Functional Art for The Home
Mmmm. Yes, please. You know what functional art is? It’s art that is not only lovely to behold, but it also serves a function; a utilitarian purpose. It’s useful. And I am all about functional art in my home. I have a rule, it’s actually #129 on my list of 365 Ways to Be Awesome: Put nothing in your home that isn’t useful to your life, or meaningful to you. I’m lucky, because wherever possible, I try to do both. At the same time. And, why not? Why not have a light fixture which adds beauty to a room? Or a bit of decorative storage that stores things you need regularly?…
Breakfast Nook Makeover
I have no idea why we never created a use for this space in the 7 years or so that we lived here, but we didn’t. Actually, that’s not true. I do know why; it’s because I never really considered how I use spaces in my home before. We just moved in, unpacked, and started living here. Sure, I hung pictures up and I painted walls, but that was it. Well, that was all about to change. I wanted a cozy, yummy breakfast nook so that I could enjoy a more intimate breakfast with my husband. First, I needed a dining set. I figured out what I wanted (a 30″ round…
My Comfy & Cozy Sitting Nook
This room has gone through a few evolutions since we first moved in. First, it was just a space that I had no clear idea what to do with. I did know that I wanted it to be a place to socialize; maybe have a cup of tea with a friend, or a glass of wine with my love. I’m a writer, and I wanted a space that felt inspired. As it turned out, this was my first truly inspired space in this home. We got a couple chairs from IKEA, a little end table, a foot stool, and this lovely desk. My husband had this awesome folding screen made for me…
My Cozy Reading Nook
After I painted my floors, and we were putting the living room back together, I had a conversation with my husband that went like this: G: “What are you planning on doing with this alcove? You’re not going to put that crappy armoire back there again, are you?” Me: “Crappy?” G: (Looking abashed) “Well, no. It’s not really crappy. But the floors are so beautiful and I feel like you should do something amazing with that space instead of just putting a boring old piece of furniture in it.” Me: “I see. Like what did you have in mind?” G: “I don’t know. You’re the creative one. Make something beautiful.”…
New Kitchen Makeover and Reveal
Here it is!! My brand new kitchen! I can hardly believe it’s mine. If you saw my earlier post when we returned from our trip to Germany to find my kitchen falling apart. Then you know what a big deal this has been. When we bought this house, the kitchen was literally the cheapest construction part of the house. The cabinets were bottom of the line formica, and there was even a book shelf shoved into a slot where perhaps a wine fridge once stood. We repainted it when we moved in, but that was the extent of what we did really. So, a few years later, and after 2…