Dining Room Makeover

We've kind of been on a Restoration Hardware bender since our spectacular sofa purchase last Tuesday (but I guess it really all started here, or maybe even here), so I figured I should probably show you a little before and after of the dining room and sitting area (or "lounge" as Alex insists we refer to it) to justify our crazy furniture spending spree.

Here's the dining room before:

We inherited almost all the furniture we started with when we moved in (like this Basset dining table and china hutch and custom turquoise couch and armchair) from Alex's dad. We were so incredibly grateful to have furniture to fill up the house since we moved from an apartment and had very little to our names, but we knew it would just be temporary until we developed our own style (and had the funding to back it up).

We made the room's first improvement just before Ava was born. We re-tiled the fireplace and the areas in front of the French doors and window with this pretty Dark Emperador marble (photos below).

It really used to bother me that every room in the house had a different texture applied to the walls. We figured the easiest way to get flat matte walls in the dining room would be to apply enormous sheets of sheetrock, so that is what these nice gentlemen below were doing when Ava was just a few weeks old.

We painted the finished walls Valspar's Redstone Dakota Sandstone. (It has such a great tone and gets lots of compliments!) Then we painted the mantle white, sanded and re-stained the hardwood floors dark walnut, and added nice thick crown molding and baseboards.

Here's what the room looks like now:

   

We decided a round dining table (we bought this one on Thursday) is the only thing that makes sense in this room. I've always loved the thought of being able to look at everyone equally during dinner conversations. 

And I know what you're thinking -- white upholstery with a toddler is just trouble waiting to happen. But we liked the look of these Martine Upholstered Armchairs (in White Belgian Linen with Weathered Oak legs) so much and they match our sofa so perfectly that we're willing to be extra diligent. (And we have the Scotchgard and the Dirt Devil steamer ready to take action in a flash.)

The coffee table above is another new addition we ordered over the phone and had delivered while we were in Napa over the weekend. It's so enormous we had to move the white sofa back against the wall, but it really ties everything together and fills out that space.

The decor still needs a few finishing touches to make this room complete but that's something we can have fun searching for over time.

Kristen's Wedding

Kristen's wedding was absolutely amazing! The bride herself was just stunning and every little detail was planned and implemented flawlessly. As part of the wedding party, I was not able to take the good shots I wanted to show off to you all, so I left it in the photographer's extremely capable hands (and knees... she was literally crawling around under and around furniture to get the best angles -- that's what I call creative commitment!). But I did manage to snatch Alex's iPhone from his pocket on occasion to give you a few glimpses into my own personal experience of the day...

Two days of wedding festivities away from home and off her regular nap schedule left Ava just a little out of it literally seconds before show time. She refused to walk down the aisle as practiced during rehearsal the day before so I picked her up and carried her, handing her rose petals which she cheerfully and gracefully scattered around her during the procession. It was really an endearing moment.

The beautiful and romantic ceremony site in the apple orchard. Kristen and Ben wrote their own vows and their beautiful words literally brought tears to my eyes. This was my view for the majority of the ceremony. Alex carried her off to the side here as she was starting to lose it at the beginning of the ceremony. Shortly thereafter, she started calling "Mama!" so I rushed over to join them there on a little grass knoll. The shade from the trees actually made it the best seat in the house and Ava peacefully fell asleep in my arms.

I loved the personalized signature cocktails served on a lawn area, and I may or may not have loved this refreshing watermelon cocktail just a teensy bit too much.

Wouldn't this make such a fun DIY project? I think I might try to recreate this effect with a lazy susan Alex requested for the new dining table.

Even the cocktail tables had gorgeous centerpieces. The flower arrangements throughout the wedding were incredible. My pink peony bouquet had rosemary and smelled delightful.

Pretty arrangements lined the path to the banquet room where dinner and dancing were held.

Don't forget your escort card to help you find your seat!

Coordinating place cards and menus. The entire meal was primarily vegan since both the bride and groom are (mostly) and even though I am a devout carnivore, I happily feasted on this incredible vegan fare.

And here we are... Ava just waking up from a nice little cocktail hour power nap and ready to be picked up by Grandma so Mama and Dada could dance the night away. (By the way, I loved how simple and elegant my hair turned out.)

