The other day I learned H&M has a home department.. SAY WHAT?! How did I not know this already…?? And of course it’s so chic and affordable. I love the brown, gold, and grey color scheme present throughout the home line. Be careful though, because some items are truly miniature size- but still so cool. Here are a few of my favorites! Click on the images to see the web link for each item.
Enjoy! And happy shopping!
I’ve always had an appreciation for pottery because 1)it’s not the easiest skill to master, and 2)the masters make beautiful art. I stumbled across Suite One Studio on my Instagram search one day- it was love at first sight! This pottery is made from high quality porcelain, designed so simple and elegant, and unique. One day I will own a piece of her work. For now, I enjoy keeping up with them on their Instagram to see their newest designs and behind-the-scenes photos from their North Carolina studio.
I love to see the imperfection in handmade art and the live edge and imperfect shape of their pieces do just that.
The owner and designer, Lindsay, is inspired by watercolor paintings when creating her own custom color glazes. The paint on the pieces is loosely applied or simple. The colors vary from bold to subtle hues, with gold rim accents.
My favorites are of course the blue ones! It’s the perfect navy. And it looks so rich with the added contrast of the gold.
If I do say so, I don’t think it’d be possible for food to look ugly on these pieces. It’s always great to have a few statement serving pieces for small, special gatherings.
Are you just as in love as I am? Click here to travel over to their website to shop online and see what they’re all about! Happy Friday!
(That one time at band camp..) That one time I started a DIY project that turned into a 4 day disaster… Several weeks ago, I went to Home Goods/TJMaxx hunting nightstands to paint. The first one was easy: no paint involved. The second one matched the design of the first, but needed paint. I had grey chalk paint at home: problem solved. Thennnn I thought… mmm I don’t want the matte finish of the chalk paint so I’ll get that clear polycrylic I used over it one time, to add a little sheen. I didn’t take a before picture because I didn’t think it would turn into such a huge ordeal. Now… I really wish I had one. 
The finished product turned out nicely but below you can see what it took to get it there… plus 100 hours (literally).
I almost didn’t blog about this experience.. because it was THAT bad. I’ve painted a lot of furniture but never have I had such an obstacle! Apparently the ONLY wood finish you can’t use a polycrylic on is red mahogany wood. Never in a million years would I have known that. You would also think chalk paint would seal it all in. Not quite! First coat of paint then poly, a pink tint emerges. I painted it again thinking I didn’t get a good first coat. Pink happens again after the 2nd coat of paint and poly. I thought I was crazy and painted it again. This time I tested a spot to figure out what was causing this pink substance to emerge on the surface- because you could scratch it off. But 4 days, 4 coats of paint, 3 coats of polycrylic, reading the can label, a little research, and a coat of shellac (which actually seals it all in) towards the end of all that- I now know that you don’t use polycrylic on red mahogany. And who would have ever thought TJMaxx sold red mahogany furniture?? Then I thought back, and it did look like red mahogany wood… in a way. For future DIY’ers: use a shellac first, then chalk paint, then polycrylic!
Now it works and it makes me happy. But there’s still a little tension there…
I’ve been needing a bedskirt for quite some time now. A few months back, I searched Pinterest for “no-sew” options that I could do myself. I found one made from a canvas drop cloth that I really liked. I wasn’t sure if it was my solution but then once I found my new euro pillows and the hide, the drop cloth was a winner! I finally tackled it this week and it looks SO great. I’m really proud how it turned out. 
Doesn’t it look great!? It was so easy AND cheap. A whopping $13- may break the bank. So what do you need and how do you do it? Grab your tape measure and scissors and let me show you!
Measure along your mattress or bed frame to determine your widths. Add about 2 inches for side folds, and 6-8 inches for the center pleat. Then measure from the floor to the top of your box spring for your height. Add 2-3 inches so you have extra to tuck in between the box spring and mattress. You’ll also need 8-10″ wide strips for the corners. The great thing about using a drop cloth, the outer edges are hemmed! You make your cuts so that the hem line is the bottom hem for your bedskirt and your cuts don’t have to be perfect because you won’t ever see it. You’ll fold and iron the vertical edges of each piece.
