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This IKEA dresser hack is so easy and perfect for anyone to try! I was looking for a specific type of dresser, but I couldn’t find one within budget. That’s when I decided I would hack an IKEA dresser. It’s amazing how a little decorative moulding, paint and new hardware completely transformed this piece! Here […]

From Our Home to Yours

WElcome to the blog

I started this blog as a place to share DIY's, home finds and home decor inspiration. 

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Welcome to our Tijeras Creek Kitchen Project Reveal! I am so excited to reveal this kitchen to you. When I first decided to start helping people design their dream spaces, I knew one thing for sure…Not only did I want to create beautiful spaces, but I wanted to make sure they were tailored to my client’s needs and lifestyle. That is exactly what we did for the Tijeras Creek kitchen remodel! 

Kitchen Design

Our main goal for this kitchen was to create a space that felt warm and inviting while making the kitchen more functional. We made several modifications to the layout to achieve this. We extended the kitchen by one base and wall cabinet, added an appliance garage, replaced the microwave with a custom hood vent, and added a pull-out trash can.

My favorite decision that we made for this project was to continue the quartz countertop up as the backsplash. It created a seamless transition and elevated the overall aesthetic of the kitchen. 

Kitchen Remodel
Orange County Kitchen Remodel

The addition of the appliance garage creates the cutest moment in this kitchen corner, but also added a lot of functionality to the space. It created a space for more storage and a place for the microwave. 

I’d love to know what your favorite part of this project is! If you’re interested in working to together to design your dream space, check out our Services page. 

Neutral and Organic Bedroom Design
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I’m excited to share some featured collections I’ve been working on for bedroom design and decor ideas!

Bedrooms are some of my favorite spaces to design! Each bedroom collection has been thoughtfully curated and I hope they will inspire you in designing your home. You can shop each design below and by visiting our LTK Shop.

Neutral and Organic Bedroom Design

If you’re interested in working together to create a custom design for your home, I’d love to connect with you. Please visit the ‘Services’ Page and submit a Design Inquiry. I look forward to learning more about your project!

*Please note that we may receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on the affiliate links. These commissions help support the blog and our small business.

Neutral and Organic Bedroom Design
White bed, brown nightstand, black dresser

Also, check out my blog post on nightstand styling tips!

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With Fall approaching soon, I’ve rounded up some of my favorite Fall home décor finds for this season. I lean toward neutral fall decor (no surprise here lol) with some moodier pieces sprinkled throughout. Also, can’t forget the pumpkins!

Fall Decor

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Do you struggle to decorate your bathroom? This post is for you, friend!

If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that I was working on a powder room remodel a few months ago. We’ve since then sold our house, so I hadn’t gotten around to revealing the transformed space. I still wanted to share it with you & this post felt like the perfect place to do it!

The key to decorating your bathroom is to keep it simple! I like to leave plenty of counter space open while adding just a few décor items to make it feel inviting. Keep reading for my best tips on decorating a bathroom!

Powder Bathroom

  1. Replace your regular hand towels with Turkish hand towels

This might seem like a small change, but not only does it make a difference aesthetically, but also to the overall experience of using that bathroom. Turkish towels are much more delicate than regular towels and softer on the skin. A bonus, they also come in fun patterns that can add a designer look to your bathroom!

  1. Use a pretty diffuser

I like to place the diffuser on the back of the toilet or on shelving if the bathroom has it. I usually select a diffuser that doesn’t have an overpowering smell, but just something that adds a light fragrance to the room. Not only will your bathroom look pretty, but it’ll smell good too!

Bathroom Details

  1. Swap out your hardware (towel bar & toilet paper holder)

This is an inexpensive way to give your bathroom a designer look. Bonus points if you can swap out the toilet handle to match the rest of the accessories!

  1. Add a pop of green

In my opinion, greenery can really soften the look of a bathroom. I personally prefer faux greenery, but fresh greenery would be a nice touch too! I make sure that the size of the vase and greenery is appropriate for the size of the vanity. For example, in a master bath with a large countertop area, I would opt for a taller arrangement. Whereas with a smaller sink, I would select a bud vase.

Bathroom Mirror and Pedestal Sink

  1. Don’t forget the wall art!

I never used to put wall art in our bathrooms, but now I can’t do without it! My rule of thumb with wall art for bathrooms is to select a neutral piece. Another tip I like sharing is to match your frames with the accessories in the room. It will make the space feel cohesive!

As always, thanks for stopping by! Happy decorating.

