You never really know what you are getting in to when visiting a clients house for the first time. When we first visited our cute new homeowner back in April 2021 she had just moved in and was looking to hire us to pretty much design the entire house. K, as we will call her, is a bit younger than most of our clients. So Shauna felt she might be a little more adventurous with her design and man, it is SO sexy. The first room we tackled was the living room. It was a blank slate but had built in cabinets that K was not a fan of. So, we pulled out the shelves, put a new stone top on the lower cabinets and installed a cool light fixture above the artwork. The fireplace was refaced in a black porcelain tile to give it a sleek modern look.

BEFORE

RESOURCES
​Sofa: Four Hands from Burke Decor
Chairs: Wayfair
Coffee Table: Arteriors
End Tables: Anthropologie
Drink Table: West Elm
Rug: Oriental Rug Galaxy. Similar here
Chandelier: Hudson Valley Lighting
Wall Sconces: Hudson Valley Lighting
​Art: Client's collection, similar here
Circle pillows: Etsy
​
While we waited an eternity for these sofas to come in, we went upstairs to the media room. Now, you'll know that we love a mural. So we hired our friend Captain Casual to do this cool Op-Art mural on all the walls. Maybe not so great an idea to hang out here after a few too many cocktails, but perfect for movie night! Leather coffee table doubles as an ottoman, and we tucked two additional stools on either side of the media console so everyone can put their feet up.

 RESOURCES
Sectional: West Elm
Rug: West Elm
Swivel Chairs: Wayfair
Coffee Table: Four Hands
End Table: CB2
Stools: Wayfair (reupholstered)
Chandelier: Arteriors
Lamps: Regina Andrew
Pillows and fabric: Hapi Art

​Moving right along, our most recent room to complete was the dining room. "A place to host a sexy dinner party" was the direction we were given and when K came to Shauna's house for a meeting and fell in love with her Wendy Morrison rug, we jumped off from there. We ended up having a custom square rug made that fit the space perfectly.
We love the contrast of the somewhat masculine dining table with the floral rug, velvet console and sexy chandelier. K is a HUGE Kacey Musgraves fan so we bought this photo in the largest size possible and had it framed in a hot pink to coordinate with the wallpapered tray ceiling.

RESOURCES
Dining table: Arhaus
Dining chairs: Arhaus
Console: Anthropologie
Mirror: Anthropologie
Lamps: Crate & Barrel
Chandelier: Homeowners, similar here
Rug: Wendy Morrison
Photograph: Getty Images

What's next on our list? The main bedroom and guest room. Stay tuned! 

This post contains affiliate links and we may be compensated for purchases made through these links.

Remember that Spanish style kitchen refresh we shared with you a few weeks ago? You'll remember that this is a house is a project in progress. Like many of our projects, we start with one room, spend all the client's budget, then wait a few months or a year or whatever and they ring us back and say, "OK! Let's do the living room!" It's the best.
​So, in the midst of kitchen update, we also tackled the dining room and guest room, and for the record we've already told this client that we are quickly running out of rooms and they are going to have to buy a lakehouse or something because we are not ready to quit them yet. The dining room was already on the small side, but the  heavy furniture made it feel even more crowded despite the high ceilings.  And the brown.... well the brown was just blah and did not reflect the bright, exuberant family that lived here. 

By the way, mirrors are a great alternative to art, and there are some great mirrors on this wall. But, when clustered all together like this, they lose their individual design characteristics. Your eye doesn't know where to go because there's so much going on.  Pick one large mirror or 3 smaller mirrors to make a statement! ​

I know you are wondering how in the world we got a sideboard to fit in this room. Well, first off it is only 17" deep, and trust me, we went back and forth as to whether or not it would fit comfortably and still leave enough space to scoot the chairs out. The first table we chose was a little too wide,  but this one from West Elm is 40" wide and fits the space perfectly. The chairs are from Wayfair, and they are the same ones that Shauna put in her dining room. We had the backs of the chairs reupholstered in this yummy embroidered fabric from Schumacher for a one-of-a-kind look. Drapes from Pottery Barn have also been customized by adding a trim tape, a fraction of the cost of custom drapes. 
You know how much we love Oushaks, and Shauna just happened to have a smaller version of the one in her new living room that worked great here. The Oushak possibilities are endless so, if you are in the market, you know where to come.
The sideboard is styled simply with white lamps and colorful decanters to allow the Allison Castillo art to shine. 

Resources:
Dining table: West Elm
Dining Chairs: Wayfair
Upholstery Fabric: Schumacher (available here)
Sideboard: Four Hands
Art: Allison Castillo
Lamps: West Elm
Decanters: Pols Potten (available here)
Rug: Oriental Rug Galaxy (similar here)
Drapes: Pottery Barn (trim here)
Chandelier: Visual Comfort

Check back to see what might be our most popular Instagram bedroom yet! 
This post contains affiliate links and we maybe compensated for purchases made via these links. 

