The Rug That I'm Returning...

This post was originally going to be titled "We Found THE Rug!" or "Hey Look at Our New Rug!"... or something catchy like "Rug Love in Our Den"- you get what I'm saying. But I come to bare bad news and tell you that this rug just isn't gonna cut it. Please hold back your tears.

Let's backtrack.... I mentioned in last Friday's post (The South House Files) that I took advantage of the 80% off Labor Day event via Rugs USA. The rug buy was a quick decision considering the sale, but going by the picture, I thought I would really like it and it was definitely the style I have been leaning towards. I also couldn't pass up this major sale for such a good quality 8' x 10' rug. I thought it was worth the risk knowing I could still return within 14 days.

 

So it arrived last Friday- the size was perfect... the quality is excellent... it's SO comfortable... and I really loved the pattern and style... BUT it was green- a very muddy green at that. I knew I couldn't rely on the picture online because they're just never accurate, but I wasn't expecting the green that I saw. I was anticipating more of an ivory center with a green tint.

I feel like the rug is darker in person... the pictures show it to be a little lighter actually.

Before making the decision to ditch, I decided to live with it for a several days. There were moments when I was like "This is it- I DO love it. I can work with the muddy green" but then I would realize what I was saying and think "You're stupid. You just paid a lot of money for a rug and you don't even like it. Don't settle. You are overthinking this. This should not be so difficult. Please just leave the room and shut the door". So after more than a few of those moments, I have decided this rug isn't right for the room. Don't get me wrong- It really is a great rug- the pattern is awesome in my opinion- and while I do love the color green, I do not want this muddy green in my den and it would have dictated ALL of my design decisions. So back to Rugs USA it goes.

I think this was a good lesson on not settling for something just because you clicked "Purchase". I'm not going to stick with this rug for the sake of "progress" or a new blog post ... even if that means this room may not be done until 2017.  I'd rather take my time and find what I really want than to go forward feeling all "blah" about it all. And I have learned that muddy green is very blah to me....

Honestly, this is pretty typical of my process... lots of trial and error involved. Hope this post can encourage you to not be discouraged if you make the wrong, expensive purchase. You gotta go with your gut and it will eventually lead you to a space that you love. Let's hope that's the case in this situation anyway.

By the way... if there is one thing I AM certain about... it's that the black and gold around the fireplace has GOT TO GO. Can't handle it.

-Tricia

The South House Files + 9.11.15

This short week has proven to be rather unproductive on the home-front, but that doesn't mean I didn't have time to check out some good finds on the internets from the past few days. Of course. 

 

+ Traci from Beneath My Heart has a relatively easy way to "fake" a painted wood floor by using plywood. If you like the look of painted wood flooring (it's popping up all over the place), but too afraid to commit to covering up the real deal (that would be me), this could be a great trial project for you. Would be curious to see how it holds up, but it's pretty nonetheless.

 

 Original Source Here

 

 

 + I was oddly fascinated with this lengthy post about Emily Henderson and her publishing team choosing a cover for her new design book. I may have been sucked down this rabbit hole because Emily Henderson always proves to be a hilarious writer, or I am just thoroughly entertained by staring at side by side pictures with very subtle styling differences. I don't believe that time was spent in vain.

 

+ 11 Biggest Design Pet Peeves of Professional Designers. I'm sure I've hit every one of these.

 

+ This is an example of how I want my Den to feel. If you notice- the designer, Kate Driver, kept the existing couch and chair from before and still turned this RENTAL into a warm but fresh space that is perfectly casual and comfortable to me. (FYI those ottomans are pretty affordable from Overstock) It's also making me rethink my too cool "greige" in the den… always go with your gut... and my gut usually says warm.

 

Original Source Here

 

 + Speaking of den, I utilized the 80% off Rugs USA Labor Day deal this past weekend (There are still some rugs that are 70% off last I checked). I pulled the trigger on one (ahhh the pressure of a good deal), but the more I think about it I'm getting nervous it may not be right for the room. We shall see. If it proves to be a good selection, I'll share. If it isn't, I still may share. Fingers Crossed.  

