A Designer At Home

Easy To Clean Kitchen Rugs

January 29, 2016 by CORINNA HENDERSON

If you guys remember at the beginning of the year, I chatted about having made some purchases for the kitchen in an effort to make the space more lively and useable. One thing led to another and the space has been pushed to the back burner again. One of the pieces I acquired for the room was a new rug from RugsUSA. There’s a lot of things I love about the rug but the main thing I love is that it’s so easy to clean. We’re incredibly messy people in the kitchen and I couldn’t pick up a vintage rug and put it in this space- it would get destroyed. So I looked into outdoor rugs. Crazy, right? But it makes a lot of sense. The same rug that can hold up to mud should be able to hold up to food, too.

So in honor of the fabulous rug RugsUSA sent to me, and instead of showing you a fabulous rug in a lackluster kitchen, I’m pulling together all my favorite boholicious outdoor rugs from RugsUSA. You know, in case you’re looking for a gorgeous rug for your boho kitchen that’s also easy to clean- I got you covered!

Top Row:

Terrace VE23 Hand Hooked Ornate Clover Outdoor Rug, Terrace VE12 Vibrant Floral Medallion Rug, Terrace VE14 Rug

Middle Row:

Sundeck Indoor Outdoor Ikat Rug, Rockwell Indoor/Outdoor WC01 Moroccan Border Rug, Hacienda Atalla Indoor/Outdoor Rug

Bottom Row:

Breeze Indoor Outdoor NO15 Rug, Anlier Medallion Outdoor AV04A Rug, Hacienda Flora Indoor/Outdoor AIR28 Rug

Design Challenge: Misproportioned Mirrors (and a drexel mirror!)

January 28, 2016 by CORINNA HENDERSON

Hey Guys!

I have a fun #thriftscorethursday post today! In fact, it’s not just a TST post, but also a design challenge post (a series where I share a design challenge I’ve run into and how I’ve resolved it- check out the first one where I chat about metals in our bathroom.). This time I’m chatting about my plans to hang a mirror above the coveted cabinet I was so excited to shave off an extra $65 off of that I wrote a whole blog post about the experience. The design challenge entered when the cabinet arrived and I went to hang the mirror I scored on the curbside 2 weeks ago.

Womp, womp. This mirror is much too big for this cabinet. I was mainly concerned with accessing the doorway to the left since it nearly hits the end of the hallway. I decided 15 inches was the max depth I could squeeze into this space. What I didn’t account for was the width of the mirror I had already planned on putting at the end of the hallway.

So I went back to the drawing board. I had a budget for this hallway makeover. I have already blown the budget and I could not justify spending a single dime on another mirror. I contemplating throwing a rug on the wall above the cabinet but I really needed a mirror to elongate the space visually and reflect light to brighten things up (those are 2 tips from my tips for low light hallways– it’s a good read!)

Thankfully, and I say that loosely, I’m a Craigslist score hoarder. Real bad. I love things that are $20 and less. It’s almost impossible for me to pass up the good stuff for that little. I scored this, I believe to be Drexel, bamboo and brass mirror. It’s pretty cool, right? I’m not sure what’s causing the haze but I love the vibe it brings to this space.

(PS- I’ll have a new camera on Friday, pictures should be much better here on out)

For a smaller cabinet like this one, I think it’s safe to go as small as 1 inch smaller on either side of the mirror (2 inches smaller overall), but for larger cabinets you’ll want to extend that distance the larger your cabinet is to keep proportions visually pleasing and to keep the wall from getting to heavy.

#ThriftScoreThursday On Instagram

Now, Da Features. I just LOVE seeing what you guys score each week!

Posted By: @oogaboo4u I would totally redecorate my house around this sofa!	Posted By: @thoughtsfromalice Gorgeous little vignette with a natural color scheme.
Posted By: @simplestylingsblog blonde rattan & that beautiful basket!	Posted By: @_kim_wilson This sofa is amazing & I love the decor!

Definitely make sure you stop by and visit these fab thrifters. There’s tons more to see on their feed!

Then, be sure to check out the other hosts of this hashtag party. Click on their faces below to head to their blog posts (and give an extra bunch of love to our guest host- Maggie!)

Want To Join In? 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.

Tips for Low Light Hallways

January 26, 2016 by CORINNA HENDERSON

Hey guys! Today was supposed to be the official reveal of the vintage bohemian hallway I’ve been working on designing but a few of the gals experienced setbacks and my camera is just useless. So, I thought I’d take a moment to chat about a design challenge I had for the space, what I did to combat it and general tips you can apply for your low light hallways.

