Living Room Makeover

This room has been quite the challenge! I'm not sure how many of you have seen the BEFORES but we definitely had to come up with a vision for this room. I didn't have any idea what we'd do with it when we moved in. It took several months of living there before I realized what we needed more of : living space. 

Dining Room Barnwood Wall

I love this project. Like love, love it. This was the first barn wall I did, probably over a year and a half ago. Its authentic barnwood out of Keytesville, MO. I used stains and washes to get all of the color variations. Although this is my favorite project, it wasn't 

Shiplap Wall DIY

This room got a complete overhaul! Part of that was adding a shiplap wall. Although I've always loved shiplap walls I never thought I'd have one in my own house. I put one in my Mom's house, and was pretty sure I never wanted to do it again!

DIY Painted Brick - Before and After

We finally did it! We painted our bricks. Although we've only been here a year, the painted brick has been a long time coming! We had to get rid of the nasty peach. After this weekend, we're positive most of our neighbors approve! However, we did get one complaint.. 'My wife has been begging me to do this for years, now she's going to see your house and start begging again'. Ha!

First, here is the finished product!

Here are some 'Befores' ...

My Home Picks MAY

Something that I've been wanting to do for a while, but haven't gotten to until now, is share some of my favorite home picks with you guys! On the first of each month I want to share style trends, my personal favorites, and where to get the items.What better time to start than the beginning of Summer?!

50 Shades of Blue

I knew our plans for the exterior of our house so well. White brick, black shutters and black doors. Simple and solidified.

Until I got to the paint counter at Home Depot on Saturday. 'I want black exterior semi - gloss paint please.'

Wait.

No I don't.

I don't want that.

Hunter Boots

One of my favorite, practical design trends I've seen lately is decorating with Hunter boots, or any ran boots for that matter. I'm also sure the Hunter brand doesn't mind the idea! (free advertising). It's not only simple and practical, as long as your not running out to buy a pair of boots to decorate with, it's completely free! I have my own pair of Hunter boots decorated in my foyer, but lets start by looking at several ideas I've found while online hunting.

The Doggy Gate

When we bought our house it felt like a weird compilation of little, separated rooms.

It was our goal to 'open' it up and give it some natural flow. Because honestly, there wasn't any. The first time we went to look at the house I didn't even get all the way through. I looked at the Realtor and said something like 'Is this a joke? This isn't a house, it's a maze. I'm done. Let's get out of here."

Pictures

As you all know, I've been doing a lot lately!

Today I woke up and ran, had a smoothie and got going! I had pictures of a newly listed home and then came home did some painting, and started working on some merchandise pictures. I am wanting to go to some big shows with all of my stuff and some redone furniture. For all the shows I've been applying for I need pictures! So todays goal was to get some pictures put together! It was a lot of work, and a lot of fun. Here are some of my favorites! 

New Adventures..

Okay, okay, so I know I haven't been posting much lately. Oops!

But I promise I've been super busy working on something awesome. 

If you follow me on Instagram you probably already know about this. If not, well, here's the big news! 

A little backstory:

When I started this business it was originally furniture restoration. I have always had a passion for antiques, bringing life to old furniture, and vintage things. I wanted to open a booth at a place in town called the 'Market Place'. Turns out they shut down before I ever got the chance! As I've been doing styling, design, staging - my mind still hasn't left the realm of restoration and antiques. Because that's my style, and it's what I love. 

So lately I have been working super hard with some amazing ladies getting a new website going. I'll still keep this blog, but soon they will be merged to the same website. With this venture, I had the thought, 'I wonder how I can use this with my passion for vintage/farmhouse/cottage'. I'm not ready for a store, but I wanted to be able to share my passion with others who are decorating their own homes.

One thing led to another and before I knew it I had decided to set up an ecommerce side of my website, so I could share all the amazing pieces I come across with everyone, regardless of location! The goal is to be able to provide not only my clients, but also my friends, with pieces that will help them create an inspiring and thriving home. All the pieces on the website will go well together - making it easy for visitors to pick things out knowing their room is going to look great! By staying true to my style and offering unique pieces, I hope to be able to share the love I have for design with women all around the country! 

Not only have I been auction hunting, but I've also filled some carts and placed wholesale orders of some of my favorite things! One of the best parts about this - I've been working with some incredible Etsy vendors to get their handmade goods up on our site as well! It's been an amazing journey, and the struggle has been real. It hasn't been as easy - peasy - lemon - squeezy as I was hoping it would be. ha! But its been such a fun, crazy learning experience. 

