Stylish Bathrooms

A stylish bathroom design can make your home a place to relax and take refuge for the stress of life. Whether you plan to stay in your home for years, or you are looking for ways to enhance the room to make it more stylish and appealing to potential buyers; decorating with simple bathroom design is well worth the time, effort, and money. We actually gutted out guest/powderbath when we first moved in, and it made all the difference in the world! It is now one of our favorite rooms in the house because it is fresh and new!

 Our Bathroom BEFORE...

Our Bathroom AFTER- We Kept the vintage tub, added slate as a surround and on the floors, added all new fixtures, art, paint, and accessories (Not pictured)

Here are some tips to elevate your bathroom.

Choose a Unique Theme

Come up with a decorating theme that will express your individual style and personality. It is easy to decorate a bathroom with new hardware, eye-catching stylish accessories, and room-enhancing colors to match a specific decorating theme.

You will notice the reference with color and accessories to the beach theme in this bathroom

Begin with Color

Color can change the entire look of a room! As I have mentioned before, paint is one of the least expensive methods of decorating a bathroom to make it appear crisp, clean, and exceptionally stylish. Choose lighter colors to open up a smaller bathroom. Consider accenting a single wall or paint the entire room. Bright or bold colors can be used to accessorize and help turn an ordinary unimpressive bathroom into an extraordinary room that is extremely stylish and very impressive. 

 This is a wonderful example of using a pale color to elevate the bathroom. Having the contrast between the white and the moss green really gives the room wonderful dimension and emulates a spa like atmosphere.

Use Plush Towels

 

Whether for yourself or your guests; thick and fluffy towels can make you feel very pampered after getting out of that shower or hot bath. It give the idea that you brought the spa home with you...not a bad way to start or end the day :) 

Choosing Accessories

When decorating with bathroom accessories, keep in mind that less is truly more. Choose an appropriate amount of unique themed knickknacks, shelves, and well placed wall hangings, and avoid the temptation to buy anything and everything you find that matches your theme of choice. Several high-quality items are worth far more than dozens of lower quality pieces that make a bathroom appear cluttered. 

I love how color was added through the accessories in this example. Very inexpensive and adds a nice punch without having to remodel, or paint.

Bathe (no pun intended)  the Room in Light

Light can add drama to any room, and bathroom lighting should be as functional as it is decorative. Consider replacing ordinary light bulbs with room-enhancing light bulbs, and replace old shades or globes to create an entirely new and stylish look. For the cost of replacement shades and brighter room-enhancing light bulbs, your bathroom will look larger, feel warmer, and look remarkably stylish. 

 In this bathroom remodel, recessed lighting was added and really floods the room with a warm light and makes it feel bright and fresh!

 

Make your bathroom one of your favorite rooms in your house!

c2

via www.homeinteriorszone.com/

Getting Creative with your Fireplaces

I don’t know what it is, but I totally have a thing for fireplaces! I think they are fascinating….not the fire part, but all the different ways you can accessorize them! Yeah I said it. I actually had a woman come up to me the other day, and she said “I have a design problem”. Well, in my head I was thinking…”bring it on!”, I love a good design problem.

She explained that she has a formal living room in her new house with a non working fireplace. She wanted to find a solution to make it a feature of the room, much like art would be, without spending the money to get it up and running again. I thought it was such an interesting idea, and it really got me thinking of all the different and creative ways you could use a fireplace, without having the fire! ENJOY!

Book Storage

LOVE!!!

Candles...you still have a little of the fire aspect. Easy and inexpensive to do!

Faux Logs

A place for seasonal decor

Art Niche

Wine Cellar

Record Display

Have a great week!

c2

Colorful Kitchens

Hello all! First I want to apologize for not being around recently and blogging. Business has been very busy which is great news, but just means I am finding it harder to find some time to sit down, relax and share my thoughts…the good the bad and the ugly, on design. Here I am though with a latte in hand and taking some time to share some fun ideas.

With the weather being so nice, I can’t help to think about color! Color is all around in the blue sky, the green grass, and the flowers blooming. I just LOVE IT!!! I was thinking about how I often talk about bringing color into your space through artwork, accessories and paint that are easily changed. With this idea, I thought, how about color in a more permanent application…like in a kitchen. Below are some funky COLORFUL kitchens that I thought were worth sharing, and maybe would spark some color inspiration for your homes! ENJOY!!!

Colorful Custom Cabinetry

Talk about taking a risk with color

Colorful Countertops

Getting Funky with the Backsplash

I LOVE this combonation and than pulling it all together withthe mosaic backsplash!

Now this is Funky....not my fave, but VERY creative!

