Design Crush: Amanda Reynal Interiors

I was at my moms house this weekend perusing the new Midwest Living Magazine and I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw this amazing living room my Amanda Reynal Interiors. Heaven in a Home…..

What can I say – this breakfast nook is perfection. I love how cozy it is and all the color that is pulled into the room.

Her bold use of color in the whole space is amazing, and it makes it truly unique.

Her bold use of art is just a dream. I love this updated graphic piece mixed in with her vey traditional decor.

Love the bright pink entry way. As I always say – better brave than boring!

This house is a dream, and I hope when my house is done it feels as amazingly cozy as this one. Great job!

Design Crush: Sarah Wit Interior

I recently stumbled across Sarah Wit Interior Design on Instagram and when I looked at their work, fell in love with their layers and mixing traditional with updated looks.

TNPLH: Design Cursh Sarah Wit Interior 1

This space is incredible. I love love a good small day bed in a living room to create that cozy look.

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so many layers of goodness here. Love the green.

TNPLH: Design Crush Sarah Wit Design 2

Their use of neutrals mixed with pops of color is great!

TNPLH: Design Crush Interior 3

Hope you all have a great week!

willing summer….

so I think that if everyone in the midwest thinks really really really hard, maybe summer will come faster. also I am in love with this daybed from cb2, and we might need it for the front porch.

loving: CB2 Outdoor Daybed

ok, so everyone send thoughts to the universe. go.

Not Your Grandma’s China Cabinet

ahh, how I love a good china cabinet. And more and more I keep seeing them pop up in decor. Everything from country to traditional to modern people are embracing them. As, you may know I have one in my living room. I thought it was a great thing to have in my living room as it takes up some nice space on a wall and it helps host stay to all my favorite glassware.

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However, they are no longer just to store china. They can be a perfect place to store (or hide!) all sorts of things. I love this above Cabinet, Designed by Miles Redd and featured in House Beautiful, that has painted glass to completely conceal the inside.

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Kirsten Kelli

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Mary McDonald

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Anna Spiro

I love the grandeur of having duplicate cabinets to create dramatic presence in a room.

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Dimples and Tangles

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Furbish Studio

And one of my favorites of all is bringing new life to the old with some fun, spunky colors!

Anyway I have been on a mad hunt for a new china cabinet. One for my sunroom to help hide all my crafts. I would love an old one to paint navy and then fill with baskets and such to conceal and help organize my life. Stay Tuned for when I find one!!

Furniture Rescue: Lacquer Dresser

So when I first moved into the new house I shared this dresser I picked up at a consignment shop for my bedroom. My goal was to try and lacquer it. I did a lot of research online because I knew it was very difficult.

TNPLH: Craigslist Dresser

In the past the furniture I have re-done I just hand painted. But now that I have a house I was pumped to try out a new spray gun I got.

critter spray gun

You can buy it on amazon here. Some spray guns can get very pricey. This one is only $40 on amazon and it works great. It uses mason jars for the paint which makes clean up a bit easier. The only thing you have to watch is keeping it really clean. But after some you tube searches I found a number of videos posted by the company on how to clean, which was super nice and handy!

TNPLH: Dresser Rescue 1

First I sanded it down and used a deglosser product which helps get the ornate details ready for paint.

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Then I used my new critter to add two coats of primer and two coats of my color.

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Don’t mind all my extra stuff in this pic!

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After I did all of that I used a spray can of lacquer. I looked high and low for a lacquer paint to just put in my critter spray gun, however I couldn’t find one so I bought several cans (like 6) of the clear coat lacquer product and sprayed and sprayed.

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I kept getting frustrated because of the over spray that happened. However I watched this video from the blogger Alchemy Fine Living over and over again. And just trusted that I was doing all the steps right. She recommends after you spray your lacquer coating that you use 0000 steel wool to sand it down and then you polish the furniture with a wax coating. After this step it cleared up the over spray issue and I got the high gloss look I had been going for.

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Then I just sprayed the knobs to get a fresh look to them and we were done.

I just love the way it turned out. The color is fun and fresh! Can’t wait to dress it up a bit with mirrors and some lamps and such!

Compromising on Decor

My good friend is moving in with her boyfriend. They are already having a hard time combining decor. They just scored a new leather restoration hardware couch, but my friend worries the living room will end up too masciline. Let’s drum up some inspiration on how to soften up that masciline couch!

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1. Mix in some fun prints

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2. Add in cozy pillows and throws

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3. add accents to make the room more homey

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4. Mix in art to soften the space

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5. layer printed rugs and fun accent furniture

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Here are some great couches to help keep the peace!

leather sofa roundup

higgins chesterfield/atticus leather/brooklyn leather sofa/anthropologie settee