Small Space Closet Ideas

Lately I have seen several creative ways to store clothing if you are short on closet space.

Ideas such as carving out space in an unused nook,

Via Desire to Inspire

building a loft and taking advantage of the space underneath,

Domino

or even using your clothes as a headboard

Design Shimmer

are all clever ways to take advantage of unused space. So if you are a fashion lover you no longer have to suffer due to lack of closet space - just get creative with your storage!

Welcome 2011

Happy New Year, everyone!

I for one am so glad to start a new year. While there were lots of ups last year, there were a few big downs and I am not sorry to see 2010 go.

As usual for this time of year, I am in a major clean up and clean out mood. First up, our pantry. 

Unfortunately, the final result will not be as fabulous as this space.

Emersonmade

But at this point, I am just hoping to be able to open the door without food falling on top of me. 

What are your projects for the new year?

Merry Christmas

House Beautiful

I'll be taking a break over the holidays but wanted to take a quick second to wish you all a very Merry Christmas! Thanks so much for reading my blog and especially for commenting! Enjoy the holidays!

Would you rather

spend Christmas morning here

Kevin Reiner | Country Living

or here?

Country Living

Only 2 more days!

Thoughts?

I saved this image a while ago and I keep coming back to it.

Fitzhugh Karol

I can't decide exactly how I feel about this piece of furniture. Part of me thinks it is genius - tons of storage, love the different finishes and definitely not boring. However, another part of me wonders if I would be over this after living with it for a year or so. Either way, I definitely admire the creativity of its designer, Fitzhugh Karol. If you follow many design blogs you have probably seen his apartment that was featured on The Selby a while back. 

What do you think? Could you live with a statement piece like the sideboard pictured above or is it too much for you?

It's Snowing!

And it is supposed to continue all day.

Riley and I are going to spend the day baking.

House Beautiful

DecorPad

Samantha Farjo 

Unfortunately, our kitchen isn't near as great as these spaces. But I am sure our cookies will still taste good!

Around the House

The auto focus on my camera is not working properly so I apologize for the poor quality of these photos. It seems everything breaks at once around here. Paul asked me what I wanted for Christmas this year and I told him the following would be great:

- Get my IPhone fixed for me (The screen has been busted for months)

- Get my camera fixed for me (Problem mentioned above)

- Get my watch fixed for me (The battery has been dead for months)

If he would do those three things for me I don't think I even need a gift. I hate handling technical stuff like that and I procrastinate forever until I just can't take it anymore! 

So, with the technical difficulties disclaimer, here is a blurry representation of Christmas at our house this year.

We bought a plain Frasier Fir wreath and my mom embellished it with greenery from the yard. She also made the arrangements on either side of the door. 

I found this great mirror recently that looks like a wreath so it is perfect for Christmas.

Here is our little Elf on the Shelf. He is perched on his reindeer watching Riley's behavior and reporting back to Santa!

I wanted more greenery on the mantel but it is too cold to go outside and collect any so the ornaments will have to do for now.

Are you finished decorating yet?

Layered Rugs

I was on the phone with my good friend, Julie, the other day and we were discussing the possibility of using layered rugs in her home. Since I was looking for images to show her anyway, I figured I would just post them here.

Robert Stilin | Elle Decor

It is a great solution if you have a rug you love but it is just not quite big enough for your space. By layering a seagrass or other natural rug underneath, you can get the needed size and still use the preferred rug in the room. It can also be a money saver since large rugs can often be expensive. A large natural rug is usually more budget friendly and then you can splurge on a smaller patterned or textured rug. 

House Beautiful

Unknown

Darryl Carter | Elle Decor

Peter Frank

Thom Filicia

Unknown

Would you rather

be greeted by this tabletop tree 

Martha Stewart

or this one when you walk in the door? 

Elle Decor

Source List

Thank you so much for your kind comments on Riley's bathroom makeover. As I told a reader who emailed me last week, hearing your compliments makes this renovation seem worth all of the headaches we encountered along the way. I meant to get this post up last week but I just kept running out of time! Without further ado, here is the source list for the bathroom.

Paint Color: New Providence Navy by Benjamin Moore

According to some of your comments the wall color appeared green in the photos but it is actually a really beautiful navy. Remember when I said I was in need of navy?

Shower Curtain Fabric: Sudan - Sage | Lewis & Sheron Textile Co.

A reader recently asked for ideas for bathrooms with shower curtains. For this bathroom I decided to have the curtain custom made. I had two pinch-pleated curtain panels made and bought a double curved shower rod from Bed, Bath and Beyond.

When the shower is not in use, the shower liner is hidden behind one of the panels. When the shower is in use, the liner is pulled closed and the curtains are left open.

Mirror: Raleigh Flea Market, Raleigh, NC

When I need a big mirror I plan a trip to the Raleigh Flea Market. I always find what I am looking for and I usually get a great deal. When I bought the mirror it looked like this:

It was 8' long and 4 1/2' wide which made it 1/4" to big to fit the space above the vanity. We used a jigsaw to trim the edges off the frame and now it fits perfectly. I mixed some paint to make a color that was similar to the shower curtain fabric and painted the frame. 

Artwork: 

The print of the little girl in the yellow bathing suit is by Kiki and Polly. The abstract painting is by me :)

Rug: Anthropologie

Owl Hooks: Anthropologie

Lighting:

The rise and fall pendant lights are from CSN Lighting.

It didn't make it in any of the pictures but I also hung this overhead light from Shades of Light in the center of the bathroom.

Vanity:

The vanity is a thrift store find. I found two of these old jewelry display cabinets several months ago from Black Dog Salvage in Roanoke, VA. I turned one of them into a toy chest for Riley's playroom and used the other one for this vanity. I had my contractors build the concrete countertop with an integrated trough sink. 

Sink Faucets: FaucetDirect.Com

Shower Faucet: Signature Hardware

Tile: Fabrique Tile by Dal Tile

Whew! I think that covers everything. If not, leave me a comment and I will do my best to answer it! Thanks again for your kind comments!