I haven’t written about our new home in a long time because our house is in shambles. I went on one of my manic cleaning sprees and threw away a ton of stuff and we bought these vacuum seal bags to store things we never use like older bed sheets and pillows, etc. Basically, our house looked better the day after we moved in than it does now.
We’ve been so busy that we haven’t had a chance to do much with the house. Our new chandelier sits in the box it came in, unassembled.
I’m hoping that the holidays will inspire me to get into the spirit of working on the house again. Here’s what’s on my priorities list:
Assemble and install kitchen chandelier
Buy a new coffee table (we are thinking of getting the same IKEA one we already have—but in WHITE—thoughts?) The rest of our furniture is so dark and I thought a pop of white next to the gray couch would be nice?
(this is the current coffee table and rug)
IKEA Lack Coffee Table ($39.99)
Hang the pretty mirror we got at Lowes
Figure out what I want to do with the guest room. I’m at a complete loss on this one. I need to go through my library of inspiration photos and see what direction I’d like to go in. I think it would be fun to do something bold in there, but I also love my neutrals so we’ll have to see.
(current guest room)
Here are some colors/ideas/inspirations I am liking right now for a guest room:
Get a new rug for under our coffee table—we threw our old one away because it kept shedding and getting crusty white stuff on our floors. Ew. I’d like a similar off-white shag rug again because I thought it worked well with our couches.
(the rug that is gone now)
Paint our master bedroom. The dark brown accent walls are fun and all…but they’re not a color I would have picked. I think I’m going to go for a light gray shade. Love the way it looks with bright white trim. I have no idea when this will happen, but I’m in no rush because I don’t hate the dark brown.
What’s on your home to-do list? If you have any ideas about some of my rooms, let me know in the comments below!
xoxo,
Veronika.
I always feel like we have a to-do list around the house…right now it involves installing hall closet doors, paint the trim/doors, add window treatments to the dining room, update office area…the list goes on! You've got a lot of fun projects ahead! 🙂
Hi Veronica
Your home is coming together nicely and I love all your inspiration images. Just a thought though, could you not paint the coffee table white? I dont know if you guys are into DIY but its super easy and with the money you save you could buy something else for your home x
@l.candy—I wish we could but the table is chipped and scratched—to me, it's not worth it when I can pay $40 for a nice glossy white table.
If the coffee table we wanted was really pricey I might consider painting this one but for the low price I think it's easier and less time consuming to buy a new one 🙂
we have the same Ikea coffee table, and after 2 years one of the legs has a big crack in it. However, I would definitely go see the white version in person and make sure its actually glossy…sometimes the white Ikea furniture is more dull than glossy, making it look cheaper.
I can't wait to see what you'll do with the guest room. I love your bedroom – especially the headboard – its so hotel-like!
We're still working on the finishing touches for our house (we moved in July) – this is what I still need:
-master: new bedding and wall artwork
-guest room: make a window seat, buy throw pillows and artwork
-TV area: new cushions and something pink for the wall
-Living room: carpet for under the coffee table and throw pillows.
It's so hard finding things I love – I didn't think I was that picky!
We just bought the Hemnes Ikea coffee table – I love it:
https://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/80176284/
I love your mirror, I put that on my list of things to buy. We are in the process of moving so I know I will have a list a mile long of things to do. Where did you get your bed in your guest room I would like something like that in my guest room.
ali—the guest bed is from IKEA 🙂
I just got the lack table in white and I love it! Mine got dirty easily, but I haven't really been taking care of it that well. It's not really glossy, but it has a smooth finish.
Love the mirror Veronika! Where are you thinking of putting it?
I really like your idea of changing the coffee table to the white version, it will be a lovely contast.
Can't wait to see everything come together as you have such great taste!
