[Mr. Kate]

Ahhhhh hahah OMG this is too funny Thaline because Sofia and I JUST this week shot a DIY video for Pom Pom sandals JUST like these!!! Great minds think alike! I saw some for $300 and was like, duuuuh we need to DIY these! The video will be out in the next couple weeks and the technique we used was very similar to yours with the pom pom trim on the actual sandal part and some coin charms, etc. Too funny! You did SUCH an amazing job! Like seriously they look so pro girl! I really like the color combo and charms you used!

I love love LOOOVE you for posting these and for #whynot – ing your way to a fantastic summer pair of shoes. Props to you girl! And hi to Belgium! I want to go there one day!

Much love and happy summer to you and everyone on this thread! I’ll update this thread with the link to our pom pom sandals when they come out.

xoxoxoxooxoxooo POM POMMSSSSS

[Mr. Kate]

Hi Kim!

It’s often the case that a couple disagrees on style but with great design, there’s always a way to compromise! I agree with a lot of what Barbara said above! Here are some areas/tips I can offer you…

• The wood paneling, although cool, competes with the wood tone of the floors and dates the room (hello 70s!) so I would paint taht first and foremost. I good way to go, to lighten up the space and suit your husband’s desire for minimalism, is to go white. I love white painted wood paneling and it’s very chic in design these days. I also love the idea of adding some floating shelves or picture rails to display some art. Like in the photo below, a wider shelf to hold objects and slimmer shelf to hold framed art/photos. Some inspo pics…

• I would definitely change out the curtains – something patterned but minimal like these: http://bit.ly/1qVfdDN
• Add a big area rug under your couch – maybe something like this in probably 8 x 10 depending on the space – measure first: http://bit.ly/1qVfyGB
• Add a big mirror on the wall by your dining table
• Paint your dining table and chairs – you could mix and match like paint your table grey and your chairs navy blue. Or leave your table wood and paint your chairs white or black and get new cushions. You could also add another smaller area rug to ground the dining area.
• Change out your light fixture to something more “now” – maybe something like this is minimal and chic: http://bit.ly/1Wt8ZJa
• Either get a bigger shelf or sideboard for the dining room – something like this in white http://bit.ly/1Wt94MV so you can conceal some of that clutter and then display only your favorite 5 photos on top instead of a huge cluster.
• Mount your TV on the wall for a cleaner look and put a piece of furniture below that can hold your cable box etc. bonus if you can run your cords through the wall! There’s kits that help you do that like these: http://bit.ly/1qVgGd9
• For plants, you could do a big potted plant near the window and some less-sunlight dependent plants on the sideboard in the dining room and a cool succulent in the center of your dining table.

Hope that helps! Can’t wait to see what you do! Post photos in this thread when you’re done! xoxo Happy decorating.

– mr. kate

[Mr. Kate]

Hi Hallie! Thanks for asking here on the forums!

I actually love that khaki color and my initial thought was how cool neon would look as an accent. I think it would be really cool to use different neon colors or one color of embroidery thread and needle and do either a border of stitches around all the pockets or some kind of cool pattern like the reference images below…

pattern:

Text:

Stitched border:

If neon isn’t your thing, I always love rhinestones as a fun juxtaposition to a rugged looking fabric like on your backpack. You could do sew on rhinestones and stitch them on or flat backed and use a strong glue like e6000 to get them to stick.

Some inspo…

Hope that helps inspire you! Can’t wait to see what you do! Post a pic in this thread when you’re done!

xoxo

– mr. kate 💋

[Mr. Kate]

Thanks Jenna for filling me in! I really knew nothing about Texas A&M and now I know! Excited you’re into graphic design! You should post some of your brainstorms here, I’d love to see! I have great respect for people who can do graphic design because my brain doesn’t really work well in that realm. I’m good with photo composition and writing on their own but combining them is not my forte! Sofia – hat wearing Swedish fairy in our Office Goals videos – is a great graphic designer! She does all of our banners for the jewelry and sales etc.

Adan, I’m obsessed with candles too! Like legit, it’s a problem. And I agree with Jenna about the Volcano candle! I’ve bought more than I’d like to admit of those ; ). If you want a cheaper option with clean scents, I like the Mrs. Meyers candles that I get on Amazon in two packs http://bit.ly/1qzU3Le – I like the lavender, geranium or lemon verbena scent. I get those for the office because they’re not as pricey as the Capri Blue. If you want a truly luxurious candle, it doesn’t get better than Diptyque ‘Baies” in my opinion http://bit.ly/1qzU1D3

Denise! My love! Great to see you here!!! annnnd are we soul mates? Cats and old movies? YAAAAS! I went to film school so I’ve seen my fair share of the “classics” but I also grew up watching old movies. I was just showing Joey clips of old Shirley Temple movies the other day, which I’ve seen all of them and he’d never even heard of them. My all time favorite movie is Some Like It Hot and I also love Arsenic and Old Lace – those aren’t obscure but they’re great flicks!

