wallpaper borders

nearly all items on the boards come from sources like target, ikea, kirklands, and etsy....
because often it's not a matter of HOW much money you spend, but WHERE and HOW.


if you are getting ready to redecorate a room in your house, and will be spending hundreds or thousands of dollars, it is worth the investment to do some homework:

*look at sites like houzz and pinterest to get a better vision of what you like and want. it is a good idea to have a sense of your style before you begin any redecorating project.

*blogs (like mine!) or copy cat chic can give you ideas for less expensive look-alike alternatives for everything from lighting to sofas. be sure and check them out to see if something that you have your eye on is available somewhere else for less! i have a board on pinterest called "affordable finds" that you may want to take a peek at!

*get familiar with what is available online at big box stores like target, overstock, jcpenny and even walmart. there can be treasures "hidden"in all that STUFF.

*do some preliminary budgeting so that you know what you could end up paying for things.

if all else fails, and you feel overwhelmed, hire a DESIGNER! they can end up saving you a lot of money by coming up with options that fit your budget and can open your eyes to other ways to improve your space!

interested in working together on a space in YOUR house?
contact me at autumnclemons@yahoo.com to schedule a consultation.

a few preliminary design schemes that i pulled together for a nursery (for boy/girl twins!):




any guesses which one the homeowner chose?
which one would you choose?
i'd love the hear....

 i recently completed a full room design for a little man about the same age as my son. as part of the design process, i talked to him and asked him what he liked to do, and what colors he wanted to see in his new room. i was pleasantly surprised at how sophisticated his design sense was! he requested that his room be modern and that it for sure include some green. when i further quizzed him on what shades of green he liked, it wasn't "the hulk" green, like i thought it might be, but more chartreuse.
sign me up! i love yellowy-greens!

i came up with two options for him:

this bathroom remodel is about get underway, and i will make sure my client sends me pictures of the completed room! i am really looking forward to seeing how it all looks once it is pulled together.

well yay for me!
we have been in this house for just over 8 months, and i finally have a few things hung on grady's wall:

exhibit a:
the "g" from print collection that i picked up from the framers last week.


exhibit b:
the rhino head from cardboard safari, hung on top of a picture of grady's 18 month old feet
in the sand. i think every mother has a secret favorite photo of each of their kids...and this is my favorite of my little man. even though it doesn't even show his face, looking at this picture always takes me back to the exact instant that i took this picture on the shores of lake tahoe in 2005. i LOVE that you can see just a peek of his diaper in the picture. yes...he was in a diaper at the beach. totally redneck, i know, but that's the way we roll sometimes.

exhibit c:
i decided to rehang the vintage license plates i had up in his last bedroom. they represent where my husband (alabama), me (i  was born in georgia, but grew up in ohio), and my son (tennessee) are from.
i love using vintage items in kids spaces. i think add a sense of history and charm. plus, vintage stuff is already all dinged up, so when the  kids ding it up even more, it just adds to it's "character".
it's a win win situation.

phew.
i think i am worn out from the hanging of all that STUFF.
i may need to take a 4 or 5 month break before i attempt any other project around my house....yah. that was a joke, but it will probably become a reality.
happy weekend friends!

to see the design board for grady's room, and a few pictures of his room-in-progress click here.

when i finally get some stuff up on the walls, i will take a picture to share!
to see sources for the above items, click here.

here is the originally design board for the bathroom:
and finally, a detail of the painted stripes for the bathroom wall.


isn't it fun to see the design boards and then see the translation of those ideas in a REAL room?
i think so.....i LOVE what i do!

in honor of presidents day, i wanted to share a design plan that i completed for a pre-teen boy who loves
baseball, collecting coins, and all things related to the president of the united states.
his room was part of a new addition to the house, and was a clean slate for me and my client to create a space for a growing boy to not only sleep, but socialize with friends, study and hone his collecting skills.

even though we are living in a rental house, one thing i really wanted to change about grady's room
was the existing ceiling fan. it was SO unattractive, and not fitting for a kids space.
i wanted something with a little more personality. i know--MORE personality than a ceiling fan? not hard to do, right?
since most of the items in his room have a traditional feel to them, i wanted
a light fixture that was a little more modern and whimsical.
my little man LOVES legos, and in particular, star wars legos. so, when i spotted the
orbit chandelier from z gallerie, i knew i had found the perfect light for his room.

this past weekend, i picked it up at the store, brought it home and begged my husband to install it:
grady's eyes lit up when the last bulb was in place, and when we flicked on the switch,
he grinned from ear to ear, and said "it looks like like an exploding death star!"

what a BOY.
:)
and, on a side note--i finally hung one thing on the wall...the cork board map!
yay!