Check Please

This chair was a pain to recover, but I must admit I do love it now that its done. I enjoy seeing it in the living room all the time. I haven't touched the wood at all, except to clean it. Other than that, it is the same color that it was when I bought it.

What do y'all think of the chair recovered?

Now onto the sad before pictures- The photos from the process are from my phone, and aren't the best quality.

A main thing that we did was remove the wings. I wanted to try to keep them, but I we couldn't save them and make them look good. So they had to go! Don't tell anyone, but I actually like it wingless better. 

I used a staple gun to attach the fabric in all the hidden places. 

Here is the secret behind the trim on the chair! I needed something a little wider for the back, but I also loved this greek key ribbon. So, I attached the greek key ribbon to the striped ribbon with Stich Witch and made 1 trim from the 2.

Again, sorry for the bad iPhone photos!!

All in all, I wouldn't be afraid to do take on another chair project. Next time I will have to more patience.

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On the Hunt: Ralph Lauren Lamps

I have a love for lamps, especially those by Ralph Lauren. We hardly ever use the overhead lights in our home, except in the kitchen and dining room. But in the living room, I choose lamp lighting over the overhead lights any day. I love the warm and welcoming aspect that a lamp can bring to a space. It is like the cherry on top. 

I believe that a lamp should be both beautiful and functional. I don't like to just let lamps sit and never turn them on. The light they give off makes a room feel like a place I want to stay.

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Almost all of the lamps in Our Magnolia Home are Ralph Lauren. But there is the one lamp that I have never been able to get my hands on.  This lamp has popped up an Home Goods, Marshalls and TJ Maxx all over the country, but I have yet to be lucky enough to see it in one of the stores I frequent.

I love the updated shade that Caroline Knapp added to this lamp. Black is not a color you will find too much of in our home, but I love it used with blue and white.

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I've often though about where I would put a pair of these lamps if I could ever find them. Our master bedroom, my office and the dining room have all come to mind. 

The pattern mixing between the lamp and the wallpaper is stunning! Jessie Short opened up more of her home here. If you haven't seen it, you must stop over and see it. Oodles of blue and white mixed with classic vintage pieces. I just want to move into her home. 

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If y'all see this lamp or a pair of these lamps somewhere, please let me know! 

My Ralph Lauren lamps styled

Entryway Lamps // Living Room Lamp // Office Lamp // Bar Cart Lamp

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Blue and White Wednesday No. 10 - The Navy Built Ins

I have been looking forward to this post for a while now, and I was planning on waiting until the new curtains were up and everything was completed. But, the table was set all pretty for yesterday's blogpost, so I thought what better time than now.

Back in February, I talked KJ into painting the back of the built ins in our dining room navy. We haven't painted our house since we first painted it when we first bought it 4 years ago, and I had been itching to pull out a paint brush and go to town.

I have been thinking about painting more than the built-ins, but the living areas of our house are so open that it is very hard to start and stop paint colors through out the space. And not to mention that all the corners are rounded.... so that makes it even harder.

We choose Sherwin Williams, Naval. I have always loved this shade of navy, and I happened to have a sample of it in the garage the day we decided to paint.

To be honest, I had some serious reservations about painting the built ins navy. I was worried about how it would look with all the Blue Willow piled in. But, it looks like they are all pretty happy.

Here are a few before photos of the dining room. Its hard to even remember it looking like this! I didn't think that a little bit of paint could make such a huge difference.

If you want to see this room before it was a dining room, check out this post.

All I can say it wow what a transformation!! I cannot believe that our dining room used to be so bland. No wonder I kept craving a little color and dimension in this space!

You can see all the tablescape details here. 

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Sunset Springtime Soiree

I have been accustomed to the notion that all things at a table have to match. The plates, the glasses, the napkins, everything. But the more I delved into the world of interior design and table settings, the more I started to play with patterns and colors. 

When I started setting this table, I planned on shooting the photos in the morning when the light was high and bright, but as I was putting it together I loved the sunset light coming in the back windows. So, I had to grab my camera! 

The rich colors of the flowers and napkins mixed with the cool blues make for a perfect sunset dinner set up. I can just imagine friends and family sitting around the table laughing and enjoying a delicious dinner together. 

Life gets so busy that sometimes we forget to slow down and eat a meal together with no phone or distractions! That is why I love creating tables that draw you in and make you want to sit stop and have a meal together. 

I cannot tell you how much I love these Spode Lakeside bread and butter plates. They are the perfect muted calming shade of blue. Don't tell KJ, but I am planning on working some of them into a galley wall in the living room. It wasn't really the plan, but thats how some of the greatest designs start, right?

It was very hard not to just sit down at one of these places. It feels so bright and welcoming.

Do you have any springtime soirees on your calendar? 

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Currently Loving: Buffalo Check

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I have always been drawn to gingham and buffalo check, both to wear and to decorate with. My love for decorating with buffalo check started with this fabric. So far we've used it to make 2 sets of curtains, a table runner, to upholster a chair and a footstool. I just recently added this to our buffalo check collection and I am hoping to get the shams monogrammed ASAP! The plan is to layer it on top of our current master bedroom bedding. I think its going to look amazing. 

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Buffalo Check in a dining room sounds like a perfect combination to me, and thanks to a little brainstorming I am hoping to add some to our dining room. I am going to stock up on some more of this fabric and have some more curtains made for our dining room. But I am going to add a little twist, by adding the same trim that I used on the buffalo check chair I just reupholstered. 

I can't wait to see it all come together. I am also hoping to get my hands on my great-grandfather's secretary desk and add it to the dining room as well.

Now time to plan a trip to Ikea so I can get started!!

I hope y'all have a wonderful Monday!

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Friday Roundup

This week was a little trying for me creative wise. I am on who can throw something together out of nothing, and imagine what something is going to look like before I even start a project. But, this chair  was kicking my butt! The seat and the arms were a breeze, but the back of the chair was a whole other story. Head here to see some of the before, during and after shots! I'll be sharing more about the process and the creation next week, hopefully.

My new Spode arrived this week, and I am over the moon in love!! I only got a few pieces to start with to see how I liked it. I ended up getting 8 bread and butter plates and a platter. I must say, I love it! The chop plate in 12in in diameter. Its perfect for a "wall plate."

These beautiful napkins arrived the same day that the Spode did. It was a good day here. I love the way the napkins look with the Blue Willow and the bamboo flatware! Time to create another tablescape.

I am looking forward to a stress free relaxing weekend!! Have a wonderful Friday.

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