A Little Bit Country House Tour

I have a great house tour for you today! I love the casual feel and neutral palette of this North Carolina home almost as much as I love that it was decorated on a tight budget. The homeowner used second-hand finds and reupholstered furniture with canvas drop cloths. They also built the dining room table themselves. The sliding doors are my favorite!

All images via Country Living

Herringbone Floors

The weather in Wisconsin has been CRAZY!  One minute your wearing sandals and carrying an umbrella and the next minute your wearing snow pants.  Oh global warming, what are we going to do about you?  Have you been experiencing any crazy weather?  Well today is a great day to grab a cup of jo and a comfy chair and catch up on your favorite blogs.  Shall we talk about my love of herringbone floors?  My favorite is a slightly distressed wood version in a neutral room.

Via Desire to Inspire

Via Design Inspiration SK

Herringbone floors look great whether in a rustic kitchen, traditional bathroom or a modern living room.  They add so much visual interest to a room.  Here's a little more eye candy for you.

Via Apartment Therapy

Via SF Girl By Bay

Via Haus and Home

Bringing Back Brass

I'm bringing brassy back, them other boys don't know how to act.  Feel free to sing along.  I love a little Justin Timberlake in the morning.  Wait...that sounds bad.  I'm just going to get to the point.  Brass has definitely made a comeback and in a good way.  It looks like the cool older cousin of the brass from the '80's.  It seems to be a little more reserved and sophisticated.  Like it hangs out in moody bookstores and hip coffee shops.

Jenna Lyons' bath

Via Remodelista

Bedroom of Lizzie Garrett

Via Elle Decor

Guest Bath Inspiration Board

No School Today!  That means we are busy building with blocks, watching cartoons, dancing to some rockin' music and sharing a quick post with you all.  Here is my inspiration board for our guest bath.  I love the brass touches paired with black and white.  The herringbone tile floor is something I've been wanting to do for a while now.  Happy Friday!

To Recline or Not To Recline

I made the mistake of mocking my hubby last night for his choice in television.  Volcano documentary, anyone?  He replied, "Yeah, The Bachelor is far more educational."  Hey, I think we all could have learned a lot from that 50 Shades of Grey chick and I hope single girls everywhere learned that it is a bad idea to wear a wedding dress on a first date.  We have very different styles.  What more can I say?  The recliner is a common debate in our house.  My husband thinks a big old gaudy recliner is a must in every home.  I'm not digging it.  So I have been busy looking for a compromise.  Does a stylish chair that happens to recline actually exist?  You be the judge.

1. Flight Recliner

2. Paloma Recliner

3. Milo Baughman Recliner

4. Morrison Tufted Recliner

5. Harper Recliner

6. Lancaster Recliner

Where The Wild Things Are Inspired Bedroom

Yesterday I walked into our upstairs bathroom and noticed that something was different.  It took me a second to realize that all of the trim was finished.  It has been almost five years since we started remodeling the bathroom so you can understand my surprise.  The hubby also finished installing the trim in the back entry  (a project started in 2006) and he put up the stair railing for the new basement stairs. I don't know what has gotten into him, but I fully plan on taking advantage of his sudden urge to work on the house.  I just so happen to have a new project for us.  Ollie is going to need a "big boy" room soon and I am thinking about giving it a "Where the Wild Things are" look.  I love the idea of having clouds hang from a star-covered ceiling and a crown hanging from his bed post.  A tree stump stool and a bookshelf that looks like a branch will fit right in.  The wall color is the same as the background of the inspiration board and his bed will be painted the bronze color.  I am thinking about adding a tent with twinkle lights if there is enough space in the room.  I can't wait to get started!

Squirreling Away

Squirrel Nutcracker

Years ago my husband got a squirrel nutcracker for Christmas.  He loved the thing and proudly displayed it in our first apartment and our first home.  I was never a big fan of  the thing, probably because of my fear of being attacked by a squirrel.  I always felt like the little guy was waiting for me to turn my back and then he would pounce.  He also did not fit in with my holiday decor.  That is why when we moved to our current home, he "accidently" got boxed up with items going to my in-law's house.  I thought he was out of our lives forever until one day I walked into the kitchen and there he was.  He had found his way home.  I needed to step up my game.  I decided to take him to my brother's house for Thanksgiving and discreetly hide him in their holiday decorations.  I figured he would be much happier there.  Unfortunately, I switched diaper bags at the last minute and left him behind.  The squirrel wins again!  Yesterday I happened to be browsing through the Anthropologie website and guess what I saw.  You got it!  Could it be that my husband was right  all along? Is this little nutcracker really a gem?  I have my doubts, but I did put it out on display.  Who am I to argue with Anthropologie?

