Kitchen Before and After

It's hard to believe that my kitchen used to look like this-with white appliances.  Your basic builder-box light-oak cupboards.  What a transformation!!! After having the doors professionally spray painted and the cupboards done by hand, it now looks like this.  (The dark brown paint color we used was Obsidian by Pratt and Lambert #33-17). 

The previous owners had put in quartz countertops which I love, love, love, so the dark cupboards now make the counters stand out.  It's amazing what a can of paint can do.

Here are some great dark kitchen pics from Elle Decor to inspire you.

Enjoy your weekend!  I'm starting to decorate for Christmas.:)  How about you?

Po's Birthday and Halloween

Since my last post my Valley Bulldog, Po, turned two. She really was the cutest puppy in the world.  (FYI a Valley Bulldog is a cross between a Boxer and an English Bulldog - amazing mix).

Here's a pic of Po when we brought her home,

and here's the handsome girl now.

Here's a pic of my daughter's Halloween outfit.  She decided to make her own this year and be a present. We bought a bow at the dollar store and found matching wrapping paper at Home Sense.  This was the cheapest outfit ever - $6.

She also spent many hours carving out a pumpkin that was eating a much smaller pumpkin - very scarey stuff.

  

Staging Tip - Symmetry

I've had a lot of requests to give staging tips. Staging techniques are great because they can be used whether you're selling your home or just wanting to make it feel more designed.

Symmetry is a great tool to use especially when you feel frustrated or confused about where to place things or what looks good.  This can be used when styling a fireplace, couch, bed, dresser, sideboard...the list goes on.

Flanking a couch with two coffee tables and then placing two lamps on each side makes the room feel more formal and adds sophistication. 

(Can you guess what came from Walmart in the above picture?   The end tables!!  They were $99 and are solid wood.  They'd also look great painted in a cottage or in a child's room.  Great find!!)

Placing pillows in the middle of a chair or two on a couch, instantly styles them.  Don't be afraid of using over-sized pillows for an exaggerated look.  Geometric patterns are really in right now, so styling a chair with them can instantly update it.

My girl's room has similar headboards, art and pillows on either side of the dresser.  This gives it a more informal and eclectic look.

The master bed has two end tables on either side and two sets of pillows layered on top.   To make a bed look more styled, place a comforter or a throw across the bottom. (These are not really end tables; this was an old desk that had a detachable center.  When I took out the center, I decided to use the side drawers as end tables).

The front hall has two of the same lamps in front of a mirror.  Since the front hall is the first thing you see when you come into your house, it should look more formal.  Even though the cupboard is a $25 garage sale find, the glass lamps and mirror give the hallway a formal look.

So, when styling or staging your home, keep symmetry in mind!!   Hope this helps you to get started styling your home.