Design | Bunches of Joy

Nursery Ideas for Number Two

January 9, 2015 Leave a comment

It’s been a long time since I actually wrote a blog post. Maybe it’s because I have a two-and-a-half year-old, maybe it’s because the demise of the blog world has me feeling a little foolish, or maybe it’s because I’m growing another human inside me; I guess it doesn’t really matter what the reason for the hiatus has been, because what really matters is I’m back. At least for a little bit. I think I’m nesting, which might be a little early, but considering that last time I was pregnant we remodeled our kitchen and bathroom, it’s probably about time.

As with Mini Bunches, we’ve elected to wait to find out the sex of baby #2. But of course we have our predictions–I’m officially predicting boy while Mr. Bunches and Mini Bunches are officially on the girl train. My in-laws (almost all of them anyways) predict boy as does much of my family. So we’ll see who’s right in a few more months. Either way, we need another nursery. And that means I’m back into mood boards. But I have to admit, I’m struggling here.

I’ve decided on a magical woodland theme (loosely of course–I still want the room to be modern and be able to grow with the kid), but I’m a little stuck. I’ve found some great inspiration online, so I just need to start getting some things into the room and then we’ll see where we end up. Right now, the only items that I’m definitely going to get from the mood board are the Restoration Hardware faux taxidermy heads and the Ikea Hemnes dresser. Oh, and since the baby will be taking over our guest room, the paint color is going to stay (Benjamin Moore’s Ocean Air that we used on the ceiling in Mini B’s Nursery).

Anyways, here are some rooms I’m digging:

Delia Hauser’s Nursery

DIY on the Cheap’s Gray and Gold Nursery

A Modern Woodland Nursery from San Diego

Keane’s Modern Woodland Nursery (love this graphic crib sheet)

So any thoughts? Suggestions always welcome . . .

Filed under Design, Our Home Tagged with Baby, Our Home

Mini B is Famous!

February 23, 2013 Leave a comment

That’s right–she’s a star! Er, well, if you define fame as being featured on a pretty popular blog. What–did you think I was going to say she was in a movie or something? Puh-leeze. That’s for next year ;).

Mini B’s nursery was featured in the Before & After section on Apartment Therapy Friday! Check it out here. I was so excited that I actually took a picture of the site on my phone (I know–I’m a full on geek) . . .

I have no idea how it happened–I didn’t submit it or anything. Total happy surprise to me. 🙂 So thank you Apartment Therapy for stumbling across Mini B’s humble little nursery–she is really quite touched by the praise.

Oh, and if you want to see the actual post about Mini B’s nursery, just click here. If you want to see an even amazinger nursery (yep, just making words up today), check out her cousin’s digs here.

Filed under Design, DIY, Family Tagged with Baby, Blogging, Mini Bunches, Our Home

Sophistikat-ed Kids

December 5, 2012 17 Comments

Don’t worry–I know how to spell sophisticated. I mean, c’mon. I practically invented the word (har-har). But seriously, we’re talking a different type of sophisticated today. In this case, we’re talking Flor Sophistikat carpet tiles. Yes, I know you’re shocked–I’m talking about carpet tiles again. But before I get to the afters, let’s talk inspiration:

I love that dining room by Emily Henderson. So much so that those chairs may soon replace our dining room chairs. But more on that another day.

So now back to the carpet tiles. Here they are originally from Flor’s site:

I say originally because they’re no longer available from Flor. However, a certain someone I know, ahem-Mr. Bunches-ahem, was able to get a LOT of these discontinued tiles . . . so if you want any, let us know :).

Anyways, you can put the tiles into a variety of patterns. And luckily (well, for Mr. Bunches at least), I found this site that showed 3 ways to lay out the tiles here:

And yes–the tiles are supposed to not match up exactly. It’s part of their charm. So, after much thought, I decided to go with . . . STRIPES! Huzzah. And that’s when Mr. B got to work . . .

Flor_Sophistikat_LR_001

Flor_Sophistikat_LR_003

It took a while. Especially considering we had to move out the big brown couch and then lay out the tiles first before attaching them together with the Flor dots (to make sure that the pattern wasn’t too far off).

Flor_Sophistikat_LR_002

Flor_Sophistikat_LR_004

Thank goodness he’s so patient. And after a couple hours, we were left with this (oh, and I have to apologize for the sort-of not-so-great after picture, but with a wee one, it’s kind of hard to get everything just so; so no–that white chair is not staying there. Because that would be weird.):

Flor_Sophistikat_LR_005

Pretty fun, right? I looked long and hard for a rug that I liked (and that wasn’t outrageously out of our budget), but in the end I’m glad I waited. The carpet tiles are completely customizable to our space and we ended up laying out a lot since Mini B may just decide to start crawling any day now, and now she has some room to move . . .

