Dressers and Tables and Chairs, Oh My! {Warehouse Visit #2}

Unfortunately this last trip to the warehouse did not consist of my teammates and I skipping through the warehouse arm-in-arm as if we were in Oz.  Because they're all busy working ladies, they couldn't make it on Wednesday morning.  But they were there in spirit (and via text message) as I braved the forest full of dressers, tables and chairs, OH MY!

We now have quite a few dressers to choose from...

Without knowing what other pieces we're going to choose or how we will arrange the furniture, its hard to determine which dresser will work.  I absolutely love the one on the bottom left because it has some great details, but it might just be that one of the top dressers is a better size. Or maybe a dresser that meets the size constraints and has nice details will pop up on our next visit... only time will tell.

I also started pairing tables and rockers together to see how they relate.

Although it has cute details, I'm not sure this little nightstand works with either rocker. But I'm also not sure that it doesn't.  Everything can be repainted (and probably will be) so I'm ignoring the colors as I investigate. I like it on its own, but it doesn't seem to tuck next to the rocker on the left nicely which makes it look a tiny bit bulky. It seems ok in scale with the one on the right, but the combo doesn't wow me. 

Here's an interesting little magazine table that fits alright with both rockers, but it doesn't give much table space for styling and what not. (If this was a real nursery, I'd say not much "usable" space, but since no one will be using it in the store, it will most likely styled to add pzazz and look pretty.) 

This little clover table is really cute and works well with the left rocker. It looks a little small next to the right one.  It's also a little on the low side with either, but still an interesting peice.

Here's a few more table that both are probably too large, but work okay with this larger rocker.  The table on the left is classy and lovely, but maybe too formal for this space.  I really like the whimsical details on the sides of table on the right, but it looks pretty heavy next to the rocker and would certainly look too large next to the smaller rocker.

So there's a lot for us to think about.  We'll be back there again on Friday to nail down our choices and take measurements (which I should have done last time... whoops!) and then on Sunday we're getting together to divi up projects and start workin' away.

Nursery Fabrics

If you've been following along, you know we had our first trip to the warehouse last Friday to pick out donations from the Salvation Army warehouse to design our nursery.  Well, it doesn't stop there...

Later that day, immersed in obsession, I made a trip to Joann's to check out fabric and found a few that work well with our colors. I just LOVE working on interior design projects and get totally obsessive when I'm in the middle of one.  Every part of it is awesome to me; searching through beautiful fabrics and finishes, finding potential in outdated (or brand new) furniture, creating space plans, sketching ideas... could this be more fun?!  I can't wait for it to be a full-time job. But I digress.  Here's a little peak of a few fabrics I found.

Bedding perhaps?

I want our fabric choices to be realistic and targeted to the visitors of the Salvation Army, so no expensive designer fabrics here.  The top two were even on the sale rack!  I'd love to design a millionaire's home with rich luxurious fabrics and finished everywhere (and hopefully one day will), but the point of this project is to show ya'll that you don't need to be a millionaire to have a chic and beautiful home.  With all the inspiration on the world wide web and a little time and effort, the possibilities are endless!  But you guys know that... I just get excited sometimes ...cause I fall into the "visitors-of-the-Salvation-Army" category myself!

Anyway, I haven't talked to my  teammates about fabrics yet, but I'm sure we'll be diving into this part of the project soon. Unfortunately you can't get samples of fabric at Joann's that isn't strictly home decor fabric.  So for now, the photos will have to suffice.  And for ya'll that want to do something like this in your own home, I recommend bringing your blanket, pillows, photos of your art, photos of your room, or whatever else will go your soon-to-be-decorated space to your local Joann's so that you're prepared to coordinate what you've got going on.

Speaking of fabric... this is totally unrelated, but I saw this painted and recovered folding chair on Pinterest and really want to do it for the chairs I use in my dining room when guests come over.  Looks like a really easy project. And what a great way to make a folding chair awesome instead of a dull utilitarian object (unless you're going for that look of course)!  Have any of you done this?

Source

Check back soon for more on the nursery and warehouse visit #2. 

The Hunt for a Fabulous Nursery

With camo cargos and caps and binoculars raised we've begun our hunt: searching, sniffing out and capturing the perfect items to design a fabulous nursery.  Just subtract the hunting gear and you've got a pretty accurate depiction of the process!  Our first warehouse visit is behind us and we've gathered lots of possible furniture, fabrics, and accessories to make our space awesome. Here's what's on our hunt list:

And our pile of possibilities...

