the ugliest bathroom you ever did see

It's time. Time to show you all. This is the bathroom we've been living with for the last year:

There is literally not one thing I like. I even hate the toilet, and I didn't even know it was possible to hate a toilet. Probably the worst thing is that the previous homeowners completed this renovation 10 years ago. I would've guessed 20. We gut our bathroom in Iowa City in 2009 (before and after photos below), and besides the vessel sinks I still stand by our choices. There is just no excuse for the mirrors and country blue. Why?! Why?! 

The bathroom is a decent size- 8.5'x10'- but the layout is making inefficient use of the space. I've got a long list of wants for this room, including double vanities and a built in washer and dryer, so we're still trying to figure out where everything will go. Even though a walk in shower is nice, it, combined with the big whirlpool tub, eat up so much room. Sam and I are more than ok with replacing them with a standard bathtub, which will hopefully allow for more room for all those must-haves. I mean, second floor laundry will literally change my life. I am so tired of walking all the way down to the basement with a huge basket, fighting all the baby gates. It's not ideal, but totally do-able until we figure out the best possible layout for this room. Of course, I've started a Pinterest board for keeping track of colors and fixtures. It includes lots of yummy carrera and calcutta marble, clean and crisp subway tile, and shiny chrome. Here are some of my favorites:

all images via decor pad

via Alice Lane Home Blog

I'm pretty predictable, but the heart wants what the heart wants. And we live in an old house, so these keep with the character and style of the home (although no matter the age, this is the style I gravitate towards every.single.time). 

I am so giddy to get started, but we're taking our time, saving our money, and constantly scouting out good deals on fixtures and vanities. I want this bathroom to be beautiful AND functional, so I'm ok with taking some time to make sure we get it all right. Can't wait to keep you guys updated on the progress! 

too many options

If you follow me on Instgram, you probably saw that I did a little wallpaper shopping a few weeks ago. Isla was really well behaved (as long as she sat on the "counter") so I was able to flip through a few books and order some samples. 

First up, these two from Nina Campbell. I am obsessing over her papers lately. They're so beautiful and feminine. I want to cover every wall in my house with them, but neither my husband nor my budget would approve. One wall in my little girl's room though is totally do-able :) 

The one on the left is Swan Lake and the other is Perroquet. They're both gorgeous in person, and I am having a hard time deciding between the two. I wish I'd ordered Swan Lake in the more aqua colorway instead of the gray so I could see how that looked. 

I'm kind of all over the board with her room since I haven't decided on a rug or headboard, for when Isla eventually transitions out of her crib. I came across this rug at IKEA the other day, and thought it'd look great with the Perroquet in a different color way (sorry for the Pinterest screenshot). I'm not really a yellow person though, so I'm worried that when we move I wouldn't be able to find a place for it. You know I'm all about pieces that will work in every room in your house. 

But then I found this antique iron bed on Craigslist and thought it'd look really pretty with the Swan Lake paper. Originally, I really wanted a Jenny Lind twin bed, then I changed my mind to a faux bamboo Chippendale style, and now I'm looking at antique brass and iron beds. What is wrong with me? I can't make a decision to save my life. An upholstered headboard seems so much more functional for reading with her in bed, but I love the look of brass. So undecided...

Now onto the dining room. I am completely ripping off my sister-in-law's design, and ordered this Thibaut paper. 

The colors are spot on and will keep my house feeling really cohesive.  I love that there's some blue in it, so it'll flow well with the living room and porch. There's nothing worse than a house with multiple personalities--bright red in one room, and then yellow or green in another. I think you should have a general color scheme for the whole house so that it's not jarring walking from one room to the next. Maybe that's boring, but I just prefer for my house to feel cohesive. 

I'm a total creep (sorry Liv!) and snuck a pic of my SIL's dining room so I could remember how the paper looks on the wall. Pretty gorgeous, right? I wish I could pack up that room and move it to my house. 

For the last of the wallpaper discussion--I need to figure out where I can purchase Meg Braff wallpaper so I can order samples of the two below. I think either one would look amazing in our vestibule, but you never know til it's up. 

What do you think? The problem with having an interest in decor is that you're exposed to too much. I change my mind every 2 seconds, where I really need to just buckle down and make some decisions so that my house finally starts to feel like home. 

life lately

I'm sorry for the lack of posts lately. Sam has been traveling since we got back from Florida, and the weather has been pretty amazing lately, which means lots of walks (and, for Isla, naps in the stroller). All of that adds up to not a lot of free time for me. But I'm back. I've been in a major zhush-up-every-room-in-my-house lately kind of mood. Of course, that means I've been snagging up accessories at Target (of course) like a crazy person. Here's what I've been loving lately:

I decided to swap out the pillows on the front porch, and put the Target x benches I blogged about here (looks like they're not available online anymore, but they're still in most stores) on the porch. While I do love the pink and navy and will probably swap them out once I purchase the IKEA coffee table (sprayed gold), it looks more decorated (albeit temporarily) and I didn't have to buy anything! Always a good thing. Plus, I might find a coffee table elsewhere that I love even better, and costs less.  One can always hope. 