 

 

+ "The Struggle is Real. But His Grace is Stronger". Amen.

 

Original Source Here

 

 

 

 

Here's to hoping next week is more productive than the last. Happy Weekend!

 

-Tricia

The South House Files + 9.4.15

I'm going to start trying (key work being TRY) a weeklyish post about some of my favorite blogs, articles, and inspiration images I've found on the internets. I LOVE when bloggers do a weekly round-up of their own finds as I've gotten loads of inspiration that I never would have otherwise come across. So, hopefully this will do the same- and if not it will at least allow me to file away the discoveries for myself.

I'm calling it ...

Here goes it....

 

+ My favorite designer, Lauren Liess, just bought a new house. While I'm irrationally sad she had to sell her last one (considering I don't actually know her in real life), the mere thought of being able to follow her new house updates over the next year makes me irrationally happy.

 

+ In related Lauren Liess news, I just pre-ordered my Christmas present- her new book. Just doing what I can to make the holiday shopping easier on my husband...

 

 

 

+ Another approach to a gallery wall- and a how Martha Stewart is a forever classic. This photo is from a Martha book from the mid 90s!

 

Original Source here

 

+ THIS. The #ModernFarmhouseProject by House of Jade Interiors is pretty amazing.  The simple styling of the bookshelves and the oversized kitchen pendants are probably my favorite. Check out their website or use the hashtag above on Insta.

Random observation- Has anyone else noticed that Utah designers are really really good?

Original Source here

 

Original Source here

 

 

Recognize that Ballard Designs Hadley pendant? Because I sure do!

 

Original Source here

 

 

+ New Instagram feed to follow! @CortiniDesign. I enjoy pretty pictures of neutral spaces. This one provides.

 

 

+ And finally- say goodbye to your money. A Chicago Target may soon be serving cocktails while you shop. That's a #MomsNightOut that I can get behind.



Have a great long weekend!

-Tricia

Den Progress: Paint, Carpet, and a Steal of a Couch

Stopping in with a little update on our addition. I'm impressed with myself- 2 posts in a week with another planned for Friday. Pick your jaw up off the floor.

If you want to get up to speed, you can see our fabulous Before pictures of our addition here.
 

Where were we? One of the first items of business for this room was painting those really awful brown walls. It was a very bad color that we inherited and it needed to go. We decided to go with a greige from Sherwin Williams (I forgot the name but it did have "Greige" in it so hope that helps…). The color definitely comes off more gray in the room. I think the "greige" tones prevent it from leaning more cool. I think I like it, but my final opinion will come when I get the rest of the room in order.

I'm not going to pretend this room isn't already full of toys- so I saved myself the time of removing them and "neatly piled" them for your viewing pleasure....

 

 

Here's a few Before and Afters...

Please note the Afters are Unedited. I currently don't have time to edit "progress" pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next step was replacing the badly stained carpet.  We went to Home Depot searching for a remnant (we had luck doing that for our guest room), but came up with nothing. So that meant we needed to order. Honestly- I just wanted something durable, light, and neutral- so after hours of comparing samples we went with the more affordable in-stock Home Depot line. Wouldn't you know it- after hours of deciphering we got home and realized it was the SAME EXACT carpet that we put in our guest room. I guess that means that I like it? We'll go with that.  

 

 

 

I like carpet- I do. When most of your first floor is either hard wood or tile- I think it's nice to have somewhere soft to sprawl out on. Picture me sprawling.

 

And the latest update that I'm really excited about is our new couch. We bought it secondhand- but you wouldn't know it. It was hardly sat upon due to it being used for staging purposes in a home. I knew we couldn't splurge on an expensive couch, so when I saw this posted on Facebook I jumped! I also like the color- its light and neutral and warm. As for the comfy factor- husband has approved it. It's not as comfy as our giant monstrosity in our living room, but it's working. Having somewhere to sit already makes a world of difference in the room.

