Beach Villa Makeover: Dining Area

It's no secret that I love coastal decor. Although I live in the Midwest, I decorate with turquoise and white (and pink, of course!). I've got sea glass and driftwood scattered around my home, but I try not to go overboard with the coastal thing, since I don't live anywhere near an ocean.

When I go on vacation, I love to stay in rental homes that are decked out in all their coastal glory.

So, I was a bit disappointed that the dining room in our new beach villa came furnished like this...

Just like the family room I showed you in the last post, this room was too dark and formal for my taste.

Next to the dining table is a bar area overlooking the kitchen. Well, sort of overlooking the kitchen if you peek through the opening below the upper cabinets.

Although the furniture doesn't match my style, it is good quality. And, new furniture was not in the budget. So I had to work with it.


The plan to improve this area of the villa included:

• removing all the dark artwork and accessories
• painting the walls
• recovering the chair seats
• removing the kitchen cabinets that were obstructing the view to the dining area

Things didn't quite get finished by the time we left, but I did take some progress photos.

I moved the table so the chandelier was centered. The walls were painted Benjamin Moore "Linen White." I added some coastal wall decor from HomeGoods.

The one project I didn't complete was recovering the chair seats. I purchased this indoor/outdoor fabric for the seats…

Thankfully, my aunt and uncle are going down to Hilton Head next week and are going to do the seats for me. Yay!

I did manage to recover the barstool seats...

And I added a few coastal accessories to this nook at the end of the bar…

But, by far the biggest difference in this space is how much lighter and brighter it is without the cabinets hanging over the bar.

It may not be my dream coastal dining room, but it's one step closer. 

If you're interested in renting our home away from home, shoot me an email at sweetchaoshome@gmail.com.

Thanks, friends!! Have a terrific weekend!

Eclectic Powder Room Before & After

Last night I went out to dinner with a friend, and she told me she was waiting for my next blog post, and I had better get on it. So, Christine… this one's for you.

Whenever I've been absent from my blog for a while, I figure the least I should do is show back up with a "before and after."

Therefore, may I present our newly refreshed powder room?


Here is how it began: basic, brown, boring...

You know how one thing leads to another? Well, I replaced the basic builder wall mirror with this cute cottage-y green mirror I picked up at Marshall's...

And before I knew it, I was replacing the beige toilet and countertop, painting the walls, and adding new accessories.

Pink walls… I know, I know… I tried to pick a different color, but what other color goes as well with a minty green mirror? It had to be done.

This powder room is right off our side entry (aka Grand Central Station), so lot of kids are using the facility. I wanted it to be colorful and whimsical.

I tried to use accessories that I already had, like the wall planter that I spray painted turquoise and filled with extra hand towels.

And, I moved this mirror in from another room. Because, duh, you can't have too many mirrors in a room, even a tiny powder room. I'm pretty sure I read that somewhere.

The glass bottles, ginger jar and art I already had on hand. The towel hook is from World Market, and the towel is from Target.

I absolutely love my new art print from Britt Bass Turner. I'm sure she always dreamed of having her art grace the walls above someone's toilet.

And, as much as I dreamed of finding a vintage kilim rug for this space, finding a 2' x 3' in pretty colors in a decent price range is practically impossible. Luckily, Urban Outfitters makes this perfect knock-off.

I'm really digging the eclectic, boho vibe of my little powder room. Small spaces like this are the perfect place to experiment with a different look.

If you've got a basic, brown, boring box of a room, why not step out of your comfort zone and shake things up a bit?



Sharing at The Sunday Showcase

The Look for Less

I recently completed this design board for a client...

She is a physician and busy mother of two boys, and she wanted to update her dining room with paint and accessories to make it a "sanctuary from the chaos."

Well, you know I can relate to that!

Using her drapes as a jumping off point, I set out to create a soothing room with a neutral palette and a mix of shiny and rustic objects.

Since everyone likes to save money, I try to offer the "look for less" option whenever possible. With this particular project, my client could choose to go high or low on a couple of the pieces.


First up is the fabric for the dining chairs. Option 1 was this beautiful Kravet fabric...

The colors were perfect, and it has wonderful texture. But, we have 8 chair seats to recover, and at $69/yd, it's a bit pricey.



Enter Option 2…

This fabric offers a very close colorway, and a similar pattern despite being a bit busier. However, this fabric was available on ebay for a steal…. $8.98/yd.

My client actually preferred the look of Option 2, so it was a no brainer to save the money!



Next up… the chandelier! In this case, we had three options -- high, mid, or low. Option 1 was the high-end beaded glass trim chandelier from Shades of Light. Price: $1,050 ….

Option 2 was the Pennington chandelier from Wayfair. Price: $399 ...

Option 3 was the Hampton Bay Estelle chandelier from Home Depot. Price: $169 …

We are going with Option 2, because my client liked the extra crystals at the bottom. I think she made a great choice, and I can't wait to see it in the room. I'll do a before and after post on this project when it's complete, so you can see how it all comes together.



If you've been eyeing an expensive fabric or light fixture, but can't bring yourself to fork over the cash, do not despair. Somewhere there is a look for less, and with a little research, you can find it. Heck, you might even like it better than the original!

