Kitchen Decorations: A Final Decision

A while back, I shared the ideas that I had for the kitchen. I wanted something large for the huge expanse of beige wall that was completely blank, but I also wanted the decoration(s) to be on par with the travel-theme and red/beige/black color scheme that the den had. Since the den and kitchen are basically one big room, it's important that elements from both mix and match appropriately.

The final decision:

I found the travel sign on clearance for $30 at Marshalls. It's actually MUCH bigger in person than it looks in this picture, but it fits the space without overwhelming it. 

The mirror is actually gorgeous up close. The frame is one huge piece of wood that has letterpress style letters carved into it. LOVE IT! It was also a Marshalls HomeGoods find (but unfortunately wasn't on clearance...clearly, that factor didn't make or break my decision to buy it!). I love HomeGoods because you just never know what you're going to find in there. 

The red curtains match the brown ones in the living room, so they're coordinating without being matchy-matchy. They're 84" curtains by Waverley from Lowe's (they don't actually have the curtains anymore online, but they might still be in stores). Don't forget to hang those curtains a couple of inches higher than the window box--it will make the room look bigger. Promise!

The chargers, napkins, napkin rings and runner are all from Pier One. They make the BIGGEST difference in making your table more personal. The crystal bowl (Shannon crystal by Godinger) is actually part of our wedding crystal, but I thought it looked nice there. 

Now, to get the hanging pendant light above the table and replace the floors and we'll REALLY be in business!

Table: Ashley Furniture
Curtains: Lowe's
Sign: Marshalls HomeGoods
Mirror: Marshalls HomeGoods
Runner, chargers, napkins and napkin rings: Pier One
Crystal bowl: Bed Bath and Beyond

Workin' on the Living Room

We've been in the house for two entire weeks now, which is hard to believe. It's gone by so fast! The first things we did after moving in were 1) organize the kitchen and 2) work on making the living room homey because those are the two places we spend most of our time...and the places that our guests see first.

There weren't any window dressings in the entire house when we bought it, so we went to Lowe's and got an entire house worth's of blinds. We chose the white faux wood plantation blinds, as these weren't too expensive but still looked WAY better than your regular ol' mini blinds. Behold the faux wood plantation blinds:

not our actual window, but you get the idea

The next thing we did was purchase curtains for the large glass door/ceiling-to-floor windows in the den. We both wanted to make the living room comfortable but modern; I've always loved the idea of the den as a place to showcase all of our travel photos and souvenirs, so we decided to base our world theme around the colors of red, brown, beige and black. I was unsure about the curtains (which are crucial for tying a room together) until one day in Lowe's (big surprise, as we go there at least once a day!) when I found these by Waverly:

source

They are a darker brown than you see here (see below for a pic from our actual room), and they have a gorgeous geometric pattern on them that is vaguely reminiscent of Moroccan artwork. We opted just for the floor length curtains--no valance for this room. They really bring the entire room together, and we LOVE them. :) The curtains also come in red and black, and we're thinking of putting the red version into the dining area, which is open to the den. That way, the window treatments will be coordinating without being too matchy-matchy.

Landon hangs the brackets for the living room curtains

a shot of the curtains from the couch. We just open the curtains during the day so we can see out onto our (currently boring) backyard.

a close up of the pattern

Living Room Curtain Options

A while back, I did a layout board on what I would like our future living room to look like. I've still been scouting for options--I'm always on the lookout for a bargain!


Today, I found another option for the living room curtains. They are still light green, like the ones on the layout board, but instead of the $169 ones from Pottery Barn in the original post, these are from Overstock.com and come it at a handy $50.99. Definitely more budget-friendly.

Pottery Barn Peyton Drapes in Mineral Green

vs.

Overstock.com Jasper Circles in Sage

Anthropologie Kapali Curtains

Earlier today, I was drifting through the internet, looking for a cute, new dress, when I saw an adorable one on sale at Anthropologie's site. While there, I got distracted and discovered that Anthropologie has a section for bedding and decorating, too--who knew? (Not this gal, at least not until about two hours ago.)


I found these gorgeous curtains there. I love the Asian/ Indian influence of the design: there's enough visual interest with the pattern, but it's not busy enough to detract away from whatever you pair these with in a room. The creative possibilities for each of these are so amazing...so don't be surprised if they show up on a future layout board here! :)


Find them here.


(L to R: olive version, mineral version)