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12 Home Decor Ideas for a Springtime Refresh

March 18, 2021 by jessica Leave a Comment

Spring 2021 Home Refresh

We had another round of snow earlier this week, coming right after a string of 50-degree days that melted everything that was on the ground previously. Hopefully it was the last winter blast before spring because I am so ready for warmer weather after being cooped up during a pandemic winter (and, you know, the rest of the year). Since it’s not quite warm enough to spend much time outdoors, I’m setting my sights on making the indoors spring-ready with lighter colors and plenty of fresh green hues. I’ve already picked up a pair of those striped pillows, which are a steal at $20 each for a zippered pillow and insert. I also recently placed an order for a new lamp! I almost went for that green one above, but decided to go with a different statement-maker instead. I can’t wait for it to arrive next month!

  1. Striped Pillow, $20
  2. Outdoor Dining Chair, $129
  3. Platter, $98
  4. Acrylic Drinkware, $5.50 – $88
  5. Mini Serving Bowl Set, $52
  6. Sateen Sheet Set, $58 – $228
  7. Four-Piece Place Setting, $43.80
  8. Mushroom-Shaped Lamp, $299
  9. Throw Pillow, $47.95
  10. Basketweave Throw Blanket, $135
  11. Striped Runner, $115
  12. Planter, $37

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Filed Under: Home, Interiors Tagged With: spring, spring decor

Review: Loloi II Layla Rug

November 19, 2020 by jessica Leave a Comment

I thought I’d update you on my search for a new living room rug that I mentioned back in September! In a perfect world, I would have sourced a high quality, vintage number. But in a COVID world, going to antique and vintage stores to shop for rugs didn’t seem like the most responsible decision. Plus, my budget didn’t allow for an investment rug at the time. So, we went in a different direction and purchased a vintage-inspired rug from Loloi.

You probably recognize the brand name since they’re an Instagram darling as of late with influencers touting gifted rugs fairly regularly. So, I thought I’d give you some honest insight into the rug I purchased to guide your decision if you have your eye on one of the brand’s affordable rugs.

Loloi II Layla Oriental Blue / Spice Printed Area Rug

Let’s start with the pros:

  • Clearly, the main selling point of these rugs is that they have a vintage look for an incredibly affordable price point. I purchased the 7.5′ x 9.5′ size and it’s currently selling for $161. It’s an absolute steal for a rug at this size. I bought mine from Walmart due to the ease of making in-town returns. It’s also available on Amazon. Both have free shipping.
  • The design has variation in the vibrancy and saturation, giving it a more authentic worn-in look.
  • There’s a lot of colors in the rug and an interesting design, which you don’t always get with a cheaper rug. The colors are muted, too, so I think this rug would play nicely with actual vintage rugs in your home.
  • I really love the whipstitch edging.
  • It has a flat weave instead of a tufted construction. I prefer it since a traditional rug would be flatter than those with a dense fabrication.
  • It feels smooth underfoot.
  • It’s incredibly easy to vacuum and clean. Our cat, Oliver, threw up on it and it completely came off and didn’t leave a stain. The busier pattern also hides pet hair well.
Loloi II Layla Oriental Blue / Spice Printed Area Rug

And, the cons:

  • The design is screen printed rather than being woven like a traditional rug would be. It’s hard to tell how well it’ll hold up, but so far so good. As per the label, I don’t use the beater bar when I vacuum it.
  • It’s on the thinner side. Not so thin as it feels flimsy, but you might want to consider a rug pad underneath it. We didn’t opt for one because our coffee table is heavy enough to anchor it and we don’t have children who would be playing on the floor.
  • Since it doesn’t have a thick, tufted construction with deep piles, you might want to vacuum more regularly as you’ll see any crumbs on top. (Which is also a pro, as far as I’m concerned. I’d hate to know what got stuck in our previous rug!)
Loloi II Layla Oriental Blue / Spice Printed Area Rug

All in all, I’m really happy with this. It satisfies my desire for a traditional rug, but at a fraction of the price. And while I’ll still keep an eye out for a vintage one that’s an actual investment piece and heirloom-quality, this is the next best thing.

Loloi II Layla Oriental Blue / Spice Printed Area Rug
This photo is unedited right from my iPhone, so you can get the most true-to-life look at the colors.

