Sarah's Apartment: Nursery Reveal

We're still working on a couple finishing touches, but the nursery is finally (almost) done!  Without adding anything "girly," our gender-neutral navy, lime, white, and gold pretty easily transitioned into a space that's clearly made for a little boy.

We've already gotten questions on the rug, which is a nuLOOM gem that we found on Overstock for a great price.  It hardly sheds and seems like it will stand up to a good amount of wear and tear.  I found the glider at Target and the matching ottoman on Overstock (don't know why Target didn't have it). I was nervous about buying a glider that I had never sat on, but the price was so good that I had to go for it.  The baby and I are glad that I did!

I found the mirror at HomeGoods ages ago and love how it adds a masculine touch to the room.  The changing table is our old dresser, which I bought through Chicago's craigslist awhile back for $30. A few coats of paint and it looked like new!  For the nursery, I replaced the original hardware with these great brass pulls.  They were a little tough to find because vintage dressers don't have standard width holes drilled for the pulls, but I was able to find some that worked at Van Dyke's Restorers online.  I also added the Catalina changing table topper from Pottery Barn Kids.

We accessorized the changing table with mostly practical items: a bowl of toys to use while changing, a bowl for diapers, and two boxes that hide different types of wipes.  This way, I have everything I need at my fingertips and it still looks pretty.

I am obsessed with the crib, which was a gift from my parents, because it mixes modern with traditional lines.  It's the Pottery Barn Harper Crib (currently on sale!).  The bedding is also from Pottery Barn Kids, as is the bookshelf.  The crib skirt is consistently mussed because Bruce firmly believes that it is the entrance to his personal cave.

I had the hardest time finding an armoire because WHY are they so expensive?!?  I wanted one that was child-size and well made and apparently that means that I'm supposed to shell out 1200 bucks.  No can do.  So I was delighted when I found this one on Craigslist for $350!  And this is where Gilbert Gottfried becomes involved.  Because, yeah, I bought it from him.  Well, technically I bought it from his wife...but who's counting?  Julie and I were in their house trying to figure out why they had framed pictures of Iago (from Disney's Aladdin) hanging in their hallway when she spotted a family photo and it all became clear...and very strange.

Anyway, the armoire is Pottery Barn, too, and although I would have liked a stained wood look rather than more white, beggars can't be choosers.  I liked that I could customize the curtains, so we took a trip to Mood and found fabric for a boy's and a girl's nursery.  Using Stitch Witchery (we don't sew), we pretty painlessly made two versions.

I love the girl fabric.  Maybe next time...

We've had a lot of fun designing a space that's great for a baby to live and play in, but also a place where grown-ups like to spend time.  Because, let's be honest, all the baby really cares about is his amazing giraffe.

To come: more info on the art we chose for the room!

Plaid in the Kitchen

Our mom has great taste, but we like to make fun of her about the plaid wallpaper we had in our kitchen growing up.  After seeing pictures of this sleek, sophisticated kitchen with...gasp...plaid wallpaper, we think we might have to eat our words:

We love the contrast of the plaid wallpaper with the subway tile, and the use of acrylic ghost chairs to provide seating without taking up visual space.  It's such a fresh, clean look.

Want to recreate this look in your own home?

We'd use this wallpaper:

This table:

These chairs:

This stool:

These tiles:

This lighting over the table:

This rug:

We love this updated take on a classic, traditional pattern.  Once again...mom knows best.

Leopard Print Rug

Did anyone else see Marlien Rentmeester's house tour on Glitter Guide last week?  As the West Coast editor of Lucky magazine and the woman behind one of our favorite fashion blogs, Le Catch, we weren't surprised to find that Marlien's home is truly stunning.

all images via Glitter Guide

We love the easy, eclectic, lived-in feel that her home has.  Perfection.

One image that stood out to us was of Marlien in her guest room:

That rug.  While leopard rugs might seem a little scary, we think they're the perfect, stylish neutral.  We love them so much that we're going with one in Julie's dining room.  The space has needed a neutral rug for a long time, and we think leopard will create visual interest and keep the room fun, while seamlessly blending with the pieces that are already in the space.

We're thinking of going with this rug from Overstock.  At 7' x 11' and under $350, the price can't be beat:

We'll share pictures as soon as the rug arrives.  What about you? Would you ever go with leopard in your own home?
 