And I just want to share one other touching moment of the night.... Instead of a bouquet toss, she dedicated bouquets to meaningful people in her life, including her "little sister" (Kristen volunteers with the Big Brothers Big Sisters mentorship program).

I've left out so many more amazing details (including a picture of the stunningly beautiful bride in her dress!) so I can't wait to share more (and appropriately credit the fantastic vendors) once the professional shots are ready!

Wedding Hair

In anticipation of Kristen's wedding tomorrow (I can't believe it's already here!), I wanted to show off the work of Meaganne McCandess, the hair and makeup stylist Kristen has coming to make us all pretty for the big day. I think the MOH Jennifer and I are getting up-dos, which is fortunate because the weather forecast predicts strong winds. I can't wait to see how it turns out!

 

Stripey Straw Banner Tutorial

Here's a quick little 10 minute project I accomplished today while waiting for Ava to wake up before running an errand to our new favorite place, the Restoration Hardware outlet. More surprises to come along the same lines as this, but first you have to endure a pictorial tutorial... (All you need are washi tape and scissors, and the straws of course.)

 

 

 

 

I've been wanting to make these for ages, so I'm happy I finally sat down and did it. I bought these gray stripey straws for Ava's birthday party, purposely choosing a neutral color so I could use them for some other parties lately too. And the fuchsia floral washi tape adds the perfect feminine touch for the vintage backyard picnic baby shower in my parents' amazing garden.

Italian Leather Sofa

Alex and I decided to make an impromptu trip to the Restoration Hardware outlet last night. They just received a big shipment, so we were looking forward to checking out some chairs and a coffee table to finally finish furnishing the sitting room.

Now, before I go on, there is something you must know. We spent a good portion of the evening before leaving for RH taping out the dimensions of the pieces we were hoping to buy. We decided that only the smaller sized chairs would fit in the space available.

But upon our arrival, just as an identical one was being carted away, Alex spotted a Lancaster sofa with two right back cushions and a missing leg. He inspected it thoughtfully and it otherwise appeared to be in perfect condition (well, relatively speaking since the distressed look is intentional; and fortunately ours isn't as distressed as some). Then he carefully examined the price. He had to -- it seemed too good to be true. So we bought the couch anxiously before someone might realize an error had been made. (This makes it almost as good a deal as we found here and a much better deal than during our Black Friday shopping spree here.)

96" Lancaster Leather Sofa in Brompton Cocoa, Luxe Depth

So, if we were planning on purchasing a pair of small chairs, how, might you ask, will this poor crazy over-sized sofa fit in that space? That was a question we were willing to ignore... until we got home. We taped out several alternate arrangements and no matter how we sliced it, the entry into that space would be less than two feet. Not acceptable, no matter what kind of deal we got on the couch.

Then I had a marvelous revelation. Why don't we just pull the existing sofa out from the wall and use it to divide the two rooms? That would leave us with two parallel sofas. Of course we'd need to remove a leaf to condense the dining table and rotate it under the chandelier as well as move the china hutch to another wall. But this also creates the separation between the two areas I'd been struggling with for ages.

I'm excited to share the new arrangement, just as soon as I tidy things up a bit...

Keep Calm You're 30

My bestie since high school and MOH Jennifer had some of the girls over the other night to break in her new condo and celebrate a couple significant birthdays...

Don't you just love these gift tags?

Jen really is a hostess with the mostest. She prepared the most perfect spread of green olives, brie and crackers, spiced lime cashews, veggies and hummus, spinach and kale dip that I seriously could not get enough of, turkey meatballs, juicy cherries, and some addicting sugar free(!) dark chocolate covered almonds. All from Trader Joe's -- the king of yummy fare for entertaining.

A true domestic goddess, Jen even decorated for the occasion! (Unfortunately, I was too busy eating and catching up with my favorite ladies to take pictures of everything, but I at least have to show off her gorgeous mantle and some of her tranquil and elegant home decor.)

Time to Celebrate!

Life can be pretty hard sometimes. But once in a while, if you work hard enough, things may just fall into place. This is how I've been feeling since I just accepted a great new career opportunity on Friday... So we did a little celebrating!