It seems that just like that, the gorgeous weather switch from summer has been turned off. Our days have been cooler, breezier, and rainier. I had been hoping for a glorious weekend so that I could do some leaf peeping upstate, now I'm not so sure this will happen. Instead I will bring my winter clothes down from the attic and bring up the summer clothes that I've already packed up. My little house seems a bit stark - I need to make her winter-ready. I need to make her cozier. My hardwood floors are gorgeous but they'll be cold on our feet as soon as the temperatures drop. I'm shopping for rugs, blankets and fireplace screens at the moment. We're in need for a few more lamps as well. There are no ceiling fixtures in my small, 8 foot ceiling-ed house. In the summertime, when the sun was out until bedtime our space wasn't noticeably dark, but it is now. I love lamps. I will have fun collecting them. I have a small iron candelabra that I need to hang over the dining room table and I'm in the market for a pot holder that can be hung above the stove. My beautiful but in-dire-need-of-a-good-polishing copper pots will really add a feeling of warmth to the space, especially with the exposed brick of the fireplace in the background.
I'm going to concentrate on my bedroom first. I've put so much emphasis on the children and have put their needs ahead of mine. I need to focus on myself now. My bedroom is large and spacial and I'm wanting to turn it into something more than just a bedroom. It will be a space that's mine to sleep, relax and work. I need to be able to remove myself from the hub of activity where the children are. My office is in the living room, but it's not fair for me to banish the children to their rooms when I have to work. At the moment that's what we do, or I hide out in my bedroom and bring my laptop onto my bed. But this isn't really working.
Out on the screened-in porch an old loveseat sits looking out onto the now empty backyard. The children have gone to school or come inside at the end of the day. The loveseat needs to as well now. I will bring it into my bedroom for the Winter where I will set up a small reading and work space, away from the heart of the home. I'm hoping that I will be able to increase my productivity while the children are home with me. I've just purchased a white slipcover from Pottery Barn that was on sale. Now I'm in the market for a coffee table. I will salvage and refinish one from a yard sale or Goodwill. To complete my space I must have a cowhide or zebra rug. I simply must! And a faux fur throw to toss on the back of the sofa...
I'm really looking forward to creating my own space.
I'm loving these faux fur blankets which can be found in a myriad of price ranges from Donghia's upscale versions, to Pottery Barn's mid-range, to Home Good's handsome and very reasonably priced throws.
I'm going to concentrate on my bedroom first. I've put so much emphasis on the children and have put their needs ahead of mine. I need to focus on myself now. My bedroom is large and spacial and I'm wanting to turn it into something more than just a bedroom. It will be a space that's mine to sleep, relax and work. I need to be able to remove myself from the hub of activity where the children are. My office is in the living room, but it's not fair for me to banish the children to their rooms when I have to work. At the moment that's what we do, or I hide out in my bedroom and bring my laptop onto my bed. But this isn't really working.
Out on the screened-in porch an old loveseat sits looking out onto the now empty backyard. The children have gone to school or come inside at the end of the day. The loveseat needs to as well now. I will bring it into my bedroom for the Winter where I will set up a small reading and work space, away from the heart of the home. I'm hoping that I will be able to increase my productivity while the children are home with me. I've just purchased a white slipcover from Pottery Barn that was on sale. Now I'm in the market for a coffee table. I will salvage and refinish one from a yard sale or Goodwill. To complete my space I must have a cowhide or zebra rug. I simply must! And a faux fur throw to toss on the back of the sofa...
I'm really looking forward to creating my own space.
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| Pottery Barn |
I'm loving these faux fur blankets which can be found in a myriad of price ranges from Donghia's upscale versions, to Pottery Barn's mid-range, to Home Good's handsome and very reasonably priced throws.
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| Ikea |
I fell madly in love with a cowhide rug much like this at Brimfield last spring. I went home without it and am now kicking myself. They were reasonable and gorgeous! My budget is modest at best, but someone told me that Ikea carries some now too. I'm headed over to take a look!
Doesn't the fur make this bed warm and inviting? Perfect for the winter! I have a feeling I will need a few of these all over the house. These faux fur blankets are incredibly comfortable. Think of them as Teddy bears for the grown-set!
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| Tiffany Eastman Interiors via Houzz |
I'm at a loss as to where I'd place my rug, bedside or by the loveseat and coffee table...
Such a dilemma. I may need two of them!
Such a dilemma. I may need two of them!
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I am so excited for my new slipcover to arrive. It will give new life to the old sofa and it will do so adding a simple, casual elegance. Slipcovers are fabulous for families with young children as they are easily removed and washed. There's just something about a white couch...
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I use my candles a lot in the cooler months. I love the warm glow they cast on a living space.
I quite like the display above that I believe was created
by adding a small strand of lights into the vase with the pine cones.
I quite like the display above that I believe was created
by adding a small strand of lights into the vase with the pine cones.
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| via Natasha in Oz |
I always have bowls of apples and pears placed around the house in the fall. After all, how else do you store the 40+ pounds that come home from apple picking?!
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Oh yes! I most indeed will be having my morning coffee, (and afternoon, and evening!) in my newly carved out space... I may never ever come out of my room again, especially if a bottle of wine was to find it's way over! Oh, and I do love all those candles stacked together in the fireplace. Lovely, just lovely!
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| via Architectural Digest |
We have an old steam trunk as our living room coffee table. No, lot Louis! We had a glass top made for it so that the children wouldn't destroy it. I'm thinking of bringing that one into the bedroom, and getting something else for the living room - something lower and longer...
Something that will not obstruct the view of the fireplace.
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| via nuevo estilo |
This is the layout I think I'm after, but I won't know until I have all the furniture in the room. If I place the couch at the foot of the bed and the coffee table directly in front of it, the seating will face the television. I may, instead, place the couch next to the foot of the bed facing out into the center of the room, directly in front of the the window. This may be the most efficient use of the space. Really it will all depend on where and how I place my cowhide rug!
My bedroom is dark woods and white. The bedding is white and the couch will be white. The furniture, both new and old is all dark wood. I love the contrast of the dark and the white, the new and the old. I have wonderful hard wood floors and the light, patterned rug will be a lovely complement.
I've never had my own space before. my bedroom has always been just a bedroom shared with a husband, and often by children. My desk has always been in the center of everything. I am really looking forward to my little oasis!
Do you have an oasis or a spot to call your own?
xoxo
Jessica