Design Cents: Modern French Boudoir Part 1

Since the guest room was well underway the domino effect began and meant I needed to start thinking about my bedroom. I had the pleasure of living in France and wanted to bring that sophistication and elegance to my bedroom. Yet, the ascetic of my home is much more modern traditional. Hence the Modern French Boudoir theme is what I am going for.

The inspiration was a that I really wanted a curvy fussy French Bed. I  love everything from Restoration Hardware and had been eyeing a discontinued bed called the Josephine. The bed wasn’t exactly the right color and was sold out by the time I was ready to purchase.

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I realized that the RH is shifting its ascetic and these type of French Curvy beds were largely discontinued from the main RH line but could be found in the Kids and Baby lines.                                                                                                                                                          In the kids/teens side I love the Juliet Bed.download.jpg It has the same curvy lines as the Josephine but comes in beautiful white and gray tones of wood and  fabric choices, which is more of the look I am going for in the my room.

 

The bed that I liked in the Baby Line is called the Belle Bed. I loved the simplicity of the the oval curved shape. images.jpgI liked the profile and thought is was the best as it marries the Modern French Boudoir theme the best.

The thing about both the baby and kids line is the only go up to Queen Size which was perfect for me. I have a queen bed and did not see the point in buying a new bed. My room can fit a king sized bed and will be an option down that line. They are also incredibly less expensive the the main RH line. Both beds I loved are under $2000 in the fabric and wood colors that I loved. Whereas in the main line they often started at over $2500.

I don’t live far from the Restoration Hardware Outlet. I call every couple of weeks and ask what upholstered Queen beds that have. A few weeks ago, I called and was told they had the Belle Bed in a Queen in the Gray color linen I wanted. The catch was that is was the headboard only, no side rails or foot board. But the price was incredible, it was $587 with 25% off. I went and saw it. There was a hairline crack in the headboard so I got it for an additional 10% off. I got the headboard for $390, which is still not cheap but to get the exact bed I wanted at 80%. Especially, when I have feeling I will get a king bed in the next 5 years.

What is your dream item for your bedroom?

Avec Amour,

Tiffany

Design Cents: Guest Room REVAMP for under $300 (Part 3)

I had my plan and items now I needed to execute. I tried to find someone that knew how to wallpaper. Which was must more difficult then it should be. D3C782A3-C8EF-4F88-BA43-926B74C99BF7Frankly, wallpaper hanging is like a lost art. I know my strengths and doing it alone was not a bright idea. So I enlisted the help of two dear friends that are good at precision (Not my ministry. lol)

I watched a few you tube videos and created a list of tools. The glue and tools to wall paper only cost about $30. My plan was to cover all the walls. But just in case I would start with the feature wall a make a determination from there.

657FDFC6-B2E4-43BF-BAC4-227C0B4DDC9BOnce the paper was up. It was about redressing the room. I realized that my shoes would have to leave the room to maintain the functionality of it being a guest room and office.

Several weeks ago I purchased the Crochet Trim Linen Blend Comforter from Target by Rachel Ashwell on the clearance for only $26. I previously purchased pillows and throw blanket in the golden rod color from the Crate  & Barrel outlet. 53208F18-99DA-4912-81D7-7219584EFE18

I tried out another rug that I got on super sale but quickly realized the patterns fought against one another. I wanted to layer in texture, but keep things relatively mild because the wallpaper is so graphic. I shopped my house for art and curated accessories.

I ordered new knobs from for the vintage mustard dresser in matte black to coordinate with the curtain rod. 0DC28B31-4E99-4719-AC96-E0C2306FA700 I often find great deals for pulls and knobs on Amazon for under $30. This time was no exception. I purchased 10 of the Cosmos Flat Black Contemporary Round Cabinet Knob Diameter 1-1/4 on Amazon for $24.95.  Knobs are a cheap change to making old furniture feel new.

My old styling days came back to me and I color coordinated my books (lol). I got a great deal on the the Billy Bookcases from Ikea via Craigslist. I have a few more minor tweaks but I have a guest this weekend and I think she will love the room.

Grand total

$ 26 – Comforter

$24.95 – Knobs

$40 – Daybed

$48 -Rug

$26.56 – Blinds

$17- Curtain Hooks

$14.99 – Curtain Rod

_____________________________

=$ 197. 50

+ $100 Billy Bookcase from Craigslist

= $ 297.50

What do you think of the final look?

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Avec Amour,

Tiffany

 

Culinary Ventures: Magnolia Table – Ricotta Pancakes

I love to host! I really enjoy having friends over,  great cocktails, and sharing love via homemade treats. Everyone knows every couple of months they will get an random invite to come over for dinner or brunch. Everyone understands there will be an abundance of food, good music, and great conversation.

My last “Avec Amour” fete was a brunch. I have learned the art of not making everything and trying one new special treat to keep it interesting. Brunch for me usually consists of an egg dish, meat, potatoes, fruit, salad, and a sweet treat.  My friends were asking in advance if I was making my famous “French Toast Bake.” That bake was so well loved at my housewarming, which was themed Breakfast at Tiffany’s that  I sent the recipe out on my thank you cards.  Pancakes 1This time around I utilized the Magnolia Table Cookbook for my sweet treat inspiration. I was in the mood to pull out my All Clad griddle, which is amazing and a worthy investment.

