PPD Renovates: Master Bathroom Reveal

Today, it's all about our master bathroom. Who's excited?! 

True story: the very first thing I chose when we started our renovation was our master bathroom marble. It was quite the ordeal to get it completed, and I would never recommend the company we purchased it from, but it was worth the headache. It's called Alabama White and is from a quarry Sylacauga, Alabama. It is almost entirely white with little to no grey veining, and I love it.

There are a few other things I love about our master bath starting with the navy cabinets. The color is Hale Navy by Benjamin Moore, and we paired them with brass pulls from Restoration Hardware. I am a big fan of mixing metals (and mixing patterns and furniture in general), so we chose polished nickel for the rest of our finishes throughout the room. 

I think it's so important to try to mix and match different patterns, colors, and metals. I realize this is not for everyone, and some people love a simple, monochromatic feel, but I think mixing these metals together really adds so much warmth and character to our space.

Our his/hers closets are directly across from our vanity. While the closets are pretty small, it's so nice for each of us to have our own space. I will say, the closets are far from finished, so no looksies at those today! 

I just added this awesome vintage handmade rug from India recently, and I think the colors in it play so well with the rest of the room, including my nudes by Kristin Blakeney. I had them framed with navy mats via Framebridge to match the cabinets. Love. (P.S. More on my experience with Framebridge later).

The freestanding tub was one of my must-have wish list items, and the light fixture from Serena and Lily really makes a statement in the tub / separate water closet area. This light fixture pretty much inspired all of the finishes in this room. I got it for Christmas at the beginning of our renovation, and it lived in a box in the tiny house we rented for 4 months until we finished. It's on a dimmer and is perfect for peaceful baths.

Our master shower is probably the most ostentatious seemingly ridiculous part of our house, but here's the deal: 

1. This room backs up to our guest room, so the space was originally drawn as a guest closet. We don't have kids and even if we did, no one needs a closet that big for anything. We've got plenty of storage, so we absorbed the space into our bathroom for our shower.

2. Nothing makes me happier in this room than the fact that visitors can't see any of our unsightly towels, washcloths, or robes. Everything is tucked near the shower for easy access and stays tidy and out of sight!

Also, I don't have pics of this space because who wants to see that anyway? ;)

That's it! Of course I could use window treatments, fresh flowers, etc. but this is what I see every day. Let me know if you have any questions about anything you see! 

Halloween Home Tour

If you've been around me for longer than 5 minutes, you probably know that my favorite time of year is fall, my favorite month is October, and my favorite holiday is Halloween. It started when I was a kid, probably because my birthday is just two days before, and I never really let it go. 

My mom did Halloween decor big in our house - she even hung yards and yards of black trash bags in our garage one year to create a spooky spot for my birthday party. One of my favorite Halloween decorations was an enormous blow-up pumpkin. Not the ones we have now - more like a giant beach ball. This thing had to have been a few feet big, or at least it appeared that way to me when I was under 10. The enormous pumpkin signified that Halloween was officially here. 

This is the first year that we've really decorated for Halloween, and it's the first year I've allowed myself to buy decor that will be with me for a while versus just for the season. I've been scouring unique spots for home decor since September 1st, and I just wrapped up my purchases this week. My goal was to buy things that would be fun for Halloween, but I could easily shift into Thanksgiving, and I think it worked great! 

We have truly had so much fun gathering things. Yes, I said "we." Hunter has really enjoyed helping me choose (and hang) things too. He's a trooper. I think I'll keep him! 

Outside, I chose to go all in with pumpkins of all shades of orange. Orange pumpkins have gotten a bad reputation over the past few years. Don't get me wrong, I love a white pumpkin too, but the orange ones look great outside and will look even better once the leaves start to change. 

We also picked up several cheap spiders from Amazon to hang on the house. I've never done anything like this before, and I think the effect is chic but fun. Tons of neighbors have them, but I was most inspired by Tierney's house (we live in the same hood!). Oh, and I can't forget about the Shop Josie B doormat. If you get the quote, we are BFFs. 

Inside, it was all about little details. One day I would love to have Halloween art and pillows, too, but we're starting small, y'all. I created little vignettes all around the house which makes every corner interesting and playful. 

I went to HomeGoods on September 1st (literally) and scooped up several mercury glass pumpkins and gourds and the wooden pears. This set-up on my dining room table will stay until it's time to decorate for Christmas. Well worth the $40! 

My bar cart got a little Halloween fun, too. I have a cocktail napkin obsession, and when the "Squad" ones from Target run out (gifted by a friend), there are several more styles underneath. All from the Dollar Spot! 

