interior design

A Living Room with Personality for My Sister

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I'm baaaaaaaaack. I didn't mean to go into hiding for a year, but there was a wedding (future post on that later, but YAY for being a Mrs.), a job that has become pretty all-consuming, and you know - life in all its messy glory.

So why did I come back from my extended hiatus? Because I got a really fun job from the toughest client ever - my littlest sister.

Haley is starting medical school in the fall in Madison (whoop whoop) and just purchased her first condo. She doesn't want it to feel like a dorm room, but doesn't know much else beyond that. The only descriptors of her style that she's given me are "happy, colorful, and clean lines". Soo.. I'm pretty much starting from scratch.

Because I know my sister, I have established a few ground rules for the design of this place.

1) There's a time to be rustic, but this ain't it. This is a walk-up condo in a city, for a twenty something. I love Joanna Gaines as much as the next person, but a bunch of shiplap and milk crates just isn't gonna happen here.

2) There's a time for all white and sleek and museum-like, but this ain't it. There is only one person better at spontaneous napping and most-of-the-day couch sessions than me, and that is Haley. So a place that feels cold and too sleek isn't gonna work.

3) Haley's gotta feel happy there.

With all that in mind I put together 3 different looks for her living room... which when it was listed looked like this.

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Because this is an open space to her dining room, kitchen, and hallway, the walls will be a light, happy neutral. No matter what, I think I want to do some floating cabinets or a long credenza along the wall to the left of the fireplace. I think this will square-off the room and make that inset space more functional. We (meaning me and my expert design and installation team - the fam) are going to wall-mount her TV where that too-small art hangs now (like the Homepolish image below). A couch will be where the current owners have their couch, but we'll put 2 chairs in front of the fireplace to make it one cohesive room.

Ok, so design plans - the fun part. I put together these mood boards so she could have a better idea of how stuff works together and the general feel of the space. Not every accessory is included, obviously, but I tried to make sure the major pieces were working together well.

Option 1

Rug | Couch | Chair | Coffee Table | Lamp | Curtains | Art | Poufs

For all of these spaces, I want to take the flimsy white framing off the current fireplace and have my dad (the furniture-maker extraordinaire and handyman of this operation) put in a chunkier wood mantle to make it feel more finished. I don't want to say too much about my thoughts on each design, because I want to hear what you (and of course Haley) thinks first.

While we're talking about family roles in this endeavor, let me try to draw some HGTV parallels for you so you understand the dynamics. Here's our cast of characters for Dysfunctional Design:

Carrie (me): The designer (I still cringe every time I call myself that) with lots of ideas and plans. Mostly concerned with look and feel of spaces, not so concerned with logistics, budgets, how to make things happen, etc. You know who I really miss on HGTV? Genevieve. She was a classic.

Haley: The client, obviously. She's not nearly as annoying as those people on House Hunters that only care about granite countertops and paint colors, but she's also not real decisive. Anything to make her happy!

Mom - Jaci: My mom is like that semi-annoying design assistant that doesn't get much camera time, but does most of the actual work. (shout out to Dessa on Love It or List It!) She's chief list-maker, budget watcher, painter, installer, problem-solver, etc. etc. I'd be lost without her.

Dad - Dan: Ty Pennington, Chip Gaines, take your pick for ruggedly handsome man wielding a hammer and saw. That's my dad. He makes beautiful furniture (like these built-ins - still love them!) does what needs to be done, and in this case does all the real life-saving work that helps to fund these little endeavors for his girls. His only fault is that he's not always real quick to concede that something needs to be done by a pro...

Andy: Super helpful, but not super handy. He's great at holding the dog when it gets scared of the air compressor, running to store for that thing we forgot when we were there the first 8 times, holding and carrying stuff... He really is pretty helpful, but we like to give him a hard time. Love you, hubs, but this is real talk.

Rachel and Andrew: The sister and her hubs in Milwaukee may make an appearance and get a spot on the "show", but they're probably smart just to skype every now and then, give a critique, and then go back to their sane lives and leave us to figure out what to do next. Actually, now that I think about it, they're like the subcontractor that walks in half-way through the demo says "this isn't gonna work, here's my bill, see ya." That's the sweet life right there.

