My first blog

It's been a year now (and 189 posts)since I started writing Pure Style Home. (I'm not good with anniversaries, so it's a week or 2 late.) But I thought it would be fun to share with you my first post, which I called my first "blog" at the time. I really don't even remember why I started writing... I guess stumbled across a blog (I can't remember which) & have always loved writing so I just decided to start writing, never thinking anyone but my grandmother & mother-in-law would ever read it.



We were living in my parents' basement at the time, having just sold our own townhome for a huge loss and at first I didn't share this with readers. (Well I really didn't have any readers to share it with... but at the point when no one's reading, you just sort of pretend you are writing for people ;) Anyway, I was embarrassed that we lived in my parents' basement until one day it just hit me that life happens. People do what they have to do to get places and we were living in a basement so we could get a new house. I shared it with readers and got some amazing support and advice.



I think it was then that I really opened up on my blog and realized how kind & caring you all were. It's been an awesome experience and I've made so many friends here. I've learned so much & many of you have influenced my style along the way. I feel like I've met a few mentors (I don't think they know it ;) and I've found that in general, the people of blogworld are generous, caring & open about sharing knowledge & ideas. It's a wonderful community & I'm so glad to have joined. One of my very first commenters was the lovely Camila of High-Heeled Foot in the Door & she really explained to me how things were done and has been there for me ever since.



I've gained a lot of confidence from writing this blog & having others believe in me... My business has come a long way in just one short year and I owe much of it to this blog & readers. (I hope to be thinking the same thing next year! :) Thank you so much for reading and here is my very first post... (bear with it! ;)





--------------------------OCTOBER 7, 2008---9:44 AM----------------





(A room in progress... a lake house for my dad I'm currently working on just to give you an idea of my work.)





So here I am, writing my first blog. Hmmm... I'm not really even quite sure what a blog is so here goes. First, I should say that there will probably be lots of typos & I apologize.



Here's a bit about me: I'm a 26 year old wife, mom & interior designer. My husband's a high school English teacher & the most involved dad ever. He's always doing those random sweet things & in general, just makes my life better & easier.



On that note- the easy life. The simple life. I guess that's what I wanted this blog to be about. I try to impart the "pure style" philosophy into every aspect of life. It's taking pleasure in the little things & simplifying your life... making it beautiful. Home is really important to me. I believe the way we design our homes really determines how our life is going to play out in that house. Does your house make you smile when you walk in the door or does it make you cringe? Is your home pretty & organized & easy to live in or full of mess & clutter & unfinished tasks?

Photo by Trio Giovan from Cottage Living

I think when our homes are set up so we can live easily in them, we have more time to be with the people we love & to do the things we really care about. If we surround ourselves in an environment that relaxes us & works with us, we'll be happier.



Now, I am the definition of a "mess." When my husband & I first met in college & I was struggling to pull out my dining card from my super-packed & unorganized wallet, he handed the dining guy his card & had him swipe it for me and shook his head at me, "You're such a mess." I was shocked. I had never really thought of myself that way- I always wanted to be one of those really composed-looking people. You know- they have a little clutches & always look good- hair in place, makeup, great clothes. I call them "groomers" because as I've gotten older, I've realized it doesn't come naturally. Yes, the tendency to groom may come naturally, but the grooming itself, they have to work at it. They have to "groom." (And I'm not talking about those really naturally beautiful people. Beautiful people can be groomers or normal people.) I want to be one of them.

clutch by fredala

But my husband (actually, "Guy I'd just met in Creative Writing Class" at the time) made me realize what I truly was. An organized mess. A mess trying not to be a mess. Because I loved organization & cleaning out other people's junk drawers & rearranging their rooms. I could always find something eventually. Everything did have a place even if it wasn't always in its place. I realized I'm one of those people who naturally inflicts chaos into a room- I try on a bunch of clothes & throw them all on the chair when I'm finished. I work really hard to get something in working order & then I go & screw it all up!



It was good to face reality. Once I realized that I was truly a mess & couldn't change my innate habits, I became much more organized & life became simpler. I started thinking in terms of my handicap: "Because I'm such a mess, I always lose my car keys, so I need a place to put them." And Voila! I stopped losing my cars keys! (Most of the time.) And the trick to putting the clothes back in the closet lies in having a closet with extra space (empty hangers!) so it's not such a daunting task to try to fit the clothes back in. (This means constantly clearing out the stuff I don't wear & switching out my wardrobes seasonally because I unfortunately don't have a large closet.)