–Melissa M
melissa—we are going to put the mirror above the crate and barrel black cabinet thing we have on the wall near our couch 🙂
Do you watch the Rachel Zoe project? you remind me of her with your talk of a white-themed Christmas and white coffee table 🙂 But I agree- I think white would really lighten the space!
@jenn—i love Rachel Zoe! 🙂 love white glossy everything hehe!
I think you should do a rug with some pattern and maybe a fun color!
@anon—i'd love a purple one—or maybe even a very light gray 🙂 all of my pillows are purple so I want to keep that color family 🙂
Hmmm I don't know about the white coffee table. I mean it will be the only white piece of furniture in the room no? (If I understood well) Plus, you're rug is (off) white already. For more contrast then get a gray (as you like neutrals) rug (with some pattern maybe?) and then the white coffee table on top (if you keep going with the white coffee table). About your guest room, I really like the pic you post, dark wall, striped bedding, yellow pillow? Looks great. Also give them some privacy, a curtain or blinds are necessary for the French doors :). Aaaand about my home? Nothing's done… Hubby doesn't like my west elm style soooo… And we still sleep on a mattress on the floor because we can not agree on a bed. In short – it's not great.
@G–i like the idea of doing a gray rug 🙂 it would be the only piece of white, but I also like the idea of not being so matchy-matchy.
I feel lucky that my H doesn't really care and gives me free reign to decorate—but he did help pick out our couch 🙂
You need to tell hubs that a simple bed is a great bed—west elm has so many great choices! is he wanting something less modern?
I think a glossy white coffee table would look good! Our current home decor goal is seating; we're having the worst time finding nice chairs small enough for our den space. 🙁
My only recommendation is not to get another table from Ikea. Their furniture looks cheap and the quality is awful. The rest of your furniture is very nice and classy so I would recommend you invest in a higher quality piece that will hold up better and make the room more polish and sophisticated.
@anon—a lot of our "nice and classy' furniture is from IKEA including—out barstools, 3 dressers in our house, the shelf in my office, our coffee table…I think it's about learning to mix and match—expensive doesn't always mean better. We will look at other tables too but we've been very happy with our IKEA $40 coffee table for the last 3 years that we've had it 🙂
https://www.houzz.com/photos/90873/Master-Bedroom2-traditional-bedroom-dallas
This reminded me of your guest room.
I love the white coffee table, but I wouldn't put it on top of an off-white rug. Can't wait to see the kitchen with the chandelier! We also recently moved, and we also have a chandelier for the dining room that's been sitting in its box for 2 months…. so y'all aren't the only ones! 😉
i love seeing the progress of your place Veronika, it's looking great!
i think the white coffee table would be pretty and modern. you could always dress it up too with a colorful lacquered tray or some candles. you could pick a different neutral color for the rug. i'm moving into a new place next month & am SO excited to decorate. the pics provide a lot of inspiration.
We have a huge to do list at our house!! We moved in a little over a year ago, but haven't done too much. We still need to buy more frames and put up more pictures. I'm also on the hunt for the perfect buffet/bar table for the dining room…
Love the new mirror! We have a rug that sheds everywhere too! Makes for a lot of swiffering 🙂
Love the mirror and chandelier! Gorgeous. I think for a guest bedroom it's important not to go too bold, you want your guests to be able to have a place to relax. ~jen
I love the idea of doing something really bold in the guestroom! The rest of the house is nice and neutral (with some nice color of course), but it would be fun to go outside of the box in the guest room–patterned wall paper, bold colored furniture, crazy prints.
What great inspiration! I am at a total loss for my guest room, too. Actually… the entire upstairs. It's crazy to move from a 2-bedroom apartment to a 5-bedroom home. We literally have an empty bedroom. Ha. Looking forward to seeing what you end up doing!
Hey Veronik – I think you should keep the dark coffee table. I had the white one in my basement and it just looked 'cheap' in comparison to the darker one. I LOVE your headboard in your master – is that from West Elm?
