~how to get the Restoration Hardware look on a budget~

It was really great to hear your feedback on this home decorated like a Restoration Hardware catalog.

I think we all agreed that it was pretty but a little over the top.

It was missing personal touches and that lived in feeling.

And can you imagine how much money it would cost to decorate your house exclusively from Restoration Hardware?

After this post I thought that it would be fun to pick a room in my house and decorate it with the Restoration Hardware look, but not necessarily with everything from their store.

So, I did. I chose my dining room and the best part is that I did not spend a dime.

Here is how I did it.

The neutral walls help.

If you flip through a Restoration Hardware catalog you will notice that all the walls are neutral, whether they are light or dark, there are no bright colors on the walls.

The color of our dining room is Swiss Coffee by Behr.

All of our chairs are actually from Restoration Hardware. We are lucky enough to have an outlet near us which I frequent often.

However, you can find similar chairs here and here.

Botanicals are huge in creating this look.

You can read the story about mine here.

They are actual flower pressings from the early 1800's.

You can find similar free printables here.

Keep things neutral but add in tons of texture.

These beat up vintage leather suitcases do the trick and they can double as storage.

To add a bit of French flair I added this simple arrangement to the table.

The pot was outdoors and I simply brought it in and planted Spanish Lavender in it and placed Spanish moss around the top.

This is pretty much the only color in the room.

Everything from this centerpiece can be found at Home Depot.

To style the bookshelves I ripped covers off of vintage books and stacked them every which way.

I added a bit of greenery with boxwood planted in this urn.

I just finished this tortoise shell. 

If you missed the post, you can read about it here.

I framed a plant description that goes with the botanicals.

Tutorial for this system coming Thursday!

On the shelves I added a lot of concrete pieces.

The DIY for these spheres here.

This was super simple, I just rolled up sheet music and tied with twine and placed in a thrifted silver bowl.

One thing I didn't get a photo of was this knock off subway art which is still one of my favorite things.

I hope you can take away some inspiration from this post on decorating your home in this style without spending a small fortune.

xoxo

~decorating a room doesn't happen overnight~

When we first bought this house back in 1998, our living room had natural tongue and groove cedar walls and ceilings. I embraced this by decorating with a lodge feel using leather couches, pine furniture, deer heads and fish.

Then around the year 2008 I decided to paint the walls to lighten it up.

This change had me wanting more white so we bought a slipcovered couch from Ikea and I was on the hunt for the perfect coffee table.

I made some picture frames out of vintage chippy wood and hung a boat oar on the wall under them.

This picture just made a big debut on HGTV.

You can see the story here.

It got a ton of nasty comments.

Honestly, it bothered me at first, but in the end, I realize my house isn't for everyone.

How boring would it be if every house were the same?

Present day……

Today there is a bit more color in the room with the raspberry red pillows. I found a great $5 coffee table {trunk} at a garage sale that suits us just fine.

I hung rows of black and white photos of Crystal Lake {where we live} from the past, framed in Ikea Ribba frames.

We upgraded our sofa and now have one from Pottery Barn.

The lamps are a bit more substantial. A score from Home Goods.

I am a sucker for layers and a bit of animal print, so the jute rug and zebra rug are perfect.

Long story short, it takes time to create a comfortable look that represents you and your family.

If you pulled a room together overnight it would look like Pottery Barn page 127.

Who wants that?

Shop for the perfect accessories, and don't buy anything unless you love it.

If all you can afford at the present time is an Ikea couch, by all means, go for it!

There is nothing wrong with Ikea!

We live in this room.

Yes my carpet is a hideous brown that I'd rip up in a heartbeat and install hardwoods if I could, but money doesn't grow on trees and with 2 dogs and kids, it's perfect for where we are right now in life.

And for everyone afraid to get a white sofa, I can only say that you are missing out! They are the worlds easiest to keep clean! I cannot tell you how many spills we have had on this sofa and you just whip the cover off and throw it in the wash. So easy!

Good luck decorating the room of your dreams!

xoxo

~4th of July decorating and DIY ideas~ {our home}

The 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays.

Perhaps it's because my neighborhood turns into one big party and who doesn't love sunny weather, the lake, fireworks, bbq's, and friends?

Let's take a walk down memory lane shall we?

Back in 2010 our home was featured on The Old Painted Cottage, Cottage of the month for July.

Take a look here.

You can take a look at some patriotic decorating that happened in our home, right here.

And one of my favorite red white and blue decorating ideas can be found right here.

And lastly, in case you missed it, learn how to make a easy no sew inexpensive banner here, as well as see a few other great patriotic projects!

Here's to a great week!

xoxo

~a gorgeous home decorated for the holidays~

I couldn't help but share this home. It screams cozy to me and is over the top gorgeous
in my opinion. You can see the whole tour here, but these are some of my favorites.

xoxo

~finding fall home tour with better homes & gardens~

If you are new to this blog, thank you for stopping by!
And, welcome back to all of my readers!

I just have to say that fall is my absolute favorite season. I love it when the leaves change and there is a crispness in the air. I love football and soccer games, and I love the anticipation of Christmas that fall brings. It's also a time of year to slow things down a bit. Curl up with a favorite book on the couch with some hot cocoa, take a walk with the dogs dog :(
around the lake, and have family meals around the table.

Our home is pretty neutral year round, but I like to add warmth in the fall with fur blankets, richer colored pillows on the couch, lots of antlers, leaves, and natural elements.
Let's take a look around!

I ripped the doors off our hall coat closet and added breadboard as well as a little bench and cubby. This little nook changes seasonally. Right now we have gloves and hats stored in the bottom crates, and in the top we have hand warmers, scarves, and flashlights with extra batteries. In the summer,these bins become filled with sunscreen, goggles, bug spray, and extra towels.

Here is our kitchen. If you've been reading my blog a long time, you will see some changes I've made recently.

The dining room probably has the most seasonal changes, only because it is so fun to style all the shelves on the hutch in there!

And finally, the living room. I truly love this room! It's cozy and warm and has huge picture windows.

Thank you so much for taking a tour of our home for fall! I'm so glad you all stopped by! Remember if you are new, you can follow along with the follower button on the right hand side of this page. There you will also find links to my pinterest and instagram!

Make sure you check out the next two homes on the tour today. At The Picket Fence is up as well as Jennifer Rizzo!
For the full list, go here.
Sources coming tomorrow!

xoxo