Chic Cradle Chandeliers

Being a new mom myself, I love nursery design. I have loved designing my little guy's nursery, and I can't wait till I have a little girl to design her nursery too.

One of my favorite trends right now is Nursery Chandeliers. I love the idea of the old-fashioned update to chandeliers, adding them to rooms you wouldn't normally think to put them in. I think they look great in a lot of different places - even master bedrooms!

I love this nursery, and the chandelier makes it very chic.

Something a little more girly - this beautiful flowered chandelier (My favorite):

Or a little more traditional, I like this beautiful crystal chandelier. There are SO many options, and in all price ranges. There is a chandelier to fit any taste - modern, traditional, contemporary, country... It's a great way to dress up any room!

Divine Design

LOVE this dining room, from "Divine Design" (for all your HGTVers). It is beautiful. I love the built in shelfing and storage, the color scheme, the tufted chairs, the beautiful rug and the double chandeliers. This will be the inspiration for my dining room someday!

Want this look for less?

--> Look for a similar rug at HomeGoods

--> Look for similar chairs on Overstock.com

Tufting

Here are some more great pieces that have tufting:

(overstock.com $200)

An oversized headboard is a great way to dress up a large room with tall ceilings.

(more on this to come)....

Contemporary Vintage

I love the vintage look of tufting and funky lines. However, we have come along way since vintage pieces like this:

Tufting has become a beautiful way to make any piece of furniture look timeless and chic. I LOVE this sofa from Macys. It has contemporary lines but a classic look at the same time. It is also a steal at $699 (0n sale).

It would look great with some awesome pillows like these:

*TIP: Take you color inspiration from everywhere! I got my love for orange from these orange shoes:

You can find things all around you to inspire you in your decorating - shoes, clothes, flowers etc.

Ikea Upgrade

Ikea is a great place to find affordable and stylish furniture. They have a lot of variety and even great food to add to the experience! Here are some of my favorite recent finds with a little twist:

This sideboard would look great in a dining room or as a t.v. console. Very sleek, modern and a steal at $249!

I plan on finishing this piece in a shiny lacquer clear finish. It will give it the expensive look with about 1/3 of the price tag. Depending on the finish you buy, you should be able to just overlay the lacquer without sanding (which you wouldn't want to do on particleboard).

They even make lacquer spray-paint these days! Try this:

Rust-Oleum Specialty Lacquer Gloss Clear

This dresser looks pretty plain jane how it is... but by simply switching out the hardware you can totally change the look of any piece. It is only $300 and once you add some awesome hardware it will look like its worth triple that.

Crystal hardware is a great way to get an expensive and vintage look. Knobs like these retail for about $6-8 and can be bought at your local hardware store or online. There are a million options and colors!

Subway Tiles

(white subway tiles)

I love the way subway tiles look in a kitchen. They come in so many different finishes, colors and styles that you could find one to fit anyone's taste. I love that they can have no grout lines (or if you like grout, then of course you could have it). They give a little different look than a mosaic tile backsplash (which I also think are beautiful), and don't break the bank.

I tend to like a mix of modern and traditional design. I love stainless steel, and have fallen in love with stainless steel subway tiles. There are so many different ways to use them:

Or, if you want a little more color - you can get subway tiles in almost any color. I love these light blue ones:

You can find subway tiles at your local hardware store (Home Depot, Lowes etc.) They are not super pricey, and easy to install on your own.

Here is a great tutorial:

http://www.hgtv.com/kitchens/how-to-install-a-tile-backsplash/index.html

**TIP: if you want your subway tiles in an offset pattern, make sure to mark the center of each tile with a ruler before. Then, when you are setting your tile, match the ends of each tile with the center of the one above. This will make sure your back-splash is completely centered and even. Good luck!

Window-Seat

Window-seats are a great way to dress up any room. You can have them custom built into your room, but a much cheaper and easier way is to use cubbie benches under your window and add pillows and a cushion and some baskets.

Measure your window and then search for the right cubbies. I couldn't find one that fit, so we ordered two smaller ones. Its gives a great custom look without the price-tag! Here is our finished product:

Our bench came right up to the window, so we didn't do a cushion. But, you can use any outdoor or indoor bench cushions to dress it up and make it more comfy.

***Tip: Mix up your woods! If you have a white bed or furniture, use light or cherry wood benches. We had a dark bed, so we used white benches to lighten the space up.

***Tip: This is a really cute idea for children's rooms. It is great for the extra storage for toys, books, blankets etc. The low storage is great for kids because they can reach it themselves!

Benches: Overstock.com ($89.99)

Pillows: Pier One Imports

Baskets: Pier One Imports

Silver is the New Black

When I think of chic and eclectic design, I first think of using different surfaces, textures, and kinds of design. One of my favorite ways to do this, is through mirrored furniture. It not only looks beautiful, but it reflects the surfaces around it to add even more texture to a room. Pieces like these are to die for:

These pieces are the perfect addition to any type of room.

While it is BEAUTIFUL, mirrored furniture can be pretty pricey. So, in searching for my own way to incorporate it into my own projects, I came across silver leaf. It is a cheaper alternative to mirrored furniture. However, it was still out of my price range so I kept searching.

I came across this blog post:

http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/2009/12/silver-leaf-dressers.html.

It is an awesome tutorial on how to silver leaf furniture. I am still searching for the perfect piece to try my skills at. Try it and let me know how it goes!

An even cheaper alternative to silver leaf, and a way to get that silver piece in your favorite room is - spray paint! Sounds crazy, I know, but a good can of metallic silver spray paint can give a great, chic look to any piece.

Over the summer, I have been helping my mother redo her bedroom. It has been a fun project. She had this old table from my grandma:

She wanted it to pop a little more between here dark brown chairs - so we tried out the spray paint method. Here are the results:

I think it turned out great, considering we spent $7.00 on the whole project.

Spray paint gives a little different look than silver leaf. You can see the wood-grain through the paint, which actually gave the table a really awesome, crackling paint look.

Here are some tips when you try this at home:

* Sand your piece first! Even just a good sanding with sandpaper will get rid of flaws or dirt.

* Buy METALLIC spray paint. A can of plain silver spray-paint won't give the same sheen as metallic will.

* Make sure you spray outside! Spray-paint gets everywhere!

* Spray every side of your piece. While you may think you will never see the bottom, or inside of your drawers, spraying the entire piece gives it a more finished and professional feel.

* If you don't have a piece already, head to the local D.I. (for all you Utahns) or Good Will and find a cheap, unique piece. It will turn the drab, outdated piece into something beautiful!

Lastly, if mirrored or silver-leaf furniture it too much mirror for you - try incorporating some small accent pieces. They have the same effect as mirrored furniture - they make your space look bigger and reflect all the surfaces of the room! I LOVE these boxes we got for my mother's bedroom.

($20 HomeGoods)