Small changes to any part of the house seems so drastic. And this art ledge didn't change much. The layout pretty much stayed the same. I took the vintage art picture from the guest room and made it the focal point. Everything else fell in line. Not too drastic from before.
I finally got rid of the torchiere floor lamp that we had for 12 years!! We kept it as long as we did because it did a good job of lighting up the room. I liked that light pointed upwards and it bounced off my high white ceilings and made it brighter in the living room. But, man, it was ugly! And I had a bad feeling Stella might knock it over and break it like she did with another floor lamp we used to have.
So, after a few months of searching online, I decided that I wanted a long arm sconce. Not only does it have to look nice (for obvious reasons), but it also had to be able to swivel upwards. My living room walls are white so I wanted to make good use of bouncing the light off the walls. And, it needed to be plugin because I didn't want to hire someone to install a hardware light as the old torchiere light was also a plugin.
Now, I'm a big fan of mid-century design, so when I found this replica Greta Grossman Cobra Sconce from France and Son for $135 shipped, I was done. (The real deal would've cost me $400.) I found a few other but picked this one because of the size and color. And I enlisted my friends to pick their favorites and this was it. I see it as an art piece and it blends into the background nicely, right?
Other lights I thought about // France and Son Antony Wall Sconce, $175, or Cocotte Wall Sconce, $145 / CB2 Mantis Wall Sconce, $129, or Swing Arm White Wall Sconce, $79.95 / west elm Mid-Century Overacrching Wall Sconce, $279
I wasn't in the market for a new side table but when I took my cousin decor shopping on Sunday and I found this beauty. We started at the Pottery Barn Outlet (in West Covina, CA) hoping to find any home accessories that might fit her style. While walking around towards the back room, I noticed these West Elm nested marble tables. There were two prices on each of the nested tables: $149 and $89. From past experiences here, two prices mean one for the top table and other for the legs. But since each table had 2 prices, the total was $500. Now, that didn't make much sense as I didn't think that was such a great deal. Then, I had assumed that since these are a set, the larger table was $149 and the smaller priced at $89. (These prices made more sense, this being at an outlet.) I snagged the price tags immediately (as this is how you claim the items by taking the tags off). The sales associate ranged up the items for a total of $260 (including tax).
As my cousin and I started to walk away with the tables, the she informed me that she only charged me for one table. I was a bit disappointed that it was just one table. I didn't think much of it except in my head, I thought I had been ripped off. A few hours later, I was checking my e-mail and noticed one in particular that titled "side table." After I left the outlet, the sales associate realized she had made a mistake and she did charge me for both tables as they are a set. She and her manager wrapped up the other table and informed me that I can pick up the table at my next convenience. So, today, I stopped by real quick after lunch and as promised, it was waiting in the front with my name on it. In all, I really appreciated their customer service to reach out to me regarding this mix-up.
Here's the updated view of my living room. The slat wood entry bench fits nicely in that nook! I'm hoping, eventually, to declutter that area more once Stella is more comfortable climbling up and down the stairs and I can put all her toys in her room. Oh, and that torchiere light needs to go, badly. For now, the playmat foam is gone (YAY!) and the IKEA pillow works as her floor cushion.
Did I mention I have a case of the grays? I think I kinda like it, too!
I waited patiently for Black Friday to buy a coffee table. It's also a good time to get one since my daughter is getting a bit older and doesn't need the space to crawl around. I knew it had to be round so there would be less chances of her injuring herself than if I got a square/rectangular table. It had to be white as all my furniture and flooring are a bit dark and slightly bulky. I had hoped to get the CB2 Shroom Coffee Table. However, it's made of stone and concrete composite and natural fibers. In other words, it's porous and susceptible to stains. My child would ruin it in a day.
Instead, I got this pretty Savafeih Maris Coffee Table on All Modern. It's listed 50% for $230. I waited til after Thanksgiving for the extra deal and ended up only paying $153! I'm a bit older, hence, a bit wiser, so I waited until there was a sale even though the current price is still a pretty good steal.
Playing musical bench here. Thanks to Black Friday, I got an inspired "nelson platform bench" on All Modern for a fraction of the price. That'll replace the west elm Midcentury Upholstered Bench that's hiding all my daughter's toys (seen here). Then, I'm moving the west elm bench to this dining area. And the old bench that was here is going to cousin.
