3. July 2011 by Parker.

Anyone that knows me, knows that I am an organizational machine. I love my label maker. I love pretty storage boxes. I love unique ways and places and to hide things because let’s face it, I have a lot of things. But most of all, I love it when there is a pretty but practical way to showcase something and jewelry storage allows this to happen. After all, you wear your jewelry as an accent to your outfit, right? Why shouldn’t it also be an art piece for your room?

So these five options show you how you can use mismatched hooks, spools, shower rings, et cetera to hang your jewelry. Though I like these options, they all still feel a bit messy to me. I can just see myself trying to grab a necklace as I am running out the door and not having the patience to untangle it from the rest or worse, break it as I pull to hard.

Here’s another option, using drawer pulls on boards to hand earrings and necklaces. While I can appreciate the whimsy of these boards, they seem fairly unpractical to me.

Now I think these options work the best for 1)organizing your jewelry, 2)making everything very accessible and 3) becoming a statement piece for a room. The top two are antique printer drawers which can run about $50 at an antique store. However the last two are kitchen and office drawer organizers for as little as $10 each. The benefit, however, of the printer drawer if the unique small spaces that allow you to add cup hooks for earrings.

So here are 3 final idea outside wall storage. Ceramic hands are a great way to store bracelets and rings. Glass bottles can also work for bracelets but make sure you like the shabby chic route before you do this one. Finally, a sewing mannequin makes a great place to add a collection of brooches, as long as you don’t need the mannequin too often.

Lots of options. Lots of styles. And there’s plenty more where these came from. Let me know if any of them work for you or if you have a creative approach I haven’t mentioned.

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20. June 2011 by Parker.

I’ve worked with many  clients that wished they had the female equivalent of a man cave, the craft room. Some have converted the basement, part of the laundry room, or even the extra walk in closet of the guest room. Wherever they could muster up some space, we made them a crafty sanctuary. So here’s a look at five of my favorite inspirational craft rooms:

This space is a converted garage in which they added lights,an island, bookcases, and a rug. With very little money, you can start your space with these basics just to get you going in the right direction.

White is always the number one choice for most craft rooms. It creates a clean working space where you can spot anything out of whack fairly easy. The down side? It’s hard to keep it clean when you work with a lot of glitter or shedding fabrics. The most important aspect of any craft room, though, is storage.

I’m venturing a guess that this is either in a daylight basement or a garage that has been tiled. I love the fact that they used black furniture which feels more sophisticated to me. (I have black in my craft space) As you can see from the shelves, they are using everything from baskets to jars to laundry tubs to keep things organized.

This space throws me a curve ball. Is it a kitchen? A laundry room? A craft room? I’d like to believe that it is the kitchen/ laundry area of a mother in law suite that was not being used. If that is the case, kudos to the home owner for giving the area a purpose. Though I am confused because half of it is organized for crafting and the other half is sparsely decorated. Any thoughts?

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26. April 2011 by Parker.

I’ve been working on a condo project for the last few months in which we gutted the space and started over. The client said she was looking for a sophisticated beach theme so I immediately began creating a Pottery Barn-esque condo for her. Unfortunately, she was still kitchy at heart and some of my ideas were vetoed.  Here’s a look at some of the before and after pics…

Aside from the use of the exact same 1980’s picture above the couch, I am pretty happy with the outcome of this space.

I love the cleaner, more open look to the kitchen. I would have liked to pick up some great accessories for counters as well but the home owner was going to take care of it.

The mirrors, due to budget, had to stay which actually worked in our favor.  But the pink walls, ivory bamboo furniture, and flamingo lamp had to go!

The number one piece of advice I give all clients regarding rooms without windows is to paint it a light color! When you use dark paints and wallpapers in a cave-like space, it is just going to make it feel more like a cave. By softening the walls and breaking up all the white, the space feels more inviting.

By far, my favorite room in the house to transform. Since the condo is a rental and the guest bedroom would be used for kids more often than not, I wanted to give it a playful, nautical feel.  What do you think of the final product?

I wish there had been more money in the budget to really “finish” this room. The contrast from before to after was really coming along when we ran out of money and I was unable to complete it. Maybe one day….

I adore this vanity space now that it is done. The turquoise, wax covered mirrors give it just the right amount of pizazz.

Sometimes all a patio needs is a new configuration of furniture, comfortable seating, and a burst of colors with pillows!

Though this project had a few hiccups, I’m happy with the overall final product. Wouldn’t you agree?

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17. April 2011 by Parker.

Staircases get overlooked all the time in the design world. People spend their money on elaborate kitchens and bathrooms and never take a second look at something as simple as the stairs. My question: why not add a hint of your personality to those stairs you climb every day or that might be the focal point when guests come through the front door?

For all you DIYourselfers, try adhering yard sticks to the stairs for a simple change or if you are more ambitious, pick up remnants of like colored wall paper and adhere a different pattern to each step.

 For a more clean look, paint the stair front with chalkboard paint so that you can change the message whenever you like. Just make sure you have legible hand writing first. And, if you have kids, use the stairs to highlight some classic books.