Heart you all!!!

– monsieur kate

[Mr. Kate]

These are really good tips Jenna!

Hi Amber! Congrats on your new flat, it looks amazing. I love the windows and I agree with Jenna’s tip on floor to ceiling curtains. The windows are something you want to highlight. I also like the column, as an architectural detail but I wouldn’t do anything to it. I like architectural details to just stay simple and clean, if anything, you can place a nice potted palm or fig or hang a hanging plant near it to highlight the verticality.

Another way to make sure your room feels like a hotel room is to have a dresser or desk with a mirror above and matching side tables and bedside lamps on either side of your bed. Then of course an area rug and great bedding and throw pillows.

Hope that helps! Can’t wait to see what you do! Post pics here when you’re done!

xoxo

– mr. kate

 

[Mr. Kate]

Hi Alexis!

Since the sheets are very patterned I would stick to more solid throw pillows, maybe a pop of color, or if you want a print, make sure it’s a simple or large pattern.

I like these 3 together for on a – it will tie in the black and white but bring some fun color…

Polkadot yellow: http://bit.ly/1qzSn4p

Large pattern w/ color: http://bit.ly/1qzSs8d

Solid pretty color: http://bit.ly/1qzScWQ

Hope that helps! XO!

– kate

[Mr. Kate]

I love VSCO too and that’s what I’ve been using lately – I’ve even forked over the $2.99 for more of their filter packages. I also really like Afterlight because you can fine tune the photo and add white borders, etc. For photo correcting, I like FaceTune which allows you to easily zap out blemishes and I love the ‘details’ button to sharpen eyes and jewelry in photos, you can also whiten your teeth and the whites of your eyes if the filter casts a hue.

[Mr. Kate]

This is great! Thank you Dannie, Jenna and Adan! Dannie I love that you love to travel, there really is no other experience like it! Jenna, you’re so cool! Agricultural communications? Sounds intriguing, what does one do with a degree like that. Happy belated birthday!
Adan, I love that you’re one of our only dudes, it’s a badge of honor and I feel so lucky to know you AND have hugged you in person! When is your bday? In June right? Me too! June 4th!
Love that we’re connecting here!

Also, Joey just updated the forums so we can upload images in our posts now! So that will really help with sharing travel photos, outfit pics, DIYs, asking interior design questions etc. !

Love you all!

xo

– kate

[Mr. Kate]

Hey Habiba,

Sounds like a pickle you’re in! But a fun one, without a doubt.

It’s great that you and your sister have similar styles, as that will help you when you need to consolidate or streamline your furniture or decide for the style of makeover you want.

If you want to keep all of the furniture in the room, my suggestion would be to paint it all the same color or same two colors. Choose a neutral shade or one that isn’t too far from your wall colors. For example if you have white walls, you could paint it white, pale pink, or some pieces each color! This will help make the furniture seem more intentional, which will be helpful since you described there being so much of it!

If you’re trying to give some of your older furniture a makeover, you should watch my series Upcycl’d! (Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agAs6F5VHcU) It’s all about how to take vintage furniture or pieces that don’t fit your style anymore and make them into new, modern masterpieces!

Good luck, Habiba! I hope this helps! Let me know how it comes out!

XO

[Mr. Kate]

Hey Stella!

It can definitely be tricky to infuse style and personality into a small room, especially when there are limitations in place of how you can decorate! If you’re not sure what color you want to paint your walls yet (and this is a decision you should take your time with!), bring some flair and edge into the space with some rad wall art instead. You could DIY some (I have tutorials here: http://mrkate.com/2016/02/23/diy-finger-painting-wall-art/ and here: http://mrkate.com/2016/01/14/large-scale-wall-art-peyton-list/!) or go to a site like Society6 and have fun picking the pieces that represent you best.

If you want an edgier aesthetic in your room, keep your eye out for some cool metallic pieces. Gunmetals, golds, and platinums are all edgy, and when paired with patterns in deep colors like burgundies and blues (maybe even a 90s-inspired plaid) really bring in that grungy glamour feel, too.

I hope this helped! Let me know if you have any more questions and how everything turns out!

XOXO

[Mr. Kate]

Hey Cesaly!!

Welcome to the fam! I’m happy to meet you and that you’ve joined our community of creative weirdos!

Starting to design a room can definitely be daunting, especially when you have a million thoughts and ideas that don’t always go together, like I do sometimes! I do find Pinterest to be a helpful way to gather ideas and inspirations — put all of the pictures you like into a board, then take a few hours or even a day away from it. When you come back to it with fresh eyes, you’ll be able to see the common threads of what you’ve put together.

You can see this kind of a process in my Master Bathroom Pinterest Board — there are over 200 photos, but the major ideas are pretty clear when seen all together: black and white tiles, arched doorways, round mirrors.

The next step is taking inventory of what you have, what you can make, and the functionality of the space. This will let you think about the pieces to add, and DIYs to do that will tie in some of ideas you’ve picked out from your Pinteresting.