I've been obsessed with this Nate Berkus tortoise box since I first laid eyes on it. There was a 25% off Cartwheel offer, so I took the plunge. Now it is very happy living on our console table housing our keys. So much prettier and more interesting than the white bowl that it replaced. 

|  gold tortoise box  |

Who doesn't love a nice throw blanket? Maybe it's living in Minnesota, but we are always fighting over the "good" (aka not pilling, $2 IKEA fleece ) faux fur throw that lives on our couch most of the year. I couldn't help but fall for this herringbone beauty, and it makes the couch look so much more summery. That is, if a blanket in the summer can feel summery. Hmmm. 

|  throw  |

You can never have too many baskets, and I especially love this one that I got on sale thanks again to Cartwheel. Just excuse the random IKEA box and the fact that nearly 2 years later I haven't painted our dresser white. I'll get right on that. 

|  basket  |  dresser  |

Ok, you guys, the seagrass rugs at World Market are amazing! I am abnormally obsessed. I've always loved natural fiber rugs because of the great texture they add to a room, and these are incredibly inexpensive and chic. I scooped up this little round one for our vestibule. TEN DOLLARS! Can you even? It reminded me so much of Serena and Lily's, which is bigger but quite a bit more at $125. I think the rectangular ones would be great for a living room with a smaller, striped indoor outdoor Dash and Albert rug layered over top. Rugs can be expensive, but if you have kids or pets (or both) they get destroyed. This is a great, inexpensive but durable (and adorable) option. 

|  rug  |

I've been stalking Craig's List like you wouldn't believe and came across this white bamboo table for our porch. It needs to be sanded and repainted, but it was $25 and will fit the space perfectly. I can't wait to get to work on it. Hopefully this weekend! 

I also found this amazing console table on Wednesday night, and when I read Emily Clark's blog Thursday morning, was kind of blown away that she just purchased an identical one for her living room. I love how it looks painted black, and may have to steal that idea if I end up getting this one. We're set to look at it this weekend. Fingers crossed! Nothing makes me more giddy than finding really inexpensive and unique furniture that I loooooove. Craig, I love you and your list so so so much. 

What have you been doing lately to get your home ready for summer? Happy weekend all! 

Follow me  on Instagram to see what we're up to this weekend :) 

Currently obsessing over

I ran across this image on Pinterest the other day and couldn't get it out of my mind.

 via nautical cottage blog

The striped chair, the gallery wall, the fact that it looks the way I want all of my vacations to feel. I am obsessed. I wear stripes all the time, I have a striped rug and striped pillows- why not a chair (or two)? I think I need a pair of these in our living room. Immediately.

While I prefer the navy (obviously) here are some other rooms that are rocking striped chairs: 

Sarah Richardson

via decor pad

via BH&G

via Passion Decor

source unknown 

I think the thing I like best about them is the fact that they work well with so many different styles- beachy, formal, traditional, and contemporary. A stripe is classic, and a pair of these chairs will be so versatile when we inevitably move (sorry Minnesota, but I don't think I can tolerate these winters forever). A pair of striped wingbacks, for example, work well in the living room above, but could also be used in a dining room as the head and foot of the table, or in a bedroom. The older I get, the more I look at things that way. It's not just "do I love this?" anymore. It's "could this piece work in several different areas of my house?" Ain't nobody got time (or money) for furniture shopping every time they decide to redecorate or move. Especially with toddlers. You basically have 5 seconds to make a decision before they're either screaming or running around holding scissors. So it better be a good one. I think classic shapes and patterns in kid friendly fabrics are totally the way to go. 

So now the lookout begins. This one could take a while since my vision is pretty specific, but I think in the end it'll be worth it. Stripes for life!! 

Oh, and I need to spruce it up with flowers, but THE FRONT DOOR IS PAINTED!! Post coming later, but here's a sneak peak. We love it and have already gotten compliments from strangers walking by. :) 

Follow me on Instgram to get other sneak peeks at projects, purchases and my crazy toddler! 

And the winner is.....

Thanks to everyone who weighed in on the door color. We've decided to go with CORAL!! I grabbed tons of samples from both Home Depot and Sherwin Williams. Turns out, there are a billion different shades of coral- some were really orange and others bright pink. After standing outside and staring at the samples for a solid 30-45 minutes, (in our pajamas, no less- sorry neighbors!) we narrowed it down to 2: Ardent Coral by SW and Bird of Paradise by BM.

The swatches looked pretty similar to us, but we decided to buy 2 sample pots anyway. I painted a scrap piece of lumber and leaned it against the front door. Again, we stared and stared (and even asked people walking by to weigh in) and finally decided on Bird of Paradise. It's on the right in the picture below. While it reads really pink in that shot, it looks much more coral outside in the sun. Our house is south facing, so we opted for the punchier one just in case it fades. Plus, to be totally honest, I kind of fell for the name. I mean, how perfect is it for a tropical loving lady like myself?! I am so so so excited to get it up, but have to wait out this crappy stretch of weather. Please, mother nature, I'm begging you, warmer temps and no rain for just a couple of days. 

I hope you all had a wonderful mother's day, whether you're a mom yourself or were celebrating with your mom! We kept it pretty low key, complete with long afternoon naps for all. For dinner, we walked down to a restaurant on our street, where moms ate free (and kids are always free on Sundays)! Despite the tantrum Isla threw when we decided to move from the patio inside, we had a great time. As soon as the pasta came, all was right in the world. The girl loves her some carbs :) We capped it off with a stroll around the block, gawking at the beautiful, old houses we are so lucky to be surrounded by. All in all, a great day. This age can be really hard at times, but overall being a mom is the best gift I've ever been given.

Happy Monday! 

navy or coral?

I've decided our front door is in need of a splash of color, and now that warmer weather is here it's painting' time! What do you guys think? 

via

via 

As a reminder, here's the front of our house when we moved in. 

I obviously love navy, but think the coral is really fun and plays nicely with the green trim. Yellow was another consideration, but I thought that'd be a little too John Deere (sorry, Iowa, I still love you though!). Eventually, when we have the house painted gray with white trim, I'd love to do a watery blue door. I am obsessed with how this one looks with the brass hardware and topiary. So so pretty. 

What's your vote? Or is there another color I've completely overlooked? I'd totally go hot pink, but not sure I could convince a certain someone that it wouldn't look like Barbie's house. HELP!!