Photo from canada.com

I remember my best friend had been asked about her toothpaste tube on a job interview & of course she answered with what they were looking for: "When I'm finished using it, I flatten out the bottom part & fold it." That little toothpaste analogy really rings true with me- I forget about the toothpaste tube for a few days & then when it startes to get really gooped at the bottom & wrinkled & messed up, I fix it.



And I realized that this is how I handle a lot of aspects of my life. So I started putting little "spillovers" or "boobytraps" into the way I organize my life. The huge bottom drawer in my closet (an elfa drawer cart) has become the spot where I toss the things I have worn or tried on that aren't dirty. When it starts to get really full, then I empty it & start over. When my wallet starts to feel full, it gets cleaned out. (Would you believe it's actually a little clutch that my mom gave me that gets thrown into whatever bag I need for the day- diaper bag, work bag, pretty purse, etc.) So I've gotten to know myself & I now have little systems set into place to keep my messes at bay.

I see I'm rambling. I'll just really quickly say that I have an adorable one year-old & having him has, of course, really changed so much in our lives, but we really try to stay the same. He's such a flexible, sweet little guy & the 3 of us have so much fun together. But our time is so insanely valuable now. We've found the only way to keep things good is to become more scheduled- even going as far as to scheduling in "nothing to do" time.



I'm passionate about what I do- decorating & designing homes- & really think that it spills over into every aspect of life. The only way for us to keep things running long smoothly is to keep things simple, beautiful, organized and fun.



For now, I think the purpose of this blog is to write about trying to have that "pure style home" & being real about who we are to get that home. Putting booby traps in our organizational planning to stop fighting how we really live. And beautiful things, of course. (Not necessarily expensive, because I love a good thrift-store find. But right & easy & very "you.")

$15 chandelier I found at a thrift store: I painted it in a silverleaf & strung it with crystals found online. (I repaint it whenever a new mood strikes me- it's white now but I think it'll be going black for Halloween!)

-----------------------------------THE END ------



So that was it! haha my first post! As you can see, I wasn't even really sure what a blog was at the time. My blog has evolved with me & as time went on, I gained the confidence to share some of my work & own home with you all. I must say though, I still agree: Simple - Happy - Beautiful --- is what a home should be. We can all get our homes there & have fun in the process and that's what I've tried to make this blog about: sometimes you'll see organizational posts (simple), sometimes you'll see cheesy personal posts with my family (happy) and other times you'll see design-related posts (Beautiful) but I always try to keep the idea of living this way in mind when I post. I share our often unglamorous & (sometimes unsuccessful!!) DIY projects to show how crazy it can be to get to "simple" and "beautiful" but also to show how "happy" and fun (albeit exhausting) getting there can be.



Anyway, thanks everyone so much for reading and bearing with me. You're the best & I can't tell you how happy hearing from you all makes me. Hope you enjoyed this little trip down memory lane...



xoxo,

lauren

The Appliance Saga Continues...

So, I called the company that I bought the liquid stainless from --they were really nice & even offered to send me my money back--- to find out what product we'd need to get the paint off of our stove. (If you didn't read yesterday's post & are unsure of what the "appliance saga" is, you can read about it here. )




Here's the "painted stainless steel stove" above. It doesn't look as terrible in photos but in person it looked totally, well, painted. Anyway, they recommended a product, CitriSolve and we got it at Home Depot and my poor husband went to work undoing what I'd had him do the day before. (He really puts up with me. )

After letting it sit for 30 mins, he scrubbed it and was able to prettty much just wipe & scrub all the paint off. (Which took a couple of hours.) The only problem is that since it took so long to come off, the solvent was left on for too long and took off some of the stove's white factory finish on the bottom handle. (I'm more than okay with this because I'm just so happy to have it back white.. we'll just touch that up with white appliance paint.)

