Limited budgets often get in the way of our home decorating dreams. But more often than not, a small budget, a new set of eyes, and some professional help CAN help transform a space! Case in point….
{before}
{before}
My clients’ cute little condo was feeling cluttered. With a few too many knick knacks, patterns and a case of crowded furniture, her home lacked a defined style and wasn’t feeling “pulled together” like she wanted.
We were working with a pretty small budget, so figuring out what needed to go and what should be replaced was very important in keeping within her limit. I suggested we rework the floorplan as much as we possibly could. The room is small and it didn’t offer many alternatives as to how the big pieces in the room could be placed. With that being said, we also didn’t have the funds to replace the red sofa, matching chair or any of the other big pieces in the room. The client had recently bought the painting of the woman above the sofa and wanted to pull more of those colors out to tone down all the red. So, with those thoughts in my head, we worked up a plan to make the room a bit more sophisticated and girly like my client. 
The first thing on my list was to remove the striped linen panels and wood and fabric cornice boxes on the windows. They looked dated and made the room feel more country/old world, than glam traditional like my client wanted. We added silk duponi panels from Pottery Barn and hand forged iron rods to the windows. I put these up myself in a hurry just to get the shot, but we will be adding iron rings as well. They are out of stock right now.
The oval side table that was originally there was replaced with a larger round side table to fill the space better. I would have liked to see an even wider round table there, but again budget was a factor here. On top of the table we replaced the dated crystal lamp with a clean, more modern glass lamp with a simple linen shade. The hammered bowl is from Nate Berkus’ Target line and the frame is the clients. To the left of the sofa we paired down the two floor lamps the client had in the room and replaced it with this mica shade adjustable lamp from Ballard Designs. I apologize for the glare from the lamp! The ivory linen pillows on the sofa were added to bring in a bit more neutral color to the space. And then to the lucite coffee table I added a cool gilded gold tray and mercury glass vase from West Elm, along with a lacquered sea urchin….another Nate piece!
I moved the clients’ antique Swedish chair to the sofa wall, to open up the other side of the room and to make the chair more of an art piece. I then placed her stack of House Beautiful magazines under the chair…again to give more of a “look” to the chair.
{close up of coffee table}
We’re adding some more touches next week and I will be sure to post more photos of the updated space then. But in the meantime my clients’ space has been freshened up just enough and in time for a little holiday party she is having tonight! Enjoy Jen!!!
One of my very favorite things to do is entertain! Having grown up in a single parent household, holidays were often pretty subdued and quiet. My side of the family is fairly small and it was just mom and I in my home. So, now that I have a family of my own and a pretty large inlaw family….I love to have everyone over for large meals where I get to overfeed everyone and do my best Martha Stewart impression! Christmas is my Superbowl…I never do the same meal twice and often try out a whole new menu on the family. My husband says we should have a traditional meal that is the same every year. But what fun is that!?
Well with the new holiday menu each year, I also feel compelled to have a new tablescape. Cause why would I do the same table each year right? Haha! I’m just beginning to sort out the menu for this years’ extravaganza. I’m feeling a little rustic and simple this year. This table would fit the bill quite nicely. But this is just one of a few ideas I have going round in my head. Stay tuned the rest of the month for more ideas!
Boy, has it been a bit cah-ray-zee over at the Van Rozeboom house! Business is busy with clients wanting last minute touches done to their homes before the holidays. And there is never a dull moment with our rambunctious five year old, but then we went and recently added to the chaos….JUST before we were about to go out of town to the inlaws for turkey day. Not great timing!
Without getting too much into details, the hubs and I have been trying for a second baby since about 2009. After a very scary ectopic pregnancy in May of ’09 , our dream of baby #2 has been squashed a bit. We’ve been trying for the past four years and it hasn’t been easy as we watch friends around us easily have baby #2 and 3, while I remain in the one kid club. This could probably roll into a much longer emotional post about that, but don’t worry..I’ll save you from that. Haha!
In any case, when you are as big of an animal lover as I am, a pet IS a child in your eyes. So getting another dog to me is like bringing a child into our home. Not totally the same, but my baby cravings are satisfied just enough with a pet. Our Lab Zipper and our bitchy kitty Diva are totally family to me…well to US! I tell Ellie all the time that Zip is my “dog-ter”. Get it? Dog-ter…daugh-ter? I’m a dork. But seriously, I’m crazy for animals, much like Jeff Lewis from Flipping Out! I totally get his crazy..not all of it…but his animal crazy..TOTALLY!
Ok, so on to the story…. I wash our dog at the local SPCA self service wash at least once a month. After I finish with her I usually stick her back in the car and then I head over and check out the animals. You know, just to see if one pops out at me and looks like they can should join our home.
