I think I've told you before that our bathroom is impossible to photograph well. Especially for someone who generally finds it difficult to photograph rooms well ;)

 

Camera skills aside, this is the light we installed in our bathroom recently, to compliment the barn light we added over the sink. It replaced a boob light, so there's no question that this is a major improvement. It's one of those lights that look great on or off, but when it is on, it casts some really pretty shadows around the room.

 

We have lots of projects on the go over the next month - more on that soon! - so I have to leave the bathroom alone until the New Year. Then it's time for new tile in the shower and a new floor. Lots of time to pin inspiration :)

 

Last weekend Adam switched out the light fixture in our dining room (you can see the old light fixture here). We've been enjoying the new light all week, and yesterday I finally managed to snap a few photos.

It's quite different from my original inspiration, but Adam didn't like any of those options and he was ambivalent about this one (when it comes to home decor, ambivalence is sometimes a win). I love it, it works with the pendant light in our living room, and the price was great (under $60 at Home Depot). The old fixture replaced a boob light in the bathroom and it looks SO much better in there (I still have paint to touch up, but pictures soon!).

To be centred over the table, the fixture has to be swagged, especially with the addition of the settee. I purchased the old light before I found the settee, so unfortunately we cut it too short when we installed it :(

Mistakes happen, I'm just happy this one worked out!

There's still lots to do in here. The area will get a boost of colour and interest when we add built-in shelves around the window. I just can't decide if we should wait until we replace the floors to build the shelves. Decisions, decisions.

Happy Monday! xo

{the baby seat makes quite the statement, doesn't it?}

It's funny how decorating plans evolve over time. What you once loved about a room can eventually end up driving you crazy. Like our dining room table. I wanted a white pedestal table. I got a white pedestal table. I loved it for awhile, but eventually the paint job started to wear and these days it's looking pretty bad. Overall, the room just feels bland and boring (the laminate flooring and teeny baseboards aren't helping; so happy we'll be replacing those soon!). So when I saw Lily's chimney makeover, I may have drooled over her cute and colourful dining space. Just a little.

source: birch + bird

In the same post, she mentioned that she's thinking about painting her dining room table navy blue. And then I realized: I need to do that. Now. Thank you, Lily.

Over the weekend, I popped into Home Depot and picked up a small can of Behr's Dark as Night. It's on the same swatch we used for the base cabinets in our kitchen, just a shade darker (we used Behr's Paramount on the cabinets and I still loooove it).

Unfortunately I've had zero time to paint, but it's the first thing on my to-do list when we get back from our vacation (plus, my mom is house/dog/cat-sitting for us and she needs to be able to use the table while we're gone). Number two is switching out the light fixture.

I still love the light fixture, but when we bought and installed it, we didn't have the settee. We had to move the table further out from the wall to accommodate the settee, so now the light fixture is way off-centre. Plus, we hung it way too high (lesson learned), so there's no swagging it. The good news is that I think it will look pretty cool in our bathroom, in place of the ugly booblight on the ceiling (and even better if we switch out the light fixture over the bathroom vanity for this one).

But back to the dining room...here are a few options I'm considering:

1/2/3

What do you think?

It was a beautiful day here yesterday, so I took advantage of the opportunity to leave the front door open and gave our entryway light a little update. It was so easy. I took the old shade off, taped cardboard to the ceiling and a sandwich bag over the light, then broke out the spray paint (Rustoleum's Metallic spray paint in ORB). 

Hannah and I went for a long walk while it dried (Adam stayed home with the open door) and then we hit up Home Depot for a new shade. I ended up choosing the 2013 version of the fixture's original globe shade.

Since I already owned the spray paint, I only spent $7.99 on the update (the cost of the new shade). I thought about buying a new light fixture altogether and did a lot of searching, but I kept coming back to this cute little globe. I think it suits our entryway - it just needed an update for 2013.

Here's the After & Before:

Not the best pictures, but you get the idea. So, what are you spray-painting these days?

Life's little details have been keeping me busy lately (i.e. I spent an hour shovelling our driveway this morning. Winter, I'm so over you), but I wanted to share a quick DIY lighting update. The plan is to replace the vintage globe pendants in our kitchen with recessed lighting (the placement of the current light fixtures is really wonky, so I'm hoping to switch them out and add another recessed light), but in the meantime I wanted to fix them up a little (lipstick on a pig, if you will).

As you can see in the first picture, the finish was really beaten up and no amount of cleaning was helping (I tried several of the internet's tips and tricks to no avail). I had some leftover liquid gilding from this, this and this project, so I applied a quick coat and left it to dry. I also took the globes off and gave them a good wash (there were dead bugs, it was gross). Not a dramatic before and after, but much improved - and free!

We've never liked the light fixture in our living room. It wasn't our style, it didn't make sense with the rest of the lighting in our house, and after painting the living room a light blue-grey (Sico's Clouds of Volcanic Ash), it stuck out even more. We knew we wanted to replace it, but there always seemed to be a higher priority project on the list.

{before}

Then one of the two bulbs burned out, so it wasn't even really providing light any more.

