Wants, Needs & Downstairs To Do’s

The heart wants what the heart wants.

When Kevin and I got married, we made a list of things we need, things we had {both from his house and mine} and things we could hold out on and take our time finding.

The list of things we are looking to change out or purchase is growing as our style evolves. We are not in a huge hurry to change these out, we want to fall in love with each item before we buy. Our home’s décor and style is constantly progressing and growing. It’s a work in progress and I actually enjoy being able to work on it little by little… hey, it is the thrill of finds, new inspiration and ideas that keep the party alive!

To show you how much we haven’t finished, we jotted down a fun list of downstairs items we want to take care of. {We mentioned some of our plan awhile back}… Before we tackle any, we thought we would share are far from done house so you can see where our wants & needs are coming from!

Let’s get to the list…

 1/ Rug:

What We Have: I bought this on a whim because we needed an area rug. We loved it at the time. When we painted stripes on the wall and decided we wanted to brighten our space up a bit, it became a little dark for our style.

What We Want: We are looking for something with pattern, maybe Ikat, Chevron or Quatrefoil-ish.

2/ Sofa:

What We Have: The sofa we have now was Kevin’s before we got hitched. It is ridiculously comfy and he actually paid a big price for it when a he bought it. It works for now…

What We Want: A small sectional in a tan, silver-gray or even white leather.

3/ TV Stand.

What We Have:This was a purchased when we were engaged and were going to move in Kevin’s house {which has now been named another rental.. we have 4}. It’s from Ikea {Lack TV Stand} and it does work. We liked it because it was clean, modern and inexpensive. Now… we realize it is too low and our nieces and nephews can’t help but to touch our beloved TV because it is on their level… it kind of makes us think about kid proofing for when we have babies.

What We Want: We mentioned to you awhile ago that we are looking for the perfect dresser to convert, DIY and make it pretty enough to replace this one with! I have had a few ‘maybes’, but nothing my heart skips a bit for yet.

4/ Entry Art & Furniture:

What We Have: Right now we have this really functional bench/hutch piece in the entryway which sits opposite our sofa table, it actually creates a nice walkway and an actual ‘entry zone’ since we don’t have one. I like it for its functionality and look, but we have been toying with a few ideas lately.

What We Want: We have been playing with the idea of adding  2 or 3 large shelves {like below from Ikea} to the wall to create some display space and to echo the linear lines from the stripes we painted on the opposite wall. We are going to have to work out our floor plan a bit to make this happen, but I am positively thrilled about this change.

6/ Art:

What We Have: Currently we have a small shelf and two pictures full of wedding photos in our entryway. If we adjust our floor plan and add the shelves above, these photos will need to be adjusted as well. We love family photos and souvenir items we have saved from our travels and dating… we though it might be fun to add some more ‘life’ to this area.

What We Want:A small version of a Gallery Wall. Nice white, gray and nickel-ish frames full of family photos, both black and white and color. We plan on hanging them in a unique way and having it look organized, neat and a bit modern.

 

 {Source: Pottery Barn} 

{P.S. Don’t pay attention to the brown shade going on, we are in the process of choosing a new color.  We also want a backsplash for our kitchen… I want to go glass and maybe some tumbled marble inserts.}

7/ Rug:

What We Have:The rug we currently have is small and isn’t something we ‘love’.

What We Want: Texture, texture, texture. We may opt for a nice striped rug with a bit of texture or a natural rug.

{Pottery Barn… It happens to have navy blue in it which I am CRAZY about and I mentioned adding the hue to our space}

 

8/ Rug:

 What We Have: Nothing

What We Want: A small round or square rug that our table for four can fit on. Something plain in a gray/silver or natural tan shade. I would even be happy with a natural jute or sisal rug here.

These are a few square options from Overstock…

9/ Lighting:

What We Have:The light we have is what actually came with our home {you can see it above}. It’s ugly, really ugly. Plain old brassy-ish ugly. Hey, we are a work is progress… that’s the fun of having a house.

What We Want: A drum light. Yes,yes, yes… I must have one.

 

We like these options {in addition to the drum shades}… we have a few others in the mix too…

1/ Basket Chandelier by Ikea

2/ White Pendant by Ikea

3/Textured Natural Chandelier by Ikea

4/Tan Drum Chandelier by Lamps Plus

5/Capiz Chandelier by Target

6/Aqua Drum Chandelier by Lamps Plus

That sums up our downstairs wish list… we will tackle the upstairs ‘to-do’s another day! Our house is constantly changing and evolving and we are FAR FROM DONE… I like it that way! I never want a ‘done’ house because I enjoy the adventure! {Speaking of adventures, we have got BIG, LIKE HUGE news soon}…

 Is your home constantly changing? Are you a get it all done at one time kind of person? Taking it in strides? What’s your flavor? Dish it…

P.S. We are want your projects for the spring and summer…

P.S.S… Last day to enter the giveaway! Go… you know you want some new jewelry!