Archive | Antique

Before and Aftah Living Room

By megan on February 4, 2015 in Antique, Living Room

Cohasset, MA was the perfect location for this fun project inspired by all the colors of the sea. The homeowner rarely used this space, and who can blame them? It certainly felt dated and tired.

Time for a DoOvah!

How many people have those unused rooms in their homes? Such a waste of space! What good is a living room if you don’t live in it? We wanted to create a space that felt beautiful and elegant but also warm and inviting. I’m pretty sure we accomplished that.

Living Room

Photo: Michael J. Lee

See the painting above the mantle? We love the wonderful story that the homeowner shared with us about growing up spending summers on that beach on the coast of Connecticut. She bought the painting from a local artist for her grandmother when she was young and loved that we reframed it and incorporated it as a focal point in her DoOvah. One more family heirloom…the grandfather clock.

OK, not all family heirlooms have to be real deal antiques. This grandfather clock was handmade by the homeowners father…from a kit he bought in the back of a magazine. Sometimes it is more about the memories than the price tag…right?

Living Room2

Photo: Michael J. Lee

We had it refinished in the tones of driftwood. See, we really did incorporate all the colors of the sea here! So what do you think of the room now? Does it feel like a room you’d like to LIVE in? We certainly hope so! Stay tuned for more Before & Aftah photos of #DoOvahProjectCohasset

Holiday Home Tour 2013- Family Room

By megan on December 11, 2013 in Antique, Christmas Tree, DIY, Holiday

Did you get a sneak peek at my Holiday Home Tour last week? Well here is a close up of a few vignettes in my favorite room this year, our family room!I found the PERFECT tree skirt on etsy several years ago (PSA: The shop is gone now…sorry! Shop small people and keep these super talented mommies ~~MK Coastal~~ in business) Green polka dot painted on fringed burlap?!? Yes, please! We don’t always have a tree in this room, so I was super happy to finally be able to use it after looking at in our bin of decorations for over 3 years (and even happier that I bought it when I saw it the first time).

I fell in love with these owls while shopping at West Elm this fall. I was planning on heading back to pick up a few for my tree ($6 adds up) but I found these for $2 at our local Kmart, so I could buy loads more than I had planned. Of course, I had my six year old with me and he convinced me that we also needed to buy the parrot, because really…what’s a Christmas tree without a parrot? (FULL DISCOLSURE – Our local Kmart in Acton, MA is GROSS! Ya hear that Kmart corporate? G.R.O.S.S. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard other local mom’s talk about boycotting that place…but sometimes you have to run in there when you are going to a birthday party at the bowling alley across the street. So, yeah, I bought some decorations there this year…cauz they were cute fuzzy owls (and a parrot) but man do we need to do something about that dump. I’m officially putting TARGET vibes out into the blogosphere…but I digress. Now back to your regularly scheduled blog post).

So, we had such an abundance of hydrangeas in our yard again this year that I couldn’t throw them away. I decided to incorporate them into our holiday decor, not only on our tree but in this centerpiece as well!

I love my Ikea candlesticks so much I literally use them in different ways every season! If you go, pick up a set for yourself (and one for me too) for $14.99, I promise you won’t regret it. Oh, and while you there, pick me up a box of candles too…I’m almost out.

Speaking of candles, do you love the gold candelabra I found at Home Goods a few weeks ago?

I walked by it a few days before and had major buyers remorse, so I was ecstatic when was back and realized it hadn’t sold yet. The “meant to be mine” candelabra. And you might have seen that fox on my instagram post a few weeks ago after said West Elm shopping trip. Clearly I bring my boys shopping with me often, because I couldn’t say no to their rendition of “What Does a Fox Say” as they begged me for it at the check out counter. I think he looks kind of cute in his new home…and, for the record, he says nothing.

On the other side of the table is an etched mercury glass vase (it’s green inside…can you see it? I love it so much!) with magnolia leaves and decorative branches to tie in the magnolia theme on the mantle. I also framed what is the BEST CHRISTMAS CARD EVA from my bff Kelly, who is also, quite possibly, the most thoughtful and creative person I know. Can you see her in the corner running the NYC marathon last year? Hands down, best card eva…and I think the mexican guy would totally agree!

Another little space I love is on the corner of the media cabinet. I picked up the big fuzzy owl at Home Goods when shopping for Halloween decor…see the inspiration for the theme? I also fell hard for the color of the lemon cypress in the mercury glass vase from Pottery Barn.

