HOUSE UPDATE!

Well, it’s been awhile.  And there’s been a few changes.  Not many, but a few.  I’m really excited to tell you that we’ve financially recovered from the house purchase (and all of the miscellaneous expensive-but-not-fun purchases that come along with it like a water softener and window coverings) and are moving forward full steam ahead with the decorating process!  I’m going to share every step along the way with you, so I figured it’s best to start with a current state of things photos.  Here’s what’s new….

That painter-tape art exhibit- it’s amazing, right?!  So abstract and unexpected.  NO!!!!!!!!  I used the tape for a visual gauge of size for the floating drawers and giant round mirror I’m going to install there.  Do you see where I’m going?  The mirror will make the size-challenged room feel bigger, the floating drawers will create an entryway with the front door right there and will also serve as a place to put pretty things and store less-pretty things!  I’m also plotting what should go underneath the drawers to distract from the grate but still allow air to flow through. Two of these tables are on there way, compliments of Target and the Threshold Fall Trend Collection.  I’m hopeful they’ll be perfect. You can’t beat that price, right!?  {more after the jump}

And by now you’re probably thinking “WAIT, WHAT HAPPENED TO THE COUCH?!”.  It’s a long, sad story involving us realizing that we’d paid a small fortune for a couch that, while pretty from far away, was actually shockingly poorly made and uncomfortable.  Yes, my heart broke a little  like a girl getting viciously dumped at prom, but we moved on.  We weren’t able to find something similar to fit the space and were slightly traumatized by couchtastrophe 2013 so we settled on this couch.  So, there it is!  I’m planning on making it pretty with colorful, texture-y pillows.  The ones shown are leftovers, so the couch is in a sad state.  But, moving on…

That credenza is headed back to Max and Margaux, to be replaced by a set of built ins!  The room needs a focal point, the tv needs a home, I need a place to put more goodies from Jonathan Adler– it seems like built-ins are the perfect answer.  You know what I’ve learned about built- in’s though?  THEY’RE MORE EXPENSIVE THAN COLLEGE.  Well, maybe that’s a slight exaggeration, but if you haven’t priced them out before you might just pee yourself when the first estimate rolls in.  Yikes.

The Dining room, and Nugget showing off her earthquake survival skills.  Nothing new to report here. The table, as mentioned earlier, is too small.  I’m on a new table hunt.  Something oval I think, there’s so much boxy-ness going on that a table sans-corners will really have a place to shine.  Stay tuned, I think it’s going to be amazing.  We’re also debating painting the shelves white.  I KNOW, I KNOW!  It’s crazy.  They’re made of beautiful wood.  I get that.  I really do.  I’m nuts.  BUT I WANT THEM TO BE WHITE.  And Lou feels the same.  I’m sure having them painted will not prove inexpensive nor easy.  So cheap broke-laziness may win out and the shelves may stay that gorgeous brown wood.  Time will tell.  Riveting, isn’t it?!

The guest bedroom slash my-office-is-in-the-closet slash this-is-where-I-plan-my-style-shoots:  What. a. mess.  A mattress-on-the-floor and awkward-desk-of-broken-dreams-in-the-corner MESS.  The desk was an impulse buy from Haus Interior.  Because I desperately wanted to transform it into a beauty station, or whatever those things are called where real ladies put on their makeups.  As opposed to fake-ladies like me who hover over the bathroom sink or sit on the bedroom floor, spilling beautiful mineral makeup everywhere.  I thought for sure I could make it work.  But I thought for sure- WRONG.  It was an especially bitter moment when I realized it because LOU TOLD ME SO.  The worst.  So, into storage it goes!  But not for a bit, right now it’s busy protecting the food dehydrator I bought a month and a half ago and haven’t unwrapped.  This is getting real.

The saving grace in this room is the bedside tables, compliments of Target!  I’m thinking the legs and drawer handles might need to be brightened up with a spray paint job, they’re less gold than they appear in the website photo.  A DIY?!  Usually my DIY jobs turn into disasters, but maybe there’s hope for a spray-paint challenged girl from Maine.  Maybe I’ll suddenly find my crafty-side and WON’T completely ruin everything my spray paint touches.  Stranger things have happened.   Like A GROWN MAN WITH 15 MILEY CYRUS TATTOES.

I think I’ll stop there for today.  I’ll be back soon though, my house-decorating monster has been awakened and she’s on a mission!!  See more from our Palm Springs house here.  xx- Sarah

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Reader Comments

  1. ceedge|

    Enjoyed reading this post. You're silly and I love it. Love your style and paint dem shelves white.

