Making it Lovely
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Making it Lovely

House Tours

• Tour our current home, an 1891 Victorian in Oak Park, IL.
House Tour: Making it Lovely's Oak Park Victorian Home
 

 
• Tour our first home, a 1910 bungalow in Oak Park, IL.
House Tour: Making it Lovely's Oak Park Bungalow

Hello! I’m Nicole Balch.

Hello! I’m Nicole Balch.

Designer with a handyman background, renovating our Victorian home in historic Oak Park, IL (just outside of Chicago). Mom of three, fan of pink, keeping busy all around.

More about Nicole…

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This chair was a floor model and had a rip in the This chair was a floor model and had a rip in the fabric when I bought it a decade ago. I patched it up and loved it, but the fabric finally gave out across the seat and it was time to reupholster. I went to @calicocorners in Hinsdale and explored different fabric options with Linda from their design team. (You were great Linda, thank you!) Thanks to Calico, my chair is back and ready for the next decade in a new pattern that I love! #custombycalico #calico #reupholstery #interiordesign #calicodesign #calicocorners #sponsored
I tried to wear the eyeball perfume the other day I tried to wear the eyeball perfume the other day and realized, nope. Not for me anymore. But I still like the bottle. 👁
It’s a whole thing: accounts that chronicle goin It’s a whole thing: accounts that chronicle going gray. I guess I could have (should have) hopped on that train but here we are and my hair is fully grown out. I stopped dying it in December 2019 and I cut off the old ends a few months ago. I don’t feel conflicted. I don’t feel insecure. I kind of have highlights now!? I love it.
Snoozing in a sunbeam. 😴 #thelovelyvictorian Snoozing in a sunbeam. 😴 #thelovelyvictorian #makingitlovely
You know how everyone loved gray for the last deca You know how everyone loved gray for the last decade and I was over here like, “I’ll take and love this old house full of warm toned wood everywhere, thanks?” Yep. Just a little encouragement/reminder to not feel pressured to follow (or particularly care about) trends. 🤎 Skip the cool neutrals and give me all the drab colors, baby. I love them.
Swipe to see my very own custom meme, courtesy of Swipe to see my very own custom meme, courtesy of Brandon. #accurate There’s less work to do in the garden right now, and I have been deep diving fragrance info as a comfort. 🤎
I’ve added three varieties of Seaside Serenade H I’ve added three varieties of Seaside Serenade Hydrangeas from @monroviaplants to the garden! They are a good size to fit into my existing garden beds, each reaching 3-4’ tall and wide, they have sturdy stems so they won’t flop (hooray!), and thicker leaves to resist wilting. And they rebloom! You can see more in my Stories. #sponsored
I avoided *common* annuals when I first started ga I avoided *common* annuals when I first started gardening. Petunias, begonias, impatiens… yawn, boring. I wanted the obscure! The unusual! Surely I shouldn’t include such overused plants if I want my yard to be interesting, right? Welp. I’ve planted all of the above this year, and I’ve been doing so for a while now. That planter you see here is filled with one itty bitty sweet potato vine and one small petunia pot. There’s a perennial salvia in there too but you can barely see it. It’s the petunias that are going strong here. They’re common for a reason - they flower and flower and give it their all for a $10 investment in the spring. #thelovelygarden #makingitlovely
We’ve been using our Odin touch faucet from @bri We’ve been using our Odin touch faucet from @brizoanddeltachicago for a while now, and it has finally happened. I was in another kitchen and I went to use the sink with a tap before remembering that not all faucets are *fancy.* It’s my favorite feature! Hands are messy? Boom. Just tap with the forearm. Washing your hands and don’t want to leave the faucet running while you lather up? Tap on, tap off, tap on… super convenient. Touch faucets are the best, especially when they’re this pretty. #sponsored #designwithbrizodeltachicago #brizoanddeltachicago #mydeltavoiceIQ #brizo #deltafaucet #mybrizodeltachicago #sourcedatbrizoanddeltachicago
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Nicole Balch Design

Our 1891 Victorian

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Sims 4 CC and Stardew Mods

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Latest Posts

Reupholstered Armchair from Calico Corners | Making it Lovely

Reupholstering My Floral Chair with Calico

October 12, 2021
I Want to Smell Like a Marshmallow.