This is some of the stuff we gathered on our first warehouse visit. The staff was super helpful directing us around the warehouse to find what we needed.  I'm most relieved that we actually found a whole crib.  As we were developing our plans for the nursery we found out the Salvation Army isn't allowed to sell cribs for liability reasons, so they don't typically keep them in their warehouse. That of course is a great safety precaution, but we thought that meant our nursery idea was down the drain.  Luckily, they told us we could proceed with the nursery plan and stage the space with a crib that would be marked "NOT FOR SALE".  And we found one!

 

It's hiding back there disassembled. There's actually another partial crib with more interesting turned rails back there too. If we find the rest of that one or another like it, we'll probably use that instead. Either way, it will get painted and filled with happy coral and mint bedding and adorned with it's "NOT FOR SALE" sign.  Hmmm... the though of that in my OCD designer perfectionist mind makes me think I need to make a color corrdinating sign!

Anyway, even though it wont be for sale, the crib will be there to complete the design and show new parents (or old ones) that they can create a lovely space for their little newborn nugget on a budget.  Here's a sneak peak some choices for the remaining stuff in the space.

And we're headed back tomorrow to look again! We're still in need of a bookshelf, a floor lamp, and maybe more toys.  We'll also keep an eye out for better furniture too since you don't always find the perfect thrift store piece in one try.

Also since scale and proportion are really important, I think we'll do a mock set up of the nursery in the warehouse. We need to see how the pieces relate to one another, which is impossible when things are all piled up.  So, I'll probably get some better photos to show you then.  And we'll have a bunch of DIY projects coming up soon too, so check back often!

A Whimsical but Chic Nursery Color Palette

We're moving right along with the ARC Design Challenged I previously mentioned.  On Wednesday we had to come up with a concept statement for our design. So I thought I'd share it with all of you to give you a little idea of were we plan on going with it: "Bright contemporary colors infuse upcyled items with warmth to create a whimsical but chic nursery."  You like?  But wait... there's more!

We also had to turn in our paint color choices. Is that a cart in front of our horse I see?  Paint wouldn't normally be the thing I'd start with for a project.  Being that they can make any paint color imaginable, I'd usually start with fabrics and furnishing and then pick paint to match/coordinate.  I'm guessing the reason we had to do make paint choices so early was an issue of logistics since Sherwin Williams is so graciously donating the paint.  Anyway, despite the fact that the process feels a little backwards to me, I'm super happy with the choices we made.  Check 'em out...

I absolutely love the coral and minty green we chose. These colors are so great for a little girls room; girly and fun, yet still sophisticated.  Not to mention, they are totally in fashion at the moment which makes me happy inside (who else is excited about the bright skinny jeans in these colors?).  We chose to set these against a neutral backdrop of gray and white with the darker gray for accents.  Not only does using neutrals make for an easy change in the future with some simple switches, but if you peruse Pinterest or other online sources for design trends, you'll find a ton of gray and white rooms.  So this design choice is both trendy and timeless.  

Needless to say, I think these colors certainly lend themselves to a lovely girls nursery.   I'm excited about it.  I'm also excited to tell you about our first visit to the warehouse last Friday.  Come back tomorrow to see what we found. :)

Learning to Photograph Interiors

Hi friends! Well I told you it was coming up, but I didn't tell you when. My birthday was this past weekend and it was lovely. After a fabulous evening at my friend's beautiful wedding, Frank and I made our way north to spend some time with my parents. Not only did I get to have I delicious brunch by the lake with the people I love most, but I also got a present that I'm super excited about... well, I'll be getting it in the mail to be exact. Soon to be on its way is my brand new Canon EOS Rebel T3i ... And I can't wait!

I've bookmarked a few links about photography that I'll soon be opening back up to educate myself on how to take awesome interior photos.  Here are a those links for those of you who are also newbies in the photography world:

Ten Basics for Better Home Photography

Snap Even More Photography Tips

Shoot Fly Shoot

NYIP's How to Photograph Interiors

Tips On Framing Interior Photography Shots by Scott Hargis

Hopefully in the next few weeks, I'll be snapping away at my mom's TV room that I've been meaning to share with you guys (you can see snippets of it here and here) and not long after that, the finished Noah's ARC Design Challenge space.

Drum Roll Please... Announcing the 2013 Noah's ARC Design Challenge Team IDI

The Noah's ARC Design Challenge has begun with it's first official meeting last Friday and I'd like to introduce to you my amazing team representing Interior Designer's Institute (IDI).