They look like they are in dog prision huh? Poor guys. 
Usually it’s all small yippie dogs….not our type. Or pit bull, pit mixes, large and way too scary looking dogs…not with our 5 year old. We have an amazingly AWESOME Labrador who is quite possibly THE best dog ever. Well in our eyes she is. So this quest for a second dog has not been easy.
Then I found these eyes…
I wanna come home with you PLEEASE!!!!
A week later she came up for adoption, we brought Zip in to see if they would get along, that went well and she was ours! Zipper for the record is a people dog, not a dog dog. So this whole new puppy thing has taken our 9 year old for a loop! The cat? Well she HATES the poor new girl. That part is going to take a while I’m afraid.
Here she is a few days after we brought her home. We named her Birdie…she’s a pure bred Cocker Spaniel which are bird dogs like our Lab and she’s SPUUUNKY!!! So we thought a 1950s-esque name would be cute. And she’s about a year old, although that is just a guesstimate. She’s definitely a puppy though. Chews on everything, NOT potty trained (my poor living room rug) and she wants to play ALL THE TIME.
NON STOP!
But that face!
And then this morning I caught this….
I think Zipper is starting to warm up. This melts my heart.
So…I got my second baby. Well, sort of. She’s a lot furrier than I imagined she’d be, but she sleeps all night!
And what’s better than a new puppy at Christmas time?
This weekend I just happened to catch Lara Spencer’s new show “I Break For Yard Sales” on HGTV. If you missed it, make sure you check out the episode online here! Lara Spencer, if you didn’t already know, is the lifestyle anchor on Good Morning America and has a knack for decorating and turning flea market, yard sale, and dumpster dive finds, into treasures that look like they cost much more than they did. She’s quite amazing at it!
In this particular episode she is helping her best friend decorate her new home in the Hollywood Hills. Lara’s friend requested a Palm Beach meets LA, preppy and modern vibe. I think she got her wish!
Here are some photos that I snagged off the internet. They were the best I could do since it seems there are no photos from the episode. So the snipping tool was my best friend here.
The fabulous entry using Kelly Wearstler’s Imperial Trellis wallpaper for Schumacher. I just love the black trim. It really makes it pop and gives it more of a quirky edge.
I couldn’t quite get a full shot of the dining room. I wanted to get the fabulous chandelier, but that didn’t happen. ADORE the Christopher Farr Cloth fabric that is used on the curtain panels. One of my favorite fabrics! And I don’t think I ever would have picked up that dining set as it was originally. It was SOOO ugly and 70s looking! But darn it, it looks pretty fabulous here!
The hot pink rug in the living room is crazy bright! I loved it as soon as they rolled it out. My husband said no way in a million years would he live in a house with a room this bright. I think it’s fun and very happy!
Sorry that the picture is blurry!
A better shot… the sofas were an estate sale find that she recovered in a white linen.
Also, the bright yellow, velvet wingbacks were a find she recovered as well. In fact I’d say most of the items in this room are “finds”. Damn, she’s good!
This breakfast room is one of my favorites! Chartreuse and aqua are such a great color combo and has long been a fav of mine. And the birdcage chandelier is so fun!
And finally the family room. Hot pink and orange….bold, but again definitely cheerful!
A closer shot of the sofa. This was also found and recovered. And I love the nailhead detail that was added to the bottom.
So now I’m wondering if I need yet another decorating book. I LOVE antiquing, dumpster diving and the like, so this might have to find it’s way home to me.
In any case, check out the show if you haven’t already!
Unlike most families we were not able to take a vacation over the summer. Work was crazy for both the hubs and I and we had obligations almost every weekend it seemed. Fortunately our daughter goes to a year round school and they had a mini break the first week of October. So we took the opportunity to unwind and unplug for a bit and headed to a friends’ beach house in Santa Cruz.
My husband spent many of his summers there as a child and he had been wanting to take me for years now. I haven’t seen much of the California coast past Morro Bay, so I was excited for the adventure.
The little beach cottage we stayed at was a small block from this beach. Every morning and evening we would take the dog down for a stroll. Sooo relaxing and beautiful! You can see the Santa Cruz boardwalk way in the distance to the right….
We stayed in the Seabright neighborhood of Santa Cruz which is home to many old beach cottages and Victorian styled homes. I couldn’t get over the HUGE hydrangea bushes in everyones’ yards! LOVE!
As we walked over this old train track bridge to enjoy the boardwalk one day, my husband reminded me that Lost Boys was filmed here! I had totally forgotten and being a huge 80s dork and vampire enthusiast…I was pretty thrilled.
Do you remember this scene from the flick?
Classic 80s.
The boardwalk was touristy, but actually very retro cool. And Ellie really enjoyed herself.
The treats weren’t so bad either!
