When Magazine Worthy Meets DIY Home Tour
First of all....You Guys!!! This is our first post since reacquiring Style Me Pretty and there are no words to tell you just how excited we are. You can read all about the Reboot right here. But you know what, rather than dwell in the past, I'm going to dive head first into our amazing lineup of content...starting with the beautiful home of Sincerely Sarah D.
If you don't know her blog, you should. If you don't follow her on insta, you should. If you just want to live vicariously through Sara's gorgeous spaces...you can! Because today, she is sharing all of the pretty and her inspiration behind it right here! On Her Aesthetic...Generally, I lean towards a more elegant, traditional design style. I need order, so I use symmetry in most of my designs. I also love dreamy, neutral designs, but I also crave color. I find that I mix both into my designs.
On her decorating philosophy...Although it's taken me awhile to get to this point, I realize that not everyone is going to love my design style, and that's okay! I have grown to appreciate different design styles. We don't all dress alike, and honestly it would be such a boring world if we all decorated and dressed the same. As a result, I've come to really appreciate (and follow) designers who have a different design sense. I realize I can find inspiration from their designs!
Although it's sometime hard to see from photos, we live in this house. I spend hours cleaning up and hiding stuff before photo shoots. I bring in fresh flowers and pretty props. Our house NEVER looks like it does in my photos. However, you all want to see pretty photos - no one wants to see my mess (but know it is there).
Tufted Sofa: Roxbury via The Room Place | Accent Chairs: Isabella via The Room Place | DIY Wall Paneling | Rug: Rug USA | Round Mirror: Wisteria | Floral Artwork: Lindsay Letters
Our kitchen remodel was centered around opening up the space so we can all fit in the kitchen and the island is the center of our home. The kids eat there and hang out while I'm working in the kitchen.
My husband and I DIYed our kitchen over the span of 9 weeks. The layout was terrible, and we wanted to open the space more to be more conducive for entertaining. Last summer at Haven Conference (a DIY home décor blogger conference), I pitched my kitchen remodel to The Home Depot. I won, and as a result we were able to remodel our kitchen. Now, part of the pitch was that my husband and I would DIY the kitchen. What I didn’t tell The Home Depot was that we had never done a project of this caliber. We have built some wall treatments and small shelving projects, but we definitely didn’t know how to remodel a kitchen! You can see Sara's DIY Kitchen Projects right here!
Frankly, I’m surprised my husband and I are still together after that project! We spent late nights and weekends working on that remodel. It was absolutely exhausting, but it is so amazing to look at our kitchen and realize that WE built it! Kitchen Runner: The Home Depot | DIY Kitchen Hood | Cabinets: Custom Service Hardware | Hardware: Hickory Hardware | Brass Pot Filler, Faucet, Sink and Backsplash: Home Depot (check here for links) | Pendants: The Home Depot | Stools: The Home Depot
As a décor blogger, I have found that I am not as sentimental about pieces as I once was. My job is to change up my space, and that often results in getting rid of pieces. I do, however, save smaller family heirlooms such as dishes and photos. Bed: The Room Place, Isabella King | Navy Throw Pillows | Paint Color: Valspar Coconut Milk
When we remodeled our master bathroom, I kept going back to an old home (Rockcliffe Mansion) I toured in Hannibal Missouri. I saw a bathroom in that home, and I was obsessed with how gorgeous and timeless it was. I tend to adore everything from the turn-of-the-century. I tried to replicate that look (subway tile, brushed nickel faucets) while adding in a few modern touches such as the wood floor tile. Paint Color: Sherwin Williams Repose Gray | DIY Bathroom Stools | Hardware: Moen | Tub: Signature Hardware | Light Fixture: Bellacor | Sconces: The Home Depot | Accessories: Home Goods
Our library houses our family's books, and our family has a love for reading. The ladder is from Custom Service Hardware and you can read all about building it, right here.
Who do you look to (blogger, designer, etc) for your inspiration?I love the elegance of the past. I am obsessed with PBS period pieces, and I think it's because I am so inspired by the decor and dress (Downton Abbey, Poldark, Victoria). We went to DC over spring break, and I could not get enough of Washington's home, Mt. Vernon. I follow Chateau de Gudanes on Instagram and just die over their gorgeous imagery.In regards to more current bloggers/designers, I absolutely love the work of Caitlin Wilson and Bria Hammel Interiors.Are there any mistakes you made when decorating or remodeling?Oh my goodness. Where do I begin?! Decorating has definitely been a journey, and I've grown the longer I've done it. It took me a while to find out exactly who I was as a designer. Once I discovered that, I became much more confident in my own abilities and feel like my confidence has been able to shine through.What stores or online resources are your faves?Both of the designers I mentioned earlier (Caitlin & Bria) have product, and I am so inspired by what they offer (I have some of Caitlin Wilson's wallpaper in my mudroom). However, although I adore elegance, it does come with a price. My goal is to achieve the look without spending the crazy amount of money it often requires. I wish I could buy pieces from my favorite designers, but I am inspired and find similar pieces for less. I buy lighting from Lamps Plus and often find bedding on Amazon. I love HomeGoods and Target for decor pieces.
Home Decor: Sincerely Sara D