Category: Making it Yours (MiY)

MiY 4c: Fresh Picked

Making it Yours (MiY) is all about finding ways to update your home using the items you already have. In this edition of MiY, I’m using four key pieces to create five different looks. The bed, studio sofa, lighting, and tables are the same as in the first two designs (4a: Striking Stripes and Polka Dots and 4b: Feminine Moorish), and there will be two more looks after this one.

I really like the idea of the apple and the pear pillows representing the couple that sleeps in that bed together! Those sheets (on sale for half off) look like sketched stripes until you look closer and see that the print is made up of tiny triangles. And because I love red and aqua together, we have the reversible quilt with two lovely shades of blue, pale aqua paint on the wall, and sheer linen curtains in a similar tone. Soft rugs like this shag are perfect in a bedroom, and that giclee print is a fun, colorful addition.

The upcoming fourth design will feature various shades of greens and blues, and we’ll be seeing that quilt again.

February 10, 2010
MiY 4b: Feminine Moorish

We’ve already seen the first look (striking stripes and polka dots) in this fourth edition of Making it Yours, and now we’re on to the second. I love that this one is so different, yet we’re still using the same bed, lighting, seating, tables, and even the same sheets.

The rug has a moorish tile design, yet it’s done in a cheery coral and the bedding picks up on that. The curtains also echo the shape in the rug, but on a smaller scale. Creamy white paint, a white pillow with feminine details, and the photography keep the look light and sweet.

Next time, we’re drawing inspiration from the fresh produce section.

February 1, 2010
MiY 4a: Striking Stripes & Polka Dots

Let’s find some beautiful place to get lost. And then we can come back home and spend the weekend in bed reading newspapers and sipping hot chocolate, OK? Because that’s what I’d want to do if this were my bedroom.

I love the striped bedding, and I’m particularly like the way the chartreuse picks up on (but doesn’t match exactly) the green sheets and sofa. Warm gray paint, linen curtains, and a soft rug add to that never-want-to-leave coziness. I’d introduce polka dots in a pillow on the bed, and again over on the sofa. And then of course we have the same bed, tables, and sconces that will appear in each look of this fourth edition of Making it Yours.

The next installment of MiY will feature a lighter, more colorful look that I’m calling “Feminine Moorish”. Intrigued?

January 28, 2010
MiY 4: Making the Bed(room)

I’m working on my fourth edition of Making it Yours! This one will be a little different; instead of following one piece of furniture through five different rooms, we’ll be following four pieces of bedroom furniture through five different looks. It’s been a fun exercise for me, but I also think it’s true to real life and therefore more true to what MiY is all about.

In this edition, we’ll have a wooden bed, a set of two tables, a sconce for each side of the bed, and a small sofa. I chose that sofa in green velvet to give myself a bit of a challenge, and to show that you don’t have to cling to beige for versatility. If you love a color or a print, you can find a way to make it work in a variety of ways!

January 27, 2010
MiY 3e: Fresh Start Dining Room

Making it Yours (MiY) explores ways to use stylish investment pieces for the home while keeping up with changing lives and changing tastes. In this third edition, I’m focusing on the ever popular Madeline Weinrib Zig Zag Rug. It started out in the home of a young woman who had just splurged on the rug (it was the most expensive thing in her apartment!), and it is making its way with her through several changes of residence. We first saw it in the living/dining area of her girly apartment, and then in her bedroom. When she and her sweetie moved in together, they made the apartment more masculine and then they continued and went for a modern cabin look.

Now we’ve come to the fifth and final room in this edition of MiY.

Well, good and bad news for our friend… She received a promotion, but had to move to a new city and is once again living by herself. She has decided to buy some really nice chairs and a quality credenza for the dining room in her new home, and the tee pee dining table is still with her from before. A fun chandelier hangs overhead, and the table is set with Classic Century Dinnerware by Eva Zeisel. A sweet baby deer photo and curtains made from Amy Butler fabric are unapologetically feminine since she is once again decorating only to her tastes.

Thus ends the third edition of Making it Yours! I hope you’ve enjoyed following along. Any suggestions for the next round?

October 16, 2009
MiY 3d: Modern Cabin

Making it Yours (MiY) explores ways to use stylish investment pieces for the home while keeping up with changing lives and changing tastes. In this third edition, I’m focusing on the ever popular Madeline Weinrib Zig Zag Rug. It started out in the home of a young woman who had just splurged on the rug (it was the most expensive thing in her apartment!), and it is making its way with her through several changes of residence. We first saw it in the living/dining area of her girly apartment, and then in her bedroom. When she and her sweetie moved in together, they made the apartment more masculine, and now they’re updating it a bit.

This one is quite a departure from my normal style, but I’m liking it a lot. The chair, lamp, wire spheres, side tables, and paint color are all here from the last edition of MiY, but the feel has been totally changed. Art by Dolan Geiman is always a good choice, and I think he is one of those rare artists that appeal equally to men and women. A stately sofa with nailhead trim has replaced the old couch, and a pinecone pillow probably intended for Christmas decorating fits in well year-round here. I included the coffee table because even though it’s new, it looks like an old rustic piece.

We’re nearing the end of this edition of MiY now, and we’ll see the rug move into a dining room for the last installment.

October 14, 2009