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New Navy Blue Sofa!

Monday, April 22nd, 2013

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Like many of us, my budget for home beautification only allows me to afford one big purchase at a time:

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Ever since I started our living room project, I have been dreaming of a navy blue sofa since I saw this beauty:

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A very beautiful and very expensive sofa. But I want it and the color navy fits right into my color scheme! What to do? The sofa I have now is only about five years old. It is still in great shape and I have always loved its Chesterfield look:

I love the rolled arms and it is so comfortable with the ottoman. I wanted to keep it but the fabric was not working anymore. Since the fabric is the most expensive part of having anything reupholstered, I have kept my eye out for a good price on fabric. I found this navy blue velvet on sale:

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To have a couch reupholstered, a sofa this size takes about 16 yards of fabric. The price was $14.00 a yard, plus 2 extra yards for the ottoman. 18 yards x $14.00 = $252.00 for fabric. That is a pretty good price! A reupholster price for labor on both the sofa and ottoman should cost you around $500.00. Not too bad for a ‘new’ sofa!

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Next step is finding a great, affordable rug to go with my new sofa. I ordered  rug samples from Ballards in Natural that I think will work great in the room and is pretty reasonable in price:

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I need to balance the white over to the other side of the room and the rug will do just that:

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But wait!! I just found the perfect rug! Love, love, love:

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Well, perfect except for the price (sad face). I am still going to order a sample ($10.00) to be sure it will work. I noticed Company C does have an online design program where I might be able to get a designer discount. When you find ‘the’ perfect item to work in your design plan, you have to decide if you want to wait and save up for it or find something comparable that will work but not be so costly.

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I am not a very patient person when I get a great idea! I just want to keep moving forward to get the project completed. But, because of the budget, I am going to have to wait a bit to make another large purchase. Does this happen to you too? Isn’t it frustrating?

Well, it is another step toward my design goal. I love my new navy sofa and am very grateful! On to the next step!

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Here is a helpful link to an upholstery guide here that helps you determined how much fabric you will need for your upholstery project.

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Posted in Interior Decorating, Living Rooms, Reduce Recycle Reuse | 10 Responses »
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Decorating With Forsythia

Thursday, April 18th, 2013

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Spring has finally arrived here in the Northeast! I kept pulling over to the side of the road today to take a few pictures while I was out running errands:

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So exciting to finally see some spring flowers start to bloom. I ended up here (neighbor’s) to cut some of my own branches to bring home:

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One of the reasons I love forsythia is because it seems to announce in high definition that Spring is here. Another reason is because it is so easy to work with and create arrangements:

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So simple and beautiful. I thought I would share some of my ideas to encourage you to run out and cut some branches! First I made something very simple:

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Then I added a pop of color with a few purple irises that I had left over from another arrangement:

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Next I decided to try a white vase:

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Doesn’t forsythia look so pretty in small vases also?:

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Do you know how beautiful that picture above would be if taken by a professional photographer? I wish I was a professional photographer.

I thought this branch was interesting:

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Then I was down to my last couple of branches and decided to make a smaller arrangement:

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Which looked a little boring so I snuck in some faux flowers:

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Doesn’t it look like I had so much fun? I hope that I have inspired you to bring in some happy flowers! Do you like decorating with flowers? Tulips are coming! And my favorite- peonies. So simple and beautiful!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great weekend my friends!

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Posted in Decorating Hints & Tips, DIY Projects, Floral Arrangements, Interior Decorating | 7 Responses »
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Fresh New Drawers

Monday, April 15th, 2013

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Over the years, we have accumulated a few old dressers along the way:

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I have thought about painting, but I really like their history and character. Do you see the keyholes in the drawers? Pretty cool and unique:

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Remember the post I wrote here wondering if I should paint or not paint this piece? I decided not to paint over. Once it is done, there is no going back and it really is unique and beautiful:

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But one thing I do not like about the old chests is the old, musty smell in the drawers. I might care about the history of the outside of the dressers, but I do not want to know the history of what was in those drawers before:

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I tried drawer sachets and pretty lined paper:

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But that does not work. And since I have been going through paint withdrawals(no painting projects lately!), I decided one way to get rid of that musty smell would be to paint the inside of the drawers. Yay paint project!

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Using a pretty paint color leftover from another painting project, I choose the color Ben Moore Riviera Azure for a beautiful surprise every time I opened up the drawer:

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I had this blue left over from painting the guest room a few years ago:

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I did not sand or prime, just wiped out the drawer clean before painting:

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Now I have pretty, fresh smelling drawers!

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That was my fun and easy project for this past weekend. Did you work on any projects?

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Posted in Bedrooms, Before & After Pictures, ben moore, color, Decorating Hints & Tips, DIY Projects, Interior Decorating, Painted Furniture | 4 Responses »
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New Office Space

Friday, April 12th, 2013

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I have been working with a client online who finally found a little room in her home that she can call her own:

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The room is small and she asked for help finding pieces that she can use to design a beautiful office space.

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Starting with the largest piece, the desk, I inquired if she would be using a large computer, but she only needs room for a laptop. The first item that popped in my head was the Durham Desk at Ballard Design:

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The openness and clean lines make this desk a perfect choice for a small space. Here are two bookshelves also open and contemporary:

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And what office does not need a great comfortable chair? This is a chair she recently purchased that will work great in the room:

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I suggested a soft, light grayish blue color for the walls:

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Benjamin Moore Horizon 1478

And here is the office design board she loved best that was in her budget:

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She is going to keep her white sheers as window treatments in the room which will work well. She is so excited to get started!  Even if she can not afford everything right now, at least she now has a plan to begin. I have already ask her to please share photos when complete!

If you would like a custom design plan for your next room, contact me today.

Have a great weekend my friends!

Kelly

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Posted in Dear Kelly, Design Boards, Interior Decorating | 1 Response »
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