SOURCES

Paint Color: Extra White by Sherwin-Williams
West Elm curtains
Pottery Barn curtain rod
Target pillows (sold out; other plaid pillow options here)
Schoolhouse sconces
EQ3 leather chair
Younger Furniture sofa
Loloi rug (also here)
West Elm coffee table (will probably replace it next year)
Ekais credenza (no longer available)
U-Turn record player
Sony TV
TV stand
Sonos soundbar
IKEA planter
The Elements of a Home book (would make a great holiday gift)
Schoolhouse brass coasters
marble coasters (similar)
duck bottle opener (vintage; similar)
Tramp Ceramics bowl
Tory Burch flats

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Filed Under: Home, Interiors, Living Room Tagged With: House, living room, Rugs

How to Remove Paint from Original Antique Hardware

October 20, 2020 by jessica Leave a Comment

How to Remove Paint from Brass Hardware

As far as I’m concerned, people who paint over hardware are the worst kind of people. (Well, no, but they’re up there.) I know that taking hardware off of the door and frame is a pain. It’s difficult to rehang a door. It’s annoying to take precious time away from painting in order to do the prep work. However, please, please, please just do it for people like me who have spent literal hours removing paint and polishing the original brass hardware in her 1920s home. That said, removing old paint (be it latex or lead-based) is an easy one, even if it can be time consuming.

How to Remove Paint from Brass Hardware

All of the hardware in our home was painted over to various degrees. (I mean, look at that green hinge from our guest room.) For the most part, the door hinges and mortise locksets were in the worst shape and only a few splatters were on the door knobs and rosettes. After doing some research, I found the following to being the most efficient process to removing the paint and bringing back luster to the brass.

Materials:

  • Old stock pot – You’re going to be boiling water and your hardware in this, so use an old one that you never plan to use for food again. If you don’t have one that you can dedicate to house projects, check Goodwill. Alternatively, here’s the cheapest one I found on Amazon with Prime shipping. You can also use an old Crock-Pot. This can be on the smaller side, but a lot of water will evaporate depending on how much hardware you’re cleaning at once.
  • Tongs – The cheaper the better for the same reasons as above.
  • Heat-resistant rubber gloves – For handling hot hardware when it’s done boiling.
  • Nylon bristle brush – You’ll need it to loosen some of the paint. If your hardware is already scratched and you don’t mind a few more scuffs, you can use a brass bristle brush. Keep in mind, though, it’s much more abrasive and you’ll be leaving scratches in its wake.
  • Utility knife – Useful for getting bits of paint out of small crevices.
  • Flitz polish – This metal polish has rave reviews on This Old House and it works really well. I used it for this project, but also on other vintage brass pieces.
  • Citristrip paint remover – You’re using boiling water for the majority of your paint removal, but as you’ll see below, there are a few times you’ll want to avoid dunking your piece in water: namely glass door knobs and mortise locksets. More info is in the “tips” section below.
  • Latex gloves – Between the metal polish, paint remover, and old flecks of paint, I promise you’ll want to keep your skin protected.
  • Old rags or paper towels – You’ll use these for polishing the hardware. I opted for paper towels to make cleanup easier, even if it’s not the most eco-friendly of choices.
How to Remove Paint from Antique Hardware

Steps:

  1. This step is crucial to making your life easier: Take each hinge off and slip them into plastic baggies labeled with the location of each component. I had labels such as “main bedroom door frame top” and “main bedroom door frame bottom” to keep everything as organized as possible. While the hinges all look the same, I didn’t want to risk swapping anything around if there had been imperceptible warping over the past 90 years. To that end, if there are shims behind your hinges, keep and label those, too. They’re there for a reason.
  2. Bring water to a boil in an old pot. You can also use an old Crock-Pot and let it simmer overnight. I prefer using a pot on the stovetop so I could move through the process in an afternoon for each set of hardware rather than waiting until the next day.
  3. Drop your hardware in and bring it to a boil. (Again, I did this section by section to avoid mixing up any hinges.) It takes about 20 to 30 minutes at a boil for the paint to loosen from the hardware, so be patient. And, please do this in a well-ventilated area. Theoretically, the latex paint will peel off in sheets and lead-based paint flakes off. Apparently in this situation, the lead isn’t as much of a concern compared to sanding it because the wetness is keeping it from being airborne. (Don’t hold me to this, though, it’s what I read on This Old House and I trust those folks. We’ll see how my lungs fare in a few decades.)
  4. Once the paint is starting to come off the hardware, remove it from the boiling water with a pair of tongs. This is where your heat-resistant rubber gloves come into play, too. You’ll need to hold the hardware and use your brush to scrub the remaining bits of paint off — and the hardware is extremely hot. Some of the paint might be stubborn. In those instances, I used a utility knife to gently scrape away the paint. This was also useful for getting into the crevice of screwheads. If that doesn’t work, put it back in the boiling water for a bit longer.
  5. At this point, you’ll need to let your hardware cool. It’ll look similar to the photo below. If you have bits of paint leftover after cleaning it, you can use the utility knife to get at the little bits before going to the next step: polishing.
  6. Polishing your hardware is incredibly satisfying. I prefer using Flitz polish. It’s non-toxic, but you might want to crack a window as it doesn’t smell the best. Donning a pair of latex gloves, smear polish on your hardware and give it a minute to start reacting. Then, using either a clean rag or paper towels, rub the polish over the hardware. You’ll need to keep finding a new area of your rag or paper towel as you remove more and more of the black tarnish from your hardware. A rag will be less abrasive, but I found that I preferred using paper towels as I went through quite a few of them.
  7. Rinse your hardware under running water, dry it, mount it!
How to Remove Paint from Brass Hardware

