DECOR

ANOTHER CLASSIC ANIMAL PRINTY CHRISTMAS !

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      I totally love anything jacquard and ornate, but animal print is on my heart! Therefore, no matter how much I try to change, a tiny bit of animal print still sneaks back into my life!

     Traditionally, every Thanksgiving night, I love to be home and gather my Christmas decorations and have it all up that night.


     

     That being said, when I went to buy ribbon to decorate my new Christmas tree, of course it took me all of 10 seconds to fall in love and decide on a pretty animal print ribbon!


     

     I also purchased a small gold tree for $18 from the dollar store and it was pre lit as well, so I put that one in the home office, and yes, with animal print ribbons as well! It sits on a table and can be seen out the front window so that is sort of my easy way of decorating the outside of the house!

   Thanks so much for taking the time to look at my fun animal print Christmas tree and I would love for you to email me and share pictures of your Christmas ideas (sds@luxorlivingandstyle.com) or share your comments and ideas below!

-November 28, 2012

–SDS

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GUEST BEDROOM RE-VAMP

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     Forcing myself to get this bedroom painted was very, very hard.    I do not love the furniture in this room, therefore I do not love the room.  (There is another set of furniture that I want moved to this room which is better, prettier, more wonderful…but someone has an emotional attachment to the not so wonderful set, so here it sits. For now.

     Finally realizing that I was only hurting myself by allowing the abandoned bedroom to sit, with unpainted walls and no care…I broke down and gave it a little love.

     I’ve got to show the before picture. Although I tried to fill it up and hang something here or there, it just really was still a heartless box.


For the spare room, I finally decided on the same color, Molasses, which I used in the home office which is just down the hall.  I figured this made for some continuity. (See Home Office Re-Vamp Post.)

   I added a couple of animal print hat boxes that I’d already had to store items in my closet, and the molasses wall paint really seemed to add a wonderful backdrop to showcase the various items and artwork I’d already had on display.


     Most everything means something.   My love of birds, I suppose was inherited from my mom, and most bird things here had been hers.  Porcelain birds are very “old lady” of that I am aware, but I love them!


     The tiny porcelain bell was a gift from my mom when I was about 10 years old.  I figured that since it was technically a guest room…it might be a nice touch! A service bell…get it?


I had a spare curtain, so decided to make headboard canopy out of it for fun.


     

     This chair is extremely comfortable and I’d been deciding on what to reupholster him with, but now he blends so much better!

     The animal print stool was a gift from a friend last Christmas and I thought a fun touch!


    The dresser is littered with more porcelain birds, pictures, a box of photo albums and a heavy iron cross that I have not yet decided where it will go. 

     

 I probably will add a shelf somewhere in the future to put these birds on.


     So this was my quick spare bedroom re-vamp which I feel connects the room to the rest of the house and helps the flow!


     Up next, the star attraction…the Master Bedroom Re-Vamp !  It’s never been upgraded because I forced myself to save that for last after completing the rest.  We decided on a color scheme last night so hopefully it will be completed by the end of December if not sooner, which was my initial goal!

     Let me know what you think or send in your re-vamps!

-November 15, 2012

–SDS

down the hall.  I fig
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Home Office ReVamp

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    ….and then there was the “home office” room to contend with.

     This room has some walls that are 12 feet high, was all white, has an inversion table in it (which is one of those things you hang upside down like a bat on, in order to stretch out your spine and muscles.)  This belongs to the athlete in the house and will not be going anywhere, period.  The room also comes with some very dated off white leather sofas which I do not like. At all. Period.  Additionally, there is a computer workstation to deal with.  

      Unfortunately my husband loves the sofas so in light of all the other changes I’ve made…this  sofa debate will just have to wait, so I had to work with it.  Here is  a  photo of the room after I’d already added the framed lion print, end table, coffee table and lamps, but before actually beginning the painting process.   You can see that even with adding pieces, the room is still “blah.” 

decor, home decor, home office, revamp home office, animal print decor, Luxor Living      This  room totally changes with paint to accent the 12 foot ceilings and wall nook .  I chose black again, as the accent wall in the nooked area, for drama and depth, yet a different color than the living room  for the other walls to add a touch of variety, yet still flows with the rest of the home.  

     I would normally never place a sofa in front of a window however, in this case, I am dealing with one entire wall taken up with a huge TV(another debate) as well as the conversion table contraption so I am having to do the best I can to fix up the man cave.

     This room flows now with the rest of the house and it’s functional and cozy.  He likes the warm, manly colors and doesn’t mind the dark brown and black animal print window swag or pillow!  


     The colors I used here were “Francesca” by Martha Stewart  for the black  and “Molasses” by Eddie Bauer Home. The goal was to use serious paint colors in order to compensate for the unstructured, bright creme leather set.  (Did I mention yet that I  do not care for these???)  A side note would be that if you’ve never picked out paint colors…it’s very hard.  It never looks  the same as the tiny swatch, so if you don’t trust yourself, just use one of the recommended design colors at the paint center you go to.  Each brand  has interior design cards in different hues, that mix and match great interior colors and give you good ideas.   

     Again, these colors throughout this house are masculine and warm, which will go great with dark wood flooring which I plan to have installed in the future, which will look expensive and be highly durable as well which is important since the long term plan is to turn this home into another rental property.                                   

 The next two rooms will be great fun,and include a total master bedroom overhaul !

