Studio Updates and a Holiday Give Away from Poppin

Remember when I got that really beat up desk at Goodwill and made it over? That spurred a whole series of updates to our studio space. We're getting really organized and I think everything looks so clean and pretty now!

I'll be sharing some tutorials soon, but I'm sure a few of you long-time readers will be able to spot a few of the big changes off the bat!

We wanted to both add and take away color from the room. This new inspiration board is probably my favorite colorful addition.

I had a piece of homasote board cut down to fit the wall space between the window and the wall and then (just like in this project) I upholstered it in pale mint linen.

We're also working to streamline our filing system and to declutter our office supplies. I am a big believer in making the every day stuff as pretty as possible, if only to help mundane chores feel exciting. :)

Poppin sent us a few new office supplies this month to help with the makeover. I love everything Poppin makes - and have for a long time! Everything is modern and beautiful, and it all works so well! Their pens are my very favorite (with their all-white scissors being a close second place!).

They also make a new heavier-weight pen (mine's in chrome, below) and it's beautiful. They make it in a really pretty gold too!!

Poppin has generously offered to give away two $100 gift certificates today! Their products make the perfect stocking stuffers or gifts for office mates!

Their new line of metallic notebooks are perfectly classic, but so holiday-worthy!

Entering to win one of the $100 gift certificates is super easy - just visit Poppin's site and browse their beautiful offerings and then leave a comment here. Contest runs for one week and the winner will be selected at random and emailed.

PS Poppin is running a promotion through the 6th, where you get a free tote when you spend $50 or more. Check it out here, and don't forget to enter the give away too by commenting here! Good luck!

My Holiday Garland in Domino and A Fireplace Faux Concrete Overlay!

The holiday issue of Domino is on stands now!! Just look for the beautiful face of my talented friend, Paloma, on the cover. :)

And feel free to check out page 78 for my latest DIY column - a piece on using hardy house plants to make an untraditional holiday garland!

I really love how this one turned out! We shot the tutorial in early October, so the garland is long gone now, but I'd love to recreate something similar for our mantle now that it's time to decorate for Christmas. The little clementimes are my favorite part (psst - the trick is to use the smallest, lightest fruit you can find!)

All the pretty details are in the new issue, which should be on news stands every where by now.

Right before we shot the tutorial with my talented photographer friend, Sarah Webb, I decided I wanted to add a layer of concrete to our mantel to lighten things up and add a little texture.

I used the same approach I've done several times now, using Ardex Feather Finish concrete, but this time I mixed the concrete to be a little on the watery side and applied it in many, many coats with a paint brush.

If I had to guess, I probably put on six or seven light coats of the Ardex, with drying time and a sanding block session between each coat.

I also put on two layers of matte natural-look sealer after the concrete was dry, and after a couple months, everything is still looking great!

I love how the concrete looks with the black paint on the surround, but especially with the fossil limestone we added to the firebox.

Thanks again to Sarah Webb for the photos and to Kate for assisting at the shoot, and to the Domino team for always being so great to work with! In case you've missed any of my past stories for Domino, here's my Pax armoire makeover, an upholstered bench DIY, and my house feature.

$1000 Give Away to Interior Define!

Every time I post a photo of my English roll arm sofa, I get asked about alternative sources for a similar sofa. The last time around, a bunch of readers asked if I had seen the new roll-arm sofa from Interior Define. They collaborated with The Everygirl to design the sofa - and it's beautiful!

I reached out to Interior Define about getting some swatches for the sofa for a client (we love the bleached legs!), and they asked if I'd be interested in guest curating a collection (click here to check it out!) and hosting a $1000 GIVE AWAY. Amazing, right?

Interior Define is an online-only furniture manufacturer and retailer, which means they can customize size, configuration, fabric, cushion fill and legs on almost every one of their designs, while still keeping their prices 30-40% below comparable retailers. They do have a flagship store in Chicago, where customers can call in or stop by to work with their design team on custom pieces.

I really love that they offer complimentary swatches in 40-60 fabric options. I asked them to send me a few of my favorites and I'm super impressed with the fabric's durability and classic color options.

