Back & in Business!

Well, so much has happened in the last year- the most notable being that my little nugget, Grayson James Reilly, was born on November 18th at 3:33am! Now, he is 8 months old (which FLEW by!) and more of his personality is shining through every day. He continues to amaze us. 

Grayson James One Week Old!

Grayson James Eight Months Old! 

It has been the greatest whirlwind but, as you can imagine, decorating (& updating this blog) has been on the back burner. 

But, it's time to get back at it and after spending 8 months with my happy little guy, I'm ready to get out there. 

If you're interested in Interior Design, Professional Organizing or Re-Design (utilizing things that you already have in your home to create a new look or function), contact me at KReilly113@Gmail.com!

Gender Neutral Nursery

Grayson's Nursery in Mint, Gray & Yellow

Final touches added after he was born

 One of the most exciting projects that I've ever worked on was my baby's nursery. When we found out we were pregnant, one of the first decisions that we made was that we weren't going to find out the gender until the baby got here. So, I embarked on the challenge of a gender-neutral nursery. 

After hours on Pinterest, we decided to keep the wall color that was already in the home office - 'Mint Condition' - which would also save us a paint job. The complimentary colors we decided on were White, Yellow & Gray, so we purchased a gray crib, dresser and rocking chair. We also decided to go with an Elephant theme, since I've always loved stories about how elephants are so loyal to their families and the lasting bond between a mother & baby elephant. 

Aside from baby shower gifts, many of the accessories in the room were found at my favorite place- Home Goods- including the ottoman, yellow & white floor-length curtains, owl chevron throw pillow, gray & white elephant 3-drawer storage set and picture frames. The distressed gray shelves to the left of the windows are one of my favorite things and they're from Target. 

Also, we waited to add some of the finishing touches after Grayson was born. I had an idea about what I wanted to do above the crib and when my sister-in-law gave me the black & white canvas of Grayson and his Dad for Christmas, I knew just where to put it. I ordered the decal above the crib from Etsy and it was actually extremely easy to put up on the wall. 

Gallery Wall Project!

So exciting- our staircase photo gallery wall is finally done! After lots of Pinterest research and inspiration, much debate about the layout and tons of hammering / leveling, I'm really happy with how it came out. 

Check it out below:

Stairwell Photo Gallery Wall: January 2015

At first, I was going to keep going and do a backwards L shape to follow the shape of the wall. But, once I started getting my frames up I decided to square it out. The process was also more daunting than anything. I only re-organized a few of the frames once they were up on the wall, which surprised me. And, it's a bit more symmetrical than I originally thought I wanted. I also had big plans at the beginning to follow a Pinterest tutorial I saw where you trace the outline of each frame in paper and put those up on the wall first, but it turned out to be more frustrating to add the extra frame-tracing step. So, we just winged it & I think it worked out pretty great! I still need to change out some of the photos and I'm sure I'll switch things out every once in awhile to keep it interesting, but for now I'm really happy with it... and my husband is glad that he doesn't need to hang any more pictures for now! 

Home Wishlists & Big Dreams...

We've made so much progress since we bought our house 8 months ago, but today I was thinking about some of the projects that we have ahead of us and I wanted to write them down.  I have no idea how many of these we'll be able to make happen this year, but it's definitely fun to think about what we would do with an unlimited budget and time- check it out: 

I'll provide an update on this from time to time- I'm constantly thinking of new things I want to try, and hopefully some of these will get crossed off! 

Also, a blog update: Still working on the outline, but I've decided to post on Friday's moving forward. My goal is to put up at least 3 per month, so I'll do my best! :) 

Happy 2015!

Well, I can't believe it's officially a new year. 2014 has come & gone, but it was a great year. Among many other things, we bought our first home, celebrated some people we love at amazing weddings & wedding events, and went on a few great family vacations. However, there are so many things I'm looking forward to in 2015!

Since I looked back on the resolutions that I made last year and saw that I unfortunately haven't made a ton of progress on any of them, I'm going to switch it up this year and just challenge myself to get out of my comfort zone and be a better me throughout all of 2015... 

