{ patio styling on a budget }

Nothing says summertime like cocktails on a patio. That being said, furnishing and styling an outdoor space can be a pricey venture for something that many of us only use a few months out of the year. But lately I've found quite a few budget-friendly pieces around the web that I thought I'd share with you.(Despite the fact that I do not have an outdoor space. i'll just have to live through you guys.)

Btdubs, those chairs are my current obsession. Can you BUH-LIEVE they're Ikea? Me either y'all. Read on for the rest of the source list - enjoy!

PATIO STYLING ON A BUDGET SOURCE LIST:

CHAIRS: Ikea // $99/each

TABLE: Ikea // $149

RUG: Target // $74.99 - $265.99

HURRICANE CANDLE HOLDERS: Target // $14-16

PAPER LANTERN: World Market // $16.99 for set of 4

NAPKINS: Target // $9.99

FLATWARE: World Market // $11.96 for set of 4

BOWLS: One Kings Lane // $39 for set of 4

WINE GLASSES: One Kings Lane // $39 for set of 6

WINE: Pomelo Sauvignon Blanc {my summer favorite!}

WOVEN BASKET: World Market // $59.99

ARTIFICIAL PLANTS: Ikea // $4.99 each

{ on a boat }

One of my favorite ways to wake up is with coffee and AirBnB. I could (and do) literally spend hours perusing all of the adorable little cottages, castles, seaside villas - you name it. My wanderlust is in full swing right now (I think it's something about summer) and when I happened across this quaint little houseboat in Amsterdam this morning, I was wishing I could click the "Book It" button and hop on the next plane over. Mostly because I think the simplicity of a little boat (not too decorated or with too much fuss) with all of the essentials (like a sweet outdoor space to enjoy the canal) sounds like the perfect place to get inspired.

Ah...one day, folks. Have any of you tried AirBnB? I haven't yet, but I plan to the very next chance I get.

lovelovelove.

C

{ design inspiration: the bun shop }

I've mentioned it before, but my love of a good coffee shop just can't be expressed enough. No matter how organized and inspirational I try to keep my home office, a change of scenery is always appreciated.

The Bun Shop is a quaint little coffee shop that opened up in Mt. Vernon just a couple of months ago, and it's definitely on my list of favorites at the moment. The charcoal grey walls, the well curated furniture collection, the terrariums, the gold beams and big windows all make for a pretty inspirational coffee break.

This place is actually a big part of what inspired me to go dark in our little bathroom. Is it just me, or does moving and decorating seem to speed by in the beginning, before coming to a sudden halt? We haven't made much additional progress on our home in the last week, (still trying to get my little plan approved by my other half and figure out our budget ;) ) but just taking a walk around the neighborhood gets me inspired to keep going.

Happy Monday to all of you! Thanks so much for stopping in.

lovelovelove.

C

{all photos via The Bun Shop's Facebook page}



{ decorating with a boy }

Moving in with your significant other is an exciting time. Grocery runs, late night dinners, early morning breakfasts. All of that is great.  

BUT. 

Decorating with a boy can be challenging y'all. Trevor and I are both very opinionated about this particular subject (seeing as I'm a decorator and he's a product/furniture designer). We always appreciate each others style, but that doesn't mean we don't differ from time to time.

See, when we moved into this apartment, we moved in mostly with Trevor's furniture. After all of my moves in the last year, I've sold a lot of my belongings so I just didn't have much to add to the mix. And while I love a lot of the pieces we have (especially the coffee table and TV credenza that Trevor designed and built), our place is feeling a bit...bachelor-ish at the moment. SWANKY bachelor, but bachelor nonetheless. #needsmorepink #okayfinenevermind #butmaybealittle?

We have a lot of leather, a lot of wood, and a lot of black and brown. So here's what I'm proposing to make things a little more interesting...

That instagram photo in the top left is our dining nook, so we already have all of those pieces (and we've since semi-styled the shelves). We're planning on painting both of the bistro chairs (taken off the curb) black, but I'm not positive which direction to go with the cushion fabric just yet. The round marble table is CB2 and those white, industrial shelves are a couple of cheapies from Ikea. They're really useful though - there are at least 4 places in the apartment that we could use them if we ever decide to move them from that area. 

We also already own: the grey wingback chair (ikea), the plycraft lounge chair (craigslist), and the couch ( also ikea). I don't have photos of the coffee table and credenza that Trevor built but there will be plenty to come soon!

Here's my philosophy on decorating with the opposite sex: Let your significant other win sometimes if you want to create a space thats interesting. If you spend all of your time trying to find a piece that both of you like for every single nook and cranny, chances are you'll come away with a room full of pieces that are just kind of "meh." You don't love it and he doesn't either, but you'll both be fine with it. And you'll live happily ever after in your "fine" house together. 

