design dump

Apr 8, 2015

one room challenge week #2: the design plan + the "B" word

well, even with spring break happening last week, i was able to make a lot of progress on olivia's room.

the most important accomplishment was the fact that we (olivia and i) decided on the overall look of her room!

and what better way to share the design than with a design (or "mood") board! (since i specialize in e-design, it is SO important to be able to create a visual guide for my clients, who are installing and shopping for their spaces on "their own". this design board acts not only as an inspiration tool, but for reference and for motivation!)

here it is:

here is the overall plan for the room:

*bed, dresser and nightstand will stay

*white entry storage piece, and aluminum table will be brought up from the main floor.

*walls will be painted a soft warm neutral tone. i want the room to feel grounded and not too youthful, so i am shying away towards the look of a "colored" wall. i am leaning towards something like this:

(urban sophisticate, benjamin moore)

*the back wall will be alternating stripes of chalkboard and cork board. i am still nailing down sources for the cork, since i would like to avoid tiles. this is going to be the most time consuming project of the room, so my husband got off much easier than he did with my younger daughters room. this is the area that olivia is most excited about!

*revamping the two vintage lamps (new wiring and shades)

*redoing the vintage wing backs (paint them white, add faux croc leather to the front, and stripes to the back)

*add curtains. there will be THREE different fabrics on these curtains. i will be using a band of smaller stripes at the top, thicker stripes at the bottom, and the body of the drape will be the faux bois/zebra print from loom decor.

*new bedding (a simple white duvet, and some new pillows)

*add art, accessories

*new chandelier...ugh. still going around in circles with this one because of the B word.

yah, thats right.
i said the "B" word.
BUDGET.

i am saving a ton of money in this room by using existing furniture, and one place that i wanted to splurge a bit was on a new light fixture. the one she has now is darling, BUT, it stopped working several months ago, and i am not really keen on the thought of replacing it with the exact same fixture.

in my dreams, i would love to have something like this:

(jonathan adler sputnik chandelier )

or, this:

(oly studio pipa bowl chandelier)

or, this:

(circa lighting aerin lauder mill ceiling light)

but COME ON. this is a teenagers room, and i am not a gazillionaire. those fixtures are all in the $1500-3000 range.

time for some budget friendly options.

speaking of budgets...
i already HAVE this light. i bought it to put in my laundry room....(whenever we get around to finishing it!) i like the shape. the size is nice. and did i mention i already have it?

this is the light that i put on the design board, and it may well be the light that is hanging in her room at the end of the day...but i am still considering a few others...

like this one for west elm. it is simple and modern and i like the natural feel that the capiz shells could bring to the room.

(west elm capiz tiered pendant)

i like this one, but olivia isn't too crazy about it:

(Conic 5 Light Chandelier)

this one is also a contender: but is it just me, or are there so many sputnik chandeliers out there that they are starting to lose their edge? (unless you can splurge for a fantastic one, like the above one from jonathan adler) also to consider...i have the chrome z gallerie sputnik chandelier hanging next door in my sons room, and so i think i might want something a little different for olivia's room.

(George Kovacs Pontil 6 Light Chandelier)

i also consderered something with a more organic feel like this:

(uttermost civenna rope pendant)

(links to all of these lights are on the pinterest board that i created in order to brainstorm ideas for this room.)

i am still going around and around about which light to hang. the decision might come down to pure cost. one of the arms in the vintage chair has some damage to the caning, and the estimate to fix it is $120. THEN i have to paint them (one estimate was $90 each, so i think i will tackle that myself), and then the upholstery will cost somewhere around $250-350 per chair. SO, i think i will wait a bit and see how i feel in a week or two.

for my WEEK 1 post, click here.

to see the last one room challenges i completed click here and here.

be sure to follow along and see what the other designers are up to as well!

Kimberly Schlegel Whitman

Trademarked by Calling it Home

see you next week!

Apr 6, 2015

design plan: small office, two ways

it feels like forever since i have blogged, but with the one room challenge in full swing, i am feeling a BIT more motivated!

i LOVE the collaboration that happens with my pinterest board + phone call consultations. as my client and i narrow down the options that i have presented on the pinterest board, the feel of the room really starts to take shape. (and when the design board is added on, my clients get to SEE that vision!)

with this consultation, we were working on a small but highly functional built-in office off of the entry of my clients home.

here are the two options we came up with:

interested in working together?
you can read more about my services here.
i still have openings in late april and may, but slow down during the summer months, so email me at autumnclemons@yahoo.com today if you'd like to schedule a consultation!

Apr 3, 2015

coastal e-design: ocean winds villa project

a few months ago, some very special clients (aka my parents!) fulfilled a long-time dream and purchased a villa on the enchanting seabrook island. seabrook island is located off the coast of charleston, south carolina, and is one of my favorite places to visit.

my family and i have been visiting there off and on since i was 11. the great beaches, privacy, tree-lined streets, wildlife, golf/tennis/equetrian/kayaking/swimming amenities, and laid-back feel make it a true coastal paradise.

my poor, poor parents. if only they knew an interior designer who could help them to decorate their villa. someone who specialized in budget decorating. and e-design.
oh wait.
ha! they really lucked out, didn't they?? (wink*wink*)

so, just to aquaint you with this project...heres what we are dealing with:

a second story, 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom villa with an open living/dining/kitchen, and a very long sunroom with golf course view. the floor plan shows a screened in porch and a deck, but the previous owner finished the entire space, and it is now one looong sunroom.

what they want:
--an updated, welcoming, refined interior
--a place to showcase some of their extensive art and book collection
--to furnish the entire space on a 18K budget (it will be totally empty when they start.)
--minor kitchen updates

here are some interior pictures:

as you can see, there are some really great things to be excited about!

