She works hard for her money!

So hard for it, Honey!

Since I work so hard... I think I deserve a nice space to work, dagnabbit!  And let's be real- I am kind of over my office desk right about now.

I've had this desk since the beginning of time.  Okay, well, at least since the time I started using a desk for homework. {Kindergarten?}   It's done me well and withstood a couple smaller makeovers, and despite my best efforts to make it work, it just doesn't tickle my fancy anymore.

It's gotta go.

Mid Century Addition

Heya Nesters!  I made a little detour on the way home from work last night and trotted over to pick up my newest Craiglist find.  Check out the snapshot that lured me in...

 

Ooolala... pretty enticing, right!?  I'm just pullin' your chain. It looks pretty dated but I had a vision.

Check Out my Chevy!

And by Chevy I mean chevroning, of course!  If your not familiar, Wikipedia describes chevroning as: "The general shape of a V character, or a triangular shape pointing up or more often, down."  

 Well let me tell you... I love me some chevroned stripes!

DIY Project: Nils Stool Ikea Hack

Heya Nesters! Lately, I've been working hard to prepare for today, Matt's 26th birthday, and what do you get for the man that has everything? Ikea stools. Yep! You read right!  You see, he collects Japanese arcade machines that require the player to sit {as opposed to American where you stand generally} and has longed for some replacement stools for the wooden Ikea ones he has now: 

Acting Shadey

Heya Nesters!  Welcome back and let me update you all on the latest and greatest.  I finally headed out to Target to exchange that darn lamp shade that didn't fit and was left as a slightly disgruntled customer. 

Brimfield: Part I- Doppelgangers

Heya Nesters!  Did you all have a good weekend? You bet your bottom dollar that I did, Annie! Matt and I grunted and groaned, waking up with the sun to get ourselves to the Brimfield Fair.  The Brimfield fair is the second largest flea market and antique show in the country located in Western Massachusetts and we're lucky enough to be a short hour long drive away.  I had high hopes and a tight budget in mind but I knew I would pull away with a noggin full of ideas since lots of the antiques would be "out of my league."

Click READ MORE to see all the goods! 

Where Silver Things Are...

Hiya Nesters! After yesterday's post, I got a lot of inquiries about where I put the silver dresser.  I'm so happy you all are so observant!  And today, I've got your answer! 

Click READ MORE to see details....

Switcheroo

Heya Nesters! Today I come to you with a little peek at one of the big "switcheroos" I made in the living room.  I've said before in this post that I really wanted to change things around to make the space more "user friendly."

This is how the picture gallery looked with my silver dresser that is full of art supplies looked as soon as you walked into my apartment.

VEGAS, BABY VEGAS!

As we speak, Matt, his brother and a few buddies are heading out to sunny Las Vegas this weekend for a Bachelor party.

And I knew I was going to miss him, but now that he's actually on his way... I don't know what to do with myself!  My better half is 3,000 miles away!  So, as an homage to the Strip: Take a gander at a few awesome Vegas rentals....

Retro little reading nook overlooking the action! Notice the wet bar within arms reach?  Gin Martini anyone? 

The Barbie Suit! Those white ostrich plumes make me weepy....  Where's my pink Cadillac?!?

Can't you just see the Rat Pack sitting around this private bar in this mid-century inspired suite? 

King Louis XIV could find himself at home in this regal retreat....

There you have it Nesters.  If you've got the big bucks to blow at the craps tables, maybe instead save some of that dough and spend a night at one of these luxurious hotel rooms.  Once you've lived to tell the tale, swing by Temporary Nest and tell us all about it!

A Zen Bedroom

Hey Nesters! Today I've got something a little different for you.  We are venturing from our makeshift nests over to my friends new Birdhouse. (Ok, ok... enough with the analogy...)  My friend and former fellow Nicole Miller intern, Perrine, and her twin sister Phoebe just bought their first condo in San Fransisco.  I was so flattered when she asked me for advice in decorating her new blank slate.  What a better place to be hunting for cool furniture than the heartily-design-infused San Francisco?!  There are cool vintage shops and boutiques on every street corner!!!  I think I just got a little faint thinking about the amount of money I could {and would} spend in that city.

{everywhere you look, there's a heart that's here to hold on to...}

 As soon as she closed on the condo, Perrine picked up Domino, the book by the creators of the home decorating magazine, Domino. It has brilliant photographs and helpful tips on how to best make your home exactly what you envision it to be.

Perrine has specified a few things that she likes and I've started by doing a little googling. The first thing she said was that she wanted it to be serene and calming and the color she wanted to use to achieve that was a light blue. Perfect. And after a few photo exchanges we figured out she likes a more mid century look with clean lines and darker wood stains but also with a hint of romanticism. She's a girl that loves a little bit of over-the-top/glam, so we want a chandelier in there.  {This is one of those things that as a restricted renter, I wish I could do... *sigh*}

This is the first image that really struck a cord with me...

