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My long standing obsession with the Peacock Wicker Chair

February 18, 2016 by CORINNA HENDERSON

Welcome to the post I’m dedicating to my long standing obsession with the peacock wicker chair. Also called a “fan back” wicker chair. These chairs are gorgeous, woven, sculptural pieces of heaven. I have bought and sold a ridiculous number of them and I’ve bought, and held on to, one more.

The ones I’ve bought in the past have been a bit faded, or had some structural issues. The most recent one, that I actually bought a few months ago, has been the cheapest one. And it’s in fantastic condition. No odd bends, no loose wicker- and it came with the cushion. Hallelujah!

Explore The #ThriftScoreThursday feed

So in honor of sharing my woven chair goodness, I thought it would be fitting to curate a favorites of things that are chairs and/or woven. While it might now make the internet explode, there will be lots of heart eyes!

I would be so thrilled to come across woven plates/chargers/bowels as pretty as these! via @sharbearrrhauls

This absolutely is the mother of all dream catchers! What a stunning piece! via @doug_fritock

I. Am. Jealous.! But, aren’t we all? via @sarahmdorseydesigns

If I could score a sweet chair like this, I might not need the Eames as much 😉 via @meganmwallace12

Intricate details in this rug are stunning! via @design_it_vintage

This one has a beautiful shape to it! via @meganmwallace12

Have you scored anything good recently? You have to know by now that we want to see!

Here’s The Rules!

We want you to participate! Hit up your local thrift stores, craigslist, yard sales, estate sales, side of the road, anything! Thrifty doesn’t necessarily mean from a thrift store. We want to see your good deals, wacky finds and treasures.
Don’t feel like you need to save those finds for Thursdays! Yes, features are shared on our blogs and Instagram on Thursdays, but we’re all checking in on (and using!) the hashtag all week long. So, when you see/find it, feel free to share it!
Each week, Trisha from Black and White Obsession, Cassie from Primitive and Proper, Brynne from The Gathered Home, and Myself (A Designer At Home) will pick a favorite thrift score or two to feature! So please note that by linking up with #thriftscorethursday, you are giving us permission to share your finds via social media or on our blogs.
Please remember that we can only share love for photos shared on public accounts. If your profile is private, we can’t see your finds.

As is always the case, I would be ecstatic to get my own hands on any and all of these scores and use them in my home. Visit the features and give them a kudos for a thrift well done ?

Before you run off for the day, don’t forget to visit your other hosts for this fab hashtag party:

Kate Spade Daisy Place Jewelry Dish Knock Off

February 16, 2016 by CORINNA HENDERSON

Welcome to the first installment of the Knock It Off DIY Monthly Challenge! Every month you can stop in on the 3rd Tuesday of every month to find a plethora of knock off inspiration. Each month is themed, and this month we are knocking off a Kate Spade item. Looking through the Kate Spade collections, you’ll find lots of really cute decor but the price tags are shocking. If you’re a creative, you’ve probably looked at those pieces and said to yourself, “I could totally make that for dirt cheap.” Well, my friend, we are doing that and we invite you to do it too!

Honestly, most of the Kate Spade decor isn’t really my style. And that’s totally OK. There’s a collection for everyone. I did find one piece that I thought was especially cute and practical and customizable. The daisy place square jewelry dish.

I found this to be really, really easy to recreate. Inexpensive square dishes can be found practically anywhere. I picked up a deeper one than the Kate Spade one to suite my needs a bit better. It’s from Target, but again you can find these everywhere from Walmart to thrift stores.

I cleaned the bowl real well and that was probably the hardest part of it all! I doodled in the same “odds and ends”from the inspiration piece with an oil based Sharpie marker. I baked it according to some miscellaneous baking instructions I found via good ol’ google search but I could still scratch off the paint after following the steps. So, who knows if that stuff really works.

And then painted along the edges with a very small craft brush and Ace hardware brand “Artistic Finishes Metallic Finish” paint in Copper. I prefer all of the Ace hardware copper colored paint products because they have a touch more pink that all of the other ones I’ve tried. I definitely recommend this paint because it has the best coverage and, even more importantly, the best metallic finish out there. It’s not as reflective as the inspiration piece, but it’s the best I’ve found. Not sparkly, just metallic.

I didn’t take any during shots because it’s hard to write white steadying a camera- ha! But there’s really nothing new to the techniques. They’ve been done a million times over. But that just shows you how fail-proof these ideas are for DIYs.

