design dump

i was able to visit charleston, south carolina a couple of weeks ago, and i am still reveling in memories all of the beautiful scenery. i met my parents there to help them wrap up the last details of the ocean winds villa. (you can read posts about here: part 1, part 2 and part 3)
i wanted to post some of the pictures that i took, but as soon as i got home, i dove straight into finishing my daughters room for the one room challenge.

if you haven't been to charleston before, there are two reasons why EVERYONE should go there, at least once--the FOOD and the SCENERY! so, i am going to share just a bit of the places i ate and pretty things i saw while i was there.

my plane landed in the evening, and we headed straight to eat at a restaurant called Husk, located in the historic district:

it. was. fabulous.
here is a quick picture of my salad served in this hand carved wooden bowl:

i also had some insanely good catfish and a yummy bread pudding.

the next two days were spent with a some art hanging, rug shifting and pillow stuffing...

and, of course, some shopping for accessories and an entry console.
for plants and a few accessories, we went to target:

and tj maxx.

we were able to find just about everything else we were hunting for at GDC home.
we visited their locations in the freshfields market (between kiawah and seabrook), and charleston:

we ended up purchasing a lamp, some more accessories and THIS console table for the entry!

we also shopped for a rug for the master bathroom. they have a great selection!

we narrowed it down to these three, and eventually ended up choosing the neutral one on top.

after a successful shopping expedition, we headed to sullivans island to eat the the obsintate daughter. (it was really bustling when we got there, and so i pulled this interior shot from trip advisor.)

the interiors here were fresh and textural and had a strong nautical theme which was perfectly balanced.

i LOVED the wood ceiling, and the light fixtures, which i believe are made of cardboard are so sculptural.

the detail on the railing coming up the stairs to get to the restaurant was just beautiful!

some pretty window boxes in the shop below the restaurant.

the haul from the day:

another things that i love about charleston is that you will find tabby (oyster shell) sidewalks everywhere.

we were so busy that it wasn't until that last day that i finally got to walk around the historic district and take in some of the beauty there! the architecture, gardens, window boxes, courtyards, doors and shutters are total eye candy.

enjoy.

what a simple yet handsome entry!

this gate! so pretty!

i seriously can't even handle the gorgeousness.

i loved the tone on tone effect of the light grey facade and deeper grey shutters on this building.

even in the drizzle, charleston still oozes charm!

our last fabulous meal was at the ordinary:

i didn't get an interior shot. it just slipped my mind. i DID however, get a picture of the gorgeous presentation of my soup!

just as we were leaving, i was finally able to stop by the and take a peek at the beach. the weather was pretty rainy and overcast while i was there...i can't wait to see this beach in the summer when i come back with my family.

have a great monday!

i'm so excited to show you my teenage daughters finished room!!

(all images by sara boulter photography... at least, the pretty ones!)

i have loved being a part of these challenges over the last three rounds. i have finished two other rooms in my house thanks to linda at calling it home and the one room challenge. she has done so much work behind the scenes and does an amazing job of promoting EVERYONE who participates in the challenge. bravo, linda! hundreds of pretty, finished rooms around the country applaud you!

if you are new to my blog, and this room design, you follow along with my progress, here:
week 1
week 2
week 3
week 4
week 5

just a reminder---here is what i started with:

there was nothing really "wrong" with this room, but it definitely didn't feel welcoming or cohesive, and didn't reflect the young lady that olivia has become in the last couple of years. it had just about zero personality, and some of the furniture were cast offs from other rooms. plus, the light fixture in the room stopped working about 8 months ago, and there weren't even any blinds on the windows!

there was no place for her to hang out with her friends, and she had taken over the back wall by pinning some posters on it. instead of fighting her *need to plaster the wall with stuff she likes, we decided to embrace it with a striped wall of cork and chalkboard.

one of the elements of the design that i am most proud about is that i DID NOT PURCHASE ANY NEW furniture for this room makeover! i already had every single item in my house! i actually already had the new light fixture and the swing arm sconce as well, and chose to use them in here instead of where i originally planned them to go.

i have had the vintage chairs and lamps for several years. i fell in love with the chairs when i spotted them at a thrift store about 5 years ago (for $30 each), and snagged the lamps at a consignment store about 3 years ago. (i believe i paid $75 for the pair) i have been meaning to revamp both of them for a while now, and this room makeover was JUST the incentive i needed!

my daughter is less than a week away from turning 16, and she is pretty thrilled with the new look of her room. (happy birthday sweetie!) she was very involved in the design...she chose all of the fabrics and art (with a little preselection by me FIRST, of course), and i worked with her on all of the details of the space.
a few of her loves:
-reading
-stars/constellations
-blue
-guitar + music
-tennis
-the beach
-learning to drive
-sushi, and all things asian
-the obvious teenage girl stuff--boys, her friends, funny you tube videos, instagram, netflix.

enjoy!
(all sources are listed at the end of the post)

the chest was brought up from our foyer, and new hardware was added.

the vintage lamps were rewired and custom shades were made. (check out week 3, and see how i pulled this off.)

new hardware makes all the difference on this white chest.

the new curtains are made from the same fabric as the bedskirt and shams, to keep a calmness and continuity to the room. i usually love mixing tons of different patterns when i design kids rooms, but i wanted her room to feel just a little more grown up.
the bottom and top are banded in a stripe fabric from premier prints. they have blackout lining, so when olivia wants to sleep in, she can!

the pillow was a bit of a splurge, but out of all of the fabrics that i showed olivia for the "front and center bed pillow", this was the ONLY one she loved at first sight. DONE.

the new light fixture, from overstock. i was struggling with wanting something a bit more "WOW", but kept this one due to budget, and i am glad i did.

and now...for THE WALL!

we painted the chalkboard stripes first, and then added the cork. the cork was purchased at a craft store, and came in 4' rolls. we bought 6 rolls for the two stripes. and mounted it with contact cement. yah.
contact cement.
the good?
that cork isn't going anywhere.
the bad? that cork isn't going anywhere.
we figured the walls were going to get damaged with the amount of pinning that is going on here anyway, and when olivia grows up and moves out, we will strip the cork off the wall and repair it.

she LOVES, loves, loves this wall. and so do her friends...she had a few over the other night, and there was a LOT of drawing and giggling going on. exactly what we wanted!
i am looking forward to seeing every single inch of it covered with whatever crazy stuff she wants pin or write on it!