Form Meets Function at Recycle Boutique

I spent yesterday tying up some loose errands in Park Road Shopping Center.  Trying to avoid temptations at other pricier stores in the area, I wandered into consignment store Recycle Boutique.  Originally mostly consignment furniture, the owners have picked up several retail lines of furniture and lighting and offer them at discounted prices.  Most recently they began offering the line Curations Limited.

The Winslow Chair is sure to be a crowd pleaser.  At 41 inches in width and 43 inches deep, this chair offers the design factor and the comfort factor that so many couples battle over when it comes to furniture.   Eight way spring suspension, hardwood construction and a 50/50 feather/poly foam mix make it one of the most comfortable chairs on the market. At $1,249.00 it is worth every penny. *The chair is listed online for $1707!! There is a Winslow Sofa shown online that is out of this world.  I would being willing to bet that Recycle Boutique could order it for you!

I am not 100% positive that this is Curations Limited but it is available at Recycle Boutique for $489!

This is the Winslow Chair Ottoman and it could not be more comfortable. The perfect place to rest one's tired toes.

The 90 inch reproduction Chesterfield couch is probably one of my favorite couches at present. The couch is  hard wood construction with Ash Wood legs, to mention the highly desirable eight way tied spring suspension. As for the comfort factor, that is thanks to the 50/50 mix of feather  down and poly wrapped foam.  Available in eco friendly linen with hand hammered shoe nails, the couch is available for $2,399.00 a discounted price from $3,297.00. 

Back to the rain and the muck of January and praying Spring comes soon!

Recycle Boutique is located in Charlotte at Park Road Shopping Center.

Recycle Boutique

4301 D Park Rd Shopping Center

Charlotte, NC 28209

704-527-2211

info@recycle-boutique.com

www.recycle-boutique.com

Almost Master Bathroom Renovation: Part II

After years of planning and months of waiting, our "almost master bathroom" is finally completed.  I refer to it as my "almost master bathroom" because the tiny bathroom was most recently a Jack and Jill style bathroom connecting from our master bedroom to the hallway. When we bought our home in 2006, Scott and I had major renovation plans in mind. Thanks to a long recession and a "who knew kids were this expensive" realization, our major plans have been majorly compromised. Clinging to the dream of completing the back half of our renovation, I decided to close in the wall to our room and work within the existing space constraints.

Some of you may remember the before shots seen below:

We closed in the wall to our bedroom

 I worked with Interior Designer Kathy Wilder to make sure everything turned out just perfect!

Kathy created this concept board and we got right to work!

After I drove Kathy crazy with paint drama, we finally decided on Benjamin Moore's Athena from Eastway Paint. I say that because after purchasing paint from three different stores in Athena, I ended up with three totally different colors of Athena. We cut the color Athena in half for the walls and painted it in a eggshell finish. The bead board and trim are Athena in a semi gloss finish. The guys at Eastway Paint are geniuses and they literally solved all of my paint problems with almost no tears. 

In the daylight it is so much whiter and brighter. . .

Than in the shadows of the evening.

With maximum storage in mind, I called on Kris at Aspen Cabinetry to custom design a vanity and storage tower. Because we live in an historic home, we chose a simple shaker style cabinet. I had to nail down the paint colors first so that I could give Kris the sample paint. He matched the paint and had it finished in the same Athena paint as the beadboard and trim. The simplicity adds the modern factor I craved, while blending seamlessly with the architecture of the home. 

When they first came in I panicked that they were way too big!

But they fit just fine!

Last time I blogged on the bathroom, I was obsessed with this slab Calcutta Gold marble.

One of the lesson's I learned is that if you are only in need of a small remnant of stone, you are at the mercy of whatever remnants the fabricators have available. 

Harkey Tile & Stone had this amazing remnant of White Quartzite tucked in front of a (sold) piece of Calcutta Gold. A leftover from the renovation of a very prominent Charlotte attorney, I fell in love with it's transparency (you can shine a light through it) and white/brown/gray veinning. Not to mention that it was also a total steal!

The bathroom is already done but this blog is going to take a while. Check back this week for the final blog on our "almost master bath!"

Children: The Bubble Map of Life

The phrase "get your priority's straight" sounds like a pretty easily accomplished task. Much like an afternoon's project or a weekend DYI. I imagine a college notebook with a couple of bullet points and  some scratchy notes, maybe even an old school bubble map diagram.

In fact, "getting our priority's straight" might be the single hardest task many of us are every faced with.  To some it may be as simple as going to the grocery store first and not the dry cleaners. To others it may be taking a vacation with those you love the most, taking the kids to the park instead of getting that much needed mani/pedi or clipping coupons today so that next month there is a little something, something in the old savings account. The scenarios are endless, but the various outcomes ultimately form the foundation of our lives. 

For the last several weeks, I have worked hard on my own bubble map of life. Clarity comes at the center of that bubble, in BIG, BOLD ink. The only way this map works is to put our children front and center. Not just yours and mine, but our neighbors, our cities and ultimately the worlds. There are lines that lead everywhere with more and more bubbles attached.  Everything from listening to them more often, to spending time indoors reading and outdoors exercising with them.  We must  prepare them for the world outside our nest and we have to save for their future and ours. Prioritizing all of that (and more) is going to take some time, but the easiest and funnest part is spending time with them. What better time to catch up on some much needed kid loving than over the holidays!

Here is a look at some fun moments from our holiday season:

Elfie came extra early this year and made a lot of work for Mommy and Daddy. That (not) so little elf has never fit on any of our shelves. Sure does make himself comfortable in our kitchen though. . .

Sadie bug just could not deside on a tree. . .

She finally did. . .and it was the best, tree, ever!

Just to be sure there was a enough help at the North Pole,  Cooper added some SUPER powers to Santa's team.

Elfie got in MORE & MORE trouble around the house and was almost sent back to the North Pole.

The best Christmas present ever was bringing him home from the hospital on Christmas Eve 2008.

Happy 4th Birthday Super Cooper!

We had a "girls day" at the Nutcracker with some of our best friends.

And thanks to some great planning from Ms. Krista Wilson. . .

We were second row, center stage!

Most importantly, we did a lot of sitting around and making S'Mores by the fire!

May 2013 be full of magical memory's and loving moments!