Dining Room Chairs- Progress

Well, I finally finished up my dining chairs I started nearly a month ago... oops. Ok, I've only finished 2 of them, and have 2 to go, but who is counting (my husband). I don't recommend starting a big project well into your third trimester, ha. Anyways, I am loving the new dining room look. I decided to pull in black and white to make it tie into the rest of the first floor. The curtains I scored at the Ballard outlet (Concorde Medallion Panels) a few months ago for $30 a panel. That's right.

After several conversations with chalk paint guru Savvy Kim (and I do mean several, I probably bugged her to death!), I decided to try it out for myself. I used Annie Sloan chalk paint in Old White and followed up with the clear wax. The seats are covered in Waverly ticking stripe. 

I changed up the china cabinet, too in an effort to channel more of a library feel. Hubs' response was "are these our very best books on display?" Ha. He thinks he is funny. Maybe one day I'll get around to covering the books in linen fabric, but then again maybe not. 

I love the contrast of the white chairs and the heavy table and china cabinet. Hopefully it makes the room feel bigger and more interesting.

I lightly distressed them. I was going to do heavy distressing, but Hubs wasn't on board with that idea. I do listen to him some of the time :)

I also swapped out the end chair covers with these grainsack covers from Pottery Barn.  

For the record, I thought the Annie Sloan chalk paint was incredibly easy to use. It's amazing to be able to completely skip the sanding and priming steps when painting furniture. The paint is pricey, so look for deals and giveaways in blogland or at your local stores that carry it. But, it is totally worth the investment when considering the time it will save you. The older I get, the more I realize, time is money! 

So that's all the changes for now. Maybe I can get the other 2 chairs done this weekend.... TBD. 

Master Bedroom Switcheroo

So, I know I said I'd post on my finished dresser today, but unfortunately hubby has been under the weather since last Thursday. Which means it was up to me to move said dresser up to the bedroom. Which means I'd need to gain super human strength in a matter of days and be able to lift said furniture up 2 flights of stairs. Or, hubby would need to miraculously get over his cold and help me. None of the above happened, and so this is the not-so-revealed dresser.... Sad!

Hopefully my man will feel better very soon and I'll be able to have clothing storage once again... But, I did manage to make the most of my free time this weekend. I decided to do a little switcheroo in our master bedroom. I moved the bed back to the main wall and rehung our wedding pictures on either side. 

By the way, I just put new sheets on our bed. I got them at Stein Mart for... wait for it.... $9.99. Yes. A king micro-fiber sheet set. Nine dollars and ninety-nine cents. Seriously, that's less than a bottle of wine. I wasn't sure how they would be considering the price tag, but I thought for that amount I could take a risk. Let me tell you, they are incredibly comfortable and have lasted through a load of laundry... so far so good. Run in there and get some for yourself. 

I'm liking the scale of the pictures with our big chunky lamps. The combination helps fill up all the negative space on a long wall.  And I moved all the furniture by myself, so maybe I did gain a little bit of that superhuman strength. Been watching too many Buffy reruns I guess. 

Of course, hubs' side of the bed is complete with a million remotes, the phone, and other random electronics.   And the current read, Argo. Anybody else read it or seen the movie?

I have half a mind to paint these nightstands black like our interior doors. What do you think? Oh, and that bearded man, that's my daddy and mama on their wedding day. It's funny they are wearing gray, they match the room. Thanks guys. This space is also known as the area where I throat punch my alarm every morning in an effort to ignore the world and sleep in.

There's that mercury glass knob from Pottery Barn; I could just about eat them if it weren't for all the glass, metal and what-not. 

I also got around to finishing my bed skirt and placing it on the bed. I am so in love with this fabric. It's vintage feedsack stripe in charcoal from fabric.com. Makes for a cozy sleeping situation. You know, when I'm not having my Walking Dead nightmares. Dang that show.

I had a 16x26 pillow made for the bed in that same fabric. The ikat pillow I purchased from Chic Decor Pillows on Etsy. You may have seen their work on Nate's show. It's featured and praised by Nate often. I only hate them a little bit for it.