 Left to Right: Pavitra Prabhakar, Rachel Bingham, Katherine Depew, and Me

Pavitra Prabhakar has a BS in Civil Engineering from UC Berkeley, and an MS in Civil & Environmental Engineering from Georgia Tech. She has over 15 years of experience in wastewater treatment planning, design and construction fields. She is a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of California. After years working as an environmental engineer, Pavitra decided to follow her passion and study interior design at IDI. She was the ASID Student Chapter treasurer last year.

Rachel Bingham is a part-time design student at IDI, a property manager and an active member of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary, Flotilla 53. She also has a full-time job as an Executive Assistant for a CPA firm in Huntington Beach, CA. Upon completion of the certificate program at IDI, she started her own design firm in 2010. Her goal is to specialize in residential design and complete projects in each of the 50 states. To date she has completed projects in California, Nevada, Texas and Washington. Upon graduation at the end of 2013, she hopes to expand her business and continue on with the B.A. program. She believes in giving back and wants to start doing pro-bono design work with animal care facilities.

Katherine Depew has earned a Bachelor of Science degree in both Marketing and Management from California State University, Long Beach. Katherine’s excellent time management skills, along with strong work ethic, have allowed her to hold a full-time marketing position while also attending classes at IDI. She is very excited to begin a new career in Interior Design once she graduates from IDI in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Genevieve Chambliss (that would be me!) is an enthusiastic and talented design student at IDI with a background in Civil Engineering. At an early age she developed an interest in art, architecture, interiors, fashion and style. She also excelled in more technical subjects and went on to attended the University of California, Irvine, where she obtained a BS in Civil Engineering with an emphasis in Structural Engineering. After working as an engineer for several years, Genevieve decided to go back to school to pursue her dream of becoming a designer. As a student at IDI, her eye for aesthetics along with her technical skills have repeatedly won her projects a spot in the school's Hall of Fame. She also blogs (right here!) in order to chronicle her journey from engineer, interior design student and amateur decorator to professional interior designer.

We plan on designing a nursery or kids room, so stay tuned for the hunt for furniture and fabric, DIY projects, and installation of our soon to be fabulous space!

Yay March! and Which Phone Case?

Happy Friday ya'll!  Today is the first day of what is going to be a great month!... Not only does March begin on my favorite day of the week this year, but there are also a few fun things going on this month for me.

The first exciting thing starts today. I have my first meeting for the ASID's ARC Design Challenge. Four of my fellow students and I will be competing as a group against other design schools to design a 12' x 12' vignette room... but there's a catch! The space must reuse and repurpose items donated to the Salvation Army. I love repurposing furniture and DIY projects (check out my dresser redo or my sweater pillows) so I'm super into this. What a great way to show the public that you can pull together a beautiful design out of inexpensive used items!  One man's trash is another man's treasure, right?!  At the end of the competition, items will be auctioned to support the Anaheim Adult Rehabilitation Center (ARC). I'm super excited about this challenge and can't wait to tell you guys more as we move along.  Check back often!

Also, this month, a friend of mine is getting married.  So I'm looking forward to getting dolled up, enjoying some yummy food and dancing, and most of all I'm looking forward to seeing old friends and celebrating the lovely lady and her husband.

And finally, take a wild guess who was born this month?  Hmmm.... think about it.... think about it.... yep! Me!  So I'll also be visiting those who deserve all the credit: dear old mom and dad. My parents are actually quite youthful though, so let me correct myself: spunky, fun, friendly and intelligent mom and dad!  Even though I think a birthday should be more of a celebration of them (all I did was pop out and say hello!), I'm not one to pass up the opportunity to capitalize on the ol' birthday tradition and rack up a few presents.

I've been compiling a list of things I'm wishing for (and a few I plan to buy myself), but then I got stuck. I'm wanting a new iPhone case, but there are so many out there, I can't decide!  Maybe you can help me.  Which do you like best?

Sources // 1 J.Crew Tortoise // 2 Vintage Rose Pattern Case // 3 Girly Whimsical Cats // 

4 Pink Peony Vintage Floral // 5 Grey & Silver Glitter Chevron // 6 Kate Spade Leopard Ikat

 Sources // 7 Retrographic  // 8 Nautical Sparkle // 9 Tribal Aztec Diamond Stripes //
10 ZigZag Chevron Chic // 11 Picasso Cats // 12 Felicitous