In addition to my Brad Pitt plant, I added Maddox and Pax. I'm bringing the family back together! I just need Knox and all the boys will be together again. ;-)
Anyways, my plant process is that I start with a pot then add the plant to match. The white pot is from Rolling Greens Nursery and the brass is from Urban Outfitters. My favorite is the mini Japanese pot was gifted from my cousin. All my plants need to be succulents as I'm seriously forgetful when it comes to watering.
This is just a different view of my living room. It's still pretty plain and don't know what to do... help!!
Sources / Uttermost Junior Round Mirror / Living Spaces Aidan Sofa / Ikea Smanate Pillow Cover / West Elm Theo Snow Wood Chair / Target Gebze Rug / Danielle Oakey Indigo Mudcloth Pillow
Just a quick update on the guest room. I found the idea to hang our fedora hats (that we don't wear) in my previous post. I wanted to keep the room a bit masculine since we dubbed it "Pat's room" (aka guest room). He comes and visits every so often so I want to make sure it fits his personality. Without damaging the pat (pinning the hats on the wall), I hammered a nail on the wall, leaving some length so the hat can sit on on the nail. Then, to keep it in place, I added some museum putty.
Finding inspirations for Pat's room. Last time I did anything to the guest room, I just added the brass sconce. Since Pat left most of his belongings here, I assume he'll be coming back and reclaiming the room. So, I want to make it more of his style. You see, he's a historian professor, fluent in several languages (including French, Italian, German, Russian, Spanish, and some Chinese). I'm hoping to make the room more masculine with a modern twist.
Our master bathtub is complete! It's been 4 days since the project completed and I can't tell you how much I enjoy using the new bathtub. The room feels much brighter and roomier now that the shower door is gone. The old bathroom was just an eyesore and I never let any guest see what it looked like. I was ashamed. But now, not anymore.
Sources / Moen Arris Tub & Shower Trim / Delta In2ition® H2Okinetic Shower Head
At last!! This wall is complete! Just a simple, yet big (43" big, BIG!!) to fill up the space. Nothing busy but a mirror to open up the space.
This wall is about 82" wide so having it empty for so long made that part of the room seem bare. I knew I didn't want to hang any pictures because I'd get bored real quick. I even thought about another picture ledge. But because where the sofa is situated, it's a slightly narrow walkway and I didn't want anyone to bump into it. Then I saw Amber Interiors blog and she had a massive brass mirror by the entryway for one of her clients. That's when I knew I wanted a gigantic mirror. It had to make a statement.
The mirror had to be round with a simple, thin frame. Nothing ornate or decorative. And everything about my living room is grey, white, and blue. I wanted to add some warmth, so the mirror's frame had to be either brass/gold or wood. I spent months looking for the right mirror. I told myself I was going to take my time until I found the one I that love. I also had a budget so I knew a mirror that size wasn't going to be cheap. The CB2 Acacia Wood Mirror ($299) was reasonably priced but when I measured my wall, 40" seemed like it wasn't big enough. I really LOVE the CB2 Infinity Brass Mirror ($229) but it was only 36".
I searched every possible site online and a few weeks ago, I found the Uttermost Junius Round Mirror. It's 43" and priced at $363. I noticed that the description mentioned that it has an antique finish. Some had complained about it but looking at pictures and reviews, it didn't seem that bad. Some loved it because they knew what they were going to get. So, last week, I told myself that if I didn't get it now, I never will. I found the mirror on lamps.com and purchased it there because it was tax-free and free shipping. Less than a week later (this past Monday), it was delivered. While we had some guys working on our master bath, they offered to hang it up for me. That was awesome because I'm always nervous about punching holes into the wall.
Oh, that ugly "boob" light. While the guys are waiting for the cement to dry in the master bath project, I had them update Stella's light in her room. A lot of things we did two years ago were last minute updates while the project was in motion. Stella's room had a torch lamp (her only source of lighting) but we wanted something that we could control via switch. I didn't have enough time to research and buy the light I wanted. Hence, the ugly "boob" light. It was always supposed to be temporary, I tell myself. Just as we decided to renovate the master bath, I immediately snatched up the west elm Globe Flushmount when they had their major 20% sale. Strangely, I got it for $69 (plus 20% off). Looking at the site now, it's priced at $99. I'm not sure if I got the price from a glitch.