One last little vintage Christmas decoration is from my mom’s ceramics class circa 1985! I love this even more today than I did back in 5th grade when all I wanted to do was go WITH my mom to ceramics class at night (not that she was a looking for a girls night out away for her 4 kids or anything). I hope you have decorations with lots of meaning and memories adorning your homes. If not, start making those memories now, and maybe your kids will want to decorate with your vintage decor someday too. Happy Holidays!

Sailing off to Brimfield

By megan on May 6, 2012 in Antique, MK Coastal

It’s finally here, the week I’ve been waiting for…the excitement of the hunt, networking with designer friends old and new, and rubbing elbows with fancy designers like The Novograts and Cari Cusksey (Thanks to the amazing organizers of the #Brimfield Tweet up event) it’s Brimfield Fair week at MK Design. I’m sorta new to the whole Brimfield game, but over the past few years I’ve gotten a little experience under my belt. You might remember my Suzy Said post about the ins and outs of Brimfield (Yes, I can negotiate with the vendors & No, I still haven’t found that lunch box). This year I am on a mission, and that mission is BURGEE FLAGS! Dunno what those are? (Don’t worry, I just learned the technical term myself)

See, you’ve seen them before, the adorable little sailing flags!

And for me, the kitchier the better!

Why am I hunting for burgee flags you ask? Well, I’m getting ready to launch a new home decor line, MK Coastal! Don’t worry, you’ll be hearing lots more about it soon, but in the meantime I need to find flags.

There is so much Brimfield ground to cover and so little time (although one could argue that two days with no kids in tow is like an eternity). So, if you are out in the fields and see some burgee flags and other nautical stuff PLEASE Text me, Tweet me, Call me…whatever…just give me a shout! Like my fellow blogger over at Everything in 3’s, (yes, I will be on the lookout for your vintage signs) let’s work together. And as my little boys remind me Team work doesn’t seem work! See you in the fields people, what can I help you find?

In a Cabin in the Woods…

By megan on January 23, 2012 in Antique, Cottage Style, Mudroom

I have a cousin who is pretty amazing. Not only does she have four kids, but she home schools all four kids, in a log cabin in the woods of a small seaside community in Maine. It’s like Little House on The Prairie…for real!

I make the five hour drive with my boys once a year. I always look forward to our time together and appreciate how we live such different city mouse / country mouse lives. I love the coziness of the wood stove heating her home and the convenience of the fresh eggs in the morning. Although, if you know me, you’ll know that I’m not a real “outdoorsy” person. The closest I’ve been to camping is when we lost power for 5 days (twice…and let me tell you…you can hook up a lot with a little generator). They love to laugh at how I’m so NOT a Mainer! Maybe I do sprint from the car to her front door if we get home after dark (They HAVE bears in them woods!) but all that aside (I wonder what new farm animal they will have this year?!?) Kelly has a wonderful eye for cottage style decorating. I swear her home could be in a magazine!

She uses such simple things and makes them look so elegant! She also has a keen eye for antiques. And let me tell you, they certainly do have tons of amazing antique stores up there, but that’s another post for another time!

Here in the hallway she used an antique apothecary cabinet. The kids can put their stuff in assigned cabinets while their sea glass collection adorns the top.

Kelly’s cozy kitchen seems to be an ever changing work in progress. Every time we visit, wether its the layout or an antique, there is always something new! Even the bench in her kitchen was repurposed from pieces of our grandparents old piano. I also love all the nautical elements, as her husband is an olympic sailor!

But what sparked this blog post was her most creative mudroom…I just had to share it with you. First of all, I love reclaimed windows! Here she used a robin’s egg blue paint and backed the window frame with a complimenting nautical map. It certainly makes a stunning coat rack.

But the best part of all was on the opposite wall! Paint cans are used as coat hangers…the perfect spot to store your hats, scarfs, and mittens.

What a creative use of old paint cans! Seriously…how many of these are filling up landfills? And it’s so easy too. She cleaned out the cans, removed the handle, and painted them! You can do it too by simply drilling a hole in the bottom of the can and attaching it to the wall in your mudroom (depending on how heavy your coats are, you might want to use an anchor).

With these recent posts, this could be the month of the mudroom makeover! Did this inspire you to do a Do-Ovah of your mudroom? Do you have a creative mudroom that you’d like to share? Lemme know…maybe you can be featured as a Do-Ovah guest Bloggah!