Embrace the Accent Color, I Promise It's Okay

So many of us fear the accent color. For me, I was always worried that I'd pick the wrong color and it would clash or it would completely take over the room and then I'd be stuck with an obnoxious looking living room. But with time and many hours spent watching HGTV, I began to dip my toes in the accent color world.

Everyone's personal style is different, which is why accent colors are great. You can bring an accent color into any room, through glass vases, pillows, rugs, artwork, or even a statement wall or statement piece of furniture. There is no right or wrong way to incorporate color. Repeat it with me, there is no right or wrong way to incorporate color. This is something that many of us don't realize. And it's a misconception that we all need to throw away now.

If you're afraid of some color start small or start subtle. I took the subtle route.

My first place on my own (well with my fiance too) was a dated 500 square foot studio apartment. Thankfully I had a lot of closet space. But the amount of living space was cramped. Our bedroom, living room, and dining room were literally all the same room. This made things difficult not only from a design and decorating perspective but from a functionality perspective as well.

Thankfully, we had a wall that was diagonal instead of creating a box and we also had the slightest alcove in one section of the living space, both of  which kept our living space from being a complete rectangle. The diagonal wall in our living space is what made me experiment with an accent color for the first time.

Since our apartment was small, so were some of our walls, but we did have over 9 foot ceilings which also helped visually. Our decor was black and white. It was simple with some zebra print involved. (Zebra print is my favorite print, there is something simple yet elegant about it, which is also the same with black and white.)  But I was not about to leave my apartment with all white walls nor was I going to paint any walls black.

So instead we went for a softer gray. Not a drastic accent color but enough to make it different. With my mind made up we painted the diagonal wall gray, which ended up being the main wall of our apartment because my book shelves and TV sat against that wall. We would then end up painting the small wall behind our bed which was only about the length of a 1/3 of a normal wall in a living room or bedroom.

As it turns out, adding that accent color to both of those walls, was exactly what the apartment needed. It gave it character in a way that I didn't expect and it made it feel more homey. It even helped visually divide the spaces. We lived in that apartment for 14 months without venturing any farther out of my comfort zone of accent colors.

But recently we moved to a bigger  and more updated place. The walls in this apartment are painted cream and each room has crown molding and white blinds. I finally have separate rooms, but the kitchen, living room, and dining room are an open floor plan (which I love). But this made it difficult for me to decide on an accent color and how to incorporate it-- I knew I couldn't paint the walls without changing all of the wall colors, which was not something I was prepared to do.

I had to get out of my comfort zone even more and choose an accent color that could be incorporated through items and decor rather than walls.

This past weekend, I took the plunge. I found a vase at HomeGoods that I absolutely loved (despite the blue color which I usually shy away from). I was looking for something new to decorate my fireplace with-- the vase was the perfect size and style. So I bought it. I also bought a basket for my kitchen that incorporates that similar blue color.  And just like that I had taken the plunge into accent colors in a new way.

Baby steps are key with anything that puts you outside of your comfort zone.

I enjoy home decorating and designing but it's always harder to implement things into your own home. Just like they say a carpenter's house is never finished, an interior decorator's home is never complete either.

Never Underestimate some Paint and a little TLC

               

We've all heard the expression, one man's trash is another man's treasure. Some of us may have actually experienced this or some of us many not read into that expression. But when it comes to home decor, I think it's an expression that we should all live by.

A few weeks ago, Brian, my fiance, was taking out our garbage. When he went to drop it off, he noticed a couple of picture frames that had been tossed away. They weren't the prettiest looking but he thought they had cool features so he snatched them up and brought them home (original frame is the above image on the left). In the area where live, we often find pieces of furniture or home decor that people just throw away because they don't want to take the time to rehab them. (Personally I think they're crazy!)

When I saw the frames I immediately loved them. It was obvious they needed some TLC but the bones of the frames were good. Since our apartment heavily favors the gray and white scheme, I knew they would be perfect once they were cleaned up a bit. 

First I removed the glass from the frames and then I took a magic eraser to both of them. They both needed a good scrubbing between sitting in the garbage room and their appearance, they needed a little bath. Then we went to work on painting them. We chose a dark gray, which we often use to as our accent color or even our main color, instead of keeping the pink-ish orange color that was beginning to peel off. 

Painting the decorative piece took some time and patience but I think it paid off. The dark gray really accents the background of the frame and makes it pop. It also goes perfectly with our decor. The frame itself still has a slight rustic look, which I'm really into right now. 

I forgot to mention that the stickers were left on the frames and each frame was $30 a piece! I couldn't believe that someone would just throw them away instead of giving them a little TLC and making them their own. 

But one man's trash is another man's treasure.

This is something that more people need to think about when deciding to do home decor. It doesn't have to be expensive and it doesn't always mean buying all new stuff. It's quite easy to make old things new with just a little imagination and time. One should never underestimate what a little new paint and a little TLC can do for their furniture or their home decor. It's always nice to buy something new, but it can be just as nice to reinvent what you have and to do it with your own hands is even more rewarding. 

So don't be afraid of a little crafting time. It's therapeutic and good for the soul. And even better for your wallet. :)

Here are the frames up on the wall. I still have to find some pictures to put in them, but they look brand new!

                           

What have "trash" have you turned into a treasure? Comment your with your master pieces below!

