SUMMER FRIDAYS: BEAUTIFUL THINGS I'M LOVING THIS WEEK

Welcome to the weekend! It’s no secret I’m attempting to blog more often (ya’ll, I’m aiming for that MWF grind, so visit often and keep me accountable!) For the summer I thought I would introduce a new series called Summer Fridays - essentially a mix of beautiful things I’ve found, inspiring articles, and spaces or places that are inspiring me. Maybe we’ll see some art, maybe a new favorite book. Essentially a great way to spend the second half of your workday every Friday. For now I’m calling the first college football game to be the end of summer - because that’s just how you mark the seasons in Texas.

+ I’m sure you’ve heard we just got back from a trip to the Baja Peninsula in Mexico (of course you’ve heard because I haven’t stopped talking about it since we booked 3 months ago). I cannot more highly recommend the hotel we stayed in but I also just found this hotel and it was everything I could do to stop myself from booking a trip back. (PS: You can view my Travel Notes from the trip here. If you haven’t planned your summer vacation yet you should tune in!)

Source: Acre Baja Instagram

+ If you’re more of a lake person this home tour from Garden and Gun magazine of a contemporary lake house in Alabama will take your breath away. The homes dark moody walls contrast with soft, textural furniture giving modern vibes but still cozy. And you HAVE TO see the floors.

+ Summer in Houston is here and I am LIVING in these sandals from Madewell and these shorts. I have never owned a pair of jean shorts I liked - but I wake up and pull these on just about every morning!

+ Too hot for makeup? I linked this before but I will never stop singing the praises of Super Goop’s mattifying tinted sunscreen. I am a sunscreen addict and I’ve switched entirely to this as my only “makeup” most days. It’s like a real life instagram filter with SPF40. Plus their products are cruelty-free!

+ Our backyard farmhouse table benefits from the beautiful shade of a massive pecan tree…and is also always covered in debris from that pecan tree. This adorable little dustpan set is exactly what I need. Honestly y’all I had no idea how trashy pecan trees can be. I am always on the lookout for good looking everyday items for my house - slowly upgrading.

+ Speaking of our backyard, I’ve been collecting endless inspiration over on my pinterest page. We are ready to turn this space into the place ALL the neighbors want to hang out. I’m really drawn towards split-levels, green walls, and different areas clearly defined by changing materials. (Also the entire home tour this image is from is wonderful.)

Author Alice Nelson’s home in Perth via Homes to Love

+ One last note about the outdoors - in case you missed it: I revisited why we paint our porch ceilings blue on the blog earlier this week and included some of my favorite blue paints for the job.

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I hope you enjoyed and maybe even found something you loved too! See you back here next week same place same time!

ON THE BOARDS: A BEIGE TO BEAUTIFUL BATHROOM

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This bathroom was QUITE the transformation. This condo bathroom renovation was nothing short of life changing. As you can see in the layout below we made little tweaks that completely upgraded the function of bathroom. There were two closets in this tiny bathroom so we got rid of one and extended the counter all the way across; adding storage in the now-larger vanity. The second closet holds the water heater but is more than big enough for extra towels and toiletries. In the shower we added a little bench - angled slightly to allow the door to swing in. It worked out perfectly.

The before photos really tell the whole story. The bathroom was dark, yellowed…a little mismatched. Installing the new tile vertically on the shower walls gives the illusion of a higher ceiling. Limiting the colors and materials helps the room feel more cohesive. We also added two 4” LED can lights in the ceiling. Adding more (and better, more even) lighting was critical since there are no windows to allow daylight into this bathroom.

The overall palette is fresh, bright and clean with just a touch of glam. I love a spot of greenery in every room - but like I said, no windows - luckily leaps and bounds have been made in faux and I adore this soft sage from Magnoila home.

Paint Colors | Vanity & Trim: Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter; Walls: Sherwin Williams Snowbound

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One of these days I’ll get professional pictures scheduled but this bathroom is finished and looking back on those before photos I think it’s safe to say this transformation has changed their life for the better.