Instead...

Let him pick the chair that he loves (within reason people! no recliners with cup holders) but then take the liberty of pairing it with another piece (pillow, side table, lamp, etc) that softens it with more feminine details. You'll both feel better when you can look around the room and see both of you in the space. After all, it's your home.

Here's another tip: Start with more masculine pieces and layer in more feminine details. It just works better than going the other way around. A dark leather couch paired with faux fur and scalloped details? The perfect little trio. This space has enough masculinity for Trevor to hang out and play his video games with the broskis and be all "hey guys this is my crib," yet enough feminine details that I can have the ladies over for wine night and feel like we're not sitting in a bachelor pad. #winwin

So! What about you guys? Any recent move-ins with the significant other? If you're in a decorating debacle and need some assistance, lets work together.

lovelovelove.

-C

{ Itty Bitty Living Space: The Bathroom }

Well hey y'all. Happy Monday!

Sorry for the radio silence - we've been a little busy over here getting settled into the new apartment.(yes we finally got one!) 

While we couldn't be happier to have found a little home to call our own, the new place is definitely not without its challenges. I'll give you a full tour of the {before} apartment photos soon, but for now let's start with the bathroom. 

Y'all. It's tiiiiiny. I mean, there is no way on earth Trevor and I will ever be in here together at once. A few people even let out audible gasps when they saw it for the first time {before we began the process of giving it a little face lift}. It's definitely one of the eyesores of the apartment {along with the kitchen, but we'll go over that another time}. Take a look...

BATHROOM BEFORE

Despite the size, it does have a few things going for it. The pedestal sink is rather cute and the vintage tile and flooring is actually pretty charming. Unfortunately, the walls were peeling, the pinky beige color was doing nothing for the space, and it didn't feel the least cared for or clean, let alone special. 

And here's how it's looking as of today: 

BATHROOM PROGRESS

{shame on me for forgetting to light that candle before snapping the photo!}

We went with a light grey throughout the rest of the apartment, but decided to go a bit bolder in the bathroom. Since it's such a small space, we wanted it to make a big impact. Let's face it, none of that "paint it white to make it feel bigger" business was going to work in here. The space is tiny, and that's that, so why not embrace it? In time, I hope to make this "itty bitty living space" {points for you if you can name that movie reference} feel like a little jewel box.

The Deets:

Wall Color: Intellectual by Behr

Shower Curtain: Nate Berkus Home Collection for Target (i can't find it online but i'd check your local store if you're interested - we just picked ours up last week!)

Hand towels: Room Essentials at Target

Pair of Toothbrushes: Kikkerland Pantone Toothbrush Set

Side Stool w/ Magazines: Discontinued Plant Stand from Ikea 

We still have a lot more to do in here, namely adding some art and functional storage on the wall space above the toilet:

We're thinking open shelving for towels, jars of cotton balls/q-tips, and other concealed toiletries. I also definitely want to add a healthy dose of art - most likely in a thick, metallic {not sure if i'm going to add in a bit of gold or stick with silver} frame to jazz things up a bit and break up some of the grey. 

Eventually, I'd like to style it with a more leafy {and less grassy} plant, but all in good time. For now, it's way more livable than before, and  seeing as we've only been here about a week, I'd say thats progress.

So what about you guys? Seen any fun, mini makeovers lately? Do tell!

lovelovelove.

C

all photos by Caitlin Brown for Caitlin Creative. 

if you're interested in working together on your home, check out Caitlin Creative Interiors & Styling!

{ Life Lately }

 

i had unintentionally given up instagram for about six months, but i've made a comeback and am loving it more than ever these days. Be sure to follow me @caitpbrown. 

If you do, you just might get to find out about little things like this:

 

today is the last day to enter, so hurry! quick like a bunny! and if you're curious what this design at your door package is that i speak of, come take a looksie. 

lovelovelove.

C

{ His & Hers: The Bedroom }

 

Despite the fact that we are still on the apartment hunt (it's rough out there, folks) I can't help but peruse the interweb for design inspiration for our new (imaginary) place. 

I love the way this bedroom strikes a happy balance between masculine and feminine elements. Granted, the architecture speaks for itself. Hello beautiful tile and arched doorways. Isn't it amazing how one vase of pink blooms can totally transform the rest of the space? It's all in the styling, my friends.

We'll be spending most of our day apartment hunting with a bit of work mixed in - I'm working on a couple of studio apartments and am also assisting with Trevor's sister's upcoming nuptials! Should be a lovely time :). Happy Monday, all!

lovelovelove.

C

photo via