BSHT Summer Blogger Home Tour

How crazy am I to sign up for The White Buffalo Styling Co.’s Summer Blogger Stylin’ Home Tour on moving day? Ummmm, very; and I’m really hoping this post doesn’t turn out to be a dud because there is a lot of blank slate below compared to all the other homes on the tour. The only pieces I’ve hauled over in Layla (the lifted vintage monster truck) are my most favorite pieces. The pieces that are most precious to me.

Even though the new house is fairly empty and unfinished, I thought I could take you through what I’ve done and what might be happening soon. Hopefully you’ll also have some ideas, input, inspo, or thoughts on certain rooms that you can share in the comment section, cuz opinions and ideas are always welcome here. Oh, and don’t leave here without jumping over to the killer giveaway happening with Tuft & Needle. It’s your chance to win a queen sized mattress, and it’s gonna end soon. Enter here. Don’t worry, I’ll wait for you.

If you saw yesterday’s Snapchats (HouseOf Hipsters), then you know my photobooth got hauled out of the basement and into the new digs. That booth is a beastly old girl, and she put up a fight…god bless the guys from A&A Studios. There were moments that we thought it was mission impossible, but as I’m writing this, I’m sitting here in my kitchen listening it hum. It’s running. It’s working. It’s in. Phew! One less thing to worry about…trust me, that booth has been a stress factory for the old noggin’. I’m glad that part of the move is done.

MORE AFTER THE JUMP…

When we bought the old house, I had just been introduced to Emily Henderson’s show Secrets From A Stylist. Obsessed with mid-century modern decor, I had a guide to teach me how to style this eclectic look and where to find vintage pieces. 6-7 years ago, MCM was way more difficult to find.

But this new house felt different. There were no screams for clean lines. It’s a colonial style home, and as I walked through the front door she whispered to me, “I may be traditional, but I want to be vintage modern and glam.” What I’ve been leaning towards is a bit more hollywood regency meets farmhouse chic meets mid century boho. Is that even a thing? Now that I’ve written it out, I think I sound neurotic.

Oddly, the first room I decided to tackle was the formal dining room. I’ve never had one before, nor had I ever designed one, so this was a fun room to tackle. With a little help from my friends South Loop Loft and The Savoy Flea, the dining room is now the gem of the house, and I’m not sure how any other room could possibly look prettier. You can read more about the design process here. It’s far from completion, but I’m loving everything thus far.

If you’re interested, the lighting can be found here, and here’s an instant collection of vintage brass candlesticks.

Next room up is the front living room. I’m teaming up with Decorist again and getting ready for another DesignOff with my girl Jojotastic. Be on the look out, cuz there’s tons of inspo on this to come. The space will be the room for morning coffee and evening chit chat. A room with no TV or distractions. What you see here below may stay??? Or it may all go??? It’s as much of a mystery to me too. I can’t wait to see what Ashley Redmond has in store for me. And don’t worry, I’ll be sharing the mood boards with you.

That big brass pendant light in the foyer is from The Beau Ideal, and I adore it so.  The striped rug in the background is from Etsy and you can find a similar one here.  The pink and navy rug is vintage, but I managed to find a similar one here. And I’m always asked about the Franco Albini rattan ottoman. It’s vintage as well, but they tend to pop up on Etsy as well. I found a couple here and here.

Throw  |  Plant  |   Pillow   |  Jute Rug  |  Brass Side Table

These two side tables were some of the first pieces in the house. If one could marry tables, I’d totally get hitched to this greek key goodness.

And then there is the brass sarreid style chest dilemma. This one was supposed to be all brass, but upon opening the package…womp, womp…silver drawers. So I bought a new one at the flea and posted it to Snapchat. An instant debate started. The world is torn between the two. For right now, the mixed metals is staying put.

Lamp (on sale)  |  Vase

The main room off the kitchen will be the TV room. This is the room that sold me on the house. Seriously, I mean come on. Those built-ins are like a stylist playground begging to be zhushed.

Basket  |  Accordian Vase (similar)   |   Large Planter   |   Shady Disco Lady 

And zhushed they have been. So much so, that The Boy is ready to host an intervention. He estimates that I’ve spent 50+ hours on perfecting this shelving. He’s probably right. My fingers are bleeding as prove. During the latest trip to Randolph Street Market I was all about decorating these suckas. Vases, lights, baskets, glass knots, heads…you know, the important things you need to stock up on when uprooting your entire family. I know where my priorities lie.

