The Inspired Room Tour: The Evolution of a Room and A GIVEAWAY

I am honored to participate in The Inspired Room Tour hosted by my friend, Melissa from The Inspired Room.  We are celebrating the release of her new book, The Inspired Room: Simple Ideas to Love the Home You Have.

Today, I am going to show you how a little inspiration over the years turned our kitchen and keeping room into a cozy home for our family.

Once upon a time, our kitchen and keeping room looked like this:

Yes, it was lovely. Yes, it was functional. Yes, I am grateful and so very blessed.  To be honest, it wasn't really working well for our large family.  The kitchen is located smack dab in the middle of the house.  It is our main hangout.  The "keeping room" or "family room" is just adjacent to the kitchen.  We lived in our home and loved it for seven years.  It was time.  Using multiple sources for inspiration, I designed a new kitchen.  Books, Pinterest, Magazines, and now Instagram are my primary sources of inspiration.

My original rendering:

Inspiration come to life:

Family Room right after the woodwork was all painted and curtains were hung, circa 2013:

Woah!  Its a floral explosion in here!  The Ralph Lauren sofa was mine from college days... I saved babysitting money to purchase that doozy, but it has gorgeous lines and I'm positive the floral is almost back in style.  The slipcovered Henredon club chairs were wedding gifts.  Notice the original windows.  All the windows were replaced shortly after our kitchen remodel thanks to tennis ball size hail completely destroying our exterior.

New windows, but way too much going on in here:

Continuously inspired, the keeping room looks like this today (well, not exactly today... keep reading if you want to see it today):

Slipcovers on the sofa, club chairs, and ottoman soften the room, yet still provide warmth and coziness.  I am daily inspired by Instagram and Pinterest.  Changing out accessories from time to time is an inexpensive way to update a room instantly.  I scour craigslist, thrift stores, TJ Maxx, Homegoods, and Tuesday Morning for most of my accessories.  

The mantle over the stove was inspired by a photo on Pinterest.  Drawer placement was inspired by a need for organization.  Everything has a place. 

One of the blogs I have been the most inspired by over the course of many many years is The Inspired Room.  Melissa has an approach to decor like no other.  She takes the home she has been blessed with and completely transforms it, right before your eyes.  Her photographs and descriptions, DIY's and Tutorials are down-to-earth.  She shows real life happening in real time.  That is why I was so excited when she released a book!  I shared the book review with you here.  Love the Home You Have is a witty and inspirational book on how to take your home from livable to lovable.  Melissa gives practical advice on how to change your perception on your home and how to fall in love with your home.

After I read her book, I was inspired to change my outlook on my own home.  I even quit shopping stores and shopped my own home.  My 2015 fall tour reflects that change (this is the before)  I want to change my formal living room so badly.  My husband put me on a bit of a "remodeling freeze" for 2015.  We have been soaking up family time and I am having fun remodeling clients' homes.  So, I traded some work for a friend's seagrass rug and dug out some grasscloth wrapping paper (purchased last Christmas because I knew I'd find a use for it).  Everything else came from shopping my home, advice Melissa often offers.

You can imagine my delight when Melissa wrote a gorgeous Coffee Table book! 

FULL of Photographs, DIYs, Tutorials, and Practical Tips & Advice!!!!  

I am so excited!!!!  

Melissa says it perfectly, "This book is unique, it's not a collection of photos of nice houses or designer rooms, it's a relatable book about creating a real life home on a budget, starting with what you already have.  It has lots of photos and tips for decorating and making your house feel like home."

and this is my home today:  Completely Unstaged... deadlines looming, school projects due, piles of laundry, and dirty dishes; BUT I love my people who make the messes in our warm and cozy home.  I'm off to fold laundry read my new book and sip some coffee..  Join me?

Now for more super exciting news!  *hint* giveaway!

The Inspired Room: Simple Ideas to Love the Home You Have is available RIGHT NOW for preorder and officially releases November 1, 2015.  If you pre-order, it ships the day it releases (maybe earlier!!)  
Also, you are invited to participate in The Inspired Room Tour AND you have the opportunity to win a $300 gift card to Anthropologie!!  To enter, create a post with the requirements found HERE and submit your finished post URL link to that form HERE again.  Entries are accepted until November 10, 2015.  All details are on the form, so follow the links to win!

I truly hope you are INSPIRED to go make your house your home.  I urge you to pick up your own copy of The Inspired Room: Simple Ideas to Love the Home You Have

What is your major source of Inspiration in your home?  I'd love to hear in the comments!

For a behind the scenes glimpse at life around Eleven Gables, follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest!

For more inspiration on the Tour:

Home Stories A-Z  .  Bliss at Home  .  Craftberry Bush  .  Happy Happy Nester  .  Fieldstone Hill Design  
  Cuckoo 4 Design  .  Reluctant Entertainer  .  In my Own Style  .  Honey We're Home  .  The Chronicles of Home  
  Eleven Gables  .  Finding Home  .  City Farmhouse  .  Domestic Fashionista  .  Michaela Noelle Designs  
  Wicks Nest  .  At The Picket Fence  .  Southern Hospitality  .  Fox Hollow Cottage  .  Sweet and Simple Home  
  Balancing Beauty and Bedlam  .  Bright Bold and Beautiful  .  My Sweet Savannah  .  The Lettered Cottage  .  Emily A. Clark  
  The House of Silver Lining  .  Beneath My Heart  .  Restoration House  .  At Home in Love  .  Julie Blanner  
  Jennifer Rizzo  .  Miss Mustard Seed  .  Rambling Renovators  .  Jones Design Company  .  Not Just a Housewife  .  Sarah M Dorsey Designs   

(links will be updated as the tour continues)

xox,

Emily

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