Simplicity Interiors in Better Homes & Gardens October Issue!!!

It's finally here... the October issue of Better Homes & Gardens features a kitchen remodel I did in Davidson, NC.  So exciting to see it in a national magazine.  I first saw it on the stands while visiting Toronto last weekend....

It's on page 85-  here is a picture of the first page…

This is the first of 4 projects that will be featured in national magazines over the next 6 months, so stay tuned!

Family Room Transformation

Check out my FB page for my latest client family room makeover:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.505654202847520.1073741832.125075590905385&type=1&l=a167cfd8d8

My Baby is Growing Up :(

It makes me very sad to think my baby girl is growing up.  Although she went into a full size bed quite sometime ago (around 18mos), I kept the green/pink/white color scheme.  But now that she's going to be 4 years old in October and expressing quite an interest in decorating, she has been begging me to paint her room purple.  This is how the room looked as a nursery:

I spent a lot of time measuring out those stripes so when it came time to paint it purple, I decided to keep the wall as a focal point which I thinks still looks cute!

The canopy and the green duvet cover I had when Avery was little so I was able to recycle both of those.  I was also able to keep the curtains I made and simply switched out the ribbon to coordinate with the room.  

  Overall I think it came out very cute and Piper loves it!  Maybe she'll sleep in her room all night now:)

The Many Faces of My Home Office and Dining Room

I'm almost a little bit embarrassed to write this blog.  I myself can't believe how many times the dining and my home office have changed looks in the last 5 years.  Those who know me know that I love to change things in my home- hence my career as an Interior Designer!
So here it goes, see if you can keep up with the many faces of what is now my Home Office space...

When we first purchased the home, this was the dining room (carpet....ewwww).  That was the first thing to go...

This is what it looked like after hardwoods went down and we bought some furniture...

Then I went through a gray and plum phase- hmmmm....

The problem was that I just really didn't like this contemporary dining set, but I kept trying to make it work- here is try #3...

I thought maybe by painting the room yet a 3rd time and disguising the chairs with slipcovers I would like it better, but nope:)... because I finally had to bite the bullet and get what I wanted!...

A table with a more rustic casual feel and mismatched chairs.  The side chairs I found on Craigslist for $60 for all four.  They have cane seats which I love, but wanted to protect so I made cushions.

So while all this transformation was happening in my THEN dining room, the office was across the way going through it's own transformations!... I won't even show you how it looked pre-office, that would really confuse you:)

It was ok, but very boring and very beige.  The desk was temporary - it was actually the coffee table that was in this room and my handyman neighbor helped me add legs on it, then I skirted it.  It served it's purpose for the time being, but of course I was going to change it.  So next phase of this room was this...

Much brighter and a nice crisp look.  I spray painted all the mirrors and the desk was a $25 find that I painted.  But wait, I wasn't happy yet...  I had the grand idea in the middle of the night to completely flip flop my dining and office spaces- so the very next day that's what I did and this is how this space sits now as my dining room...

Alright, now back over to what was my dining room.  This is what the flip looked like...

Not bad... but still not happy, go figure.  Which brings me to two days ago on Friday...  I had my intern Jaklyn help me start organizing.  I was in desperate need of storage and some organization and while I was at it, some color:)  I painted Friday night, hung shelves on Saturday and almost finished organizing today...

There you have it- boy when it's all laid out like this, it seems completely crazy.  But I love the bright cheery colors and considering how much time I spend in here, it better be a happy place.  So here it sits until I get another wild idea to mix it up again:)

The Houzz Community Voted Simplicity Interiors “Best of 2013″ in Both Categories!

Simplicity Interiors of Huntersville, NC Receives

Houzz’s 2013 ‘Best Of Houzz’ Award

Annual Survey and Analysis of 11 Million Monthly Users

 Reveals Top-Rated U.S. Professionals

[CHARLOTTE, NC]  –  January 21, 2013 – Simplicity Interiors of Huntersville, NC has been awarded  “Best Of Houzz” 2013 by Houzz, the leading online platform for residential remodeling and design. Ally Whalen was chosen by the more than 11 million monthly users that comprise the Houzz community.

The Houzz “Best Of Houzz” award for 2013 is given in two categories: Customer Satisfaction and Design. Customer Satisfactionaward winners are based on homeowner members who rated their experience working with remodeling professionals in 12 categories ranging from architects, and interior designers to contractors and other residential remodeling professionals.  Designaward winners’ work was the most popular among the community of 11 million monthly users, also known as “Houzzers,” who saved more than 124 million professional images of home interiors and exteriors to their personal ideabooks via the Houzz site,iPad/iPhone app and Android app.


“Houzz provides homeowners with an in-depth, 360-degree view of building, remodeling and design professionals through images of their work, reviews and an opportunity to interact with them directly in the Houzz community,” said Liza Hausman, vice president of community. “We’re delighted to recognize Ally Whalen among our “Best Of” professionals for design and exceptional customer service as judged by our community of homeowners and design enthusiasts who are actively remodeling and decorating their homes.”

With Houzz, homeowners can identify not only the top-rated professionals like Ally Whalen, but also those whose work matches their own aspirations for their home. Homeowners can also evaluate professionals by contacting them directly on the Houzz platform, asking questions about their work and evaluating their responses to questions from others in the Houzz community.

View Simplicity Interiors Best of Remodeling Photos here:

http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/users/bestofhouzz2013

Simplicity Interiors Houzz profile: http://www.houzz.com/pro/allyrm99/__public

About Houzz

Houzz (www.houzz.com) is a leading online platform for home remodeling, providing inspiration, information, ‘advice and support for homeowners and home improvement professionals through its website and mobile applications. Houzz features the largest residential design database in the world, articles written by design experts, product recommendations, a vibrant community powered by social tools, and information on more than 1.5 million remodeling and design professionals worldwide who can help turn ideas into reality. @houzz_inc

*Less than 3% of the professionals on Houzz receive this award

DIY Framed Bathroom Mirror

I know it has been a long time since I blogged, but I’ve been one busy girl the last few months and with the Holidays, time just got away.  I can’t recall if I posted a picture of my master bathroom after I painted the cabinets a pretty aqua color, but I’ve slowly been making updates without spending a whole lot of money.  This particular project only cost me $51.  I toyed with the idea of completely removing the contractor grade mirror, but I love it’s scale and wanted to reflect as much light as possible seeing it’s not that big of a space.  So the solution… frame it.

Items Needed:

• Tile : I chose ones that were longer and not too wide as I didn’t want to have to replace my light fixtures (just yet!).  Glass tiles would work great too

• Liquid Nail-  or silicone adhesive

• Hot Glue

• Wet Saw-  My neighbor happens to have one, but if you only have a few pieces to cut, you can probably take to Lowes or Home Depot and have them do it for you.

These are the tiles I used:

This is what liquid nail looks like- you will need caulk gun if you go this route. I also used my hot glue gun because I found the hot glue allowed tile to stay in place while liquid nail set up.

Not a whole lot of instructions here- just glue the tile and hold until they stick in place. When you get to corners that’s when you’ll need to measure and use a wet saw if necessary.

Here is the before – (even before I painted cabinets)…

and here is the after:

A very easy do-it yourself project for little money!  Next up… cork floor:)

DIY Unique Apothecary Jars

I love apothecary jars for their many uses- you can always find something to put in one of these great glass jars.  So here is a great way to make it unique and it’s very simple!

Items Needed:

• Plain glass apothecary jar

• Frosted Spray paint

• Sticker letters- found at craft store

• Painters tape

• Paper- used to shield spray paint

This is one of the jars I started with:

and here are the stickers I used- doesn’t matter what color because you just use them as a stencil

I’m not usually a big fan of Valspar wall paint, but their spray paint is pretty good:

Step 1: place stickers in desired position on the jar:

Step 2: Place tape in a straight line above letters and attach to paper- ultimately you are creating a rectangle around the letters

Step 3: Once dry (very important:), you can remove the tape and the letters

Final Result:

Yes, I had one that said “Salts”, but I am so impatient that I removed the letters too early and ruined it:( Anyway, such a cute easy DIY that I had to share. Hope you all enjoyed!

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