Saturday, November 7, 2009

Southern Living Idea House—Part 2

I am so sorry I have taken so long to finish showing the Southern Living house. It’s been a crazy week. One day I will get over this cold and feel better!

If you missed Part 1, scroll down and check out my last post.

Let’s visit the dining room. No one puts out a tablescape like Southern Living. They truly lived up to their reputation!

The designers went all out with a mix of contemporary and traditional fabrics. They used Asian-inspired chairs and paired them with a white, cottage style table. Very unexpected, but it worked.

The table setting was so pretty! I love how they lined up three metal flower baskets for the paper whites, and using individual cloches on each place setting was genius!

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What a great way to treat your guests…

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All of the light fixtures were decorated for the holidays, and they were all so unique in design.

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So pretty….

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This arrangement sits on the buffet that looks through to the kitchen. Very functional use of space.

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With this view, you can see into the living room. Notice the backs of the shelves, how they used the same wood from the living room ceiling. That same wood is used throughout the home in odd places, but it really ties everything together nicely.

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Now we move on to the master bedroom and bathroom. The details make the room so unique and very elegant. The door to the right leads to the porch with fireplace and more seating.

The color choices are just amazing. The pale aqua with bright red is so refreshing and still so elegant and comfortable.

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All decorated for Christmas

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Great view for a writing desk. The mountains were covered in fog and rain the day we went, otherwise you would have seen a beautiful view of leaves of every color.

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I noticed throughout the house, that the designers chose to use several art groupings instead of single, larger pieces.

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…And this is the coffee bar IN THE BEDROOM.

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FABULOUS-- JUST FABULOUS!

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And here is the bathroom of all luxury bathrooms…

… it had me at hello.

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Yes…it was even prettier in person. Textured wallpaper, those dark-stained, distressed floors, and the tub….oh the tub.

The cafe curtains really gave it a cozy feel.

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The mirrors were very different; they were like artwork.

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The pull out drawers housed stainless steel inserts for hot curling and straightening irons, and the electrical outlets were in the back of the drawers. My husband was very impressed!

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The shower was fit for a king, or queen I should say. It was surrounded in brown glass tiles from floor to ceiling, complete with three--YES, THREE—shower heads! The rain head was every girl’s dream.

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Even the throne had its own private space. You have to love that!

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I also wanted to show you the guest bathroom. I am grateful that the doors were off so that I could show you the fabulous wallpaper. It is a textured pattern of a rusty red and tan print.

JUST FABULOUS!

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Blurry, but you get the picture…

I love their use of mounted sconces all over the house. In all of the  baths they are mounted right to the mirrors.

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Time to head upstairs to the bonus loft area.

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 Another large grouping of artwork leads you up a beautifully decorated stairway. The watercolors were gorgeous.

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No details were forgotten. The stair rails were so unique, as was the light fixture. Notice how they used the dark stain on the hand rails and the newel posts?

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The upstairs loft used the same wood on the floor that was on the ceiling in the living room. It is a light, weathered blue/grey, and is so pretty!

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Simple, yet elegant, furnishings made this a nice gathering room, or reading room.

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This room led out to a private, covered deck with the lounge sofa that I HAD to try out. (Don’t pay any attention to how awful I looked. I was already soaked from the rain, and I was dressed for a high school football game after my tour of the SL house.)

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I could really see myself here, with the view and a stack of Twilight books. I might never come back inside…

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I noticed a Danielle Steel book on the display shelves. She is one of my faves!

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I had to show a close up of this fixture. It is amazing! I wanted to yank it down and take it home with me!

Can you see the mountains through the window? This house is in a gorgeous setting.

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And that concludes our tour for today…Stay tuned for the rest of the tour through the basement level, which includes:

  •  An unbelievable family room.
  • Incredible guest room and private bath.
  • A child’s bedroom and private bath.

Come back to visit me very soon. Hope you enjoyed the tour!

If you have any questions about materials used in the SL house, email me. I have all of the booklets showing materials used.

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~Misti

 

Monday, November 2, 2009

Southern Living Idea House—Part 1

Talk about a great thing to do on a Friday afternoon! My husband was looking for things to do in Dahlonega  (to help drag me to a football game) and he found that the Southern Living Idea House was there! 

It was a beautiful house in a gorgeous mountainous setting! Now, it’s time to take a tour with me, but, we will be be breaking it down into a few parts. I have so many pictures!

