Updates on the Brower Front

Mom's been pulling the brunt of the blog-weight as of late while I have been quite distracted with other things.  My wonderful husband put up a new light in the kitchen and now we can see while we cook!  Previously, it was sub par builder's grade track lighting (see puny light below) so the new three-armed guy makes a world of difference.  You'll notice the upper cabinets were hung pretty low with respect to the countertop (whyyyyyyy?) and then add on the shadows that the microwave casts and it was getting preeetty tough to see what was cooking on those back burners.  

Pay no mind to the horrific oak cabinets.  The jury is still out on what I want to do there.  I have gone back and forth with painting versus replacing and I can't decide!  I don't see us in our home for many more years so that weighs heavy into the money-output equation.  

I am loving my new leather chairs, too!  I couldn't bare to get rid of my clear ones so they are just hanging out as extra seating (see them peaking out in the right-hand corner of the photo below?) for now.

Since spring is almost upon us, I have a few plans up my sleeve for some spring projects around the Brower house.  I'm really tiring of my White Mint (SW) walls and have spent the better part of the last year mulling over changing it in favor of a more neutral neutral   I'm about 90% ready to fire on that.  I'd like to paint over it with the same color in our bedroom, Dove Wing (BM), which is white with a tint of greige.  In some light it looks super minty (below).

Whereas in other light, it's barely a whisper of mint.  Regardless, it's got to go.

Also up on the painting front is removing all the busyness around here.  When we first moved in, I was thrilled to be able to paint my walls however I wanted.  But now that I've lived with it for a couple of years, I need some calm around here.  

It's time to paint over this fun hallway treatment.  

And this apropos ceiling treatment in my guest bath. I'll be sad to see them go, but it will make it better for resale in the future.

We've been busy with the childrens' rooms project we are working on and in spite of those projects, we are in the process of getting a new blog design rolled out.  I know Mom loves our stripes, but I certainly can't wait to shed this 'my first blog' look!

I am gearing up (and by gearing up I mean eating my way through the town and surrounding areas) to start a weight loss program next week to follow through with my resolutions this year.  While I'm scared as *$@# I am pumped about getting healthy.  I wanna be back to my fighting weight.  And my hubby is doing it with me, which is a huge support system in and of itself.  Thank god we'll have each other.  Although if you hear random screaming, that might be me in the midst of full-on withdrawals.

Seamus is going to his first show this coming weekend and we are really excited.  He's 7 months old [I can't believe it!] and goofy as all get out, so this is sure to be a spectacle.  We've been working hard at getting him out and about but trash bags and brooms are still a terrible fright!  Just look at this face.  What judge wouldn't love it??

Wish me/us luck!

-Bethany

Bathroom and Hallway photos by Dancer Burns

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Weekend Puppy Update

The Powell Brower zoo has 2 puppies I will keep you abreast of. Seamus, Bethany's 5 month old Bulldog puppy, now 35 lbs., is growing in leaps and bounds, and is as big now as his 4 year old "sister" Wilma.
Here's Seamus when she got him, and here he is now:

 I'm minding the crib over here with our new puppy Gibbs, who is 9 weeks old, and grew 2" taller this week! It was snowing out today and he sat out on the middle of the pool cover just looking up at the sky and catching snow flakes.  He has been a dream and is getting more rambunctious now that he is getting a little more confident. We really can't take our eyes off him, unless he is in the crate, cause he is exploring and starting to chew cords, shoes, etc.  Time to lay the smack down!  Here are this week's pictures.  Enjoy a little puppy love.

( too tuckered out to function, so he fell asleep over the arm of the couch onto the end table..)

Enjoy your weekend friends, and I hope you get a chance to savor your down time and relax.

xo Nancy

Powell Brower Interiors specializes in making your house a home.  Our favorite accessories are furry feet and a well-lived life.  We offer both e-Design services (virtual) and complete interior design services for clients in the DC, MD and VA areas. We'd love to work with you, so contact us today!

Bits of our Weekend

Mom and I have been busy putting some finishing touches on my home lately. Nothing like a good ol' photo shoot to get your rear in gear and put the finishing touches on your home that you've been dilly dallying on. We spent the day last Sunday making a slipcover for this guy:

More soon on the process, but in the meantime, here's a peek.  We love drop cloths around here!

Last weekend, we also put the finishing touches on my bathroom makeover.  Whew, thank GOD that's done.  It's been a long time coming and amazing fixtures make all the difference!