My plan was to wait until I had everything in before launching. However some vendors have taken a little longer than I expected. After spending some time with God trying to decide what to do, I decided that now is the time to launch! Everything else will go up as I get it in. I plan to continue adding new items weekly as well. 

I am so excited for this extra leg on my adventure, and am trusting the Lord with this leap of faith. I believe God is doing this at perfect timing for where I am at personally in life, and I couldn't be more thankful of his plan! 

Want to shop early? I am opening the shop up to my email list tomorrow! Get on the email list to get access to the store tomorrow, or wait until Saturday when it's open to everyone! There may be some one of a kind items that are gone, so don't miss the opportunity to shop early!

Go to kasselhomeandcottage.com

enter your email and you'll receive the email tomorrow with the early shopping code!

Xoxo

Brittney 

{Kitchen Updates}

I wanted to share some updated kitchen pictures with you guys. I feel like our house is constantly evolving, and it's not fair to leave you with last weeks kitchen!

A lot of the time when we complete a project I love it, and then after living with it for a week or 2 we realize that we missed something, or that we need to do something additional. Which is part of the reason things change so often! This time it's the dishwasher project I shared a few weeks ago. For the kitchen to feel balanced and aesthetically pleasing we plan to add some doors on each side of the dishwasher. They will look like the doors in the rest of the kitchen, but will be tall and skinny to fill the 6 " space. I think this will make it feel much more balanced. 

Here are some pics of the kitchen this week. I found the right size baskets for the upper openings (finally!), and added a mini coffee back by the coffee maker. It's super convenient, the hubby loves having everything right there! 

Another issue we've had in this kitchen is the fact that everyone can see straight in! Which is usually not a problem, and we enjoy watching life outside the window while we cook and do dishes. However, there are times when I don't want the neighbors to see straight in! When I'm getting my coffee in my pajamas, or doing a silly dance while I cook, for instance. Here are some of the ideas I've considered to help with this problem: 

1. A Roman Shade

I like this idea because most of the time we would leave it up, and it would add some color. But then those times when I don't want people staring in, it's a super easy way to cover the window. I'm not the worlds best sewer, so I may need Nana for this one. 

photo by dear lillie 

2. Double Layered Window

I saw this in a neighbors house and thought it was a unique idea. I love this idea because the glass is still transparent, and lets tons of light in. Yet, people can't see in quite as easily. It would require a little more work in the eye to see this dancing queen breaking it down. 

3. A Wreath and Some Tall Greenry

Again an idea that doesn't give you complete privacy, but make the eye work harder to see in. This is awesome because it looks adorable and isn't something you see everyday. 

What do you guys think? What should we do with our kitchen window?! I can't wait to see feedback in this because, let's face it, I really need some help! 

XoXo

B

Refreshing Spring Updates

So I've said it before and I'll say it again:

Pillow covers are no doubt, definitely, positively the easiest and cheapest way to makeover a room! Without doing much, I was able to give our living room a new look this weekend. Hubby and I took a little trip up to STL, where of course we stopped by Ikea for some much needed retail therapy. I used to hate that term : retail therapy. Now I believe it is quite possibly the most true statement ever created. 

Here's a 'before the pillow switch' picture. I still love this combination, it was just time to switch it up a little for Spring! 

Navy, nude, and white. Ah, my fave. 

I got 6 new pillow covers at Ikea for $7 each. Correct me if I'm wrong but that means I did this whole 'makeover' thing for under $50. 6 'new' pillows for under $50?! That is just unheard of in this house! Not to mention I am super impressed with the quality of linen used on these babies!

It looks much more springy - right? Fresh, clean and bright. My favorite Spring look. Nothing says Spring like fresh tulips and antlers. 

I spent a lot of time trying to get cute pictures with Simba and Charlotte in them. It just wasn't working. Simba sits exactly where I tell him to, and stays there posing for the camera, all the while Charlee is treating the room like her personal jungle gym. She doesn't like to sit 'far' away from me, so she just kept scooting closer, which meant I had a hard time getting her in the camera. But she's just as happy as could be! 

These two crack me up. They are so fun to play with! 

Alright everyone ! Go get yourself some new pillow covers and share them with us!

Happy (bachelor ) Monday! 

These Are a Few of My {Favorite} Things

Everyone has some favorite items in their home right? Items that you just can't let go of, they make you smile every time you walk in the room, and when someone compliments them you gleam. You know what I'm talking about.

Today I'm going to show my top 10 favorite things that reside in our house! Most of these items are my favorite because of where they came from, or how they make the room feel. I hope this inspires you to think about your favorite items, and share them with us!