First, we will see the living room, back porch, kitchen, and multi-purpose room. (aka Misti’s room she never wanted to leave.)

Oh, by the way, the house was supposed to close on October 18th, but due to overwhelming response it has now been decorated for the holidays!

And here we go: 

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This home is located in Dahlonega, Georgia at the Achasta Golf Community.

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Right off the foyer is the living room. Most of the home is drenched in pale aqua, tans, and reds!

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Beautiful trim work throughout the house, and those chairs are very tall and elegant!

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The ceiling had me right from the start. It is a weathered gray plank and it is phenomenal. Be sure to check out the lighting, they made some fabulous lighting choices throughout the home.

The wall moving into the dining room is flanked on each side (living room and dining room) with deep shelves for display. The windows above are in the bonus room upstairs. They are fully functional.

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Outside is one of three covered porches, wonderfully decorated with more seating and great accessories. The door straight ahead leads to the master bedroom. NICE. Did you notice the recessed lighting and the fireplace? Love at first sight.

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This table is right outside of the dining room, ready for additional seating. Love the chandelier all decked out!

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Same table, different view.

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Ahhhhhhh, now we head into the kitchen. Fabulous weathered blue grey cabinets, built-in refrigerator and coffee bar.

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The kitchen had three different prep areas. One being a stainless and butcher block moveable cart. One is the table in the middle that was wired for electrical outlets, and the one on the left houses an ice machine, extra prep sink, and wine cooler!

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The fridge was so pretty too! My boys were very impressed.

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This is the coffee station. When the doors are closed the look mimics the fridge adjacent to the coffee station.

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Wall-to-wall marble countertops, complete with marble farmhouse sink!

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Now this you HAVE to see—The entire back window slides open into automatic pocket doors controlled by a wall switch, to allow the space to become one with the outdoors! The back of the white marble island has a flip-up counter for use when the doors are open.

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Just super fabulous!

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Now we move on to the “Multipurpose Room.”  This is a very cool room! It had a potting center with the small sink, a desk area complete with everything you need to Facebook or to craft!

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This is to the left of the doorway…the potting center. Love the display shelves used to dress it up. Also love the subway tile and the deep sink!

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I had to scoot back farther so I could show you the crown moulding and the lighting. I especially love how the designers used cafe curtains. So fresh and fun!

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No details forgotten!

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I was pretty impressed with the long wrapping paper drawers!

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And I know that everyone will want to build one of these!

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I wouldn’t mind doing the laundry in this room!

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Even the doors had character….so many details!

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This is the butler’s pantry…I believe it could have been staged a little better. Don’t you think? I do love the doors though!

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And that is the end of the tour for today. Here is a sneak peek of the dining room…

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So tomorrow, we will tour the dining room, the master bedroom and bath, and the upstairs loft.

Come back and see me!

~Misti

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Southern Living Idea House

Guess where I am going tomorrow… Hee hee! I am giddy with excitement! My husband just found out that the Southern Living Idea Home is about 30 minutes from our house!

My camera battery is being charged right now! Hopefully, I will have loads of pictures to share with you on Saturday!

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It was supposed to close on October 18th, but due to overwhelming response it has now been transformed for the holidays, and will be staying open through December!

I’m so excited I can’t stand it!

Saturday, October 24, 2009

A Beautiful Fall Weekend

Hi everyone! I miss each and every one of you. Still crawling through towards the end of my class. One  step at a time…

Please don’t think I have forgotten about you. I haven’t visited any blogs lately…just no extra time. If I get started I can’t stop and I will be reading for hours. SOON. Very soon!

Just wanted to share one of my favorite magazine covers of all time. This is from October 2005. Enjoy…

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This is next to me on my inspiration board. I get to look at it every day.

Have a great weekend!

~Misti

Thursday, October 15, 2009

From the Studio M Archives

It’s been a crazy week, full of sick boys around my house, so while we are all recuperating I thought I would pull from the archives.

Why this bedroom works, and how to get the look on a budget.

(Click on the picture to go to the original post.)

And here is another one from the archives:

Weekly Dusting: Perfect Time to Rotate Accessories

(Click on the picture to go to the original post.)

Thanks for hanging in there with me while I desperately try to finish my class! I’m on the last leg of it now…

 

~Misti

Monday, October 12, 2009

A Stroll through Pottery Barn

When I open the mailbox and find a new Pottery Barn catalog I just get butterflies! Can’t wait to see what new ideas and products are waiting for me behind the cover, but to actually go into a Pottery Barn store is like Heaven on Earth!