And here is is this morning: brighter & whiter than it's been in a long time! (It really got a good scrubbing ;)


It's not too too terribly far off from the Big Chill vintage reproduction stove (below). Does anyone know if there are replacement handles you can have put on your stove that might look a bit more vintage? (I feel like that's what's mostly keeping mine from being attractive.)

as far as the fridge is concerned, many of you suggested I cover it in chalkboard paint & Linda from Lime in the Coconut sold me on this image:

Thanks so much everyone!! When Dave was at Home Depot picking up the paint stripper, he also picked up some black chalboard paint. It won't help in lightening back up my kitchen, but at least it will be a fun & easy alternative to the fake stainless. We'll keep it until we can afford this:

Or this I love too: Anyway, thanks everyone so much for your suggestions & thoughts. I have to admit I am a stainless steel lover (finger prints and all- I think it's beautiful) but taught myself the lesson that it's not always right for a space. I was so excited to hear so many of you say how you loved your white appliances! Will be posting soon on the chalkboard fridge!!!

xoxo,

lauren

ps- my dishwasher (a dying old thing that's really more like a dish "disinfector" because you have to clean everything before you put it in) is going back to the same gray-green as the cabinets again... It honestly didn't bother me when it was green so back it goes!

Stainless Steel Appliance Paint... or How I Ruined My Kitchen

There will be no pretty "after" pictures in this post. I seriously ruined my kitchen today. Wanting stainless steel appliances and loathing my "bisque" fridge and dishwasher, I started researching cheaper options. I got SO excited when I read about the product, a "liquid" stainless steel! (I haven't listed the brand because I don't want to put a company down or cause it to lose any business, but if you really are interested in the product, you can email me and I can give you more details.) I thought: at least I should give this stuff a try for $50 before buying new appliances. Well, I bought it and here's what I got:

It actually looks better in the above pic than it does in person. It looks more like this:

It's really dark and looks just like what it is: painted appliances. I really fell for the photos on the website. To be fair, I'm sure they applied it much better than we did and so the appliances pictured probably look much better, but I really should have known better. I think it's a great idea and it really might be for some people, but it's not for me. I'm actually embarrassed of my kitchen now.

Coming home tonight (we were out waiting for it to dry) and seeing my kitchen "finished" I wanted to cry. hahha I know how stupid that sounds but it's my favorite spot in our house and now all I see are these fake-fake-fake appliances!!!!! They used to just sort of recede... I forgot about them knowing one day we'd replace them... now they're so in my face I can't stand it!! (Before I thought, "it's got to be better than bisque".. well it's not. at all.)

BUT, I have found a little silver lining. Even though the finish looks terrible, I'm able to envision my kitchen with stainless steel appliances and I'm not sure if that's what I want any more.

I know it's pretty much standard in beautiful kitchens but I'm not so sure how well it will work in mine to get the feeling I'm after. I love all my white beadboard on the walls and the fridge in stainless really makes it feel smaller and interrupts the beadboard. (pic above before, when range was white.) I'm considering a new or craigslist white fridge to replace my bisque-turned-fake-stainless one... which, in the end will be much cheaper than all stainless appliances. Now I'm leaning more towards something like this:

I know "real" stainless reflects much more light than my fake painted stuff and so in that way, it will be lighter & maybe not interrupt the flow as much... but still.. white is now calling to me. After doing a little research, I've decided my "dream fridge" is one of these vintage reproduction fridges by Big Chill....

Oh my goodness how I want one....

And how perfect would the matching stove be?!!!

Ok, so anyone have any other ideas??? I've got to do something!!!! (I'm attempting to scrape off the stainless paint from the range tomorrow... the fridge isn't worth saving..)

xoxo,
lauren

Front Door Makeover

Here's our sad little front entry when we bought the house:

We've been those neighbors that move into a neighborhood and have JUNK out all the time because our house has been undergoing so many renovations: demo stuff from the basement, carpet remnants, yard debris, and just trash... I've had paint samples along the side of the house for a few months and I've been feeling so embarrassed!! I always joke that I need to put a big sign in my yard : "MUST SEE INSIDE!" hahaha Anyway, we're finally getting somewhere with the outside & I thought I'd share. Dave painted it a warm deep gray (pulled from some of the stones) and we went with a warm white trim. (It used to be this yucky beigey-nude color.) We added in a ton of shrubs & plants but it's still not enough (There were only 2 dying bushes in front of my house when we moved in.) so we have plans to add more in as soon as we can afford it. Anyway, here is again before:

And here is is now:

I thought the crazy orange door would be temporary for the Fall (yes, we have our cheesey Halloween stuff out now!! :) but I'm kind of loving it. I pulled the orange from some of the stones that are orange. (Same ones from the family room, remember?) and as crazy as it is, I think it actually works and it may stay for a little longer. (Will have to say what Maria of Colour Me Happy thinks!!) Coming home to it makes me happy. Here's a close-up of my vintage Halloween sign:

And my really cheesey "stone" crow I found at Michael's. hee hee I'm giving him a coat of black paint to, hopefully to look more like iron...

Also let me clarify in case you're wondering what's gotten into me: I love tasteful Fall decorations but for the 2 weeks before Halloween I think (especially having kids & a Halloween party) that more is more!! I like to try to stay a little vintage but I can't help falling for real-looking skeletons & ghosts. I COVET this ghost ring from Grandinroad (below) HOW COOL IS THAT?!!! SO SPOOKY!!! i'm going to try to make my own for our Hallween Party... IN the clearing in the woods in our back yard....

OK, sorry, now back to the entry. Anyway, we hung the caged outdoor hanging lantern (around $200) that echoes the one in the interior entry and found the welcome mat with a similar pattern at Ikea. My Boston Fern is now outside because I couldn't handle him inside. (He was way too messy and it's so sad that even watering and misting wouldn't keep him happy!!) I repainted the house numbers in black (all crossed out for safety purposes) and have plans to add the metal lion door knocker that I've had for years.

Will show more pics of the front of the house soon! Have a great weekend & happy almost Halloween!!! Mu-hu-hahahahahah ;) ;)

xoxo,

lauren

Door color: Behr's 'Maple Leaf' (#250D-6)

Siding Color: Ralph Lauren 'Master Room" done in Behr exterior flat paint

Trim Color: Behr's 'Cotton Whisper' (#W-F-300)

The Beauty of Pesto

I know I mostly write about design-related things, but this is also a place where I collect inspiration about the simple & beautiful things in life. The little things that make us happy... And not very much makes me much happier than good food. One of my favorite things to do in the late Summer & Fall is to make pesto. (image above from greenbabyguide.com) We had SO MUCH basil this year. (I pretty much managed to kill or seriously distress everything else we planted besides the basil.)

It's grown as tall as Christian! I took these photos about a month ago with full intentions of posting them sooner, so you'll notice that things look a bit warmer & greener than they are these days. My little assistant was wonderful and I'd highly recommend one for basil-picking:

He even came with his own bucket! Along with good food, I love spending time outside with my family. Christian & I had so much fun checking out all the final flowers in the yard as we snapped up our basil:

My "weeds" have ended up being some of my favorite flowers, like the Rose of Sharon that pops up everywhere. (And I can't kill them- yay!!! I'm honestly so terrible with plants that even my mint doesn't look so hot.)

And will this honeysuckle never stop?!!! We still have some blooms even in October! (Not that I'm complaining :)

We caught a shot of this little butterfly (or pretty moth? I'm no biologist.) on some sedum...

And these purple flowers just popped up (requiring no love) and made me really happy:

Ok, so back to the basil...

Once it was all collected in the bucket...

... And we had mounds of it...

We cut & washed it in my Grandma's collander. I pulled the chair up to the sink for Christian and he was just so excited to help.

And I broke out the blender:

Here's my Basic Ingredient List in case you don't already have one:

-Olive Oil--> and I'm not picky about very many things but olive oil is one of them... I used to be "Lauren Maestranzi" remember? ;) We always use Filippo Berio ( & love it when you can get it in the big can) and I'd say it's the most authentic "gorcery store" olive oil you can get. If they don't have it, then go with Bertoli. (and I don't go extra virgin with my pesto either.)

-Fresh Basil

-Pine Nuts

-Shredded Parmesan Cheese

-Fresh Minced Garlic (lots!)

-Salt & Pepper

-Italian Parsley

Yummy add-ons:

-Lemon juice

-Feta

-Spinach

-Olives

(I haven't listed any amounts on here because I just usually eye it. You can make it thicker by using less oil and more pesto & cheese or you can stretch it with extra oil. It's totally up to you. (I usually use just enough olive oil to get my blender to blend.) Anyway, then just blend it all up and remember at the end to salt to taste. Now put it on something yummy like pasta (loving tri-color in my pesto lately) and/or grilled chicken or even spread it on some french bread with some shredded parm melted on top in the oven.