It was a lovely getaway and I’m sure we’ll be back in the future.
Because you just can’t beat views like this…..
On our long drive back home, Ellie kept telling us how she wasn’t ready to go home and she wasn’t tired and she wanted to go surfing again…on and on and on.
Suddenly, it got quiet.
I looked back and died laughing when I saw this….
What was that about not being tired???
It was a good getaway.
1. Brahms Mount blanket: They are so pretty, well made and colorful. Perfect for wrapping up in and watching movies.
2.Candle: This line of candles has quickly become my go to for my clients’ homes, as well as my own. They smell divine! This one is the perfect autumn blend with notes of golden wheat blended with ripe, young go gooseberries and a dash of ginger and cinnamon.
3. Wine: I LOVE a good Syrah and this spicy red by Niner Wine Estate happens to be one of my Fall favs!
4.. Goop.com: I’m not sure why I am JUST now finding out about this fun online publication, but I am now fully addicted. Who doesn’t love Gweneth and the recipes are to DIE for.
5. Shirt: EmersonFry always skirts the line between proper and sexy…rock and roll and preppy. It’s TOTALLY my look and this silk spotted shirt has to find its way into my closet this season.
6.Patch for Target: Everything just says Fall! If I didn’t already have far too much stuff I would be stocking up on everything. I may have to stash a few of those cute lamps away for client projects however. How cute would one look in a boys’ room?
7. Hat: When visiting San Francisco I always have to stop in and buy a new hat. I’m such a sucker for a good fedora too. Gives my look a little ‘tude when I need it!
8.MAC Lipglass: I’m such a sucker for a good orange lip hue. This has more of a Fall feel than the usual orangy-pink I like to wear.
If it seems quiet on the blog, you can always find me over at Instagram @shellyvanr! I’d love for you to peek inside my life. Sometimes it’s crazy, sometimes it’s just the day to day, but it’s never the same!
The hot weather that has been plaguing the Southern California area this month is just about getting on my last nerve. After a long sweltering summer, I would love for the weather to turn a little cooler so I can sport my new boots and make yummy comfort food. But alas, I think it will be a few more weeks before we feel a significant change towards Fall.
Last Friday, was the annual school carnival at our kiddo’s school. This is a huge fundraiser for the school and they hold a large bake sale as part of the fundraising efforts. This gave me the perfect chance to try out a recipe I’ve had in my file for a while now. I baked two batches for school and after treating myself with one of the cupcakes as reward for my hard work, I knew that weekend I would have to bake up another batch for the family.
THEY WERE SOOO GOOD!
I promise I won’t tell on you if you decide to have one with your morning coffee.
Of course I didn’t do that…
*wink wink*
but you can!
ha!
I don’t do beauty reviews or recommendations on this blog usually, but today after using one of my fav products I thought I definitely should share since I love it so much! I have pretty fickle skin….dry, but gets fairly oily as the day progresses. I’m very sensitive to sun, wind, salt water…you name it! So I have to be fairly careful with what I use on my face.
The one thing I really struggle with now that I’m getting older, is dull skin. It’s a normal part of aging, as our faces don’t lose the dry skin cells as easily as they did when we were younger…so we get yucky, dull skin because of it. Nice.
In steps this awesome product…
It’s Philosophy’s Micro Delivery Peel and you can buy it here.
No…
I’m not getting any kickback for recommending it to you guys. Just try it. I promise you’ll love the results.
Happy Weekend Friends!
I’ve always been drawn to furniture with natural elements such as wicker, seagrass, rope, etc. Recently, while searching for interesting chairs to go in a clients’ breakfast room, I ran across this photo… and I stopped dead in my tracks.
{architectural digest 2012; madeline stuart}
IN. LOVE.
I know I’ve seen them around, but I guess they had never made an impression on me before now. They are a perfect example of French modernism and were designed by the French duo Audoux and Minet for Vibo Vesoul in the 1940s, out of rope woven from the fronds of local trees.
So…I’m hoping my clients fall for them as much as I did. Fingers crossed! But here is some more rope chair goodness for your eyes…
{steven gambrel}
In between designing for clients and working on this whole “mom of a kindergartener” thing the past month, I have been starting back up on some projects around our home. Our house is by no means perfect or exactly the way I would like it. EVERY room is in some stage of being worked on. **Don’t tell my husband that!** But it’s true.
With the holidays not too far away I have definitely started focusing on our formal living room. Our home was built in the lovely 1960s and the living room layout is ODD. Very ODD. You walk into the front door directly into the room. The ceiling is asymmetrically vaulted on one side and there is a strange overhang on the other. The fireplace is also asymmetrical and features a long brick surround…ugly. I’m not going to sugar coat it for you guys. It’s bad. So here she is… with all the un-decorated awesomness of it!