I'm starting off with some healthy goals & challenging myself to get in better shape this year. So far it's Day 5 and I have to say that it's going pretty well! I made up a points system that I'm using to track some key goals that I have on a daily & weekly basis:
     - 3 points are earned for every healthy meal : Defined as high protein, whole grain & fiber, low sugar/empty carbs, and right around 500 calories
       (Possibility to earn 1 point each for breakfast, lunch and dinner)
     - 1 point for each workout 
       (Must be over 15 minutes or 250 calories- whichever comes first.) My husband & I contributed to a treadmill for our Christmas gifts to each other, so that should help- Keep an eye out for an upcoming post about designing our home gym!
     - 1 point for staying within my My Fitness Pal goals - I'm using this app to track not just calories but many other nutritional benchmarks including: Carbs, Fat, Protein, Sodium & Sugar.
     - I'll also weigh myself weekly and allocate 1 point per each pound lost within that week. 
It's really an experiment to see if I can motivate myself and make myself accountable for making better choices & changes. Since it's going well so far, it should be interesting & I will keep you posted on the progress. The goal that I set for myself is to exceed 150 total points in 50 days! 

From a design perspective, I am hopeful that I'll write more blog posts and be a little more consistent this year. I've been motivated by other bloggers that I follow to create an outline so that I can work towards posting on a more regular basis. This is something I'll be working on over the next few weeks. I also need to finish my Interior Design course by June of this year, so I have to get moving on that! So far, I have completed 3 out of the 6 courses - and should mention that I'm currently a straight A student! 

In late November, I started helping some great friends of mine- Cari & David- decorate their new house, which was such an exciting project for me. It allowed me to apply lots of learnings from my course so far and challenged me to think about what the next steps in the process would be. I put together a presentation for them filled with ideas I had for the rooms we were focused on (which they loved!), and we also started to implement some of the ideas. We're on hold with the decorating for the moment since they just welcomed a beautiful baby girl into the world at the end of December! But, I will definitely post more about the process & progress of that particular project. I also hope to help other friends, family & potential clients in 2015 to utilize my skills and creativity and really challenge myself. 

I would like to focus more on my hobbies & personal interests in 2015, as well. My Dad got me a calligraphy set for Christmas that I've been practicing with, and I signed myself up for an in-person class this March in NYC (led by Laura Hooper), which I am really looking forward to. 

Overall, I'm excited and I wish everyone who reads this a happy, healthy & prosperous 2015- I hope that you are inspired to do things that challenge you this year! 

Living Room: Fall Update!

Over the past few weeks since I posted the living room, we have made some updates. Besides our fall decorations, we just purchased this Safavieh rug from Joss & Main (for a great price!). I feel like it makes such a big difference because it finally fits the size of the room and ties the furniture together. 

Living room with Fall Decorations

We also painted behind the built-in shelves framing the bay window, which we have wanted to do for awhile. I love built-ins and feel like they add character to any room. I was excited about these since the first day that we saw the house. We went with a slate grey (to be honest, we used leftover paint that we had from the bedroom) because we thought a darker color would make the white shelves pop.  I'm not sure if this is going to be the "forever" color, but it was an easy, 1-day project so it wouldn't be too hard to change in the future. 

I really can't wait to see what this room looks like with all of our Christmas decorations. We can't wait to put a big tree right in the bay window & will probably rearrange the furniture to make that the focal point during the holidays (stay tuned!)

Close-Up of the shelves

Living Room

Hopefully no one's getting bored of the posts of progress in our house. As I finish this Interior Design course and many of our own projects, I'm getting more and more excited about the prospect of helping other people create a space that is both functional and beautiful. Hopefully I'll have some clients soon (or at least friends/family members who will let me practice designing)! 

So, in our Living Room we finally mounted our TV up on the wall and it also inspired me to organize. I'm really happy with how this space is coming along. I like that the wall color (Benjamin Moore) looks good and contrasts both with white and with black. It's a very clean color and I swear it changes throughout the day- depending on the amount of natural light coming into the room, it gets warmer or cooler so it never looks the same. I was hesitant about putting up such a neutral color but because of the open concept, a bold color choice would have been overwhelming. I am excited to paint a pop of color (or wallpaper) behind the built-in shelves. I think that will really help them stand out.