How pretty is that plum? I'd love to use it on a pair of Wesley chairs!

And I'm super obsessed with this sectional, which is something I thought I'd never say. :) I can't decide which color I like more though:

And the Harper!! This sofa is pretty close to upholstery perfection. Just structured enough, but definitely casual and comfy.

While I was poking around on their site, I also noticed they sell a few accent pillows made from Japanese menswear fabrics, and I had to have a pair. I got two of these stitch stripe pillows. They will be perfect for my daughter's bed, but I'm borrowing them for the music room for now :)

Now for the good stuff: Interior Define is giving LGN readers $100 off any order over $1500 through December 14! Just use the code LGN100 at checkout.

And to enter to win the very generous $1000 give away, click here and join their email list. Browse around and pick your favorite Interior Define product and then leave a comment on this post with a link to the pieces you'd buy with the credit if you won.

Here's the fine print below. Thanks to Interior Define for sponsoring this giveaway! Good luck!!

• Giveaway open to continental US readers only
• $1000 credit must be used toward a chair or sofa purchase
• Entrants must register their email address
• Giveaway ends December 9, 2014
• Giveaway winner will be randomly selected from the comment section and emailed by Jenny.
• Credit must be used in a single purchase. Any returns will be refunded store credit minus any applicable restocking fee.
• Credit must be used by May 1, 2015

UPDATE: A big congratulations to Janna McCalley for winning the $1000 give away! Thanks to all those who entered. xo

DIY: Carpeting Spiral Stairs

Remember a while back when I bought this rug to use as a runner on our black stairs? I never quite got around to doing the project, so all the little Jaipur runners I got from RugsUSA have been just sitting in a closet, waiting to be used.

Part of the problem was I have been on the fence for months about whether or not I wanted to use a pattern (even a relatively subtle, neutral one) on my main stairs. I'm thinking of maybe doing a simple sisal in there instead. The spiral stairs in the mudroom needed carpeting too though, so it seemed like a good idea to use the runners in there instead, while I figured something else out for the entry stairs. Here's a reminder of how the stairs up to my studio looked when we moved in:

Since moving in, we've painted the tile floors a dark gray and paneled the walls and painted them navy. We also pulled off the carpeting on the stairs and painted the rails and treads bright white.

We had painted the treads the same color as the rail, but they were noisy and less safe-feeling without the carpeting. I was really excited to finally get these covered last week!

I picked up a quart of flooring glue at the hardware store and spread an even coat on the top of the tread before flipping it over on to the carpet runner.

It was important to be consistent with my pattern placement, so I lined up the tread in the same place every time before cutting.

I used a pair of super heavy-duty shears from Home Depot in the tool section to cut the runners. It made a world of difference to have the extra long, extra sharp blades.

I cut the runner to be just wide enough to cover the sides of the treads. I also cut out the corners, so when I folded up the edges, there would be no extra material in the corners.

After adding more glue to the edges, I stapled the sides in place and then trimmed away any extra rug material.

After letting the glue dry a bit, I popped the treads back into the stairs. I LOVE how they look and feel now!

The rug pattern was double sided, but I went with the darker side up and hopefully that will help to hide traffic stains. I'm also thinking about Scotchgarding the treads this week as a precautionary measure.

I love how the subtle pattern looks with the wall and floor colors. I hung a few new pieces of art and added a bougainvillea tree that I planted in a brass trash bin. :)

I also upholstered a little thrifted bench to tuck under the stairs. I love all the textures together!

It took several hours to upholster the treads (most of the time was spent cutting), but I'm so happy with how this project turned out. It makes me want to figure out a runner for our front entry stairs right away!

PS I popped over to RugsUSA today to try and find the link to the Jaipur runners and saw they're having a great 75% off sale for Cyber Monday. I'm looking for a small-ish rug for our nursery (!) and I think there are some really cute contenders here. They've added a ton of great rug lines since the last time I shopped their site. It also looks like they've figured out how to take better photos of their rugs too - now you can zoom in tight and see the weave and get a way better sense of the colors. Good stuff.

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