Enjoy the weekend!

c2



Swing into Spring

High Point Market was INCREDIBLE and I can't wait share the amazing things that I saw and learned! I'll keep you posted when I I finally get unpacked and everything in order to blog about everything, but in the mean time...

It's officially April so its time to embrace the Spring Season, and welcome in the warm weather.

Below are 5 ways to welcome Spring into your home with a FRESH start and get started on those cleaning, decorating and organizing plans you have made.

1. Let the Light Shine: Wash the Windows!

Sunny days look brighter through clean windows, so tackle the grime that winter storms have left behind on interior and exterior windows now.  Either grab a squeegee like the pros do, or just grab some Windex and a paper towel and get after it. You can get started with your interior windows today, despite the weather, but choose a bright, still day to clean exterior windows.

2. Catch the Breeze: Open Windows on a Warm Day

Cold weather brings shut windows and tightly-closed doors--which can create a build-up of stale odors in any home. When you live with them, your nose learns to ignore them, but nothing whispers "Spring is here!" like a freshly-aired house. Let the Breeze blow! Air out the house one sunny afternoon to bring Spring's freshness inside. Opening doors and windows to catch a breeze will chase away old cooking smells and any stale or musty odors that have built up during the winter months.

3. Blooming Wonder: Bring the Season Inside

Cut small branches from a flowering tree, or gather ready-to-bloom daffodils and tulips from the garden that you just planted using my last blog recommendations. Displayed simply, in a tall water glass, vase or mason jar, they'll add a splash of Spring color and fragrance to your home.

4. Fresh Start: Clean Out the Refrigerator

The arrival of a new season is a good signal to clean out stored food in refrigerator and pantry and make a quick check of expiration dates. That could be creating some of those smells that you are trying to flush out with the spring breeze. If you have food items in your pantry that are still good, but just don’t think you will eat them, take the time donate them to a local food bank, so they're enjoyed by others.

5. Out with the Cuddly: Wind down the Winter Warmers

As warm weather approaches, take a hard look at the family's cold-weather bedding and favorite winter warmers. Separate out the stained, pilled flannel sheets and shrunken loungewear for recycling or donation.

As you return winter bedding and clothing to closet storage areas, make a quick list of any needed replacements. Keep your eyes open for end-of-season clearance sales. This make it easy AND cheap to replace worn-out linens and faded clothes.

Swing into Spring!

 c2

Via http://organizedhome.com/

High Point Market

Well...I am off to the High Point Market in North Carolina for the weekend.  "The High Point Market is the largest furnishings industry trade show in the world, bringing more than 85,000 people every six months. Serious retail home furnishings buyers can be found in High Point twice a year because if you can’t find it in High Point…it probably doesn’t exist".  I am so excited about this opportunity to see all the latest in Furniture and Design, however, this means that the blog is being put on hold for the next few days. Check back next week, for some fun ideas and latest design trends that I pick up there. 

Have a great weekend!

c2

via http://www.highpointmarket.org/

~Spring Has Sprung~

Well the time has come…SPRING IS HERE and it is time to spruce up (no gardening pun intended), and clean out. This seems like a pretty ridiculous post for me to blog about, seeing that I DO NOT have a green thumb or anything else green on my body. I have killed indoor plants…sad but true. It’s time to change that though, so after doing some research, not only will I blog about sprucing up your lawn and garden for spring, but I will also take my own advise! Here goes…

1. Add flowers and ornamental plants- It seems easy but, nothing adds quite as much color and beauty to a yard as flowers in full bloom. It also adds another LAYER to the exterior of your home. If you already have planting areas around your home, spend a weekend digging up the beds and plant some ornamental plants and flowers. Choose a variety of plants that will bloom during various times of the year so that something will always be in bloom with little upkeep…my kind of gardening! Help keep your planting beds beautiful and weed-free by using mulch, or by first putting down landscaping cloth before planting and mulching.

2. Spruce up your yard with a healthier lawn- A green lawn is a happy lawn! If the winter did not help your lawn in the green department, a simple application of lawn fertilizer and weed killer can make it lush and green in no time. If you have patches of bare ground in your yard, spread grass seed to fix these spots.

3.Add landscaping lights- You can find them pretty much anywhere (ie. Target, Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes, and Ace Hardware). Lighting can make the difference between an unattractive yard and a showplace. Just like indoor task lighting, ambient lighting, and table lamps, outdoor lighting creates a soft and inviting look to the exterior of your home.  A well-lit yard not only is beautiful, but it is also a more secure yard, as outdoor lighting is an overall deterrent for crime…Interesting!

These are great outdoor lighting fixtures because they are solar  powered and don't require any electrical work or direct power...you just stick them in the ground...easy enough :)

4. Hide unsightly fixtures- If you have areas in your yard that contain utility service boxes, pipes, well pumps or other eyesores, try disguising them with landscaping rocks. Sometimes all it takes is the strategic placement of a few large rocks, combined with tall ornamental grasses or some shrubs to transform these ugly areas into a beautiful spot in your yard. You can also purchase artificial rocks that are hollow, which are designed to be placed over these types of objects to completely hide them, while still allowing access to them when necessary.

 via  http://www.artificialrockoutlet.com/

5. Invest in Lawn Furniture- Try to think of your lawn or patio as an extension of your home rather than the outside of it. If you change our thinking than you could really create a beautiful “outdoor living space”. Go so far as purchasing an outdoor area rug that is moisture resistant. This will really give you a whole other living area to your home to enjoy the beautiful outdoors, and admire all of your handiwork in the garden!

Happy Spring!

c2

------STRIPES------

Now I don’t know if I have shared a secret obsession I have….. but I am IN LOVE with stripes! It may be a little strange, but I just love everything about them! I think stripes are so versatile and really can work with anything or any space. I love to pair them with, other patters, different colors, shapes and textures. I especially love them on walls!

Recently we just moved into our first house and were soooo excited to put our own personal touch on it! I had been talking about doing a striped wall somewhere in our house, and my other half was a little bit tentative, because he thought it would look like a circus tent. I assured  him that I would do a very tasteful stripe, so he let me have at it!

I did it myself…which I don’t recommend. I would get a partner and some snap chalk lines to make the project A LOT easier. I used a laser level, which made it tricky but I pulled it off…ONCE in a lifetime occurrence. haha. It was a task, but it actually turned out to be one of my/our, many favorite parts of the house. See below, but keep in mind that is the first step…I have some layering to do on top of it, but it is a beautiful work in progress : )

You will notice that I divided up our entry wall into 7 sections. From there I taped off the darker section using the existing wall color as my lighter portion. I thought the more neutral palate works well for our home because I like to pull in other colors and have the stripes be a backdrop that work with anything. I also chose to do a horizontal stripe to give the illusion that the wall is longer than it really is...great for an entry wall to pull people into your home...not literally of course :)

Below are some different examples of how stripes can be used in your home and how they can really make an impact on any space no matter what the size:

This is a great example of using stripes to incorporate the color palate you want to have in your room. Using the stripe as the back drop, you can layer different colors, patters and textures on top of it, as you see above.

 You can do a vertical stripe to create height in your room and give the illusion that you ceilings are taller than they actually are....sneaky :)

In this example, they have used the striped wall as the focal point and than just have a more neutral palate layered on top, not to distract from them.LOVE THIS!

I love this example because it is not as dramatic as the previous examples, but still give a nice striped feeling without being to bold. I love how they did a dark, rich color and than pop-ed the white stripe out...it reminds me of a tailored pinstriped suite...very chic.

Talk about a POP! I love the boldness of these black and white stripes. I especially LOVE the asymmetry of them. Your stripes do not have to even...it creates interest!

Similar to the color palate I used in my striped, this picture represents rounding the striped through the corners. This is WONDERFUL to make a small room appear bigger. If you do it on two connecting walls your eye will aromatically continue on and not stop at the connection, therefore tricking your mind to think that the wall continues and the room is bigger! GENIUS!

I love how these stripes are so feminine. Just by changing the color palate, it changes the whole feeling of the room. So pretty and girly :)

This is a wonderful idea if you have great art that you want to showcase. By using the stripes to create a focal point you can really showcase your art and make them stand out...much like an art gallery!

I am OBSESSED with this example. If you think doing two toned stripes is too much for you, use the same color and change the paint finish. In this example, the base is a flat black and they used a high gloss black paint to create their stripe. This not only gives you the dramatic striped look with using the same color, but adds a great textural aspect to them....this may be my next project..I'm thinking in a powder room :)

------LET THERE BE STRIPES-----

c2

BLOG SCHEDULE

 Hey everyone! Thank you so much for always checking into my blog. It is so fun for me, and I love all of your feedback, so keep it coming:)

Just wanted to give a little heads up on the blog. I know that a lot of you have requested more c2 updates, so I have decided  to do a new post EVERY OTHER day.  That is the plan and I am sticking to it...hopefully! Enjoy, and look out for tomorrow's post. It is one of my FAVES!

Happy Saturday!

c2

Who needs an actualy headboard?!!

I found this amazing article on the “Apartment Therapy” website and thought it was such a fun idea….who said you need an actual headboard to be a headboard?! Here are some fun ideas I thought I would share!

Frame it out!

Get Creative

Shutters

Art Work

Create your own

Use a Mantel

Or a Door

Or a Fence

Sleep Tight!

c2