I'd love to find a little reading lamp for this corner, and a small pedestal style table. I'll admit though, this chair is usually a resting place for all things resembling laundry, purses, and baseball hats. I figured I'd clear it out for the camera...also known as thrown on the floor to the left. :)

Hopefully we can get the dresser up to the third floor soon! Until then, I'll be tending to a sick husband. If you've ever taken care of a sick man, you know the appropriate response here is to wish me luck.
To be continued... 

From Nay to Gray, Part IV

Part I / Part II / Part III

Here I am in Part IV of this saving-the-world-of-ugly-dressers series (or at least saving this one), and I am just about done! I hope I've shown you how in just a few days you can really change a piece of furniture! Roll up your sleeves, and get creative! Our wallets will thank us all. So will our husbands.

In Part IV, I'm showing you how I plan to style my dresser. You know, those finishing touches that complete the equation. I like to sketch ideas out before implementing them so I have an idea what the finished product might look like. I find that if I have a plan, I won't buy things I don't need. Or stand around in Pottery Barn with a blank look on my face (ok, I may still do that, but it's totally unrelated to my preparedness). Here's a quick sketch of my dream dresser.

I like a collection of things at varying heights and different sizes, and a mixture of items that aren't too matchy-matchy. For instance, I would not pair a brass light with a brass frame and a brass vase and a brass mirror. 

The start of my styling began before I even had the dresser. It was just a twinkle in my eye. I purchased the Ballard Garden District Mirrors when they went on the Bring Ballard Home sale back in October. 

Unfortunately, they have been leaning against a wall unused in our master bedroom since that time. What a shame, I know.

The plan is to hang them vertically side by side over my new dresser. 

I had this lamp in the foyer once upon a time, I plan to use it on the left side of the dresser. I love the mix of mercury glass and rope and the burlap shade. I love more that I got it at TJ Maxx for quite a deal. 

I also plan for a grouping of pottery on the right side of the dresser. I found this piece at HomeGoods. Aren't the colors perfect?

And numbers. My hubby is still debating me about this. He feels that numbers and letters are for kids rooms, but I don't necessarily think they have to be. What's your opinion? 6-13 is our anniversary. These will look industrial and metallic when I paint them.... that is, in theory. 

Oh, and my hardware dried and is now installed. I took y'alls advice and kept the painted originals. What do you think?

I'm still loving the lined drawers. Glad I went ahead and covered that stinky old velvet.

I've tried not to spend too much cash on the extras for this dresser, so I'm glad I was able to reuse the hardware. When styling, I like to shop around. I enjoy the hunt. My favorite stores for bargain accessories are TJ Maxx, HomeGoods, Steinmart, Big Lots, Marshalls, and Ross. Of course, every now and then, I'll spoil myself with a little trip to Pottery Barn.

What are your favorite stores to find accessories? Any tips for styling? What's sitting on your dresser?

From Nay to Gray, Part II

If you've stuck around through my first wordy post of this series, you know today I'm gabbin' about hardware. So many choices, right? Well, maybe not in my situation. You see, the dresser I'm saving from Craigslist Horrors has some odd old gold (and not the good kind) and it's not easy sizes. Along the top of the dresser has 4 knobs- each of them 1" in diameter. 1". That is teenie tiny. The handle pulls are 5 3/8". Unless of course I want to fill the already existing hardware holes and drill new ones. Which I do not, on any level. 

Of course, when I first dreamed up having a gray dresser, I was in love with this hardware from Pottery Barn, and now it's sold out. Oh, and it's the wrong size. 

image: pottery barn eclectic brass hardware

I also was drawn to Anthropologie's mercury glass knob in the amber color, isn't it pretty? They have some really great hardware. It's all very unique and interesting. But, it's 2" in diameter... boo.

Anthropologie Melon Ball Mercury Glass

When I realized these were too big, and more importantly PB's was GONE, I started thinking- should I even use brass or would silver look better? I have both metals in the master bedroom, so I'm really not concerned about mix matching them. I have Pottery Barn's mercury glass hardware on our nightstands, so that's a possibility, maybe....