MiniB_crawling_001

What do you think? Hate it? Love it? I must say–Mr. B and I are smitten. Happy Wednesday!

Update: Mr. Bunches has finally launched his discount carpet tile website, DavidPaulFlooring.com, and there are still a lot of the Sophistikat Flor carpet tiles available (as well as lots of other great options). Check it out here.

Filed under Design, Our Home Tagged with Carpet Tiles, Design, Our Home

The Ultimate Gallery Wall

October 10, 2012 Leave a comment

As if my sister’s nursery wasn’t enough (see it here), she also outdid herself in the rest of her house. I’ve already posted about her kitchen that we redid (more on that here and here), but I had to take some pics to show off her gallery wall in the bonus room.

I was seriously impressed. Seriously. Especially since, besides Mini B’s nursery, there is currently only one framed item hung in our house. And we’ve lived here for over a year now. Pathetic. Entirely, completely pathetic.

Unfortunately I had less than two minutes to grab these shots since Mini B was not such a great napper while in Texas, but I think you get the jist. In a few words: my sister rocks. Oh, and so does my bro-in-law since it’s my understanding that he gave her the “encouragement” to finally get everything hung.

Okay, so there you have it. Enough sister envy for a while? Thought so.

Filed under Design, Family Tagged with Design, Sister

Nursery Crash

October 5, 2012 2 Comments

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, but this was my first week back at work and, well, I’ve been on a bit of an emotional roller coaster to which I think pretty much any working parent can relate. But, instead of writing a whole woe-is-me post (and getting even weepier than I already am), I thought instead I’d share some shots of my sister’s nursery from our visit a couple weeks ago.

Now, this nursery is far, far superior to my own (see Mini B’s nursery here), so it’s a good thing that Mini B is too young right now to really notice. Although, maybe her lack of sleep since returning from Texas is her own way of protesting the inferiority of her room? Guess I’ll have to wait until she starts communicating with actual words instead of drool to really find out. In the meantime, let’s share some rad nursery shots. I haven’t actually cleared this with my sis, but I’m going to go ahead and assume I have the, well, the go ahead.

In a word, er, actually a short phrase, her nursery totally kicks my nursery’s butt. And then some.

And not only was it super cute and all styled and everything, but it was also crazy organized. And I thought I was anal (just kidding sis–love you!).

I loved that little bookshelf in the corner that was just oh-so-neat-and-tidy. So much so that I took close-ups of each shelf. Ya’ know, just in case I want to full on copy her later.

And the artwork was pretty amazing too. The big pieces were picked out by my bro-in-law and I have to give him mad props for a job well done.

They’re both by artist Todd Goldman. I liked them so much that I’ve actually bought one of his pieces from eBay (surprise Mr. Bunches!), but I haven’t received it yet. Once I do and get it framed, you know I’ll post about it.

My sister also put together a mini gallery wall in the room . . .

A few of these are etsy finds, and one (the little ducky) is actually original art done by my sis herself. Talented, eh?

I also loved the mirror above the changing table.

It was apparently a Homegoods find. Seriously?! I never have that kind of luck at Homegoods.

Another idea I’ll be ~~borrowing~~ stealing from my sis is her choice of a clothes hamper for her little guy. Isn’t this bag adorable?

It’s from Snuggybaby on etsy. Of course, the store is currently out of that pattern, so I’m in a bit of a holding pattern at the moment. Grrr.

Her crib sheets are also beyond stylin’. Don’t you love that we’re both chevron fans?

So there you have it: my nephew’s nursery. Mini B was more than a little envious, but she hid it well while assisting me with the picture taking . . .

Oh, and just because I can’t show the nursery without showing the proud occupant of the nursery, here’s a shot of the little guy.

I mean come on! Couldn’t you just eat him up?!?!

Filed under Design, Family Tagged with Baby, Design, Sister

Stool Problems

September 20, 2012 3 Comments

Don’t worry–this post is not about Mini B’s dirty diapers (although it does seem that my life is currently full of little else). Nope, this post is a call for help: design help.

See, we need stools in our kitchen. Specifically, we need them here:

That counter overhang is a little over seven feet long, so I think three stools would be just about perfect.