I Want to Smell Like a Marshmallow

September 21, 2021
Warm Caramels and Blush | Making it Lovely

Warm Caramels with a Hint of Blush

September 2, 2021
The Lovely Garden, June 2021 | Making it Lovely

Gardening Through Grief

June 7, 2021
IKEA Skarpo Armchairs

Modern Garden Furniture Meets Fairy Whimsy

May 25, 2021
Making it Lovely
This chair was a floor model and had a rip in the This chair was a floor model and had a rip in the fabric when I bought it a decade ago. I patched it up and loved it, but the fabric finally gave out across the seat and it was time to reupholster. I went to @calicocorners in Hinsdale and explored different fabric options with Linda from their design team. (You were great Linda, thank you!) Thanks to Calico, my chair is back and ready for the next decade in a new pattern that I love! #custombycalico #calico #reupholstery #interiordesign #calicodesign #calicocorners #sponsored
I tried to wear the eyeball perfume the other day I tried to wear the eyeball perfume the other day and realized, nope. Not for me anymore. But I still like the bottle. 👁
It’s a whole thing: accounts that chronicle goin It’s a whole thing: accounts that chronicle going gray. I guess I could have (should have) hopped on that train but here we are and my hair is fully grown out. I stopped dying it in December 2019 and I cut off the old ends a few months ago. I don’t feel conflicted. I don’t feel insecure. I kind of have highlights now!? I love it.
Snoozing in a sunbeam. 😴 #thelovelyvictorian Snoozing in a sunbeam. 😴 #thelovelyvictorian #makingitlovely
You know how everyone loved gray for the last deca You know how everyone loved gray for the last decade and I was over here like, “I’ll take and love this old house full of warm toned wood everywhere, thanks?” Yep. Just a little encouragement/reminder to not feel pressured to follow (or particularly care about) trends. 🤎 Skip the cool neutrals and give me all the drab colors, baby. I love them.
Swipe to see my very own custom meme, courtesy of Swipe to see my very own custom meme, courtesy of Brandon. #accurate There’s less work to do in the garden right now, and I have been deep diving fragrance info as a comfort. 🤎
I’ve added three varieties of Seaside Serenade H I’ve added three varieties of Seaside Serenade Hydrangeas from @monroviaplants to the garden! They are a good size to fit into my existing garden beds, each reaching 3-4’ tall and wide, they have sturdy stems so they won’t flop (hooray!), and thicker leaves to resist wilting. And they rebloom! You can see more in my Stories. #sponsored
I avoided *common* annuals when I first started ga I avoided *common* annuals when I first started gardening. Petunias, begonias, impatiens… yawn, boring. I wanted the obscure! The unusual! Surely I shouldn’t include such overused plants if I want my yard to be interesting, right? Welp. I’ve planted all of the above this year, and I’ve been doing so for a while now. That planter you see here is filled with one itty bitty sweet potato vine and one small petunia pot. There’s a perennial salvia in there too but you can barely see it. It’s the petunias that are going strong here. They’re common for a reason - they flower and flower and give it their all for a $10 investment in the spring. #thelovelygarden #makingitlovely
We’ve been using our Odin touch faucet from @bri We’ve been using our Odin touch faucet from @brizoanddeltachicago for a while now, and it has finally happened. I was in another kitchen and I went to use the sink with a tap before remembering that not all faucets are *fancy.* It’s my favorite feature! Hands are messy? Boom. Just tap with the forearm. Washing your hands and don’t want to leave the faucet running while you lather up? Tap on, tap off, tap on… super convenient. Touch faucets are the best, especially when they’re this pretty. #sponsored #designwithbrizodeltachicago #brizoanddeltachicago #mydeltavoiceIQ #brizo #deltafaucet #mybrizodeltachicago #sourcedatbrizoanddeltachicago
Nicole Balch Design | Making it Lovely
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