This weekend my boys and I made a long overdue trip to the mall and since it was my birthday week and all, they indulged me by letting me go into every store that made me happy. PB being my first stop!

After all these months of drooling over the catalog, I finally got to sit at this table. Ahhhhh… Don’t you just love this fabric too?

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Also got to touch this table…

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I got lost in the lighting section, and got to rub on some beautiful comforters too..

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I wanted to take all of their new blankets home, and put them over every piece of furniture. Seriously, these are super soft and luxurious! Worth every penny.

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I wanted to swipe this giant thing off of the wall, and I would hurt someone for this table!

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I sat in this great chair and pretended to have this incredible office setup…

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And this, was my favorite of everything in the store. Love the sofa, the red coffee table, I WILL paint some pillows and make some of the burlap style too…and did you see the “E” on the shelf, they did that just for me!

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I really enjoyed my stroll through Pottery Barn and was not ready to leave, but…on to the food court we went.

Thanks for visiting today! Have a wonderful week!

~Misti

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

I’m still here—Really I am!

Hello everyone! No I haven’t dropped off the face of the Earth, just hanging on for dear life trying to finish my studies.

Not much going on around here. No projects to boast about, no repainting, nothing.

Well, I did manage to get a haircut. That’s something, since I only have it done about twice a year!

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My husband and I haven’t been on a date at night in over ten years. Can you believe that? So we went this past weekend to his 30-year high school reunion and what a blast we had! We danced the night away!

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IMG_3708The pictures are a bit washed out and I really did try to fix them, but…I guess it didn’t work. I am pretty pale, but not quite that pale.

So that’s it. Not much going on here. Just trying to stay afloat!

I miss you all. Thanks for stopping by today!

~Misti

Monday, September 21, 2009

Monday Funnies

As you may know, Georgia has gotten nonstop rain for over a week now. I love rain…good thing, but it has become a bit of a nuisance. It has caused major flooding all over the state.

This was my front yard during yet another storm this afternoon:

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I have drains running under my driveway and on this side the water got to about three and a half feet deep.  At one point it covered the landscape timbers and was touching the top of the pine straw!

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So I found this from Kanye West in honor of our flooding: ( You must read the caption.)

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And if that’s not enough to make you laugh on this incredibly rainy Monday, how about this, since I feel like I live in Forks:

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Sorry honey, it was just so funny I couldn’t resist.  I hope you understand!

I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait until November 22nd!

~Misti

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Finally found the perfect fireplace surround!

 

Leave it to County Living to show me the most perfect fireplace surround for my home.

I’m loving the black distressed look!

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I can picture it already…

~Misti

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Fab and Functional Office Space

Better Homes and Gardens goes out of their way to bring us some of the best projects for everyday do-it-yourselfers like us. I can’t get enough of their magazine! So, when I find a project that really knocks my socks off, I have to share it with you.

While having my Saturday morning coffee, I stumbled upon this fabulous office space in BHG. The homeowner made this small room so very functional and practical, not to mention beautiful!

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They transformed these small, but deep closets into storage space and a charging station. One side houses the flat screen TV, and the other side houses office supplies and a filing cabinet. Electrical outlets were installed to get maximum benefit!

Such a smart use of space! By removing the doors and adding draperies, it makes the closets easier to use. Besides, the fabric is much nicer to look at than doors. I mean REALLY. The fabric was also used on the opposite wall to bring the room together.

White painted walls reflect the natural light and make the room appear larger.  The rug is actually two rugs held together by carpet tape. Using the light colored rug against the dark wood floor, again, lightens up the space.

Even the furniture choices are so practical. The small sofa opens into a twin bed to also make this room serve as a guest room. The acrylic table takes up no visual space, yet is still so functional.

Love the desk that they painted to coordinate with the drapery colors!

Another thing that caught my attention is how they used a white curtain rod against the white walls to visually make it disappear.

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Really, they thought of every possible storage and space solution here! The wall shelves are economical pieces that can be found at any department store or Ikea, I’m sure… Did you notice that they painted the backs of shelves green? So clever.

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Even the filing cabinet got a spray paint treatment! I am in love with this office/room. How about you?

Hope everyone is having a fabulous week!

~Misti