And, just for context, here's the Before: 

Left (From Listing) / Right (Right after painting)

Ready to Wine & Dine

Sorry for the 2 posts in one day, but- we are just so excited that our dining room set from Bassett Furniture has finally arrived! It really has changed the feel of the room, and makes the space look much more mature than the high top table we had their previously (Sorry, Chris- he still loves that table...).
The set we got is called the 'Emporium' collection and believe it or not, I saw it from the road as we drove by Bassett when we first moved into the house & it caught my eye from the front window. We continued to look at other sets after that but kept coming back to this one and ultimately decided it was the one we both loved. Even better, we were able to purchase the set with a housewarming gift from our parents AND during their 30% off sale!

The dining room is now almost finished. I definitely want to put in a chandelier above the table (thinking about some that are more rustic than super fancy - crystals aren't really my thing). I'm debating a rug for under the table (what do you think?), but I could go either way on that decision. Also there's a blank wall to the left of the table now that we moved the ladder shelves / bar over into the right corner. (We also reorganized it, see below.) I think I want to do a grouping of multiple framed pictures on the blank wall, so that will be a fun project. 

FALL IS HERE...

...and I couldn't be more excited! Maybe its unofficial but today certainly feels like fall has arrived- the sun is out but the breeze is cool, which is my favorite combo! It inspires me to start thinking about how I can decorate for the season. Since we moved, there are still a few "decor" boxes that we haven't unpacked which I hope that my fall stuff is in, but I've already purchased a few new things just in case (and because I couldn't resist). The table napkins and placements & "Boo" candles are from Home Goods, and the fall-scented candles are from Bed Bath & Beyond- they have the best tri-wick candles. The smell is just as strong every time you light the candle AND I bought these in their 2 candles for $22 sale- can't beat that!! 

Also when browsing, here is some inspiration & some things I've seen that I would love to incorporate into my fall decorating scheme. I'm literally obsessed with the Marshall + Hutch from Joss & Main. If I could fit this in my house, I would have already purchased. I love the rustic / modern style of it and the openness of the display (you can buy it here: https://www.jossandmain.com/Small-Space-Savvy-Marshall-Hutch-&-Server~LIF2844~E13132.html.) It reminds me a bit of the open ladder shelving that we bought last year which is now in our dining room & we get tons of compliments on. Also, how cute is that monogrammed wreath for the front door (Etsy)?! 

Good luck with your own fall decorating & if you want more inspiration, follow me on Pinterest as I continue to add to my Fall Decor board: http://www.pinterest.com/kcasey16/fall-decor-cant-wait/!

Master Bedroom Progress

Here it is:

The Master Bedroom.

The master bedroom was very high on our priority list of things to get done as soon as possible in our new home, since its one of the places that we knew we would be spending lots of time. I wanted a peaceful and calming feel in this room. When we decided to go with the wall color (Sherwin Williams, 7669 Summit Gray), at first I was hesitant that it would be too dark but Chris was confident throughout and I'm glad that I trusted him. 
When we first saw the house, this was one of the most boring rooms but instead of being deterred, I saw it as a blank slate. 

Bedroom BEFORE (From the listing)

There was a lot of work done that you can't see here, mainly in the closets- there are 4 total in the room. Two of them are right when you walk in the door- a small walk-in and a linen closet (not pictured) and the other two his & hers closets are on the right side of the room when you walk in, which you can see. They all required lots of TLC but in the end came out bright & clean. We also loved the amount of natural light in the room coming in through the large windows. 

Our Master Bedroom During & After

Because of the dark color, edging wasn't easy, but we did get some help from our friends with the painting (thanks Kevin & Bobby)!

Most things in the room were from our apartment, but I got great deals on the new things we did purchase - the throw pillows, lamps and small mirrored dresser are all from Home Goods. The stand-up mirror (which doubles as jewelry storage inside - pretty awesome) can be found here: http://www.wayfair.com/Powell-Furniture-Cheval-Jewelry-Armoire-with-Mirror-597-514-PW4745.html), and our duvet was a Christmas gift that we asked for from my parents last year from Nordstrom. (http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/nordstrom-at-home-contrast-pleat-duvet/3212613?origin=category&contextualcategoryid=0&fashionColor=&resultback=0)

I still have a wishlist for this room: a rug for under the bed, chandelier for above the bed, and a matching bedroom set (dying for a King!). But for now and until we can afford those things, I'm extremely happy waking up here and wanted to share the progress we have made so far!  

