E-Design: Chicago Apartment Before

I just completed an e-design with a client in Chicago and I am so excited to share the design!  E-design clients that are semi-professional photographers make for great after photos but before we can get to that... here are some before photos!

My client came to me wanting to finish off the space and make it feel more like "home".  She was really struggling with layout of this large one room which contained the guts of the apartment- kitchen, dining room, living room and office.  The sofa, chair and desk were recently purchased and had a great mid-century modern vibe that I just wanted to enhance with the new pieces.

Here's the final e-design for the space!

To help define the different spaces in the room we went with an area rug for each space.  The area rugs create a visual delineation of each space without the use of walls or dividers that would close it in.  We were even able to fit in a coffee bar which freed up a lot of valuable kitchen counter space.

Stop by tomorrow when I'll share the final photos of the space!

Ahhh it's good to be back ;-)

Here's What...

It's been a while but "Here's What" I'm loving this week...

Ok I'm probably a little late to the game but this week I started posting some unwanted items from my closet on Poshmark and I am totally hooked!  This is such a great way to clear out your closet and make a little extra cash to purchase new goodies for next season!  Follow my closet here and if you join use this code PAPOQ to get an extra $5 off your first purchase!

Nordstrom is running their end of summer clearance sale and I just scored this Free People tank for $34.80.  I love the long length and it looks so comfy!

Every designer has their "go to" styling accessories and I really enjoyed reading Claire Brody's list of favorites.  She is one of my fav bloggers so be sure to check out her site!

I have major design crush on Studio McGee- they can do no wrong in my book!  My parents just moved and their new house has 3 fireplaces with mantels!  I loved this guide from Studio McGee for some inspiration to styling mantels.

Happy Labor Day weekend everyone!

For Sale! Caitlin Wilson Gold Fleur Pillows

For Sale!

To make room for some updates in my living room which I shared last week- I am selling (2) 20" x 20" Caitlin Wilson Textiles- Gold Fleur Pillows.

They are in perfect condition and were originally $70 each but I'm selling these for $50 each, including shipping- insert not included.

E-mail me at olivelaneinteriors@gmail.com if interested!

Living Room Update

Here's a little story of our living room. 

Shortly after we moved into our home I painted (ok mostly my husband) the living room a dark grey color (Benjamin Moore- Chelsea Grey) and we had a small seating area.  

Then I added a gallery wall...

And it was ok for a while because we never used the room so it was mainly there to look pretty when you walked in the door- no need for function.

But after being home with the little guy for a few months I felt a need to make that room more functional.  I wanted to create a more comfortable space that I could keep some of his toys for a change of scenery during the day.  Not to mention- my style has changed a lot in the past 3 years and I was really tired of looking at the same old thing.

So I sold my loveseat and chairs on craiglist- hooray!  And my parents gifted us their old sofa!

And here's what we're looking like today...

The plan is to repaint the room with a lighter wall color- leaving the white below the chair rail to brighten the room.  I also plan on slipcovering the sofa in a white/natural color.  Why the light color? It will match my dog and spit up - a winning combo :-)  I want to keep the space pretty minimal on color since the toys will be bringing plenty of color to the space.  I'll be repurposing the blue rug in our guest room and the turquoise lamp is going to be spray painted a light grey.  The new rug is a jute/chenille combo that should be great for high traffic while still being soft for playing on.  I LOVE Kelly Wearstler fabric so I will be adding those two pillows, a solid velvet pillow from West Elm and the leopard pillow I already have in my office.  Since I want plenty of floor space I won't be keeping a coffee table but a nice side table with a drawer will be good for drinks and other odds and ends.  I'm still undecided on curtains so they might have to be a decision I make after the room is complete.

Sources

End Table- Target Threshold Rustic X Accent Table

Rug- West Elm Jute Chenille Herringbone Rug

Velvet Pillow- West Elm Studded Pillow- Regal Blue

Kelly Wearstler- Bengal Bazaar Pillow

Leopard Pillow 

Kelly Wearstler- Katana Ivory Ebony Pillow

Mixing Patterns

The perfect mix of patterns can really make a room.  I love using patterns and colors in textiles to really pull a room together.  While I hate "design rules" sometimes a little guidance can help get you over the hump of designing your own space.  

When I'm choosing fabrics I like to start with my "organic" fabric. This could be a floral, paisley, ikat, etc...  anything with a non-uniform pattern and more than one color.  Next I pick out a "geometric".  This is usually a stripe, trellis, chevron- and usually just two colors.  I try to pick out a color that's in the organic pattern for my geometric print.  Last is a "solid".  I pick out a color that I really want to bring out from the organic fabric for my solid.  And it doesn't have to be a flat solid.  Something with texture is great for adding some more interest to the grouping.  

Follow these steps and you'll be mixing patterns like a boss in no time!

A few of my favorites from my favorite sources for fabrics and pillows.

Loom Decor: Tribe + Live Wire + Ivory Linen

Caitlin Wilson Textiles: British Bouquet + Mint City Maze + Berry Deco

Fabric.com: Medley Blooms + Geo Trellis + Velvet Charcoal

Lulu + Georgia: Jacinta Pillow + Linnea Fret + Maxen Pillow

Coastal Entryway

Maybe it's the summer weather but I've been really into the casual coastal style lately.  I decided to re-style from my front entry cabinet to incorporate that coastal style I've been loving.

Of course I forgot to take a photo of the before but really there wasn't much going on but two turquoise lamps and a tray to collect keys and other junk.

The console table is the Reflections Three-Piece Cabinet Set from Home Decorators.  It was one of the first pieces of furniture I bought when we moved over 3 years ago and it is still one of my favorites.

The glass lamp with textured shade was perfect for the casual look I wanted.  We needed something to catch the keys and other "stuff" that my husband likes to drop on his way in the door and the gold dipped bowl was perfect for it.

I found these glass bottles at Homegoods as well as the silver thing- I'm not sure really what to call it?  The bottles reminded me of sea glass.

The new artwork was painted by your's truly!  I bought a large canvas at Michael's one wild Friday night as well as some paints and a brush and went nuts.  I had found a few Abstract paintings I liked on Pinterest and kept my iPad open to them as I painted.  It was a pretty relaxing thing to do and super easy!

Sources

Cabinet: Home Decorators- Reflections Three Piece Cabinet Set

Lamp: Target- Threshold Linden Droplet Table Lamp

Bowl: Nate Berkus- Gold Dipped Bowl (old, similar here)

Gold Urchin: Target- Sea Urchin Wall Decor

Glass Bottles: Homegoods

Silver Decorative Thing: Homegoods

Artwork: Me!

Wall Color: Benjamin Moore- Chelsea Gray

Newborn Photo Session and A Big Announcement

It's been a while but I am finally ready to get back to the blog!  Derek is now 11 weeks old and I swear he is bigger every morning when I go into his room!  The past two months have been a total whirlwind and I am finally starting to feel like I'm getting the hang of this whole mom thing... maybe.  Each day gets a little easier, and then super hard again, and then easier... it's a total roller coaster but I wouldn't change a thing!  When Derek was just 5 days old we had a newborn photo session at our home and these are a few of my favorites from that day.

And great news!  I will not being returning to my full-time job and will be dedicating my days to  the little man as well as the blog!  With this big change I'll be able to take on a lot more e-design and full service clients local to the Philadelphia area so please help me spread the word!

Sources: Master Bedroom Duvet- Serena and Lily,  Nursery Prints - Animal Print Shop, Tassel Garland - Fancy Face Studio, Chevron Rug - Rugs USA, Photos by Nina Price