doors and Knipsa baskets (I found the awesome wrapping paper storage box at The Container Store). 

An adjustable Galant Desk which will be great when I need to put that wrapping paper to use this holiday season. And an Alex Filing Cabinet where all of our "must-save" paperwork now has a home - the other 12 reams have been shredded and recycled as part of Project Attic Organization. 

And while it still looks a little sparse and not really up to my design standards, we made some serious progress. Dr. B also installed two ceiling fans since the AC has a long trip from the basement all the way to the top floor. 

Needless to say, the end result is what my neat-nick dreams are made of!

C & C Around the House: Hello, I Live Here

We've officially lived in our house three years (crazy!!). In the 13 years I've lived in D.C., moving in to this house was the first place I actually felt "at home." I'm not sure if it's the house, or the guy I moved in with (he's kind of awesome), or a combination of both, but I definitely had a Carrie Bradshaw, "hello, I live here." moment. 

If you've followed the blog for a while, you've probably seen shots here and there when I post about different projects or pieces of furniture. We were incredibly fortunate to move into a home completely redone by a builder with really good taste - down to the paint colors. With ONE exception - the powder room. The pallet in our house is very neutral - but this little burst of sunshine right off our living room was far from subtle. I've hated it ever since we moved in. I'm just not a yellow person. Despite the dislike, there were a number of projects that took priority. So this little bumblebee sat...just waiting for some wallpaper to save it. 

And its turn finally came. After my good friend LE did all the legwork to find the wallpaper store and the guy to hang it (#thatsfriendship) - at a crazy good cost - it was time for a face lift. Originally I thought I wanted to stick with something in the turquoise/gray family. These were a few of my top picks. 

But then while browsing through books upon books, we stumbled upon Thibaut Janta Bazaar...and it was love at first site. If you're going to do wallpaper, especially in a small space, go bold or go home. And that's just what we did. It was hung on Friday and I'm THRILLED with the choice. 

And because it has some hints of brown, we didn't need to change out the mirror or fixtures. 

Over the last few days I've found myself walking into the bathroom just to look at it. I hope it brings the same joy to our guests that use it. 

I'd never heard of Thibaut before, but am now a huge fan. All of their wallpaper also comes in fabric - giving you some truly awesome design options. 

C & C Around the House: Couch Revival

I like to think of this blog as a place to share things that will make our readers' lives easier. Isn't that what we're all looking for? That's what today's post is all about. A little C & C trick of the trade. 

We were pretty lucky when we moved into our house (almost three years ago - where has the time gone?!). Between our two condos, Dr. B and my furniture was able to come together in wedded bliss. My living room furniture fit perfectly into our family room - where we spend a good bit of our time "sofa surfing," as my dad would say.

Unfortunately, as you might be able to tell from this photo, the cushions were a little worse for the wear. It happened pretty quickly. I walked in one night and realized Dr. B was sunken down. Instantly I became fixated on getting a new couch. And when I set my mind to something I'm like white on rice. But we don't NEED a couch - nor is it anywhere near the top of the house "to do" list. What we really needed were new cushions. After a little research on the Internet I found the Foam Factory. All you have to do is input the dimensions of each cushion, pick your foam, and in less than a week you'll be sitting tall again. We went with the "Lux Foam - High Quality." We probably could have gone with something less dense - it's pretty firm right now - but I think over time we'll be glad with our choice as it softens. We only replaced the two small cushions, but now that we like them are going to order one for the chaise as well. What started as a new couch ($$$$) ended with $100 in new cushions. Success! 

C&C Around the House: Guest Blogger

It's Jess again! I don't know about you, but I am more than ready for springtime this year. Being a Bostonian we have endured quite the record breaking winter and it just doesn't seem to want to leave!  That being said one of my favorite ways to mark the change of seasons is to make some updates to my home. It doesn't have to be anything big, but small changes can make all the difference. Here are some things I have been loving lately.

One of the first things I do is put away my cozy and warm afghan and replace it with a lighter blanket. I loved this one from Terrain. Would be great for a picnic too. 

I also loved this adorable basket from Nate Berkus for Target! Perfect for storing the aforementioned blanket, toys or could even be used as a planter.

Like Katie and Regan, I also appreciate a great stripe and this shower curtain from West Elm is a a great spring/summer update for any bathroom.

Another thing I am excited about is the return of Farmers Market Season. I think this tote could be the perfect thing to carry back all my yummy/healthy finds. These totes are handmade locally using salvaged textiles.

And while I have certainly been buying some new clothes, it can be fun to give technology a fresh update as well. I loved this phone case by Rifle Paper Co.

Happy Spring!