Supply List:

Artistic Finished Metallic Finish paint in Copper

White Square Bowl

Black oil based Sharpie

A Designer at Home // Iris Nacole // Pretty Practical Home // Domicile 37

This is Our Bliss // Vintage Romance Style // Casa Watkins

Monica Wants It // Up To Date Interiors // Shabby Grace Blog

Coastal Virginia Home and Garden Show

February 15, 2016 by CORINNA HENDERSON

Hello 🙂 I thought it’d be fun to pop in today to share what I did over the weekend. There were a lot of projects I spent the entire weekend avoiding. A few important ones got done. And I went to the Coastal Virginia Home and Garden show!

I’ve never been to a home and garden show before so I’m really glad my mom asked if I wanted to go. We went yesterday, which was the last day of the show. I only had my phone with me and the camera is pretty well gone, so please give the pictures some grace.

We showed up at 10am for the mimosa and bloody mary tasting. It was pretty quiet, the drinks were good, and we scanned the center to get an idea of what we wanted to look at first.

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Right beside us was a booth full of gorgeous Polish pottery. I’m a sucker for these kinds of things. Because I’m already a die hard fan of Le Souk Ceramique and Imari Ceramics I went ahead and stayed small with my purchases. A small adorable elephant with it’s little trunk up and a small tea bag tray.

And right beside that was Symphl Creations. They have an Etsy shop with quite a few handmade personal care items, but I was drawn in by the massive collection of soaps. I chose 4 soaps- Sensuous Sandalwood, Inspire, Activated Charcoal & Tea Tree Oil, and Monkey Farts. Yes, monkey farts, and it smells amazing- like candy!

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Right around the corner from those two booths were a bunch of really fun hippies. They were selling handmade jewelry, tie dye shirts and handmade soaps, scrubs, and body whips. I am starting to develop a problem and I bought, yet again, another soap (this makes more than 30 bars in 2 months).

Then I beelined for the handmade baskets booth. The man running it said the basket I chose took 8 days to make and was made by an elderly woman in her late 60’s. He said that making the baskets gave her something to do and purpose in life. He also made baskets, his were smaller and less intricate, but stunning nonetheless.

global decor african tribal inspired hand woven basket a designer at home home and garden show find

african global basket for throw blankets

Before we could even get down a full aisle of booths, we realized we were late for the Chickens: Pets With Perks. The speaker was very easy to listen to, reaffirmed my desire for having my own chickens, and is an author of a lot of really cool books about chickens.

After that was finished, we went to a small class about Feng Shui and it’s benefits in solving challenges in home spaces. Bonnie Primm was a joy to listen and interact with. I took some notes to share just in case you’re interested in diving into Feng Shui:

Mirrors bring energy and surroundings in.
Mirrors are a water energy.
If you live near water, take away some mirrors.
Mirrors push space back and enlarge it.
In dining rooms, round and oval tables are preferred.
Corners cause bruises, don’t bring in items than can harm you.
No corners in corners. Squares taken in the energies rushing at it and redirects in out with force back into the space.
For example, a corner nightstand can point energies back towards your body and cause knee pains, back pains, elbow pains, etc.
Turn square/rectangle pieces at and angle to avoid the pointed energy effect.
Lamps in corners are a must because they raise energy.
When cleaning a house, clean from the back to front.

After the Feng Shui class was finished we were approached by Rebecca Bushway. She invited us to join in on her Make and Take workshop. We made storage caddies out of old fence posts and spindles from old furniture.

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We ended up visiting her booth later and saw that she makes over lots of furniture. And while a lot of it wasn’t my particular style, there were a pair of made-up Chromecraft chairs I could totally see in my house. I’m a thrifter though and couldn’t justify $60 a chair.

Then I got wrapped into agreeing to a window replacement consulation next weekend. I guess I’ll let you guys know how that goes. We really need to replace our roof before we worry about the old windows but I figure it’ll be a good idea to have the quote… and I entered to win the $10,000 in window and door replacements so keep you fingers crossed for me!

I saw plants at a booth nearby and bought a new plant. What’s new… It’s a Staghorn Fern which I’ve seen so much of this past year. I hope to try mounting it and hanging it on the wall and I hope I can keep it alive :/

Unfortunately we just barely missed the animals that were there for the SPCA. They had a lop eared bunny! We’re hoping to adopt one this Spring so that was very fun to come across.

The final exhibit we visited were the Habitat for Humanity ReStore “She-Sheds.” Sheds were donated, and the designers were provided a $1,000 budget to Habitat for Humanity to decorate and furnish the sheds with the “she-shed” theme in mind.