Photography: Jenn's Senior Pictures

This past week in Cape Cod on vacation with my family, I took some Senior Pictures of my sister. Can't believe she only has one more year of high school left, time is flying! She's gorgeous, so she certainly made it easy, and I'm really happy with how they came out. 

See some shots below: 

Where the heart is.

So far, making changes to our house has been as much fun as I had hoped it would be. I've learned so much- for example, the difference between 2 shades of paint on the same swatch can make a drastic difference once you apply the color to a whole room. We have been big fans of buying testers first to paint part of the wall and comparing different shades or hues, since the amount and type of lighting that you have in the room you're painting also makes a huge difference in the end color result.

Sherwin Williams Paint Swatch Book

We have been using mainly Sherwin Williams paint- even though its a bit more expensive, the quality is great and we chose these colors knowing that we want them to hold up for a good amount of time before we have to touch up or change. SW also provided me with a free paint swatch book, which I'm pretty pumped about. (Think they noticed the amount of time we have stood in front of the wall of paint swatches, trying to make the right decision?)

Today I wanted to feature one of the rooms I'm proudest of so far in terms of paint color: the kitchen.

The kitchen started off as completely white, walls and cabinets. We have big plans for this room but of course need some time to save up. Eventually I'd like to refinish the cabinets, add a new backsplash and countertops and even take down a 1/2 wall to make a breakfast bar, opening the room up to the living / dining area. The photos below are the before (from the listing and how the room looked when we first walked through the house) and after (painted and decorated). They are taken from the angle facing away from the sink & cabinets: 

Kitchen Before (Left) and After (Right)

We loved the blue for the kitchen because it felt warm and cozy- a french country blue. The color is Sherwin Williams' 'Open Seas'. The floating shelves provided some depth to the room, and were beyond easy to put up. They are from Target, and come with a template of where you need to drill (still a 2-person job, but took about 20 minutes). I surprised my husband, who went to work outside after we had finished putting up the shelves, with finalizing the decorating and setting up our wine fridge. The Giada cookbook is even open to his favorite meal, linguini with white clam sauce. I'm really happy with how this space came out and can't wait to make some even bolder design decisions in the future for this room. 

Back at it!

Ok, it's been way too long since my last post but so much has happened. WE GOT THE HOUSE! And, I could not be happier. We went on a family trip to Europe in April (another post for another time), and we closed on the house a few days after we got back. It was a complete whirlwind. We closed on April 25th and moved in only a few short days later.

Of course, as mentioned previously, the closing process was not at all what I expected and actually was quite overwhelming. We had been hoping to close within the month of March but thankfully had built in a buffer with the landlord of our apartment. Also, during the final walkthrough I had a bit of a panic attack over the amount of work that needed to be done to make it livable. With our friends and family, we managed to get a few things done before the big move, such as painting the first floor & master bedroom as well as installing a new sink & toilet in the master bath. But, now that we have been in our home for a few months (which I can't believe- it has flown by!), I can say with confidence that every single minute of stress- and glasses of wine drank- were worth it. I feel like a different person. After renting apartments for over 5 years, it is so nice to have a place to call ours. 

We have been taking on many projects, lots that I'd like to share here in a series of blog posts and before & after pictures to show how much work we have really done. It's been an exciting time where I have been able to make so many design choices. And, don't get it twisted- we have SO MUCH MORE to do. But, I'm looking forward to all of it. :)

Our New Home.

House Hunting...