Use a tape measure and a pen to make multiple marks on the back side of the drop cloth, for the height measurement and the width. You will cut from mark to mark.
Once you cut the 3 sides, iron each one to loose the creases from it being folded in the packaging. From the back side fold in the vertical edges to create a clean line, and iron the edge to make it stay.
Corner Pieces
To create the center pleats, stretch each piece out along side the tape measure to reference your length so you don’t make it too short. Find the middle of the piece and fold the fabric back on itself 2-4 inches in each direction. Make sure the 2 folds line up touching because they will separate out once they are hanging. Iron the folds at one time to make sure you have the same line on each fold. Repeat for the other sides.
Center Pleat
To fasten the bedskirt to the box spring, use the twist pins. Lay the corner pieces first, then the sides. You simply lay the fabric on top of the box spring and twist the pin into the fabric until the plastic is flush with the fabric.
And then you’re done! The drop cloth is pretty sturdy and the creases will stay in place. After ironing it, you have to be careful not to create wrinkles. There’s a few places I need to touch up with extra twist pins.
I have a full mattress. I was able to use a 6×9 drop cloth. My measurements for my sides were 76″ wide for the sides and 51″ wide for the foot. I made the sides 82″ and the foot 60″. My box spring was 25″ high and I cut at 26″ because I knew once I ironed it, I would gain a little length. You can customize yours by glueing a ribbon to the bottom or by bleaching the canvas first to lighten the color. Good luck!
When you rent a house, there’s a few cosmetic changes you can make to revamp your spaces. New kitchen knobs are a great way to add flare and update your space, without spending a ton of money that will be lost. These black knobs in my house have bugged me since the day I moved in. It’s like the 70’s… EW. Design takes over my mind 24/7 and the other day I thought, “If I bought this house, what would I change first?” THE KITCHEN KNOBS! So Rachel (my roommate) and I decided it would be good to keep an eye out for cute yet affordable knobs.
Last night at Home Goods, we found THE perfect one!
Don’t you love it?! We do!! So fun and chic. What a huge difference knobs alone can make! The best part, we got them all for only $50. Make sure if you’re renting that you keep the original knobs/screws together in a bag. When you move out, you can put them back on and take yours with you. You may repurpose the ones you bought in a future laundry room, bathroom, or DIY projects!
I saw this sofa on my Instagram this morning and it made me think… If I could have this sofa, how would I style the room? So then my wheels started turning and I knew just what I’d do. With a little spring weather in the air and summer colors for inspiration, I went to town!
Below is everything that resonated with the vision in my head this morning- now tomorrow, it could have been a totally different outcome. This sofa screams for pattern, mix-matched pillows, and bold pops of color. I’d use black art above the sofa and layered rugs to anchor the room. The brown cocktail table adds mid-century flare and a contrast against the black rugs, while warming up the room. Every room needs a touch of gold and lacquer- the white lacquer bar chest and gold bamboo end table check those off the list. I personally love leather chairs. So a pair of white or grey leather chairs would suit me. To add a variety of texture I pulled a hide rug, faux fur stool, a woven basket, a glass ball for the table, and a woven wall tapestry. I see the entertainment console being a cool vintage wooden piece. Add a mirror and more art dependent on your space, some great coffee table books and this room is ready to G.O.!
Interested in any of these for your home? Simply click on the image to see the link to their site. Happy Saturday!
Today, Domaine featured 8 living room makeovers. I love a dramatic room makeover that makes you do a double-take. I look to renovations and makeovers for inspiration because sometimes they are the hardest work. And usually, the hardest work involves the most thought and unique creativity. As designers, we are inspired by certain elements of what we see in a space. The reason for needing inspiration: we turn those elements into something else, that we probably wouldn’t have developed as quickly on our own.