That was an odd little tangent...back to the design.

Option 2

Rug | Couch | Chair | Coffee Table | Lamp | Curtains | Mirror | Poufs

My mom the budget watcher might hate me for suggesting we tile the fireplace, but seriously... how great would that look with a pretty cement tile? The patterns would probably be a slightly smaller scale than this, but I think this space could use a showstopper focal point, especially if we keep the rest fairly neutral.

Option 3

Rug | Couch | Chair | Coffee Table | Lamp | Curtains | Mirror | Poufs

This is definitely the girliest option, but if Haley and a potential roommate have this bachelorette pad for awhile, why not girl it up a little bit? This fireplace is tiled again, but this could easily be a geometric patterned wallpaper too.

Ok - if you've managed to hang in there through this much of rambling, you get a reward! Vote below and let Haley know which option you would pick. Or - leave a comment and let me know what you love or hate about any of them. Ready, go!

One Room Challenge: The Office | Week 6 - The Reveal!

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I wish there was a way to express that jumping up and down, happy dance feeling in text, because that's totally where I'm at right now. Well, I'm not actually jumping because I just worked a 12-hour day at my new job, but that's not the point. In my head, I'm happy dancing.

Staying true to the One Room Challenge started by Linda at Calling It Home, I managed to finish revamping my office in six weeks, stay on budget(!!), and document the process along the way. If you want to go back and see all the not-so-pretty moments and rants along the way, click the links below. If you want to hustle up and just see the pictures already, keep scrolling.

Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5

Before I reveal too much more of the finished office, let's reveal the before pictures, shall we? This was a blank, gray room off the dining room.

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I think you've heard me (read me?) yap about this room enough, so I'll let the pictures speak mostly for themselves. However, it would be totally unfair of me to post the pictures without thanking my mom, dad, and andy, who all were great builders, craigslist picker uppers, haulers, encouragers, and super patient with me while I worked through this. In the last six weeks I have: interviewed for a job, wrapped up an old job, started a new job, gotten engaged, started planning a wedding, AND redecorated a room. The patience was SO SO necessary.

Overall, I'm so happy to have an energizing, happy, pulled-together space to work and relax in. Here's my office!

I don't feel like I challenged office norms all that much - the basic elements that you would expect were all there. Desk - check. Shelving - check. But I love how cozy and warm the room ended up. At first I was begrudging the lack of overhead lighting, and now with lamps in place I'm loving the softer glow. I'm thrilled to have a room to get some serious and creative work done, and another spot to lounge when Andy is playing Madden in the living room :)

Let me know what you think and if there's anything you would change!

P.S. - the cabinets are getting hardware soon. I'm just scared to drill holes and then realize they're not centered or level. Totally normal fear.

One Room Challenge: The Office | Week 3

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[et_pb_section admin_label="section"][et_pb_row admin_label="Row"][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text admin_label="Text" background_layout="light" text_orientation="left" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid"] Ok, catch-up time! I decided to participate in the One Room Challenge as a Guest Participant and blog about the progress of my office makeover. I can't believe all of the amazing things that over 200(!!!) guest participants have been posting, and this challenge has already earned a special little place in my heart. My week 1 post showed you my design plan and mood board for my office. During week 2 I picked a rug and found a couch, and continued to make fun of my boyfriend, Andy.

Well GUESS WHAT?!! In my week 3 post I get to make fun of my fiancé!!!!!  Last week Andy asked me to marry him, and of course I said yes. Because hello... anybody that lets you make fun of them on the internet but still treats you amazingly well and loves you is a catch. Seriously though, I could not be any happier. It's been a GOOD WEEK. Also, he did SO WELL with the ring. I still just sit and look at how pretty it is all the time. (please ignore my alien hands that are clearly in need of moisturizer)

 

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But let's get back to the issue at hand... One Room Challenges don't have a pause button even if you get engaged and want to spend all day looking at wedding blogs and dreaming of flowers. Luuuuckily for me, this week involved way more work for my wonderful father than for me.