Sorry I haven't updated lately- I was traveling for work (had a blast in Austin, such a great city!) and we have been super consumed with our home-buying process. I didn't realize how stressful this was going to be! HGTV makes it look too easy- they get the house in the time it takes for them to drink a glass of wine, whereas I have consumed MANY glasses throughout this process!!! 
We have put in an bid on a home that we love & after much negotiating, finally got an accepted offer. I thought that things would go downhill from there- but not so fast! We then, after inspection, found some things that needed to be fixed at a high price tag, so went back for further negotiations and 2 weeks later, we have ANOTHER accepted offer... Now we are impatiently waiting for our contract to be submitted to the lawyers, signed & countersigned and at that point, I'll get excited. 
So- stay tuned! Really hoping that my next update will be as a homeowner & the projects can begin!! I have all my design magazines stacked up & ready to start collecting inspiration... 

Inspiration is waiting! 

In the meantime- say a prayer, cross your fingers & send some good vibes my way- every little bit helps! Happy Almost Superbowl Sunday! 

So nice to be at home during the day...

This picture was taken of my living room this weekend- I like how cozy it looks with the fire burning! I had a nice easy Saturday, which inspired me to do some "new year" cleaning & organization. It's always nicer relaxing in a clean house!

Resolutions...

Happy New Year!!

I'm pretty pumped for all that 2014 has to offer- We are hoping to buy a house this year & travel to Europe. We already have a few weddings of close family & friends to look forward to, and I'm sure there will be many more exciting things. Its always nice to reset, reevaluate and set some goals for yourself. 

Here are some of the resolutions I have made for myself for 2014: 
- Give Back: Find some charitable causes that I can donate time & money to this year
- Bike 100 Miles before June 31st : Either on my new bike or a stationary bike (ie Soul Cycle if I could find a way to track mileage...)
- Run a full 5K without stopping
- Finish my Interior Design course: This could be tough since I still have 5 out of 6 units to go, but I plan on scheduling time in advance for me to get these done! 
- Take a Photoshop class and continue to develop my Photography skills 
- Keep updating this blog! 

Here's a pretty good HuffingtonPost article on 'Resolutions for Women on the Run' that I found inspiring: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christine-pelosi/five-new-years-resolution_b_4525975.html
I really like "4. Get out of your own way: We diminish ourselves far more than our foes do, letting fear of failure or success hamper us. We listen to that little voice inside telling us that our skin or clothing is too loose or too tight; the relatives who cheer our professional advice then ask "when are you getting married?" or the ghosts of boyfriends or girlfriends past reminding us of old failure, and we stunt our own growth with self-sabotage disguised as advice. Let that go." This aligns well with Sheryl Sandberg's "Lean In", which I am in the middle of- it's very informative & motivating so far!

The Best Way to Spread Xmas Cheer is to Sing Loud for All to Hear!

I wanted to share a really thoughtful gift that was passed on to me from my mother in law. For the past few years, she has mailed us an Advent Calendar filled with clues. Leading up to Christmas for 25 days, each day we get a clue which correlates to a wrapped gift of the same number. For example, “to keep you warm when days are cold” could refer to a pair of winter gloves or “to serve treats for your guests” could refer to a holiday serving dish.

The advent calendar is such a thoughtful gift & fosters excitement in the sometimes stressful days leading up to the big holiday.

Last year, I did an advent calendar for my sister, which was really nice especially because I wasn’t going to see her until late Christmas day. The hardest part, I thought, wasn’t finding the little gifts but it was a lot of work organizing the clues. She would text me each morning the gift that she got along with her guess of what tomorrow’s gift would be based on the clue, so it was a nice way to stay in touch & totally worth the effort. J Highly recommended for families that are apart for the holiday season (especially college aged kids who will really appreciate every little thing)- what beats 25 gifts that you get to open BEFORE Christmas!? 

(Accidental) Project Two: Open Bar

 So, I have yet to attempt the home office project that I mentioned in an earlier blog post. But, I recently was perusing one of my favorite flash deal sites, Joss and Main and came across this gorgeous Farmhouse Leaning Bookcase and I knew I had to have it. Unfortunately, even though I felt the price was worth it, the shipping turned out to be $150! So, (even though I love you J&M) I was searching this shelf a few weeks later- know I have to have something when I can’t get it out of my head for weeks- and came across it at the same price but with free shipping at Wayfair.com!

