I’m not ready to do a full blown house tour yet (a few more pillows left to fluff and stuff, you know), but I did want to share some pics of the process of our house tiny condo turning into our home. In one word, I want it to feel:

Zanzibar looks pretty cozy in her new window hammock, don’t you think?

[all photos by Stamp 48]

Just as we did a little bedroom refresh with our  bedroom when Justin moved in, we’re moving on to the living room. Most of it has been pulled together, but, as we’re settling in together, we’re figuring out what space we use and what we don’t. After realizing we don’t use half of our 10′x13′ living/kitchen/dining area (you read right!) and overusing the other half, we saw that it was time to rearrange and change out a few pieces.

In the Editor’s Letter in the September 2011 issue of Martha Stewart Living, Pilar Guzman calls this the “Second Layer”, which takes time to develop. After the initial unpacking of a new home, things seem in place to the naked eye, but that extra layer of finishing touches and rearranging to make sure the space works well takes time. She recalls Kevin Sharkey writing that “creating a home that reflects your personal style, and the actual living that goes on in it, is a process that happens over time.” The Thorps agree.

Here’s what we’ve come up with. I call it Farmustrial Chic. Farmhouse + Industrial chic. Ladies and gentlemen, let it be known that Stamp 48 coined that phrase (And google confirms no search results. So there, it’s mine!).

Jackson Dining Collection, World Market | Catalina Sofa, Crate & Barrel | Cormac 2.5′x6′ Runner, Crate & Barrel | 2-Pack Curtains, UK H&M | Decker Coffee Table, Anthropologie | Ladder Bookshelf, Home Decorators | Ikea Ingolf | Marin Green Salad Plate, Crate & Barrel | Papillions Plate, Anthropologie | KitchenAid Stand Mixer, Target | Ikea Kanist | Kitchen Cart, Target | Glass Cloche, World Market

Thankfully we have most of these pieces already. Previously, we had a wingback chair along the east wall, and a round kitchen table in the middle of the room. We hardly used this section. It was literally half of our tiny room. On the kitchen side of the room, we have such limited counter space, that we’re going to add in a kitchen cart in the middle of the room where the round table was. Not only will this give extra counter space, but will give us more desperately needed cabinets underneath. Next, we’ll add a rectangular table where the wingback was, which will again be more functional (and compact). Win-win.

Have you gone through the process of creating a “Second Layer”? What pieces have you swapped, added, rearranged, or gotten rid of in a room that you had previously considered “complete”?

My mish-mash of hobbies, dreams, passions, and goals keeps me spread pretty thin at times. It’s almost like I can’t make up my mind. As such, I love eclectic styles. They allow you to have the freedom to add a dash of this, and a pinch of that when the mood strikes. It can be easily overdone, but when executed well, I think an eclectically styled room is beautiful. The key is to find one unifying feature: texture, tone, pattern, etc.

One way of executing the eclectic style is to show off collected photos and items in frames on an entire wall. This can be dangerously hard to pull off, but I love the look. When art takes up a whole wall, it automatically becomes the focal point in the room. I just love how each of these rooms have art going up to the ceiling.

Would you ever do this in your home? Have you?

source: apartment therapy small cool contest 

source: young house love

source: kristen buckingham via eclectic revisited

source: domino mag via baylor says

Even though I’ve lived in my condo for nearly a year and a half (seriously? I know time flies, but goodness. Last week, I unpacked a box from when I moved in. Don’t judge me! These things take time.), I’ve never really done anything with the entry hallway. I painted it a beigey-tan, but save for a few hooks on the walls to throw coats on (ahem, no coat closet), the walls were bare.

When hubs moved his stuff in, I kicked into Overdrive Nesting Mode. It’s brutal. Poor hubs put up with it, bless his heart, and helped me get things organized and put together. The entry way is finally beginning to have that welcoming “hello friends, come on in!” vibe that it should.

What’s the one (or two, or three) area in your house that you still want to spruce up, but just have never gotten around to?

Since The Hubs moved in May into what is now our condo, one of my goals has been to re-do our bedroom so that it’s not overly feminine and we both enjoy the feel of the room. What was once a more shabby chic style (I’m over that style for the most part these days, at least the over-the-top frilly kind), is slowly turning into a bedroom that we both love.

In both color and shape, the room is taking on a non-overtly-feminine feel with gentle, soft touches. The popular grey + yellow palette that seems to be everywhere these days works well in our situation. Maybe that’s why it’s so popular: everyone else is trying to figure out how to make a room appeal to both sexes. So here I am, jumping on the interior design bandwagon. Grey + yellow it is!

In addition to color, I’ve tried to mix both hard geometric lines, with softer organic curves to create a balanced feel. The bold black + white striped rug rests under the cascading ruffles from the Anthro duvet. It all works together, at least to my eye.

Some of these pieces are making an appearance in our new bedroom. Which one is your favorite?

1. DwellStudio for Target Peony Pillow | 2. C&B Olin Rug | 3. Hive Modern Emeco Navy Chair | 4. Bungalow 5 Ceylon Table Lamp | 5. Urban Outfitters Bird Flourish Curtain | 6. Anthropologie Cirrus Bedding | 7. Opulent Items Chic Mirror | 8. Z Gallerie Brilliant Stool

After a successful winery tour in Montepulciano, we spotted a little town on the map that sat on a lake called Castiglione del Lago in Umbria. I figured it had something to do with a castle and a lake (clearly I’m nearly fluent in Italian, bella!), so we hit the road with our trusty map and found ourselves a cute little town that was exactly what I had hoped for: a castle. On a lake. Ok, so we never actually saw the castle because it ended up pouring rain and we scooted back to our villa before we melted, but if Wikipedia says it’s there, it must be true. But we did find a fab cafe (I think it’s called Cafe 909) that was oozing with fun industrial chic details. For a little of this…

(€0.90 to be exact)…. we sipped on this….

… and enjoyed the atmosphere:

[I love the shadow on the back wall]

[all photos by Stamp 48]

Nestled in the hills of Chianti, Italy is La Selva Giardino del Belvedere Villa, a family-owned home that is available for rental. When the Hubs and I saw this on airbnb (full disclosure: affiliate link), we knew we had to snatch it up!

A centuries old farmhouse, the charm, peacefulness, and quiet just oozed from each room. Before it was purchased 12 years ago by our host family, the villa had sat abandoned for many decades just waiting to be restored to its former glory.

Not only is the home breathtaking, but the grounds on which it is situated could not be more perfect. As we first approached the home, we drove through sun-saturated golden hills, vineyards just starting to grow their autumn crops, and quaint towns that you would think are only created in Hollywood. But it was real, and we were loving it. Once at the home, we spent many hours exploring the gardens and forest trails.

We truly found the rest we were seeking at La Selva Giardino del Belvedere. I snapped some photographs while we were there. Everywhere I looked was just oozing with fun details!

[All photos are by Stamp 48]

During a trip to Zanzibar in 2009, I had purchased several yards of local fabric fully intending to do something crafty with it in my home. More than a year later, it was still sitting folder in my fabric stash. A good friend had given me some picture frames that had been cleaned out from her former boss’s office (who happened to be a U.S. Senator, kind of cool, huh?). Not knowing exactly what to put in them at first, I thought it would be a great way to display the lovely African fabric that I had lying around.  These are hanging in a small little hall opposite my teal curio jewelry display cabinet, which really gives this small space some character. Have you used fabric in any interior design projects?

Following up this post about art that you can rent like Netflix DVDs, I got a tip about Turning Art. Whereas with Artsicle you can only rent the real-deal painting if you live in NYC, Turning Art will mail you a print of an original painting for a monthly fee of $13-$20/month, depending on how often you want to switch your print out. When you want a new print, you simply go to your queue on the website and request the next one to be sent, and send the previous one back. Seriously, just like Netflix: simple as pie [where did that saying come from? Some pies are not simple AT ALL to make]. The even mail you a frame to get started. Brilliant!

The Future Hubs and I signed up, and we received our frame and first print last night. I hung it next to the sink for a little cheeriness.

Oh, and the best part, your monthly fee goes directly toward a credit of the purchase of an original piece of art from the site. How cool is that?!

I love books, but unless I fill an entire shelf with books, they fall over all. the. time. I know, I know: bookends, you say! But they are generally more than I want to pay. Sure there are some gorgeous examples out there, but the gorgeousness always seems to translate to expensiveness. Annoying.

Solution! Use a vintage c-clamp. As it happens, I just picked up an industrial chic C-clamp from an antique store in Hagerstown, MD this weekend. Check it! Voila, problem solved!