We're finally fixing up our master bathtub and we're almost done! It was one of the areas from our remodel two years ago that we decided to forego because I just had a baby and the project was taking too long (three times to be exact). What started as a simple shower leak fix to "Screw it! Let's remodel it now that we have time." Well, it's been 5 days since we started the project. I was told it would be 3 days but with unexpected tenant piping issue from another property, we had to use our contractor to fix that problem first. But really, that's okay. Our master bathroom was an eyesore and as long as it's finished, I won't complain that much.
But, everything is coming together and I'm very excited. When we first started, I knew I wanted classic subway tiles with a sunken tub because they're a bit wider than a standard tub. And it's a regular tub, not a jacuzzi tub. Ours were installed with a jacuzzi tub so cleaning the jets were extremely annoying and difficult.
And no more shower doors. I don't know anyone who thinks keeping a shower door (spotless) clean is easy. I hate the look when it gets hard water stains and calcium build-ups. Some say use a squeegee after every shower use, but I don't have that time in the morning, especially when I have to be up by 4am to get ready for work. And depending on the size of your bathroom, shower doors can make the space look smaller. My tub is sectioned off in another room of the bathroom, so it always seemed a bit tight between the tub and the toilet. With a shower curtain, it's easier to clean and cheaper to replace.
Today, the plan is to finish tiling, complete the shower niche and fix the dry wall. (The dry wall was slightly damaged because the tub was a bit too long for the space.). Then grout, fix up the wall, and then maybe we'll get to use it by Wednesday (let the grout and cement dry).
Who knew there were so many variations of the same tile: size (2x5, 3x6, 4x12, 4x16, 8x12, 12x12 etc), finish (matte, gloss), color, etc. After seeing a few in person, we liked the idea of a larger and wider tile. Though Jason is still undecided with the pattern choice (stacked, staggered, or herringbone), I thought the wider tiles look better stacked. The smaller ones would do best with staggered and herringbone pattern.
Since the project starts next week, we had to get all the materials ready. We bought some samples at Home Depot and Lowes yesterday. Then today, I dropped by the Tile Depot since it was on my way home from work. Jason thought because the space was small and we weren't updating anything, we could splurge a bit. And he wanted to make sure I was happy with our pick. At the store, I got lost in the aisles and aisles of wall and floor tiles. And for a hot second, I thought about changing the design. But, I stuck with our choice and borrowed some samples to take home. I still like the idea of a herringbone pattern but I wonder if that's just a fad. Just be safe and go classic. Staggered or stacked. I think we'll decide up to the very minute they're mixing grout and ready to assemble.
Tile Depot
2129 Rosemead Blvd
South El Monte, CA 91733
After finding a small leak in the shower head, we decided to just redo the bathtub/shower. It's one of the things we didn't do during the last remodel 2 years ago. We have one of those skirted jacuzzi tubs with the jetting system. It's extremely annoying and hard to clean those jet sprays because you just can't get to those every nooks and crannies. We hardly, EVER used it, too. And we have a glassdoor that overtime, it looks kinda filthy because, again, it's hard to clean every surface. We want a redo with new tiles and shower curtains. Keeping it simple.
Our wishlist would be simple white subway tiles with a shower niche to hold all our shampoos, conditioner, soap, loofahs, face wash (because there are his and her's). Thinking long-term, if we ever move, we want the bang-for-your-buck, so we still want a tub for the shower. Resale value is always better with a tub and allows us to use a shower curtain instead of a glass door. (We figured we can always install a glass door when we move.) For the shower head and hardware, we night go with traditional nickel brush. I would LOVE gold, brass, or rose gold, but replacement parts are hard to find. Again, we're thinking simplicity.
On a roll with this gold trend. Read the reviews about this Target Threshold 28" Round Brass Mirror. I didn't think it was that hard to hang (and it wasn't). And I didn't notice any distortion on the mirror, so the $44 was totally worth it.
My friend just moved back to the bay area after spending the summer with us. So that means I have the room back to play home decorator again. First off, this west elm Pell Sconce Long Gooseneck. I originally had the Target rose gold marble lamp in an older post but it wasn't bright enough and it was taking too much space on the night stand. Oh, and my friend forgot his antique boat art so I'm safekeeping it for now, which conveniently goes with the new sconce.
