Hall Rug

Back in September, I ordered a rug for my hall after a little makeover of the space.  It was backordered so it was December before I received it.  I just realized that I never shared it.  

(Please ignore the wrinkles.  I need to fix the non-slip pad under the rug.)

The rug was the final piece of the puzzle and I really think it completes the space.  The paint, lighting and rug really make the space so lighter, brighter and more peaceful than it was before.

(Taken from the opposite direction from the photo above)

Last thing to do here is to paint those closet doors.  They've been that way - primed but not painted - since we moved in 7 years ago!

EDIT:  The rug is the Swedish Stripe Cotton Rug from Dash and Albert.  You can order it from them directly but I got it from Layla Grace.

Hallway Makeover

Its a beautiful, cool Autumn day here and I have a pumpkin candle burning next to me.  Ahhhh ...  Last week was one of the busiest weeks for me that I can remember in a very long time so the nice day with nothing to do is a relief. 

I wanted to share some progress on my upstairs hallway.  A while back, I'd purchased some lamps on clearance at Pottery Barn.  It took me a while to get them up because I had to modify them to be hardwired and I needed some time to do this as well as put them up.  Well, here they are ...

I absolutely love the lanterns.  I also painted the hall the palest of blues.  I still need to paint the closet doors and ceiling.  Prior to this, the walls were the same yellow as our living room.  I like the yellow in the living room, but I didn't like the feel of it here.  I wanted a serene feeling when you came up to the bedrooms and I think I achieved that.  Here's the "before".

More D.C. Big Flea purchases are two photos I picked up that were taken by a local photographer.  National Cathedral ...

(Sorry about the glare!)

... and the Potomac River.

I had initially planned to just use black and white family photos in the frames above but after perusing all the beautiful photos this vendor had, I liked how both of these photos had the same serene blue feel with the little hint of orange from the sun. 

I did end up using a couple of frames I had and printing some photos for them.  I could have painted the frames to match those on the opposite wall but I don't mind the wood color or the fact that its different from the table.

This little vase was a gift from Pottery Barn that I've had for years.  I've used it for flowers, and potpourri but I decided to fill it with sea glass.

I have to wait until December for the runner I ordered but I think it will really complete the space. 

Now, back to my lazy Sunday.  I hope this week is a lot slower for me than last. 

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Linked to Style Feature Saturday on Perfectly Imperfect.

Rug Failure

Isn't this beautiful?  Its the porch of the blogger who writes Cote de Texas.  Her home and blog are far more grand than mine but I came across this photo on a rug hunt.  See the blue striped rug on the table? 

I have been searching for a runner for my upstairs hallway and finally found the rug above as a runner.  I thought ... Ooooh!  Perfect!  I excitedly ordered the rug immediately.  Success, right?  Not so much.  I just got a phone call that its backordered until December!  Now what?  Do I wait or give up?

New Lanterns

I've got several projects going on simultaneously these days.  One of those projects is my second floor hallway.  I didn't feel like the yellow looked right there so its a very pale blue/grey now.  The lighting that's there is the typical dome ceiling lights everyone has.  I don't love those types of lights so I was searching for an alternative.  I actually have a black outdoor lantern in our entryway that I love.  Lanterns can be kind of expensive but rather than stick with indoor lighting, I just got an inexpensive outdoor lantern and I love it.  It picks up the black in the iron of the staircase and hooks on the wall.

Back to the hallway ...

I knew I wanted to do lanterns again, but I wanted white or silver lanterns.  Not so easy to find.  At least not on my thrifty budget and since I was on a budget for these, I never even considered Pottery Barn but went to their website looking for ideas.  I happily found these on clearance!

Sadly, the one on the right was sold out but that would have been my first choice.  I liked the soft curves and that it was just a bit different from the shape of most lanterns.  Not a problem.  I ordered two of the one on the left.

I got them yesterday and was so thrilled when I opened the boxes.  They are gorgeous.  They are much bigger in person than they appear in the photos.  The nickel elements are also very substantial.  They're going to require rewiring in order to hardwire since they're plug-ins but that's not a problem.  A little tidbit about me ... My first engineering job out of college was for a lighting manufacturer. 

Can't wait to get these up!