A Look back at 2014 {Top 10 Posts} According to you

Well hello and Happy New Year! I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday season. It was great to put most technology away for a couple of weeks and focus on time with family and friends. I am anxious for this new year and what it will bring. I always love a fresh start...don't you?

Today we are taking a walk down memory lane. This past year has been full of ups and downs, but without your support of this little blog I wouldn't be doing what I love. Even though I didn't crank out as many posts as previous years, there were still quite a few that were memorable.

Below are the top 10 posts of 2014...according to all of you!

10. A "Spotted" Nursery Closet- I love this sweet little closet and now that we only have a little less than 4 months to meet our babies, I am so glad I finished this when I did! Can't wait to share more ideas and nursery projects with you all this year! Let's just say that there are TWO little cribs set up in the nursery and I can't help but stop and peek in from time to time.

9. Adding Character to your home {Furniture in the Bathroom}- This post was full of great inspiration when trying to add a bit of character to a bathroom. I love the idea of adding a vintage or industrial piece for that unexpected look. 

source

8. Outdoor Dinner for Two- I enjoyed created this little dinner for two on our patio this summer using the limited edition green Ball Jars. Using what I had and nature around me made for a romantic summer evening. 

7. Top Design Mistakes {Rug Sizes}- This post is also full of inspiration and ideas on what to do and not to do when it comes to adding rugs to your space. 

6. DIY Colorful Fruit Umbrellas- I got my craft on and created these adorable umbrellas using Scotch Blue Painter's tape. It would be a fun project to do with your kids! Pick a favorite fruit and create!

5. How to Decorate & Style Shelves- I find that built-ins and coffee tables can be a bit tricky to style. In this post I gave you some ideas on how to use what you have around the house to decorate and style your shelves in 7 steps!

4. Master Closet Organization- I was determined this year to get our master closet in order and I actually accomplished what I was set out to do! Our closet was a walk in, but a very small walk in. And with babies on the way we had to move some of our dress clothes and other storage items that were stored in the guest room, into our closet. So I shared some great tips on how to organize a small closet without spending an arm and a leg! See for yourself....

3. Master Bathroom Updates {Painted Vanity}- After living with our builder grade bathroom for 6 years, we decided to make some changes. We added some color to the vanity using Sherwin Williams- Urban Bronze and lightened the walls using Sherwin William's- Shoji White. We added an oriental rug and some new artwork. Even though we still have a bit to go in 2015, I am liking the new and fresh updates!

2. Flip House #5 {Before & After}- We completed our 5th flip home this past spring. It is always fun to look back on the homes that we buy and sell to see how far we have come. We are hoping to add at least 3 more flips this year....so stay tuned for updates as we move along. To see all of our flip homes click HERE.

1. Keeping Organized in the New Year- This was the top post in 2014! I guess many of you like to get your organization on. Well this post has plenty of ideas including some free printable labels, organization tips that you can complete in 5-10 minutes and some of my "go-to" organizational items that I use over and over.

So there you have it! Thanks for following along in 2014! I am excited to see what 2015 has in store for this blog.

Do you have any suggestions or posts that you would like to see more of from Eat.Sleep.Decorate? Any blogging series that might peek reader's interests? I am open for suggestions.

Tomorrow I will be back to share my 2015 House Goals. Happy Monday!

Top 5 Design Mistakes {Number Three}

A few months ago I started the series "Design Mistakes" with Number One: Too much of a good thing, which referred to matchy matchy furniture and how to create a space that feels collected. Number Two: Lost in Space  was the mistake of placing artwork on the wall just to fill up space without giving it a second thought. If you are guilty of these mistakes, do not feel ashamed. There are so many clients that have shared the same design concerns. Click the links above to see how you can fix your mistakes and start over.


Today we are talking Design Mistake Number Three: Islands in the Stream.

This refers to the size rug that you might have in your room. The bigger the rug the better when it comes to large spaces. A rug can either pull a whole look together visually or pull it apart. I found this quote from an Ethan Allen design book and thought it fit perfectly into what we are talking about today!

Here are a few No No's I found while searching the web:

While the arrangement of furniture is nice the rug seems like a small lily pad where you can jump from your bed onto it and back again. It doesn't pull the room together.  