Because here's the thing, when you decide you want built-in looking cabinets and shelves, but you can only spend about $500 on them, you start sending your dad pictures and seeing what he's willing to try to pull off. Fortunately my dad is AMAZING and was totally willing to take on my crazy project within this crazy time frame.

Here's the picture I sent my dad of my vision for the built-ins.

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I wanted the middle section to be at desk height instead of cabinet height so that it could double as another work space if my desk is a disaster. I also wanted lots of space to display all my various pretty things and show off my ability to hoard magazines. A wall of shelving was absolutely the right answer.

When it came to talking about finishing of the built-ins I seriously torn. I narrowed it down to either black or white based on all of these BEAUTIFUL inspiration images (click for source), but I still haven't totally made up my mind about what will end up in the final space. What do you think? Go dark and dramatic, or keep things light and airy?

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The desk is probably the most important piece of furniture in the office, because that's where all of my brilliant work is going to get done - right?! I started looking around and had my eye on very minimalist, streamlined designs. I didn't want a big bulky desk with lots of drawers blocking the view of my beautifully styled built-ins. And since I generally embrace my wacky priorities, that was one of the key factors. The other was that I really like to spread out when I work. While some of the desks below are beautiful and would be wonderful in a smaller room or alcove, they just didn't seem to cut it for my needs. I actually ended up looking at a bunch of dining tables in addition to desks.

Anywhere, here were my top 7 desks.

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  1. Pilsen Salt Desk | 2. Strut Teak Work Table | 3. Anderson Desk | 4. Dahlia Marble Desk | 5. Modern Dining Table | 6. Chaya Desk | 7. Ewen Writing Desk

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If you've been following along, you will have realized that I rarely just find my favorite piece of furniture and buy it brand new. These pieces are beautiful, and most are pretty inexpensive by furniture standards, but I'm just not living with that kind of budget. (Don't even get me started on the costs of the wedding I'm now thinking about too. I'm pretty much hating that Andy is so likeable and has approximately 854,869,023 friends that are all REALLY GOOD BUDDIES. You know, like that awesome dude he met in line at Hyvee the other week. He has to be there! ha.)

But hey, if my dad is already making built-ins, a desk can't be that much more to ask... right? Yeah, it was a lot to ask, but it's my dad, and I'm his favorite daughter :) , so he's slaving away on furniture for me.

I went up to visit him last weekend because my mom was driving golf carts around Florida, I had a ring to show off, and I figured he could probably use a little help with everything. I wasn't that helpful, but I at least got a sneak peek at where things were at.

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It's all looking so good and I can't wait to see it in the space instead of in my parents' entryway. I feel like we're making good progress toward the 6-week deadline, but I'm sure I'll be eating those words in a few weeks. Either way, I'm deliriously happy with where life sits right now.

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One Room Challenge: The Office | Week 2

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[et_pb_section admin_label="section"][et_pb_row admin_label="row"][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_image admin_label="Image" src="http://www.thecasualcreative.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/guestparticipant.jpg" show_in_lightbox="off" url_new_window="off" use_overlay="off" animation="off" sticky="off" align="left" force_fullwidth="off" always_center_on_mobile="on" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid"] [/et_pb_image][et_pb_text admin_label="Text" background_layout="light" text_orientation="left" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid"] Well, this week my One Room Challenge feelings pretty much went back and forth between calm, collected confidence and sheer panic. On the one hand, I think I have a pretty solid design plan and timeline mapped out that I went through in my week one post. On the other hand, regular life is also happening and I have a very real budget (booo.....)

Like I said in my week 1 post, I am by no means a professional, and I do not have a professional (or even semi-professional) budget or resources. I'm stressing this for two main reasons. 1) To lower your expectations to the point that no matter what I pull off wows you 2) To attempt to make the point that you can have an awesome looking room without a whole lot to work with.

In this post I'm going to take you through my budget, and the first few big accomplishments in the space.

