A little peek into out front living room and the start of our book collection…
Since I’ve been sharing bits and pieces over on Instagram and Instagram Stories, I thought it may be a good idea to share what I’ve been buying for the house here on the blog so I can give you all a little more reasoning and explanation. It’s been a very slow moving process and I’m happy for that because it honestly feels very overwhelming.
First off, Kari has been a lifesaver. I’m sure she’s currently trying to lose my phone number but she has been so incredibly helpful. Every time I find a piece I bounce it off her and she always has great suggestions, ideas, products I couldn’t have ever found, etc. She also knows all the reasons why something will or won’t work which I could never possibly foresee since I’m not an Interior Designer. On top of all that she also helps design our room layouts, pick products and manage the people we have working on our house which is a godsend.
I know I’ve said it before but I totally recommend hiring a designer! Most of you have messaged me about the cost and I think it’s a great idea to let a designer know upfront a realistic budget for your project and design fees and go from there. Maybe do one room at a time (what we are doing) and take it step by step. Honestly I think doing things slower is more beneficial in the long run because you won’t feel so overwhelmed and paralyzed by choices. I also think designers help avoid so many issues and problems we wouldn’t normally see coming saving tons of money.
As far as today’s roundup, I included almost everything I’ve bought for the house thus far along with where it’s going and why we bought it. I also included just a few things we already own that I have been getting a lot of questions on. If you have any other questions at all feel free to leave them below and if you happen to really love anything in your house, share that with me too 🙂
Our hallway on the second floor has two sconces and they are just a bit outdated. The tricky thing is they are both wired to switch on and off and not connected to any wall switch. So, while we are hiring an electrician for some wiring work we just didn’t think the sconces were worth it since we’re unsure how much we’ll use them. The options with switches can be very limiting and a lot of the switches are horrendous. So, when I stumbled upon these I was ecstatic!
Kari found these for us when I was so overwhelmed by pendant lighting. I think they are a great classic piece and since we are planning on renovating our kitchen at some point I didn’t want anything too unique that may not work in the future.
So, we haven’t taken this out of the box yet but I have plans for it in the first floor hallway or second depending on how the size fits. I think it’s such a fun piece!
I have had my eye on this guy since we lived in Chicago and was just hoping I would one day have a vintage fireplace to put it on! I am planning on putting this in our more formal living room.
Okay, so this is in our guest bedroom and originally I had wanted one of those cute metal frames. Sadly, we didn’t want to spend a ton and a lot of the reviews said they weren’t supportive in the middle. We plan on having lots of visitors so I was most concerned about a comfortable bed. Since this is pretty sleek and modern it works just fine and we slept on it for about two weeks and loved it!
This is my favorite! I searched high and low for an affordable vintage style rug that was neutral for our living room. This rug is even better in person (check my stories!) and is perfect for the room that get’s the most Zain traffic.
If you are looking for a soft and comfortable jute rug, this is it! It’s not harsh on our feet and I love how light the color is in our bedroom. I’m hoping to make the whole space really neutral, bright and calm and this was the first step! Also, the price can’t be beat and you can do free in store pick up.
I snagged a few of these for storage in Zain’s room and my closet!
This isn’t a new purchase but I keep getting a lot of questions on it! We’ve had it for years and it holds up so well. Plus, its a great price!
LOVE these curtains! Ended up ordering these in white for our room and the natural color for Zain’s.
These more vintage rods we purchased for Zain’s room and the guest room!
These were a great find! So much more affordable than the West Elm option and I love the brushed metal look a lot more. We already hung them in our bedroom and they look and hold up great!
I just acquired these for our master bedroom! Switching out handles makes such a difference and these now have Anthropologie brass handles that look amazing!
Again, not a new piece but one I keep getting questions on. This is the sectional we have in our den and we love it. Everything comes off with a wipe of distilled water and that has been crucial with kids plus it’s a great depth and comfortable.
I was going to wait till next year to design our back patio but we spend so much time out there I went ahead and purchased some things yesterday! I love the timeless look of this couch, how much space it offers plus the neutral colors!
How cute is this? It has great reviews and I plan on placing it across from the couch with some cute pillows!
I wanted a neutral stripe rug and this fit the bill perfectly! I am still searching for the perfect coffee table and accessories but I plan on waiting till all of this comes in to see it set up and go from there!
We had the same issue with our sconces in the living room. We have four that were all individually wired to turn on and off with their own switch. We ended up putting in smart bulbs with a dummy switch on the wall that’s not actually hardwired to anything. The switch allows us to turn the lights on and off without having to turn the switch on the sconce at all. We bought sconces from Schoolhouse Electric and actually opted to go without the individual switches because of the smart bulbs.
http://bedknobsandbaubles.com/
Oh my gosh you are a LIFESAVER! We ordered some after I read your post and are so happy we don’t have to worry about any of the wiring. Seriously, THANK YOU!!!