BEFORE AND AFTER

Yo.....how was your weekend?  Rainy here in Atlanta and I pretty much worked most of it.  I have a guest bedroom install next Monday so I hit up 5....yes 5 HomeGoods looking for loot.  This is a long time client and I have done their whole house so I'm gonna pull this one together on the fly:)

I must have 20 pillows in my car because I keep changing the plan......crikey.

Think blue and white because it is always easy to find good stuff in those colors!

Scored this one to start the plan!

I have a lot to do before I leave on the big trip....8 days until checkin....

Finishing up a project for another long time client.  We are adding some new lighting and a few architectural elements to the fireplace and the powder bath.

This is what the small keeping area off the kitchen  looked like 5 years ago on my first visit.

And this was the after....

These Lee Industries chair and 1/2 are the most sat in chairs in the whole house!

But it was time for a change....the mantel was always too small and she wanted to change the gray surround.

I talked her into keeping the gray and working with it!

I had my contractor build a new mantel and stain it gray!

Then we built it out with shiplap and trim covering the raw edges of the tile and he had these brackets which gave it a little more presence.

He did a great job matching the gray!

And here she is all painted and looking so much better!

Now to put it back together with a new rug....pillows....and recovered chairs.

And a new FP screen....

To give it a little more modern look!

That's all I got for you.....

I have a photoshoot today and yesterday I got home at 8:00 pm after shopping for a few accessories...flowers and such.  I wish I could have hired a stylist because then I could just hang and have fun.....but I kept thinking I could pull this off.

At this point I'm thinking poor planning on my part:(  When am I going to start listening to that little voice of reason that tries to but into my inner conversations?

Oh yeah.....I finally bought a new computer and when I went into the Apple store I was sure I was going to get another Macbook Air but the guy looked at me and said.....aren't you tired of driving that Taurus.....are you ready for a Maserati now?

Huh?

Well I guess so if you put it that way...haha.

The point is..... I took it home [because I didn't want to wait around at the Apple store] and migrated it myself.  Now I'm no "techie"....so I am here to say it was that easy.  Do not pay for someone to do that!


Shayfrazzled  

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Where is the faith baby?????

Cutting right to the chase today...no small talk.

Got one of those panicked text's this morning about that FP mantel and surround going in over at my clients house....."Yikes....I don't know.....not sure......please come see...before we proceed"

Now as a designer, you kind of get just a little sick when you get one of those.  Maybe a little "baby vomit" in your mouth, because you told them it would be spectacular.....you jumped up and down and sold it to them like Adam was selling that apple to EVE.

Oh my gosh....cancel all appointments.....clear schedule  Go now.

Breath.  Simmer.  It's all good.  Trust your instincts.  It is going to be great.....keep repeating all of this over and over again.

Proceed to planned appointment.

Look what I would have missed.

The closet.  And these.

in person...in the flesh.

Whoa mamasita.....

I got so excited over the closet and the shoes....it was like I was 10 again and got a new Barbie outfit.

Could you die?????

Rows and rows of gorgeousness...I wanted to play dress up.

I am sure she would have thought they just released me for the day if I had asked her to leave the room so I could fondle.

Asking to take the pictures was probably a tiny stretch but I could not help myself.

I wanted to line them up like little soldiers.  Mommy.....

OK...back to the "design crisis"

I pulled up....she met me at the door...... we rounded the corner and I sighed. 

 Whew, it looked great. 

But...in her defense the wall color was not helping, nor the color of the brick....not to mention the orange floors....all to be changed.  But I loved it.  And besides, I have the vision.... said like Earnest Angley out loud doing a healing.

The mantel is up.  They are making the corbels.....and yes, the brick is pink.

BAM...take that hoola hoop!

I am so proud of myself.  Goal was..... 3 post this week.  Did it.  Clothes have been in the washing machine since yesterday....more in the dryer looking like crumbled newspaper I am sure.  No food in the fridge.  House looks like a tornado ripped through the place.

But hey I am talking priorities here.

Have a smoking weekend.

Sheriky  Freaky

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New Project

Thanks for the Florida love :)  It was great hearing how many people are familiar with that area....and hopefully after all my ranting...some of you might even check it out!

Here we go again with some renovating.  This house was built in the eighty's and you will see why it needs updating.

First up is the family room and what we are doing for the FP surround.

Inspiration....

Yeah....I know...pretty big shoes to fill.  I showed her 4-5 pictures and then just threw this one in.  BAM...she loved it!!!

Great.  Now I have to source it.  Where to start.  Google.

And can I say that Google did not disappoint?  Seriously, I stumbled upon Atlanta Speciality Woods.  Yep....a mere 25 minutes from my house.

It was the motherload!

This is Christian, the owner.  Cute.

And here are some pictures of what he hoards!

Big old beams....you can't hide this stuff under a bed.  This the Titanic of hoarding.......

We picked a real pretty one for the mantel.

3" reclaimed boards.....picked some of these also.

Picture from the web site of some reclaimed beams.....want.

Here is Chris hard at work making notes about our order.

If you need old wood.....this is the place!

So here is a picture of what we are starting with.

What do you think?  Of course ours will not be quite as massive.  To scale people.

The room....We have paint coming, floors being stained darker.  Those weird cabinets to the left are gone.  Think we should keep the fan?  Nah...it is gone baby!

Oh yeah...here is the kitchen.

Are your eyes burning????  That island made me have nightmares.  And the way they did the tile around it.  Did anyone have taste in the 80"s?????

This calls for some serious makeover magic.  And some greenback, benjamin, cha ching, moola, a real THROW DOWN!

My favorite kind of project.

Let the games begin.....stay tuned.

February 1st!  Spring is close.

First sign...Trader Joes!

Sherika

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