Sorry for the wonky coloring in these pics–my white balance must have been way off.

Back to my stool problem (wait–that just sounds way wrong). Anyways, I think it would be fun to add some color since most of the kitchen is white and gray, except for my new pop of yellow via the microwave cart (see more on that here) . . .

But part of me wonders if I should just stick to something neutral? Anyways, I don’t want to spend a fortune (what else is new, right), so I think I’ve narrowed down my choices. Why these? Well, I definitely want something with a back and I want something sturdy (so four legs is a must–versus those stools that are just perched on a pedestal) and easy to keep clean. Here are the options:

The limeade metal counter stools from Overstock for $179.99 for a set of two (online reviews say the actual color of these is chartreuse):

The red metal counter stools from Overstock for $163.99 for a set of two (online reviews say these are sort of an orangey-red in real life):

Those exact same stools also come in white for $195.99, black for $166.59, and silver (I can’t find the silver ones at the moment, but I know I’ve seen them).

There’s also this option, which seems to be the same color as above, but a different style (obviously). These red leather stools are also on Overstock and cost $167.99 for two:

And as if that wasn’t enough, there are these blue beauties from CB2 for $139 each:

And of course now that I’m googling for counter stools, there are even more fun options coming up, like these Valencia leather stools for $248 each (probably a bit too high, but I don’t know–they are pretty rad):

Now do you see why no decision has been made? I’m just too overwhelmed by the options. And there’s yet another option–buy some cheap-o stools from craigslist and just spray paint them whatever color I want . . .

So clearly I’m incapable of making a decision, which is why, yes I’m going to say it again–I have stool problems. And this is where you all come in–help me decide. Leave me a comment with your opinion (and I’m talking to you my most faithful commenters and fellow design lovers: Doodles, Punks, Erin, Carrie, Nancy, Deenie; so don’t be shy. Because I need stools! Now.).

Oh, and not to complicate matters any more, but I’m also thinking of replacing all my dining room chairs–ever since I fell out of one when I was pregnant (arguably NOT my best moment) and since watching some kids try to climb in and out of them, I’ve decided they aren’t the safest. Sooooo, think on that too. Maybe something like this . . .

I kind of love how those chairs look with a rustic table . . .

Photos are from the DIY Blog Cabin.

But I’m not sure how they’d go with our steel and glass beauty . . .

So think about that too. Okay, have I given you enough to do? Somehow I feel so much better now that I’ve put these decisions on to someone else. Sigh. Now back to my real stool problems (you fellow parents know which stools I’m talking about, don’t you?) . . .

Filed under Design, Our Home Tagged with kitchen, Our Home

Cart-astic!

August 30, 2012 2 Comments

Even though our lives have been pretty much consumed with diapers, burp cloths, and baby talk, that doesn’t mean that we’ve given up tweaking our house. Nope–in between feedings and nap times, I’ve managed to make a few changes. I figure now’s my chance seeing as how I’m home all day and pretty soon I’ll have to go back to work :(. So what’s been the most recent change? In case you can’t figure it out from the post title (in which case I’m seriously concerned about your skills of deduction), it’s related to a cart.

That’s right, I finally pulled the trigger and got a microwave cart for our kitchen. See, in our kitchen reveal post, I didn’t reveal much about this side of the kitchen because, well, it looks like this:

I still have plans to redo the pantry doors on the right, and we still plan to replace the old intercom system with a new one (that’s the super old boxy-looking thing on the right wall), but for a while now I’ve wanted to change out the microwave stand. That dresser there is from my childhood bedroom, and while I do have a special fondness for it, I just wasn’t crazy about it being in the kitchen. Instead, I wanted something with some color and shelves so that I could display all my cookbooks (and, quite frankly, so they would be more readily accessible than tucked away in the pantry). So out with the old . . .

and in with the new!

What do you think? Colorful enough for ya’? It’s actually one of those school computer carts (I bought it here for $115), so it’s super sturdy and strong.

And it even has the old school built-in power strip.

It came in a whole range of colors, but lately I’ve been full on digging yellow, and since we already have some yellow accents on the other side of the room, I thought it would be perfect . . .

It also ties in nicely with the curtains I made for the dining room and living room . . . (I was going to write a post about these, but let’s face it–some things are just never going to happen.)

I also love that it holds all my cookbooks and fits the microwave perfectly. I couldn’t be happier with it . . . plus, I was able to put it together and load it up all during one of Mini B’s extra long naps. Bonus!

So there it is, one quick change in our home that makes me smile every time I walk by.