*consistent flooring throughout the main living area

*tall ceilings...most of seabrook was developed in the 1970's and 80's, when 8' ceilings were a little too abundant. this unit has 9' ceilings, which is desirable.

*an open floor plan that flows nicely

*newer appliances (many villas on seabrook haven't been touched in 30 years, so it was nice that the counters had been redone, and new appliances installed)

* a large master bedroom (below)

*non hideous ceiling fans. yay!

*the second bedroom connects to the main bathroom, and has a balcony

the green walls will be going. i know y'all are bummed.

*this long sunroom lets in plenty of light and views, but in order to make the space WORK for my parents and potential renters, it will be reworked a bit.

speaking of views...ahhhh!!

over the next few weeks, i will be sharing all of the final design plans for each of the rooms in the villa. we have been working on this project since christmas, and everything is falling into place. orders have been made, trips taken to haul furniture and art, and lots of household items brought in so that this villa will become a true second home and (hopefully) hard-working rental property!

i am actually going to charleston in about 2 weeks to finish things up. i can't wait to share some after pictures!

in the mean time, here are some gorgeous coastal interiors that inspired our vision:

are you hungry for more chic coastal interiors:
check out my beachy keen pinterest board!

Apr 1, 2015

one room challenge: week #1: some pretty meager beginnings for a teen's bedroom

WOW.
it's here again.
the wonderful, amazing, scary, motivating, inspiring, one-and-only ONE ROOM challenge, hosted by linda at calling it home!

here are the designers that are taking part in this round:

i have completed two rooms for the last two rounds of the challenge as a linking participant, but i am THRILLED to be included this round as a featured designer. (whoo--hoo!!)

we built our house nearly two years ago, and have been knocking projects off of the TO-DO list since then. so far, i have "finished" my my sons bathroom, my girls leopard wallpapered bathroom, the mini wallpapered vestibule outside of the master bedroom, as well as the two spaces that i have tackled during the previous one room challenges.
( my husband is super handy, and has a degree in construction management, but i have found that there is nothing like the one room challenge to help light a fire under both of us and get projects DONE!)

last fall, i transformed my about-to-turn-13 year old daughters room from this:

to this:

(you can read more about this project here)

and last spring, i made over my teeny-tiny-mini office from a bare bones dump zone:

to a storage packed, functional workspace that i adore spending time in:

(you can read more about this project here)

this spring, i will be working on my OLDER daughters room. she might have been just a little jealous about her little sisters room getting all of the attention!
YES, YES. another teens bedroom.
when designing rooms for kids, i really like THEIR personality to be reflected, so this room will be VERY different from the soft, peach, feminine feel of my younger daughters room.

here is the room now:

what it has going for it:

* it's pretty large.

* it has two great windows with stunning views of the mountains and valley below. (while i was raised in the midwest, and my adult roots are firmly set in the south, we have lived in utah for the last 6 years)

* the house is new, so there aren't any undesirable features that need to be changed. its a blank slate.

of course, like any project, there are some challenges...
like most of the world, i am on a budget, and SO, in an effort to keep this makeover from taking over my finances, i am going to attempt to transform this room by buying NO NEW FURNITURE.
yah. you read that right.
all the major items in the room are either IN the room now, or will be pulled from somewhere else in my house.

the queen size panel bed, dresser and mirrored nightstand will stay.
the bookcase, woven chair and light fixture will go. (i actually like the light fixture but it stopped working about 8 months ago, so we are going to replace it with something else)

the bed and dresser were purchased about 8 years ago when we lived in knoxville, tennessee. there is nothing wrong with either one of them, but if i was starting form scratch, i would almost certainly choose a different style of bed and a more funky dresser. (oh, well, actually, the middle drawer of the dresser is totally messed up from my daughter cramming WAY too much into it, and so that will be repaired, but other than that, both items are in great shape.)

the mirrored nightstand was purchased at home goods. my daughter loves all of the drawers.

now, onto the stuff that will be added:

i have had these chairs for the last 5 years. they are going to get a serious makeover:

i also have two INSANE vintage lamps that have inspired my color scheme, but need some new shades and wiring. i purchased these a few years ago at a vintage store here in salt lake city, and have been waiting for a change to upgrade them.

i will most likely pull this white storage piece from my foyer and replace the bookcase/nightstand:

the veneer is peeling up, and i may change out the hardware, but other than that, it will give my messy teen some hidden storage and won't cost me much to update!

next week, i will have a design plan ready to go, but for now, here is the basic direction i am heading in: (you can see other design plans i have created for clients here)

both my daughter and i LOVE this fabric, available at loom decor:

it will be a pretty major player in the room.

she loves blue, and since the lamps are staying, i would like to add a dash of an awesome fabric like this:

in case you didn't notice the ONE DIRECTION posters all over the wall, here is another glimpse:

ugh.

my daughter is right in the middle of the "i am a teenager and must plaster everything i like on my walls" phase. instead of fighting it, i am going to make this entire back wall into a place for her to go crazy.

anyway, hang on tight!

i know the next 6 weeks are going to zip by!

are you planning on linking up to the event? i hope so!

don't forget to spend some time checking out the other featured designers progress:
here they are: