before + after: the power of an hour-a clients formal dining room

a couple "before" pictures of a clients dining room before our phone call + pinterest board consultation:

before:

the walls had recently been painted, and my client wanted to keep them the same color (if possible)

(unless the color is 100% NOT working, i always accommodate my clients requests to keep their existing paint color. i thought the color here was really nice, and acted as a soothing backdrop to the fun bursts of color.)

this client looooves color!
as you can see, she already had her seat cushions covered in schumachers chiang mai dragon. (yummy!) she was looking to add a touch of chinoiserie and wanted to bump up the style and add a touch of chic to this formal room.

here is what we discussed during our phone call:

* adding a larger buffet to the back wall, and painting it a kelly green. to keep costs down, we talked about this piece being a craigslist find.

* adding an ornate vertical hanging mirror, some vase prints and some blue and white china (using the fabric on the chairs as inspiration for the color palette) on some shelves above the buffet. (i had a fabulous inspiration picture that i pinned to her board that she used as a guide.)

*replacing the lamps with larger ones...simple sculptural lamps with black shades.

*adding a zebra rug for a touch of chic

*replacing the light fixture

*changing out the bar cart for the existing buffet.

*adding a ceiling medallion 

*removing the fake tree

after:

these pictures were a treat to get in my inbox!

sometimes i will wait months or even a year to get "after" pictures of e-design projects. this client sent the after pictures within 3 weeks of our consultation! i was blown away, to say the least. way to go, kathleen!

isn't this vignette fun? 

the esty pagoda prints are perfect with the ornate mirror.

and check out the great craigslist dresser that she found! before, she had a fun dose of green in the lamps, but they were too small, and the green was a little less elegant. now, the larger, green dresser really anchors this wall and the sculptural new lamps with black shades add some sophistication.

the zebra rug really adds a style punch to the room!

and finally, the flimsy, dated bar cart was replaced with the buffet that used to be on the back wall.

the size and color of this piece are perfect here paired with the colorful art...and the best thing? this simple yet dramatic change didn't cost a dime.

if you want to get a peek at the pinterest board that i created for this client, you can click here. (she also had some questions about seating for her family room, so there are a few additional pins...

have a space that needs help? interested in working together? 

contact me at autumnclemons@yahoo.com to set up a consultation!

stone sample

a sample of the stone was finished yesterday, and i am THRILLED!
this stone is exactly what we found on our lot as we were digging out our foundation. i love that it is a local stone, and i am really happy with the "messy", rough look with the brushed and raked  mortar joints.

the mortar is going to dry a lighter gray color (you can see a dry section at the very bottom of the wall)

what do you think??

affordable find: modern flush mount light

restoration hardware's turner flush mount light
$69-$119

oxnard 2 light flush mount, available at home depot.

$45

(thinking of buying a couple for my house!)

stone inspiration

we will be putting stone on the bottom of our new house. there are a lot of different textures and colors of stone...some are warm, with tans and earthy orange tones, some can be red or even green, and others are cool with lots of grey. the stone that we are using is considered "undesirable" because it tends to be small and varies greatly in color. (it is usually used in "functional" applications versus decorative ones) my husband came up with a plan of how to use the stone, and has had a hard time convincing others of how great it can look. 

what we want is a look that is old and rough and a little random with heavy, brushed mortar.

here are a few houses that have a similar look to what we want:

 

here are a few local pictures that we took of old stone walls to give our stone mason and idea of what we wanted:

some of the stone arrived a few weeks ago, and was covered with tarps...and then those tarps got covered with 3 feet of snow. the stone mason arrived this week to start work. here is a look at the stone:

i am really, really excited to see it go up!
a sample section should be ready by the end of today.

ebay triumphs!

i have spent a fair amount of time over the last few weeks searching for a few affordable faucets and light fixtures for my new house on ebay, and i have had a few victories that i wanted to share!
i am finally starting to feel a little vindicated since my "devastating ebay losses" post. i have a few more defeats, but for the most part, things are pretty peachy.

although i never did find another kohler memoirs faucet for under $150, i DID manage to snag a kohler purist faucet in brushed bronze for the powder room:

this is the same faucet that erika powell used in the coastal living showcase house, and i have been gaga over it since! (shown here with the cross handles)

these faucets usually retail for around $500, but i managed to get mine for $125! yee-haw!! (can i get some applause here? this is a BIG deal!)

i have gone back and forth on what to do in the upstairs main bathroom. at first, i wanted to do two hanging pendants....and then i thought i wanted three sconces. but then i spotted TWO restoration hardware triple wall lights on ebay for a starting bid of $90, and i knew i wanted to use them instead. (they are in a "satin brass" finish, and in a discontinued style called the "evans" collection. they also came with fabric shades.)

 i received them in the mail a few days ago, and they are gorgeous!