Yes it's from west elm 🙂
I think a white coffee table would look nice and break up some of the darker pieces you have in that room:)
Have you thought about adding drapes to your living room to dress it up a little bit?
I love all the inspiration pics for your guest room! I don't know how you're going to decide! My only suggestion would be to make it flow with the decor in the rest of the house. My thoughts are if you go really bold in there and stay neutral everywhere else, it might look a little disconnected…like the room doesn't quite belong. Just my thoughts! GL!:)
Rachel,
we are planning on getting drapes for the entire house we just haven't gotten around to it yet 🙂
Love the couch! Mine is coming in today, in a few minutes to be exact, thanks to your recommendation! 😉
As for the table, I think a glossy white coffee table would be an excellent pop of alternate color (or lack thereof, really) against the grey. Our condo has ultra-white trim and I painted the walls Ben Moors's Galveston Grey and with our dark-cherry floors it looks so polished and striking. Obviously since you commented that the rug in the pic is gone anyway, you'll have plenty of options to replace it with a complimentary color to the white table. A grey and white rug would look nice!
– Erin (hopefully this post works this time!)
This is a beautiful chandelier! And I love your living room!
It seems you're always throwing stuff away. Why don't u have a garage sale and try to make some money? or is it mostly junk?
@anon—I donate a ton of stuff and I also sell things that can be sold (like how I have my blog sales). I only throw away junk or things that are in bad condition that I can't donate.
I would rather throw stuff away than have my house hoarded with junk. It feels good to get rid of things you never use—whether you donate, sell or throw away.
Love the master bedroom! What color sheets do you use with the white comforter? I am thinking of investing in a white comforter but wasn't sure what color sheets to use!
Traci they are drak gray
I think a white coffee table could work well in your living room, but I wouldn't put an off-white rug under it. Maybe find something with a pretty pattern to offset the white?
Veronica,
I think the white coffee table is a great idea. I think the pop of brightness would look lovely with the things you have already. You have great taste, go with your gut!
Hey Veronika, your rooms look good, even though you want to decorate them! Have you considered a "ghost coffee table" ? Keep us updated, and good luck. 🙂
glofashion3.blogspot.com
Hi there – I think you've got it right. Mix and matching expensive and good buys is the way to go! I have 3 young boys, but I don't want that to keep me from having a stylish home. I have numerous ikea pieces that have stood up to the test of my boys. Two styles that you may want to check out which are both available in white >> Klubbo and Hemnes. I think a square table may also look nice in your space with the sectional. Have fun shopping! Mum of 3 from Toronto
https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10177885/
If you decide to go with a gray rug, I think this one would look nice and the price is great too.
We accept a huge to do account at our house!! We confused in a little over a year ago, but haven't done too much.
Rental Property Management
I think the white coffee table looks great! And can I just say, I love your style. I live in an apartment right now so we're a bit limited as to decorating options, but I am storing up a lot of Veronika inspiration for our future home:-)
I can't stop looking at your inspiration pictures. I've been trying to come up with something for a long empty wall in my bathroom and all those picture frames look great! Do you know where that picture is from or where I could find pictures like those? Thanks!
hannah—i read a lot of design blogs but that pic could be years old…I have no idea sorry 🙁
This may have already been said so sorry if it's a repeat – but I liked the idea of the white coffee table until you mentioned getting another white or off-white rug. I wouldnt do both. Maybe a light gray subtle pattern rug with the white coffee table?
@anon— I am looking for a gray rug right now 🙂
hi veronika I love the brown colors on your walls! would you please tell me the name? ah! I also have the same bed frame from Ikea! lol anyways your house is beautiful!!
Absolutely love the chandelier. I'm thinking of getting it for above my dining table and even found it for half price at Home Depot. Score! Thanks for such great inspiration 🙂
HAYALP! Where did you get the white/gold bedding in the guest room?! I NEED IT! Thanks!
It's from brocade home— it's actually a yellow color