THE BUDGET

My parents and Andy will tell you that the most amazing skill I possess (and have possessed since an alarmingly young age) is the ability to instantly fall in love with the most expensive version of anything, before I am even remotely aware of what it costs. ANYTHING. Shopping for an Easter dress for my 4-year-old self? Mom look at how pretty this one (which happens to be imported from Paris and hand-embroidered) is! Looking at a menu when out to a nicer dinner with family friends? Sure my 8-year-old sister is happy with chicken strips, but 10-year-old Carrie is really craving surf and turf. Doesn't matter what it is - food, clothes, home decor, even ridiculous things like plants and pens. The things I love are almost always the ones I can't afford. Having great taste is a curse, I tell you.

But that's not the point... the point is that in an attempt to reign this in, Andy has started saying the dreaded b-word to me. BUDGET. I told him I would do my very best to not spend more than $1500-$2000 on this ENTIRE ROOM. Which is equal parts crazy, challenging, and totally necessary. Anyway - here's the current breakdown of how much I am willing and able to spend on certain aspects of this office redo:

  • Paint - $100
  • Rug - $300
  • Couch - $200
  • Desk - $200
  • Built-ins - $400
  • Curtains - $100
  • Stuff - $300 (lamps, shelf styling stuff, office supplies, frames and prints, end tables, pillows, etc.)

Now look, some of you (especially if I'm getting of you real designer types looking at this), are thinking how totally unrealistic those numbers are. I know I was thinking the same thing looking at them. But I, like so many other people, want to be in a beautiful space that still allows me to pay my bills. To accomplish this, I am going to have to go outside the box in some cases, and be happy with big-box in others. Craigslist and garage sales are my friend. Clearance stickers are my friend. I will be using a lot of stuff that I already have, even if it's not the stuff I most want. Mom, I hope you appreciate how hard I am adulting right now.

PAINT

It is such a cliche, but boy is it true. Nothing refreshes a space like a new coat of paint. Because I want to infuse a lot of color in a lot of the other elements of this room, I opted to go white on the walls to serve as a nice bright canvas. None of the other rooms in my house are white, so this is actually kind of a fun change for me. I chose Nano White from the Behr Home Decorators Collection. It's actually only on 3 of the walls in the room, because the 4th wall continues right in to the entry-way, which leads right in to the rest of the house. There just wasn't a good breaking point, and I didn't want to have to paint the entire entryway too, so one light gray-green wall will remain.

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COUCH

When I sat down to do my design plan, I had a very clear idea of the type of couch I wanted in this office space to lounge and read on. Here are some of my favorite couches that I've been eyeing up for a while now:

  1. Trevor Leather Sofa | 2. Modern Chesterfield Leather Sofa | 3. Hamilton Leather Sofa | 4. Hancock Tufted Distressed Chesterfield Leather Sofa | 5. Brooklyn Leather Sofa

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Of course, I already told you that my budget for this couch was about $200 dollars, and in many places they would laugh at me for even getting a leather fabric swatch for that much. So I did what I often do and started the craigslist hunt. Well, wouldn't you know it that this (kinda) beauty popped up not too far from my parents house? I especially love it when that happens because I negotiate the price, ask my mom and dad when they are willing to pick it up, and at some point they deliver it to me and it's almost like I ordered it out of a catalog or online like a civilized furniture buyer would do. HA.

craigslist couch

I got the couch for $150 and felt AWESOME about it. Is it a pristine rolled-arm chesterfield? Nope. Is it a comfortable leather couch in pretty good shape that fits my basic design aesthetic? Yes. So we're calling it a win. Here's what the couch looks like in my room versus this random person's basement.

 

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RUG

Confession: I actually bought the rug for this room a few weeks before the One Room Challenge started. whew. I feel so much better now. I had been toying with the idea of getting going on this office for a while, and had been keeping a very close eye on sales going on over at RugsUSA, esalerugs, and wayfair, and was just hoping that some rug would appear that was big enough, beautiful enough, and cheap enough.

