The Master Diaries: Chapter 4

See Chapter 1, Chapter 2 & Chapter 3.

This chapter we're talking about pillows. Since I work two days a week at an interior design shop I didn't have to go far for pillows.

This Kevin O'Brien pillow sat upstairs in the design loft since I started working there last May. I knew it'd be PERFECT for my master bedroom:



It will sit on the settee at the end of our bed (especially since it's a REALLY nice pillow. I love Charlotte, but I don't trust her shedding fur and sharp nails near it).

I knew I wanted to throw another color into the mix, and that inspiration came from this Ann Gish pillow:



I love the color, but the pillow was a bit too formal (silky) for our space.

I took this ruffle teal pillow home on approval, and it was perfect. LOVE!

[ omg I'm so embarassed at our wrinkly pillows. please ignore ]

Yesterday I told you I was going to paint this dresser:



Well, when I brought home the teal ruffle pillow a light bulb went off and I decided to paint the dresser to match!!

I don't have the exact color yet (I'll probably color match it straight to the pillow), but it will be somewhat similar to this:



Still left to complete:

- get dresser painted
- settee upholstered
- art
- mirror above dresser
- accessories

Weekend Acquisitions

On Saturday my husband and I got up early and headed down to South Carolina for some treasure hunting. We went to our very first auction to find a dresser for our master bedroom. It was SO FUN.

I had never been to an auction before but I have always wanted to. I did the bidding and it sure is a bit intimidating! Especially when you get in a bidding war, which happened with our dresser. But luckily I walked away with this beautiful antique for only $280:



I am going to have it professionally painted. It may be a sin to paint an antique, but it can always be refinished and stained later down the road.

I also won this awesome art deco secretary. Look at that inlay and glass front detail!!! I had to have it. I just need to give her some TLC and she will be good as new.



It would look so cool if the inside of the glass front was painted or wallpapered...

[ lonny ]


[ cottage living ]

I will admit, I originally bought the secretary for the booth but I am thinking of keeping it for our living room. Right now there are exactly three pieces of furniture (the two black chairs and the black painted dresser at the entry). I think this piece would fit in nicely. Still undecided...



After the auction, I headed to the Habitat for Humanity Re-store. Mr. Goodwill Hunting posted on twitter some amazing copper pendants for $60. I gasped and knew I had to go and pick some up.



Funny story about these... right when I got to the store I picked them up and brought them to the counter to hold while I shop. I always do this at thrift stores because you just never know! Well good thing I did, while I continued to browse I saw a young man peeling the stickers off. I thought - maybe he's lowering the price! So I asked him and he actually was RAISING the price! From $60 to $100. I told him I already brought mine up to the front at the $60 price and they honored it. That was close! (another funny tidbit - they were taken from a local Longhorn Steakhouse restaurant.)

I haven't decided where to put them yet. Either in our upstairs hallway or maybe our kitchen. Probably the hallway though, because we need more overall light in the kitchen.

It was a super successful weekend!!! Tomorrow I'll post my plan with the dresser and some other details in another chapter of The Master Diaries :)

ps - thank you thank you thank you for all the kind words on yesterdays post. I really means a lot to me! I heart you guys :)

bryn alexandra interiors: Living Room Before & After

Good morning my Valentines!

I'm excited to share this recent project of mine with you. This living room is in a bungalow full of character built in the early 1900s. When I first walked in I immediately became smitten over the original molding and fireplace. The beautiful architecture of this home made my job easy :)

The room had already been painted and furnished when the owners called on me for help. They just needed some assistance finishing it up.

Here are some BEFORE shots:







Since the dining room is open to the living room and front door, I wanted the two spaces to work seamlessly together. To make this happen, I brought in the navy blue of the dining room into the living room.

Here is the dining room (which was all done by the home owner - she did a great job!!)



This is the original plan I showed to the home owners. It changed a little but I thought you'd enjoy seeing the creative process.



And here are the AFTERS!



The biggest change in the room was adding new patterns and colors for the sofa pillows. The back pillows have a navy quatrefoil pattern and the blue pillows are almost a perfect match to the wall color. So much better than the original brown that came with the sofa!











I added a ready made bookcase from Home Decorators and customized it by adding new knobs and paint. The paint is the same navy blue that's used in the dining room.





We kept the existing TV stand and updated it by adding new polished nickel pulls. It's amazing what new hardware can do!



The chairs were also existing, but I had them recovered in a pistachio green fabric. The rug is a navy and tan stripe (it looks black in some photos but is navy).





I love doing subtle repeats in rooms (that probably only I would notice). There is a chevron pattern on both the brown pillows on the chairs and the blue pillows on the sofa.





The entry mirror was a flea market find by my client. When I told her to silver-leaf it I think she was a little hesitant, but it turned out perfect!!





There is the owner's sweet spaniel, Samantha!



These plates were a One Kings Lane find. They are hand painted and I had them framed in shadow boxes.

And here are some more detail shots...







Sorry for the excessive amount of pictures! I loved them all so much it was hard to narrow down selections for this post.

All images were taken by the talented photographer Tish Mackay. If you ever need a photographer in Charlotte, she is fantastic! She shoots the usual - weddings, engagement sessions, newborns and now interiors :) One major talent she has is shooting pets. Here is another shot of Samantha:



I also want to tell you guys about my awesome client Sara who lives in this beautiful home with her husband Ryan. They were a DREAM to work with. Sara is a talented event planner here in Charlotte and is one half part of the Hall & Webb Event Design team. Check out their site here and their blog here.

Like what you see? I'm available for local and out of town projects. Email me at bryn@brynalexandra.com.

I hope you all have a great Valentines Day! We don't really celebrate so no plans here. But I will be announcing the February giveaway winner later today :)