My Love-Hate Relationship with Ikea

Well, we do it every once in a while... go to Ikea. I think everyone sort of feels this way about Ikea: you hate it but you love it. The prices are amazing and they have amazing meatballs, but by the time you get down to the section where you're loading up all your goods, it feels like you've been there forever!! And then sometimes, after a few months, the furniture sags, or bows or breaks... I've had awesome luck with some furniture & terrible luck with others. But I just can't stay away...

We made the trip because we needed a few things (and are young, fabulous & broke, of course!) How adorable is the fabric above??? They're curtains for one of the kids' rooms... I'd really like to put them in Christian's new bedroom but worry they're too girly for him (although like he'd care at 2 years old... it's really more like are they too girly for Daddy?? :) I have been wanting to do something with picture books, so we'll see if I can make it work... I also got the curtains below for our bedroom. They're really more a placeholder until we can afford more linen, but you can't beat Ikea's prices and now at least we have something up!!

We also picked up the HUGE table below in the damaged furniture section for only $150. We were planning on paying the whole $400 for it until my husband thought to check the damaged section. (he's the best!!!) I really don't know where the damage is & honestly, if I know Ikea and my family, we'll damage it pretty quickly ourselves. It's going to be in my office/ the family room as a worktable for projects, laptops, etc. and can also do double-duty as dining space for huge parties. The little rolly chairs were only $25 each and I'm planning on spraying the legs a shiny chrome:

These pics (above & below) are of our family room which is being finished this week!!!!! I'm SO excited!!! We're having wall-to-wall seagrass installed & then we get to bring in all of our furniture & (finally!!) unpack & get organized. It'll basically double the square footage of our house because we haven't been using it all all this whole time... Below is one of the Tullsta chairs we see everywhere. For $129 and with white washable slipcovers, these babies were what got us to Ikea in the first place. We picked up a pair to go by our wood burning stove in the family room..

Anyway, I'll have some "after" pictures of the new family room very soon!! yay!!

And if you didn't get the chance, check out my previous post on what we've been up to! :) hope you had a great weekend!!!

xoxo,

lauren

**** Check out this site that Joni from Cote de Texas just let me know about: http://www.bemz.com/index.php/page/shop/prod_id/3/3/13/24/0/11/front/model_id/60/showbox/color/pattern_id/85/

They make custom slipcovers for Ikea pieces at awesome prices!!! What a great idea for an upgrade!!! *****

On the Homefront: A few changes

Well, we've been busy as usual around here & I thought I'd share some pictures of our progress. Above & below is the mantle arrangement I just did today... You know how you just get restless sometimes & need a change?

I still haven't gotten anything on the walls "permanently" in this house yet!! And the walls are still the same shade of builder's white as when we moved in... It's been driving me insane but what I want to do requires lots of time & effort and we're just so not there yet. But anyway, I had fun picking some hosta leaves for the mantle (below):

And, in the kitchen we've made a few minor changes. Here's the "before" for a quick reminder:

And here is it now:

The cabinets are now a pretty shade of gray-green that works really well with our views outside. I'm really happy with them but who knows how long they'll stay green? We also got cup pulls from Home Depot for the drawers & knobs for the cabinets (to match my far-in-the-future stainless steel appliances) which made HUGE difference (to me ;) .... Still no wax covers on my vintage chandelier...

I found this HUGE chalkboard (almost 6 feet high) at one of my favorite thrift stores for $40 and I can't tell you enough what a lifesaver it's been!!! My little guy got really into throwing his food on the wall by his high chair (ahhhhhh!!) and I was really second-guessing putting up wallpaper because it would get ruined. (ignore the messed up wall in the corner ;)

Now, it's in the perfect spot to protect the wall & now he wouldn't dare ruin his beautiful artwork by throwing food on it. Yay!! Wallpaper coming soon!!

And finally, my coconut bead chandelier from Anthropologie arrived!!! (below) I'm having some issues because of course now the chandelier makes me want to buy the right table and the perfect chairs... hahahaha

(It looked AWFUL with my little Gustavian desk I was using as a console (the aqua one?) so I moved in an Ikea shelf we have, thinking of it as a temporary fix for the iron & reclaimed X shelves I want so badly... ) But I'm actually pretty happy with it and I'm sure it'll stay for a bit... (Husband is even happier :) I desperately needed a spot for rotating accessories & pretty things so now I've got it! yay!!

So, one last look at our dining room as it is now... Soon to come- slipcovered parsons chairs and HOPEFULLY the perfect table... We really want to use this space as an extension of the living room and a library/ place to display books & cool objects and have it double as a dining room when guests come over. For now, I'm very happy :)

Hope you enjoyed!! Have a great weekend!!!

xoxo,

lauren

Stephen Knollenberg

I just can't get over that window & view (above)!!!! Browsing around the internet I came across the work of Stephen Knollenberg. He has a firm with offices in both DC & South Carolina & I'm loving everything I'm seeing. I've got a crazy day ahead of me & have to run but here's some eye candy...

I just love the feeling in all of his spaces...


The weather vanes below remind me of one my grandparents have in their family room...

He uses lots of neutrals which (surprise surprise!) I love...

Below is another amazing window, I'm guessing in the same house...

Awesome kitchen below... Love the absence of upper cabinets...

Beautiful stone fireplace below. It's got the potential to feel heavy yet he balances it perfectly:

Love the little table below:

mmm so warm & pretty:

Would love to soak in here....

Below, just so pretty & delicate:

Loving the feeling of age in the space below...

So simple...

You Southerners are so lucky to have that lush foliage just outside your doors!!! (below)

Finally, one last space. Loving the slicovers & the refined feeling. So simple & elegant...