-September 29,2012

–SDS

…..
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LIVING ROOM ReVamp CONTINUED

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    Finally, here we have the rest of the “Living Room Re-Vamp.”  This was a hard room in so many ways!  First of all, it’s small. Second,  I had hell getting my husband to agree to get rid of his white pimp sectional, and third…there is not one “solid” wall.  Each wall has either windows, archways or doorways which causes complications.

     The black accent wall in the living room, continues into the kitchen and wraps around behind the divider archways.  This was intentionally done to join the rooms visually as well as highlight the archways more.

     The bar area opening is used as a shelf with candles and  a silver mirrored photo arrangement. Bar stool would have taken up too much room .

     The mirror over the fireplace adds drama and it’s a family heirloom which I love.  Candles lining the mantle add to my fun “Gothic Latin Romance” theme.  The fireplace actually has candles in it as well.  They provide ambiance when lit and are low maintenance.

     This end table is perfect for the small room.  I can not stand to see TV remote controls lined up or thrown around, so I used this brass dish to store remotes as out of site as possible. 

                                                                                                 These 30 year old brass wall plates are 35 inches each from top to bottom and make a statement against the black accent wall.

Black cross embellished candles

in iron wall sconces add to the drama and theme. 

 I’ve yet to attack the TV situation (that is a delicate issue with men)  so for now, I will move forward to the next room…the home office!

Coming soon…”Home Office Re-Vamp”…this will be a challenge!

-September 23, 2012

–SDS

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LIVING ROOM REVAMP

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     All I can say is “UGH” to the way it looked before! When I moved in, all white walls, white-ish furniture, and one tan wall.

     When I first met my husband, after seeing his house, I ran away for about 4 or 5 months.  He traveled a lot for work, and the house seemed so cold and sterile that it appeared to be a home that nobody really lived in.  I assumed he had a wife and family in another state!  Even the pantry was so organized, that I got sort of freaked out because it reminded me of the Julia Roberts  “Sleeping With the Enemy” movie.

     While I love to be organized, it doesn’t freak me out if things get a bit out of whack, and I am able to prioritize and let things go.  If getting to work on time, means I can’t make the bed one morning or get the clothes out of the dryer and put them up, then so be it. My universe will not spin out of control. So there are differences between myself and the man I married.

     Ok, but back to the house.  It was just white and simple and not one thing was on the wall, and that’s the sort of thing that kills my soul! Here’s the “before” shot …

…and as you can tell, I’ve already added a few wall accessories, which had to be done delicately due to the fact that my husband thought his world was perfect already the way it was…blank, empty and without a soul.  There was some good architecture, but it wasn’t being enhanced with paint, so one wall or archway blended into the next.

      Now, the tiny entry way to the front door is accented with the same color as the guest bathroom and the paint contrast helped to enhance the archway as well.


     I prefer to be surrounded by things I love, colors, prints…things that are an extension of me, as opposed to being surrounded by nothing stimulating. 

            It’s not all about looks either.  There is a photo from  the 1940’s of my Granny standing in front of a old classic car, an old metal lantern that had belonged to my mom as a little girl, and a lot of books that were gifts, and well, more crystal.


This is a fabulous piece that I love, because it was from the house I grew up in.  It has great detail as well as storage!

     

     My challenges were trying to make a home my own, yet keep it a little manly, for him.  I have coined this look “Latin Goth” due to a lot of crosses and iron, mixed with darker hues and drama! (Ken is Latin and he supplies the drama!)

(Living Room Re-Vamp…to be continued) 

-September 12, 2012. 

–SDS

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DINING ROOM ReVamp

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animal print curtains

      The terrible thing about the dining room re-vamp, is that I don’t have adequate “before” shots! Ugh!  

     So, I can only say is that before I moved in, the walls were white, the armoire was not there and the curtains were plain black.

     The white blinds are not my first choice, but they were already there so I am using warmer colors to try and help myself forget they are there.  A cherry wood would have been my choice!

     The paint color is “Twilight Jungle” by Valspar, which connects to the black wall stemming from the kitchen area. I’ve decided to make the Twilight jungle the “base” color for the rest of the home, adding in accent wall colors here and there.

     The armoire is important, because it brings some dark wood into the room, which pull in the neighboring living room and because it is actually my home office!

     It opens up and is a wonderful little nook that is hidden when the doors are shut.


     I used the top of it to store expensive  lead crystal and a few decorative pieces that had belonged to my mother, such as some porcelain figurines that my mom purchased 30 years ago.  I never liked them, but now they have a spot and they remind me of her.  The vases used to be gray, so I painted them gold years ago, and now white, so that way, I still have them as heirlooms but they blend in as well. 

      Being high up, the nice pieces are still displayed without any chance of being broken. By everything being white and crystal, it creates an artistic blend that doesn’t take away, but adds class to the room.

     The knobs on the armoire were cheap looking, so I went purchased new glass ones for $24.00 at Lowe’s which adds to the look.


     The animal wall sconces appear gothic and serious along the black wall.

     The curtains needed to match throughout the dining to living area, to help connect the two small rooms and make appear as one large, open area. With that in mind, I’d had these shear animal print curtains left from moving out of my own home, and decided to use them as opposed to purchasing new.

     The vase on the dining table was a wedding gift from a person I love, so I chose to use it as a dramatic centerpiece with a feather accented arrangement to stay with the fun animal mode.

     So, again, while I have no proper “before picture” of the dining area, I do have this one of my babies, and you can see the white, sparse dining area in the background. (Yes, very professional.)  Below it,  is the “new”, warmer, cozier version!

     What’s next? The living room re-vamp coming soon!

September 8, 2012

–SDS

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