Look how drastically different this room feels. I have a special place in my heart for making small spaces functional and beautiful. This one nails it! And that blue sofa.. I love blue! At first I didn’t notice, but they reused the chair, cocktail table, and end table. I like that it didn’t take new everything to transform this space. It’s eclectic and collected of materials, furniture styles, textures, art. FAVORITE! ❤ but keep going, there’s more pretty ones!
This is one made me do a double-take. Like, wait.. where did that extra space come from?! OH yeah.. they busted through the left wall- brilliant idea! This living room is great for entertaining and spending time with family and friends. I could see myself with friends and that fire, dinner cooking across the way. I’m jealous…
I am happy for the person who got this living room makeover. They reallllly needed it, haha! Those blue loveseats and that bookshelf wall- to die for! There is a great mix of textures used in this room.
This one made me think… Yes it changed, but it still seems similar? So what was the big change that gave it impact? You can definitely tell in this case, how lightening your color palette can make a huge difference.
I hope these inspire you to be able to change an aspect of your home that’s been bugging you and you just couldn’t put your finger on it! To see the other living rooms featured in this article, click here.
Fiddle Leaf Fig trees… you may have seen a lot of them lately. The Fiddle Leaf Fig is one I’ve been eyeing for weeks and just so happened to be the solution to our problem! Our Christmas tree lived in that corner you see. Having the plant texture, color, and substantial form in the corner for so long, made our corner feel SO naked after Christmas! My roommate and I have been trying to find our solution to the “redecorating after Christmas” bug I’ve always heard people talk about. It hit me last week that the Fiddle Leaf would be the perfect solution to our dilemma. It’s serving a functional purpose for air purification while providing new texture and form elements to layer into our space.
Of course I’m biased, but I think it’s perfect! AND they’re only $30 at Home Depot, steal #1. Go get’cha one! My roommate liked the idea of our tree living in a basket and she found this cute basket at Home Goods for $20, steal #2!
The texture of the basket and the metallic bottom third adds special p’zazz!
Here are Fiddle Leafs that inspired me in previous weeks. Some are small, some are large, and some are juuust right. Maybe they’re the new addition to your home that you’ve been searching for!
A good Kilim rug can warm up your space and add serious character. To me, some of the best spaces always consist of collected pieces. I appreciate seeing the wear and tear in old rugs and wondering where they previously lived. It really doesn’t matter what style you prefer, Kilim rugs mix well with all. These are some I’ve been crushing on lately! I love the way these runners are used in kitchens and entries. It creates a welcoming and inviting feel. They are making my want-bug itch… have to find a space where I “need” one in my home 😀
As of late, I’m appreciating more traditional elements. I read a design article the other day about traditional becoming popular again. And I have to agree! Blue and white china, ginger jars, asian elements, lucite King Louis chairs- they’re everywhere. However, I like the way traditional elements are taking an updated approach. Many of these traditional elements are in a new bold color, created in a new material, or evolving from an organic shape to more geometric. I especially like all the love being shown to King Louis chairs. These chairs have a lot of history, and they totally transform when given a bold fabric, painted, or are crafted in Lucite. Love these below!
Kiki Slaughter and Sally King Benedict
One Kings Lane
So my way of having this in my home… I’m envisioning a set of custom watercolors or pencil drawings, a variety of King Louis chair styles, in vibrant colors and patterns. Something similar to these below. I don’t think I want mine as clean lined and maybe layer them on book pages instead of white drawing paper. Hmm….
annechovie, Etsy Shop
Easy and flavourful recipes.
Karen Sinclair Kerns - Bringing Exceptional Interior Design to the Emerald Coast in Destin, FL at Lovelace Interiors
Details. Design. Inspiration.
Interior Design. Lifestyle.
I'm Kate and Finger, Fork and Knife is where I record the recipes that excite, nourish and inspire me. I focus on wholesome, high-nutrition, home-cooked food - recipes that satisfy and delight. Welcome!
babbles by the brooke 