These three little items might seem like they don't fit with everything else, but they're probably the most meaningful decor items I have. My college roommate's mom gave me the witch ghost (so me), the little plush pumpkin is from my mother in law (she gave me two others, and Ryan ate them both...), and the pink skirted witch with the crazy hair is from my dad. When I was a freshman in college, he had my grandmother go pick up a basket of Halloween snacks and chocolate covered strawberries for me. This witch was in the basket. I still remember my Nana dropping it off for me. 

And now for my favorite purchase to date: these hand made tealight ghosts from Mollie Jenkins Pottery. Y'all, I have been stalking Mollie Jenkins' ghosts since this time last year. I think I checked her shop every day in September, and when she updated her shop on Monday, I purchased two sets immediately. They are even better in person than I could have imagined. I hope to add another set or two to my collection. They're just so dang cute! 

I have a few more little nods to Halloween here and there: pumpkins on our breakfast table, a bat night light in our powder room, a gilded pumpkin on my bedside table. I love it all. 

Happy Halloween! 

A One King's Lane Sale not to be Missed!

As I've mentioned once, or twice, or maybe even twelve times, I am knee-deep in the home decor world these days. I have learned to bargain hunt, to never trust the first price I come across, and to really search high and low for the best products out there. One site I keep returning to time and time again is One King's Lane.

Let me preface this post by saying that One King's Lane tends to be a little pricier than the typical discount sites, but they also tend to carry higher end brands which means while you might be paying a tad more, you're getting a fantastic deal. Yay!

Today and tomorrow, One King's Lane is running a 20% off sale with the code OKLSHARE20. While there are some exclusions...including the lamps I was planning to buy...I digress...tons and tons of their items are on sale. I love One King's Lane for their curated, high quality goods that really fit into many different home styles. I am always drawn to their French influences, but you can find amazing art and gorgeous knick-knacks too. If you have bookshelves or coffee tables to style, now is your chance to stock up! Below are a few of my favorite OKL items.

Being playful and taking risks in decor

Let's get something out of the way: renovating a house is hard, but do you know what's even harder? Filling it with furniture and decor. For one thing, it's not exactly easy on the budget to buy items for rooms that never existed before. For another, it's just plain challenging to make decisions. Like I mentioned on Wednesday, one of the things that has really helped me is keeping my 5 words in mind. Another helpful tip I try to remember? Not to take myself (or my home) too seriously. 

Being playful with decor is super important to me. I like to think that I am fun, and so I want my home to represent that. I love mixing patterns and colors. Navy blue next to kelly green? Yes, please! A splash or four of pink? Of course! I love mixing furniture from different eras. French provincial chairs? Yep. Jenny Linds spool bed? Be still my heart. 

While none of our rooms are finished, or are anywhere close to being finished, I think you can really see what I mean in our downstairs guest room. This room used to be our bedroom, and it has had quite a transformation. Take a look at the before: 

Since this room isn't done (please ignore the lack of rug), we'll call this the "during" phase: 

We inherited the antique bed from Hunter's grandmother. It was that typical mid-century yellow wood, but my mother in law painted it a glossy jet black. The plates are another antique gift from my husband's family. The typewriter is from my grandparents. It belonged to my grandmother. It's super heavy and rusty, but it's such a neat piece to have, especially since I make my living as a writer. The trunk is full of Hunter's childhood baseball cards. And my favorite addition is the emerald Robert Abbey Delta lamp. The modern shape goes totally against the other antique decor, but it works! Not only is it the right scale for the height of the bed, but the punchy color is unexpected yet playful. And ding ding ding! Playful is one of my house words. 

We still need a rug and the fabric that will actually be used in Euro shams is unreal and will really make this room complete, but for now, this room is exactly where I want it to be. Unexpected and playful with a few timeless pieces thrown in. 

How to choose 5 "words" to drive your decor style

While we were renovating, I kept several words in mind to help keep me on the right path. It can be incredibly overwhelming to choose finishes, fixtures, paint colors, and all the other home fixings, but by keeping those words in mind, I was able to narrow selections a lot easier. 

I actually started this post intending to go one direction, but when I thought about how I used those words to drive my design choices, I thought the concept might help some of you. Here's how I developed my own set of words (and how you can develop yours too!):

1. Start by going through all of your inspiration images. Yes, all of them. That means pouring over your Pinterest boards, the magazines you've been hoarding, and those saved images on Instagram. 

2. As you scroll through different rooms, write down what you like about them. Here's an example of a room I love from BHG: 

What words would you use to describe it? For me, words like classic, timeless, colorful, serene, preppy, French, and fun all come to mind. Essentially, do this step for several rooms/photos that you love. Write down as many words as you can. 

3. Next, go through your list of words, and circle the words that pop up again and again. If you wrote it down more than 2-3 times, circle it darker (or highlight it or make a new list). 

4. Finally, narrow down your words to your top 5. Make sure these words are not only the ones that were the most prominent, but are also the ones that speak to you! No use having words on there that don't actually describe what you like. Want to know what mine were?

- Playful

- Southern

- Charming 

- Classic

- Timeless 

5. Keep these words somewhere safe. Mine are on my phone in a note called "Words to Describe the House" - no secrets here. ;) 

As I chose hardware, fixtures, tile, and even paint colors, I kept coming back to these words. Now that I've shifted my focus from finishes to decor, I'm doing the same thing. Each decision that I make, I pull my list out. Does the lamp, rug, artwork or piece of furniture fit into one (or all) of those words? If not, I leave it behind. Sure, I can still love it, but I know that it's not necessarily the right fit right now. Not only does this keep my house consistent, but it keeps me focused! Plus, when I speak with store associates or design professionals, I can easily describe what I'm looking for. 

Give it a try, and let me know if you do! I'd love to hear your words. 

A little facelift and feeling fancy free

after - living room & fireplace

before - living room and fireplace

Every now and then, I catch myself forgetting that our home is different than it used to be. In fact, in my mind, I think I still picture it as the little blue house with very little curb appeal (but a whole lot of potential). Even though we have so much more space now, almost every nook of the house has been touched in some way whether through a complete transformation, like our living room, or just a little paint to bring it up to speed, like our kitchen. 

The truth is, we loved our little cottage before it was renovated. We didn't have a ton of extra space (and we definitely needed another bathroom), but it was quaint, cozy, and charming. As we've wrapped up construction and started focusing on furniture placement and other decor, I really wanted to maintain that same feeling. After all, at its core, our home is still the same home it was before. It just got rebranded. 

Think about it like this: rebranding is something that happens through the years for many businesses. If you've noticed, many of the chain restaurants of our childhood look totally different (and way cooler?) now. Other brands have done the same. Recently, Southern Breeze Sweet Tea got a little facelift of their own. They updated their packaging, swapped some colors, and even created a new tagline. Like our home, Southern Breeze is still the same awesome, zero calorie, guilt-free sweet tea it was before. It simply got a little exterior update. Like a new manicure or a new pair of earrings, sometimes, you just need a little update to feel more like yourself.

For our own living room makeover, we really focused on making our fireplace the star of the show. It took us a loooong time to choose the pretty pink brick that we finally settled on. I think we must have looked at at least 30 samples of brick! My favorite part of construction was choosing our lighting fixtures. The sconces above our mantle by Hudson Valley flank one of our largest piece of art in our collection, a landscape by Atlanta-based artist, Winston Wiant. Our bookshelves hold our electronics like our t.v. (don't worry, we're getting a bigger one eventually), and our record player and speakers. We've love having the record player when we have friends over for afternoon chats (with sweet tea & snacks, of course) or on Friday night happy hours. Ultimately, we'll trade our sectional for a sofa with two swivel gliders, but for now, I'm enjoying our cozy space. 

Stay tuned to my Instagram for more house updates and sneak peeks of all of the changes and facelifts we're doing around here. Our living room is only the beginning! 

Thanks to Southern Breeze Sweet Tea for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own. 

How to make your spaces POP!

When it comes to interiors, there are some things that I'm really good at. I love choosing lighting and hardware. I can put different pieces of art together. I've even started understanding pattern play a little bit too. However, there's one thing that I really struggle with: styling surfaces. Our coffee table is basically a holding spot for magazines, remotes, and a lone candle. It's not exactly magazine worthy. 

Recently, we purchased a large sideboard to go underneath our television in our master bedroom. Yes, I know a sideboard traditionally goes in a dining room, but this one provided us with the storage we needed as well as the look we were going for in our master, so into the bedroom it went! And I kind of love it there.

Here's the problem: it's a LARGE sideboard and there is a lot of surface area. On one hand, that's great for storage because that means there are deep cabinets and enormous drawers. On the other hand, the top of it looks really empty. Even though we've only had the piece for a few weeks, it was starting to drive me slightly crazy as to what I could put on top of it. 

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I love *things*. I have a lot of books, a lot of trinkets, and a lot of little memories that I can't part with. However, when thinking about our dresser (aka. the sideboard), I wanted to make sure I didn't clutter it. I wanted useful items that filled the space while serving dual purposes, but I had no idea where to start, so I turned to SwatchPop! for help.