If you need a reminder of what my hallway looked like before, here it is:

That’s a really scary picture. I had started painting the hallway towards the end of the summer and progress halted for the bathroom remodel. The first day our contractor tore everything out, the air was running and it left a thin film of dust everywhere. I’ve been slow to cleaning it up which is partly why the hallway looks as gross as it does.

But talking about my previously gross hallway is not why I checked in today. Rather, I want to chat about ways to make a dark and narrow hallway appear brighter and bigger. It may not be your particular goal, but I know a lot of us want airy feeling spaces so I wanted to share my tips.

1. Paint the space a light color.

You can go with white, or a light grey or any color that is muted really. White gives the biggest impact in my experience and I’ve been working on painting all my walls white so it just ties into the rest of the home. I just grab the untinted ultra white can right off the shelf. I’ve happily been using Olympic Icon Interior in Flat but you should use whatever your favorite is.

2. Choose A Light Fixture With Multiple Bulbs.

More light is more light. I’d say choose a light fixture with multiple light bulbs and better if they point in multiple different directions to really get the light bouncing around.

Possini Euro Hemingson Edison Bronze

Cloverly 5-Light Bronze | Industrial Cage Dark Rust

Bendlin Industrial Oil-Rubbed Bronze | Feiss Urban Renewal Antique Brass

Quoizel Trilogy Old Bronze | Crystorama Cameron Bronze

Lacey Round Black | Quoizel Tavern Darkest Bronze

Quoizel Dury Silver Leaf | Lattice Vintage Style Bronze

3. Use Multiple Sources Of Light.

You’ve got your light with multiple bulbs but there’s likely still a darker pocket or two. Especially in long hallways, it can be hard for the light to fully illuminate the whole length of the space. At the end of the hallway, try a wall mounted light fixture that can dim to double as a nightlight. At the beginning or entrance of the hallway, try a plugin light with a switch that attaches to the wall for ease of use. It can hang from the ceiling or mount to the wall, really. It goes a long way in ensuring your whole house is illuminated for safety and enjoyability.

Plug-In Style Swing Arm Wall Lamp | Crystorama Cameron Bronze | Adjustable Pole Pharmacy

Pharmacy Nickel Swing Arm | Cloverly 5-Light Bronze | Cognac Glass Industrial Bronze

Wood and Antique Brass Factory | Hemingson Edison Bronze | Cherry Finish Wood Surveyor Tripod

4. Utilize Mirrors.

Now that we have multiple sources of light, let’s bump them up a notch and add a mirror or two to the space. You’ll get multiple views of the space you’ve worked so hard on, it’ll visually lengthen the space and it’ll bounce light around the space. Win-win-win.

Sepik Rectangular | Cooper Classics Maya Mahogany | Rustic Getaway Rectangular

5. Coordinate With Lighting In The Adjoining Spaces.

If you’ve been in the decorating game for any amount of time, so far things have been obvious. But this is one you may not have thought of. Cohesive space flow. They don’t feel like individual pockets but rather extensions of one another. If you coordinate your lighting and decor in your hallway with those in the connecting spaces, it’ll be an extension of those spaces instead of it’s own small standalone space.

So these are the things I did to visually open up our hallway. The full reveal for the space is next Tuesday so I hope you’ll come back next week for that (you can get an email reminder by signing up here).

Please make sure to visit the other gals participating in the challenge. Youll find fab room refreshes and lots of great tip!

New Year, New Room Refresh Challenge Participants:

Casa Watkins

Shabby Grace Blog

Domicile 37

Pretty Practical Home

Up To Date Interiors

A Designer At Home

Iris Nacole

Vintage Romance Style

This Is Our Bliss

White Dog Vintage

Seeking Lavender Lane

Globein Bathe Artisan Box Unboxing

January 22, 2016 by CORINNA HENDERSON

It’s been a while since I last chatted about Globein, right? After Globein sent me the Celebrate box, I ended up signing up for a subscription out of pocket. GlobeIn is a subscription and shopping platform that connects artisans from around the world in a fair way to consumers like us. I just received my Bathe Artisan box this morning and I wanted to share what I got with you.

