The little things

Slowly but surely the fiance and I are turning our rented townhouse into a home. And even though there's still a lot to do, we took care of a few, mostly small, projects.

After revamping the fiance's nightstand, adding doors to our bookcases, bringing in rugs to the office, adorning the coffee table with my DIY tray and hanging curtains in the master bedroom, I'm convinced design really is in the details. Changing color, adding a graphic pattern and hiding clutter are small and cheap ways to take a room to the next level.

Nightstand: Nothing a little wood filler and new paint color couldn't fix.

Bookcases: Adding doors provides an organized look, taking away from the clutter of the DVDs and CDs and shifting the focus to the upper shelves.

Office: A little graphic goodness goes a long way.

Coffee table: A pop of color is just what the white surface needed.

Bedroom curtains: Finishing touch frames the pretty window.

Five for Friday

It looks like our plans to go camping are literally getting rained out, so a weekend at the townhouse is in store. And that probably is a good thing since there's plenty to be done around these parts.

1. Makeover rut: I had big plans for the office-slash-guest bedroom when we moved in, but progress on the multipurpose space has been halted. Too many ideas and an unclear design vision has led to inactivity. 

Five months later, only the desk and bookcase are assembled. The pictures sit on the floor waiting to be hung; the shelves aren't properly styled and there aren't curtains or a window-seat cushion. To make matters worse, the room has turned into a landing place for miscellaneous items. 

My expectations for designing the space were probably too high, and now I'm afraid the end result will fall short of what I wanted initially. But it's to the point where the room is starting to bum me out. Not conducive to a job that calls for creativity. Outside of my bedroom, it's where I spend the most time. So I'd like the space to be pretty, organized, inspirational, fresh, functional and clean. And most of all, a reflection of me.

After seeing this before and after, it's the push I need to give the makeover another shot. The first step is to clear everything, minus the desk and bookcase, out of the room this weekend.

Do you have any tips or tricks to break through a creative block?

2. Destination: Forever: The fiance and I are throwing around the idea of an international wedding. We have a place in mind, but more research will be done this weekend to make sure it's the right decision for us.

3. Write away: The goal is to put the finishing touches on a few upcoming blog posts. Stay tuned. Have I mentioned how good it is to write again?!

4. Seeing stars: It's been forever since the two of us have seen a movie in the theater. We've been Red-Boxin' it lately. Angelina Jolie's spy thriller "Salt," which has been on my radar for months, and the hyped-up, mind-bending trip "Inception" are worthy candidates to end the drought.

5. The perfect storm?: As mentioned above, thunderstorms are in the forecast, setting the stage for some cool photo opportunities. 

What are your plans or goals for the weekend?

[Source]

May flowers ...

Bring a sneak peek into the progress of the townhouse decorating venture. 

 

I chose these lovely flowers at the grocery store for the mason jars I got last Saturday. Please pardon the paper towel holder. Glamorous, I know.

 

Pink, yellow and white are really inspiring me right now, so I divided up two bundles for the four jars, and you have "custom" arrangements for only $9.

As I was trying to find places for the blooms around the house, I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to update you on the progress of the townhouse design. I couldn't very well let the sight of these pretties go to waste.

Please remember this is totally a work in progress. I'm not sure any space is ever truly finished. But ours still has a long way to go. But for now .... glimpses of the living room and master bedroom.

Living room

Master bedroom

Any thoughts and suggestions would be much appreciated!