Ittybittybungalow

Long weekends are really great for getting projects done around IBB. You can work and also still take a day off. This weekend I was able to accomplish a few things:

First I was inspired by the stripes in the nursery over at Stucco Bungalow and decided to add them to create an accent wall in the living room.

A quart of paint, Frog Tape and a couple hours later I wound up with this. but I’m wondering if the dark navye stripe was too bold of a choice? hmm..

Then I picked up these really great grocery store ads from the ’30s from an antique co-op in Geneva this weekend and I decided to frame them and hang them in the kitchen. For 15 dollars and some frames these were a really great deal.

I also finally did a Pintrest Project! When I saw this confetti art idea I really thought it was cool so I picked up a canvas, gold wrapping paper and a circle punch and hung these in my bedroom.

I never really liked the old drapes. I thought they were a little too stuffy for the space and I wanted something a little bit more graphic. I found these at Ikea and thanks to a very dear friend I was able to have them shipped up from New York. I was a little surprised at just how shear they are and that the print is actually black, not navy. None-the-less  I am still liking them better than the old ones.

Here are the old ones:

Speaking of the living room I’m still playing with the idea of changing the color. It’s just a little more blue than I wanted. I think I’d like to go a little bit deeper, a little bit more serious… like this color I spied this morning on Design Sponge:

I also got some new curtains for the bathroom which you can see here:

The panels still need to be hemmed and I think I’m going to add wide wooden blinds in an espresso finish when I can find some that are reasonably priced since this window faces my neighbor’s driveway.

Ok folks get ready for the first transformation post from IBB. So far we have been a whole lotta talk and not much action. Here are the before shots of the living room. Here you’ll notice the dirtiest drapes I ever laid eyes on as well as the filthy blinds. As soon as I got the keys the drapes were removed, I saved the blinds just in case I think that they are more retro then they are dated, but I doubt that.

Then the walls and moldings were washed up and polished. The ceiling was painted and the walls received two coats of Nantucket Fog. Which turned out to be a little less foggy then we thought, but its ok. Floors were polished and the furniture loaded in. Turns out, my A-number-one concern, which was if my furniture would fit was nothing to worry about. I mean there’s not really extra space but its adequate.

So here they are… the “during” photos. Now, it’s clearly not really finished.I still need to hang my artwork, replace the sconces and switch plate and figure out something else for the TV to sit on. Also, I’m not sold on keeping that side chair, However here is a little sneak peek at the final project. Stay tuned for a cost and play by play analysis.

Here are three prints I am considering for the drapes in the living and dinning rooms of IBB. I think I am leaning most toward the second option, however there are two others that I also like. I’m going to be doing some more investigations into prints this week so more to come. Until then, let’s take a sneak peek at the current front-runners:

Option One

Option Two

Option Three

I’m looking for something with some punch. Something that has a noticeable print. Something that’s not uber modern but not classically traditional. All that being said, I think that the second one is my favorite. The best thing about number two? Well, the background is sort of brown, which you can’t see in the picture. That’s fantastic because then I can have this rug: