Artist Spotlight: Beth Allen

Beth Allen is a talented artist and friend who lives here in Arizona in a historic ranch style home with her husband and young five children. Six years ago, Beth and her husband bought their home and have been tackling projects as a family ever since. Beth's home is filled with color and character, and speaks so much to Beth as an artist and person. I'm so glad she agreed to let us share some of the special corners of her home and studio here!

Beth loves art and pieces in her home that are special, that feel like they tell a story. She is an avid thrifter (a kindred spirit!) and her favorite thing to hunt for is vintage paint by number paintings. Beth's secret for decorating with kids in mind is all about thinking outside of the box. Like, she loves using vintage trunks and luggage for a storage boxes, and she loves framing her kids artwork. She also likes to let her her children help with her home projects, so they feel connected with and ownership over their family spaces.

Beth is an artist and her husband is an amazing baker! He owns Proof Bread and makes some of the most delicious baked goods I've ever tasted. Some of the goods are baked at home, so their house always smells like heaven! I'm on Whole30 right now, so I can't even drive by their place. ;) Arizona friends, you can buy Proof breads and croissants at the Phoenix Flea and Gilbert Farmer's Market every weekend. Run! They often sell out fast.

I asked Beth about how she likes to shop for art for her home. She recommends shopping for a mix of masculine and feminine, vintage and modern. She likes buying and supporting other local artists that she's met at the markets she sold at. She also loves to support other up and coming artists on Society 6. She often buys art that is totally different than the style she paints.

Beth works in the sweetest little studio on their property. Though she loves watercolor, her favorite medium is oil and her favorite thing to paint is portraits and still life.

You can find Beth's work in her shop and on Society 6. And don't miss out - Every Friday she sells a original mini-painting on her Instagram feed!

Thank you to Breanne Johnson of Red Poppy Photo for taking these beautiful photographs!  If you would like to share an artist to spotlight on LGN, email us! 

Joanna's Bathroom Makeover

I'm sure some of you already saw these photos on Joanna's blog (and I just saw on twitter that Apartment Therapy did a feature too), so sorry for the repeat. This was such a fun (and very quick!) project Joanna, Kendra Smoot and I worked on together.

Joanna wanted an easy bathroom update. She and Kendra worked together to come up with a direction and I got to help with the execution. Here are the before shots. Such a dramatic difference, right?!

The walls AND ceiling were painted navy blue (the exact color was Ballard Blue by Valspar), which really helped the room both feel bigger and more cozy. We used a lot of brass accents, like these slightly mismatched antique brass hooks from the flea market.

I added white painted cube moulding to the fronts of the medicine cabinet using mirror glue and a little caulk. It was a super easy, 20 minute project. The framing makes the old medicine cabinet look so much more finished, don't you think?

Last I checked there were a couple nay-sayers on the round captains mirror frame we hung to the left of the medicine cabinet. Some people thought we should have used the space for storage shelves, but I love the frame and there's enough storage elsewhere. Plus, do you really want to see storage shelves first thing when you walk into a room? Me neither! :) And I really liked the idea of mixing of square and round corners on the frames. As soon as we hung it up I was like "Anna Spiro!" Remember her bathroom in Lonny?

I was originally wanting to to add mirror to the frame, but we all ended up liking the empty frame enough to keep it open. Gosh I love that frame. I found another similar one at the flea market recently and it will be making an appearance at our house I think.

Another little easy project was painting the underside of Joanna's glass shelf. Remember this post? It's such a cool way to change things up without getting too crazy.

We wrapped the hot pipe (it literally gets boiling hot in the winter) with jute rope, which added a great textural element, but still allows the pipe to heat up the room, the way it was meant to - this way without burning little Toby's hands. This was another easy project and there was absolutely zero glue required - just really tight wrapping.

I think these $25 double acrylic shelves are so perfect for small spaces. I picked up two for our house too. Also, the artwork here (the photo with the surfers) is available at 20x200. I've got a fun giveaway from that site on the blog tomorrow, so don't forget to stop by and say hi!

Thanks again to Joanna for letting me pitch in here. And a huge thanks to Kendra and Seth Smooth for the beautiful styling and photos.

Room Tour: Anne's Living and Dining Room

I am so excited about today's room tour! Reader Anne enlisted the help of my lovely and super-talented friend Lauren (who is due with her third baby any second now!) for some eDecorating advice. I LOVE how these two collaborated to make Anne's home bright and cheery and polished. It's a nice mix of modern and traditional and I think they did a beautiful job of putting money where it counted. Here's Anne... 

Being a graphic designer is a blessing when it comes to creating a look on paper, but translating our style into home decor proved to be, well, challenging.

