the search for sectionals (modern southern bungalow week 21)

We have floors! Ok, we have partial floors. The upstairs floors have been installed and the downstairs floors are in process. We also received confirmation this week that our wall tile for both the kitchen and master shower will be here on Thursday. It feels like things are getting closer even though we still have 14 weeks to go assuming all goes well. Please cross all your fingers and toes. We are so ready to get out of the apartment.

This week, while we waited for flooring and tile, we began looking at furnishings. I know what you are thinking. Fourteen weeks is a long time. But furniture, even from a big box store, is very rarely available the day that you want it. Many furniture stores are really show rooms, where one can try out pieces but not walk out with them. Even a basic table can take 6-8 weeks for delivery. Sofas can take up to 12 weeks for delivery.

living with kids, modern southern bungalow, small spacesadrienne robideauxMarch 20, 2018decorating, family roomComment

furniture that grows with your child

One of the toughest things about decorating with kids is that they grow up. Statement of the obvious, yes? But it is more than just a kid’s taste that changes as they grow up. We don’t always want to acknowledge it as parents, but our kids do get bigger. It happens quickly at first when they are babies, then slows down a bit such that when we turn and look one day, we have big kids in elementary school. How did that even happen? Let’s not continue the progression from there.

I know it is a tough reality to swallow. As parents, we plan for the future but we don’t want to think about our kids growing up. We want to savor them today as they are, in our laps and reading a book. Trust me, I am all for that. But I am also for planning a little. There are choices that you can make today for your child’s room that will grow with your child.

perfect countertops (modern southern bungalow week 20)

Absolutely nothing has happened in the house during the last week. We still have not decided on an exterior paint color, we still need to make decisions on door knobs, and we still have no floors (although word on the street is that those will be going in starting today). We do, however, have drywall and primed walls and a lovely sketch of on the kitchen wall of where the cabinets will live.

I’m a huge fan of our new mural because it really gives a sense of how the kitchen will flow once the cabinets are built. I can’t wait to see how the tile looks.

With the one day that my husband and I were both in town this week, we made a trip to yet another countertop supplier to see if we could find the perfect countertops for the kitchen. There are a ton of articles out there about how to select the perfect countertops for your lifestyle (and perfect countertops because some designer said they are perfect). I’m not going to bore you with one more of those articles. I have learned a few things in the process though that I think are worth passing along for those thinking about a kitchen remodel (or a bath remodel with new countertops).

modern southern bungalowadrienne robideauxMarch 13, 2018kitchen remodel, family livingComment

five kid decorating don'ts (and what to do instead)

I spent several days last week living in a rainbow. The outside was absolutely amazing. So fun. My room was another story. Purple carpet, lime green walls/headboard and curtains, and my bathroom was orange with beige tile. I should have taken a picture of it to share with you but I knew it would be forever etched in my memory as a bad dream so I didn't even think to photograph it.

The lime green and purple (as well as a keynote by Stacy London of What Not to Wear) got me thinking about good ideas gone bad. (Also, just a quick footnote from this design snob to whoever decorated those bathrooms: if you are going to go big, go big. For heaven’s sake, don’t leave the old brown tile and think it just works with an orange and purple bathroom.) This can happen to the best of us, for sure. Decorators are not immune. So let’s talk briefly about some decorating decisions we should try to avoid and what to do instead.

living with kids, kids, interiorsadrienne robideauxMarch 8, 2018kid rooms, decorComment

kitchen planning (modern southern bungalow week 19)

While it feels like we have been at this forever, a quick look at the calendar this weekend revealed that we still have about 15 weeks to go before our tentative job completion date. Tile should be here in a couple of weeks and the wood floors will begin going in this week. The cabinet maker is beginning the process of building the boxes for the kitchen and vanities. We are still in the weeds making decisions about cabinet fronts and door knobs and pulls. Let’s be honest. There is a whole lot of decision fatigue at this point in the process. And we have so so many more decisions to go.

modern southern bungalowadrienne robideauxMarch 6, 2018modern southern bungalow, remodelComment

what I'm loving now

It occurs to me that I should have given this post a better title because unless I'm Joanna Gaines, not many people care what I'm loving now. Also, I just have to get it right out of the way for those who know me personally and are reading this wondering why there is a cat photo in this post. No, I have not gone to the dark side. There is a point to the picture. Keep reading.

Anyway, I’m in California this week for two design related conferences. When this post goes live, I will be leaving the first conference in Palm Springs and headed to Los Angeles. I’ll spend a few days recovering from information overload there before heading on to more information overload in Beverly Hills. I intended to leave you with a light little look at the things I’m loving right now in order to show that I am a real person who is not totally motivated by wallpaper or and who is not trying to sell you her services 24-7. Of course, each one of the identified things I’m loving right now would be casually tied to some amazing decorating item or other, subtly pulling you back into the “hire me!” abyss. To bastardize Shakespeare, all the internet’s a marketplace and the men and women merely salespeople in it.

lagniappe, living with kidsadrienne robideauxMarch 1, 2018mom life, family livingComment

why can't i pick an exterior paint color? (modern southern bungalow week 18)

You can't rush progress, y'all, and in this case, you can't rush Houston humidity. The drywall is hung and ready for mud, but at this rate, it will be next January before it is dry enough here to do anything with these walls. We are already seeing mosquitos. Ugh.

Meanwhile, we've started looking at paint colors for the exterior of the house. Truth? We've been looking at paint colors for over a year. My kids have begun to revolt when we drive around the neighborhood looking at paint combinations. We were asked to pick a paint color way back in October before we picked the roofing material. Remember this? Yep. September was so long ago.

modern southern bungalowadrienne robideauxFebruary 27, 2018modern southern bungalow, remodel, family living, family, paintComment

you don't need a bed in a bag

Confession time. I cannot dress myself like the grown up that I play on the internet. There are days that I still look like high school Adrienne going to work at the GAP. It’s not good. I also hate shopping for clothes. Hate. My level of loathing for shopping was historically reserved for swimsuits, but as I’ve gotten older, it has spread like dandelions.

My better-dressed friends have spent a lot of time trying to convince me that I should just go into Nordstrom and meet a stylist. They insist that if I had things that felt like me and fit me, I’d feel more confident. In a Hail Mary move yesterday, I signed up to meet a stylist at Nordstrom. I say Hail Mary because I am scheduled to leave for California in 4 days to attend two conferences. We can all agree that my usual jeans, t-shirts, and kicks are not going to come off as professional.

design, interiors, lagniappeadrienne robideauxFebruary 22, 2018decor, dressing, home, bedroom, adultingComment

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