One

Window Frame

I am absolutely in love with this large window frame. This is definitely not going anywhere! I got it from a sweet old man in town for $20. Yes, $20!! I got such a steal. I love it because I have no idea where it came from, or who's home it was oringally in. I actually spend a lot of time examining it and imagining where it would have originally been designed into a home. Any ideas?

Two 

Chunky Basket

This chunky basket is another mysterious favorite. I got this at a traveling flea market that came to town, also for $20. The lady I bought it from was also a designer, and she brought stuff to market from old houses that she flipped - things people abandoned at the homes. I also spend a lot of time staring at this piece thinking, what type of person would abandon such a beautiful basket ?!

Three

Cakestand

It might be easy to think I love this piece because of what's inside, but I really just love the cake stand! We got it as a wedding gift from some sweet friends and I love the simplicity of it! They couldn't have picked a more fitting cake stand for our kitchen!

Four

Dresser

Imagine this, another antique piece! I got this dresser and cleaned & freshened it up with some dark stain & knobs. I got it at a closed down flea market, and once again - can't even begin to imagine who originally had this piece. I can't imagine ever wanting to get rid of this dresser, it'll probably move around my home forever. I love it so much. 

Five

Bar Stools

Love, love, love these cottage style bar stools! They came from Ballard Designs, and I orginally redid them for my Mom. Several months later, I bought them! I loved them when I painted them, and I knew I wanted them in my house. Perks to redoing other peoples things - you get first dibs on them! 

Six

Willow Branch Deer Head

This sweet little deer was at our wedding last year! I got it somewhere (I don't remember?) for the wedding, knowing I would want him in my house afterwards. I put him up one day, and haven't taken him down since! 

Seven

Sconces

I'm never letting go of these! These were a gift from my Mom. All I know is that they were really expensive, and I want to design my whole house around them. In fact, I want a set of these in every room of my house. I have them in my office, because they seriously bring me so much inspiration while I work! 

Eight

Coat Rack

Sounds boring, I know. But this coat rack has so much personality! It actually has a broken hook, but I just turned it around so you can't see it. I love it and it fits perfectly into our foyer! Makes it feel home-y and welcoming as soon as you walk in the from door. 

Nine

Wedding Coat Rack

This piece. This is my favorite. We got this at a place in town before our wedding, and had everyone sign it instead of a guest book. We have it in our master bedroom and so I see it everyday! Not only is it gorgeous, but it brings back a flood of memories and love every time I read sweet notes! Thanks everyone, for helping us create this sweet piece!

Ten

Antique Railing Candle Holder 

Last but not least! I love this piece! We have used it in so many different spots. I had it in the fireplace during the summer, I put the logs back in for winter, so we could.. use the fireplace. It feels like it adds a lot of personality to every room. Again, I have no idea where this came from, but I know that I love it and don't ever want to let it go! 

Check out our instagram feed for pictures of these favorite items! I am constantly posting pictures as I move things around. @kasselhomeandcottage. 

Happy hump day everyone!

Xoxo

Five {Coffee Bars} That Will Make You Melt

Have you ever found yourself using every corner of the kitchen just to get your cup of coffee in the morning? It's rather frustrating. Which is why people starting putting 'coffee bars' in the homes. Everything in one place - it makes so much sense, doesn't it? Not to mention it's totally adorable.

Let's look at some spectacular coffee bars first, and talk about how you can create your own flawless one in your home!

How about this fancy bar by homedit. I'm slightly obsessed with the chalkboard wall as a background, what a genius idea. She has gone all out - and even has fresh pastries out. I could wake up to this every morning! 

I'm in love with this bar by Junk Chic Cottage! I'm a sucker for black and white. Again, she uses the chalkboard background and goes all out with toppings. She did a great job of making this look shabby chic!

This is a great idea for unused built in book shelves! This coffee bar by Brit&Co is awesome! they did a great job of tying in essentials with some decor pieces, like a cake stand and pitchers. This is a super simple and realistic idea for an at home coffee bar.

This is another realistic coffee bar by bowerpowerblog.com She did a great job of turning a clutter-y, wasted space into something that she can easily keep organized! I really love the lighting up top, and again {chalkboard}. For all you people with unused desks in your kitchen - here you go!

Last but not least, a gorgeous coffee bar by Gray House Studio. A bar this fabulous may not be something that would fit well in most homes, but I certainly love it! Great tones and organization ideas.

Kitchen Shelves

Good morning blogger friends! Although it's a Tuesday, it feels like a Monday after Martin Luther King Day yesterday - we got very little work done in this house. I'm going to share with you how we made our open shelving in our kitchen this weekend. It was extremely easy, and there have been several requests on instructions! So here we go!

