Client Project: Farmhouse Before and Afters

We last showed this client farmhouse project here, but now we're back with a few before and afters!  

Special thanks to our awesome client for sending us these updated photos!  

One of the sad (for us) things about doing E-design is that often our projects are too far away for us to "check-in" on or photograph after.  So when clients send us some after shots, it is a real treat, and we thought you guys might want to see too. 

Here's a before/after comparison of the corner of the living room and front entry.  We suggested new paint colors for the walls and cabinets and outfitted the space with a new layout and pieces for the entry. 

This before/after is of the previously "yet to be determined" corner of the great room when we first saw it, our suggested plans and the final result.  Pretty amazing, right?

And here's one more comparison (because we can't get enough) showing the elevation concept we sent to the clients and the finished result.  

Our clients did an amazing job implementing everything, and we loved seeing our designs come to life!

If we can help you transform your space, contact us here or check out our E-Design page for more information. 

Nguyen Office Part I

The hubby and I have talked for sometime about swapping our daughter’s room and the office. Her room is a finished out attic space. Even though it is decent in size, the ceiling height is low and you literally have to hunch down to get into her closet.

This past week he took some time off and offered to work on swapping the rooms. My husband being a man of action doesn’t spend a lot of time on planning, so I did not have much time to think about what I wanted to do to in the space. 

The room needed a new coat of paint and new baseboards. With just one small window, the room doesn’t have a lot of natural light. Our office furniture is white, so I wanted a bold color in the space for contrast. At first I was thinking of painting an accent wall emerald green but decided on black.

After going through my swatches, I narrowed it down to Black Satin, Baby Seal Black, and Nightfall (all Benjamin Moore colors).

BM Black Satin

Kiki's List

BM Baby Seal Black

Chezerbey

BM Nightfall

Apartment Therapy

In the end, Benjamin Moore Nightfall was the winner. It is a dark graphite with blue undertones and was the lightest out of the three. I went with a an eggshell finish in hopes that it would reflect some light but it ended up being shinier than I hoped. If I could do it again I would go with matte.

This is a hard room to photograph. The dark wall looks darker in person.

I am not going to lie. I was bit worried the black would absorb too much light and make the room look like a crack den but it actually makes the room feel cozy and allows the other colors in the room to pop. It also made the room appear wider as black visually recesses. The room is still a work in progress. I want to bring some natural elements, maybe in the way of a throw rug. Above the desk we plan to install a white floating shelf and black cork board the length of the desk. I also plan to bring in some more lighting among other accessories.

Once the room is finished I'll take better pics to share. Hope you guys have a great week!

Before/After: A Lesson in Paint and Scale by Chango & Co.

Susana Simonpietri, creative director for New York interior design firm Chango & Co., knows how to transform a space.  One thing I love about her company's website is that instead of just showing a portfolio of their work, they also show a great deal of before and after pictures of their projects.  It's here that you can get a true grasp of what a good eye, great scale and great color can do for a space.

Here is one project in particular that is a favorite of mine, a brownstone in Brooklyn's Park Slope neighborhood. 

New paint, furniture and minimal styling update this entry.

It's hard to believe that this is the same size room isn't it?  Those huge mirrors are amazing and define the grandeur of the rooms ceiling height.

Anyone else swooning over that light fixture?

This dining room was updated with some paint, a new light fixture and amazing built-in, another signature element in Chango's designs. 

New wallpaper and mirror and your powder room is transformed.

This master got a makeover with some new trim, paint and large-scaled furniture to fit the room.

I spy another great addition of a built-in.  What family doesn't need more storage?

Here is the other side of the family room, showcasing some more built-ins that look like they should have been there all along.

Last but not least is this adorable nursery.  Look at how different the windows look when they have the right window treatments!

For more before and after photos of their work go here.  And if we can help transform your space from a "blah" before to an amazing after, drop us a line today!

Introducing Rollins

I am still on maternity leave, but I wanted to drop in to introduce you to our newest team member :)

My sweet Rollins McLaughlin Reutter finally made her debut on the morning of October 8th.  She needed a little persuading at first, but then was ready to go!  I went in for my last doctor's appointment when I was 40 weeks, 1 day.  The doctor told me then that I was more than ready (3cm dilated and 80% effaced) if I wanted to be induced.  I've never been a fan of inductions as I've heard so many horror stories, and I always wanted my baby to pick her own birthday.  But Jon was having to head back to work soon, and I wanted as much time with him in the country as I could.  After my doctor reassured me it would be an easy process, we set up a time for me to come in that night at 10pm, October 7th.  

They got me all hooked up to the monitors and informed me that I was actually contracting every 3 minutes.  I had several nights of false labor so I guess I had just become desensitized to most pains.  It made me feel better knowing that she was probably going to pick October 8th as her birthday anyway :)

They started the Pitocin at 11:30pm, broke my water at 6:30am when I was 6cm, and I was ready to push at 8am!  My epidural had mostly worn off by then so it was definitely a different experience than when I had Auden (where I felt nothing, not even pressure down there).  But I didn't have to push near as long, and my recovery after was night and day from last time.  I was thankful to have had wonderful nurses again this time.  My first nurse, who was there with me until about an hour before Rollins was born, had three girls of her own and we learned that her oldest two had the same birthdays as my two girls!  How crazy is that?  She informed me that my next one would be born February 21st (like her third) Haha.  We'll see about that--Jon isn't quite convinced yet :)

Proud daddy and his new baby girl.

