our home Archives - Emily A. Clark

When Toys Take Over (Practical Storage Ideas)

Sep122018

I’ve been asked many times to write a post about stylish storage ideas for hiding toys. I’ve hesitated because I’m no expert–just a frustrated mom trying to keep up and often grumbling along the way. I definitely do not pride myself on organization, but I’m willing to share what I’m doing in our home to (somewhat) keep my sanity.

rug source // storage boxes (similar)

Keep small pieces in pretty containers. When my kids were going through a Jenga phase (in our living room) a few weeks ago, I finally dumped the pieces in a blue and white bowl and got rid of the box. Any game with little pieces or crayons look better in something pretty if they’re going to be scattered across your coffee table anyway, right? I like to use blue and white bowls, pretty lidded boxes and wooden bowls.

Store games and art supplies in a grown up piece of furniture where they’re handy but hidden. Since I know they’re not going to run up and down the stairs to put their things away, I find it easier to just have “dump and hide” spots throughout the house. In our dining room/home office, for example, I use an antique chest to keep art supplies, paper, activity books, etc. While I think that shelves with storage cubes work great, I’d rather keep those in the playroom and use something with a little more character in the main areas of our home.

And along those lines. . . . Less sorting, more dumping. I’ve tried like you probably have to sort all of the crayons and Legos and blocks and markers and Lincoln Logs and Lite Brite pegs into separate bins/boxes/drawers/you name it. Ultimately, they all end up together and I end up mad that I wasted my time. So now I go with a more general dumping approach and use drawers and baskets and bins to corral all the things for quicker clean up. If they’re not sorted, not my problem. And guess what? My kids don’t care. Why should I?

Free reign on one space. I know this suggestion will make some of you break out into hives so feel free to skip ahead. But. . . I’ve found it takes a little pressure off if you can just designate a spot to pretend you don’t see. It could be a single closet or an entire playroom. (And, sometimes it’s the entire upstairs. . .) Close the door and walk away. I’m sure this is not the advice you came here to read.

Style shelves with toys. Not everything has to be out of sight. In fact, some of the more colorful toys make really great props and/or bookends–especially the things they don’t play with that often or the special ones you want to save from total destruction.

See more of our playroom makeover here.

What do you do with the toys in your home?

A High/Low Mix in Our Kitchen Dining Area

Jul252018

Although our kitchen renovation was officially finished almost two years ago, I’m still making tweaks in the dining area. Like most of our house, it’s becoming a high/low mix of a good statement piece or two and some really lucky Craigslist or thrift store finds. (My favorite way to decorate!)

Since moving into this house, I’d been using an inexpensive light fixture that I had bought for our last home. It was intended to a be a placeholder until I found the one. And nearly three years later, I found the perfect replacement.

I always felt like the fixture needed to feel lighter against the wallpaper, and the arms and white linen shades on the Dillon chandelier from Hudson Valley Lighting do the trick. It also gives off plenty of light, with the shades making it feel very cozy at night. I’m using 40 watt bulbs (although you can do up to 60).

The Dillon chandelier is traditional without being stuffy. I anticipate that it will be here for a very long time. . . I also think it’s a better blend with the brass pendants over our island and the wall sconces I used over the gallery wall.

In the market for statement lighting? Hudson Valley Lighting (#hudsonvalleylighting) has some great options. Shop them all here.

Lighting isn’t the only way I’m changing up this spot. I took away the heavier wood chairs and, for now, I’m using a mix of slipcovered end chairs and a pair of Chippendale style chairs I found on Amazon a couple of years ago that have since sold out. (I also found a similar set for another room here.)

The dining bench was a budget compromise when we did our renovation. I found a bench that fit the wall perfectly and decided to put my money into other things (like wallpaper) instead of doing a built-in window seat, changing out the windows, etc. Finding a good high/low decorating mix is like figuring out a puzzle, right?

For a full list of sources, see the bottom of my kitchen renovation post.

This post was sponsored by Hudson Valley Lighting.

Follow #hudsonvalleylighting on Instagram for more lighting ideas.

Quick Change: Faux Bamboo Dining Chairs

Jul182018

Today, I’m sharing one of my best Facebook Marketplace finds to date and some very kid-friendly fabric you might be interested in checking out. I wasn’t even looking for dining chairs when I found this faux bamboo set listed for a steal. (And, six hours later, they were in my in my garage. . .)

See more of my entryway here.

The only kicker was that they didn’t come with cushions and definitely had to have them.

I wanted something with no maintenance so I started looking at vinyl. After ordering–and returning–an inexpensive embossed ostrich vinyl that looked way too shiny, I decided it was worth shopping around and paying a little more per yard. I ended up going with this light blue linen-lookalike:

For reference, I needed three yards for this project and my upholsterer charged me $60 per chair in labor.

By the way, I guess this room has given up the title of being called my office. I’m forever working in a comfortable chair or on the porch with my laptop so for now, we’re calling it the dining room again. . . .