We still have it and I am planning on handing it down to one of the kids one day. It was no longer working with two young kids and two dogs. So here is what our dining room looked like before I changed out the rug (oh and look at precious baby Luke). This is another example of making a small change that really does go a long way without breaking the bank.

Before:

Here is a design board for our dining room layout. I tried finding items that looked similar to what we have in our dining room and links of what were available:)

I hope this continues to inspire you in your own home I loved doing a simple change in here that made such a big impact.

Black Candlelabra|Cordless Table Lamp|Wingback Chair|Faux Stone Hourglass table|Framed american flag|Sideboard|Rug|Rattan accent chair|Vintage Artwork|Floor Lamp|Seagrass Foot Stool|Faux plant|White Vase|Small white vase|Gray tufted dining room chair|Faux leather stool|Rug|

I am going to walk you through some before and after photos of the space and then I share all of the bedding with you that I purchased that is great quality and at a great price point.

Just a reminder of where we began up here and what it looked like when Andy first began:

Here is where we are today!

I cannot believe the transformation and how well it looks with the built in beds. It is amazing what one picture of inspiration can turn into:) All of the bedding is from Target and Walmart. I have provided everything I used for this below for you to reference because I want you to know that you CAN make a bed look great without breaking the bank.

Plaid Pillowcase| Knit Throw Blanket| Lumbar Pillow| Reversible Cotton Stripe Quilt| Artic White Sheets| Velvet Pillow Cover| Pillow Inserts|

One thing I want to mention is that you don’t have to get new items each season to make your home feel like it got a refresh. You can simply buy an inexpensive house plant and it can have just as powerful of an effect or even swapping out a pillow for your couch from another room. My go to places for any interior refresh if I do feel I need a new item to add are Amazon and Target. They always seem to have the best options. All of these items are reasonable and I think they are so pretty to add to any space.

I feel like every time we come back from a vacation I am more and more inspired to add in some elements of where we go to our home. In this case we were just in the Alexandria, VA and North Carolina area and I noticed the simplicity of small touches such as a magnolia wreath on a front door as I walked by, and then I loved the dinner bells I saw in some of the restaurants that we ate at. Often times little touches like this go a long way. I love this round up because everything is quite reasonable as well:)

Some of these I have already purchased and some are on my Wishlist:

Faux Olive Tree|Cloud Canvas Art|Cherry Blossom Branches|Dinner Bell|Olive Wreaths|Crochet Textured Pillow| Upholstered Cube|Linen Accent Chair|Grass Basket|Go For It Art|Green Throw Blanket|Plaid Pillow|

Sofia loves the color green and has so many books in her room that needed somewhere to be displayed. She has a pretty neutral pallet in her room with all the white funiture and off white headboard. (Girl after my own heart). What I really like about having a neutral base to work off of in a room is that is makes adding in color SO much easier because they don’t compete with each other. The first thing I did was create a design board of some of the existing pieces she already has in her room so I could make sure everything would flow well and look nice with her furniture and wall color which is a fun blue color. This is the same process I always do when I work with any of my interior design clients as well.

Storage Bench|Area Rug|Circular Faux White Rug|Bookshelf|Basket|Mirror|Light green throw pillow|String Lights|

After I narrowed down a few rugs and bookshelf wall mount options that I thought fit her taste I showed her the options. Keep in mind we did this little room revamp for under $250.00 which was what the goal was. Below is the design board that I created for her room and the links to some of the things she has in her room and loves. I think often times when people think about changing up a space or making the look and feel of a room look really different they imagine that it would have to cost a significant amount. I bought a pillow, rug, and bookshelf for Sofia for a little over $200.00. Adding a simple element to a room such as a rug, new light, paint color, or a new piece of art really enhances the look and feel of the room and you don’t have to spend thousands of dollars to make minor tweaks and changes.

Sofia absolutely LOVES the way her room came out and so do I. It is amazing how well this rug ties everything in with the room. It pulls the color from the current wall color as well as incorporates her favorite color, green. I also love these candid shots of both of them together. She is such a patient sister who lets her crazy 1 year old brother come in and explore her room whenever he wants.

When we first moved into our home almost three years ago (which is insane by the way…time is FLYING) Here is what the deck looked like when we first moved in. What I want you to remember is that the beauty of designing any space is in the way it evolves over time. Our outdoor patio/deck has certainly evolved over the years so let’s take a look back down memory lane of what it looked like when we first moved in.

Often times I always recommend to anyone I work with that even though it is SO incredibly tempting to want to buy so many furniture pieces for your home and space right away don’t trust me you will end up buying a chair or side table you thought you loved in the moment & then regret it after a couple months. The key is living in your space for a little while to see what you really think you will use regularly and most importantly remembering and keeping track of how you live in the space. Do you need a basket to take your shoes off? Do you have an area for all of the sunscreen? Or what about the beach towels? These are the type of things that will help keep you on the right path when configuring furniture whether it is for indoor or outdoor use.

