A client of mine recently asked me to organize her basement workspace in the most affordable way possible. Obviously music to my ears. Her basement had basically turned into a "catch all" for the house and while she does have plans to finish it properly in the future (when budgets permit) she needed a solution for the short term. We decided to create an atelier art studio in her unfinished basement and here's how we did it.

I had this idea to create peg board for my office/craft storage but I didn't want the traditional peg board you find in the hard ware store. I wanted more of a square pattern. Here are the step by step plans:

Step 1: Layout your plan
This may seem like a silly step but it will help ensure your end product suits your storage needs. Start by laying out all your craft supplies, then pull out your most used items, like scissors, pens, glue etc. Determine whether they should be placed in baskets or hung off hooks etc. and draw a rough idea of what your ideal craft storage center would look like. Remember, Don't stress too much, this project is customizable so you can adjust it any time.

Step 2: Drill Peg Holes
Be sure to check the off-cut bin for wood/mdf for this project, it's more economical and often you can find a suitable piece for a desk area.
Now that you know what you want your craft center to look like you can simple drill your holes using the Kreg Shelf jig. I wanted my holes to be fairly far apart so I drilled every third hole. Be sure to use the stopper that comes with the Kreg Shelf jig to ensure you do not drill all the way through your material.

Step 3: Add Pegs and Organize
Insert your pegs into the holes according to your original plan. Cut the pegs or dowels down to any size you like. Add your craft supplies and adjust the pegs as necessary.


Follow me on Instagram to keep up to date on which projects I have on the go and other fun stuff.

My office makeover is finally here! It's reveal day for the One Room Challenge Fall 2017 edition! If you've been following along you know I'm tackling my office makeover. I selected this room because it was out of control. It had turned into a storage room rather than an inspiring workspace. To get caught up on my progress so far, you can check out Week 1 (The Plan), Week 2 (Painting) and Week 3 (Stencil Tips), Week 4 (Furniture Makeover), Week 5 (New Metrie Door), Week 6 (Outlet update, Chair-upcycle).


Here is a peak of what it looked like before - more pics can be found here.


I feel this space has been transformed into a 1920's San Franscico writing studio (kinda Gatsby-esque). It is the perfect juxtaposition of masculine and feminine in work space design. You'll notice I reused a lot of the existing furniture pieces because when things work they work. Some of the new elements that really elevate this space include; the Metrie Fashion Forward glass door with an oil rubbed bronze New York door knob from Nostalgic Warehouse, the Legrand light switch plates, the wall stencil and sconces from The Home Depot.










Another item that I love in this room that might go unnoticed is the wooden hammer under my pin board. My Dad hand-carved this wooden hammer for his brother who, like my Dad, was really good with his hands (he built his own home from scratch and even carved his own violin). When my uncle received it from my dad he joked that he tried using it and it got a big dent in it (typical of the men in my family to laugh off something that gets them a bit choked up). My uncle passed way in January and unbeknownst to my dad, he had had this hammer on his desk for years. After his passing my dad handed it down to me stating that I'm pretty handy - this was such a wonderful recognition from my Dad, almost a passing of the torch, an encouragement to continue to follow in the great footsteps of my creative/handy lineage.



Be sure to check out the One Room Challenge featured participants progress and the guests participants. Also, follow me on Instagram for updates on future projects.



A special thank to Linda from @callingithome for again hosting an amazing @oneroomchallenge and to the sponsor @housebeautiful
 

Amidst all all my One Room Challenge projects, I received a fun (and fast) delivery from Bouclair. My Chrome Tripod Floor Lamp arrived! It was even cuter in person than I pictured online.

I originally purchased this lamp for my office but since my office is currently under renovations my new lamp baby has been hopping around the house. Enter new problem...It looks good everywhere! It can literally work in any room in my home. So, now I need to decide where I like it best and do I need another one lol. Check out the different spots below and let me know where you think it looks best?

Oh yes, and here's something for you, receive 15% when you use code HARLOWANDTHISTLE15 at Bouclair.com until Oct. 31 2017

First stop, my basement, I don't often show this room because it's not 100% complete but I love the way the Bouclair tripod floor lamp adds an airy touch to the space.


Next we'll go upstairs, here the Bouclair Tripod lamp found a great little spot beside my son's reading chair. Although I can picture toys being flung at the lamp any moment.


Okay, well how about the other kids room? Yep, the Bouclair Tripod lamp looks good here too - although same problem with the potential toy target practice.


Okay, so next the Bouclair Tripod lamp found a cozy nook in our family room (one of my favourite rooms in our home). I love the way the shade adds some much needed contrast to the log wall.


How about the living room? Yep, it looks beautiful here as well. Sheesh, this is going to be tough.