[Read more…]

Wooden Candle Sconce

January 21, 2016 by CORINNA HENDERSON

Hey guys! It’s an awesome Thursday today because we’ve got the whole crew back together for #thriftscorethursday and I’ve taken the day off from work. So it’s big smiles all around.

This week I’ve been working feverishly towards next Tuesday reveal of my hallway refresh. There are lots of family photos going up, but I’m also working in a couple of wall decorations. And I’m happy to share with all you thrift lovers one of the pieces today.

I picked up this wooden candlestick for 49 cents a while back. I like the shape and think it’s pretty cool that it’s wood. I embellished the inset detail with a bit of my favorite paint color and added my favorite candles of all time. I pick up these tapered cacti candles on eBay and keep a stash of them for thrifted candlesticks holders.

And for my favorite part of TST, I perused the feed and here are my favorites. (I’ll be featuring them on my feed! @adesignerathome)

@handbagsandpigtails Last night I redeemed one of my Christmas gifts. Three of my coworkers/friends gave us a restaurant g.card along with the stipulation that together, they would babysit our kids and provide pizza, ice cream & fun for the girls while we were on our date(yup, pretty great friends). So hubby …	@reposhture Before and after of these cool wooden cot – like seats I picked up about 2 months ago from…. Where else? The thrift store! #thriftscorethursday #thriftshop #thrifting #thrift #reposhtureshop #repurpose #repurposed #wood #diy #chairswithstories #ottomans
@yomiland I wanted to share my latest #goodwill find for #thriftscorethursday I was so happy that I found this brass vase, the only thing it needed was a little bit of cleaning and now it’s looking beautiful!! Have a great day!!! ???	@jenc184 #thriftscorethursday #blueandwhite #chinoiserie #teapot #sugar #creamer #vintage #kitchenware #bluewillow

And now I send you off to my wonderful friends, Cassie from Primitive and Proper, Brynne from The Gathered Home and Trisha from Black and White Obsession. You’ll find their scores and their features on their blogs. Have a great day!

Want To Join In? 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.

Vintage Rug Care for the Long Term

January 20, 2016 by CORINNA HENDERSON

Vintage rugs are pretty much all the rage right now. It’s no denying they’re in the spotlight and few would argue that it’s not rightfully so. The colors are beautiful, the patterns are unlike what we were seeing in previous trends. They let us scale back the other elements of a room to go bold with the floor. And I know I love having a less permanent item to play around with.

But there’s probably something you’re forgetting to do when you pick up one of those vintage rugs. In fact, you’re not alone. So many people are forgetting this. Or maybe rather ignoring it because vintage rugs can already be quite expensive. Either way, vintage rug care is important for it’s longevity (and we want to get our money’s worth, right?)

Don’t fret though. You haven’t ruined your rug just yet. In fact, here are a few basic care tips before we dive into the biggest thing of all:

All rugs are susceptible to daily use damage. Walking on it stretches it out and smashes the fibres. It’s best practice to:

Clean up any spills immediately
Vacuum regularly (on the “hard floor setting” or no bristles preferably)
Deep clean according to the type of rug you have (I recommend going with a professional).
Rotate for even wear and tear

But what you do inbetween all of that is important.

You need a rug pad to protect your rug from losing it’s life. Many of the vintage rugs we see gracing all the latest designer’s spaces are very old rugs. They need a pad that’s going to aid in the longevity of it’s remaining life.

And a rug pad is a great idea in floor care, too since they’ll prevent scratching from the rug and dye transfer.

wpid-2016-01-18-10.26.30-1.jpg.jpeg — Better pics coming next week when the space is complete!

As part of the hallway refresh I’m in the middle of, I bought a vintage rug and Rug Pad Corner provided a coordinating rug pad. In my quest to eliminate as many chemicals and irritants from our home, I’ve found these pads to be the perfect marriage between function and standards. They work. I’ll tell you what, this rug was slipping and bunching up all up and down the hallway from my crazy dog and child. It hasn’t budged one bit since putting it atop the super hold natural rug pad.

With the pads from Rug Pad Corner, I like that I don’t get a funky chemical smell in my home for days after opening the package. I like that they’re made in the USA. I like that they do their job. I like that with all the awesome things about these pads, they’re still really easy on the budget.

I do recommend Rug Pad Corner. While my bottom line is get any rug pad for your vintage rugs, I believe the product you’ll get from them are superior and better for you and your home. You can check out their different pads and try out the “rug pad wiz” to see which pad best suits your needs.