Here to update you with 3 trends that I am seeing all over the place right now that are affordable and simple to incorporate into a space. I was just in West Elm today and I swear these 3 elements were all over the store! The pieces below have a wide range of prices, but everything below is LESS THAN $250. One thing these trends have in common is that they are all very textural, another huge trend right now. All of these items can work together to create a highly textural palette.

Click the links below to shop the item.

one/two/three/four/five/six/seven/eight/nine/ten/eleven

Wovens add texture and warmth to a space and are really practical when incorporated through baskets for organization or rugs in a seating or entry area. I like how all of these woven pieces are neutral but they are also playful so they will add personality through fun shapes or whimsical fringe.

Cognac leather is so beautiful and serves as a warm but neutral accent. It's definitely my favorite tone of leather and looks good with almost any palette because it can go rustic or modern. Leather doesn't have to be real to look great in a space, there are some very good looking faux leathers out there these days so you can get the same effect without the splurge.

Tassels are seriously everywhere right now - in home decor, jewelry, and clothing. And I'm obsessed! Along with tassels, wall hangings and macrame plant hangers are super hot. I'm already a pillow addict, so add tassels and oh my goodness my heart!

I hope you find some pieces you love! If so, I'd love it if you let me know in a comment below.

Are we long overdue for an update or what?! Since we were pretty burned out when we moved in, we have been taking our time and picking away at projects at a slower pace. That doesn't mean that we haven't accomplished a lot though!

Our first couple weeks, we lived without interior doors, which of course included the bathroom. All of our poor guests only had the privacy of a curtain! We did finally get doors ordered and installed, but not without some pretty big snags due to a miscommunication with the building supply company!





We also have installed a flat stock trim in most of the upstairs. We still have to patch the nail holes and paint the trim, which we joke about being one of those tasks that won't done until we put the house up for sale!



Don't worry, I'm getting to the basement updates, but to distract ourselves from that big headache, we worked on some little projects, like adding a towel bar and ring in the bathroom.







After living with this completely unorganized situation for about 2 months (I couldn't even reach anything in the bottom of the cardboard box because it was so tall!), one night I begged Martin to go with me to Ikea to get a dresser so we could get the situation under control. Leave it to Martin to set a record for the fastest Ikea trip in history with a total of 5 minutes in the store!

Before



After

We do have a closet in our room for hanging storage, but a new dresser was seriously the best way to force myself to get rid of all of the clothes that we don't need or wear. Such a good feeling (I'm am doing my best to carry this concept through the whole house)! Now I just have to get them beyond sitting in a box in our spare bedroom!

Now onto the basement! Martin demoed the basement one day while I wasn't home and what I came home to was nothing short of a disaster. It's been demoed for about 3 months and goes back and forth between showing progress and being a terrifying sight. I do think things are turning the corner!



In the bathroom, we tore out the raised tub that had two steps to get up to it for the plumbing to live underneath. In order to fix this, Martin and his dad had to cut through the concrete and tie in a new plumbing line for a new corner shower. What a mess! They also changed the plumbing for the washer so that it would be on the same wall as the dryer, like it should have been from the start. Bonus - it left us with a little nook for a new wash tub!



I'm so happy that things are finally starting to come together and get cleaned up! We also just finished up some electrical work to make switches more functional. The only major things left before new drywall are to run cable to the basement and install a new dryer vent.




One last update: Spring has sprung in Maryland! Here are some of my favorites from April!






Enjoy your warmer weather wherever you may be!

We finally decided to ditch our tiny Ikea dining table and get a grown-up table to gather around with friends and family. It didn't take me long to find out that we could build a real wood table for the same or less than the cost of a low quality table from a home store. I did some searching on Pinterest and fell in love with this farmhouse table here. Those truss beams had me all heart eyed!

With an open floor plan, I didn't want the table too close to the living room area so we made it 15" shorter than called for in the plans and I'm so glad we did! That would have been WAY too big! It is the perfect size and will easily fit two people on each side, as well as one on each end.

We found all of our lumber during a late afternoon trip to Lowe's and by the end of the night, we had a table that was sanded and ready to be stained.

(Excuse our hot mess of a basement! There will be an update on that soon. It does make for a good workshop though!)