Wine Rack Before and After

Originally, I was just going to set this bookcase up in the only open corner of my dining room, but when I set it up, I got an idea. I began transferring everything from our current wine rack onto the bookcase and ended up loving how it looked as a replacement. The lines are cleaner, it forced me to de-clutter and ended up looking so much more polished- see for yourself in the before & after above.

I define my personal style as French-Country-Modern, and really feel that this piece hits on all 3 of those adjectives. Ultimately, I also love it because I know that it will fit wherever I need it to once we buy a house- whether it remains the wine rack or actually becomes a bookcase in a living room or guest room. It’s a solid piece of wood so it will last for years. Overall, a successful accidental second project!

Also, an update: we are knee deep in our house hunt. We have seen 15+ properties at this point and even a couple we really liked. Not sure if we’re ready to make an offer at any place just yet, but really hoping to find something great in the next month or two! 

Inspired.

Some Living Room, Kitchen & Dining Room inspiration from House Beautiful

One of the most important things in life is to do what inspires you and to continue to seek out ways to be inspired. Inspiration leads to motivation which leads to positive changes. This is applicable to so many things, and I know it’s a bit deep, but it’s one of the main reasons that I started this blog. 

Interior design has always attracted me. In high school, I briefly shadowed a designer before ultimately deciding to do an internship with a boutique advertising agency. I don’t regret the decision at all, as it has been the catalyst for choosing my Marketing major and led to my career in media. However, it was recently that I realized I didn’t need to make a choice between the two. This fueled my decision to sign up for the NYIAD course.

From a design perspective, I’m inspired by so many things & feel that I have so many more to discover: 

• Nature is one of the biggest things that inspires me- I am really interested in furniture used with natural materials and patterns that incorporate things found in nature. One of the most exciting things about planning a fall wedding were all the options out there to use wood, leaves, acorns and even fruit & pumpkins decoratively.

• There is so much design inspiration to consume from a media perspective- so much that I don’t have enough time in the day for all of it. I watch a ton of HGTV when I can and am constantly impressed by the designers and how they can use bold colors and great furniture pieces to change a space so drastically. (Property Brothers and Love it or List it are personal favorites!) 

• Pinterest and Instagram are amazing outlets where I follow many different designers & design companies. I need to get better about checking out specific websites & magazines- my NIAD instructor recently gave me a list of great ones to look into. On that note, I’ve also been tearing pictures out of magazines and saving the ones I find online into a folder that I will ideally dedicate to a reference library that I can go to for great ideas for any room. 

I could talk about this subject for days, but I’ll leave you on this- It is always important to be inspired to be your best self. Here’s a great post I read recently from another blogger that gives some great advice on ’25 things that every woman should know’: http://hannahbrencher.com/2013/04/04/25-things-every-woman-needs-to-know/

Vanity

A few months ago when I decided to sign up for my course in Interior Design, I realized that I had a project right in front of me. Going from apartment to apartment with different roommates in Manhattan after graduating from college, I didn’t really have the luxury of decorating the way I would have liked to- I was just trying to pay my rent on time. However, since I have finally moved into my current apartment in Westchester with my husband, a place that I feel at home in, I realized how exciting Interior Design is and how much I missed it.

Over the years, I have helped my parents do some updates in their home and even in high school, I redid my room multiple times (and rearranged it whenever I was bored & needed a change, which was often…).

Looking around my room recently, I saw the makeshift vanity that I created from a Container Store folding shelf & a make-up mirror in a different light. The clutter grew to the point where it no longer looked organized no matter how I arranged everything- it was a hot mess. So, I started doing some research and came up with a design solution that I’m super proud of.

My new vanity is 2 separate pieces that I put together- the bottom is a 3-drawer table that I bought on Overstock.com, and the top mirror/drawer combination is actually from Pottery Barn Teen. Both pieces were bought with great deals, and I set it up against the focus wall in our bedroom, where it really pops & brightens everything up.

"Vanity" before... 

Vanity After!

Also, just rearranging the furniture in the room created a ton of space that I never realized I had. We were also able to (very comfortably) fit in some additional furniture, so we added a chair & side table that we purchased from one of my favorite places in the entire world, Home Goods.

My next challenge is going to be trying to fit a home office somewhere within my 900-square foot apartment, so hopefully I have the same amount of luck with that project!