The Breakfast Nook

Some of you may remember back in August when I showed some ideas I had for my breakfast nook area. You can check them out here.

Fast forward a few months and I'm finally ready to post the reveal. I wish I could say that it was a final reveal, but alas I still have to get the new floors and decide what I'm going to do about the ceiling…the word loathe doesn't even start to touch how I feel about carpet or popcorn texture. But hey, it's a process right?

Recently a friend and I were discussing "domino effect". It seems those of us in creative professions live in a constant domino effect. I'm sure many of you out there can relate. 

One thing led to another, and another. Finally this is what I have until flooring and ceiling decisions are made.

Building of the banquette

I designed the style I wanted and how it would be most functional for the children and myself. It included a file drawer since it is across from the desk area in the kitchen. This keeps the desk clear and everything nice and tidy. The other drawer is a deep storage drawer for oversized kitchen items. This is before the drawer fronts were put on.

 The drawer front in place and me checking out how I felt about the pulls. Loved them!

 The top is made of 1"x6" red oak boards.

The base painted out and put into place.

The top being stained to match the antique table.

Me being goofy from the insane heat in my garage while staining. Look at that grain though!

All put together and in place, including a couple of pillows I made for the space.

Next I finished adding the trim to the windows and worked on the light fixture. I've loved lantern fixtures for the longest time and really wanted one for this nook area. They are pretty pricey if you want one of any size though and I of course wanted an oversized lantern. I looked for a long time and then just decided to try and DIY it. I mean why not? Nothing could be worse than the sputnik light that was there.

I mean seriously. Smoked glass, shiny brass, and a bunch of little round bulbs is not a look that goes with my style.

After the smokey glass was already in the dumpster I remembered to take a more close up picture. Still hideous. The electrical box also needed to be moved. It had been centered in the room and I had moved everything over to the corner to create the nook I was longing for.

This house was full of bad fixtures but I didn't just throw things away. I keep parts and make something new out of them. The old hall light was just as hideous but had a nice 4 cluster candelabra center to it. I knew Hobby Lobby had oversized lanterns (candle lanterns) so I went to check it out. I found the shape I wanted and luckily it was on clearance. It was also damaged so I got an even better deal. I ended up paying less than $30 for this big lantern.

The problem with a candle lantern is the solid bottom. But, my Dad loves me and cut it out so I didn't have to.

The stem in the center was too short as well so I had to get a longer piece of copper tubing and rewire the fixture.

I popped the glass back in after it was painted and clear-coated and then it sat in my garage for months while I waited to move electrical box. All of my personal projects were on hold for a while at this point.

I'm in LOVE with this fixture! I had the paint on hand already and most of the electrical parts. with the lantern, a piece of copper pipe, and a new electrical box this fixture came in under $40.

I love the big window overlooking the backyard. I love the light and the colors. I love the bench seat and the wood tones. I love my jadeite green chairs.

The first night the fixture was in place I had to do some sewing for a client. I set up my machine and stepped back for a moment just staring at it again. This corner of my kitchen is everything I wanted for the space. It's my style yes, but the more important things are the moments we have around this table. The children draw ornaments on the chalk tree and after taking a precious picture under the antlers (if you follow peacockdoordesigns on Instagram you'll know what I'm talking about), they have drawn in their own little deer. They put the christmas cards on the burlap board. They both want to sit on the nook banquette. They do homework at this table. They laugh with me at this table - we celebrate so many life moments in this space and that makes it so very precious to me.

The fact that I also think it's beautiful is just icing!

A Room Makeover

One of my absolute favorite people asked me if I could make over her guest room in time for a pre-Thanksgiving guest. Something I haven't talked about much on social media is that this fall was probably the worst health periods of my entire life. From the beginning of August until the beginning of November I was sick almost constantly. Sinus infection, stomach virus, another stomach virus, bronchitis, strep, and then sinus infection and bronchitis again. It was extremely hard to work as much as I was and stay on top of things. But, I knew that this would be an awesome room and great opportunity for me. Plus, I love my Julie!

