Our Family Gallery Wall

This post is LONG overdue...some of you saw our gallery wall on Instagram way back in December, and the truth is, I've just had trouble photographing it.  The glare is horrible because there is so much light reflecting in this room.  But I'm really proud of how our gallery wall turned out and just can't wait to share it any longer!  I'll hope you'll forgive me for the glare!  ;)

The photos on the far left are of Ethan's first year: 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, and 1 year old.  We were super fortunate to have our photographer and good friend capture these sweet photos and it's neat to see his growth over the first year.

The middle photo, is of course from his newborn shoot.

All five frames are from Ikea.

The right side is a combination of maternity, first year photos and our most recent Christmas card.  The tree was something I had made for our anniversary...the tree has our initials and wedding date engraved on the tree.

Four of these frames are from Pottery Barn and the one with the tree is Pier 1.

Here's a wider shot of it in our living room.  It really helps to fill in the wall, right?  Remember what it used to look like?!

I have to say...I am pretty obsessed with it.  And of course, over the years, when we have more {at least one more}, we can swap out photos and fill out the gallery wall even more.  I'm kind of itching to add more to the opposite wall as well.  I'm thinking wood frames and some more photos and art.  Next project!!

xo natasha

Crazy for Credenzas

As some of you may recall, we're evolving our living room...not only for practical reasons {hello babyhood!} but also because some elements are just plain ugly.

Case in point...

This monstrosity of a media center.  

Scary right?  I mean, there is just nothing appealing about it!  Not to mention, it's completely unsafe for our climbing maniac of a toddler.

We're fortunate enough to be inheriting a new tv from our inlaws, which is finally forcing allowing us to find a pretty replacement.  We plan to move the electronics to an adjacent room, which allows us to have more of a dresser...or credenza for a media console.

I've always been drawn to mid century pieces and now I'm dreaming of finding the perfect one...

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There's just something so perfectly balanced about these pieces...they're classic yet retro and masculine yet fashion forward.  I love them!  I actually had my heart set on this version from West Elm, but alas, it's ONE inch too wide.  Le sigh...

If you know of a furniture store worth checking out {that ships!} let me know in the comments below!

xo natasha

Our New Ottoman!

Remember my previous living room?

We had a pretty massive coffee table {read: hard baby bumper} in the middle of our sectional.  It really wasn't functional as it was so large that it was hard to maneuver around...and then of course, there was the baby who hit that corner more times than I care to admit to!

As you can tell above, I'm attracted to neutrals, so I was in a real predicament when it came to figuring out what color to choose for the ottoman:

Well, I'm happy to reveal that I finally made a decision and pulled the trigger when West Elm was having a recent sale!

And we went with...

None of the above!!  Surprise!  But West Elm recently introduced the upholstered tufted ottoman in one, ready to order color and that made my decision super easy!

The color is actually called "pine" but it's a dark teal in person and blends in perfectly with my existing decor and is dark enough to hide any stains or smudges from a 16 month old toddler!  ;)

I tried to get a couple different angles so you can see the rich color...keep in mind these are taken with my iPhone {bad blogger!} and later in the day.  The square shape allows for a lot more space and actually fits into the shape of our sectional well.  It's well made and was super easy to put together.

And keeping it real...you can see our dining room play room in the background!

So what do you think?!  Did we make the right decision?  

Next on the list is to turn the wall behind the couch into a gallery wall and we're even considering painting the wall an accent color.  Any suggestions on color?

xo natasha

PS...It looks like the ottoman is back on sale...definitely worth considering if you're looking for a great ottoman.

The Ottoman: Which Color Would You Choose?

So I got the fabric swatches in from West Elm and now I'm more confused than ever.  I could honestly see all four colors fitting into our living room.  I snapped a couple quick shots of my living room and was hoping to get your opinion.

Which color would you choose?

We currently have a dark wood coffee table that matches a lot of the other furniture in the room.  See the side table behind the couch and the woven baskets to the right.

The couch we currently have is a beige color in mico suede.  Super easy to clean and has worn well {for the most part...don't mind the slouchy pillows}. 

The silver sage actually matches the accent pillows perfectly....but is that a dumb move to match to something like an accent pillow?  What if I change my mind down the road on these pillows?

I also think the bone would be waaaay too hard to keep clean between bare feet and grimy toddler hands.

Obviously brown would work well but is that too safe of a choice?  Will it look super blah in there?  Should I be taking more of a risk?  And how do we feel about velvet during the summer?

Thoughts and opinions welcome!

Clearly you can see the predicament I'm in!  I can't wait to hear your thoughts.

xo natasha

PS...if you're on the hunt for a new ottoman like me, you can check out my latest ideabook where I found a tons of great options.

Child Proofing the Living Room

Now that Ethan is mobile and getting into everything, we've realized there are two major issues in our living room from a child proofing perspective.  Let me explain...

Exhibit A: The Coffee Table

Poor Ethan has already bumped his head on this thing and I can only envision more bumps and bruises down the road.  

Solution?

The West Elm Essex Ottoman.  Soft and plush...it will be a great solution, don't you think?  And I'm pretty sure that this color will work best with our color scheme:

I've ordered some fabric swatches to make sure that the color works. 

Exhibit B: The TV Stand

Not only is it super ugly...

But it's super dangerous!  Ethan thinks it's his own personal playground. 

Solution?

Well, I would love to have big built ins around the fireplace, but knowing that this is not our forever home, I don't think it's practical.  

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So the next solution, is to wall mount the TV and find a pretty, but functional {and safe!} media cabinet.

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Something like this...maybe not glass though.

Have you scoped out any great media cabinets lately...I'd love to hear!

Of course, baby gates need to happen as well...

I love this option...it's sophisticated and smart looking, but also functional.

So those are my ideas...and let's be honest...a new ottoman and media cabinet have been on my list for a while now.  It's just convenient important that we make sure that our living room is safe for baby.   

Have you had to make any major decor changes since welcoming baby?

xo natasha

PS...don't forget the enter this $50 giveaway!

Living Room Update: Abstract Art

I started out this year with some grand plans for updating our house {see my honey do list here}.  While my checklist has remained relatively untouched, I have gotten a couple things done.  Like updating the living room pillows, adding drapes to the dining room, and of course, completing the nursery!

Part of my plan with updating the living room pillows was phasing out the red decor in the space.  I love the new pillows that I found, but some of the wall decor remained red.  I knew it was time for the fruit to go, but the challenge was finding something to put it their place.

Enter the talented Drew from Coral Cafe!  She contacted me to let me know what she would be happy to create a piece for my living room...can you imagine my excitement?  I was thrilled and honored she was willing to help!  And I am so in love with the final product!

Don't you just love it?  Drew captured the new blues that are a part of the room and I feel like it's totally brightened the space.

The scale is great too...nice, big and bold, so you see it the minute you enter the room.

I need to get a wider shot of the room so you can see how it ties together...

But let's be real...I have a couple "extra" things {baby things, that is} invading the space right now!  ;)

A special thanks to Drew for her amazing work!

xo natasha