 

I threw some throw pillows and fabric on it to get an idea of the look- but I'm actually leaning in a different direction in my 'scheme'...

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

This corner seems promising to me...

 

 

 

 

Now you may be like- wow you have a single couch floating in the room- that's great but what else? Well, our plan is to get 2 chairs to go opposite the couch and also add an ottoman/coffee table situation in the center. I want this room to be uber Baby proof- no sharp corners- so soft furntiure for everyone!

 

 

 

Once I get the basics, I'll be focusing on adding some color and pattern. I think my biggest challenge will be finding a perfect yet affordable rug (The current was just thrown in there to prevent baby crumbs and spills). I have found tons of rugs that I love, but they are all SO expensive. It's hard to justify an expensive rug purchase, but they can really make the room- especially our currently VERY neutral- but much improved already den.

 

 

I'll be back with some follow up posts about plans for our fireplace, lighting, those beams, and where I'm leading as far as colors/textures for the room!

Thanks for stopping by!

-Tricia  

 

Some Added Potential- The Future Den

This is seriously the house that never ends…. We complete a room, and then there's another that follows. I'm not complaining- it's a good problem to have especially in our neighborhood where the houses aren't necessarily sprawling with square feet. Every time we redo a room, I can see us living here an extra year or two than I could before. I think it's been God's way of telling us to slow down and enjoy this home. I'll be honest, we go back and forth about moving, but this house is still surprising us with how well it fits for our family. It truly was the biggest blessing in disguise when Nathan purchased this place 5 years ago.

 

Now to the point of this post- our future den! I. Am. So. Excited. Our house has an addition off of the kitchen that was built in the early 90s. It's the main reason we have such a tiny (but now cute) backyard. Nathan used it as his bedroom back in the college days and then it turned into our workroom when we started renovating the rest of the house.  Honestly, it's been filled with so much furniture and junk the last 5 years, we completely forgot how big the room really is and missed the hidden potential.

 

We closed that door when company was over...

 

 

It's only appropriate on this blog to show you how we embarrassingly lived for years prior to renovating. If you would like a reminder of past embarrassment please feel free to click the following:  Exhibit A, Exhibit B, Exhibit C, Exhibit D... or read basically any post I've done.

 

 

 

With Max's first birthday party planned for mid June- we realized that we should probably clear the room out especially since most of our big house projects are complete. It took only one night of cleaning and we were suddenly left standing there realizing what we have been missing the past few years…

 

 

I felt stupid.
 
 

 

 

It is huge (for our house). And that ceiling!  Someone knew what they were doing when they vaulted those bad boys and added those beams.  I used to curse this room because it was such a mess and encroaching on our backyard, but it wasn't until we actually CLEANED that we saw the potential.

 

 

 
Other than the extra square footage, one of the best features is the fireplace and a MANTEL. Remember when we created the "BuiltIn" situation in our living room because I wanted a mantel to decorate for Christmas? I guess the addition was so stuffed to the brim at that point, that I never even thought that its mantel would ever be an option for decorating.

Holiday mantels are very important to me if you could not tell.
 

 

 

 

 

There is so much potential. We are turning it into our Den/Playroom/Future Guest Room/Craft Area combo. Basically, it's going to be a giant multi-purpose room. Right now it is filled with Max's toys which has been so nice for him to run around and sprawl out. We previously had the toys in the itty bitty Living Room which needless to say made everything cramped and crazy.  

 
We've already replaced the carpet, painted, and bought a couch so we are well on our way- but I'll get to that in another post. It's easier and more fun for me to do small updates than one big post so this may be a long process, but hopefully you can hang in there- or follow @724SouthHouse on Instagram for some "Real Time" Progress.
 
I'll be back soon with our updates and some ideas I have swirling around in my head! In the meantime here is a little peak into our daily life in this room so far. The den is already working hard!

 

 

 -Tricia