soon to be sofa...

I am sofa shopping for the new house. This is the current 76" sofa in our living room. We bought a shorter sofa to work with our design/furniture arrangement. I have been very happy with it. Great color when you have beige/tan dogs, and the back pillows are easily fluffed back to life after some 30 lb. pups have been sleeping on them!
Another great idea we had when buying this sofa was in the event of a move, it could work in a more formal living space. Well, that's what is happening. This little guy will be living in a formal living room!

For the family room in our next house, we are going for style & comfort!! Charles' only request is for it to be long enough for napping. This one below is from Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams. Christine and I saw it in the Atlanta store, and it is impressive! It is 98" long, and super comfy! The showroom model was slipcovered in an awesome linen. However, this extra long, linen, down filled sofa is a tad out of the alloted budget! So I am moving on....

So, I did drag Charles to Atl for some sofa testing. My main concern is the look and style, but I did want his input on the comfort factor. We hit Crate & Barrel-nothing there for us, then Restoration Style-the only sofa I liked online wasn't in the store, then Pottery Barn. We both really loved the Comfort Square Arm sofa with the box cushions. It definitely passed the comfort test. This sofa is 89" long, and has a very deep seat. We also like the fact that it is slipcovered, and their twill fabrics are machine washable. A very important thing for us with the 2 Whippets. I really do like square arms in general, so this was top of the list for about 2 weeks until.....

I find out that my favorite store in Saint Simons carries a brand called the Best Slipcover Company. Everything is slipcovered, and the big clincher is the fabrics are all washable and fabulous!!! We're not talking about your basic denims and twills, we're talking awesome linens and printed fabrics that I LOVE!!! Then I remember my favorite designer & blogger, Erika, has posted about BSC before. This is her sofa below. It's called the Rachel, and I love it. Style-check, washable linen slipcover-check, good review from a real designer-check!

Now the only question is, will Rachel be long enough? The website has her coming in at 84" wide. That worried me, but I also see that the arms aren't wide so, I called BSC, and happy day, the inside seat width is the same as the Pottery Barn sofa above!!

After obsessing over this sofa for a few days, I remembered seeing one similar.

Same looking sofa, and awesome box pleated skirt. This is from Market on Newcastle in Brunswick, Ga. I loved that store, and I don't think I ever did a post about it. It's crazy that earlier this year, way before the new house/furniture thing was even an idea, I apparently like this style of sofa.

So now I am just waiting on pricing to see if it's going to be a go....Also like the matching club chairs, but that will be another day.

Have a great weekend! We have a full weekend of end of summer parties, and more packing, cleaning, organizing, etc. Oh, and our Comer Jones cottage is now officially under contract! We could not be more happy at the timing of this!

big life in a small town

So, the word is getting out. Charles and I have finally found a new house. I am still not going to share pictures on the blog until it's a done deal! It is very close to our current house. We are very excited, and at the same time, I am a bit overwhelmed when I think of decorating a larger space. Not because it won't be fun, but because the budget will be limited. I look around our house now, and forget there was a time that I didn't love every single thing. I must remember....baby steps. Anyway, the first room in the new house that we will take on is the family room. This will be the only room that is properly done for awhile. :)

Needless to say, I have a folder on my computer with images saved specifically for this new house. Today, I wanted to share some family/living room pictures that get me thinking....

I remember this room below when it came out in Coastal Living. This really shows that a neutral room can still have a pop, or some pizazz! For our family room, I definitely want a large comfy sofa, and a pair of matching club chairs. {Preferably swivel rockers, we are going all out for comfort!}

coastal living via newlywed diaries blog

Not that I am thinking of painting our family room lavender, but I saved this for two reasons. One, for a sectional type sofa, this one is the best I've seen. Two, I kind of like the color palette of lavender, olive, and coral-maybe fun in a bedroom?

via Cottage Living



Another element of our soon to be family room is french doors. We will have two of them. I also have saved rooms to get ideas on window treatments, furniture arrangement, etc. I really like the shutter doors next to the fireplace.

via Cote de Texas blog {the Wheat's}

This room is really more an inspiration for a sunroom. But it also has a mix of different chair styles. It was pretty easy for me to get our current living room together. I didn't buy a living room set! Everything is a different style, and came from a different store. I want to create that same feel, but in a larger room I don't want to have too many different elements to clash. This is the main reason for my saved pictures-to figure out what type/style of furniture pieces to get. {Keep in mind we are mixing a lot of stuff we currently own, I am not starting from scratch in this room-thank goodness for our basement!}

via Colour me Happy blog

This room was featured recently in Coastal Living. It has a lot of elements I really like. Neutral walls, slight coastal theme, french doors, comfortable furniture that blends together well. The coffee table is very similar in size to one we have in the basement. Ours is also painted off white, but is a mix of wicker and bamboo. I love the fact that I can use it again. It really is a large square. And, it's painted so I can change the color as many times as I want! I also like the painted chair in the bottom left corner of the picture. I still have my 2 black rattan chairs, that I still desperately want to paint! At least now I can justify waiting to see where they end up. Maybe in my office...