Shed #1 had the designer present and she shared a lot about how she created her space. She is a DIY diva I tell you. I wish I could remember everything she told me she did with the space. She only spent $300 of her $1,000 budget. Impressive!

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And here’s the second shed. Also stunning! I imagine they used a bit more than $300 of their budget for this space.

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Throughout the entire show there were intricate landscaping scenes. Here are some of the displays:

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And that was my Sunday. What did you do?

Cozy Changes for an Inviting Hallways

February 12, 2016 by CORINNA HENDERSON

As part of a New Year kick to the butt, I took on refreshing our hallway to inspire me (and you?) to give our homes the attention it deserves. To recap, we basically started off with a stark and dark space. It was cold, it was ugly and there wasn’t adequate light. A summary of our goals for the space is that we want it to be light, bright, cozy and homey. My design plan includes my favorite theme for a space- Vintage Bohemian. So let’s dive into what changes we made towards this goal and maybe you’ll find a few things you can do to make your hallway more inviting.

The first thing we did was paint the walls plain white. I mentioned early on that we cheated and had already done this. There were a few touch ups that needed to be made so I did those. The doors and trim are all pretty old and aren’t in the best shape. Since we’re simply doing a refresh, I plan on going back in and giving these all a good scrub (or waiting until we can afford to redo the trim ;))

You’ll also notice that I changed the color of our doorknobs. I think this does a lot for the overall bungalow cottage vibe we want for the home and compliments a bohemian vibe well. It’s a classic so it doesn’t warrant a tutorial. I simply removed the handles, spray painted with Rustoleum’s oil rubbed bronze, let dry and reinstalled them. The paint was sensitive the first couple of days, so if you can hold off on putting them back on, that would be best in my experience.

Another small hardware change was the plate covers. Hallways can have a lot of these for outlets and light switches. Because we normally can’t squeeze in as much furniture, they’re harder to cover up. So I sourced out (and looked at dozens upon dozens of options) and settled on ones that gave me a mission style kind of vibe (these ones if you’re curious). For me, I’m aiming for a cottage bungalow feel so these suite the style pretty good and are easier on the budget than “authentics.”

The number one question I receive about this space is, “where is the rug from?!” And I’m going to tell you it’s from ecarpetgallery on eBay. I really ought to dedicate an entire post to this rug but in a nutshell, it’s a one of a kind. I got it for $95 because I bought multiple items that triggered an automatic 10% off. It’s beautiful, thick, and I do plan on going back to them for rugs in the future.

I know a rug can do a lot for any space. Warm colors, a fun pattern, and cushion underfoot really help solidify this as a “space” instead of the tunnel to other rooms. By making sure a rug is in place, it visually layers the space. And you must know I love layers for a lived in look.

If there’s room to squeeze in any furniture, a cabinet or even a small (but tall) plant stand, it makes the space feel more like a room simply because that’s what we see in a room. Utilize all the space. I like warm wood tones for adding warmth and that “cozy factor” to every space I work with.

I really went all out with the artwork. It did eat up a ton of our budget, but there are other ways of getting large scale art for much cheaper. Varying sizes of artwork, different textures for wall decor, and globally inspired frames help tell the same story the rest of my home tells. By being so cohesive with the other rooms around it, they all feel like expansions of one another versus closed off spaces.

So if you’re struggling with making your hallway an enjoyable space, try switching out or spray painting the hardware to fit your style, paint the walls a brighter color, choose a rug that is both comfortable and beautiful, squeeze in a piece or two of furniture and coordinate the artwork with adjoining rooms. You’ll be on your way to a beautiful space you enjoy strolling through instead of dashing through.

Little Thrifted Decor Pieces

February 11, 2016 by CORINNA HENDERSON

Hello There 🙂

It’s another Thursday, which means I’m checking in again to spread the word of thrifted goodies of mine and others. Lately things have been a little smaller than usual. I haven’t really been on the hunt for anything big because we’ve already scored a lot of the furniture we need. But I do have a lot of fun moving my existing decor around and adding to it so I’ve still been popping in here and there.

I don’t think I’ve shared very many updated pictures of our home. Our bedroom tour and living room tour are both outdated :/ Good news is that today will have a little blog update on some of the spaces I haven’t shared recently since those spaces have a few new treasures to show off. If you’re already following me on Instagram, you’ll recognize these pics @adesignerathome

We did a totally flip of our living room. The TV and couch have flipped walls. On either side of the sofa, I have larger end tables that I’ve finally figured out the styling for. One side has been perfect for ages, but this side just got a little facelift with my great grandma’s perfume tray, a thrifted glass that I’m using as a votive, and the brown bottle I saved from the trash at work (I’m a pharmacy technician by day).