We all have these rooms in our homes. The rooms where we put all the miscellaneous stuff and then end up not cleaning it out. We all have great plans, but somehow those rooms end up just being the place where we put all of the other bits and pieces that don't go with anything else.

 Here is what we started with:

Something that both Julie and I loved in this space was the vintage painting. We decided to use it as a color starting place.

I wanted a restful cottage space and chose a bright white for the walls and kept the trim the darker shade. I went over one saturday morning and painted the room and then went back and did the second coat that evening.

This was a quick picture I took while the first coat was still drying. Already the bright crisp white makes the space feel so much fresher.

I also was refinishing some antique furniture to use in the space.

The piece above is gorgeous but really ended up being one of the most difficult I've ever refinished.

The piece below is one of my all time favorite styles and the finished product was gorgeous!!!!

Oh how I love this piece!

I went shopping with the painting in mind. You all know by now that if I can make something for a room I prefer to do that and have something custom. But, this was a tight time line and I figured that I could custom purchases to make the space still be a one of a kind room.

First, I framed family pictures for a gallery wall. I wanted the frames to look vintage and feel like they were the original frames for the old family photos.

I also made a little chalkboard for Julie to write their wifi password on for the convenience of their guest.

Next I used in-stock pillow covers. Below is what they looked like before.  

 This is the piece that gave me the most trouble. I actually stripped it completely twice! In the end I sanded it down and layered stains to get the look I wanted. I also painted these little lampshades. Both Julie and I loved the vintage shape with the marble and crystal lamps. I had no time to recover them so I did what I've done in my own home many many times. I sprayed the inside of the shade with a metallic paint. In this case I used chrome. Then I painted the exterior with several layers of watered down chalk paint.

I purchased new bedding, new curtains, bought and installed new curtain rods.

The short dresser works beautifully for a bedside chest.

The gallery wall worked out beautifully and showcases Julie's love of her family.

The bed is just so pretty, and I'm in love with that flower pillow!

You can see below, that I customized the gray pillow covers with pretty crystal buttons

The finished space is so cozy and warm while still being bright and airy. It's the most adorable guest space and I couldn't be more pleased with how it turned out. 

Top to bottom, even with the whirlwind time frame,  I am very proud of this space!

Something I Adore - Paneling

Oh my goodness people. I cannot even explain to you how much I love wood detail in a house. The character brought in by trim and paneling is beyond fabulous. It brings warmth and richness to a space regardless of the color it is painted. 

I could pontificate on trim and moldings for hours…seriously. But today I will focus on just the paneling or wainscoting. Now I understand that paneling had some bad years, the 60’s and 70’s in particular were pretty brutal. The stain choices were awful and faux paneling came into play…rough years indeed. But genuine wood (or even MDF if it’s done properly) paneling with a white wash or a nice paint choice can really just make a room sing.

V-groove or Tongue and Groove is probably the most common paneling around and it makes my heart beat fast. I just love it!!! No one does it as good as Sarah Richardson so here are a few of her really awesome examples of classic v-groove

Horizontal white washed pine

 

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Painted and floor-to-ceiling

 

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Whitewashed perfection

 

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Mixed: Stained ceiling and painted walls.

I just love the mix here. You really just need a hint of the wood tone for it to make a space warm. This feels warm and cozy without feeling claustrophobic. 

 

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Board and Batten is another personal favorite for me and one that I am about to take on for my own home. I love that it can look refined and elegant yet casual all at once. This is a super versatile paneling in my opinion. It’s easy to recreate and looks pretty phenomenal in almost any space. Here are a few examples of this fantastic wall treatment.

 Standard Chair Rail height

 

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Floor-to-ceiling

 

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Squares

 

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 Embellished Square Design

  

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Isn't this red just fabulous??? I love it when people are daring with their color choices! I'm so not that person so I really like seeing it.

Stacked Molding

 

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Trellis Design

 

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Beadboard

This is a very common wainscoting material and even used for a kitchen backsplash and as panel inserts in other types of paneling.

 

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Panel Molding or Picture Frame molding

There are two major types for this molding and then variations on the concept as well. I'll be sharing the two main versions. 