i got both lights for just under $130 with shipping! (these photos are from the original listing, and i have been too lazy to get a better picture of them...but these will at least give you and idea of what they look like!)


i also won an auction for this jado faucet:

it sells for $350+ on other sites, and i bought it for $50. it will go in my sons bathroom upstairs.

these jado faucets were each $100. many people don't realize that ebay is a great source for finding items at "buy it now" prices. this means that you don't have to go through the bidding process, which can be a real blessing, especially if the price for the item is reasonable. many times, sellers will have multiple items that can be purchased...which was the case with this seller.
i bought three of them...one will be used in the master, and the other two in the upstairs "girls" bathroom. i had my eye on a few other fixtures, but i just couldn't pass up the price on these. they remind me a lot of the kohler memoirs faucets, which i wanted for my master bathroom, but at 1/3 the price.

and, i got this quoizel laurie smith sconce for $25 (including shipping!) this same sconce is currently at shades of light for $139.  i know... a STEAL. my arm is getting tired from patting myself on the back over this one.

i also got into a bidding war on this light fixture and WON!

it is the audrey flush mount fixture from circa lighting. i plan on using it in my powder room.
it wasn't "cheap", but i did get it for more than 60% off the regular retail price.

*as you can probably tell from what i have been purchasing, there will be a fair amount of warmer metal-toned light fixtures in the house---i.e. BRASS. there will also be some chrome fixtures and black ones. most of the plumbing fixtures (with the exception of the powder room) will be chrome. i know some people get worried about mixing metal tones, but i happen to love it.

another recent ebay purchase:

a vintage audobon buffalo lithograph for a local boys bathroom remodel that i am working on.
the image came from a book, and already has a seam down the middle. i am going to split it at the seam, and frame each half of the buffalo separately. i think it will have a nice balance of masculinity and whimsy that way.

do you shop on ebay?
have you ever purchased any lighting or faucets or other items for your home on ebay?
have any tips you want to share?

how i met your blogger: a love story

good morning!
today i have a guest post up at fresstylin', with beth.
i had the opportunity to meet beth over lunch a few months ago when she was in town from texas, and we hit it off immediately. the servers at the mexican restaurant where we ate were mad at us for sitting and talking so long....it was great! i can't wait for another LONG lunch with her!

she is running an adorable series called "how i met your blogger" on how some of her favorite bloggers met their mates. so, if you want to learn a little more about MY love story, click here!

construction progress weeks 13 + 14

here is what has been happening at house #6 the last 2 weeks:

there are two pocket doors in the house, and both frames were installed. (can you see the metal parts in the door opening of the mini office?  i know they are a little hard to see...) 

 
the MAIN thing that has been happening is dry wall!


besides the framing, nothing makes a bigger difference in a house under construction more than dry wall. this is when you can really get a sense of the size, shape and feel of each room.


here is a peek at a little special project in the master bedroom that i will be sharing more about later.


dry wall can be hung in cold weather, but in order to finish it, the house needs to have heat.
YES!
HEAT!
the heat was turned on in the house, which has completely changed the way the house feels...LITERALLY. it really feels like a HOUSE. we aren't all bundled up shivering as we walk though it. we can linger and talk and look out the windows, and really feel what it will be like to LIVE there. it's really exciting!


after the dry wall is hung, the corner bead is installed. then, a paper tape is laid over the seams and then mud is troweled on in thin sheets, and finally sanded smooth.
most new houses in the west have rounded corner bead, and textured ceilings, but we opted for square corner bead and smooth ceilings.

a look at the stairs over the last 10 days:

pre dry wall.

after the dry wall is up.

dry wall taped, mudded and partially sanded.

the last two weeks were also filled with meetings with the cabinet fabricator to layout the cabinet plans, trying to finalize carpet, selecting a color for the exterior of the house, a stain color for the front and back doors, and narrowing down choices for tile. it has been fun and exhausting!

framing tip: staggering studs for soundproofing

i meant to share this post earlier, but i have been crazy busy trying to select everything for the house. (more on that this week and next)

one little framing trick that we have used in the past, that helps to control noise in areas where sound transfers can be a problem is to stagger the studs. 

staggered stud walls are an effective way to prevent sound from traveling from room to room. in a regular stud wall, sound waves hit one side of the drywall, travel through the stud and into the drywall on the other side. since the stud connects the two sheets of drywall, the sound has a path to travel through. the trick is to separate both sides of the wall. that way, the sound won't be able to travel through the wall as easily.

we opted to stagger the studs in between the master bedroom and the entry:

as you can see, the master bedroom backs up to the entry and great room. we wanted to make sure that the bedroom will remain a quiet sanctuary, even if people are talking or watching tv in the great room.
(*edited:)
there are twice as many studs in the wall now, so all codes are met, and insulation was also added to this wall to maximize the soundproofing.

this is an especially effective way to reduce noise between a home theater and the rest of the house, as well bedrooms that back up to living spaces, or a home office.