Author Archives: Leslie

About Leslie

I think Habitual Rearranger fits me well because I am never settled on designs, colors, or placement of items in our home. I drive Bradley crazy sometimes, but I keep figuring out new and better ways of doing things! I am not striving to be profound or an expert on anything in this blog. It is simply a way to keep a record of all of my adventures - home and life - for me to reference and also for my loved ones to follow along. I am a born and raised Georgia girl. I don't think I would enjoy living anywhere except the south. Bradley and I spent six and a half years in our starter home and are now in our forever home, a 1970s traditional two story brick house. I love getting into all kinds of projects around our house, and I try to document all the dirty details here if for no one else than for me.

Living Room updates

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Over the last four years, I’ve been working towards getting furniture for our living room that better fits the space.  Last year, I added two vintage armchairs and we changed out the loveseat and sofa we had been given to a pair of matching petite loveseats.  The front end of the room was empty-feeling, so I brainstormed some ways to add visual weight to that side of the room.  The exterior side wall has an off-center window, so I wanted something to balance the window without adding too much visual weight.  I found a gold and glass etagere on Ballard Designs that I loved, but it was more than I wanted to spend.  After a little research, I found a piece that looks just like it for a fraction of the cost on Amazon.

To fill out the space under the front windows, I decided to find a vintage credenza or dresser.  Mid-century style furniture tended to sit lower to the ground and it was easier to find wider options in this style as well.  This 9-drawer dresser was the perfect size for this spot, not too deep so it does not block the walking path and not too high so it doesn’t block the bottom of the windows.

The final piece I need  to replace in this space is the coffee table.  Our current one was an inexpensive Craigslist find when we first moved in, just to get something in the space.  It works fine, but with our furniture being more petite now, it feels a little big and heavy.

I’ve been searching for inspiration, and finally came across a picture of this vintage coffee table I love.  The problem will be finding one for sale and determining if it is more that I would want to spend.  The stone top would tie into the side tables and the caned shelf would go really well with my armchairs.

Source

Office Redecorating

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We have been working on redecorating Bradley’s office since February and we are getting close to finishing.  For years, his office has just been a collection of second-hand items that sort of just ended up together.  He has recently been working equally between his desk and an armchair, so we decided to down-size his desk space and emphasize a lounging area in the office.

This was one of the only rooms in the house that I hadn’t repainted since we moved in.  It was a nice soothing blue.  Our new vision for the room centered around a warm, cozy mid-century-inspired atmosphere, so I brought home paint chips from Sherwin Williams in every shade of medium gray.  We settled on Westchester Gray, and I love it.  To keep a mid-century look, we chose curtain panels similar to the wall color from Tuesday Morning.

Bradley had always wanted an Eames lounge chair, but after seeing the Austin chair at West Elm, he decided to go with it in Chestnut leather.  He also envisioned a wall with a television flanked by bookcases.  I spotted the Antwerp line at Target and liked how the bookcases are airy at the top, but grounded by a couple of solid drawers at the base.  It was also a good way to balance the budget for the room – spending a little more on items like the chair and a little less on the tv wall.

The rug is also from Target – the Kenya Fleece Rug in cream.  The sofa is from Craftmaster and the end table came from Houzz.  The round side table was a compilation of a base from a table we got from Tuesday Morning and a marble charger-turned-tabletop from Wayfair.  Bradley had been wanting an arc floor lamp, so I found one at a reasonable price at Wayfair.

His desk at work is an adjustable-height desk, and he wanted to replicate that at home, so he ordered a motorized desk base from Amazon.  The desk top was a custom piece from tablelegs.com made of walnut.  One of our last hold-outs is a lamp for the desk area to brighten up this dark corner.

I’m slowly working on filling the bookcases.  Bradley has a collection of old cameras so I used some of them sparingly.  He loves bonsai trees, so I got him one I found at Walmart.  The retro clock was a gift I gave him years ago after he saw one at one of our favorite little quirky restaurants – Aretha Frankensteins in Chattanooga.

Here are sources for other items around the office:

Wall Lamps

Table Lamp

Sway desktop mobile

Wood and Marble book ends

Marble Soap Dish

Diffuser

Gold Metal Wire Basket

A before and after comparison:

Holiday House Tour 2017

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We ordered a pair of new loveseats as our anniversary gift this year.  These finally replace a sofa and loveseat set we got as hand-me-downs years ago.  I was very grateful to have them for free for many years, but ultimately they were oversized for our room and the wrong color.  I wanted something more petite, not deep and more tailored looking.  I also did not want oversized or tall arms.  Bradley liked this loveseat with it’s touch of mid-century style.  I liked that it was shallow and not oversized.  We were able to pick out the fabric and have them made by Craftmaster. I thought the button-tufting on these were less formal than deep tufts and complimented the button tufts on the chairs that I had recovered earlier this year as well.  I did not like the 7″ tapered round legs that came on the loveseats, so I found some 5″ tapered square legs online that better matched the style of the chairs.  At only 5’3″, it is so hard to find furniture that allows my feet to sit on the floor without having to slouch or perch on the edge.

We had an issue getting the correct loveseats in, so after ordering them in September and expecting them around our anniversary at the end of October, we finally got the right ones in time for Christmas decorating.  I also picked up a new pair of mid-century-inspired side tables at Target for one of the loveseats.  I really like the marble tops to kind of shake up all the wood pieces in the room.

On to the dining room.  I finally bit the bullet and got all of the curtain panels in here and the living room hemmed.  I also added simple roman shades to both rooms for added privacy and light control when needed.  My Christmas decorations are minimal this year – table runner, a poinsettia from my neighbor, and some vintage ornaments in a lantern.

On the mantle, I didn’t feel like pulling out the Willow Tree nativity from Bradley’s grandparents, so a simple garland, banner and metallic trees with deer are it.

The red and black buffalo check monogram letter is new this year, but otherwise, just my normal nativity set ups.

The bulldog treat jar always gets dressed up this time of year and of course I have out the light bulb ornament I made years ago.

We have a couple of new travel ornaments this year on the tree.  We went to Nashville for a weekend to see Our Lady Peace in concert.  We also visited Bradley’s brother and his family in Portland this fall.

I will end the post with our early Christmas gift from mother nature – 6-8″ of snow!  We survived without losing power, but the Japanese maple tree in front of our garage couldn’t handle it and we had two very large limbs come down.  Luckily, I hadn’t gotten around to wrapping it in Christmas lights yet, and it might not be salvageable so it may never get decorated again.

A Spooky Wedding Shower

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Bradley’s cousin will be getting married at the end of December, so I helped throw a wedding shower for the couple recently.  They love halloween, and since the shower was at the end of October, we decided to merge the two for a spooky shower theme.

I had most of the decorations already, since my normal Halloween decor involves lots of black and silver.  In the foyer, we put out favor bags with the couple’s favorite candies inside.

I put paper bat silhouettes in all of the lampshades in the living room.

I was able to reuse the potions bottles I had made for a Harry Potter baby shower as a centerpiece on the breakfast table.

I cut up a felt spider web placemat to add to the corners of the doorway leading into the living room.

On the gift table is the cute corsage my co-hostess made for the guest of honor.

I found this banner at Target and used a chalk marker to add MR & MRS to it.  I felt like we needed something to bridge the gap between it feeling like a halloween party versus a wedding shower.

Some mini skulls nestled in creepy cloth.

My co-hostess made this to hang on the front door.

For the food table, I found a spider web table cloth at Big Lots and layered it over a silver tablecloth for contrast.  The paper bats were flying across the window in the background.

I made Pecan Pie Muffins with a Maple Buttercream Frosting and grape salad.

I also made bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with goat cheese.

My co-hostess made these hilarious vampire donuts and some apples with toffee dip.

Our other co-hostess made the monster green punch.

I think everyone had a good time and the couple got some great gifts to start off their new life  together.

Spare Bedroom Paint Update

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I painted the spare bedroom again.  All of the inspiration I had loved for bedrooms using navy accents had white walls, but the color I used to match the trim just looked yellowed with age.  I am in the process of repainting the entire main level and had purchased several test paints to find just the right color.  I decided to take one of the ones that didn’t work downstairs and use it in this upstairs bedroom.

The color is by Sherwin Williams and is called Knitting Needles, but because I had test paints at 100% and 50%, I mixed them together to make a 75% color saturation.  It was a little too cool of a grey for using on the main floor, but I thought it would work well in this bedroom because I am using a blue (navy) for accents.  I am pleased with how it turned out – it is a neutral that brings the room to life and it’s not too dark to compete with the decor.  Eventually, I would love to update the trim color in this room, but it wasn’t a priority on this day.

I also moved a spare pair of lamps into this room for the bedside.  I spray painted them navy.   For an entirely spare bedroom, it is coming along.

Before/After: