Adding architectural interest to a basic 'box' room

Hey guys! Last week I revealed our Spring/Summer bedroom makeover which included a handful of DIY projects I promised to come back and share. The room-refresh kicked off with this tufted bench makeover, and today I'm going to show you how easy it is to hang art with chunky 3/8" sisal rope.

Our master bedroom

Rope hung art

There is nothing architecturally interesting about our bedroom; it's a square box. Totally fine! But, I wanted to add some unexpected height on the bed side to give that wall more visual substance and make it a real focal point of the room. At first I had the art pieces sitting on the floating bedside tables. That wasn't doing anything helpful. Then I hung them a few inches above the floating tables. Still, something was missing. So, I went out to Home Depot and bought a cord of sisal rope for $5 and had a little fun!

After playing with a few different options, I decided on this criss-cross. Ready to have your mind blown? I didn't actually hang the art by the rope! I tied two pieces of sisal rope onto two hooks I hung close to our ceiling, crossed them, and anchored the bottoms with wall staples I hammered into the wall. Then I hammered a nail right in the middle of the two pieces of rope, and hung the art on the nail.

Super easy! (Fun fact: my grandma painted the 'Jars in a row' piece shown above!) There are SO many fun options for adding a little height to a room and tricking the eye to make a room appear taller. I really like how this simple criss-crossing sisal rope not only does that but also creates a bit of architectural interest in our otherwise square box room.

Tomorrow Cate will be guest posting some unique ideas for storing and displaying jewelry. I've had some sneak peeks and let me tell ya, you won't want to miss it!

Thank you for stopping by!

~Chelsea

This post was published under Chelsea's Garage, now affectionately known as StyleMutt.

Peek-A-Week #4 AND change of plans!!!

Hi All! Cate and I have some super duper important news to share with you, (and we'd love it if you passed this along)! Rather than haul all of our gorgeous, impeccable, one of a kind pieces across town to the flea market, we are going to stay right here on June 7 and open our door to you!!!

That's right; the Fairfax Lake Park Flea Market is OUT, and Chelsea's Garage's garage is IN! Simply stated, we'll have lots more to offer if we just stay right here where we are with no room constraints in our vehicles and designated 10x10 ft space.

This will happen to be Chelsea's Garage's FIFTH sale and I could not be more excited! Here's a peek at the first four:

I'm the most excited I've ever been for this one in particular. Why? One word. Cate. This will be the first Chelsea's Garage sale where Cate will be selling her own stunning pieces as well, so it'll be an extra special, extra fun time. And as always, refreshments will be served to any and all guests who come out to take a looksie.

Event Details:
--Saturday, June 7
--Door opens at precisely 9am and closes when we're out of pieces, (or 3pm. Whichever happens first)
--Contact me at chelseasgarage@gmail.com so I can send you the address
--At sale #4 there were cars parked in front of our house an hour and a half early. This is a smart choice.

Pieces go fast in the first hour, so try to get there by 9am if possible. If you don't believe me, I snapped this picture as our door was opening at the last sale.

:)

In keeping with the Peek-A-Week series where I was showing you one piece a week which would be at the flea market, I'll just continue on with a peek of something you'll find in Chelsea's Garage's garage, (that's more fun to say than you're probably thinking). This week I've got these two campaign style buddies showing off their versatility:

Side-by-side they'd make a great little media unit, dresser, or sofa table

Stacked they're perfect for a taller dresser, office, or living room space to create differing height.

Or let them anchor a living room by flanking a sofa or pair of armchairs.

So don't forget, the party is HERE on June 7! Trust me, we have a good time. 

Thank you so much for stopping by!

~Chelsea

This post was published under Chelsea's Garage, now affectionately known as StyleMutt.

Spring fresh bedroom {Master bedroom update}

Hi friends! Sometimes the most impactful improvements to a room can be made using simple supplies and items from elsewhere in the home, (as demonstrated yesterday with our new and improved guest nook). This point is further made in our refreshed bedroom and I feel a renewed sense of peace and calm in our quiet little 'sanctuary'. Our bedroom wasn't begging for improvement, but it felt tired and over reaching for a direction that it just wasn't hitting. It's a new season, in so many ways, so I just thought "why not?!" and decided to go for it. :)

Here's a flashback of our bedroom before, (in a hand-picked grey that turned out quite baby blue):

The white paint came out last week. I rolled our walls in the same Ultra Pure White by Behr that's on every other wall in our house, (except for the littles' rooms). I always love a fresh white canvas to begin with. It's my favorite starting point, (which I wish I had known about myself before we painted over the builder grade yellow in a dusty blue which was supposed to look grey).

Other changes: I reattached our headboard. Did I ever tell you that my great-great grandmother and great-uncle were actually BORN in this bed? Incredible isn't it?! I also replaced the lamps with gold spray-painted clip-on task lights. One less pillow on the bed. Lighter throw blanket. Art flanking the bed. There's more, let's move on. :)

Coming up I'm gonna show you how easy it is to hang art with this sissal rope. I LOVE the height and interest it adds to the wall without being in-your-face. Just love it.

And something awesome happened to our leaning shelves, too. We're gonna be hitting that soon as well.

That tall leaning panel I found at the Luckett's Spring Market last year got a new coat of paint, (custom aqua using Duck Egg and Old White by Annie Sloan Chalk Paint). The chair seat got a fresh white cover using the same white denim I used for the bench at the foot of the bed.

This hits the mark. As I mentioned, toning down the colors to a calming white canvas, and then  incorporating smaller doses of color and natural elements is my personal winning look. It's what my eyes are drawn to and when I feel the most relaxed. What about you? What design elements are you the most drawn to in a room?

Thank you for stopping by! And don't forget to pay Cate and me a visit at our ridiculously awesome garage sale happening on SATURDAY, JUNE 7! 9am-3pm, unique refinished pieces, refreshments available, awesome people. Contact me for the address - located in Herndon, VA!

Happy weekend, friends!

~Chelsea

This post was published under Chelsea's Garage, now affectionately known as StyleMutt.