Waterleaf via Coastal Living

In the following room, I love the bamboo shades mixed with neutral curtains. I am also planning on a seagrass rug. The two club chairs look like some swivel gliders I am considering for the room.

house of turquoise

I like the neutral palette in this one with the pops of color. I am not into red, but would consider coral. This aqua armoire is my favorite piece in the room. Luckily, I have already have some aqua accents, so I am definitely planning on that being in the color scheme.

domicile via simply seleta

In this room, I like the 2 large ottomans covered in a bold fabric. Looks good, and offers extra seating.

via decorpad

More neutral. I like this room, but need more color. I think I saved this one because I love the sofa. Definitely into the linen slip covered look.

via decorpad

This room has been a favorite for a LONG time.

via decorpad

For a minute, we considered having two sofas that match. After much discussion, and measuring, I don't think this will work. Back to sofa and chairs...

via decorpad

Here's a nice room showing tons of seating. I might be heading in this direction-sofa, matching chairs, and a third mismatched chair and ottoman. Yep, I think this room is going to be my formula. Not my colors, but again, looking at the elements. Furniture, french doors, fireplace, layout, etc.
via morning t

This is just crazy, but fun.

mary mcdonald via odi et amo

This one is a bit more county, but I like the mix of colors and painted furniture.

lisa teague via house of turquoise

Another from Cote de Texas. I believe this is a room that Joni helped a client decorate.

via cote de texas

i featured this "riad" fabric awhile back on a textile tuesday. I LOVE LOVE it. Bamboo shades and neutral curtains, check.

via cote de texas

Another room helping me figure out furniture.
via things that inspire

Oh how I wish I had wood plank walls!

southern living

We are not going to have anything like this! I saved this picture for the fabrics and colors. Our current living room is aqua and green. I am leaning toward just the aqua and neutrals in the new family room. Will still work in plenty of green in the rest of the house I am sure.

southern living

Bamboo blinds, curtains, neutral creamy walls {our new walls are already similar to this}
Love the chaise lounge, and have finally figured out that console table is called a "gothic bread table." I need one of those! If you run across one under a grand, give me a shout!

via simply seleta


Good colors, twin club chairs, and seagrass. check, check, check.

via simply seleta

That is all from the vault at this time. As you can tell I will try to turn this old house into a middle Georgia coastal home! I like to call our current home a cottage, so the new one might be called the farmhouse. I'll explain later....

Have a good weekend! I am off to buy a truckload of hay for the boys!

veranda

Magazines are tough to throw away. I do try to thin my collection periodically. It is too sad to throw them away, so I usually pass on to a friend. {Unless I have torn out too many pages for my binder}

One way to keep my abundance of magazines, is to use them as decor. In our living room cabinet, I keep my stack of Veranda magazines. To me, they look nice enough with the wide edge. Anyway, the other night I was flipping through them, and found one of my very favorite rooms. Thought I would share.
This is the cover-October 2007

I do like a mix of colors, but if I had to choose one color to go with white, this bright green is it!

This is one of those spaces that gets me excited, and ready to redecorate something!!

This beautiful room seems like something I can emulate pretty easy.

Bright green has always been my color of choice. When I used to compete show horses, my colors were green and purple, then as I got older, I went to green and black. If there is ever a color choice in something, for me it's green! Doesn't this room just make you happy?

Southern Living Idea House!

Extra, Extra! There is a Southern Living Idea house 30 miles from Griffin, Ga!!! Of course I had to venture over on opening weekend to see for myself.

Senoia is halfwalf between Newnan & Griffin. When Charles and I were dating, I lived in Newnan, and he lived in Griffin. There were many drives through this small town. About the only thing I ever did in Senoia was buy horse feed. There was a small feed store that carried my brand. Anyway, Senoia didn't have too much going on just a few years back. Slowly, but surely, the addition of new restaurants and antique shops starting increasing. Oh yeah, Holberg's Furniture store was already there, that is a great store.


If you can plan a day to visit the new Idea House, plan to spend a few hours in downtown Senoia. Word to the wise, go to the Idea House first. They may give you a coupon to use in the downtown shops and restaurants. Christine and I didn't know that....We ate, shopped, then went to the house. I would fear after touring the awesome digs, that one might overspend at the stores. The designer, Jamie McPherson, said he bought some of the decor and furniture from Senoia's stores to give the house that local flavor. We actually met Jamie, and he was so nice. Jamie owns Hearth & Home Interiors. He was also recently featured in Southern Living.