These knobs are 1.5" in diameter. Not the 1" I was looking for, but maybe they'll work...

Then I decided I'd see what the existing hardware looks like rub-n-buffed with antique brass. So this was the scene as I painted away, with Downton Abbey keeping me company.

the original.....ahhhhhhh

 Once it dried, I tested a handle pull against the gray. I like the look, what do you think?

It's also very possible that I got down with a bottle of this...

Followed by a bottle of this for my troubles... kidding Mom...

So, what did I choose.. and what's your favorite?

to be continued..... 

Recent Pottery Barn Purchases

One of my habits (flaws?) is that I have a constant need for change.  The best inexpensive change I've found is to swap out throw pillows, which means I have a whole lot of pillow covers folded in drawers, you know in case my "need" should arise, and it does, often. I'm a pillow hoarder, what can I say? If you are like me and collect pillows, you may find your hubby tossing them to the floor, even when said pillows are obviously strategically placed and karate-chopped to perfection.  

Sigh.

My solution?  A huge basket. At least if the hubs is going to toss around your lovely things, he can have a basket to shoot for right? I'll admit, it only sometimes works out this way.  Nonetheless, I am in love with this find. I wasn't necessarily looking for a storage basket until Pottery Barn put theirs on sale recently, and I happened to have some reward bucks to blow through. I got the large beachcomber basket while it was on sale at my local store. 

Purposefully displayed close to the hubs' recliner, you know, so he gets the drift to throw the pillows in the basket when the mess-up-my-wife's-decorating mood strikes him. (Compromise, am I right?)

Neat and tidy. Happy wife, happy life. Aside from pillows, I think a big basket like this would be handy for all you moms out there looking for a stylish way to hide the kids' toys. 

And while I was at the ol' PB, I scooped up two euros in the jacquard multi pattern, also on sale and I believe from the 2012 fall line. (I wasn't kidding about the hoarder thing...)

Not from Pottery Barn, but I snagged this comfy blanket from O.co a few weeks ago.  It is incredibly soft and looks just like the more expensive versions, but half the price.  Plus it is BIG, which is a must I think for cozy throws. The blue geometric pillow is Schumacher Bleecker in the color way Peacock. Told you from this post I'd find a way to get this color in my house (to be continued...). 

And to round out my PB trip, I got one of their burlap cord covers for our chandelier.  These things are so cool with the button side closure.  They are also LONG, LONG, LONG.  I ended up cutting mine and was able to also cover the chandelier in my kitchen, as well as the dining room chandelier here.

Have you brought home any good bargains lately? 

Bathroom Renovation

Have you ever dreamed of carrera marble hexagon tile in a honed finish?

Longed for super white quartzite counters, also in a honed finish?

Been consumed by thoughts of spa-like gray walls, like Benjamin Moore Stonington Gray?

Lusted over white subway tiles with gray grout?

Felt weak in the knees each time you flipped through a Pottery Barn magazine bathroom spread?

Or secretly desired a modern take on farmhouse style  fixtures....

.....and Pottery Barn's unique polished nickel towel hooks?

Yeah,  me too.  Hello everyone.  My name is Ashley.  And I'm a beautiful-bathroom-aholic....

Hi, Ashley.  

Unfortunately, this gorgeous, to die for, envy of all bathrooms is not in my house. Rather, this is the master bathroom renovation over at my friend Flower's Buckhead house. Take your breath away, right?

You don't have to answer that, it is.  It's a wow holy cow bath.  

With gorgeous yellow accents.

Just enough happy against all the refreshing white and gray.

And complete with added storage.  

A whole wall of it actually.

Didn't she do an excellent job designing this bath? My friend has great taste. I think I'll keep her. 

I wish I could keep her bath.

And as if you aren't jealous enough as it is, those floors?...... They are heated.  Yes, heated.  Swoon away.

What kind of bathroom renovation are you dreaming of?