The kitchen has slowly been getting some attention. The pass-through has been cleaned up some and now houses the oh-so-faithfully-living philodendron alongside my newest thrifting obsession- glass salt and pepper shakers. The one on the far left I burn incense sticks out of (that’s not dirt you see there, haha, that’s incense ash). The other three just bounce around the evening light beautifully. The little brass container is really pretty, but it doesn’t close. I still find it a thrift score for the 75 cents that it was.

We’ve also been slowly working on the dining room which is on the other side of this pass-through. On the other side is the unmistakeable cross pattern of a peacock chair. If I can get a good picture of it this weekend, I’ll share it next week. I got it for the best deal I’ve found for one of these chairs and it’s in beautiful condition.

There were a lot of beautiful scores shared in the #thriftscorethursday feed this past week. I noticed a lot of chinoiserie popping up. I really enjoyed seeing a sort of “theme” forming. Of the many scores shared, these 4 were my (very hard to choose) favorites. I’ll be featuring them on Instagram throughout the day, but you can also click the images to visit the post 😉

Photo Via @blissathome1	Photo via @essentiallyerika
Photo via @design_it_vintage	Photo via @mariaski63

Have you scored anything good recently? You have to know by now that we want to see!

Here’s The Rules!

We want you to participate! Hit up your local thrift stores, craigslist, yard sales, estate sales, side of the road, anything! Thrifty doesn’t necessarily mean from a thrift store. We want to see your good deals, wacky finds and treasures.
Don’t feel like you need to save those finds for Thursdays! Yes, features are shared on our blogs and Instagram on Thursdays, but we’re all checking in on (and using!) the hashtag all week long. So, when you see/find it, feel free to share it!
Each week, Trisha from Black and White Obsession, Cassie from Primitive and Proper, Brynne from The Gathered Home, and Myself (A Designer At Home) will pick a favorite thrift score or two to feature! So please note that by linking up with #thriftscorethursday, you are giving us permission to share your finds via social media or on our blogs.
Please remember that we can only share love for photos shared on public accounts. If your profile is private, we can’t see your finds.

As is always the case, I would be ecstatic to get my own hands on any and all of these scores and use them in my home. Visit the features and give them a kudos for a thrift well done ?

Before you run off for the day, don’t forget to visit your other hosts for this fab hashtag party:

I Didn’t Forget About The Bathroom

February 8, 2016 by CORINNA HENDERSON

This post is for both those of you who have been here with me a while and for those who are brand new. I try to check in as often as possible here with home changes, advice, experiences and other more “interesting” posts than this one will be but I hate to leave a project hanging without much explanation.

For the Fall 2015 One Room Challenge, I decided to take on our bathroom. We’d already dug ourselves in a pretty deep hole trying to DIY a few things ourselves over the summer and it was past time to focus on the room. We hired our neighbor who was a former contractor turned stay at home dad to be the caregiver of his special needs daughter. He not only did loads of work in our bathroom, but he also moved the lines for our hot water heater into the house and installed our new Rheem unit. Once everything was in place, I was so burned out.

We didn’t meet the 5 week deadline by a landslide and the basics weren’t even in place to use the bathroom as a bathroom until December.

Once we were able to use the bathroom I honestly didn’t want to have much to do with the space. I turned my focus to the holidays and a few other spaces in our house. So far the Living Room looks very different as does our bedroom. We’ve also begun giving our kitchen a facelift and have started chipping away at all the work our dining room needs. It’s a lot of little projects that don’t have a whole lot of progress done to share anything too exciting.

But, I will be sharing a bit of that work now that we’ve finished with the hallway refresh. I have some small changes we made to spruce up our boring kitchen coming later this week and next week I have a few exciting things to share about the dining room (still far from finished and it may be this years One Room Challenge contendor).

The bathroom I’m slowly working my way back to working on those projects. Once I catch up on some of the things I haven’t yet had the time to share here yet it’ll go back to more real time projects with the bathroom.

I hope I haven’t frustrated or dissapointed any of you who initially came here because of that bathroom. It’s really turned out so spectacular and I can’t wait to share how it looks with all the little touches I’ve envisioned. Just hang tight with me! I promise there are so, SO many other things I’ll have to share here that I’m sure you’ll like!

Thanks for being here. This space brings me so much joy and having you here makes it so much more meaningful. I’ll chat some more later.