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Neutral Living Room

I’m so excited you’ve landed here because today, I’m officially launching my e-design services! This is something I’ve been considering doing for some time and really got the push when I had the honor of helping a friend design their living room earlier this year.

My passion for interior design began when we purchased our first home a few years ago. We did an extensive renovation, which was completed in a little over 2 years. I learned so much through this experience including how to source materials, how to use interior design software, and how to effectively coordinate and communicate with Contractors. My second passion is helping others, so to me, e-design is the perfect combination of both!

If you have a space that you need help designing, I’d love to connect with you. You can learn more about my services by visiting the Design Services Page.

I look forward to working with you!

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This week I shared that our powder room is getting a full remodel! We made some minor updates to this space when we first purchased our home, but it never felt complete. The room is an interesting shape, so for two years I’ve been trying to figure out what I wanted to do with it, and I’ve finally nailed down the design!

I thought it would be fun to share my plans for the space along with the sources to everything I’ll be using. I’ve also included links to some free art prints that you can use in your home (Scroll to the bottom for the links).

Click here to see what the powder room currently looks like & looked like when we first moved in.

Design Board for bathroom with white sink and wood mirror

My To Do List:

  1. Demo the bathroom

I’m replacing everything except for the toilet…maybe. Once I remove the toilet, I’m going to measure for a new one and if there’s enough space, I’ll order the one I really want! In addition, I’ll be removing the old pedestal sink along with the faucet, taking down the mirror, removing old hardware and taking up the tile floors. Phew! That’s just the demo.

  1. Smooth the walls and install trim

The walls in the powder room have some heavy texture that was necessary after we removed the old wallpaper.  Since I’m going to be adding box trim, I will need to smooth out the walls. This will be my first time doing this, so wish me luck!

  1. Install new tile floors

I’ve decided on a Carrara White Marble Mosaic Tile with Nero Marquina Black Dots. This tile is absolutely stunning! This was a bit of a risky decision because the pattern can look a little busy, but I think it’s exactly what this space needs.

  1. Paint

I’m still deciding on paint color for the trim, but the walls will basically be two colors. One color up to the trim (this will be white) and then a different color from the trim down. I’m debating between a greige or dark green. I’m going for a timeless look, so I think either will look great.

  1. Install toilet, faucet, mirror, new towel bar, and toilet

Finally, it will be time to put it all back together. Installation of these items should be relatively easy, so I anticipate this shouldn’t take too long.

I’m so excited to share the finished project with you all! Below are sources to all the items I will be using.

Sources (These are clickable links):

 

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This IKEA dresser hack is so easy and perfect for anyone to try! I was looking for a specific type of dresser, but I couldn’t find one within budget. That’s when I decided I would hack an IKEA dresser. It’s amazing how a little decorative moulding, paint and new hardware completely transformed this piece!

Black IKEA dresser with gold hardware

Here are the easy steps I took to give this dresser a makeover (scroll to the bottom for a list of materials):

  1. I started by removing the hardware and sanding the entire dresser with 220 grit sanding paper.

I’ve found that when painting laminate furniture, like IKEA pieces, you don’t need to completely sand it down. What’s worked best for me is to sand just enough to roughen it up so the primer & paint will stick!

Brown IKEA dresser

  1. Next, I cut the decorative moulding using a miter box saw.

I used unfinished chair rail to trim out the drawer fronts. I purchased 8’ sticks from Lowe’s, which were relatively inexpensive. I measured 3/4” in from all sides of the drawer and used a speed square to draw straight lines to use as a guide when attaching the trim. For reference, I used this chair rail trim from Lowe’s. It’s 13/32” x 8’.

IKEA dresser drawers

  1. I used Gorilla Glue hot glue sticks to attach the trim.

I used a hot glue gun and Gorilla hot glue sticks to attach the trim. I followed the lines I drew, which made this part simple! I’ve used Gorilla hot glue in the past and it holds up well.

IKEA dresser and girl attaching trim for a DIY

  1. After attaching the trim, I caulked all the way around it.

I almost skipped this step, but I’m so glad I didn’t! Caulking around the trim helps fill in any gaps, which will make a huge difference when painting. This also helps the trim look like it’s always been part of the dresser.

  1. Time to Prime!

When it comes to painting laminate furniture, it can take some trial and error to figure out what works best. I’ve had some practice with other IKEA pieces and I’ve found this primer to be the best. You can purchase it from Amazon if you can’t find it at your local hardware store. What you apply it with is equally as important, so I used paint rollers that are smooth and meant for painting cabinets. I used these exact ones.