Anyway, as I mentioned, Miss Rollins McLaughlin Reutter made her way into the world at 8:26am with a full head of dark hair (Daddy got a mini me this time!), weighing 7 pounds 2 ounces and 20 inches long.  We were all so surprised!  She's been such a sweet, easy (knock on wood) baby so far.

Big sister Auden has taken to her quite well.  The first thing she looks for after waking up is "baby," and she loves giving her hugs and kisses.  I can't wait to see what friends they'll be!

We had our photographer, Jordan Burch, come and take some newborn shots at our home when Rollins was nearly a week old, and I just had to share some favorites with you guys.  I love how she captured my little family and our home.  (A post on the nursery will be coming soon!)

To finish out my pregnancy posts, I thought I'd do a summary from the start.  

How I Broke the News to Jon: I wanted him to COMPLETELY surprised by only knowing there was big news when that news was right in front of his face.  So lucky for me?? the night before I found out, I had dropped my phone in the tub while giving Auden a bath.  I decided to use this to my advantage.  I took a picture of the positive test and kept it up on the screen.  When Jon got home from the gym that day, I told him my phone was "being weird" which he was not at all excited about (as you might expect). "What do you mean??" he said.  "I don't know...the screen keeps doing something funny.  Here take a look" I said as I handed him the phone (with pregnancy test shot on the screen).  He immediately said "Are you serious?? We're having another baby!!" and started jumping up and down.  I think I really got him when he went from mad (about the phone) to ecstatic :)  When I broke the news with Auden, I had to wait 8 LONG HOURS to tell him because he was overseas, and we didn't get to Skype until that night. You know how torturous it is to keep a secret like that to yourself for that long??  I was so glad to get to tell him in person this time and hear his reaction (his roommate was sleeping last time so he had to type his response "NO WAY!  NO WAY!").  

Best Part of the First Trimester: Finding out.  I was just as shocked, surprised and excited to find out the second time as the first.  And of course sharing the wonderful news with everyone else is always fun!  

Worst Part of the First Trimester: The nausea and vomiting. It started earlier this time at 5.5 weeks and lasted longer, until 17 weeks.  These sweet baby girls kick my butt every time.  I always felt the worst at night (my vomiting time) so dinner and bath time with Auden was always a struggle.  Thankfully my in-laws live nearby and were so gracious to help when Jon was away on trips.

First Trimester Food Cravings: Nothing really because of the sickness.  Anything bland.  Plain baked chips, mashed potatoes, etc. I wanted absolutely nothing that tasted remotely sweet--not even sprite. 

Best Part of the Second Trimester: Three things. 1. Finding out the gender! I got to surprise Jon this time!  2. Finally getting over the nausea and feeling like myself again!  3. Our 5-year anniversary trip turned babymoon to Turks and Caicos.

Worst Part of Second Trimester: The nausea that lasted the first few weeks into the 2nd trimester. Other than that, it was great! I had the most energy and felt the most like myself.

Second Trimester Food Cravings: About halfway through the 2nd trimester I started wanting sweets again and Oreo milkshakes were a favorite.  Hot sandwiches were also a big hit--Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki from Subway or a good Philly Cheesesteak!

Best Part of Third Trimester: Finishing up the nursery, our maternity shoot at 37 weeks and eagerly awaiting our sweet girl's arrival.  We all thought she'd be early so each week in the end I thought "Will this be the week?!"

Worst Part of Third Trimester: The waiting game, back aches and labor tricks--I was awoken several nights with intense contractions, but they would go away after a couple of hours.

Third Trimester Food Cravings: Any kind of baked good--brownies, chocolate chip cookies!  Also breakfast foods (even for dinner, which is rare for me), and cheeseburgers!

*All images by Jordan Burch Photography.

Favorite Grayish Blues

Soft blues have the ability to make a space feel tranquil. My favorite soft blues are those that have a grayish undertone. In my opinion, they look more sophisticated than that of a baby blue. Depending on the lighting and the other colors in the room, some may come across more gray or green. With that said, here are my favorite grayish blue paint colors.

Sherwin Williams- Sleepy Blue

Benjamin Moore- Summer Shower

Benjamin Moore- Smoke

Benjamin Moore- Yarmouth Blue

Benjamin Moore- Santorini Blue

 Benjamin Moore- Mount Saint Anne

Mallory's Fall Favorites

It's that time of year again! My favorite time of year...fall!  Although it won't truly feel like fall for awhile around here, I'm still enjoying the crisp mornings (though they may be fleeting), pumpkin sightings and overall slower pace of things (is it just me or does the world seem to slow down a bit when the leaves start to fall?).  

To mark the beginning of the season, I've compiled a few "Fall Favorites" that make this season even better. 

Crushed velvets, cozy wool throws, wood wick candles, warm wood tones, cognac leather and stylish fall apparel...these are a few of my favorite things.

1. pillow // 2. necklace // 3. cheese board // 4. candle // 5. throw //
6. bar stool // 7. blazer // 8. bootie // 9. bench // 10. lamp