First up is raised panel molding. It has a built up look in the center and is a very traditional look.

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The final type I want to share is recessed panel molding. It obviously has a slight "step down" look to the center of the panel. This is also a very traditional style of paneling.

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I've been working on my house a little bit lately. I have already completed my horizontal plank wall and there are a few more areas that will have other types of paneling treatments as well. I've also painted quite a bit of my family room and breakfast nook paneling. I am looking forward to sharing more pictures of these spaces soon.

What's your favorite paneling?

An Exciting Announcement and Gratefulness

Sometimes truly amazing things happen. 

They can be unexpected or shocking. 

They can be something you’ve dreamed about happening for forever but always seemed to be out of reach.

 Then sometimes these amazing things can happen and be all of those things. This has been a dream for me for years, but always seemed to be far into the future, so when it actually came to fruition it shocked me. I feel humbled and blessed beyond measure right now and am thankful to announce that Peacock Door Designs will be open full time.

FULL TIME! Because of you guys I am getting to do what I love to support me and my kids!

You all have blessed me so much! The demand for my work has gone up tremendously this past year and it finally has gotten to the point where I cannot work outside the home and do the design work of my dreams. It’s a major leap for me and the children, but it feels amazing. So many of you have had me do such fun work, others have just supported me by sharing what I do with others, and so very many have blessed my little family of three with prayer and even gifts. I cannot tell you how much all of those things mean to me – y’all are so wonderful!

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This has been a year of growth for me as a woman, as a mother, and in this crazy job of DIY and decorating and I could not be more appreciative of everyone that has helped this dream become a reality. This decision took so much prayer and discussion to make. My precious little ones sat at the breakfast nook table with me and we talked like grown-ups about all the options before us. My son (10) and daughter (9) talked about what would be best and they were so serious and concerned and had amazing insights, it shocked me to hear what they had to say. In the end all of us were in agreement and it felt so great!

So for now, stay tuned for more decorating, furniture makeovers and restoration, updates to my time capsule house, and DIY goodness!

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 Again, I just want to say a huge thank you to all of you for your support – it really means the world to me and the children.

Rental Part Three - The Kitchen

When I first saw this kitchen I fell for it. Not because of how it looked as it was, but because of how I could see it in my head if a full renovation were to happen. Where it is located in this house it is just prime for an addition and full gut job! It could be a spacious kitchen with a lot of natural light. I'm not the only one that thought that the first time I saw it. As I mentioned when talking about the living room, my father came to help me with this job. When he saw the kitchen he said the same exact phrase, "This is prime for an addition." 

Great minds people, great minds!

But, this wasn't an addition and full gut job kind of project. This was pretty straight forward. Paint it to brighten up the dark space and make it look cleaner and fresher. Embrace the quirks of the dated design, because with paint they look cute and quaint. 

This is a tiny kitchen y'all, but they packed it full of cabinets in 1961! This was an easy job, but very tedious and time consuming.

Before:

The hardware is kind of a gaudy aged brass in the photo above.

It was really just a paint paint paint story. Paint on everything.

 

 

All that hardware was sprayed oil-rubbed bronze. Instead of a before picture, I now have a video of my daughter imitating the tenth Doctor on Doctor Who..."Finger. On. Lips!" in her best British accent of course! It's pretty hysterical really so I can't complain about not having a before picture. Bad day at work: I watch the Duchess be David Tennant and I giggle.

The upper cabinets are two shades lighter than the lower cabinets. I also painted the shutters and sewed new little sheers out of white chiffon for them. This was something that was fairly hideous before and I think it turned out pretty cute.

 

 Someone else came in and sprayed the appliances black to match the fridge and dishwasher and a new vent hood was installed.

 

 There was only one tiny little bit of actual wall in here over the door that leads to the laundry nook.  I painted it in Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Pure White to brighten up the space even more. It worked well. The light fixture in here is extremely dim and I'm sure will be replaced very soon.

 

Never underestimate the power of paint. The space is so much brighter and feels so much bigger. It looks much more crisp and clean. I love how this space turned out.

Next it's back to some furniture makeovers and more exciting news coming up for Peacock Door Designs.