interior design | So Pretty is as Pretty Does.

Oct 10

Turkish de Light

Last month, my husband and I took a couple of weeks and traveled through parts of Europe that we’d been itching to see since before college graduation. After quite a bit of planning, we created an itinerary that hopped along the southern coast, starting in Istanbul and winding up in Barcelona. Our time in Istanbul was gorgeous, vibrant, entirely different from our cultural norm, and wildly inspirational. As a souvenir, we had a Turkish mosaic pendant shipped back to the US and this weekend we completed our first mini-project inspired by our trip by installing our new light in a room that desperately needed a fixture update.

Jul 30

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Privacy Window: The Kitchen

The privacy window I made during the bathroom mini-renovation last year (you can see that project here) has held up remarkably well. I worried a bit about peeling issues due to humidity levels inherent to bathrooms. But its stickiness hasn’t changed a bit since the day it was painstakingly applied. And, because we know that privacy and tons of natural light are not mutually exclusive, I decided to use this method again. This time I chose a simpler geometric pattern for a kitchen window that faces my driveway.

Jan 14

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Vintage Finds

Happy New Year + a fortnight! Though it’s a bit early to tell, I’m going to go out on a limb and say 2014 is going to be the berries (I’ve been watching a lot of old movies). So far this year, I’ve stuck to my resolution perfectly… it’s just flossing every night no matter how tired I am, so hold the applause. And, even more exciting than flossing, I became a real estate agent. It’s an endeavor I began this past October, which I like to think partially explains the lack of postings here. In any case, I’m excited to share three items I discovered this past week at an estate auction and one of my favorite consignment shops, Phantastic Phinds (PS: You can see an older guest post of mine on their blog.)

My new favorite mug and perhaps the best $.50 I have ever spent.

{hand-thrown tin can style mug}

Sep 23

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Bathroom Mini-Renovation {Part 5: Flooring}

Not too long ago, some of the least attractive linoleum tile I’ve encountered was very loosely affixed to my bathroom floor. (This statement is even more meaningful if you’ve seen my old kitchen flooring.) As you might expect, I was nearly giddy at the thought of ripping it out and replacing it, even if I was going to replace it with more low cost flooring. After researching all available options, I opted for resilient vinyl flooring because it’s durable, comes in a variety of styles, and is super easy to install. Best of all, it was $58 for the whole bathroom or $1.60/square foot. Here’s how we did it:

Sep 20

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Inspiring Exteriors {Bungalows}

Each winter, as the cold and sometimes snowy months near their end, my cabin fever causes me to partake in one of my favorite hobbies: list making. I jot down all of the projects I intend to start and finish (that part is key) in the coming spring, summer and fall. To maintain some semblance of order, I throw all of the possibilities onto a spreadsheet and get a rough estimate the cost and time requirements. Then, my husband and I sit down and prioritize. We aim for one major and two minor projects for each season.

Full disclosure: This plan is not foolproof – there are often delays and/or emergency projects that override our original ideas, but having our list helps me stay simultaneously focused and humble.

This fall, our major project is painting the house – something I have desperately wanted to do since we moved in almost two years ago. Here are some of the exteriors that have been inspiring me: