Mother's Day is this Sunday, so I've been thinking a lot about Mama Lou. My mom is a world-class cook and a great nurse; sadly, she wasn't blessed with an eye for design. Dad thought he was pretty good at it, and his style informed our family room. Unfortunately, Early American Man Cave isn't exactly a good style to which to aspire. Frankly, it looked like Archie Bunker and Louie De Palma collaborated on the design of our family room.
When they moved, I bought the house. I had a plan. I wanted a beach house. I wanted to walk in and feel like I had just stepped into summer at the beach. Working with the folks at Budget Blinds helped me overcome my genetic shortcomings regarding style.
I'm happy to report, I'm on my way to having the beach house. The dark wood panelling in the family room has been replaced with a Tiffany box blue trimmed with white. The tired, decade old vertical blinds were replaced with gorgeous woven wood shades in with chocolate room darkening liners. The liners really cut the glare on the television screen, while the woven wood warms and adds a natural element to the space. Maybe I'll add some eye candy and layer a billowy sheer drapery over the woven woods to complete the look.
The guest room is as close to done as it gets. I took inspiration from a simple throw pillow I found. I went bold with the accent wall color -- navy blue paint that I swirled on with a sponge to invoke waves. The bedding is striped with shades of navy, lime, unripe lemon and white. I even found a navy blue jewel to accent the ceiling fan pull. The room is waiting for its beautiful LaTour Trilight Shade and maybe a reading chair. But it's comfortable -- really comfortable. It's stocked with all those little things you'd find in your hotel room just in case my guest forgot something.
The best part is my mom loves what I've done; I think she's living vicariously through my design, but she doesn't visit nearly enough!