The scale of this rug is a little better, however it only holds the coffee table. The rest of the furniture seems to be floating around on the hardwood floors.

So how do you stay away from this design mistake?

1. Measure the size of your room. After measuring I like to place painters tape on the floor to show the size of the rug around my furniture before purchasing and making a commitment.
2. Be consistent: if you place the front legs of the couch on the rug, then the front legs of the chairs also need to be on the rug. If the rug covers to the back of the couch, the rug also needs to cover to the back of the chairs.
3. Lay the rug to fit the room. If your room is shaped longer one way then the other, place the rug in that same direction.
4. Be generous with your Rug Size: I believe the larger the rug, the better! Try to make sure you leave at least 10-12 inches from the wall or else it will look like you are trying to achieve wall to wall carpeting.

source

source

source

I hear so many clients and friends tell me that buying a 5x7 size rug compared to 9x12 can be a difference of hundreds of dollars. Yes I know. Larger rugs can be quite expensive. Although if you take a look at Overstock, One Kings Lane or Rugs USA you might be able to come across a pretty amazing sale. 

But if you are on a budget here is My solution: buy a cheaper natural looking rug and then layer a smaller rug on top. This way you get a little color and texture without breaking the bank!

source

source

source

So how about you? Are you guilty of too small of a rug? Do you just need a little tweak to create a more intimate setting in your bedroom or more of a conversational area in your family room?

I hope these tips and tricks gave you a little help! If you are still a bit stuck in your design mistakes, email me some pictures of your room and let's create a more inviting space! eatsleepdecorate (at) gmail (dot) com

If you missed:

Design Mistake One, Design Mistake Two

Top 5 Design Mistakes {Number Two}

Last week we started this series by talking about Design Mistake Number One: Too Much of a Good Thing. This was referring to matchy matchy furniture. If you are guilty hop on over and see how you could change your decorating mistakes.

This week we are talking about Design Mistake Number Two: Lost in Space.

This refers to artwork throughout your home. Do you ever feel the need to put a picture on a wall just because you have an empty spot? I was also guilty of this in the past. Just know that you don't have to have artwork or pictures on every wall of your home.

Take a look at the picture above. There are exactly two pieces of artwork in this large space. They may be meaningful pieces, but don't make an impact at all because they are lost in the space around them.

Below are a few more examples of what NOT to do. {Since we are realtors in the Raleigh area I found these on our local listing site. If you live in or around Raleigh and these are pictures of your home...I apologize! Don't want to diss...Just want to educate others!}

This is obviously a beautiful home and probably staged by a professional, but could we get some larger artwork please!? I do like the fact they were trying for a group of pictures, but in order to make a bigger impact the pictures need to be larger in scale.

There is a lot going on in this family room, but notice the focal wall? A TV with three iron work circles above. Since this is the main focus when you walk into the room, it NEEDS to be the focus. How about some artwork framing the TV so it doesn't stand out?

Let's talk about what you can do to your spaces to spice it up a little with artwork.

Two things to remember about artwork:
1. It needs to work to scale
2. It should compliment your room

via

Now look at this focal wall! The TV is no longer the center of attention. It now blends into the gallery wall and becomes apart of the art. 

via

Here is another great example of scaled artwork. This large piece makes an impact and brings all of the colors together in Emily's living room. Notice this is the only artwork in this room. She didn't need to hang pictures on each wall since this gave her the wow factor for the whole space. 

via

Even though this focal wall only has one piece of art, it is well scaled to fit the wall where the console table is positioned. It also gives some air around the picture so your eye can settle on all of the textured pieces around the room. 

via

I love this example of artwork to scale, but also how it compliments the room. I think one of the best options if you need to fill a large space is a gallery wall. Whether it is a symmetrical gallery wall or a combination of sizes and colors...they are my favorite! There are so many great ideas on Pinterest and you can check out my whole board on gallery walls Here. 

So..are you guilty of artwork that is Lost in Space? or just hanging a picture any ole place just to find a place for it?

If you are stuck and not sure what direction to go with your artwork, email me some pictures of your space at eatsleepdecorate(at)gmail (dot)com.

Follow Along Here:

Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest