If you're searching for some modern and minimal ways to style your dining room table this spring, then look no further! Whether you're in search for a day-to-day look, hosting an afternoon tea or fun dinner party, we have three simple ways you can style your dining table with pieces you might already have kicking around the home!
Living in a rental is not my ideal situation, but I’ve learned to make the best of the space that I have and still make the customizations that I want. One of the best ways to customize a space is with a fun accent wall, and for renters who cannot paint or apply wallpaper, removable wallpaper is king! I wanted to create a completely customized accent wall without painting it, so instead, I created customized removable wallpaper using a form of solid-colored contact paper.
I can't get enough of Scandinavian design, and I'm on the hunt for ways to bring this style into my home. The decor in my house hasn't had a theme until very recently (unless you consider furniture inherited from past roommates a theme). Now that I'm almost 30 (panicked bells ringing as I type that), the items in my home are brought in with more intention. I love all things monochromatic, so the Scandinavian look fits my mostly-gray furniture perfectly. This dining table needed a new tablecloth, and the Scandinavian-inspried Swiss cross pattern seemed the perfect fit.
The widespread appeal of nautical and coastal decor makes a lot of sense when you consider the primal and ancient connection humans have to the sea. Being attracted to the water is hardwired into our very cells. Scientific studies have proven what we already know anecdotally: spending time near, on, or in lakes and oceans make us happier and healthier. It's no wonder that so many of us respond to the colors, clean lines, and natural elements of coastal, beach, and nautical decor. It makes us feel good to be reminded of the sea.
If your initial reaction to the term "coastal decor" is negative, it's probably from witnessing too many cutesy and heavy-handed thematic rooms. We are not advocating buying and displaying any and all items that have a sailboat or seahorse on them. Good decorating never grows out of an overly simplistic theme, and, "Put an anchor on it" is not a valid design philosophy!
Even though holiday decorations are fun to shop for, the prices can add up quickly! Rather than purchase a sign or banner this year, I decided to make a simple accordion banner out of paper to display on my shelf for the Christmas season. Not only is it simple, but it’s very inexpensive to make and folds up for easy storage if you want to reuse it next year.
I'll admit it: I don't really like carving pumpkins. I always have grand plans, but by the time you head to the patch, select just the right one, gorge on popcorn balls, look for the carving tools, spread the newspaper, and begin the epic cleanout process...I'm kinda over it.
It's officially fall. Can you believe it? Saying good-bye to the hot sunny days and cocktails on the patio is enough to make anyone a bit bummed. So, why not treat yourself to a bunch of flowers to create some lovely bouquets to brighten the mood, all the while using the same materials! The best part is, you don't have to be a professional florist or even have a lot of experience in flower arranging. It's about exploring and discovering new avenues of creativity step by step, while having fun of course!
I love a good before-and-after, don't you? There's so much satisfaction in taking a sad roadside find or cheap garage sale rescue and totally transforming it into something new and different. We've rounded up some of our favorite furniture makeovers to inspire you to either start that upholstery project, get out the spray paint, or hit up this weekend's local yard sale scene. From dressers to dining tables, here are some of our favorite furniture makeovers.
I have a hard time spending a lot of money on wall art. I feel horrible saying that. I got my Bachelor's degree in art, so I - of all people - totally understand the effort and talent that's required to create good art. Honestly, I'm just cheap. While I might occasionally splurge for a print or photo I really love, my home is hardly a museum. I can't afford to fill my walls top to bottom with one-of-a-kind art pieces. So yeah, I might be cheap, but I'm pretty dang thrifty, too! Whether it's sprucing up some existing wall art, or creating my own with found items, I can fill a wall for under $40. The best place to find forgotten and dirt-cheap wall decor is your local second-hand store (think Goodwill, Savers, Salvation Army, etc.). I set out to create a cheap gallery wall using only things I found at the thrift store, and here's how it worked out.
Is there a "right" option for curtain lengths? That depends on who you ask, and often just asking the question can leave you more confused than you were before. The long and short of it is (no pun intended): it's up to you. But we're here to help as you answer the question, "How long should curtains be?" We'll be taking a critical look at curtain lengths, tall and small. What side are you on?
Let's start with what's probably the most common of the curtain lengths: to the floor. This is the standard length for hanging curtains - either hitting the floor exactly or hovering a half inch off the ground. Sheer white curtains hung like the ones above (from Little Green Notebook) and the ones below (via A Cup of Jo) are both modern and classic. The curtain lengths make the ceilings seem taller and the room more polished, maybe even a bit formal.
Cons to floor length? They may make your room look too formal for your liking. Dust will inevitably collect around the bottoms. Also, children may be more likely to grab them and use them as a climbing rope. If you're asking yourself, "Should curtains go to the floor?," and kids, pets, and dust aren't a concern, then floor length is probably your best bet.
You may have heard that hanging your curtains from the ceiling will make your living space appear taller. But how? Visually, your eye tends to follow lines. Whether it's the double yellow line on the highway, or the walkway to your front door, your eye is drawn towards (and up) pathways. By hanging your curtains from the highest point on the wall, your eye travels up the line, causing you to notice that there is height in the space you are standing in.
If your living space has high ceilings already, compliment them with tall curtain lengths. Floor-to-ceiling curtains can also help to divide space, whether you're tucking away a window seat (like the floor-to-ceiling curtains via Lonny) or cutting a whole room in half. Heads up: The worst thing you can do when hanging curtains from the ceiling is to hang them too short. The heightening trick-of-the-eye doesn't work well if the curtain line abruptly cuts off before it hits the ground.
Then there's the other end of the curtain lengths spectrum: short curtains. Visually speaking, high-water style is not the most appealing way to hang curtains. The shorter length can appear dated. Also, it can cut the visual height of your room in half. From a purely practical standpoint, however, short curtains are sometimes the best option. In the home, it seems like many parents choose shorter curtains for kids' rooms, probably to avoid the whole Tarzan situation, or just to limit sticky fingers from touching the window treatments. You may also be forced to hang short curtains by the presence of heat-producing radiators or heaters.
If you hang short curtains, aim to hit a perpendicular mark on the wall. For instance, the curtain lengths should meet at the top of the baseboard, or the bottom of the windowsill.
Café curtains are fairly common where there's a window sill over, say, a sink in a kitchen. Or, in their namesake, cafés, where you wouldn't want curtains dragging the floor of such a busy, public place.
Café curtains are hung usually at the halfway point of a window, or on the bottom pane of a two-part window. They're great for when you need a bit of privacy (like in this bathroom pictured above), but don't necessarily want to block out all the natural light coming through the window. Because café curtains are short and cute, they can give a room a more casual vibe.
We've discussed short curtains, and curtains that hit the floor perfectly. What curtain lengths are left? Long curtains. The more billowy a curtain becomes as it breaks at the floor, the more dramatic it will look. A simple "kiss" to the ground, like the curtains pictured above (via Amber Interiors), adds a touch of flair to this otherwise simple window treatment. This option is similar in style to floor length, but will require more care - dust bunnies like to live in the folds of the billowing curtains!
Last, there's the most extreme curtain length: puddled. This is a typical French look (think the Rococo period), and is most successful with high ceilings and, usually, expensive fabric. Typically silks are going to billow the best, being both lightweight and a natural fiber.
Obviously, this look adds a lot of glam to even the simplest decor. But, you really need to have the right architecture to pull it off.
The answer is up to you, your style, and your needs. Hopefully this primer on curtain lengths will help you pick the best window trimmings for your home!
When you live in a small house or apartment, one big challenge you face is finding furniture to fit the scale of your space. I live in a compact two-bedroom with my fiancée, and furnishing it has been a slow process. Rather than being frustrated by how cramped it can feel, we try to cooperate with the space we have. That means rejecting the idea of a full-sized couch and opting for a larger loveseat. It means storing vertically and hanging what we can. It also means accepting the fact that our eating and living areas needs to share space. We weren't having any luck finding a small dining table, so I decided to build one instead.
I love a quick art project! As I was preparing to (finally) hang some art on my walls, I was thinking of ways to keep my costs low and make my own wall art and the answer was as simple as making this paint scrape art with a few colors that matched the scheme of my home. Within 5 minutes, I had a colorful piece of art that I love.
Occasionally you won't notice how dirty something in your house is until it's that dirt is called out. You drop something under your couch and discover a gang of dust bunnies living underneath. You throw open your curtains and find yourself in a front-row seat to a dust dance-off floating right in front of your face. Since it's spring cleaning season, now is as good a time as any to tackle those forgotten areas of your home. And don't feel...
Drinking wine and crafting are two of my favorite pastimes, and today I'm combining them into one fun, super simple DIY project. I'm sharing an easy no-sew felt wine coaster project that functions as both a coaster and a wine marker so you don't drink someone else's wine by mistake. Win win! Keep reading to check out the full tutorial... it's surprisingly easy!