I'm a Fan! - Part 2

Remember last month when we talked about ceiling fans? And how much I hated them? 

Yeah. I remember that too.

In that post I shared 12 ceiling fans that didn't actually suck after all (and I absolutely didn't hate) and one of those ended up being mine. Go figure. 

So today, I'm swallowing my pride, and my ceiling-fan-hating-self, and showing you the the fan that not only we chose, but we LOVE. I love. I'm growing, people. Making major strides up in here. #gome #patsselfonback

Because let's be honest...

Anything is better than this:

And this:

Or how about this close-up:

But this?! Here's a ceiling fan that's sooo easy to love:

Not to mention, easy on the eyes:

Call me a convert, because I'm in lurve!!

But let's back up a bit and see how we got to this point and installed the new fan. Plus lot's more fan pics to come because I just.can't.stop.

To start we turned off the breaker. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP. Ain't nobody got time to get electrocuted.

Then we continued by removing the old fan and the blades. I don't think removing the blades is necessary but it seemed easier to manage and manhandle when taking it down from the ceiling. To our surprise, it was very heavy!

After removing the fan the mounting bracket and junction box was exposed.

We removed the old mounting bracket and took a moment to read the directions. Better late than never, right?! 

Don't forget to wear the proper footwear...

Super important.

Ain't he cute? Moving on...

We installed the new mounting bracket.

Then I stopped taking pictures to help lift the new ceiling fan motor so that the corresponding wires could be connected. Black to black / white to white / green (ground) to green.

Our ceiling fan came with a super awesome remote so we had to connect that as well (that blue wire you see up there).

With all the wires connected we tucked the wires up inside the fan housing and tightened everything to the ceiling, attached the fan blades, and hooked up the light kit. And just like that, it was up!

The installation was super easy and took no time at all as are most ceiling fan installations.

But let's talk about this beauty for a few more seconds, ok?

Those blades had me at hello.

It's modern and totally steals the show .

This is a fan I can live with and love.

Forever.

If we sell this house - the fan is coming with us! 

As if the fan isn't cool enough, the wall mounted remote ensures that it won't ever get lost and is easily reached while we're binge watching House of Cards to turn the fan on/off at our every whim.

Life just got a whole lot cooler. #seewhatididthere

Where do you stand in the world of ceiling fans? Are you a lover or a fighter? And have I convinced you just how good a good fan can be? Please say I did...

Sourcing Vintage Rugs

Vintage rugs are all the rage these days and a hot ticket item on everyone’s wish list. They’re the perfect accessory to bring in a bold pop of color and that lived-in, I’m cool but not too cool, feeling we’re all striving for in our own homes. But searching for the perfect vintage rug is equal parts frustrating and exhilarating all at the same time.

I’ve been on the hunt for a few vintage rugs for several areas of my home, one being the unfinished entry, for what feels like forever, and have stumbled upon a few favorite go-to places and gathered some helpful hints that hopefully can assist you in your rug searching endeavors too!

I ran across this post on Studio McGee’s blog about their favorite antique rug sources and it couldn’t have come at a better time! It was great jumping off point for me in my search and I found a few new places I didn’t know about beforehand. In addition to Studio McGee’s super comprehensive list, below are 3 of my favorite go-to sources:

EBTH (Everything but the House)

Think garage sale on steroids – an uncommercialized version of Ebay chock full of anything and everything you’d find at an Estate sale….including rugs! Luckily, even if there isn’t a sale taking place in your area, rugs are often relatively inexpensive to ship. Just be sure to estimate shipping costs with their handy little calculator and take that cost into consideration.

Quick Tip: wait until the last day / hours to place your bids and you’ll have a better chance of scoring those one-of-a-kind finds. But be prepared to battle it out – it’s a dog eat dog world out there & you don’t want to be left without a bone.

OldVinShop – Etsy

An Etsy shop with a lot to offer – 400+ of those perfectly worn & faded rugs that we all know and love. And hey…that pricing is on point too.

Quick Tip: not 100% sure how a rug will look or fit? Most vintage rug dealers on Etsy offer a 14 day, full refund policy. Nothing better than a no-strings-attached trial run, right?

EclecticAbode – Instagram

A Los Angeles based rug hunter with some of the most beautiful rugs I’ve ever seen. Stalking her Instagram on the daily is always a good idea.  

Quick Tip: looking for a specific color and/or size? Message rug hunters and many will do all the leg work for you and find exactly what you’re after for a nominal fee.

Before I sign off, here are a few additional tips to keep in mind:

• Keywords: 
• Keywords can really help narrow down your search or zero in on exactly what you're looking for.  Keywords to try: vintage, antique, kilim, persian, turkish, overdyed, oushak, anatolian, oriental.
• Filters:
• A lot of vintage rug deals have hundreds of rugs to choose from. Narrow down the selection through the use of filters. Filter the results by size, color, or style. It'll make your search a lot ore manageable.

Enjoy the rug hunt my friends! And if you find any good sources (or rugs) don't leave a girl hangin'!

Progress Report: The Entry

Hey guys! Remember me?! Life and work has been crazy-busy and it’s kept me away from the blog a little too long but I’m back at it and here today with a little update post!

It’s been a few weeks since we jumped into our entry project and we've been making great progress. Aside from painting and a few remaining items (art, rug, etc.) needed to round out the space, we’re just about ready for a reveal! How exciting is that?!

But before we get to all the progress, let’s rewind back to the beginning…mmmkay?

This is what the space looked like before we got started:

And here’s the to-do list that we were working with:

To-Do:

1.      Create storage for coats, jackets, bags – hooks? Slim wall mounted shoe storage?

2.      Add board & batten? Picture frame trim/molding?

3.      Paint interior of front door & add decorative trim

4.      Add art

5.      Install a flush mount light fixture

6.      Find a vintage runner

Let’s run down the check list and see where we stand after launching into this project a few weeks ago:

#1 – Create storage for coats, jackets, bags – hooks? Slim wall mounted shoe storage?

ü  Check! I decided to go with hooks because as you may have seen in my post about the entry plans, they just make life easier. The hooks haven’t been hung but they’re in possession of my grubby little hands!

#2 – Add board & batten? Picture frame trim/molding?

ü  Check! We ended up going with neither but decided to plank both walls on either side of the entry…with a twist! We still need to finish prepping and give the walls a couple coats of paint but we’re thiiiiis close to being finished. I have high hopes for this little entry of mine!

#3 – Paint interior of front door & add decorative trim

ü  Check! Door has been painted but trim still needs to be added and then given a secondary coat for a seamless look. Did we go black or a deep navy blue? Can you tell in these pictures? 

#4 – Add art

              Zip. Zilch. Nada.

#5 – Install a flush mount fixture

ü  Check! The first fixture we installed just wasn’t cutting it – the diffuser wasn’t cut correctly and had all sorts of funky gaps between the shade and diffuser and I don’t think it fit the space like I thought it would (remember…it’s ok to change your mind). After striking out the first time, my second at bat was a home run! But all you’re getting is a sneak peak in the photo above :)

#6 – Find a vintage runner

Again with zip.zilch.nada. Finding a runner in the exact size I need has proved to be difficult. I have a temporary one in place for now but the color and size aren't quite right. 

Well...that's it guys! We've been working really hard on the entry, but also taking time to be purposeful in our decisions and choices for this space. I'm happy to say that we're nearing the finish line and that working towards the first completed space in our home has been so much fun too!

Come back tomorrow and I'll be sharing my go-to sources for vintage rugs - probably the hardest item to find to finally, FINALLY, call this space done! Or...however "done" a space could possibly be around here.