Tips:

  • Do not boil glass doorknobs. Water can get stuck in the knob itself and take awhile to evaporate. In this instance, use Citristrip, a chemical-based paint remover that’s safe for indoor use, to remove the paint. You’ll need to protect your hands with a pair of gloves and smear on the chemical remover and wait a half hour or so. The paint will start to pull away from the hardware and you can wipe it off. I then rinsed it well under running water to remove the chemical and stop the reaction.
  • Paint on the glass portion of the doorknob can often be scraped off with a utility knife without scratching the glass.
  • I also did not boil the mortise lockset to avoid any accidental rust of the interior components.
  • When remounting the hardware, I put a fresh pair of latex gloves on. If you weren’t careful about removing every last bit of patina when polishing your hardware, it’s easy to transfer some of that black grime to your fingers and inadvertently get it on your door and frame. It didn’t clean off particularly well when the smudges happened to me, but a bit of touch-up paint did the trick.

Pin It for Later:

How to Remove Paint from Antique Hardware

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Filed Under: DIY, Home, Interiors Tagged With: diy, Doors, Hardware, House Projects

Housewarming Gifts with UncommonGoods

September 12, 2017 by jessica 1 Comment

UncommonGoods Housewarming Gifts

I know you’re going to hate me after this comment: I’m looking forward to the holidays.

I know, right?! I kind of hate myself for that, too. There are still hot late-summer days to bask in and crisp fall days to enjoy, plus no one is actually looking forward to winter and snow. But I can’t help it. Now that we’re in our first house, I find myself eager for the holiday season to start so we can celebrate our first Halloween, our first Thanksgiving, and our first Christmas in our home! Since I can’t actually bring myself to shop for holiday decor and gifts just yet, I’m doing the next best thing: shopping for belated housewarming gifts for ourselves! Holiday gifts and housewarming gifts are basically the same thing when you’re shopping for yourself, right?

When UncommonGoods reached out to me earlier this month regarding their gift collections, I went down an entertaining rabbit hole of, well, uncommon gift ideas ranging from personalized presents to thoughtful anniversary ideas. But it wasn’t my first introduction to this unique Brooklyn-based retailer. My adoration of UncommonGoods actually goes back to my teenage years when we received the brand’s catalog in the mail and I spent entirely too long pouring over the interesting gifts and gadgets inside! I’ve always loved that half of what UncommonGoods carries is made my hand, and a majority of the jewelry, home decor, and table-top items are created in the United States. Beyond that, a third of the collection incorporates recycled or upcycled materials, so not only can you find an uncommon gift, you can find one that does an uncommonly impressive amount of good to the environment!

Alright, let’s get back to the goods! I’ve put together a roundup of a few items we would have loved to receive as housewarming gifts when we moved in — and would be more than happy to receive for the holidays this year to make our new home extra cozy!

1. London Poster | 2. Handmade Soap Set | 3. Planters | 4. Pineapple Tumbler | 5. Salt and Pepper Shakers | 6. Bowls | 7. Doormat | 8. Cheese Slicer | 9. Simple Syrup Set | 10. Herb Kit

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In partnership with UncommonGoods.
Thank you for supporting the brands that support this blog!