Hope you enjoyed. Have a great day!!

xoxo,

lauren

My Favorite Weeds

It's that time of year (depending upon where you live, this post could be a little early!) when my favorite weeds, Queen Anne's lace and Wild Chicory, are popping up alongside of roads, in fields & generally anywhere there's untended dirt.


One of my favorite flowers (if not favorite ) is Queen Anne's Lace. It was named after Queen Anne, who was adept at lacemaking. Many of the flowers have reddish/ purple blooms in the center and it's said that it's a drop of Queen Anne's blood from pricking her finger while making lace.

Queen Anne's lace is really special to me & reminds me of summertime, visiting my dad in Illinois, where the sides of the roads are covered in Queen Anne's lace & wild chicory. The field across from our family's longtime summer cottage/ lakehouse is filled with them & I used to pick them when I was little with my grandma & cousins. My dad actually moved into the cottage about 10-12 years ago & so we still go there every summer. (This is the house I'm always working on, kitchen here.) Here's the table set last summer with some fresh Queen Anne's Lace & some of my Grandma Maestranzi's china:

It doesn't last long when you bring it inside, but it's worth it to me. And, my other favorite "weed" is wild chicory (below).

I can't get over its color & again, it just gives me this nostalgic feeling whenever I see it. An herbal tea of it, taken a couple of times a day, is said to help your metabolism according to old herbal lore. I used to love picking the flowers & drying them out for the tea, but to be honest, I wasn't really into the tea & enjoyed making it & the pretty packaging for it more than I did drinking it. I think I still have a a 15-year old homemade box of it somewhere. hahah

(image from here)
Anyway, if you haven't glanced at the roadsides lately, take a look. There are so many beautiful "weeds." The best part is, we're going to Illinois in August for a couple of weeks and just as the flowers start to fade here in Virginia, they'll be in full bloom there. Can't wait!!

And don't forget how much of life this quote can be applied to:

"What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have never been discovered."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson.

xoxo,

lauren

4th of July & Giveway Winner!!

Well, our first party at the new house was a success!! My family came over for Christian's birthday party/ 4th of July party.

Below, my grandmother painted this cute sign for the event. (The realtor left the 'For sale' sign at our house when we moved in and after calling & leaving messages for her to come & get it & not hearing back for a couple of months, we figured it was ours- I think it'll be fun to repaint for parties/ events)

The kids had a great time (below) and my mom pushed them around in a Power Wheel Jeep. (It was being trashed on the side of the road so we picked it up but the battery's dead ;) How pretty is Natalie in her princess party dress?!!

Here are some [repeat] photos of the tables (below). It cracked me up when a guest was carrying a bunch of drinks in her hands and asked if she was allowed to set them down on this table or if it was "staged." hahahah uh-oh, have I gone tpo far with this?!! hahah (ps- I think EVERYTHING should be used- even pretty tables!!)

And the plaster of paris flag holders my grandmother made:

And how cute is Christian's mini wheelbarrow-turned-bar? (We used our big wheelbarrow too for the rest of the drinks but this pic is so much better :)

And here is the birthday boy (below)... He had the best time!!! We sang "happy birthday" twice so he could blow out the candles 2 times. He loved it.

And finally, we have a winner for the rug giveway!! It's Kristen Foster from falls Village, CT. She has her own fabric workroom & makes everything from curtains to bedding. Kristin, I sent you an email, so as soon as you get the chance, can you send me your mailing address at lauren@thepurestyle.com?

I hope everyone had a great weekend & thank so much for participating in the giveaway & for joining Pure Style Home!! :) I had SO MUCH FUN reading everyone's favorite smells & wanted to change my favorites a million times!!!

xoxo,

lauren

Happy Birday Ke-che!

My little guy Christian, AKA "Ke-che" (how he pronounces it) is turning 2!! We're having a little family 4th of July party for his birthday and he is so excited. He is constantly talking about "baby's bir-day party," reciting the guest list and more importantly (hee hee) the menu: "Ice cream, beans (he loves beans) cheeseburgers, cake, pizza..." The funny part is he added in the pizza himself. We hadn't been planning on serving pizza but he brings it up every time so now I feel like maybe I should do one of those little personal ones for him. (Let's be honest, if there's time.)

Although it's a birthday party, since we're having it on the 4th, I figured we'd go red, white & blue with the decorations. Here's a little preview:

I thought you might enjoy seeing these adorable little plaster of paris flag holders my grandmother made for the table centerpieces. They're so easy to make & can be reused year after year. (Just put plaster of Paris inside disposable cups and make little holes up top for the flags to slip into once dry. When it's all dried, tear off the cup & add the flags!)

I hope everyone has a happy 4th of July!!!

xoxo,

lauren

ps- if you haven't already, check out the rug giveaway. Winner will be chosen Sunday night!

Indoor/ Outdoor Rug Giveaway!!

How pretty is this indoor/outdoor area rug from CSN Rugs?! I was thrilled when I was contacted by CSN to do a giveaway for the blog. They have such a huge selection of rugs at all price points, so definitely check them out if you're in the market for a new rug. I think this rug would be perfect outside or in an entryway.

To enter to win this rug above (in 3'9" x 5'5") all you have to do is:
1) leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite smell.
2) click to become a follower of Pure Style Home (on the right sidebar)

I'll pick a random winner by Sunday night! The winner can email me his/ her mailing address & CSN will ship the rug directly.

xoxo,
lauren

ps- my favorite smell might be lily of the valley or honeysuckle... (although i have so many it's hard to decide!!! :).. WAIT!!! more comments came in and I HAVE to add gardenia!! hahahha