SwatchPop! is an online interior design service where design professionals are at your fingertips. Here's how it works: start by creating a profile and filling-out a detailed survey about your design likes and dislikes and the stores you regularly shop. The more specific you can be here, the better! Next, choose your pops. In my case, I wanted to style my dresser as well as another little nook nearby for a total of 3 pops (1 pop for the dresser styling, 2 pops for nook furniture and wall decor).

Then, you tell your designer (who you'll soon meet!) what your needs are as well as a little bit about your style. This is your opportunity to share inspiration photos, measurements, and your budget. Again, be as specific as you can! Finally, chat with your designer and let the magic happen. Within a few days, you'll be on your way to a newly designed space!

I loved hearing from my designer (almost daily for a week) and seeing progress along the way. I truly felt as though she got to know me and my style which meant that the process was a quick one. Within a week, I had renderings of my space along with a product list of where to find the same items (and even alternates if things were not affordable or unavailable). 

Perhaps the best part was the affordability of everything! Your first pop is $49.95 and each pop after is $29.95. So let's say that you need furniture ($49.95), wall decor ($29.95), and rug help ($29.95). You can get an entire room designed for $110! Even better? SwatchPop gave me a code for anyone who wants to try the service. Just type in PolkaDots to receive 10% off. Woot! 

I truly loved the experience of SwatchPop! and I'll definitely be using their services again in the future. Stay tuned in the coming weeks to see the dresser and nook project come to life! 

Thanks so much to SwatchPop! for the complimentary services. All opinions (and excitement) are my own! 

PPD Renovates: The outside is DONE

I mentioned a few days ago that we finally moved into our house. Our official move-in date was April 22 which means that as of today, we've been in our house for about three weeks. We spent the first two weeks battling boxes, trying to figure out where furniture was going to live, and what we needed to wrap-up. That meant someone knocking on the door almost daily trying to finish the job.

Before

After

While the inside of our house is far from finished, the outside of our house is actually done! It's crazy to think that just five months ago, we had very different curb appeal (although it wasn't very appealing). Now we have grass (first time ever), gorgeous plants like hydrangeas, Boston ivy, and ferns, and a stoop that seriously makes me so happy. That pink brick is perfection against Farrow & Ball's Purbeck Stone. 

Our front door is custom, and while that sounds fancy pants/expensive, it was actually more cost effective to have our door custom-made than to buy it from the lumbar yard. Trust me, I was shocked, too. Since we have a door with glass, I won't get to have a fun door knocker, so we decided to make a statement with our hardware. I love the Baldwin Nashville more than I ever thought I would. It really partners well with our gas lanterns which are made by a company out of Fairhope, Alabama - just over the bay from Mobile which I think is so cool.

Of course, I had to add a cute doormat. I'm pretty sure I'll be swapping these out regularly, but I think this pineapple one was a great starting point. I've rounded-up a few of my other favorite welcome mats below! 

Stay tuned for even more house updates, and if you can't wait for a blog post, I'm giving lots of them on IG stories, so follow along there! 

Spring Decor Trick: Bring on the Green

Hellloooo! After a long hiatus from PPD, I am back. I'm hoping I'll be back with regularly scheduled posting, but life has been a bit of a mess recently, so I'm not making any promises. Y'all bear with me for a few weeks.

Before I dig into today's post, here's a little (BIG) life update: we finally moved into our house! It's not quite done, but it's done enough for us to be out of our rental. Every day we have people here trying to finish, and we've been moving things in and out for almost two weeks. Hence my absence!

While I have been away from the blog, I have been working on some pretty fun content for you, starting with today's post about spring decor. I've got my mind on interiors and interiors on my mind, so I was thrilled to be invited to the Southeastern Designer Showhouse. The Showhouse is open Thursday-Sunday now through May 14th, and y'all, it's GOOD. In fact, it's one of the better showhouses I've been to in recent history (including the Southern Living showhouse...shhhh...don't tell them).

The home felt very cohesive. Besides the fact that there is a homeowner that worked specifically with the designers, almost every room incorporated green - whether in the design or in fresh flowers. Perhaps this was intentional, or perhaps it was simply a coincidence, but it got me thinking that now is the time to bring the outside in. It's the best way to shift your home decor into spring without splurging on new pillows, throws, and bedding!

Trader Joe's always has gorgeous blooms, and you'd be pleasantly surprised by the selection at Costco, too. Of course, the best place to snap up some fresh flowers is at your local farmer's markets. Around Atlanta, our markets are typically on the weekends, but there's a midweek one just around the corner, too!