Pinch Pleats and Penney's

My Grandma's house was always so nice and clean and well put together. She wasn't a plastic on the sofa type of lady but we certainly had spaces where we knew what our boundaries were.  She absolutely loved JCPenney, or Penney's as she called it. 

We spent countless Saturdays roaming around that store.  Of course I was fine with it as long as it meant I got something new and pretty, but when it came to the home section....total snooze fest. 

Well, they say apples don't fall far from the tree, and they're right.  After recently coming to grips with the fact that my coral kitchen drapery really needed to have a lining added, I started to rethink them all together. 

Sure, I liked having the pop of color.  I even coordinated my painted garage entry door to match, but lately I've been craving the more subdued. 

I decided to just look around to explore my options.  Funny thing is, when I think decent quality, ready-made drapes I automatically think JCP.  I'm sure it has something to do with all of those Saturdays. 

JCP.com

I have to admit after a short time on the JCP.com website I'd found more than a few good neutral options.  But I was sold when I stumbled upon these new pinch-pleated back-tabbed panels.  Nothing says custom like pinch pleats, and the fact that they had a back tab meant no extra hardware would be required and that = $money in the bank.

The great thing about these drapes is that in addition to various lengths, they also come in a variety of widths.  That was perfect for me considering four of the panels I needed were for the bay window and really only needed to be half width. 

So, I pulled the trigger and ordered them....only to discover they were backordered until March.  Of course they were, I thought.  Well, let's just say they were worth the wait.

 

I'm loving the more sophisticated look.  The drapes even inspired me to upgrade my rug.  I purchased an old faithful from Rugs USA.  I actually already had an oval version of the same rug in front of the sink.

 

I'd loved it so much that as soon as the 6" X 9' was no longer backordered, I jumped on it.  You can find it HERE

 

There's still lots to do in this space, but I'm pretty pleased with the results.

 

 

Now it's on to the patio.  Can't wait to share what's going on there. 

Third Anniversary Giveaway Winners!

Happy Monday Y'all!

Well, it's back to the grind today.  I can't complain, I've had plenty of time off and I have to admit it was pretty restful.  I spent lots of time with family and friends and way too much time wrapped in a new purple paisley robe watching an obscene number of old episodes of The Walking Dead.  Yes, I'm a huge fan.

I have so much to share with you guys in the coming posts, including my latest project reveal that includes three spaces, a recap of the best of 2014 and a little MLK project I'm going to be working on for Habitat for Humanity of  Charlotte.  But first, I'll get to what so many have been waiting for....the giveaway winners.

First up, the awesome Cutting Edge Stencils Paint-A-Pillow Kit goes to....

via Cutting Edge Stencils

Dawn Bryant! (Blog)

The Modern Masters Front Door Paint goes to....

Modern Masters

W Winston! (Blog)

And the 8 X 10 jute rug goes to (drum roll please).....

via Rugsusa.com

Holly Thomas! (Instagram)

 

Special thanks to everyone who participated and a very special thank you to the sponsors.  Lastly, I cannot thank you enough for your kind words regarding the launch of my new website and for your support and readership over the past three years.  It's been quite a ride, but I have a feeling we're just getting started.

Rugs USA Anniversary Giveaway!

I'm back with the third and final Dwell by Cheryl 3rd Anniversary Giveaway!

If you've been following the blog for any length of time, you know that most of my projects begin from the bottom up.  I likely choose to select the rug first because it can be one of the most costly elements in the space.  Thankfully,  I found Rugs USA very early on and have consistently turned to them to provide the foundation of my designs at amazingly affordable price points (and frequent sales).

One of my favorite rugs is their Handspun Jute Rug.  A natural rug provides so many options for decorating a space.  I fell in love with this one because of its thickness and softness.  It's hard to beat for the price.

The fine folks at Rugs USA have agreed to help me celebrate my 3 year milestone by offering up an 8 X 10 of my favorite rug. 

Remember, it's easy to enter.  Just follow the blog if you don't already and leave me a comment telling me where you'd use this versatile rug.  Be sure to leave your email if you comment as "anonymous". The giveaway will run through Saturday, January 3rd at 9:00 p.m. EST.  Winners of all this week's giveaways (yes, there are more) will be announced on Sunday, January 4th.