Equestrian Bedroom

Here is an inspiration board for a horse-loving tween bedroom.  I love the neutral colors and different textures of this room.  I also love the gold accents!  It is sophisticated and yet still perfect for "horsing around".  Hee hee...Sorry.

Back Entry Inspiration Board

I don't know if I have mentioned this before, but we have the world's creepiest basement.  I mean we used to have the world's creepiest basement.  My hubby has been hard at work taking down walls, moving pipes, hanging drywall, etc.  Now we have a totally cool rec room for the kiddos!  However, our back entry and stairs leading to the basement look super old and dreary compared to the new basement.  Doesn't that always happen?  I figure painting the walls and trim white, adding a white tin ceiling and painting the doors a charcoal gray will brighten things up and give the feeling of a modern farmhouse.  Here's my inspiration board.

A Modern Farmhouse

I just had to start out this week with a wonderful, remodeled farmhouse.  The photos are beautiful and scream comfort and relaxation.  What a great place to spend time with friends and family.  Well, the ones you really like anyway.  Check out the whole story about the Belk farm over here.

It's Hip to be Stairs

Yesterday was the last day of Kindergarten for my little guy!  I can't believe that in three months he will be one of the "big" kids.  I know that this is the first day of summer vacation, but I am totally excited about getting the new school supplies.  Yes, I am a total geek.  I love the smell of new erasers, sharpening the pencils for the first time and I love the perfection of a folder that has never been opened.  So last night as I resisted the urge to run out and buy supplies, I started thinking about how cool it would be to turn our attic into a craft/study room.  This is where the stairs come into the picture.  We have a super cool staircase leading to the attic and I happen to think it just needs to be "jazzed" up a bit.  I wonder if I could get my husband to go along with any of these ideas?

Via Decor 8

Via Pride of Place

Via Making It Lovely

Via In Alfie's Room

Via In Alfie's Room

Barn Doors

What a day!  I was up a good portion of the night with a baby who obviously wanted to play toys and watch King of the Hill reruns.  Then my husband woke me up at the crack of dawn to ask me where the number was for poison control.  That'll get you out of bed in a hurry!  No worries, everyone survived.  To top it all off, that baby I mentioned earlier decided to start crawling.  So far I've only lost him once and all I had to do was follow the path of destruction.  Anyway, today's post is all about barn doors.  I can't believe I haven't posted on this topic before.  I love the look of barn doors in the home.  Here are some great examples.

The bright color adds a lot of visual interest to this small space.
Via housetweaking

This is a great way to add the option of more privacy to an open space.
Via Houzz

Looks right at home in this Modern boys room
Via Houzz

Contemporary Girl's Room

Here is a wonderful bedroom designed by Philpotts Interiors.  The paneled white walls and sliding barn door would blend in well with my modern farmhouse some day.  Check it out!

Kitchen Inspiration

Six years ago, my husband said we could remodel the kitchen in five years.  We were all set to do a complete remodel when we bought the house, but decided to only make necessary changes and live in the house for a while to see what worked and what didn't.  We refinished the floor, added a dishwasher, replaced the sink and did a diy tile countertop.  The cabinets are from the 1950's and are in rough shape.  Even worse is the fact that we have outgrown the kitchen.  Too many people and an inefficient layout is an accident waiting to happen.  I am trying to decide whether to remove the wall between the dining room and kitchen.  The downside to this would be losing the original swinging door to the kitchen which also hides a messy kitchen when we have unexpected guests.  Decisions, decisions.  Here are a few images that I'm using as inspiration.  Have a great weekend!

Via Atlanta Homes Magazine

Via House Beautiful

Via Architectural Digest

Via Kitchen Lab

Via Elle Decor

Source Unknown

Via Decorpad

Via Design Sponge

Neon for the Home

Via Design*Sponge

Are you a lover or a hater of neon?  I was not a big fan of neon until recently.  It reminded me of plastic jelly shoes and spandex being worn by people who were not on their way to workout, but I am loving it in the smaller doses we are seeing this spring.  Neon clawfoot tub, yes.  Big man in neon bike shorts, no.

Via The Stir

Via Elle Decor