  1. Next up is painting. 

My goal for this dresser was to create a timeless look, so of course I had to go with black paint. I used Black Magic by Sherwin Williams in an eggshell finish. I was trying to achieve a matte look while making sure the dresser is easy to clean. I decided against a flat finish because over time, the paint would scuff easily. I applied the paint using the same paint rollers I did for the primer.

  1. New Hardware! 

I chose gold hardware for this piece to give it that timeless feel. Have fun with this part! There are so many options for hardware. I kept it simple with these knobs from Lowe’s.

Black IKEA dresser with gold hardware

Let me know if you try this DIY. I’d love to see photos of your project! You can also read more about this project over on Apartment Therapy! 

List of Materials:

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I love shopping at Nordstrom Rack for clothes, but I recently discovered their amazing home decor section online. They have unique and one of kind home decor. These are my favorite pieces for Spring!

You can shop this post below or by visiting the following link: https://liketk.it/3zeQu

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Small bathrooms can be challenging to decorate, but they don’t have to be! If you’ve been following me on Instagram for a while, you know that we remodeled this bathroom over a year ago. Time flies when you’re having a good time!

This is the guest bath and the bathroom the kiddos share. It’s a small space and can be challenging to decorate. I’ve had some practice since we remodeled and have compiled my top 5 ideas to make small bathrooms both inviting and functional!

This photo shows a bathroom with beadboard, black accents and open shelving

  1. Use a basket/tray on your countertop to keep face towels

Since we lack storage in our small bathroom, having a basket or tray on the countertop creates additional storage for face towels which looks great and is functional at the same time!

  1. Use amber soap/lotion bottles

There’s something about amber bottles that just says luxury to me! They look so pretty, and I use plastic bottles that are easily reusable. I also like using plastic because I don’t have to worry about them breaking as easily. Amazon has some great options, but I like to reuse mine from Murchison-Hume. Their products smell amazing!

This image displays a small bathroom with headboard and black accents

  1. Display art

I like finding inexpensive digital prints on Etsy. This way if they get damaged, they are easily replaced. This is also a budget friendly way to swap out your art as frequently as you’d like.

  1. Get some cutie containers to keep the essentials

I prefer to use clear containers to keep things like q-tips and cotton pads. This makes it easier for guests to find what they need. These don’t have to boring, but make sure they are large enough to fit your items.

  1. Add open shelving above your toilet

This has become a huge trend over the last few years and for good reason! Shelves create much needed additional storage in smaller bathrooms. They’re also really fun to decorate. If you’re working with a tighter budget, you can easily DIY some.

Photo of open shelving in a bathroom

Happy bathroom decorating!

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It can be tricky to decide how to decorate after the Christmas decor has come down. My goal with decorating after the Holidays is to make it warm and inviting, and the kitchen is the perfect space to do this. Here are my favorite ideas to transition your kitchen from Christmas to Winter!

  1. Display fresh fruit

This is such an easy and inexpensive way make your kitchen feel inviting. I like to display oranges on a cake stand, which adds color to our kitchen and makes it look pretty. You could also display lemons and limes.

Pro Tip: Make Pomander Balls using oranges and cloves! Not only will the oranges look great, but they will make your kitchen smell delicious.

  1. Keep the winter greenery

Use your leftover winter greenery to display in your kitchen. I like using cedar and juniper, but you could also use pine, blue spruce, and silver dollar eucalyptus.

Pro Tip: If you want to avoid the mess that comes with fresh winter greenery, opt for faux. It will look just as great, but with less mess!

  1. Add moody still life prints 

I love printing my own art at home. It’s easy to find a variety of art on Etsy that’s reasonably priced. You can search ‘Winter prints’ to find some amazing pieces.

Pro Tip: Use wood toned frames, which will help warm up your kitchen.

  1. Use warm colored kitchen towels

This one makes such a difference! I typically like using light colored kitchen towels, but in the winter months I like mixing it up with some olive or caramel colored towels.

Pro Tip: Shop for kitchen towels early before the holiday season so you can use them through the holidays and into the winter season!

  1. Make some stovetop potpourri

I love me some stovetop potpourri! It is so easy to whip up, makes your home smell great and it’s easily made with ingredients you probably already have.

Pro Tip: Don’t just make stovetop potpourri during the winter, make it year-round to make your home smell amazing.

 Happy Decorating!

Check out my tips on transitioning your fireplace mantel from Christmas to Winter here.