Speaking of fixtures, we added a bit of equestrian flare to my old Bombe chest.  Boy I'd love all of my lower cabinets in the kitchen to don these puppies - I just adore them!!

We did a fun little treatment to my guest room with a tablecloth:

We also reupholstered my guest headboard AGAIN.  Remember this?

Well I couldn't get past the 'little boys room' look, so in the end, I couldn't live with it.  So I needed something else, cheap and fast.  Another tablecloth trick.  I picked this John Robshaw table cloth up for my dining room table but it was too long - I never seem to get it right with the actual application but I have no problem turning the tablecloth into something totally different!  I should own stock in tablecloths, jeez. 

Lastly, I'm loving my new throw from Novica.  I gotta tell you about those guys - they are just the nicest! More on that later too.

We gotta keep this little guy off of it though.  I think because it's alpaca, it must smell really good to the dogs.  Wilma is crazy about some horn knobs I have on my filing cabinet - it's like they can sense that these used to be part of an animal.  Smart little things!

-Bethany

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Tryin to find my groove

Mom asked when I was going to get my posting groove back.  Of course I am, I'm just lacking inspiration lately. I've been up to my anklebiters in puppy lovin'.  And babysitting the puppy.  And stopping to kiss the puppy.  If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, I'm sure you've seen a lot of him.  But I have to listen to all of my friends and all of the people all over the world talk about and overly photograph their kids, so I'm going to do it with mine! And I'm trying to snap tons of pics of him while he's little, since it doesn't last long.   

Baby Shamey wishes everyone a Happy Halloween!

Batten down the hatches for Sandy...

Loving his seeeester on the way home from Asheville

We had beautiful weather on vacation!

My adorable hubby on top of Chimney Rock!

 Other blips on my radar include putting some finishing touches on my house.  We're having a good friend who happens to be a spectacular photographer snap some shots of our spaces we've designed for our portfolio and that includes my abode.  I'd love to get a lot more done before the shoot, but there just aren't enough hours in the day.  

Prime/Paint kitchen cabinets

Install open shelving in kitchen

Put guest bathroom back together post reno

Touch up bathroom paint

Upholster settee

Finish painting guest bedroom

styling guest bedroom

roman shade for guest bedroom

Paint exterior french doors

Put up new shutters

Install glass tile backsplash - questionable

Hang pendants in kitchen

I wanted to makeover my kitchen in 2012 and while there's still time, it just hasn't been a priority.  I have all the styling elements, it just comes down to finding the time to put in the elbow grease (sanding, priming and painting cabinets).  I have long been decided on the dark lower cabinet and light upper cabinet look but I'm starting to rethink that in favor of all white.  

These are some of my faves.  I'm floating somewhere in between all of the glass mullions and mirrored cabinet doors and the moody contrast.

Hopefully I'll be back with some decor content ASAP :)

-Bethany

Think hiring a designer is too expensive? Think again! There are so many different ways to work with a designer. We offer room consultations, paint suggestions, shopping and sourcing, complete room and house redo's, staging and reworking your current furniture, spot-checks in areas that aren't quite gelling and many other services. eBoards are a quick and easy way to get a design look and feel in your home. While hiring a designer may cost you a bit extra, we aim to save you money by preventing costly mistakes in your design plan.

Big News and a Guest Post!

The big news I'm bursting at the seams to share is that we added a new little face to our family yesterday.  

Peaksview's Shameless James aka Seamus

My husband and I took a beautiful drive down the Blue Ridge Mountains to Bedford, Virginia to pick him up from the breeder.  They were bonding on the way home.  Overall a wonderful, joyous time in our lives. This is our version of having children and our own personal heaven.

While we're off loving the heck out of this wrinkly little bundle of joy, we're still hoping you'll throw in some last minute votes for my master bedroom over on Apartment Therapy's Color Contest.  We're slowly gaining on the winner, but we have a lot of ground to make up before the voting ends on October 29th.

Lastly, I'm over at Linda's place today, talking about quintessential Nantucket style.  I even designed my interpretation of a coastal Nantucket family room.  Check it out!

Happy Monday folks!

-Bethany

Think hiring a designer is too expensive? Think again! There are so many different ways to work with a designer. We offer room consultations, paint suggestions, shopping and sourcing, complete room and house redo's, staging and reworking your current furniture, spot-checks in areas that aren't quite gelling and many other services. And, we have services starting at just $50!