PFM Obsession: Bathroom Pendant Lighting

I'm officially on the house-renovation-train and not getting off until things are finished. And by finished, I mean that walls are closed up, floors are cleaned up, we have a place to sleep, and at least one bathroom completed. I would especially love it if our home smelled beautiful again (and not like sewage, thank you very much Sandy). This doesn't seem like too much to ask, right? The good news is that we are well on our way with the reconstruction...my hubby and I might be able to move back home before the New Year. High on our to-do list this weekend is to pick out pendant lighting for over the bathroom sink. Under regular circumstances, I totally enjoy the whole design process, but when it's rushed like this how can you not feel a bit of pressure to make the best decisions? So take a look- any opinions will be very happily accepted. The home design inspiration just keeps a-flowing over on our Pinterest boards. xoxo Becca

Ok y'all, here's the color plan for the main floor bath: charcoal walls (Benjamin Moore- Racoon Fur) with yellow and/or deep blue accents. Our tile is picked and ready to go...white subway for the frameless shower walls, and marble hex on the floors. We chose chrome cross-handled faucets and showerhead from Moen (Weymouth). The sink (pedestal?) and mirror will be chosen last, depending on how much space we end up with after the shower is finished. We already have this Kohler medicine cabinet so we will definitely make it work in either in this bathroom or the one in the basement. 

1. Regina Andrew Antique Mercury Glass Candy Dish Pendant is both vintage and feminine.

2. Regina Andrew Cage Pendant pulls off industrial yet soft.

3. Glass Bulb Pendant, it's a classic.

4. West Elm Industrial Pendant is glamorous and still simple. 

5. Lafitte Pendant- ooh bubble glass. Just not sure about the white cord.

6. Pelle Bubble Chandelier would only happen in my dreams!

7. Capiz Pendant- I love the texture.

8. In Orbit Pendant, known as "hip vintage"

9. Meridian Pendant Lamp has a vintage-modern look.

10. Roost Berlin Pendant Light is another clear glass option with vintage style.

So many lovely options, but I have to choose just one. Are any of you currently in the middle of designing or renovating a bathroom? 

A Day in the Life: Home Is...

Hurricane Sandy came through NY and completely destroyed the city of Long Beach that we love so much. My hubby and I are safe, but our home is not. Cue this song, which has become my mantra "home is wherever I'm with you." Thanks to family and friends that are keeping us optimistic. Not sure when we will be back with steady content here on MavenFresh, but you can keep in touch via Instagram and Twitter. Sending love and prayer to everyone else affected by this disaster. xoxo Becca

PFM Obsession: C. Wonder (ful)

The craziest thing happened the other day. I was at the Roosevelt Field mall, strolling around during lunchtime with my two favorite co-workers when something stopped us in our tracks. With our faces pressed up against the store window we swore we passed this spot a million times and never noticed the shop before. But with all the bright colors and swanky candy-colored decor...is that even possible? We felt compelled to go inside, and not just because by this point the store employees had clearly seen us gawking. Christopher Burch's new line, C. Wonder, will have you enthralled, from the super-colorful array of products to the beautiful window and floor displays. (Being an ex-display coordinator, I'm a sucker for smart merchandising tactics!) The best part is that it's a one-stop-shop. I love a store that covers everything from clothing to accessories to home design... to sporting goods? Seriously! I chatted a bit with a salesgirl who told me that this shop is still relatively new (that's why we never noticed it) and they currently have only four locations; three of them are in New York. Within a few minutes of browsing, several bright, cheery, and affordable items were calling my name. Plus, the whimsical website's sale section will have you smiling and filling up your cart for sure! I noticed there's one particular item not available online...the floral Vespa scooter that we drooled over for a couple of minutes. So take a peek at my top picks and then see if you aren't obsessed too!

1.You know I love me some neon...this skinny belt in neon yellow is a must.

2. Stripey boatneck tee- purely because you can never ever have too many striped tops. And if you don't have any, this is a perfect piece to start with. 

3. Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't these loafers a lookalike to the more pricey J.Crew version? I believe they will be mine, in Cobalt Blue please.

4-6. I live in Long Beach. Everyone has a bike, except for my hubby and I. But things will be different this year...I can see myself cruising down to the farmer's market on one of these electric green lovelies using my bike basket and sporting a pair of super-cute sunnies!!!!

7. A brightly colored throw to curl up in during those breezy evenings on the porch.

8. Functional, decorative, and the perfect shade of glossy yellow...yes please.

9. One look at these Ikat patterned nesting bowls and I was smitten. 

PFMs Do It Better: Spring Fever for the Exterior!

Do you have it yet...that feeling of Spring Fever? Well if you have it and it's making you want to tackle some outdoor home projects that have been put off for months, I'm saying it's now the prime season for house painting. Choosing paint color can be intimidating; it may take you weeks to decide on the look that you want for your exterior redo. So let's start planning now!

