Mix and Match

Today I'm sharing a little peek into one of my new favorite spaces in my house. Simplifying the gallery wall and isolating it to a singular photo ledge gives you the ability to change out picture frames and artwork with minimal effort. And if you're anything like me and are completely indecisive then this is the perfect concept. I can tell you for a fact though... the one item that is not changing from my photo wall is this beautiful custom painting. Let me introduce you to the The Painted Elephant. The creative mastermind behind The Painted Elephant and a local to Charlotte, Alysa Wayland is truly an amazing artist. My ginger jar painting should say it all {similar painting here}

I finally took my love of ginger jars to my bedroom, bringing in the whites and blues found in the  timeless chinoiserie jars with an Anthropologie twist. I've paired this beautiful painting with a variety of frames in different sizes and materials. Combining wood, ceramic, and painted frames {and a touch of gold} create the mix & match/ anthro feel that we all know and love. I also mixed both photos and artwork with the painting to continue the look I was going for.

Alysa could not have done a better job with this painting - the use of bright colors and the depth and light perceived with brushstrokes just blows my mind. I can't help but think of it as a combination of Lilly Pulitzer meets Andy Warhol... and I LOVEE both, especially Andy Warhol. {there's the art student in me coming out} Below are the images that I shared with Alysa when we were discussing what kind of painting I was thinking of for this space. I'm sure by now we all know my love for ginger jars, and some of my favorite paintings of Alysa's are of her beautiful hand painted blooms. I sent her these images thinking that I could combine the two and she did not disappoint.

Alysa's artwork is available on her etsy shop, she also offers custom signs and artwork perfect for baby showers, wedding gifts, or personal gifts if you want one for yourself! 

Follow along with The Painted Elephant

website // instagram // facebook // blog

Shop & Contact The Painted Elephant

etsy // email

Making It Your Own

Who doesn't love a good shopping trip to IKEA? Well, if you just shouted at your cubicle reading this - then you're going to love this. Today I'm featuring 10 Ikea products that are great for spray painting! Did you see my bar cart hack the other day?? Go check it out and see for yourself what a can {or two} of gold spray paint and some matte finish can do!

But really - that desk lamp doesn't come in the bright fuchsia color you really want? Grab the desk lamp and a can of good ole' spray paint and make a weekend project out of it! Now, next question.... Why Ikea products? Well, because in most cases they come unassembled and in a million parts {i know sounds treacherous..} but that's actually the good part. In most of those cases, you can spray them down with a few coats and THEN put the furniture together and BAM, it looks like a professional did it!

A few of these are on my list...Which of these are on yours??

Shop these Ikea Products:

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday! Who's excited for the weekend?? I know I am... It's moving weekend! The next time you see me I will hopefully be all settled into my pretty new house!! {don't worry it's just a rental} Not only am I excited to be moving into a house for normal reasons, but hey hey who wants a home tour?? I'm so excited to have a clean slate and all new inspiration to post about!

Well, getting back to the fact that it's finally friday. Here are my favorite pins from this week!

Style Me Pretty

I love this nursery. I have a bunch of girlfriends who are expecting right now so if there's a nursery on Pinterest you can bet I'm all over it! I love the look of the mid century modern dresser and the watercolor paintings are to die for!

Design Manifest

This may only be a portion of what leads on to be a beautiful living room but that is alright. Look at that side table. Driftwood side tables will never go out of style {i'm convinced!} Love the combination of mixed patterns and colors also!

Pinterest Image | Shop acrylic on Wayfair

One word: Lucite. Ahhhh my latest obsession. Lucite accent furniture and decor is right up my alley so I couldn't pass this one up. For those of you who don't know, lucite is just a fancy word for acrylic.

Makely 

And just one more thing I love, gold accents. This DIY gold leaf vase is an amazing project to spice up any part of your home on a budget! Time to get crafty!

Home Design Collections

Don't you love the look of this eat in dining area? Taking this cozy casual area another notch and adding the pink table base screams creativity. Such a bold move pulled off flawlessly.. my applause.

Design Improvised

Ohh the joy coffee brings to the world every morning around hmmmm 8am? This coffee nook is so adorable I want to create something just like this in my new home!

Open Concept

As a post grad living and working in a city, the apartment hunt is a big ordeal. Every year you have to decide where you will live - will you stay in your current apartment, move to a new one, rent a house? Maybe even buy one when you're at that point in your life.  There's so many options and I don't know about you [maybe it's the designer in me] but I have such a hard time with deciding where to live.  All of the apartments in Charlotte are so nice and each one of them have their own pros and cons.

The one thing I've noticed a lot of is the open concept shelving in kitchens.  For me, the jury is still out on whether I'm a fan or not but of course I did my research and there's definitely some technique that comes with styling them.

Here are some of my favorite open shelving looks:

[via frolic]

[via Pinterest]

[via houzz]

[via Singapore Home & Decor]

[via Pinterest]

[via decor pad]

What are your thoughts on open shelving? Do you have them in your home or apartment? Would you mind them, or run away at the thought?

Rustic Chic Apartment

Happy Thursday, friends! Today I have another exciting post for you all.  This weekend I went to visit a friend from college and I helped her transform her adorable South Carolina apartment into a sophisticated space fit for a grad student.  With the the rustic elements, wooden furniture, and the shabby chic mixing and matching, we're calling this apartment "Rustic Chic"

Note: This is only Part One to this post.  Stay tuned for Part Two tomorrow!

Before (the process of moving in)

Living Room:

Dining Room:

I'm sure we can all imagine the amount of studying that goes into being a successful grad student, right? This dining room space will double as a desk/study area when the extra table space is needed to cram for exams.

Hallway:

Now, If you've made it this far [which I hope you have] you're in for a treat.  I tested my skills in creating a gallery wall for the hallway/living room area and let me tell you it came out amazing! Everyone loves it - I also think it creates a great focal wall for the apartment and LOVE how it mixes so well with the delicacy of the other walls!

Hint on how to create your own gallery wall:

Clear a space on the floor and lay out your artwork against a tape measure set to the desired width you wish to create.  I used the exact width of the console table in the images above. [48"]

We also got creative with the metal hanging piece which is actually a plant holder.

Does this make you want to take on the challenge of creating your own gallery wall?  Don't forget to check back tomorrow to see whats in store for Part Two of this South Carolina apartment!