{before, providing virtually no light}

Adam's brother gave us an Ikea lantern he wasn't using months ago (maybe a year ago, even?) and when I was cleaning out the storage area in our basement it occurred to me that it would be a good temporary fix until we were ready to invest in something permanent. I found a mini pendant kit at Home Depot for $14.99 (I could only find the chrome kit online, but in store they also had it in white and ORB). If you have an Ikea nearby (we don't), they probably offer something similar, possibly even cheaper. Adam took down the old fixture and had this one up in less than 30 minutes.

{after}

For a single-bulb fixture, it adds a decent amount of soft light to the room. Much better than what we had going on before.

The pendant light clips into the lantern's frame and we just eyeballed how low we wanted it to hang, then marked the cord with painter's tape so we could shorten it. Since it hangs over the coffee table (i.e. no heads to worry about), we were able to get away with hanging it a bit lower and I love the effect.

Even as a temporary fix, it suits the room - and our style - much better than the old light. It's bright, airy and casual, and it adds another modern element to the room.

This room still needs an area rug to tie it all together (and cover up the laminate flooring until we replace it down the road) and I've already ordered THE ONE. Unfortunately it's on backorder until the end of the month, so it won't arrive for awhile yet. Wouldn't it be awesome if it got here in time for my birthday? A girl can dream.

Way back in August I shared that I wanted to make some tweaks to our bedroom, including repainting our $10 yard sale nightstands and switching up the hardware. I finally got around to it a few weeks ago, but I was waiting to take pictures until I sorted out our lamp situation. Turns out the lamps I bought weren't right for the room (not to worry, they were an inexpensive Kijiji find and my mom wants them), so I shopped my house and came up with something I think I'm happy with.

 
I stole the lamp and alarm clock from the guest room. The lamp is pretty tiny, but perched on a stack of magazines it's just the right height. The dried hydrangeas are from my mother-in-law, the glass votive was a Christmas gift from my mom, and I found the vintage tray at Value Village a couple years ago.

                                                                                                                      
The colour is C-I-L's Cinnabar. It's an orange-y coral and I just love it. Totally makes me smile every time I see it and it really warms up the room at night. Instead of replacing the hardware, I decided to gild what I already had. The difference is incredible. I went from hating the hardware to absolutely loving it. #gildingchangedmylife.

                                                                                      
Here's how my side of the bed looks now. I'm still playing around with the styling on Adam's side of the bed, but it's very close.

I have one more DIY project planned for the bedroom and I'm hoping I receive a certain piece of art on my Christmas wish list (hint, hint family) so I can take some updated shots of the room to share with you (I've made a few other tweaks around the room, so there's lots to share).

I'm much happier with the direction of the room now. I unintentionally ended up basing the room's colour palette on the huge vintage map of Iceland hanging next to Adam's side of the bed (a souvenir from our honeymoon). Lots of neutrals with some oranges, blues and a tiny bit of deep purple. It's still coming together, but hopefully I'll have a reveal 2.0 to share with you soon!

Well, at least ONE of them! For those of you waiting, I am still working on the dresser and a few other furniture projects around the house. 

I've also decided that I am done with our dining area and how absolutely boring it is so I want to start the process of putting the "RHI stamp" on it.

With so many things on my to do list, I have GOT to start prioritizing things around here so that I can actually get some projects around our own home completed. 

I want to keep my word with you all so I'm working hard to get the faux finish tutorial up for you. I promise it'll be worth the wait! But, in the meantime, I kinda need your help.

Most of you know after reading this, that we are in a rental home. It took almost an entire year for me to settle with that and decide to begin making this house of ours, no matter how temporary, a home.

The next couple of months or so I would like to focus my energy on this space...

That would be our cute little sweet pea doing her homework as I snapped away!

It's our dining area. And, well, it's a little sad. I want it to be "happy" and to really express who we are as a family. The challenge, of course, is that it's technically not our home. I've thought of so many amazing ideas to make this a better place for all of us none of which exclude moving a wall or knocking something out of the way.

I also have issues when it comes to decorating my own home. Seems I can never commit. Ask me to help someone else design or decorate a space, I'm on it. Ideas flow freely. My space? Cricket, cricket.

So, as you can see, it's pretty much a blank canvas and the wall colors are neutral which I feel is a good thing but I'd love to make that wall (that one right there) a focal wall and perhaps even do a decorative paint technique, stencil or just paint it a different color altogether.

Our living space, which is directly behind this area is quite neutral with brown, tans, hues of blues and grays. (I know, exciting) Honestly, I love that space. You can see it here. But, in our dining area I want it to be cohesive with the living space but I'd love to pull in a different color.

I love this print from fabric.com. I thought I could use this for new panels on the windows and start there. 

But, I also love this one...

But I know that this one blends in with the wall color way too much. 

Then, there's this one...

I kinda actually REALLY love this one. It's ALMOST perfect. 

Can you see my problem now? Commitment. I just can't seem to commit to any one idea for this space. Ultimately, within the next couple of weeks I will decide on a fabric for the panels, choose to paint or not and decide on what will go on that focal wall. 

