Hello there.
So…..we’ve been here for a year and a half…..
and after living here for that amount of time without our stuff since it’s all sitting in a storage unit
back home that we pay a monthly rent on in order for it all to be secured and safe while we are living here
i am at that point where even though we absolutely LOVE it here but living without our things is
probably the hardest part.
I love style.
I love pretty things.
I love making my home look good and part of that is i love being creative in my home space.
That is why i decided it was better to ask for forgiveness rather than ask for permission……
because as much as most of the peeps on this island are just fine living with rattan and bamboo style
furniture…..mix matched living is just not happening for me.
The condo we live in has three bedrooms…..two of the bedrooms are upstairs and the kids are in those.
Lola and Fin had been sharing a room up until this point and Mason had his own room.
Lola is at the age now where she really needs her own space and the boys are back to sharing a room
just like they did back in Illinois. The bedrooms are painted a lime green.
There is nothing good about lime green bedrooms unless you have a new baby and it’s called a nursery…..
so throw in our lime green bedroom walls…..bamboo and rattan furniture and warped and old wooden blinds
on the windows….it’s not a pretty look and i was starting to feel my blood pressure rise and my tourette’s syndrome
come out every time i had to go into one of the rooms.
The room that we moved lola into for her own is also the guest bedroom for when we have guests….
it’s a king bed where as the other bedroom has 2 twin beds….so the optional room for Lola and when
we have guests is the bedroom with the king bed.
This is the only before photo i took…..and it was taken with my phone……but it’s pretty spot on with
the look i was describing….
So……i decided i would paint the room and because i did not ask permission to paint….
i am asking for forgiveness now.
But in our defense…..i truly believe that the new color adds so much.
I moved the two rattan nightstands and the tall bamboo dresser into the closet……
and we stored the one rattan floor lamp and the blinds into the loft for storage so that the owner won’t freak out
when and if we decide to leave…….all the original stuff is still here.
{just out of sight out of mind}
After pouring myself a cocktail….i went to work on painting the room……
{cottage white}
I also needed to be thrifty and creative because i can’t afford a headboard
{there was a rattan mirror above the bed before makeover}
and due to the fact that there is an abundance of free and beautiful driftwood all over the place
i decided to create a driftwood headboard.
I have to say that i love how it turned out.
I found this amazing corded light fixture at a local boutique here on Kauai…..
i’ve seen them at Anthropologie and i remember thinking how much i loved it….just not the price tag.
I paid $50 for it.
Score.
Jump.
Love.
Let’s have a cocktail to celebrate!
Like i mentioned before we took down the blinds that wouldn’t even open anymore because
i think they were original to the place.
There is not much here in the way of shopping for window treatments……
and because Walmart and Kmart were out of the question…..i decided to see if Home Depot had anything.
Score again.
I needed 6 panels and these Martha Stewart white ones were priced right at just over $15 per panel.
I also couldn’t find the right curtain rods that i wanted so here i am being creative again…..
with driftwood.
{free and if and when the owner wants them down….off they go because the driftwood is being held
on large curtain tie backs}
I used some white rope i found to string through the curtain loops because as hard as i tried…..
i just couldn’t find long and skinny pieces of driftwood. They were all pretty thick for the length i wanted.
But i love how they turned out.
The chair is one of a pair i had been eyeing at a local furniture liquidation store…..
they were part of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel on Oahu.
The hotel went through major renovations in 2009 and these were the last of the 50′s style chairs
that the furniture liquidators had.
I had been eyeing them for about 6 months…….
and since no one really loves this style like i do…..i finally caved and bought both of them for $80.
Total.
Not each.
Score again.
I bought them a few months ago and decided that one of them needed to go into Lola’s room.
The pillow was hand made and gifted to me from a friend…….so i decided to let Lola’s chair
borrow it for now till i can find a pretty place for it.
My next amazing find was at a thrift shop……
i just happened in it last week and it was hidden in the back.
The price tag was $8.
When i went to check out……the cashier asked me if i wanted to donate $1 to their charity
and then the price of the lamp drops 50%.
So i got the lamp for $5.
It just needed some spray paint to cover up the brass stand……
Every girl needs some mermaid love and because lola is not a surfer…..
{she would rather be boogie boarding}
i didn’t want to go with the whole surfer girl look.
And it’s the guest bedroom for when we have guests…..so the room needs to have that welcoming look
as well.
The artwork is from a local artist and is done on and old part of a door.
The bedding i found at Macy’s on clearance…..
It’s called Henna by Bar 111.
Lola’s not a girly girl so this print fit her perfectly.
As time moves on….i would like to find some baskets to add to the old bookcase…..
but for right now i’m out of money and part of the thrill of decorating is the thrill of the find.
For right now the shelves will stay open.
I love how the room turned out……and right now Bryan is just trying to talk me down because
i would love to tackle our bedroom as well.
But for right now at least Lola has a sweet coastal bedroom and i can sneak up there and pretend like it’s mine
every once in a while…….and all the original furniture is nicely tucked away.
