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All Things Home

guest room design plan

Now that the foyer project is nearing completion, I’m focusing on a few other rooms I’d like to work on this year. I’ve already mentioned some building projects and rearranging that will be happening in the studio in order to provide more storage and make the space more functional. I’ll also be working on my home office to address my lack of filing, need for more desk space, and better storage. Both of those rooms have to be hardworking and I’m looking forward to addressing some of the functional issues I’ve noticed over the past year and a half of use. The “fun room” I’ll be working on is our guest room. Right now, it has a couple of really lovely anchor pieces of furniture – the French-style bed and the antique German wardrobe wearing original mustard yellow paint. Otherwise, it’s bascially a cream/beige box. I’m taking those two pieces as

January 30, 2019 41 Comments

All Things Home

a lifetime supply of almond extract & honey

This week I’ve been working on organizing our kitchen. It’s one of the spaces that has been bugging me the most (organizationally speaking). I hadn’t moved things around since we moved in and, after cooking in this kitchen for a year and a half, it has become clear that some things were put in the wrong place initially. Everything looked neat and orderly from the outside, but there were a few messy cabinets behind those closed doors. One of the biggest problem areas was the deep, skinny cabinet to the left of the fridge. I decided to use it for my baking gear and ingredients. It ended up being okay for the gear since baking dishes, rolling pins, etc. fit well in a deep, narrow space, but it was not working at all for the ingredients. All of the little jars and boxes were buried, disorganized, and things were hard

January 24, 2019 65 Comments

All Things Home

half-finished stairs

I always have to fight the urge to wait to post something until it’s completely finished. As I shared in yesterday’s post, I went to a concert over the weekend where Jason Gray performed a half-written song. This also brings to mind that some of my favorite pieces in the Musée d’Orsay and the Louvré were those that were simple studies and unfinished works. Much of what we experience in our life is unfinished or half-done. So, it is in that spirit that I am sharing my half-finished stairs today! This was an unplanned project, but one I’m so happy we’re doing for reasons of practicality and aesthetics. Wall-t0-wall carpet is generally not my thing. I’m okay with it in certain rooms but I draw the line at kitchens, bathrooms, and stairs. Well, most stairs. Our stairs going down to the basement are carpeted and that’s fine. But 13-year-old beige carpet

January 23, 2019 70 Comments

All Things Home

non-sponsored follow-up Sleep Number bed review

In December of 2017, I received a Sleep Number bed as a part of a blog sponsorship and I shared an initial review of it (as a part of that sponsorship) in April of 2018. You can find that post HERE if you’re interested. I am sometimes asked about products I receive through sponsorships and if I still use them or love them. Would I buy the product as a regular customer? Would I still give it a thumbs up even if I’m not being paid? We’ve been sleeping in the Sleep Number bed for just over a year, so I thought it would be a good time to write a non-sponsored follow-up for those who might be curious about it. In summary, I can tell you that we’re still loving the bed. It addressed the major issue we had of being on total opposite ends of the spectrum when

January 17, 2019 41 Comments

All Things Home

evolving workspaces

I find that my workspaces are the trickiest when it comes to arranging and decorating, simply because they have to evolve as my work evolves. I’ve been using my studio and home office for a year and a half now and I’m learning what works and what doesn’t. I’ve made a few changes and additions that have really helped, but there are still some needs that haven’t been addressed. In my office, I need more storage, a larger work surface, and proper file drawers. In my studio, I need more storage, a flat work surface, and a place to store wet paintings while they are drying. In both rooms, I have some nice storage pieces, but neither space has a closet, so bulkier items that should be in those rooms are stored elsewhere in the house. As someone who likes to keep things in the room where they belong, I find

January 9, 2019 50 Comments

All Things Home

foyer & half bath updates

I think foyer makeovers are underrated. It’s a space that’s often neglected or at the bottom of the to-do list because it’s just a passthrough. You simply walk through it to get to a room where you actually spend your time. The thing about a foyer, though, is it’s the first thing you see when you walk in your front door. It’s the first thing guests see. In our house, since it connects the dining room, home office, half bath, living room, upstairs, and basement, we walk through it multiple times each day. Before this makeover started, there wasn’t anything offensive or bad or dated or ugly about the space, but it didn’t flow with all of the other changes we have made in the adjoining rooms. In that way, it felt disjointed and overlooked. The soft blue/gray on the wall, bright white trim, painted doors, and that beautiful slate

December 16, 2018 72 Comments

All Things Home

Christmas Porch 2018

After a 3:00 am wake-up call and 9 hours of hopping onto three different planes, I arrived safely home from my excursion to Montana. It was a great trip and I’ll be sharing all about it and the HGTV Dream Home soon. But today, I’m going to share the Christmas decorations I added to my porch this year. It’s very similar to last year since I loved how it looked so much. I added a live garland and some white lights around the door. You can find a tutorial on how I attached it HERE. On either side of the door, I filled the concrete urns with some fresh greens, twigs, lights, and sugar pine cones. Last year I bought small evergreen trees, but I ended up neglecting them and pitching them in early spring, so that seemed like a waste of money. This was more economical and the greens will still last

December 9, 2018 27 Comments

All Things Home

Christmas Butler’s Pantry

I gave the butler’s pantry a makeover this summer, so this is the first time I get to decorate it for Christmas! It’s a small thing, but I was excited about it none-the-less. With that rich, green color, it’s just begging to be decorated for Christmas. And, I kept the Christmas decor very simple. I just added some cinnamon sticks, nuts, pinecones, candles, and some faux greenery. The swag is hung from a 3m hook, so it can be removed after the holidays without leaving a mark. Now that the beadboard is contracting a bit from the change in humidity and temperature, I need to get in there and do a little touch up with the paint. I’ll do that once the Christmas decorations come down. Well, tomorrow I am waking up at the crack of dawn to fly to Montana to tour the 2019 HGTV Dream Home! I don’t

December 5, 2018 22 Comments

I’m Marian, a painter, writer, and lover of all things creative. From art and antiques to home projects and everyday life, I share my journey in hopes of inspiring you to embrace your own creativity and make beauty in the spaces you live.

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My House

guest room design plan

a lifetime supply of almond extract & honey

half-finished stairs

non-sponsored follow-up Sleep Number bed review

evolving workspaces

foyer & half bath updates

Christmas Porch 2018

Christmas Butler’s Pantry

next art sale

May 20th, 2026 at 1pm EST

Now Available for Preorder

Move Slow & Make Things

From the Studio

Artful pieces for your home and everyday life.

From the Studio and Home

Shop the Feed

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painted garden obelisk

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