Friday, February 24, 2012

Rustic Elements

Last week I expressed my love of rustic decor. See my post with examples {here}. I also promised to show you some of the ways we've showcased natural materials in our own home. 

You guys are probably familiar with our white washed walls in the living room and dining room. I'm so glad we experimented with this treatment. It could have easily been a swing and a miss (considering we didn't have a clue what we were doing), but it turned out to be a home run (at least in our opinion!). We love they way it makes the room feel casual and cozy while adding character.





Of course one of my favorite things in our entire house is the dining room table my husband built from wood we tore out of the house. It brings texture and warmth to our informal dining space.







And back in the living room... we added mirrored accent chests to each side of the fireplace soon after we moved in. They brought a little bit of glam and dimension to the space, but have you noticed the finish on them? 


The creamy paint between the mirrors has a distressed finish which allows them to fit in quite nicely (not too Hollywood glam for our wood paneled room).




And now for one you haven't seen...

I recently added an old barn wood frame to our master bedroom. The dresser display never felt quite right. Everything was a little too "cold" for my liking.


I first thought about changing the artwork, and just before Christmas when walking through historic Franklin with hubs, his mom, and some of her friends we saw this beauty...


I loved the entire look of it, but with a sold sign (and ridiculous $600+ price tag anyway) we immediately thought a DIY was in order. Hubs spouting off, "I can make that" was like music to my ears.


But THEN my sweet mother-in-law remembered she had a very similar frame sitting in her garage. She said we can take a look at it next time we were in town and keep it if we wanted. For real?


Ok, now I was excited. I was hoping this would be just what we needed for our master.


So then the dresser vignette went from this... 

To this... 

First I thought about replicating the canvas and different quote 
but ended up leaving it just like this...



I love it leaning up against our current canvas!


I even love the rustic tangled wire on it. Adds character, don't you think?

On another note, we also recently had five dead trees removed from our yard. Yes, FIVE! I'm glad we did it in the winter so hopefully we won't miss the leaves as much. Overall, I'm just glad they're outta here though. I'd rather have a little less shade then a tree truck through my house! 


Why I'm telling you about our dead trees? 

Because I asked the nice tree guys to cut me two stumps about 2 feet tall. My original plan was strip the bark and make plant stands for each side of the door... or something. 


However when I came home, I was very happy they obliged my odd request, but I didn't know how BIG they would be!  I'm pretty sure a friend of ours had back pain for a few days from moving one of them into the garage for me! Oops. 


Now I'm not sure what I'm going to do with them. 

Any ideas? 

Plant stand? Really big cake stands? End table? 

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Guest Posting Today

I'm sharing my house tour over at {South Shore Mommy}! 


I hope you'll stop by and pay her a visit! 

xo
Rachel

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

A Day to Relax

Last weekend was an absolute blast! I'm still trying to recover and I'm definitely running on empty this week. However, I'm excited to enjoy a relaxing night tonight!

Speaking of relaxing, I wouldn't have a problem feeling right at home in this neutral space with black window and door trim. All I'd need is a roaring fire and a glass of red wine... 


decor pad {via}

And since I'm dreaming I could also get cozy on this beautiful porch surrounded by lush green plants. You know, because it would be 75 degrees with a warm breeze...
Love all the lush green potted plants {Kriste Michelini Interiors}
Yes, that would be nice.

But then I'm sure I'd get a little hungry after all that lounging so then I'd step inside to prepare a simple, yet delicious dinner. Maybe into a kitchen where I still kind of felt like I was outside...

Jeffrey Hitchcock

Yes, that's just about perfect.

But then when the timer dings I'd set the table for two and have a relaxing, quiet meal with hubs.

Joel Snayd

And for the record the casual dining area above is SO good to me. The table, the chairs, that light fixture, those incredible windows, oh and how cute are the black and white family shots below the marine sconces? Yeah, there is not much I would change here.

And to top of my dream relaxation day I'd end the evening here... 
Lori Tippins

Did you notice an unconscious trend in these pics? GREENERY! I'm ready for trees to start blooming, grass to start growing, and flowers to start blooming. Thank goodness February is almost over! 

Friday, February 17, 2012

Come on Weekend!!

I am SO happy Friday is finally here! One of my best friends is getting married next month and her bachelorette party is at my house this weekend! I'm so excited I can hardly contain myself!!! I cannot wait to see this girl again... 


 And she is going to kill me for this one... 
Key West

Gosh, we had some good times in college together!! 

See? So sweet and innocent
Always trying to keep this one in line!

These were my roomies!

And this was pretty typical.

But here we are now all grown up... 
 

Well, not all the way :)


I cannot wait to be reunited this weekend!!!
Hurry up and get here! 
 

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Rustic Decor

I'm loving the rustic wave that is blowing over interiors everywhere. It is just my style! I'm always looking for ways to incorporate something rustic-chic in my house. Natural materials tend to bring warmth and coziness to any room.

Amy Morris

Tineke Triggs

Nate Berkus

{via}

Meredith Baer and Associates

S. Russell Groves

Meg Ryan's kitchen via Elle Decor

Jeffers Design Group 
Tineke Triggs

EJ Interiors

 Need I say more? 

Next week I'll highlight ways I incorporated this style into my own home!

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Love is in the Air!

Happy Valentines Day to my sweet husband! 

Love this guy.
{photog}

We're playing it low key this year. Right now, nothing sounds better than a delicious home cooked meal and some good red wine. Then we'll continue to escape the cold and cuddle up in front of the fire for a movie. Can't. Wait.

And HAPPY V-DAY to you all too!