All of those decisions would be easier if you could help me! Pretty, please? With a cherry on top? 

Which fabric choice do you think would look best in the space and what are your ideas for THAT wall? That big, blank wall. 

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts! 

Progress in the guest room was mostly put on hold after Hannah's arrival, but while my dad was visiting for a few days this week, he helped Adam install the Ikea light fixture we bought for the room back in March.

Here's the ugly and oddly placed light fixture we inherited with the house:

And here's the new fixture - the KNAPPA pendant lamp:

The pendant lamp is designed to be plugged into an outlet, so they cut the plug off, shortened the cord to our desired length, and wired it to the existing junction box. Unfortunately I was busy nursing Hannah, so I couldn't snap any photos of the process. We bought an inexpensive cap to cover the junction box at Canadian Tire. It's a little smaller than the old fixture, so we still need to touch up the ceiling paint around it.

Originally I planned for the pendant lamp to hang straight down over a bedside table (like this), but we decided to buy a queen bed for the room instead of a double, which leaves no room for a bedside table (a double bed would have been a better size for the room, but not for our guests). Instead, I asked Adam and my dad to center the light over the bed (the plan is to install a dimmer switch so the light can double as a reading lamp).

The height is to accommodate a DIY headboard (more on that later) and a mirror that will hang on the wall behind the bed.

This picture doesn't do the new lamp justice - in real life it casts a warm, soft glow (even with a fluorescent bulb). I especially love the modern light fixture with the rustic wood panelling we added to cover the two textured walls in the room. Still lots to do, but I'll have more to share soon!

Have a great weekend everyone - we're taking Hannah to her first wedding, so wish us luck! Here's the bean on her lambskin yesterday. She didn't feel like staying still for a photo, so this is the least blurry of the lot :)

I thought I'd take a little break from Christmas posts (I'm sharing pics of our non-traditional tree tomorrow) to share a few master bedroom updates. I finished painting and hanging the closet doors with the exception of a few touch-ups, which has completely transformed the room (it's also prompted me to start throwing clothes, shoes, belts, etc. onto the floor of my closet and closing the doors - it's a total mess in there). I've gone back and forth on the room's design, but ultimately decided to stick with my original plan for a neutral room. To keep it from being bland and boring, I'm trying to layer different types of fabric, textures and materials. On Monday, I spotted this heavy crystal lamp at HomeSense for half-off. It has a chip on the bottom (which you can't really see because it faces the wall) and came without a shade. Luckily I had a shade at home I wanted to use, so I think it was meant to be. I love the sparkle and shine it adds to our bedroom.

I feel like the dresser is missing something...any suggestions?

Total sidenote: the Stonehenge art is actually a tea towel I stapled to canvas stretcher bars. I used a gift certificate to pick up this charcoal vase over the weekend. I have plans to DIY an upholstered headboard with charcoal fabric and a two-toned glossy white and charcoal chair, so the vase will eventually make more sense in the room. I love its subtle honeycomb pattern.

Finally, I picked up this vintage map on our honeymoon in Iceland and had it plaqued at Costco (I had an art poster from a trip to NYC plaqued there a while ago and was equally thrilled with how it turned out - it's a great way to add affordable, meaningful art to your space). I love maps and it's fun to look over at it while laying in bed and remember our trip.

So there you have it. Have you been making any tweaks lately?

One day I was sitting in my living room staring at the wall (I do that sometimes), when it occurred to me that we're wasting the space under the gallery wall in our living room (there's a good 6-ft. gap between the back of our couch and the wall). It turns out that a desk would fit perfectly below the gallery wall and I think it's a great spot for a mini-office. Luckily I've got most of the pieces I need already (desk, chair, filing cabinet); they just need a little tweaking (more about that later). The only thing I'm missing is a great desk lamp:

1/2/3/4/5/6/7

I'm linking this post up with Anna's Wishlist Wednesday. What's on your wishlist?

I finished sanding the walls in our bedroom on Saturday (!!!) and on Sunday I applied the skim coat. I'll do a before and after post once the walls are primed, but now that things are moving along (knock on wood), I've started working on some of the pieces for the room (hint: see lamp above).

You may remember the black and white lamp from my inspiration board (which you can check out here). The plan was to spraypaint our current ceramic table lamps white, until I accidentally shattered one while trying to straighten its lamp shade (apparently I'm stronger than I look). Since I wasn't loving the shape of those lamps anyway, I took it as a sign and moved onto Plan B. I found this lamp in our basement - an old Value Village purchase that I spraypainted black, never used, and was then commandeered by Adam and his bandmates for screenprinting:

I spraypainted it white and added the broken lamp's shade. You can't really tell in the picture, but it has a really glossy finish, which I love.

So no matching table lamps, which is fine, since we never used more than one lamp at a time anyway. What projects did you get up to this weekend?

We've made a lot of progress in our dining room since we moved in...

Except for that crooked, sad little light fixture. I came across the perfect replacement on theFoundary.com: a woven wire pendant light - for just $34. Unfortunately there was no shipping to Canada, so I had it sent to my dad, who not only drove it from Wisconsin to Nova Scotia, but also installed it.

Love.