I think in the end my new Bouclair Tripod floor lamp will end up in my office as planned. Stay tuned to the blog for my One Room Challenge week 3 post where I finish up this amazing wall stencil.


And don't forget to use code HARLOWANDTHISTLE15 when checking out at Bouclair.com

This post is in collaboration with Bouclair. All expressed opinions are my own.

Well it's week 2 of the One Room Challenge and I'm not going to lie I haven't made much progress on my office makeover plans. I painted some walls and cleared out some clutter. Oh yes and some goodies arrived!





Tuesday Arrival: My Fashion Forward Metrie door arrived on Tuesday and it's gorgeous. If you caught my instastories you know how excited I was when it arrived and how non-excited my husband was (he had to carry it in the house and it was apparently super heavy - just like it's always the worst diaper when he has to change it pah). I haven't installed it yet because I want the room totally painted before I bring it in. I can't risk getting drips on this beauty.

Wednesday Arrival: My Bouclair curtains and trip-pod floor lamp arrived on Wednesday and it was fun activity to open with my little guy. I was super impressed with the delivery timing on these goodies. I assembled my lamp and am having a hard time holding back from buying another one - it's so cute anywhere in my house (PS - if you're interested, use harlowandthistle15 for 15% at Bouclair online).


I also ordered my leather pouf from Wayfair! A few people messaged me about the sourcing for this one (I forgot to tag it in my first post so thank you for the reminder). This should arrive next week.

Next week I am planning to finish the stencil which I think is going to give me the extra push I need to finish this project.  In addition to stenciling the wall I will also be trying out the Legrand customizable outlet plate from their adorne Collection - you can literally add your own design to the plate. So cool!

Be sure to check out the One Room Challenge featured participants progress here and the guests participants here. Also, follow me on Instagram for updates and other fun stuff.

See you back here next week. We can do this!

Do you love chic unexpected details in a home? I'm a details girl. I love looking around a room and finding little sparks of delight, it all adds a sense of personality and lux to a room. Today, I'm sharing a new way to add a hint of extraordinary to your home by updating a utility we use everyday - the outlet and switch. Let's face it from a design standpoint our outlets and switches have somewhat been forgotten, which is funny because we probably use them more now than ever with the advent of technology, so it only seems right that they be given an upgrade too. The adorne Collection by Legrand offers a modern take on switches and outlets. Not only are they stylish and customizable but the innovative features such as USB compatibility, WiFi dimmers and popping outlets really take them to the next level.


If you caught my Instastories yesterday you may have seen me updating the switch in my office. As a side bar, I'm planning to update my office for the One Room Challenge Fall 2017 so I thought I'd get a head-start and quickly update the switches and outlets. Seriously guys, I'm no electrician but this was way easier than I expected. The video instructions on the adorne site were super helpful.

I selected the adorne Paddle Switch and a White Switch Plate. During the One Room Challenge I will be updating the plate to the custom plate where you can literally place your own wallpaper onto the it - so amazing - just waiting for my wallpaper to arrive. As I mentioned above, installation is not as hard as you may think so don't be intimidated. All you need is a screwdriver and some wire cutters. 

First, and most importantly, turn off your power - go to your switch box and turn off the main fuse. Once you've tested the switch and have ensured no power is going to it use the screwdriver to take off the old switch.


Remove the old switch. Cut the black wires according to the length on the back of the adorne switch box. Note, my switch is a 1-pole if yours is a three-way the instructions are a bit different, be sure to check the video and instruction provided.


Connect your ground wire to the green ground wire on the switch plate (grounding the switch plate is a new requirement, many older homes do not have a ground wire within the switch box - consult your electrician). Check out the video for more details on this.


Insert the black wires into the top and bottom holes of the switch and screw them in (do not put one in the hole marked three-way). Test the switch before clicking it into place.


Finally, place the switch plate on top, give it a little press until you hear it click, check all four sides.


That's it! I love the way it looks, so sleek and fresh.



For so long our outlets and switches have been forgotten, thanks to Legrand and the adorne Collection our outlets and switches can now be as current and modern as our technology.

Stay tuned to the blog when I update this switch with the wallpaper for my One Room Challenge Office update.

This post is in collaboration with Legrand. All expressed opinions are my own.

Were you able to guess which one of my weekly faves I'd make (for a recap see image below)? I love putting the question out there and then seeing what my followers actually think I'm capable of (can you imagine if I attempted that gorgeous shield mirror. I think it would spell disaster or at the very least seven years bad luck). In the end I decided to make the DIY gold light - Anthropologie hack. This unique gold stick chandelier is a super easy and affordable DIY project. The original Gathered Glow Anthropologie light fixtureGathered Glow Anthropologie light fixture is priced well above $1,000. I DIY'ed this sucker for less than $10.