E-Design Questions

We've received a few questions regarding various aspects of e-design, the most important being price.  We failed to put this in our original post, but our e-design services are FREE! All we ask is that we can add photos of your space to our portfolio.

Again, we can't wait to work with you! And thank you for all of the support you've shown during our newest design endeavor.  We're really excited!

An Announcement: E-Design

Over the past year we've helped a lot of friends and family with designing spaces in their homes.  Because these people are scattered throughout the country, we've been utilizing e-design boards to help them develop the look they want in each room.  We've helped some of these people add accessories or rework the layout of existing rooms, and for others, we've had the chance to completely start from scratch and create entirely new spaces.

Because of the fun we've had in working with our friends and families, we've decided to offer these e-design services formally through 1201 north.  Our e-design services will now include:

• A preliminary consultation to determine your style and the look you want to achieve in your space
• A design board and layout plan with source list of all items 
• Assistance with placement of items to achieve the finished look
• For those interested, a thorough sweep of your local Craigslist and Furnishly to get the look-for-less  

If you are interested in e-design services, please contact us at 1201north@gmail.com.  We're so excited to work with you!


Here's a sampling of some of our completed e-design projects:

A feminine bedroom in California:

A fresh, coastal family room in DC.  This friend wanted us to accessorize and stage the room using her existing furniture and layout:

A sophisticated girls' nursery in Chicago:

Julie's Living Room: TV Wall Art Gallery (After)

We finally got around to finishing up the TV gallery wall in my (Julie) living room.  As a refresher, here's what this wall looked like before:

I cobbled together some art that we had around the apartment, and now the wall looks like this:

Hanging the pictures was fairly easy.  Sarah and I traced each frame onto newspaper, cut out the shapes, and positioned them on the wall using painters tape until we were happy with the layout. 

We stepped back, admired our work, and realized that my apartment looked like the home of a deranged serial killer.  

I then hammered in the nails while the newspaper was still on the wall.  This ensured that the frames would be correctly spaced once we took the newspaper down and got to hanging.

View from dining room

View from couch

I tried to stick to black, gold, and white frames and white mats.  The picture in the bottom left still needs a new mat, which I'll eventually get around to buying.  Has anyone ever painted a mat before? I picked up this print on the street for $15.  I thought it was original art, but later realized it is a Monet poster...lovely.  I really like the frame and print, but hated the mat (it's not easy to see in the picture, but the mat was a marbled beige color).

I decided to paint the mat since it's a bit of an irregular size and I didn't want to spend the money to have a custom mat cut.  Using a knife, I removed the paper backing, being careful not to damage the mat.

I then lifted the interior prongs with a flathead screwdriver, removed the mat, and got to painting.

I used regular latex paint that I had leftover from another project, but you could easily use acrylic or any other white craft paint.  I'm so happy I took the time to do this-- you really can't tell that it's been painted!

I was worried that this many frames would turn our living room into an art gallery, but I'm happy with how the wall turned out, and I do think the frames help ground the massive TV.

Happy Monday! Stay tuned for an exciting announcement later this week!

Wait, nevermind.

Did we say we were over Craigslist? Well...we lied.  Furnishly was like the mysterious new guy in your English class who momentarily distracts you from your boyfriend.  Until you realize that your boyfriend is the best.

Okay I don't know where I was going with that, but the point is I (Julie) just picked up this amazing sofa off Craigslist for a STEAL.  We're talking a $4000 sofa for less than $1000 kind of steal.  Forreal.

I don't know if it was the batting of my eyelashes or that I schlepped to their house in a monsoon to see it or the crazy ass Jedi mind trick I played on them, but this beauty will be in my living room come Saturday.  Did I mention that it is crazy comfortable, in perfect condition, and deep enough for my very large husband? This might be the most epic. Craigslist. find. ever.

For those wondering, the sofa is the Presidio Sofa from Williams-Sonoma with their luxe velvet upholstery in Espresso.  Once we get it into our apartment (there is a UHaul involved in this operation...yikes) I'll post some non-Craigslist pictures.

In the meantime, we'll leave you with a little espresso velvet eye candy:

all images via DecorPad

 Roses are red. Violets are blue. Craigslist, we still REALLY love you.