Shauna may or may not be guilty of setting a table just for the fun of it. And while we know that the big Turkey Day feast might be a little more low key this year, there is no reason to not go all out on setting an amazing table. We've got three fall tables for your inspiration, two that you would expect and a third that, well, just makes us happy and is too amazing to not re-create on your table. 

Table 1: Traditional Turkey Day
Sourced primarily from Pottery Barn, this table features traditional fall colors, pumpkins, leaves, turkeys, the whole nine yards. Raid your yard for colorful leaves and use fresh pumpkins and hurricane candles as your centerpiece. 

Resources: All from Pottery Barn
Monique Lhuillier Glass Charger
​Charlotte Dinner Plate
Salad plate--sold out, similar here
Bamboo Flatware
Kenaf Table Runner
​Paisley Table Runner
Linen Hemstitch Napkins
Schott Zweisel Taste Wine Glass
Monique Lhuillier Gabrielle Coupe Glass
Chester Brushed Candleholders
Turkey place card holders--similar here

Table 2: Boho Chic Bounty
This client has a great assortment of vintage glasses and her grandma's flatware so we were excited to pull that out and mix it up with some new pieces from World Market and Pottery Barn. Assorted pumpkins in velvet, glass and ceramic surround the cornucopia centerpiece.

Resources:
Rustic Fatima Dinner Plates--World Market
White Salad Plate--vintage, similar here
Teal Salad Plate--similar here
Pumpkin Bowls--similar here
Coral Table Runner--similar here
Ikat Table Runner--similar here
Linen Hemstitch Napkins--Pottery Barn
Amethyst Goblets--vintage, similar here
Etched Wine Tumbler--vintage, similar here

Table 3: Fun and Festive
If you don't know by now, we are known for breaking the rules now and again. So, why should your fall table setting be dominated by fall colors? When we found these amazing textiles and accessories from Kim Seybert, we couldn't wait to use them on a table. 

A sharp eye will notice that the ikat table runner and amethyst glasses are the same as in the previous table setting. Same client, new year. You caught us. We used brightly colored cans from enchilada sauce and tomato sauce as our flower containers and a pom pom tree garland draped down the table. I'd have a turkey dinner here any day! 
Resources:
Blue Bamboo Placemats--Kim Seybert
Rattan Chargers--Pottery Barn
Dinner Plates--Pottery Barn
Jaipur Pom Pom Napkins--Kim Seybert
Napkin Rings--Kim Seybert
Amethyst Goblets--vintage, similar here
Recycled Glass Tumblers--vintage, similar here
Shop more of our tabletop favorites here.
This post contains affiliate links and we may be compensated for purchases made via these links.

One of my favorite spaces to style is a dining room that needs a little love. It's not terrible, it's just lost its luster. The dining room is an important place in the home. Gone are the days where dining rooms were a place you visited only on special holidays. Families are using them daily for meals and homework, and game night on the weekends.
I'm going to show you three of my favorite dining room space makeovers.

1. Beth
Beth's dining room looked like this the first day I visited.

The table was beautiful and staying. The chairs were in good shape, so I suggested we reupholster the captain's chairs and paint the side chairs. The plan became...
1. Paint the walls and trim
2. Replace the ceiling fan with a light fixture.
3. New rug
4. Paint the existing side board.
5. New lamps
6. Turn the table the other way to open up the space between the living and dining areas. (Note: in the above photo we turned the table around so I could show her what it would look like)
7. Add drapes
8. Use textiles she already owned (like the suzani) and make them into art. 
Here is how the room transformed.

2. Sheri
Here is what the dining area looked like before...
(Note: it was housecleaning day so that's why the chairs and curtains are out of place)

The design plan
1. New table and chairs
2. New light
3. Add a rug
4. New drapes
5. Add plantation shutters
Basically this makeover was all cosmetic. Sheri and her husband have two young kids and they use this space all the time, so it had to be functional and durable. 
Here's how it turned out.

3. Valerie
When I visited her house for the first time, she told me two things had to stay in the room--the art and the chandelier. So I designed the space around them. Here is what the room looked like before.

The design plan was this...
1. New colorful rug
2. New table
3. New chairs
4. Add accessories
​5. Add drapes and art

Product links below:
1. Beth's house
Rug
​Chandelier
​Otomi fabric on end chairs

2. Sheri's house
Chandelier
Dining table
End chairs
Side chairs

3. Valerie's house
Dining table
Rug
​End chairs
Side chairs

Have a room ready for a makeover? Contact us for rates and appointments. We also do E-design! 

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links
​If you've yet to venture to turn the page on the calendar, let me be the first to tell you that Thanksgiving is less than 6 weeks away. And if you are the lucky one who has "volunteered" to host the big dinner this year, congratulations! Maybe the bonus part of that position is that you can justify a new dining table that can accommodate the growing fam. We are big fans of the contemporary style of Arhaus; modern but classic enough that your dining room won't look dated in 10 years. Right now during their Dining Event, you can get up to 50% off of dining chairs with the purchase of a dining table. We are especially in love with the Recycled Metal Table with Lyon Base. I mean, this copper table top is AH-MAZE-ING! The recycled copper top that is hand hammered over 3500 times and held over an open flame to get just the right texture and patina. So good! Add the classic Gage Dining Chair or Jagger Dining Arm Chair (or both! We love to mix and match!) and your dining room just got legit.

