My Master Sweet...

For todays post I am going to share some before and afters of my new master suite.  Just in case you've been wondering about my sporatic blogging this fall ... wonder no more.

My lately weekend life

I not only moved my business to Charlottetown but I moved too.  From my house to a condo the same week as I was moving the shop/business (call me crazy).  The totally ironic thing about the above image is that all those boxes are stacked in my "old master bedroom" ready to be moved. 

My condo key

Giving me a fresh new start and an amazing decorating opportunity to put my stamp on this brand new empty space! 

This was my new master bedroom, a totally blank slate.  Hmmm .... need to fill with furniture/make pretty.  I have a nice bed and other stuff but my old place had a dressing room with built in closets.  There was no need for a dresser.  In this new place I needed one.  I sensed a DIY project about to happen as my budget was quickly diminishing ...

Enter the antique sideboard I spied at a local second hand shop.  It had great potential, nice curvy lines, plenty of storage and it was in good shape.  It needed a facelift for sure but at $250 I was sold.  

And so ... with Anita's seal of approval (she had to check it out before I bought it) and with Ashley's help (muscles) we dragged it to my storage room at the new condo and had a painting party.

I even ponied up and bought us huge coffees to keep us going ... however... what really got us into it was good music and...

A supply of cold Coors Light, sometimes cold beer just makes everything seem easier.  Wine does too:)

Here's my painting partner and fellow shopgirl Ashley, removing all the old hardware.  She's a trooper!  I'm in the background sanding the dresser in preparation for priming and taking endless pictures.

1 hour later we had the entire dresser sanded and then painted inside and out with a grey primer.

The huge top drawer

No surface was spared as I wanted it to be clean and fresh inside and out.  In fact, after the dresser was completely painted I lined the inside of all of the drawers with white felt. 

After letting the primer cure for 24hrs it was on to the finish colour. 

I chose semi-gloss black for the finish.  Tip - semi gloss is the perfect paint for furniture finishes.  I forgot to mention I could have had it sprayed but at $275 (OMG really?) I declined and decided (budget again) to tackle the project myself with Ashley's help.

Just for fun I thought I would share what my first few nights looked like.  I call it  "college dorm room chic" bed on floor.  Not really chic at all!!! But functional and hey, I had a bed and bedding. 

Enter my finished master suite... 2 months later... done just in time for some Christmas touches.

My colour scheme is white, taupe, black, brown, blue, and cream accented with hot pink.  I like mixing it up... with all my favorite colours. 

I had to have this patterned ottoman from my shop, Moving Designz Home & Cottage.  I've been in love with it for while now.  Accenting my room with hot pink? 

It's a decidedly feminine (princess) room, not hard to tell I'm a single gal.  I don't quite think I could get away with this room otherwise :)  But hey, it's mine so why not?  At least until Prince Charming comes along :)

Table to the left...

Table to the right... with white feather wreath above the bed.  Now that was a great find!

A close up of my bedside table with the lovely carnations(they like last forever) and vase full of pink and silver Christmas bling.

Before view



And my DIY dresser project, here it is with the addition of crystal knob hardware from the shop.  It's the perfect fit!  Total cost with paint and hardware - $475.00.  I still want to add drapes but they will have to wait until the new year.  At least I have real blinds now :)  A fab chandelier would be heavenly too!  Unfortunately there is no electrical outlet for one... drag. 

One last look at the before and after.

I love my "princess" room and sometimes I have to pinch myself to make sure this is real... Bed, bedding, tables, ottoman, accessories, artwork - Moving Designz Home & Cottage. 

Sneak Peek of my livingroom... a white tree for me.

I'll be posting on the rest of my condo next weekend. 

Thanks for reading.  Have a great weekend!

Susan

The Condo Project

For today's post I'm going to share a few photos of my condo project as seen through the lens of professional lifestyle photographer Katelyn Fraser. 

Last Friday she took the pictures and on Tuesday I received this series of sneak peek of the images that are being used in promotional material.  She's one very talented gal, see her work at http://www.katelynfraserphoto.com/ 

I think they look fantastic and I can't wait to see how she photographed the entire rooms.  I will have more images of the completed project to share with you early next week. 

Here are a few images of Moving Designz Home & Cottage this week as we head into the holiday season.  Anita, Ashley, Kelly and Trish have it looking so pretty this year in our new space. 