6 PROJECTS FOR THE LAST 6 MONTHS OF 2019

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The halfway mark is here folks. At the beginning of the year I wrote a draft of a blog post I never published titled “20 PROJECTS BEFORE 2020” Lofty indeed. Needless to say given the way the year has been going things around my house have been on hold in favor of client projects and growing my business and slipping in a little life-enjoying in between. However, when I posted my home tour (see it and pictures of all the spaces below here) I got several requests asking what smaller things I will be doing (especially to my kitchen) to make me love my house more as we save up for larger renovations. With each item on this list I’ve included some of the items we’re considering adding and my favorite tools for accomplishing the task at hand just in case you have some of your own projects you want to finish up!

1. FRESHEN UP & ADD STORAGE TO THE LAUNDRY ROOM

I’m looking for easy, not-too-expensive solutions to update our laundry room. I imagine it as more of a butlers pantry where we could also store countertop appliances, our wine fridge, and serving dishes. This would free up more space in our kitchen helping that feel a little less hectic and clearing off our counters. I’m even considering stacking our washer dryer so we can gain some much needed counter space. All of this would require some demo of existing (useless) shelving, paint, some IKEA cabinets, and a butcher block counter. A bigger project would be replacing the double doors into the laundry room with something like this, or taking out the wall entirely turning it more into a “nook” than a room - allowing for more elbowroom in the hallway to the backyard.

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2. New KITCHEN BACKSPLASH

Right now our kitchen backsplash is….dull. Its a matte, slate look, 6x6 tile that was poorly installed over what appears to be the original backsplash (yes, TWO layers of tile). The grout is crumbling so there is a constant coating of grit on the counters. Its a mess. Luckily my mom is a WIZ with tile and it would be easy enough to rip it all out and put in some fresh white subway tile. This isn’t my forever backsplash so I’m looking for something I can love for 3-5 years (but nice enough that if we sell before we get to the full reno, it improves our house value). A white backsplash would help bounce light around our little one-window kitchen.

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3. hang a new dining chandelier

Right now we have a horrific semi-flush straight out of the early 2000’s. It barely gives off any light and is honestly depressing, if a light fixture can be called depressing. We’ve been talking about remedying this from day one. The lights below are all being considered…I’m so ready to replace it but I guess we have to decide on a chandelier first.

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4. remove chair rail in dining room and paint

I have not done much drywall patching in my life. I’m particularly scared of this item bc it could look HORRIBLE. However I have been considering board and batton wainscotting in this room so if I really do mess it up…I will just cover it up. The current trim work in this house is horrific. It’s mismatched throughout, it’s over the top, and it’s like an assualt on your eyes. This is a 1915 craftsman people, get out of here with these 1995 turned columns and fluted trim. Yuck.

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5. Paint the master bedroom and bathroom

After the ultimate success of the brighter white in my guest bathroom it’s time to tackle my bedroom. I would even consider painting our bathroom vanities (currently a dark, matte charcoal - which sounds pretty in theory but is heavy and overbearing in reality). If I get really crazy I might try to replace the cabinet doors and drawer faces too. They, too, were victims of the flippers obsession with aggressive trim carpentry.

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6. Seal all exterior holes and screen in under the house

Last but not least a not-fun, but necessary maintenance issue I’ve been putting off. We recently had an exterminator out to deal with some critters in our attic. He informed us that because our house is a balloon frame we have openings under the house that extend all the way up our walls into our attic and that if we don’t seal those off he can never guarantee that we won’t keep getting critters. Oh and he also isn’t the guy to seal off the holes. Cool. So we’re on the hunt for someone to come put some galvanized mesh around the interior perimeter of all our walls under our house. While we’re at it I’m going to go around the outside perimeter with foam sealant and caulk and close up every little hole I can find. Water and bugs you are not welcome here!

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BONUS!

I’ve already done a little work in our powder/guest bath - mostly “good enough for now” projects like a new mirror and hardware, a fresh coat of paint. I’m on the fence about ordering a new light fixture but if we could really revamp this bathroom by the end of the year: *praise hands*. If we cant gut it just yet I would love to experiment and test some of my hand(wo)man skills: painting the tile floor, putting a feather concrete finish over the existing countertop, and replacing the toilet and sink faucet.