 

DIY Coffe Table: Pallet Style

Do it yourself projects have become popular to all people, even those who claim to have no creativity. But with good DIY projects, you don't need to be creative, you just need to be able to follow directions.

Pinterest has cultivated a large environment of DIYers. Myself included. It's amazing what projects and ideas you can find when you take the time to look.

One of my favorite DIY's is the pallet style coffee table (as shown in the photo above). This also has been one of the most popular pins on our page in the past couple of days, so I thought it would be useful to share it with you all here.

The DIY pallet coffee table is incredibly easy to make. To begin you will need:

• a pallet (the size is up to you--you can find these at stores like Home Depot or from a lumber yard or even a neighbor's farm--ask before taking)
• sand paper or a hand sander
• stain or paint (your choice)
• a paint brush and cloth
• casters (aka wheels like in the photo above --you can find these at Home Depot for anywhere from $3-10 a piece)
• an automatic drill

Now that you have assembled all of your parts, we can begin!

Step 1: 

The first thing you will need to do is sand down your pallet. I recommend doing this outside or in your garage because the sand dust can get everywhere. Whether you're using sand paper or a hand sander you will need to sand down both sides and if you plan on using the pallet as a shelf as well as a coffee table, you will need to do your best to sand inside the pallet as well. This will make both sides smooth which is great for absorbing paint or stain but also it makes it safer. You don't want to have a coffee table that you get splinters from!

Step 2:

Once your pallet has been sanded down be sure to wipe it down. Make sure all of the dust from sanding is brushed off so that you have nice clean wood to work with. Once that is done, you can begin painting or staining your pallet. Depending on the look you want, this can take 1-2 coats. You will need to paint or stain both the top and bottom of your pallet, whether or not you paint or stain the inside of the pallet is up to you, it all depends on what look you want to achieve. (the pallet in the photo above has been painted on the top, bottom, and inside) Remember, if you have chosen to stain your pallet, you will have to rub the stain in with an old towel or cloth. You will have to do this for each coat you decide to do.

Step 3: 

You will have to let your pallet dry for at least 12 hours to ensure that the stain took to the wood and that the paint is fully dry. Once your pallet has dried, you can attach your wheels. First you need to decide which side of the pallet you like the most or has the best appearance. Once you have done that, put the best side facing down on the ground. Next grab one of your casters and place it on the first corner of you table, exactly where you place your wheels doesn't matter, again it's all how you want it to look. Once you place your casters on your pallet you can begin securing them with your drill. Once you have secured all of the casters with your drill, your coffee table is complete! 

With just a little time and effort you have successfully built your first pallet coffee table! Hopefully you will love it as much as I do. There is something so satisfying about making something with your own hands, it's even more satisfying when it comes out beautifully. 

Now that we've finished it's time for you to go enjoy your new table, or if you're just reading this for the first time it's time for you to go gather your supplies! Either way I hope you learned the value of building something with your own hands and I hope you enjoy your new coffee table. :)

A Dream Becomes a Goal when YOU Decide to Achieve It

We all have dreams, we all have goals. But how many of us actually turn our dreams into goals?

My guess. . .  . not many.

For years I have been one of those people who separated my dreams from my goals, which looking back now, really seems silly. So about 2 weeks ago, after I had a slight meltdown over my life, my fiance and I took one of our dreams and began making it into a goal.

Two weeks later  here I am taking another step from taking my dream to a goal and then hopefully my goal to reality. My fiance and I have started a remodeling and interior decorating business. And after learning many difficult lessons in the past year, I was more than ready for a change, and for the first time in my life I was open to doing something that I did not plan out.

HGTV is one of our favorite past times, and both of us have loved those TV shows even before we met 3 years ago. And suddenly, it just made sense to me. I was happiest when we had just moved and I was able to take our blank apartment and turn it into something that was ours. I had the same feeling when I decorated our first apartment which was a 500 sq. foot studio. (Talk about challenging!) And I had the same feeling when we talked about the possibilities of our future home that we hopefully will own one day. And that's when it hit me, despite my degrees, what truly made me happy was interior decorating. It was so mindless for me, I would sit on Pinterest for hours perusing the home decor and remodeling pins. And I would help my friends decorate their apartments. Stores like HomeGoods are my favorite to shop in.

My fiance realized his love for remodeling and building houses a bit earlier than I. He spent months helping a family friend build an energy efficient home. (See photos of the house on our website.) He has been hooked ever since.

We like to say that my fiance is the muscles, I've got the eye, and together we have the passion and knowledge to help people achieve their dream homes. This blog will travel with us as we continue turning our dream into goal and then into solidified reality. We both still work our day jobs, which certainly makes starting a brand new business tricky, but we know in the end, it will be totally worth it. One day we will be able to do this full time and when we do, we will get to do what we love while spending more time together and helping more people love their homes. What could be better than that?!

And guess what?! We already have our first clients! I cannot describe the utter shock and amazement I felt over having clients after just launching our website and business. It was one of the best feelings!

But now back to this blog.

I will be sharing all that we learn along the way, from the ups and downs to the tricks of the trade that we learn throughout our projects. I will also be sharing home decorating trends and tips, as well as homes, styles, and decor that I love.

I hope that you will follow us on this journey. If you have any advice for us please feel free to write us a comment. Or if you think you just might want to hire two budding home remodelers then please go visit our website and send us an email. We'd love to hear from you all!

Remember a dream becomes a goal when YOU decide to achieve it.