(photo by Susan Snow)

The shop is all decked out with pretty Christmas decorating ideas, bright cheerful displays and fabulous gifts.

I'm loving the Tiffany blue theme this year and planning on a silver,white and blue Christmas theme for my home too :)  The chairs in this picture just arrived late last week.  They are small scale in a soft green colour with lovely button tufting. 

Pretty little gift ideas and stocking stuffers.

I love fresh green for Christmas. 

Some lovely ideas using glass vessels in traditional red.  Note Mr Penguin... my love of adorable penguins continues this Christmas season too!!!  Everyone seems to love them, I think there are only 2 or 3 left in the shop.

Our store hours are extended this holiday season

 Thursday and Friday nights open 10am-7pm.

Thanks for reading.  Have a great weekend!

Susan

Rooms that make me go hmmm...

I finally figured out the art of adding images to my blog. And it wasn't that hard I was just doing it the wrong way. I'll call it a blonde moment. Add pictures first, then add text, presto to a colourful blog. So from here on in I hope you will find my blog post much more interesting. I love looking at images of beautiful rooms. Today's posting is all about the bedroom, afterall we spend a great part of our lives sleeping and why not do it in style? I feel bedrooms should be private sanctuaries and these are some of the best designs I've seen.

These are rooms I just love and are easily achievable. And for me the best part of it is all of these rooms contain product, furniture and accessories that we carry or can order at Moving Designz.
























Room 1. I'm calling this one upholstered chic. At the store our bedroom vignette is almost exactly like this room. If you like this room stop in for the button tufted headboard which we carry and can have custom made for you in numerous beautiful fabric choices. The glass side table and the crystal table lamp are very similar to products we carry. The lamp has proven to be a best seller for us, it's simple and beautiful.




















Room 2. Doesn't this room invoke feelings of a coastal hideway bedroom? I love it. Note how simple the mantle arrangement is. This image has me wondering what is outside the french doors. I'll assume it's a beautiful deck and a stunning view to the sea.

























Room 3. Another great example of light and airy done to perfection. It's the simplicity of the room that really gets me here. The all white palette is hot hot hot and a definite design do. Add some hits of colour on the bedding and voila, simple chic. Having the all white background makes this room the perfect backdrop to any number of your favorite colour combinations that you may choose to change from season to season. I could envision changing out the quilt for a faux fur throw and changing the bolster to a sumptious velvet for a cosy, warm winter feel. The chandelier here is simply amazing. We have a new line of light fixtures and if you like this one, talk to us about ordering a similar one for you.


























Room 4. For those of you who love neutral this is builders beige done right. The wall colour could be Benjamin Moore Monterey Tan or Butter Cream. The contrast of the dark wood tones and the frames on the artwork really make this room feel indulgent and rich. Again we see that the bedding is kept light and the colour is added with the use of throw pillows and tailored bedshams.



























Room 5. Talk about focal point. Don't you just love the mirror over the bed. I ordered several of these from The Gift Show, they should be arriving later in the month. Aged gold is a really hot finish right now. As is the circular starburst motif. The pale walls, bedding and then the richness of the bed frame are all in stark contract with the walls. Over and over again we see pale bedding contrasted with pretty throw pillows.


























Room 6. In this room we are seeing the poster bed again which is another hot look. The quilted bedding is another product we carry if this look is something you like. We also have the exact same table lamp which comes in 2 finishes, silver or oil brushed bronze. I like the way they placed the artwork over the headboard. Visually your artwork should take up about 2/3 of the space and be hung 5-6" above the headboard to create balance and symetry.





















Bedroom 7. Another upholstered headboard, this time with nail head stud detail. If you have a room with your bed placed between 2 windows this is how to make it work. I like the hotel chic bedding with the simple embroidered edges. We carry this bedding at the store in 7 different colours. I like how they've added so many rich layers and detail to this room. The balance is perfect.

I hope you've enjoyed and have been inspired with these beautiful room images. What I like the best of all, is that these rooms are decorated in a classic style. None of these rooms are trendy which means these looks will last for years. In the market new bedroom, view our suppliers website http://www.universalfurniture.com/bedroom.asp

So after looking at all of these beautiful rooms I have to ask the question, which is your favorite and why?

Susan