This was what our deck looked like back in 2018 when we first moved in!

Below are some photos of how our back deck and patio have evolved since then. We upgraded to new patio furniture from Target last year and I LOVE the sectional set, table umbrella, and café chairs that we selected. Having a larger sectional now allows for a lot more seating options and the cushions are a lot more substantial as well.

I absolutely love the way the furniture works with the way we entertain and like to live out here. Andy really wanted to have somewhere to eat outside comfortably so when I saw this table I knew it would be perfect for family dinners and hosting.

As much as I LOVED the way the layout and the furniture came out I realized that I wanted a little more privacy for all of us because our deck does sit high up and overlooks our neighbors yard. Below I have listed materials and tips and tricks we used to achieve this look!

Materials used to build the partition/privacy fence:

• We purchased eight 12 foot pressure treated shiplap boards at Home Depot that already came white washed when we purchased them. Andy then adhered them to the deck by using 2×4’s, and extra log zip ties
• (4) pressure treated 2×4’s or however many you think your deck will need we used two to brace the middle section and then one on each end
• White nails
• As I mentioned above we used extra long zip ties to attach the 2×4’s to the decking that already exists. You can get these at Home Depot get the largest ones you can find
• I would say the total all in cost for this was around $200

Some tips and tricks we learned from this DIY project:

• We built this privacy fence in two sections. It was easier to carry and handle up our stairs and easier to install and lift up the deck this way. Andy cut the 12 foot boards into 8 foot boards and then adhered them to the 2×4’s
• You are going to want to cut the 2×4’s so the boards start just above the railing or banister that you are starting from. This was you can gauge how high you want the fence to be for privacy
• When using the extra long zip ties make sure you use quite a few in different areas to really make sure that this is adhered to your existing deck or structure. You want to make sure it withstands any weather elements and also that it is secure enough so it does not fall over
• Make sure the wood that you purchase is pressure treated so you don’t have to worry about any rotting

THE BEFORE:

THE AFTER: TADA & here we are today. This space has truly evolved and I LOVE the way it looks and has turned out. The possibilities are endless and you really do not have to spend a lot of money in order to do so.

I hope this inspires you in your outdoor space and to remember that each space always starts somewhere and will evolve gradually overtime.

Next week I will be providing sourcing for some of my favorite patio and outdoor space essentials as well as what to spend more money on and invest in and where you can save!

Okay so like all of you I have been in our home more than ever which I am sure you can also relate to. I also work from home so day in and day out I am moving in between different rooms and finally one day I walked into her teen room/play room and I said to myself this room doesn’t feel like right so I quickly went into my interior design mind set. This was another room I had been meaning to get to after we moved in but instead it just turned into a catch all space. It seemed unfinished and not as welcoming as I wanted.

Step One: Clear the clutter get rid of items or old memorabilia that is no longer be used. That way you can actually see what the space looks like that you have to work with. In this case I took out Sofia’s teepee and some of her school work we had displayed and put it in her school accomplishment binder which is great to have because it keeps all of her important school items contained as one:) I talked through some of the things she wanted to keep and what she was okay saving for another day. If you completely would like to not keep the item selling on Facebook marketplace has always been a good luck charm for me.

Just to give you an idea of the before we had in this room this is what I was working with. It was kind of just a thrown together assortment of artwork and had no rhyme or reason. Keep in mind right now everything is decorated for Halloween as well:)

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Step two: Use what you have around your home. As you can see I used the white floating shelves that were already on this wall as well as the three tiered bookshelf and bulletin board. I LOVE floating shelves because you can switch out the décor on them as often as you want. I picked up a few of these frames from Target and I also picked up the this mirror below as well. I still have to fill the frames with some photos but for now they are better than before. I displayed some of Sofia’s favorite books on the shelf too that are some of her favs. This wooden side table was also a new addition because it was the perfect size for next to this blue chair. I love the wooden texture on it as well as the white wash of the wood color.

I spray painted this console black and I am SO happy I did! I LOVE the Rustoleum brand because it goes on so easy and dries so quickly. The woven baskets I found at Homegoods. I loved the detailing on them and the fact that they can store all of the games we have it is perfect! I simplified the storage and organization in these bins and on the shelves so everything is MUCH more accessible.

As you can see it has definitely evolved over time and I love the way it turned out. Sofia and Andy have even told me they love spending time in here now and think it is really cozy. Simplifying and purging this room made SUCH a huge difference;) I hope this inspires you to tackle one of the rooms in your home!

Items I used to style this room:

Moroccan Style Rug

ZZ Plant

Floating Shelves

Wooden Frames

Gold Lamp

String Lights