 Song lyrics and piano keys are a great way to express your love for music!

And for all you Bibliophiles,  try using the stairs to list book sections or better yet, cut into the stairs and use them for an actual bookcase.

Well, my file on stairs is massive and if I tried to include all of it on this one post, I’d be sitting here for days writing and uploading images. So stay tuned for future posts as I make my way through this file OR if you have anything you want to hear about, let me know and I’ll make sure to get to it sooner!

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10. April 2011 by Parker.

I try not to go to the Anthropologie website too often because I always find a ton of items that I want, want, want. Unfortunately my pocketbook isn’t big enough to satisfy those wants so I post them here to remember them forever. Here’s the latest craves:

This must be the cutest and coolest settee I’ve seen in  a while. It’s modern and traditional at the same time which makes it that much more appealing to me.

We used to create sofas like this in a digital program for fun and now stores are selling them for real? This plaid chaos would be perfect for a cozy library or large cabin family room.

A bed that addresses three loves of mine. 1) Vintage items with a rusty layer give furniture character, even if they are brand new. 2) Clocks. I’m obsessed with clocks as I have one in every room in my home and would probably have two per room if my husband let me. 3) Sleep. Who doesn’t want a cool place to lay there head to rest?

  Any time I see a dresser that has been refurbished into a trendy, interesting piece it makes me want to go out to Goodwill and pick one up. Hmmm…what would I put on the front?

  These knobs are so random that I simply must have them for odd places in the home. Perhaps a trunk in the living room needs an update or the chest of drawers in the billiard room. Something around here has to have these!

I threw a halloween party last year that was based on wicked fairytales. If only I had seen this chandelier when I was setting up my mad hatter tea party. I still could not have afforded it but I could have mimicked it fairly well.

Perhaps I will send a link to my husband about this woodpecker door knocker. We live in the woods and hear woodpeckers often so I think this would be an awesome addition to our front door.

There is nothing  special about this collection of mirrors. I simply liked the match up of colors and sizes to create an original art piece. And if you cannot tell by now, I love finding items on websites that I can create my own way later.

I’ve torn every piece of wallpaper off the walls of my homes for years and now I keep finding papers that I want to cover nooks and crannies of the home in…. Must resist the urge….or do I?

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25. March 2011 by Parker.

I recently stumbled across a new website, CSN Stores. This place has just about everything you think you might need and all the things you definitely don’t need. I got completely absorbed in their pillow collections and fell in love with the following kids prints. If only I had a kids reading room to decorate right now. If only…

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4. March 2011 by Parker.

I’m a huge sucker for a soft throw pillow that is stylish and motivational to boot. Urban Outfitters currently has a collection that I would like to toss all over my house. Without another word, here they are:

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23. February 2011 by Parker.

My husband and I don’t have kids yet. I have no reason, whatsoever, to be dreaming of a fun bunk room for kids and their future sleepovers. Nonetheless, I still collect pics of what this “pretend” room might look like in the future.

I adore this coastal bunk room but I don’t live on the coast (I’m 30 miles inland). The soft blue bead board with the stark white and ship-like rails make me heart swoon.  Maybe one day, my clients on the coast will need a bunk room for their grand kids.

The unconventional nature of this small bunk room is refreshing. The long sweeping curtain that can be pulled across for privacy and the practical staircase up to the top bunk make this a clever alternative to basic bunk beds.

I would change a lot of aspects of this room if it were my design. Number one, the colors? Something about tan on tan on tan does not scream kid friendly to me.  And though the swinging arm lamps are a nice touch, they are way too big for the space which will cause the kids to hit their heads on them more often than not. The positive side? It’s a great space saver and the individual book compartments make me smile.

Saving the best for last. A warm, inviting play room/ bunk space that sleeps eight. I’m so in love with the bunks being numbered and having pillows embroidered with activities. Though I may never need a room that sleeps 8, I may still have to duplicate a large chunk of this room. After all, it looks to be about a 12 x 14 space which isn’t bad considering how much bang you would get for your buck. Plus, by adding storage under the bottom bunks, you could guarantee every bunkee a drawer!

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3. January 2011 by Parker.

Bed Bath and Beyond has a set of 6 seaside prints (10×12) on sale for $5.00 each. If you like Pottery Barn and the subtle hints of color they use in their beachscapes, then you’ll want to order these inexpensive prints for your home. Check these 3  out!

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27. December 2010 by Parker.

For some crazy reason, there is a Hello Kitty House that has been built in Shanghai. I wish there were more pictures of the inside but this is all I could find so far…

Front of the Hello Kitty house in which I love the lattice work on the front to mimic the cat.

The simplicity of white and pastel pink are pretty but aside for the tv area and the bows on the pillows, there isn’t a lot of  obvious Hello Kitty.

I’m absolutely in love with the chocolate brown bow booths!

Again, the head board is nice but take it away and this could be any little girls bedroom. If you are going to build a Hello Kitty themed house, shouldn’t there be more, I don’t know, Hello Kitty in the rooms?

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