We purchased our house a little over a year ago. It was originally built in 1920 as a small raised bungalow. This is what the house looked like after priming it for the new paint job.

Primed and ready for fresh paint!

I thought if nothing else, I wanted to paint over the black trim and the dark red door, but after a few months of living there I wanted to do much more than just that. The stucco was painted white, once, a loooooong time ago, and visibly repaired in a few places. It was in desperate need of a fresh coat of paint as you can see. 

Painting prep: repair stucco cracks

*It helps if you have a focus, or at least one color that you love and must have. Personalize the look, make it your own. In my case, it was the door. I just knew we had to have a bright yellow door. Narrowing it down to the specific shade of yellow came later!

*Think about the neighborhood. One option is to coordinate with your neighbors a bit since they are part of your curb appeal. Also, think about location. If you're near water, maybe you are inspired to create a palette based on cool blues of the sea or the beige colors of the sand. Maybe you're in a wooded area with lots of green and landscaping...then you would want to pick contrasting colors so that your house doesn't blend in too much and get lost in your surroundings. Living in a beachside community with close proximity to our neighbors, we decided to embrace the sand with our main color and contrast with crisp white trim that screams beach! We saved the bright colors for accents like the door, furniture, and (coming soon) accessories. Doing this made our house look bigger (yay!) and not stick out among the other neutrals on the block.

 

*Consider any special characteristics that you want to highlight...like ornate trim, or the ceiling of your porch. We brought in the surf with a light blue porch ceiling color. It's so relaxing sitting under there. Maybe you want to play up the colors of your roof? After taking a good look in daylight I realized our slate roof tiles weren't just blue-grey; they have lots of rich beige-brown in them. This totally helped with the paint decision. The main sand-beige paint color I chose for the stucco really brings out the color variations in our roof tiles. We've been getting plenty of compliments from people walking by who say they didn't realize we had a slate roof until the house was re-painted!  

*When it came time to make color decisions we just painted samples directly on the house since it was white(ish). But painting samples on white foam core board will really help you decide where to put the color, and what colors to choose. Have fun with it!

 *Relax...there's lots of other details that you can update easily if you're not ready to tackle a paint job: replace your house numbers/mailbox/doorknocker/hardware. These minor changes will create an overall makeover without breaking your budget or costing you lots of time.

 

We used Sherwin Williams Duration Exterior Paint (HIGHLY RECOMMEND) which was colormatched to these Benjamin Moore colors: Body- Alexandria Beige HC-77, Door- Bright Yellow 2022-30, Ceiling- Jamestown Blue HC-148, Floor- Tamarind AF-120, Trim-Frostine AF-5.

 

I loved every second of the planning, shopping, and paint swatching. I'm all smiles each time I come home and see our bright yellow front door. Trust me, this type of a makeover will have you feeling unbelievably fresh and happy...after all, the exterior of your house is something that you look at every day. My next project for Spring will be the porch. On my to-do list: redo the landscaping below, add planters on the railing filled with fresh flowers, buy bright new pillows on the sofa to pull the paint colors together, paint a rug on the floor, and accent with some candles or mirrored mobiles.

What's going to be your Spring Fever project? Let us know if we can help you with anything.

PS- I have a fantastic painter you can contact...!

PFMs Do It Better: DIY Wall Art/How to Hide Your TV Wires

I was very hesitant to have a wall-mounted TV, but it really is a space saver. The down side? Those pesky TV wires. We put the TV up about 10 months ago, and I've been staring at wires ever since. Not any more! My super-talented father-in-law loves a good DIY, and luckily he was ready to help my husband and I attack this one. I already had the fabric (purchased from IKEA), because originally I planned on making curtains or pillows with it.  Enter Fred with his frame-as-coverup idea. After much discussion and anticipation about we picked a DIY date and put this plan into action. Of course you will modify accordingly, but I think this would work so well for anyone trying hide wires. We conveniently have a recessed wall area over the fireplace, but if you don't and want a more finished look you could always "frame the frame" with strips of molding. 

Measure and layout before purchasing your materials. It might help to draw up a sketch. Materials we used: Five 2"x1"x8' wood strips/The DIY Kreg Jig/ pack of 1 1/4" pocket screws/Hand saw/Fabric for your panel/Cotton batting/Staple gun/Power drill/Saw horses/Tape measure/Clamp/Xacto Knife/ Scissors/4 L-Clips

Drill pocket holes in order to create a frame. Using the Kreg Jig we were able to make two pocket holes per joint and connect the two pieces of wood at a 90 degree angle. The Kreg website has a video that helps to explain this. It made this project much easier to complete, we had the correct angle every time!

Clamp the corner joint together before drilling the screws into the pocket holes.

 Check to make sure that the frame is the correct size.

We laid out the sub frame to fit around the TV mount.

Use a hand saw to cut the wood...but you can also use a chop saw.

I'm drilling the screws through the pocket holes to fasten the two joints. I love a good power drill, it takes me back to my days as a display coordinator at Anthro. This was easy peasy!

Frame is done! We placed it on our dining room table to have a work space. Lay out the fabric on top of the frame and adjust till it looks visually pleasing within the fame. Start stapling in one corner just to tack the fabric down a bit.

Flip over the fame with the fabric to continue pulling and stapling. We used a little extra padding in areas (cotton batting) to reduce the gap between the frame and the wall. Our existing wall was a little out of square. This pic also gives you a perfect shot of the completed sub-frame!

This is when having some extra assistance comes in handy (thanks Mom-in-law!) We had to pull and hold the fabric taught starting along one side while stapling the fabric consistently along the backside of the frame. Repeat along all sides while making sure to keep the fabric pulled tight.

Now the crucial part...were you wondering how to keep the fabric taught even with a large hole being cut out of the middle? Staple the fabric to the sub-frame prior to cutting the hole to ensure that the fabric will not loosen up. See the rectangular outline of staples in the pic!

 Using an exacto knife, cut an X from corner to corner of sub-frame, within the staple outline. Staple the flaps to the back of the frame and cut off any excess material. I was almost sad to cut the hole because the panel looked so pretty...hint, hint if you don't have TV wires to hide: without the hole this could simply be a pretty piece of wall art!

 My man putting the finished piece up...we used 4 L-clips to fasten the frame to the wall.

TA-DA!!! Wires are completely hidden, and we have beautiful wall art instead. This was a simple DIY, especially with the support of my father-in-law and his Kreg Jig (I love that thing.) The finished product is something that we can easily take down and put up again in a few years to replace the fabric if we want a fresh new look. Currently it's perfect for our color scheme of blue and grey with pops of yellow. We couldn't be happier with the outcome, it adds character to the living room. I think a few decorative objects on the mantel are long overdue! 

Got Decorator?

We've already mentioned that there are many different sides to MavenFresh, and today I'm excited to introduce yet another- we are available for design consultations!

I really have a passion for staging homes and redesigning spaces. Real Estate Staging might be considered an impersonal form of decorating, but it's still fun and rewarding to me. And doing a room redesign is like going into your closet and realizing you can pair your blazer-that-you-only-wore-once with that skirt-you-almost-donated, accented with those booties-that-are-so-hard-to-match; you just created a new fresh look from these items that you already own. A room can completely transform just by rearranging the furniture setup or bringing in existing artwork and accessories from another part of the house. And isn't it enticing to have a room makeover without buying all new things?

So just to be clear, we are not interior designers per se. In other words, if you need architectural renderings of your formal living room, or someone to tell you how the acoustics and temperature will be affected by the proposed footprint of your kitchen...well...that's not us. But...do you need to pick new paint colors for your entire home? That's our thing. De-clutter your closet? Accessorize your guest room? Find ombre curtains or a vintage yet modern sofa...we are your gals. Is there a question you have about styling a room, or choosing that perfect shade of blue for your walls? With our combined training in staging, interior redesign, merchandising, and styling, MavenFresh is here to create and inspire. Whether it's fashion, design, decor, or food- let's chat!

 

Design Lust: Beach House Art

This would be the blank wall.

Lately I've turned my attention to the big blank wall that's in my living room and what can fill it. We are lucky enough to live really close to the beach. Since I am not into clichés (i.e. you will never find lighthouses, fish wall hangings, nets, or ship wheels spread all around our house) I am trying to get that beachy vibe without being too literal. I'm thinking these could be the way to go. Any other recommendations? -becca

The yellow/blue/grey color palette is perfect for the room & I love all of this artist's work!

 Link: etsy; minagraphy

His name is Sammy, and how could you not like him? And his boots?

 Link: Wayne Pate

Swoon!!! This would be within reach purely if I hit the lottery.

Link: Michelle Armas

Design Lust: Hatchworks

Link: HATCHWORKS

Yes, we did just recently buy a house. No, none of these pictures are of the house we live in. But oh goodness, I want one of these to call home. Or maybe a vacation home? We are planning on painting the exterior of our cute lil bungalow...of which I will have to show you a pic or two soon...the current color right now is sort of a muddy white with some black trim. That just will not do for this color-obsessed girl! But we do have a lovely porch that could so eventually look like these beauties with some work. So being that I am a total color freak, and I have been known to erratically cite paint colors from the Benjamin Moore paint deck at a glance (kind of embarassing sometimes but I guess it's a side-effect from my design consultant alter-ego), I have been looking for inspiration and stumbled across this amazing site. Hello, orange stripe around my bungalow! What would the neighbors say? All I can say is, if the masterminds behind Hatchworks were based in NY, you may have a stalker on your hands. Kidding (kind of). -becca