Filed Under: Gift Guide, Interiors, Shopping Guide Tagged With: gift guide, house gifts, housewarming gifts, UncommonGoods

House Progress Report

June 27, 2017 by jessica Leave a Comment

House Progress

Happy Tuesday! We’ve owned our house for one week and have already made quite a bit of progress in transforming it into something we’ll call home. I’m going to start putting all home-related content over on Curated Couple, which is where our week one progress report resides (wood paneling, bedroom cabinet removal, and exterior painting — oh my!). I’d like to keep this blog style-related so you’re not inundated with content you don’t care about. 😉 I haven’t had a chance to update all of the individual pages, but I’m entirely too impatient to wait to start posting our progress! (Plus, seeing how far we’ve come keeps me motivated for the next tasks.) If you’re interested, come on over! We’ll get back to clothes and accessories tomorrow!

Filed Under: Home, Interiors Tagged With: curated couple, home renovation

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Hello!


Jessica Hamm
Hello there! I'm a first-time homeowner updating a 1920s house in Madison, Wisconsin. I have a penchant for travel and a love of costume jewelry.

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It’s so nice to be home after a whirlwind week. It’s so nice to be home after a whirlwind week. We flew out to Philadelphia last Friday for a few days of exploring. It was our first time in the City of Brotherly Love and we loved every minute of it from the architecture to the restaurants, and most of all: the welcoming and friendly people. After that, we had one night at home before a flight to Denver to celebrate my cousin’s wedding. We got back to Madison late last night and have spent the day puttering around the house, getting caught up on laundry, grocery shopping, harvesting the season’s first tomatoes from the garden, and admiring just how much the hydrangeas have grown in the course of a week.
I always get a kick out of comparing views of our I always get a kick out of comparing views of our home today to the photos I took during our home inspection. (Swipe to see our main bedroom then!) While I knew the house had potential, it was hard to look past some of the owner’s “design” choices. Though, it looks like the room was destined to have a warm-toned quilt. 😂

P.S. @schoolhouse just released new colors of their popular Stillwater Floral Quilt!

And, for those interested, I’ve linked my bedroom items here: https://liketk.it/5iC8R

#SchoolhouseLiving #InteriorInspo #SlowDecorating #BedroomDecor #MainBedroom #CenturyHome #StillwaterFloral #HomeReno #HomeRenovation
Back in December, we booked @therobeychicago for a Back in December, we booked @therobeychicago for a couple nights in the summer and our long awaited anticipation of lounging by the rooftop pool was finally fulfilled last weekend. It also inadvertently became the weekend I made Dave eat a cheeseburger every day, between @redhotranchchicago, @eatmottst, and @smallcheval. There are worst ways to spend a weekend.

#chicago #visitchicago #therobey #therobeychicago #duckduckgoat #mottst #artinstituteofchicago #chicagoeats #auchevalchicago
Our guest room wasn’t a design priority until la Our guest room wasn’t a design priority until late last year when we finally bought a bed, mattress, and a set of sheets. We used some of our own extra bedding (tucking in the generous overhang of our king blankets under the queen-sized mattress) and old bedside lamps from our bedroom: functional, but not quite the charming space I’d envisioned.
 
That started to change when I purchased the Popcorn Grid Coverlet from Schoolhouse — an item I’d been eyeing for years — plus some graphic floral pillows. Then came a bright blue round cushion and the sweetest Teig lamp, both generously gifted by Schoolhouse, and the room finally started to come together. You can shop my picks here: https://liketk.it/5f322

#Ad #SchoolhousePartner #SchoolhouseSpringStyle #SchoolhouseLiving #InteriorInspo #SlowDecorating #GuestRoom
Growing up in northern Wisconsin, lilacs always hi Growing up in northern Wisconsin, lilacs always hit peak bloom right around my birthday on May 30. My mom would fill a large crystal vase with fresh-cut stems, and their scent would waft through the house. 

Now that I live a few hours south and lilac season wraps up earlier, the blooms actually mark the start of my birthday month.

#Lilacs #LilacSeason #SpringFlowers #InBloom #BirthdayMonth #MayBirthday
Snapshots from the past week: • Spent quality t Snapshots from the past week:

• Spent quality time with my favorite cat

• Biked for Pacificos, chips and quac, and tacos at @bandit.tacos 

• Loved how the rain collected on the Lady’s Mantle I planted last year

• Dipped my toes (quite literally) into this year’s mesh shoe trend

• Snapped a lot of Lily content

• Drove home with a new lilac in the passenger seat
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