Much to my hubby’s disdain, our living room has become a bit of a holding area for furniture, artwork, and other odds and ends decorative items from our much larger former home. I’m a Cancer girl, so getting rid of things is sometimes VERY difficult for me. I need to work on that big time!
In any case, we recently recovered the English roll arm sofa in a yummy blue velvet. I had brass nail heads added and turned walnut casters. I think it made a huge difference. Love her now! I also recently acquired the fabulous white Asian coffee table. I really like it and it definitely has that English colonial feel I am going for, but she’s a bit short. So I’m working on a solution to make her just a wee taller to fit the size of the sofa.
I’d like to do something to that poor ugly fireplace. We may tear down the brick and redo it with marble and a pretty white mantel. Here are some ideas I’ve liked:
{via Pinterest}
We could add bookcases to either side of the existing fireplace to add symmetry to the room and provide a place to display decorative items.
{source unknown}
This fireplace design utilizing Mexican beach pebbles, really suits the style we are going for in our house. Coastal, a bit re casual, and classic.
{via Seagrass Interiors blog}
My friend Melissa has a simple, but beautiful fireplace surround, again using Mexican beach pebbles. I’m dying to see the rest of her house. *Hello, Melissa! Invitation please? Hee hee!*
{via velvet and linen}
I also really like a simple slightly white washed, brick surround.
The other things I’d like to add is an accent rug layered over the existing seagrass.
Maybe a flatweave?
I also really like the idea of doing a more traditional Oushak type rug. I think it would keep the room feeling more British Colonial.
Then there’s side tables.
Something whitewashed and clean lined?
Or maybe I should go against my usual and do something a bit more glam and dressed up!
Of course the one I’m really leaning towards is the most expensive of the bunch.
Ahh Directoire style…brass and white marble goodness!
Then there’s of course new artwork and table lamps. I haven’t quite gotten that far. But new fabric has been ordered for pillows on the sofa. Little by little it’s all coming together. I’ll be sure to share the room once I’ve finished…which should be soon!
It’s been a bit quiet here due to the kiddo having a few weeks off before she started Kindergarten this month. Nothing like trying to work AND juggling entertaining a 5 year old! Yikes! I was almost out of my head there for a while. But Ellie started school last week and I’m happy to report she LOVES school. She thinks it’s much better than preschool because, “they let you walk all by yourself, way down the hall to the bathroom Mommy!”. Hilarious. If that’s what it takes for her to like school, I’ll take it!
She was very excited about the skirt SHE picked out at Old Navy to wear on the first day of school! Such a ham! (And yes, she’s double jointed!)
In other news I’ve been helping one of favorite repeat clients on the east coast with a little master bathroom and bedroom renovation. This client is quite the adventurer in decorating and I love her enthusiasm to try new things! She begged me not to show pics, but I have to give you guys one to know what we started with. *Jessie it wouldn’t be a good reno without a really yucky before!!*
Here is what we started with……
A bathroom in a very old classic house. Hasn’t been loved in years and was totally and completely ready for a CHANGE!!!
And here are the almost finished with the renovation pics. Please excuse the low quality pics, but my client was nice enough to send me progress pictures along the way. I’ve been DYING to see it in person!
Custom vanity with rubbed black finish. Marble countertop. Antique brass fixtures, lighting and medicine cabinets. White subway tile with black pencil liner detailing. LOVE IT!!! …if I do say so myself. hee hee!
The walls still need to be painted…but OH those lights! Pretty pretty!
Large brick marble floor and love that the black detail extends down to the floor.
AND then there is this…..
A modern marble basketweave tile for the shower floor with black edging. I might have to take a flight out just to raid my clients bath and take a shower! haha!
I’ll be sure to share the final pictures once we wrap up the project. I’m now designing away on their modern meets traditional New England master bedroom remodel. Stay tuned!!!
(a) Super comfy, lightweight, great for layering.(b) We recently acquired a bunch of staghorns from a family friend. We’ve fallen in love with them. So pretty!(c) Glam and bohemian all in one. Just love this!(d)My MIL wears a really cool gold “coin” ring of sorts that I’ve been obsessed with for a while. I like this one too..since I’m a bit obsessed with monograms.(e) Saw these at Nordstroms recently and stopped dead in my tracks. Bright, fun….I think they need to come home with me.(f)We become completely crazed when the Olympics roll around. Dana Torres is a bad ass! (g)Such a fun fabric! Playful and airy. (h) Sold at Trader Joe’s. Great by itself, but makes a delicious cocktail with some “fun” mixed in.(i) Easy Lover…what a name! This has become my go to this summer. Bright and looks great against tanned skin.(j)Obsessed with this rug. I see a very, deep blue linen sofa with this.