Need a swanky bar cabinet to complete the look? Go with the Raja with its fish scale bone inlay and storage for 10 wine bottles and 12 glasses.

They have some great tabletop collections too in case your dinnerware, glasses, flatware, etc needs some sprucing up, and it’s all 20% off. Check out our favorites below, and don’t forget candleholders, vases, greenery and the like to make your Thanksgiving table complete. Sale ends on 10/31. ​

 I was compensated for this post and this post contains affiliate links. I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

We've been setting a LOT of fall tables lately and thought we should share with you some of the details on where you can find some of these great pieces. We love to layer in festive pieces with china, stemware or other pieces our clients already own. Just add a fun new salad plate or colorful table runner and some accessories and you have a brand new look! 
This first table is more on the traditional side and all came from Pottery Barn.

Resources: All from Pottery Barn
Charlotte Dinner Plate
Watercolor Leaves Salad Plate
Monique Lhuillier Glass Charger
Bamboo Flatware
Kenaf Table Runner
Anton Paisley Table Runner
Schott Zweisel Taste Wine Glass
​Monique Lhuillier Avril Coupe Glass
​Chester Brushed Candleholders
​Turkey Place Card Holders
​
This client has an amazing Mackenzie-Childs collection that she wanted to incorporate so we found the perfect napkin and other pieces to coordinate. So cute! 

Resources:
Hammered Copper Charger--Pottery Barn
Waterbury Leaves Dinner Plate--Pier 1
Pumpkin Bowl--Pottery Barn
Teal Velvet Placemat--Pier 1
Buffalo Check Napkin--Pier 1
​Gold Rimmed Wine Glasses--similar here
Checkerboard Pumpkins--Mackenzie-Childs


Our last table is more on the eclectic side, after all, that is what we do best! Don't you just love that pop of teal?! Oh and those amethyst glasses. So in love with this table. 

Resources:
​Rustic Fatima Dinner Plates--World Market
Pumpkin Bowls--World Market
Jute Table Runner--World Market
Ikat Table Runner--similar here
Hurricanes--similar here
Amethyst Glasses--similar here
Glazed Salad Plates--similar here
Velvet Pumpkins--similar here

Want more tips and tricks on creating these amazing tables? Join us at our next event at West Elm Fort Worth for a Table Setting Demo, sips and snacks. More info and RSVP here! 

We were shopping for counter stools for a couple clients last week and well, Shauna hit the mother load. In many cases, we keep files of our favorite pieces and they hang out in the folder waiting for the perfect project. But since there were multiple clients we were looking for, she started the shopping from scratch. And well, after an hour or so she had found so many great bar and counter stool options we just had to share them with you. Most of these are available in both bar and counter height so can work in any kitchen, and a few of them are a super deal in a set of 2. Happy shopping!

Our latest big project has been a lakehouse out in Athens, TX. While it's not 100% complete yet, we are so excited with how it turned out, we had to share. The homeowners gave us free reign to unleash our creativity and style, which of course makes us happier than a pig in mud. The original storyboard for the dining room had only a minor change when we found the amazing zebra artwork. Considering the location of the property has for real ZEBRAS roaming around, it just seemed appropriate. Then we happened upon these adorable zebra plates and well, that sealed the deal. 

Since it is a vacation home, we didn't really need to have a ton of kitchen storage, so we chose to install the floating shelves on the long wall. The rustic wood shelves give a nice contrast to the concrete tile backsplash and sleek quartz counter tops. Kitchen cabinets are painted Bunglehouse Blue from Sherwin Williams, which when you look at the color online proves once again that you can't judge a color on the screen. We echoed the color in the rug under the dining room table to provide a bit of continuity.

The homeowner had two embroidered placemats that she bought on a recent vacation to Mexico and we framed those to go over the sink and on the floating shelves. It's such a fun, cheerful room. How can you not be happy here?

Resources: 
Dining room table: Joss & Main
Dining bench: Wisteria
End chairs: Serena & Lily
Side chairs: Wayfair
Rug: Rugs USA

As you by now surely now, we are a huge fan of color. Lots of color, mix and match color. Textured color. Unexpected color. One of the reasons for that is the energy that color conveys. While we appreciate calm and serene neutrals, there is just something about the vibrancy and "happy pops" that a colorful room conveys. In the latest issue of 817 Home Magazine, Shauna talks about her design influences and how color plays such a huge part of her aesthetic. Shauna also believes that your house should be a reflection of your life, so she encourages clients to bring out treasures they have acquired from family or travel and incorporate them in to the decor of a room. When you surround yourself with favorite pieces, it just brings even more joy to a space. "I think everyone needs color. There's just something about a neutral backdrop and happy pops, especially if it's carried throughout a room." Read more here.