So when I stumbled across Lauren Liess from Pure Style Home, I knew I wanted her to help me. With a brief over-the-phone consultation, she was able to give me direction on the larger paralyzing decisions...like "Buy something modern for the second buffet," or "Fill this wall to the ceiling with art." She's a genius! 

I then spent the next ten months collecting furniture and art (Lauren also helped us with our master bedroom) and putting the pieces together to create a look that truly reflected our style. My husband is traditional and I like a bit of quirk. Voila!

When we started this transformation, many of the larger items were in place, but the rooms felt unfinished and off balance. Lauren's advice to create symmetry (around the picture window and couch) and filling the space with 'pretties' proved to be the key to making it feel cozy and inviting. 

My husband was afraid that filling the walls with art would make the space feel smaller, but in fact your eye is now drawn up and around the rooms, creating the illusion of more space. 

And adopting the mindset that 'it might get broken, but it's worth having out and not hidden for the next ten years' helped with creating table tops suitable for a toddler (we have since moved the cactus-ha!). As long as we have a few things out that our two year old son can touch, he is happy to leave the breakables alone.

Another key piece to pulling things together was a color 'theme'. I wanted the rooms to connect, but I didn't want to be matchy-matchy. The pillow on the sofa (which I just LOVE) was a gift from missionary friends in Bosnia and it became my 'go to' when I was tempted to purchase something. If it didn't jive with the pillow ... I had to pass. 

The conversation starter in the room is definitely the large black and white image in the dining room. It's an image of my dad as a boy and we just love it! I sat for months on the couch wondering what do with that space and now having it filled with a little piece of family history is a treat. 

In fact, if you look around, animals play a theme in most of the vignettes. A happy accident I guess, but we love the subtle 'lodge' feel. 

Well, there you have it. Our living and dining rooms. Thanks for looking! 

I will list sources below. 

All images by amymajorsphotography.com

P.S. I added a photo of our nursery here too. It was finished when I spoke with Lauren and I told her 'THIS is our style'. Amazing how nesting will kick you into gear to get a nursery ready while the rest of the house sits undone. :)

Resources: 

Sofa -  Ethan Allen

Rug - West Elm

Drapery - JCPenny

Club Chairs - Thrifted

Round End Table - Overstock

Campaign Side Table - Urban Outfitters

Three Drawer End Table - Antique

Coffee Table - Overstock

Lamps - Target/JCPenny

Living Room Art - Collected over the years

Sofa Pillow - Bosnian rug turned pillow (gift)

Pink Throws - West Elm

Coffee Table Baskets - Target

Coffee Table Tray - Target

Elephant - Thrifted

Floor Lamp - Antique

Chandelier - Antique

Dining Table - Thrifted

Dining Chairs - Ikea

Wood Buffet - Antique

White Buffet - Ikea

Buffet Lamps - JCPenny base with Target shades

Books - Thrifted

Art - Collected over the years

Large Print - Photo printed at Canvas On Demand

Vases - Thrifted

Dog - Thrifted

Buffet Tray - Target

Bar Glasses - Williams-Sonoma

Silver Cheese Server - Thrifted

Cigar Boxes - Local Cigar Shop

Room Tour: Fletcher's Nursery

I'm was so thrilled when Chassity from Look Linger Love emailed me to offer up first dibs on these photos of her new son's nursery. She has done such a lovely job here! Here's Chassity with a little tour, and as always, the sources are listed at the very bottom.

After learning that we were pregnant with a boy I definitely had a moment of panic over decorating the nursery. I had been in "girly mode" with Fletcher's older sister Lilly, so to switch gears was a little intimidating. All needless worry of course as boys' rooms are definitely just as much fun. 

I started by inviting some of my favorite interior designer friends to contribute to a Nursery Design Series to get some ideas rolling. The nursery boards these women (like Caitlin Wilson, Angie Hranowsky, and Amber Lewis) came up with were incredible to say the least, and were a great starting point for me to get my ideas running. (You can see all the moodboards and their sources here)

My main goal for the room was to give Fletcher an eclectic, comfortable, and safe space to call his own. I wanted to look beyond the "matchy" set of furniture and bedding that can be typical of nurseries. While it wasn't my intention, I like the voyager feel that the space has. I also chose items that would grow with Fletcher. For example, instead of a changing table I chose the voyager steamer dresser to work double duty. Likewise, I envision Fletcher and Lilly reading books together on the JA mini sofa for years to come.

The nursery renovation took probably 3 months from beginning to end. This includes all the time I spent gathering inspiration, shopping around, placing orders, and eventually completing the room. Fletcher was born 5 weeks early so we had to be quick to complete all the final touches once he arrived. 