Brass Task Lamp  |  White Vases  |  Tall White Vase 

The kitchen was gutted and made over by the previous owners. There’s a lot that I would have done differently, but I really can’t argue with a white kitchen. I added a white tulip table and mixed in some vintage chairs and this rug. The lighting is not staying though. What cha thinking? Any ideas? Got a secret brass beauty you wanna share?

Tulip Table  |  Rug  |  Artwork

And of course I have the bar cart all set up; however, no booze…it’s still packed in a box. Whoopsies. But it sure does look purdy.

Shall we head up stairs? This is where things get pretty bare and blank slate-ish.

The French doors lead to what used to be the master, but the former owners added an addition for a new master. Does that make sense, or did I lose you? Anyhoo, my office at the old house was in the basement. I made the best out of it with the One Room Challenge design last fall; however, this time I’m the big winner of “Offices That Rock”. The new space has natural light for days and those doors are what dreams are made of. Clutch the pearls.

This vintage brass bench was also scored from Randolph Street Market a couple weekends ago and sits at the end of the hallway. If you were watching my Instagram, you know I asked what should be hung above it. Juju hats and mirrors and abstract art oh my! SOOOOOOO many good ideas! Have any more you want to shout out?

I didn’t take photos of the new master bedroom. Mainly because at the moment, it’s just a boring white room with windows, but, I did snap a couple pictures of the master bath. It was so not love at first sight. I called it the room of opulence. A hot mess of pillars and dark wood and travertine awfulness. Insert emoji monkey covering it’s eyes. But Marianne from The Savoy Flea stopped by and suggested we paint the dark wood white. She’s a magical unicorn. Shazam! What a difference some paint makes eh?

The new brassy hardware is on its way, and the sconces need to be replaced…someday…when I can afford to shop again. The azilal rug was purchased here.

The pillars and yuck seem to just fade away. A room I hated transformed into a pretty spectacular, clean, white space. A special shoutout to Thomas Paint. If you live in the Chicagoland area and are looking for a painter who knows what he’s doing? This is your guy. Trust me.

That’s about it for upstairs, so how ’bout we head outside? This is pretty magical. I teamed up with World Market for a DesignOff with Jojotastic to create this space and am super jazzed with the end result.

The blue bisto chairs are oh so francais. They make me want to drink wine, wear bright red lipstick and big sunnies.

Chairs (on sale)  |  Umbrella (on sale)  |  Glasses  |  Moroccan Lanterns  

I’m totally digging the subtle boho vibe that is going on out here. Plus the pops of pink on the navy are making my heart sing.

Hurricane Vase  |  Flameless Candles  |  Placemats, Napkins, & Runner  |  Tray  |  Small Tea Light Holder

Want to see more of the outdoor space, deets on the DesignOff, and how it was created? Check it out here. Now, before The Boy has figured out I’ve gone missing and am found hiding in a closet, messing around with my bloggery buddies, I best get back to work. I’ve got tons of vintage treasures to unpack and zhush. But before you jet and stop screwing around at work, go check out the other bloggers participating in this blogger home tour! I’ve listed them all below. Each and every home is killer. My jaw has dropped over and over and over again! And a huge thank you to Lindsey at The White Buffalo Styling Co. for organizing this parade of homes. You rock girl!

Monday:
The White Buffalo Styling Co.
Cuckoo for Design
Bliss at Home
Eclectically Vintage
Dimples and Tangles
A Designer at Home
Claire Brody
Julie Blanner

Tuesday:
Nesting with Grace
Place of My Taste
Our Storied Home
The Chronicles of Home
Life on Virginia Street
Simple Stylings
Restless Arrow

Wednesday:
Inspired by Charm
Hunted Interior
Sarah M. Dorsey
Primitive & Proper
Swoon Worthy
HI Sugarplum
Brittany Makes
Burlap & Lace

Thursday:
My Sweet Savannah
Jennifer Rizzo
Circa ‘34
StyleMutt Home
SG Style
Bright Green Door
A Creative Day Blog

Friday:
Craftberry Bush
The House of Silver Lining
The Makerista
withHEART
The Wicker House
My Fabuless Life
Iron & Twine
House of Hipsters