What I find helpful next is making a moodboard. Polyvore can be really helpful in this — even if they don’t have the exact items you do or want to use, they’re bound to have something similar. Or you can draw it, make it on Photoshop, collage it with magazine cut outs … anything that helps you visualize the layout of the space! This step is really important in getting a cohesive look, since you can see how the different decorations and pieces of furniture will relate to each other and play off each other.

I’m not a huge fan of rules when it comes to interior design, (I prefer to live by a #whynot philosophy!) but when it comes to cohesion, I’d say to keep track of the colors, textures, and shapes you’re including. Think of color families — you don’t have to use accents of all the same blue, but keeping accents in the same cool toned family will tie everything together nicely. I explained some tricks like this in my recent video with David Bromstad, if you want to check that out!

I hope this was helpful, Cesaly!

XO!

[Mr. Kate]

Hi Tatum!
Welcome to the forums! And welcome to LA!
Narrow spaces can be challenging but there is always a way to have a well designed space.
I think the main trap people fall into when decorating or laying out a long narrow room is the “wall hugging disorder” or that’s what I call it. That’s when you let the shape of the room dictate your layout and you just line the walls instead of taking advantage of the center of the room. People also tend to mimic the shape of the room and bring in long narrow furniture like benches, etc. because they think it’s all that fits. When really, you want to bring in round and oval items to offset the rectangular shape.
If you don’t have a dining room, I’d embrace your living area as a dining room and lounge space and get a large round coffee table to inhabit the center of the room in front of your couch. Then you can get some poufs, (I love these http://rstyle.me/n/bn6bg9hi9w or these cotton ones: http://rstyle.me/n/bn6bc9hi9w ) and have meals on your coffee table sitting on the poufs! That’s literally how Joey and I eat every dinner and we even have a dining table!

Yaaas: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/AbW4-4VYBlrxV-ElSe6s1W_-wvcKW6MB9IbMrwlc-pOBC1mLsZMs7ww/
VIbes: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/AShrKbIjSpE_P1bldMHTghaB_3B-aoiYEUjCc4q34KVQijN-nXb-f2o/
Round coffee table with furniture around it: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/541909767633117960/ – but I think get something bigger than this so it feels more inviting for food.
Or store the poufs under a rectangle coffee table https://www.pinterest.com/pin/435652963925060286/
Layout and I love the picture ledge! https://www.pinterest.com/pin/247698048229415051/ Ikea has a cheap one
Good long narrow layout with coffee table and chairs in center to break up rectangle https://www.pinterest.com/pin/AZsMjxW0IiZoelkhka3U7FzLCI58jEEoqVPrue7ELifKw0wyvZikz2c/
Add a table cloth and it’s a dinner party! https://www.pinterest.com/pin/541065342711134579/

Something I always tell people too is to remember that decorating is a 360 degree experience. So don’t forget about your walls and windows and even ceilings. Hanging a cool light fixture over your coffee table or hanging plants in the corner. The human eye is trained to scan its surroundings so give it stuff to look at!
Hope that helps and best of luck with the move! We’d love to see pics of your space! Keep posting in this thread with photos or any more questions or comments.
XO!
– mr. kate

[Mr. Kate]

Hi Milenamcallister! Great question. I am personally VERY into the ivory shag rug trend, more specifically the Moroccan shag rugs that are now being sold all over. I’m pretty experienced with these types of rugs because I own 3 of them! I know, when I love something I go full on.

I always say that if you like something, you should get it! So my big answer to you is yes, get one. But I’ll go into more detail below to aid your decision making process.

The main thing you have to keep in mind with buying and rug is do you want synthetic or wool. Traditionally rugs are made from wool or silk (if they’re super fancy) but now a days there are a ton of synthetic options out there, including both synthetic and 100% wool options of the Moroccan shag style (I own both of these types as well).

The pros/cons of synthetic:
Pros:
Doesn’t shed
Pets won’t be inclined to mark it since it doesn’t have any animal-esque scent.
Cheaper (usually)
Softer – if you think wool can be a little dense
Cons:
Not as durable to washing
If it is colored/dyed in any way the dye lifts more easily
Doesn’t have as long of a life as wool

The pros/cons of 100% wool:
Pros:
Easy to clean, you can use mild soaps etc. take to cleaner etc.
Has a more high-quality look because of the natural fiber
Nice and organic feeling underfoot
Wears well, long life
Cons:
Sheds during the first month or so – you’ll need to vacuum more often
Pets may be proned to marking it

So with all that said, I have a giant synthetic shag rug in our living room which I got because I didn’t want the cats to pee on it. It’s been great and is just slightly more off white on the high trafficked areas after 6 months plus. The rug is like this one: http://rstyle.me/n/bnvjtzhi9w
I also have two 100% wool ones we use at the office – Like in the David Bromstad video. Which is this one with the braided fringe: http://rstyle.me/n/bnvjf5hi9w they are super cozy.

Hope that helps! Let us know which one you get!

[Author]

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