My Italian Guestroom Makeover

A while back I blogged about my inspiration for a guestroom makeover, "An Italian Villa Retreat".

Hence, that is part of the reason I have not blogged in awhile. 

I have been quite busy redecorating my guest room.

I have a few more finishing touches to do I am currently distressing some shutters I hope to put up next week! But here is my handy work so far!

I am quite happy with the results!

 

 First I tested TONS of paint samples to see if I wanted to go blue or creamy yellow...

I finally chose a creamy yellow...but it looked so dull....

 

After painting it, I knew it still needed something...so I asked my mother-in-law for help!

 

My mother-in-law is a professional faux painter, and she showed me how to do a simple aging technique with this block stippler brush!

 

 1 day later, and some exhausted arms...

 

Below is a stock photo of the quilt I bought for the room..."Mansfield Park" from Kohls.

 

Next, I needed to update the closet. While it is a guest room I still want it to be useable space for me when guests aren't here. So I decided to turn it into a transitional desk space for me!

First I painted it "Tame Teal" from Sherwin Williams.

 

Then I had my husband cut shelving for me, which I then sanded down and distressed with two different shades of stain to give the boards an aged look.

 

It was easy to install the shelves because the closet had a built in closet system so I could adjust shelves to my preferred heights!

 

Added some books, flowers, wrought iron accents, Italian wine bottles, and tah dah!

 I found this cute little frame at a garage sale, distressed it, and added a cute Italian picture.

Now I can sit at my lovely little desk and enjoy views of Italy!

 

 My next step is to paint a view of the Italian countryside for my new guestroom!

Now I am dying to visit Italy! 

~ Elle 

 

Painting Anyone?

Whew! I am finally taking a break from all the painting in my house!  I need a break in order to get some of my sanity back! I still have lots of trim to paint before Justin comes back home for Basic Training, but I still have a few months. Thank goodness! I don't want to see another paintbrush for a month!  This week I will finally get all my photos up of the stuff I've been working on.  I hope this helps explain why I haven't been as present lately!

Today the focus will be my front entry and dining room!

THE ENTRY:

BEFORE: Cranberry textured walls (This photo makes the previous color look much nicer than it actually was! The closet door was originally brown and my husband replaced it with a white door.)

1st step: Mud walls to lessen the texture.

2nd Step: My mother-in-law started working her magic by layering gold & silver foil on the walls!

 

3rd Step: Venetian plaster overlay troweled on.

 4th Step: You can't see it very well but there are crystals on my wall! It is beautiful when the sunlight comes in! I feel like I am in a fairytale!

The Outcome: A beautiful sparkling entryway!

THE DINING ROOM:

BEFORE: (previous owner's furnishings.)

Outdated yellow walls

 

Transformed into: My West Indies Dining Room!

This is a faux leather technique with a metallic palm stencil that my mother-in-law picked out a year ago with me in mind!  It was exactly what I had been wanting in my dining room!

I can't believe how well the walls match my chairs!

The stencil stops halfway because we are going to do a chair rail and window box paneling when my husband gets back from basic training!

 The kitchen & bathroom photos coming soon...

~Elle

It's Friday! But can I really say Hello Happy?

Phew! What a week!  I apologize for not posting much this week.  It has been a little crazy with my 1st home buying process! We are closing a week early...this Monday! So much to do...

This photo pretty much sums up how I feel at the moment!

So my plans for the weekend? Here they go!

Friday night: 

Packing. Ugh...I think I am going to go crazy if I see any more brown boxes! Why can't moving boxes be bright beautiful motivational colors!? 

Saturday afternoon:

Final Walk through! Hallelujah!  Would you like to see my inspiration boards for a few of my rooms?! They are still a work in progress!

1. Living room Inspiration: I love white living rooms with a mixture of old and new elements!

 Originally I had thought about going more tropical in my living room but I think the natural wooden beams in the new home call for the first look!

2. West Indies Dining Room: I am either going to follow a palm or pineapple motif theme about the room and in my dishes but I haven't decided which yet. I am leaning towards pineapple.

3. Southeast Asian/Indonesian Influenced Master Bedroom: My husband made me the most gorgeous bamboo bed to go with this theme. Most Indonesian influenced rooms tend to have spice oranges and red accents, but I love the calming feel of the greens and blues. Makes me think of the palm trees and beautiful ocean.

And here is the bed my wonderful husband made me! Isn't it beautiful?!

And Sunday it is back to packing and prepping for the big close on Monday!

You can view all my Inspiration Boards @ Olioboard!

Interior Delights: Will & Jada's Casa Adobe

This might be old news to most of you, but I just stumbled upon pictures of Will & Jada Pinkett Smith's Malibu Estate.  It was featured online at Architectural Digest, but I haven't had a chance to browse the site in awhile, so I just discovered it!

I am so in love with Will & Jada's adobe-style home designed by Stephen Samuelson.

Wow, look at this fabulous entry! The doors were salvaged from a fort in northern India!

 The pillars that lead into the living room are amazing! I would die to have these in my home!

Take a look a those vintage resin tusks from Downtown!

 Check out this custom-made table sheathed in lacquered linen!

 Hand-hewn teak doors lead into a private nook off the main dining room!

 19th-century Nuristani oak panels transformed into cabinets.

 Wouldn't you love to watch movies in this Moroccan-inspired family screening room!

I love the feel of this master suite! Those hanging lanterns are fantastic!

 Oh to soak in a tub like that! What a tranquil setting!

 A private terrace off the master suite...

 The estate's free-form pool designed by Daniel Busbin.

The estates sits on 150 acres of secluded mountain landscape!

For more photos and information on their fabulous home click here.

A Beautiful Beginning!

Today is a beautiful beginning to a new week!
We heard back from the sellers after putting a bid on our very first home and...
THEY ACCEPTED!!

I'm so excited, because I have been dying for our 1st home! I am so TIRED of renting! Now I can go as crazy as my heart desires with decorating!

 created by: Elle Meyers @ Polyvore

The photos on this board are laid out similar to the house we are getting. Each photo represents the style I want to achieve for that room. I'll start at top left:

Master Bath: Bamboo contemporary
Master Bedroom: Bamboo/Indonesian Inspired
Nursery: Cinderella/French Provincial (Blue/Champagne Gold)
Guest Bedroom: Old Hollywood Glam (Purple/Silver)
Living Room: White/Rustic Elements (Little more tropical flair than this photo)
Entry: Undecided
Kitchen: White Traditional with green accents
Dining: West Indies Tropical Dining
Study: Global - A mix of West Indies/British India Decor

Do you think a home's style should flow throughout the entire house, or do you like a new surprise in each room? I'm concerned about the Purple Glam room being to far off from everything else. Maybe I should go with something more natural in the guest bedroom. What are your thoughts?

Beaming Bright!

My husband and I just put our very first offer on a house last night! I'm super nervous and excited. There is so much anticipation while waiting to see what they come back with. 

The home we chose has these gorgeous wooden beams in the living room that add character. So I've been browsing inspirational pics on how to decorate!

For those of you who haven't noticed, I love white interiors. I find myself extremely drawn to this style of white interiors, clean contemporary lines, and rustic/natural elements.

I think I prefer when the beams are left natural rather than painted white like in this photo.

 I love the stone flooring in this room!

I think either the room above or below is my favorite design wise...

 

 

 

These last two are gorgeous upscale versions of beamed ceilings!

What do you think about this look? Do you love wooden beams?