The ricotta pancakes looked simple and were intriguing. They were incredibly easy to make. I mixed the dry ingredients and wet ingredients in a separate bowl, I slowly combined, and scooped the batter onto my hot griddle.

I was impressed that they cooked evenly and quickly. The batter yielded over a dozen pancakes and were delicious.pancakes 3 They were not overly sweet but that meant they were the perfect conduit for salted butter and real maple syrup. They would also be good with homemade jam or any variety of nut butter. I have to admit I really enjoyed these, as they were simple, tasty, and fancy. These will definitely be on the list for future Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

What is your “go to” breakfast/brunch item(s)?

Avec Amour,

Tiffany

Design Cents: Guest Room REVAMP for under $300 (Part 2)

My inspiration wallpaper was the base so I now needed the other big focal point…the daybed.  I knew I wanted some thing modern and black. My neighbor (and fellow budgetnista) stumbled across a bed on craigslist. The person listed the West Elm Overlapping Squares Daybed  frame, mattress, and pillows at $200. It was a steal of a deal however, when I reached out someone had already claimed it.

I was devastated because I really loved the bed. I looked on craigslist for the next week everyday and couldn’t find anything close. I expanded my search to a neighboring jurisdiction and long and behold I found the same bed! This time it was listed for $40. Yep, that’s right I got the same bed for $40 (mattress, frames and cover included). SCORE!!!

Image result for west elm overlapping squares daybed

I headed to home depot to buy glue for the wallpaper and stumbled across another great deal. I bought 3 jute indoor/outdoor rugs for $70.  The one that was perfect for the room was $60 with 20% off ($48). My home depot was also getting rid of the corded faux wood blinds so I got them for $26.56.

I already had some beautiful Crate and Barrel gold velvet curtains in the room. I had bought the matte black curtain hooks for $17 months ago. I live near a Crate & Barrel Outlet it is one of my favorite places! I also got an awesome matte black curtain rod there for $14.99 and Matte black Curtain hooks.

Last thing I planned on buying was two (2) white 93″ Ikea Billy Bookcases at $ 168 or $84 each. I have a lot of books and also wanted to showcase a collection of vintage purses that my Granny collected for me. I found an amazing deal on Craigslist with the two billy bookcases, a white flat screen tv, two cdtowers, extensions for each,and glass doors for $100. It was a total jackpot because it was already put together and came with tons of additions. The value was more than $600 so it was very worth the purchase.

The rest of the items I already had in the room or my house. This includes a vintage chest I painted mustard yellow years ago and a VITTSJÖ glass desk from IKEA .

How do you plan a room redesign?

Avec Amour,

Tiffany

Design Cents: Guest Room REVAMP for under $300 (Part 1)

Last year I bought a house! Hence why I have not blogged in a while. It was incredibly gratifying but also scary and costly. As a condition of my purchase there were a few things that I had to fix… two months over time and thousands of dollars over budget I got a beautiful kitchen and basement (Pics and highlights forthcoming).

This meant I had no energy, money, or imagination left for the the upstairs. That was until now. I realized that since I bought my place I have steady stream of guest. A couple months back I had a house guest with their stuff strewn across my living room and it was clear  it was time to start making some changes.

So here were my constraints: Time, money, and space.

I had a limited amount of time before I was slated to have three house guest over a three week period. This meant whatever I did would have to be done quickly and efficiently. I could not have the never ending project so hiring contractors was out (Lol…Contractor humor).

I didn’t have a $1500 or more to redo the room. I would need to get everything I needed (including a bed for under $400. I know this seemed a daunting task but I saw it as a challenge that I could conquer. I am a great shopper and am always getting amazing deals on a dime.

Finally, the room is not BIG at all. My house was built in the 1940 so the guest room is literally 11 ft x 10 ft. With a door, window and weird vent situation on three of the four walls.

The first thing I do with any room or move is sketch out a plan. I get the measurements for the walls, items I own and things I am considering purchasing for the room.

I knew that I wanted a bed for the room but I have tried a queen size bed in the room and it ate it all up. So I took it back old school and started searching for a daybed. The bed would have to be black or white and coordinate well with my design inspiration the Essentials 33′ x 20.5″ Trellis Montauk Wallpaper from Wayfair.  It was a steal of a deal at $.34 a square foot. I purchased the wallpaper last year and it was one of the many task my contractor failed to finish (still upset a year later).  The paper is classic and modern in a beautiful bold repeating pattern.

Essentials 33’ x 20.5" Trellis Montauk Wallpaper Roll

I had hoped to put it on all of the walls because I wanted to mimic the high design I had seen in some of my favorite design magazines. Everyone told me only to do one wall. I was determined to do everything. Can you imagine who won this argument?

 

Avec Amour,

Tiffany

 

Book Review: An American Marriage

201802-orig-american-marriage-949x534What makes a marriage? Who defines what it should look like? How it should feel? What is fidelity in the face of grave opposition? What does it mean to be black in the South? Why is black love different? How is all marriage the same?

An American Marriage is a groundbreaking thought provoking page turner. I was so enthralled by that characters…their flaws, mannerisms, and dialogue was amazing.

The story begins with newlyweds that seemingly have it all together until an accusation of rape unravels their life in an instance. The book unpacks the institution of marriage, the justice system, love, commitment, family and loyalty in unexpected ways.

I definitely recommend the book but suggest you read it with a friend or two so you have someone to talk about it with during and afterwards.

Avec Amour,

Tiffany