We spent a good 2 hours at Lowe's on Sunday morning. One of our favorite places to go on dates. While my husband planned and bought the materials he needed to build a base cabinet for our dishwasher I picked out shelves, then spent time on Pinterest, Lowes.com, and walking the aisles and came up with a better idea. I couldn't find exactly what I wanted, and if you know me I rarely settle for not exactly what I wanted. So I decided I'd make the shelves I want!

We ended up getting these support brackets from Lowe's. They have them in all kinds of materials and styles, but I really wanted something simple. You can head over to Lowes.com to look at their great selection! The ones in the link say they are 6.5 inches, but ours are actually 8. I didn't check on this, so make sure you do your own measuring before you purchase anything!

Then we picked out an untreated 2 x 8 x 12 board. Our kitchen cabinets come out a little over a foot, and I wanted our open shelving to come out 4-5 inches less than the cabinets. Because they are on the end of our kitchen that is very much open concept, I didn't want it to feel like it was being obtrusive into the openness. 

We spend about $27 on the materials for this. It was SO simple. The brackets came with screws and anchors, and we already had the stain at home. We went back and forth on what color to do the shelves - black, white, or wood. In the end we decided white wouldn't make a statement because our cabinets were white, black might be too heavy for such a light kitchen, and we really don't need another wood tone in our kitchen. So we decided to stain them the same color as our butcher block counter tops - but instead of doing 3 coats of stain just do one. 

As expected the hardest part about these shelves was trying to hang them straight. I usually don't even attempt to hang things straight, but since hubby was so hard at work I figured I would try to make myself useful. I measured to hang the first shelf in line with the bottom of our cabinets. Then I measured, and measured, and used our level, and did the angles, and level again and measure again --- and I think I got them pretty straight! At least the level says so. Here's my progress of hanging them up - and you can see the cabinet progress too ! ha. 

I measured the boards out and then had Steven cut them with his table saw. They were 22.2 inches long, they touch the trim of the window and end at the same spot the countertops do. That way our kitchen has an 'end point', instead of just being so open.. they really helped define the kitchen borders.  After I knew they were the right length, and straight, I sanded them and stained them with dark walnut by Minwax. After they dried we screwed them into the brackets and that was it! It was SO SO easy, seriously anyone could do this! Each bracket said it would hold 80lbs, so each shelf should hold 160lbs. Not that I would put even put that much weight on them, but it is good to know they are sturdy enough to hold our dishes. After they were up I decorated them! I know I need some warm texture up there, I only have glass right now and it's a bit.. cool to say the least. I haven't had the time to spend making them perfect. But here are some pictures of the finished project! 

Now that you've seen how simple this was I hope that you go put together some shelving where you need it! Although a kitchen is a great place for open shelving, the bathroom is another wonderful place! It would also be super fun to decorate them in the bathroom! 

I hope you all are having a wonderful week - and of course, email me if you have any questions about this! info@kasselhomeandcottage.com

Xoxo 

Brittney

Don't forget to follow me on Instagram! We are getting close to 1000 followers, and will be doing our first giveaway soon! Follow at kasselhomeandcottage. 

AFTERS

Finally!! Here are some afters I've been dying to share with you! So they're not complete afters, there are still several little projects left to do - but they are at least updates.

Let's start with the living room. You saw the before pictures in the previous post (if you didn't - just scroll down). I'm sure you've seen some of the small updates on the blog, or Facebook - where ever you like to get your info. Well here are the most recent pics! Actually - so recent that they were just taken this morning.

We still need to put up the trim, but things are starting to look up around here! I finally got my Christmas decorations down, and got around to styling the room for the remainder of winter. Maybe I threw some Spring - y touches in there too. I honestly don't like the cold and I can't wait until Spring! 

The Kitchen --- still needs quite a bit of work! But here is the progress. - P.S. The lighting in this room makes it extremely difficult to get great pictures!!

We still need to reinstall the dishwasher on the right side of the sink and put the countertops back on! The oven will have pull out spice racks on each side of it - yet to be installed. The beam and trim also still need to be put up, and a new center light in the ceiling needs to be put up. It's a process but we are getting there!! 

It is finally starting to feel like home on Lindell. Every time we finish a project it feels more and more like a place I want to be. The hardwood floors in the kitchen were a BIG deal. I can't begin to explain how amazing it feels having the floors in! We love this house and we have loved making it our home.            <3

Check out the 'Our House' page for these and more updated pictures of the office and guest bedroom! 

Don't forget to follow us on Instagram @kasselhomeandcottage

Xoxo