What do I think makes the space? The Madeline Weinrib rug definitely adds visual interest to the room. But beyond that it's the sentimental items that are in the room. Cuddling up in the middle of the night is much more cozy with the navy & white throw blanket that my Granny knitted. And while Fletcher isn't sitting in the chair just yet, I'm glad that I was able to find the cowhide element that my Dad was adamant about seeing in his grandson's room. And I smile every time that I look at the painting that my friend Sally King Benedict painted for us as a baby gift.

(Thanks again, Chassity!! If you have a room tour you'd like to submit, please email us)

Room Sources:

Wall Color - Valspar's Gray Plank

Mini Sofa - Jonathan Adler 

Elephant Pouf - Serena and Lily 

Rocker - Joya 

Lamp - Restoration Hardware 

Rug - Madeline Weinrib 

Cowhide Chair - Celadon 

Crib - Oeuf Sparrow Crib 

Crib Bedding - Little Auggie 

Dresser/Changing Table - Restoration Hardware 

Vintage Peddle Plane - Restoration Hardware 

Velvet Drapes - Pottery Barn 

Colorblock painting - Sally King Benedict 

Watercolor Map Print - Jessica Durrant 

Boy On Bike Art - Kiki and Polly 

Do Good Art - Twamies  

Driftwood Shelf - Moss Woodshop 

You Are Simply Wonderful Print - Sarah and Bendrix 

Room Tours: Kristin's Living Room (and white sputnik!)

Kristin has a lovely home in Florida with gorgeous beamed ceilings. She emailed me recently asking for advice on a chandelier and whether or not I thought my sputnik DIY would work in her space, with her wood beams. I suggested going with a white versions and I'm so thrilled with Kristin's results. Don't the white florets look like milk glass? Love! 

Here are some photos of her living room (and one of her breakfast nook - so cute!). Sources listed at the bottom.

sofa table - antique
woven tray on table - a gift from a shop in our town called Decorative Arts
green lamps - one of my favorite vintage finds
green end table - purchased for $8.00 from the Salvation Army and painted!  I love the greek key detailing
small chinoisserie planter - found at an antique store
chinoisserie bird coasters - purchased years ago at Anthropologie
brown leather tufted couch - the company is four hands but I purchased from Decorative Arts (this couch and I were love at first sight! :))
throw pillows on both couches - feather pillow same from T.J. Maxx and were recovered with fabric from Calico Corners
throw blanket - Missoni for Target (I was one of those crazy people that were lined up early in the morning at my local Target) :)
Ottoman - purchased at Home Goods, and reupholstered by my amazing friend Cori who first introduced me to LGN! (fabric from Calico Corners)
white mirrored tray on ottoman - Target and then we repainted it white
tweed couch - company unknown.  Purchased at a boutique home store in Tampa, Fl called Magnolia
Bookshelves - Billy Book cases of course!  Inspired by Jenny, we bought the white bookcases and then painted the backs in a dark brown color.  We then styled them with sentimental objects such as vintage books passed down from family, photos, a painting my husband made for me, silhouette of my son Hudson, etc...
T.V. stand in the middle of the bookshelves - we scored this piece at a garage sale...  It was formerly a buffet.  We repainted it off white to match the bookshelves, took one drawer out to accomodate the electronics and replaced the hardware.
little glass bottle with scent diffuser - Anthropologie
Large green glass jars on top of bookshelves - Decorative Arts
Area Rug - Diamond Jute from Pottery Barn
Children's chairs - Pottery Barn Kids in Sherpa ( I think I sent you a picture of Harper enjoying it! )
Small table in between children's chairs - a vintage find
Entry mahogony table - found this years ago at an antique store with knob and all!
lamp on table - vintage ginger jar lamp; shade from decorative arts
small dragonfly tray on entry table - John Derian tray
potted plant - Anthropologie
floor lamp next to children's chairs - Pottery Barn
bird pictures on wall near children's chairs - these are antique audobon prints.  I repainted the frames gold.
large wooden basket under entry table - antique basket found years ago at the Rennigars Antique show in Mt. Dora, Fl
the window woven roman shades throughout the room - custom made from Levelor.  
Mirror on fireplace - Honeycomb Mirror from Pier 1 (inspired by Jenny and February's Southern Living).  I think that this mirror is even more gorgeous in person.  It's beautiful!
Wooden duck on hearth - carved by my grandfather when I was a child
Chandelier - Ikea Maskros DIY (courtesy of Jenny and Little Green Notebook!) She recommended to keep the chandelier white and use the white fleur cups.  I love, love, love this light fixture!