Here are some of the rugs that were serious contenders at one point or another:

  1. Abstract Waterfall Rug | 2. Keyhole Trellis Rug | 3. Barcelona Area Rug | 4.  Distressed Foggy Medallion Rug | 5. Windsor Printed Overdyed Grove Rug

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One day I announced to Andy that I was having A RUG CRISIS(!!!). He laughed at me and then sternly lectured me on how picking a rug was not deserving of the word CRISIS in all caps, or even in lowercase for that matter. Following that, I decided for the 867,000th time that I needed a new free design assistant. Then I did the sensible thing - I narrowed it down to the final 3 rugs and let Andy make the final decision because he had put up with me through this whole ordeal.

Here's the rug he chose:

RugsUSA Blue Distressed Medallion Rug

It is so much prettier in person than online. It almost looks sort of pixelated, which I think is kind of a funky cool look.

So that's where I'm at after week 2, with 4 weeks and 5 posts to go. Next week I'll cover how I'm getting a custom desk and "built-ins" for way cheap without making my parents go on any sketchy craigslist runs. Hint: It mostly involves my dad being awesomely handy and nice to me. Stay tuned for that, and feel free to leave a comment telling Andy how much you love the rug he chose so that his ego grows to enormous proportions. That's just what I need in my life.

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House Tour: My Happy Blue and White Dining Room

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Like I said in my before house tour, I was thrilled that this house had a formal dining room. Then, when it came time to design it I was a little paralyzed. Was this a formal dining room with a chandelier, nice china, and the sort of room that I would tell my someday children that they couldn't touch anything in? Was this a comfortable dining room where friends would sit and play games, and we would all be reminiscing with a beer in our hand? Or maybe would I throw fancy schmancy dinner parties here and want some glitz in the space?

Being the maximalist that I am, I decided that an enthusiastic YES was the answer to all three questions. But could one room really encompass all the things I love in dining rooms - tradition, that comfortable homey feeling, and a little glitz? I'll let you decide for yourself, but I think I managed to mix styles in a way that doesn't say "A CRAZY PERSON LIVES HERE."

Design tip: If you're going to mix dramatically different styles, make sure you anchor all of it with a really cohesive color palette.

Here's my dining room! What you can't see in this post are the french doors opposite the window, and this awesome wine rack that Andy's parents got me for Christmas that has yet to be mounted on the wall (sorry!).

As is the case in most of my house, the furniture comes in two varieties: Craigslist scores and super-dad originals. I like to shop on craigslist near my parents house then casually call my mom and say, "Soo.. whatcha doin today mommy-o?" and because she's my mom, it usually takes about that long for her to figure out that she's going to be asked to take her trusty minivan to some not-as-close-as-I-thought-it-was location and pick up something really heavy and awkward. But man, that awesome square-front buffet was totally worth it right?!

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My dad picked up furniture-making as a hobby not too long ago, because apparently he needed something to do other than save lives and make people healthier all the time? Anyway, I'm glad he did.  The table is a show-stopper, and I'm so grateful that he put in so much time in getting it perfect for me.

When I started to put the room together, I knew the long wall needed a really strong feature element. I didn't want to do anything with picture frames (eventually you'll be able to see the office gallery wall from here), and I wanted a more traditional focal point. Displaying some beautiful china seemed to be the answer - this is a dining room after all! The hard part? I didn't have any china, and the classic Blue Willow china is hard to find and expensive.

After hearing me complain about this for about a week Andy casually says, "Just let me ask my uncle if he has some", and the next day I get a call from said uncle saying "Yeah, I've got a whole box of it here. Come pick it up whenever. But if you break up with Andy you have to give it back." Fair enough!

Design tip: Date guys with uncles who collect a lot of cool stuff and like their nephews. HA. But really. Collectors are your friend.

I did the art above the buffet myself. If you need big art, canvases from any craft store and paint are pretty inexpensive. I'm no artist, but I like how having something more modern above the buffet really sets off the traditional plates on the other side of the room.

That's my dining room! If you're curious about anything in particular, or if you want to tell my dad how awesome that table is and that he should take custom orders, let me know in the comments. (My dad doesn't really take custom orders. It's pretty much a friends and family thing. Bummer, I know.)