I usually make it in huge batches and separate it out into smaller batches to freeze for easy stress-free meals later on. (Now that's simple beauty ;) (image from icookpasta.com)

I think we all know that in reality, not every meal can be lovingly prepared and/ or planned and homemade -at least not in my reality- but it really is nice to squeeze in these special meals where you have fun with your family preparing them. Some music, a nice glass of wine, or letting little ones help and make messes... I love it when meal prep can be fun: it's one of those things that needs to happen almost every night so why not make the best out of it? Even eating can be simple happy & beautiful.

xoxo,

lauren

Just One Kitchen... A Learning Experience

We can learn so much from dissecting rooms & spaces. It's one of the things that I love most about blogging: when you have to verbalize something, you end up forming opinions & making insights you may not have if you hadn't tried to explain it writing to others. I thought I'd share a photo of one of my favorite kitchens from Southern Accents. The owners designed the entire kitchen around the 18oos 17 foot L-shaped oak table from France. Now I know most of us don't have the space or luxury of designing a kitchen around a 17 foot antique table, but we can dream, can't we? (And learn from it!!)

What I'm loving in this space is:

1) The juxtaposition of old & new (antique table vs. modern cabinets) (farmhouse sinks vs. contemporary range hood)...

2) The windows!!!! -- Although they look like steel, they're actually custom wooden windows painted to look like steels. (Steel windows are SO on my list for my house one day!) How amazing would it be to have a wall of windows instead of upper cabinets?!! (Unfortunately I don't think we'd ever have the storage space for this, and quite frankly, we'd be staring out at our neighbor's house anyway.)

3) The mix of materials: travertine, marble, stainless steel, iron, and wood aged to perfection... People always ask about mixing metals and I say "go for it" (as long as you do it thoughtfully.) This kitchen is the perfect example of how it can make a space really special. It makes a home feal more "real"/ less model home/ cataloggy.

4) Old World light fixtures: They fooled us again! These chandeliers look antique but were actually custom made by a blacksmith! (eeeek on the wallet!) Light fixtures are key to making a space amazing. I especially love vintage & antique fixtures because they add so much character & age to a new kitchen like this one.

5) And finally, what amazes me most about this room is how light & airy it feels, yet cozy at the same time. I think that's a feat in and of itself. I'm DESPERATELY trying to achieve this in my own home because I really do just want both!

I think the important thing in looking at rooms we love that we want to emulate, is that we figure out how to make it work for our personal application. This kitchen above is massive... Not very normal. But how can we apply the principles used in creating this beautiful space to our own homes? Pretty easily. Just break down each element.

I know most of you are as design-obessed as I am (and probably do this already in your own blogs & at home) but I also know some of you are looking for some tips & tricks to get your home just right.

Lots of times we love rooms because of the overall feeling or atmosphere so it really helps to break them down. If you have photos of rooms you love, just figure out what you love about each space and write it down. 1-2-3, a-b-c. And then the most important part is to apply it to your space. Figure out how you can achieve each element in your own space. (maybe on a smaller scale or with different materials, get creative so you're not copying and it's personal to you, etc.) Write down an example next to each element. It really helps!!

xoxo,

lauren

The Fall Purge

Now's the time for getting rid of the clutter!! If you don't have a Fall clean-up in your neightborhood, set a deadline for yourself & do your own "Fall Cleanup." (image above from www.treelink.org)

The first thing is to get all of the "total junk" (or trash) out of your house & take it to the curb or dump. We did this this weekend & it feels SO good!! (The people left a shed full of junk here for us when we bought the house last Spring.)

As you're switching over your clothes from Summer to Winter/ Fall, go through each & every closet & drawer in your house. If you haven't worn something in the past year, decide whether to: give it away, throw it away (if you think no one would want it) or consign it.

Comb through your storage areas looking for items you or your kids may have outgrown or you no longer need/ want: old toys, ratty sheets & towels, bad decor purchases, non-working tools, etc. Finally, organize the wajeebies out of everything you're keeping so next season's organizing is easier.

*images from Real Simple

So go ahead, if you haven't already, begin THE PURGE. It's time and you'll feel so much better. I know I do!

xoxo,

lauren