A Design Trip

When your principal is also one of your sister's design clients and she asks you to go to Gulf Shores to stay in her condo to redesign it... you make is happen.  You arrange your schedules, explain to the hubby why he needs to hang with the little one for 6 straight days, and you convince your mama to join the round trip party!
Everyone kept telling me to have a fun vacation... this was no vacation.  We worked our little behinds off creating a space that the client would fall in love with.
It was a true HGTV style makeover: a tight timeline, a tight budget, and obstacles to overcome.

First let's start with what the condo looked like...

You may look at the condo's before pictures and think it looks totally fine.  Truth is- it is totally fine.  Keyword being FINE.  It probably looks like just about every other condo in the building.  I think that is why we were called on by the client.  We don't settle for just fine.  My sister is a fabulous designer who knows how to push the design limits but keeps it livable for the family as well.

So let's chat challenges. 

#1- we had 4 days to completely redo the space.  We had to start from complete scratch in a place we had never shopped.  So for the first 2 days we literally shopped every single store that little Gulf Shore strip had to offer!  We had a list of furniture we needed to buy and a budget to stick to, so we wheeled and dealed to find the best possible prices.  Not only did we need all new furniture, we also needed accessories and wall decor.  These are normally items you look at and think about- but for us it was a 'like it, buy it' no time to waste kind of shopping.

I think the furniture is a design element that we took some risks with and they paid off.  At first we had a tan couch selected- then we found a turquoise couch and decided 'it's a beach condo' you are allowed to have a little fun.  So to add to that fun pop of color we tossed in an amazing reddish/orange rug that we found for a steal at Target.  (we loved it so much we bought two more to bring home! for my mom)

#2- we had a condo of old furniture to get rid of.  This just took lots of phone calls and ultimately convincing some of the delivery guys to take some old furniture with them;)

#3- paint, not necessarily and challenge we weren't expecting, just one that needed to be done.  We love an impact wall and stripes always get it done.  Jessica had selected the paint colors prior to the trip.  So we hit up Lowes and mama got to painting. (no we didn't just bring her to paint, although she is a pro!)

#4- putting it all together.  No one is open on Sundays- so no deliveries, no furniture stores to shop, paint already done... so we shopped for us at the local outlet mall.  We would have preferred a day on the beach but the weather did not cooperate.

So we worked hard shopping, painting, planning, and designing.  I must say we were more than happy with the outcome!

After driving 12 hours there, working for 4 straight days, then driving 12 hours home- it is safe to say we were worn out but joyful with the project's results and the time to spend as a mama/daughters dynamic design team! ha

My sister will be doing more in-depth posts about our trip and the design process on her blog- head there now to check it out!  Jessica Stout Design Blog

West Elm This Weekend and Sales on Etsy!

I am so excited for my Meet the Maker feature at West Elm Keystone this Saturday the 24th!!!  I have been busting it all week to get new items painted for purchase and the set up all organized!

West Elm Shoppers- exclusive in store sale!!!

For those of you who come to the Wesst Elm on Saturday between 12-5 and shop you will receive the exclusive sale of: Buy 3 Prints and Get 1 Free!!!  In store, I will have all prints found on my Etsy shop plus all of my newly painted items and Christmas paintings.

Etsy Order Sale!!

If you can not make it to West Elm you can order any print from the Etsy shop with FREE SHIPPING for the weekend ONLY!  As you check out simply put in the coupon code: jlmships  New paintings and Christmas items will not be on the Etsy shop until later in the week.

A Sale for Everyone!!!

The holidays are coming and a custom portrait would make a wonderful gift!  Just last week I did a cute wedding portrait for a 25 year wedding anniversary- loved the idea!  Portraits would be great for not only your family but as a gift for another family, grand-kids for grandparents, etc....

Emersyn was such a sweetheart as I worked.

I hope to see lots of you out shopping at West Elm this weekend or on the Etsy shop!!!  Have a great weekend!

Friday Favorite- Shiplap

Shiplap here, shiplap there... I could literally shiplap everywhere!  What is shiplap?- I think it is just a fancy design term for horizontal boarding.  It is a wall covering technique that gives your walls instant interest.  I think it looks traditional and classic yet modern- is that possible.  Anyway whatever it may be I love it- now I just have to decide where all I can get the hubby to let me put it!

Inspiration pics from Pinterest and my For the Home board.

Friday Favorite- Initial House Inspiration

We loved our first home so much!! So when it came to building a new home, we literally almost went and built the exact home on a different, larger piece of land.  It was at that point that we learned our large ranch would not fit on most lots with a pool in the backyard- (oh yes we are putting in a pool)!!! So we moved onto looking at 2 story homes.  I knew immediately I wanted all bedrooms upstairs- we are at the beginning of growing our family and I did not want endless nights climbing stairs to reach my little ones.  I also wanted laundry upstairs with the bedrooms and a play space for Emersyn on the main level.  So the search for a layout and floor plan that worked began.  After discussing our wants with our builder and looking at different homes, we finally settled on a floor plan.  That is when the real work began.  I immediately hired my design sister from Jessica Stout Design to be with me on every decision and there are LOTS of decision to be made when building a custom home!!

Here are a few of my early inspiration pics when thinking about the feel I wanted the outside of this house to have.
All pictures are taken from my Pinterest: For the Home.

Immediately I knew I wanted a light, airy feel to our home.  When looking at homes I am always drawn to a lighter gray and classic stone.

I LOVE a large, double door entryway.  I think a large entrance is very welcoming.  I want to modernize it a bit and go with a painted door instead of the traditional wood, and I have learned it would be easier to maintain as well.

I don't love garage doors, unless they are really nice ones, and I have found out those cost a fortune!  So my plan is to add a pergola detail and paint them.

Dark windows are really popular right now.  I think when building a new home you want to be on trend but in a way that it won't be dated as soon as that trend is over.  I think dark windows are a bit trendy but really quite timeless.  They are pricey- more than white let's just say that.

I also love a bit of tin roof.  -ever since the 'love shack',  "tin roof, rusted."  Sorry as soon as I said tin roof I thought of that song.

Designing and building a home is a constant battle between beautiful Pinterest pictures and what you can realistically accomplish.  I must say I am pretty excited to see all of our exterior selections come together.  Some inspiration picture ideas made the cut others were simply too pricey.  But honestly that is the name of this home building game- spend your money wisely and put it into places that will make the most impact.

Check back next Friday as I share interior ideas!