Decorating in the New Year: One Wall at a Time

Happy New Year, friends! I hope you enjoyed the holidays with your loved ones. We had family in town for Christmas, and spent the following week on Hilton Head Island (aka: my happy place). It was so great to be at the beach, riding bikes, playing tennis and frisbee, watching the dolphins, and enjoying quality time with my boys.

I can't believe that just a few short days ago, my view looked like this…

And today it looks like this…

Brrr! Winter is upon us, and the kids had their first school delay this morning. Here we go again… :)


I've spent the past couple of days packing up all of our Christmas decorations. I don't know about you, but every time I put away the Christmas things, I get the urge to start rearranging the house!


So, I started messing with this corner of the family room…

I removed the art with the heavy wood frame, and replaced it with these botanicals …

I also hung a painting on the paneled wall using 3M Command strip hooks so as not to leave any holes in the wood.

Ten years ago, we spent a summer on Bainbridge Island, WA. I brought home this framed print from a local artist as a reminder of our time there. It's been in an upstairs hallway, but I like the color it brings to this room. And, it breaks up the expanse of dark wood.

I bought the botanicals from Karen Robertson at the High Point Market this Fall.

Karen's work is beautiful. The ferns are actually decoupaged onto glass plates and finished with a hand-painted gold trim.

These are just a couple of small changes I've made lately, but a big change is on the way.

I've started getting quotes on a kitchen remodel. There will be lots of planning and decisions to be made, finishes to select, etc. If you care to follow the progress, I will be posting every step of the way. I'd love to have you along for the ride :)

Thanks for visiting! Cheers to a happy, healthy, peaceful and fabulously decorated New Year!!


Sharing at Wow Us Wednesdays

An Update that was Worth the Wait

A couple of years ago, I completed my living room makeover. But, there was one area I hoped to eventually improve…

I loved the audubon prints and blue and white vases, but the mirror and storage cubes were only used because they fit my budget at the time. I already had the mirror, and the storage cubes were a Target bargain. But, I always envisioned replacing them with something better.



Well, today I finally have it the way I hoped it would be...

I found the chinoiserie bamboo mirror this past summer at an antique mall in Tennessee. It was a total score at $80! I've seen similar going for upwards of $900.


The Target cubes got a facelift with new upholstery.

The geometric fabric was left over from my dining room chairs, and I chose a turquoise velvet fabric for the lids. I also had my upholsterer put better nailhead trim along the edge. The original nailheads were pretty cheap looking.

I'm so happy with the way this little vignette turned out.

I'd say it was worth the wait!



Sharing at Inspire Me Monday, Winter Blues Wednesday, Feathered Nest Friday, Thrifty Decor Chick's Before & After Party

Finishing Details and A New Favorite Etsy Shop

It's the little things that bring the most joy.


Case in point: the small side entry in my house...

I have been loving the new shiplap walls and lighter paint color. But, I recently added a couple of finishing details.

Did you notice them? I installed a bamboo shade, which was super easy to do. I like the texture (and privacy) it offers.

And I added this adorable new pillow from HERE. You know how I love a pop of pink!


I usually ignore the emails from Etsy suggesting products I might like. However, in one such e-mail a pillow caught my eye, and when I visited the etsy shop, I saw that it was owned by a gal in my town.


Got to support the local folk… especially when they're making beautiful stuff!!

I mean, check out her work…

She also makes adorable Christmas stockings and these wine gift bags...

She has lots of different style pillows from cottage to modern industrial to boho chic. I just thought they were all so adorable, I had to share them with you.


If you have any favorite etsy shops, I'd love to hear about them! Have a great Hump Day!!

High Point Market Fall 2014

Last week was Fall break for my kiddos. Two of my sons were spending the long weekend on a class trip and a scout camp out. So, I let my husband have some quality father/son time with the two younger boys, and this mama headed to the market!

High Point Market, that is.

Or, as I like to refer to it… "Disneyland for Designers."

If you aren't familiar with High Point Market, it is the largest furnishings trade show in the world, featuring 11.5 million square feet of showspace. That doesn't sound a bit overwhelming, does it?

I've been trying to get to market for a couple of years, but the timing always interferes with our Spring break and our Fall break. So I was beyond excited that I could make it work this Fall!

I had just three days to take in as much of the market as possible. I stayed with my dear friend, Amy Hale, who is a designer in Cary, NC. Every morning we got up early and made the hour drive to High Point to shop until we dropped (literally!).

We had a list of showrooms that we wanted to be sure to see, and also left ourselves time to explore  and discover new places. I felt like a kid in a candy store!

Here is a little snapshot of the eye candy...

Mr. Brown

Mr. Brown

Bobo Intriguing Objects

World's Away

World's Away

Karen Robertson Collection

Dunes and Duchess

Ro Sham Beaux

Lillian August

Lillian August

Lillian August

Lillian August

Chelsea House

Blue Ocean Traders

I'm officially addicted to High Point, and hope to return for the Spring market. I've got more photos and stories to share, so stay tuned.

If you need any of this yumminess in your own home, contact me. I'd love to help you design your dream space!