Interested in the other anniversary giveaways?  Find more details here:

 

Modern Masters Front Door Paint Giveaway

 

Cutting Edge Stencils Paint-A-Pillow Kit Giveaway



"Fun Family Room Reveal!"

It’s my favorite day- REVEAL DAY!



It’s always so much fun to see a design literally come to life and to then share it with you all. Today I’m revealing my most recent project and probably one of my favorites to date.  I always say that, don’t I?



This was a makeover with a quick turnaround.  Luckily the clients gave me a great start with superb wall colors; Sherwin Williams Moody Blue and Balanced Beige.

via

via

I’m filing this awesome neutral gray beige in my great paint color archives. 

We started with a space that wasn’t exactly in need of an update, it actually just needed to be pulled together.  It never ceases to amaze me how impactful things like drapes, a good rug, color pillows and finishing touches can be.  If you have any doubt about that fact, you won’t after this.  

Let’s do it, shall we.

BEFORE


AFTER


BEFORE

 AFTER

 

BEFORE

 AFTER

The family was looking for a more modern, yet kid friendly space and after seeing their paint colors, I immediately knew what direction we should go.  I find that when looking to achieve a clean and modern look, (in most cases) it helps to limit the color scheme to include only two or three colors (with variations).    I knew a rich golden rod would strike just the right tone against the Moody Blue.  And boy was it “moody”.  While I love the color, it was a difficult blue to work with.  It could read either blue or green depending on what was paired with it.  In the end, we made it work. 

BEFORE

 

AFTER

 

We also spruced up the attached dining area and kitchen.  A bold Moroccan trellis print on the drapery and a simple gallery wall with black and white family photos finish off the adjoining space.

 

I tackled another stencil project in the kitchen.  Apparently I'm a glutton for punishment.  The trellis print was repeated here to create the look of a backsplash.  I’ll talk more about the specifics on that a little later. 


 

Such a fun project for a fun young family. 

Don't miss my next project reveal.  Subscribe to the blog below.  It's easy!  Just enter your email and click the link in the email you receive from Dwell by Cheryl. 

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Special thanks to my intern Anna and Cam Richards Photography. 

Don't forget to leave me a comment to let me know what you think of this one.  I LOVE to hear from you.

"Going Bold: Client Project Reveal"

Guess what day it is?  Guess what day IT IS?  Yes, (for some of you) it's hump day, but more importantly, it's REVEAL day.  I understand a number of you have been waiting on this one.  Thanks so much for your patience.  You know the fact that I don't do this full-time means the projects usually take a little time to complete.  Hopefully this one was worth the wait.

 

I know you all remember the project with the bold colors.

 

 

Well, without further delay, here are some before and after pictures.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Isn't it amazing what color will do?  I mean seriously.  We began with literally NOTHING in this room except a taupe leather sofa. 



I knew the homeowners weren't able to paint, so this project would have to be all about bringing in color and pattern.  I started with this graphic rug that I found on Rugs USA (I knew you'd ask) for 80% off nonetheless. I always shop their clearance page first.

I will admit, at first is scared me. I knew I needed a color that would complement the rug, so I ended up with this chartreuse.  As if the rug weren't bold enough. 



So, with the client on board, we went for it.  I called on Baity's Custom Upholstery to take these legs that I picked up at the Habitat Restore...

 

...you may recall (from social media) and create a coffee table/ottoman that was a little less funky to balance things out.  That man is the tuft king!


The room is so open and has ceiling high windows which let in lots of light.  I think it was the perfect space for such a bold scheme.



The client also wanted to display some of their family photos, so we started a gallery wall that can be added to along the way.  Ideally, I would've liked to incorporate art as well, but on these value engineered projects, you have to stop somewhere.

We had the television installed above the fireplace and the components will actually be added to the left in a small cabinet, yet to be selected. 

 

All in all, I'm pleased with the result.  Of course, there are always things that I'd add if the budget allowed, but for an extremely budget friendly room makeover, I'll take it! 

What do you think? If you like be sure to comment, pin, post, share, etc....

Special thanks to Cam Richards Photography.