One of the best things about the Idea House, is the source room. We were able to sign up to have a conmplete source guide mailed to us, but until then, there were some vendors' information in the garage. Jamie used art by local artists throughout the house. The art was one of the things that caught my eye right off the bat. My favorite is Millie Gosch. Check out her fabulous oil paintings.

You can get more info on the Idea House here. There is also a new video Sneak Peek Here!

My pictures are below. They do not allow photos to be taken of the interior. You must go see for yourselves!

Great courtyard area! I would replace these statues with Whippet statues, but that's just me...

Needless to say, I highly recommend spending the 10 bucks to get in...

Bedroom Inspiration & Giveaway!

My previous post featured pics of our master bedroom and bathroom. I forgot to post my inspiration pic, that started it all. This is a tear out from an old Coastal Living. I loved this bedroom so much! I found the same Pottery Barn Riley headboard at the outlet in north Ga. That was the catalyst for the whole thing! This featured room was painted in Ben Moore's Palladian Blue, half formula. Check! So, we do not have room for a sofa in our room, so we went with a church bench, and I still need window coverings. I am thinking white drapes, but trying to stay true to this photo, I kind of like the white roman shades. Anyway, this is what started it all. I did venture off a bit. You can see the club chair on the bottom right. I found that fabric, but instead chose an ikat type look. My lamps were such a steal, that I couldn't turn them down for white ones.

Our room.

So on to my small give-a-way. May 6th was one year to the day that I started my blog in 2009. It has been a fun way to keep my friends and family up to date on the happenings in Griffin. Thanks to all who visit, and I hope you'll continue to come by!

I have been contemplating some changes to tie my blog name into my "Griffin Realty" brand a bit more. Also, to tie into my little booth at the Antique Griffin. Changing a blog name is a big thing, so I am going to think on it awhile longer before making any final decisions...Stay tuned!

With a year under my belt, I think it's time for a little giveaway. It's really nothing huge, but I spotted these cute frames recently, and I thought I would share one!

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment. If you are a follower, tell me in your comment, or to become a new "follower" on the righthand sidebar, you will get 2 entries. To get a 3rd, do a post about this giveaway on your blog if you have one {and leave a comment letting me know you have done so}!

I will pick the winner at random on Monday morning!
{Be sure to leave your email address so I can contact you if you win!}

{Our Cottage} Master Bath & Bedroom

There has been a dry spell here at real estate style. Due to recent events, I had to take a break. I know you are all thinking we must have taken a long, fabulous trip for the Memorial Day weekend. Not at all! I was laid up in the house after having mouth surgery. Terrible, that's all I have to say. Now on to our house. I finally took some pics of our recently painted bedroom and bath. The walls are Benjamin Moore, Palladian Blue, half formula.

We added the bath on our existing screen porch in the spring of 2009. I am so happy with our Mercer Train rack from Pottery Barn. Great when you are short on storage.

The floor was from 12"x12" carerra marble tiles cut in half. I had them laid in a railroad pattern to mimic the subway tiles in the shower. Can I say that I am a HUGE fan of the double towel bar. We got our first one in our other bath, and it really is great. Even if I had a huge bathroom with plenty of wall space, I would still use a double. I think they not only save space, but they look nice. {Even better with clean, folded towels on them}

Please excuse the dirty rugs. Our vanity was custom with the extra tall height. Nice for us folks 5'9" +. The mirror is from Cash Liquidators in Forsyth. {They sell stuff from hotels} I think it was $30. I used the silver rub n' buff stuff because it was gold.

We have been so pleased with the final result in our small 1930's cottage. Going from one full bath to two makes a world of difference. The knee wall in the shower is covered in beadboard. We left the original beadboard ceiling from the porch, so wanted to tie that in.

Now on to the bedroom. The palladian blue walls make me very happy. Also, my headboard was a great find at a Pottery Barn outlet. I believe it's the Riley headboard. The outlets do not sell the slipcovers, so I found a new organic, white, twill one on ebay.

The lamps are a very recent purchase from TjMaxx in Newnan. I prefer not to pay retail for anything... Bedside table on the right is an old family piece, and the other is a table skirted in cheap old muslin. I was so happy to figure out the $3/yard muslin matched the background of my pillow fabric. It came from PJs Fabrics in Albany. I think the name is Marrakesh in Cobblestone.

The duvet was a steal from Overstock.

You may remember the new bench and el cheapo' gallery wall I posted about a few weeks ago. We are loving the bench! Really great for piling up stuff :)

So that's it. I didn't show the wall with our tv and dresser, because I am waiting for a new/used dresser from a friend that I am going to paint white. I also have plans for white cotton curtains. Maybe a seagrass rug too, we'll see!