    Reply
  2. Tina Yang|

    It's looking gorgeous Sarah!! So much has changed since we saw it last year! I'm so happy you guys kept the silver coffee table – that piece is seriously stunning! Can't wait for the next update and to see those floating drawers go in! xo

    Reply
  3. sarah yates|

    @ Sarah- thank you!! That's so nice for me to read! 🙂

    @Tina- Thanks lady! The coffee table is only temporary I think, but we do love it so who knows. And I'm SO anxious for the floating drawers! They're going to be so good I think! xx

    Reply
  4. sarah yates|

    Thank you Alex! The dining room rug is vintage, from Haus Interior. The other rugs are from Anthropologie. Unfortunately Lou thinks he may be allergic so we're selling them. Email me if you're interested! The living room is an 8X10 and the guest bedroom is a 5X7.

    Reply
  5. Catherine|

    Ahhh!!

    OK. First of all, the sofa. I know it was hard to come to terms with the demise of the first one, but I can tell you that I may sit on this one and never leave next time I'm at your house. Good choice!!

    Practicing earthquake survival skills!!! Oh now that is just too adorable. I never knew that's what Kenzie and Emmy were doing under the bed this whole time!

    Totally paint the shelves white. That will look floaty and dreamy. Great updates, girl!

    http://www.thelifestyledblog.com

    Reply
  6. Lauren|

    I absolutely love everything about your house so far! I have a similar style in my house and love that you added the silver coffee table with the white and neutral colors of the wood and your leather couch. I'm a white, black and gold lover but it was nice to see an example of silver complimenting all those colors!

    Reply
  7. Eva|

    I am so happy to see this update, I get so much inspiration for our home from yours. Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
  8. lena|

    i love your rugs where are they from? thanks. your house is so clean and pretty.

    Reply
  9. Jen|

    Oh I'm sad about the couch 🙁 It was sooooo pretty!! Boo! Oh well. Can't wait to see you do your magic 🙂

    Reply
  10. sarah yates|

    @Lena- thank you! I left the rug info in an earlier comment 🙂

    @Jen0 I KNOW! there were tears. but when i'm done we'll both be saying WHAT COUCH?! 🙂

    Reply
  11. Angel Y.|

    The floors in your new home compliment the wood pieces so nicely. I'm also going to vote nay on the bookshelf painting. I know you want it white but it really looks amazing with the floors in your dining room. I've never clicked so many links in a home showcase post but I am adoring every piece of furniture in your home. Thank you so much for sharing!

    Reply
  12. Archana | my SoCal'd life|

    The place is looking lovely! Especially love the new couch and what you have in mind for the walls. But I must ask, how does your white Moroccan-style rug fare with the pups? Do you feel like you're always vacuuming? This is my latest conundrum since I'm need of a rug but have a dog who sheds like crazy. (Though his hair is really light!) Can't wait to see more progress!

    Reply
  13. Rebecca|

    If you're feeling non-committal about painting the shelves white, try contact paper first! It's cheap and easy, and if you hate it you've avoided a permanent mess. Not great for the long-term, but if you like it you can paint later.

    Reply
  14. Simone Anne|

    You're adorable. I love your house in all its shambles that are still actually gorgeous & awesome &I'd live there in a heart beat. Don't paint the shelves! 😉

    Reply
  15. angel swanson|

    Beautiful progress!! I can't wait to see everything come together. And btw, if that dress of broken dreams needs a new home, I think it would be the perfect vanity (aka place where I pile things) in my bedroom. 😉 Seriously though! xox

    Reply
  16. sarah yates|

    Thanks so much everyone! So happy to have you all along on this decorating ride!

    @ Catherine- HA! I love that Kensie and Emmy keep their earthquake survival skills sharp too, bless their hearts! 🙂 I agree, the shelves should be white. They actually NEED to be white!

    @ Lauren, thank you! We are deciding if the coffee table will stay. I don't know if I'm going to love it as much when we get the rug we're actually going to keep in the space…. we'll see! 🙂

    @Angel Swanson- emailing you!

    @ Catherin Thanks! I LOVE that fauxdenza. If only Lou and I were crafty!!! 🙂

    Reply
  17. tina|

    Hey, first time visitor to your site (thanks to Daily Candy); where in the world did you get those beautiful rugs. I'm on a mission for something just like these.

    Reply
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