For the stain, we used a 2:1 mix of Minwax Classic Grey with Dark Walnut and finished it with a clear matte polycrylic finish.


The finished product!

We weren't feeling too confident in the strength of the breadboards at the ends so we added L-brackets that we painted matte black to add a lot more support, and that they do. The only time you can see them is while sitting on our couch, but I'm kind of liking them!


I'm so impressed by Martin's building skills and how handy he is getting on all of our projects!
We are excited for the memories that will be made around our new table!

Our kitchen is not completely done, but it is so close and finally functional! I'm excited to share all the details with you! When we bought the house, the kitchen was so dark and tiny that I knew it needed to be opened up and given light finishes to brighten the space up. Besides, I have a thing for clean, simple, classic kitchens. Layout wise, we relocated the sink to under the window and moved the dishwasher and refrigerator to the left of it. I am so happy that we had space for an island to add more work surface, along with extra storage and a trash and recycling drawer (I seriously love this feature). We also added new recessed LEDs for overhead light and pendants over the island.

Cabinets - Fabuwood Galaxy in Frost
Countertops - Silestone Quartz Lyra (I couldn't believe it when I found this $20 off a square foot at Lowe's!)
Sink - Free with countertops!
Wall paint - Sherwin Williams Repose Gray
Cabinet Pulls - Flat Black Cabinet Hardware Euro Style Bar Handle Pull
Pendant Lights - Linea di Liara Andante Industrial Factory Pendant Lamp
Faucet - Krause Mateo Single Level Pull Down Faucet
Appliances - All Samsung
Flooring - Pergo XP Southern Grey Oak
Succulent Planter - Homegoods
Bar stools - Zulily - (Is anyone interested in these? The counter at our apartment was taller so I'm looking to sell them and buy some lower counter stools.)
Close up of the dreamy countertops!
Excuse the fact that we haven't put pulls on all the drawers yet! The screws that came with our pulls are too short for the drawers so we had to get some longer ones.
Utensil Crock - Burlington Coat Factory (similar linked here)
Wood Paddle Board - Home Goods (similar linked here)
Candle - Bath & Body Works Vanilla Snowflake (so yummy!)


Wood Cake Stand - World Market (we used this stand for our wedding cake!)
Candle Holder - Target
Succulent - TJMaxx
(oh, and there's my little avocado waiting to ripen up!) #avocadoaddict


Turkish Dish Towel - Homegoods (You are just going to have to go to Homegoods to get these exact towels! They came in a pack of 2 for $6 and I can't believe how amazing the quality is!)
Hand Soap - Bath & Body Works Kitchen Lemon (yup, perfect for the kitchen)

I'm really looking forward to getting a backsplash up, but we have to wait until we put the window trim up, which we have to wait to put up until we replace all the windows! But, that means I have lots of time to find the perfect tile - I'm thinking something simple but a little playful.

Hope you enjoyed all the details of our kitchen!

There has been a little blood, a lot of sweat, and a few tears, but our house is livable and we are officially moved in! The past two months have been an absolute whirlwind. When we look at before and after pictures we don't even understand how it happened! A big thanks to all our friends and family who have helped us out!

There's still lots to be done before the main floor is finished (like doors, baseboard trim, closets, & new windows) so here are some before pictures compared to how things are looking now.

The Kitchen

Before

After
We are currently living without a kitchen sink or working dishwasher, but our countertops are scheduled to be installed next Tuesday and that day seriously can't come fast enough. I'm excited to put up the pendants that I just got - love them! At some point, we will install a backsplash, but probably not until we replace the windows and put new trim up.

Living Room
Before

After
Ahhh, this is finally a space that is perfect to hang out in! We decided to put up a new half wall, but still have to replace the handrail down the stairs when we redo that area.
Bathroom
Before

After
I love a bright, clean bathroom! We added a dark grey vanity to contrast with the light tile and paint and are using a few different metal finishes for some interest. It's going to be a battle of who gets to soak in the tub first!
Bedrooms
Before

After


Goodbye to disgusting stained carpet and walls! The bedrooms are currently a sea of boxes, but we will soon have space for guests and a little music room/office.

Until next time - you know where to find us chugging away at projects!