The art depicting the geese flocking overhead felt so peaceful to me and all the different fabrics juxtaposed in one space makes it look so lush.  But Perrine immediately said she wasn't loving the tufted headboard. Not a problem. Wooden headboard it is.

I fear that this might be a bit too classical for Perrine. As we had discussed, dark wood is our target. But the mirror and molding on the soft blue walls and the simple white linens with blue quilt would be a great fit in a her room.

This room has comfortable written all over it! The {what looks like} chenille armchair and the down comforter piled high on the canopy bed looks like a pool full of feathers, that I am ready to jump into like George McDuck! But somehow this is just a bit too New England cottage for what Perrine is looking for. Let the search keep going.

This is it.

The chandelier that is subtle and chic, above the sensational pull-tab dresser that has the perfect darker stain but not too dark to blend in with the hardwood floors. The wall color is the perfect icy blue.  Again the armchairs with throws that are infinitely inviting.  This room has so much light, as does Perrine's and I think we have found our perfect inspirational space to start really working off of.

What do you think, Nesters? What do you want your space to be like? Serene and calming- with hues of blue? Fun and funky- Go ahead and use every color in the rainbow!? Or Sweet and Cozy- pink and white all over! Or what about a forest green- keeping it masculine?  Inquiring minds what to know!

The Hall of Frames Part II

Hey there Nesters! Well, this weekend flew by with some wedding-attendee-madness and I missed you all yesterday! But let me catch you up a little further on what has been going on in my neck of the woods! 

You already saw my workspace on Friday.

My next undertaking was a wall frame collage.  It hangs over a mid-century, vintage dresser that I inherited from my mom.  It was hers when she was a kid and we painted silver when I was in high school.  We were doing DIY projects even then!  Now it is the secret encasing for all my art supplies and it is busting at the seams! 

So, remember this post, when I gushed about my love for this Red Envelope Wall Frame? Well, I didn't quite go that route and hang them from the rod... I decided to go with the independently hanging, asymmetrical frame collage.  I started with an image of my grandfather standing on a table singing and just went from there.

Many people suggest using painters tape to map out how you want your frames to lay before you start banging holes in your wall.  I, on the other hand, did not go that route. I laid out all my images {which were for the most part all black and white images in black frames} on the dresser. I picked and chose and built up and out in a random pattern but so it still looked equally visually weighted. 

I tried to keep in mind the placement of the artifacts that would be housed on top of the dresser as well.  I knew I wanted my Grandmothers milk maid to keep her home on the right hand corner of the dresser, so I left the bottom right corner of the collage a little more empty. 

It's still a work in progress. I'd like it to grow and morph as times goes on. But mostly, I'd love to cover that eyesore or the fuse box that you can see above the bouquet of flowers.  {NB: Best $4 investment from the grocery store ever! There is nothing more homey-feeling than fresh flowers! And they are in a $10 glass pitcher from The Christmas Tree Shop. Did I mention I love bargains?}

Hope you like it! 

Stay tuned for tons of up coming project reveals!

The Green Dahlia

Heya Nesters, I just had to come to you with a quick post of some great furniture I came across on Target.com. I've always got entertaining on the brain, namely: serving people food. So when I stumbled across this gorgeous chair I couldn't help but imagine a whole modern dining room and chic gourmet meal displayed for all to see.

Isn't it breathtaking?  Its called the Dahlia Chair and it will run you around a hundred bucks each and they come in white and black as well. They're super modern but its interesting and feminine and inviting.  Now, to me this screams "head of the table" and you don't want to spoil the special-ocity of this chair so I would only pick up two and then pair them with simple, clean lined and cheap Modern Stacking Chairs.

And get this... they're only $70 a pair! So this can allow you to buy the two head-of-the-table chairs at a little higher price if you can get four additional chairs for only $140. And lets be real... the green Dahlia chair would look phenomenal sat next to either one of these colors. (Espresso or White.)

Now you cant have dining chairs without a table! This is the tough part- the table.  Sometimes pairing modern with more modern can look a liiiiittle wacky....

Interesting....

And sometimes you can get away with pairing it with a really rustic table...

{I am in love with this whole set up}

But I think for these chairs we need something that is classic and modern at the same time.... perhaps something like this...

It has the shape of an old farmhouse table that you would find in so many New England homes with an nod to the wooden Turned-Legged chairs but keeps it ultra modern with the sleek materials that were used. Did you just hear my heart skip a beat? I did.

To finish off the look, add an accent wall of a crazy colored flocked wallpaper to bring in little bit of vintage feel...

Ugh! I would kill for a dining room that I could wallpaper at my liesure! Alas, we are renters so no-can-do. But it was nice to imagine, right?

And to think... this all came from seeing one measly little chair on Target.com....