Just like that, kids are back in school, which means we are back at work full-time mode. Why must summer go by like the blink of an eye? Though we are holding on to the last few weeks of summer for dear life, there is something so comforting about fall’s happenings and cozying back up with our daily routines. Call us crazy, but we are ready to get back to the grind and have our lives organized for success for the up and coming months ahead. Whether you are working from home or are back in the office, it’s time to get back into that steady workflow, and we are here to help make your office situation look its best! We rallied up a few South Harlow-approved office chairs that are just as chic and cute as they are comfortable and functional. Scroll below, and happy shopping!
We are over halfway through 2021, and it is starting to feel like things are looking up! Literally. Do you get where we are going with this? We are here today to talk ceilings. Ceilings are oftentimes a missed design opportunity within the home, but when given the chance, they can be a show-stopping moment that brings so much character and charm into a space. For most of us, the dream scheme is to have high-pitched ceilings with reclaimed wood beams from an old French farmhouse, right? Well, we have to face the facts here, and sadly, that’s not a possibility for most of us, so we have some other solutions that can be just as transformative and endearing. We’ve compiled five ways to add interest to your ceilings, and believe us- they make ALL the difference in your home. You will never look at your ceilings the same!
Crown Molding is probably the most commonly used technique to enhance a ceiling. Not only does it add a special detail to the ceiling, but it adds a nice touch to the top of the wall, too. Crown molding is a great way to marry the wall and ceiling into one happy and cohesive relationship. There are a lot of types of crown molding out in the ether, and you can go as traditional or modern as you choose. If you prefer it to be more understated, paint it the same color or a shade slightly off from your wall and ceiling color. If you want to highlight the molding, paint it in a fun accent color, perhaps even matching the window frames and doors in the room.
This one might be a little out there for some, but boy, can it add some refined drama into the home. You can go bold with a dark color and paint technique, like lime wash or plaster, or keep it more muted with softer earth hues in a high reflective finish.
This feature is probably one of the more approachable design elements that you can add to your ceilings, and my oh my, can it make the world of a difference. You can choose from shiplap, v-groove, beadboard, tambour, or reclaimed wood, to name a few. Depending on the overall vibe you want to achieve in your home, paint it white for a light and bright look, dark for mood and drama, or keep things natural for a warm and modern feel.
Beams are another approachable solution to elevate your ceilings and add architectural features to your space. They can add dimension, depth, and length to your ceilings, resulting in a dreamy, character-filled home. Paint them, sand them, bleach them, stain them, or keep them rustic and reclaimed. The options are almost endless.
Oh, these are some of the most charming of ceilings! “Coffer” means indentation, and this architectural feature typically consists of sunken panels in a square or rectangular shape, framed by beams to form a three-dimensional, grooved grid on the ceiling. The result is a timeless transformation adding loads of architectural value to your home.
Oh paint, how we adore you so! Paint is one of the quickest ways to give your space a total transformation and set the tone of your home. This is true for not only walls but for cabinetry, doors, and shelving, too! Though it may be a quick and easy solution for upgrading your home, selecting your color of choice is a whole other story. The options are endless, and after a while, every shade starts to blend together into one sad puddle of overwhelming frustration. Well do not fret our friends, that is why we are here and what this post is all about! We are spilling the beans on our most frequently asked about paint colors and sharing some of our go-to shades. Take a little scroll below and explore some South Harlow favorite hues!
It’s officially June, and summer has pretty much started in our book! With warmer weather, longer days, and plenty of time outdoors ahead, we thought that it’s the perfect time to talk about all things backyard. Most of us will still be keeping pretty close to home this summer, so it’s the ideal opportunity to get our backyards suited up to become our own little staycation. Summertime is all about easy living, time with family and friends, and taking full advantage of the fact that we can start socializing this year. We are here to offer a few tips on setting the scene for a backyard paradise at home.
If we are talking staycation, it is a no-brainer that it’s necessary to provide areas for resting and lounging in the sun. Not only are the sunny spots a must, but it’s also wise to consider areas that get a fair amount of shade, too. You want to create designated hangout zones. A couple of lounge chairs in the sun followed by a shaded seating area provide the best of both worlds. Fireplaces or fire pits are also a great way to draw people together, not to mention these areas can be well-utilized into the evenings and the colder months. We are game for anything that can pull the family away from the TV and brings us outdoors for some quality time!
What is better than going to a hotel or restaurant that has an incredible outdoor patio? Think about trying to recreate these moments of entertainment at your own home. Having an outdoor dining area makes for a great excuse to get friends and the kids together for a barbecue or dinner celebration. Better yet, if you have the space for an outdoor kitchen or bar, your food prep and cleanup can get a whole lot easier, plus you will have more outdoor surface space to wine, dine, and entertain. Some of our favorite nights have been spent with our loved ones under the twinkling stars in our own backyards. It makes the regular day-to-day feel much more special.
Giving your backyard an upgrade from a standard ole lawn can effectively make your outdoor space feel like you are traveling into a slice of paradise. Consider taking a look at your local nursery and adding native plants from the area in which you live, that way, the plants are guaranteed to adapt to the climate. Not only will this make your yard feel lush and revitalized, but it also can add a layer of privacy and can truly feel like a retreat away from the neighborhood. Who doesn’t want to feel like they’re traveling into a tropic oasis by taking a few small steps outside the backdoor? If landscaping isn’t quite in the budget, think about giving some of your greenery a planter upgrade for a refreshed look and grouping plants in different areas of your backyard. The more plant friends to create a sense of refuge, the better!
Nothing quite creates the ambiance more than the lighting and those finishing touches. Lighting is a great way to initiate a mood and lure you and your guests to gather outdoors. From pendants to string lights, to candlelight at the dinner table, lighting can be used to create an intimate atmosphere made for great conversation and loving memories. Adding the finishing touches, like tabletop goods and small décor pieces, allows for your brunch or dinner party to be memorable and personable.
Speaking of décor, we’ve added some brand new items to South Harlow Home just in time for your summer hosting needs! Take a little scroll below to shop some of our favorite new pieces for tabletop and outdoor.
Hello, blog family! It has been an exciting month over here in the world of South Harlow. For starters, we have wrapped up several exciting projects in the past few weeks, some of which we’ve been working on for years. Look out on the ole Instagram for more photos of these beauties to come. On a more personal and life-changing note, our fearless leader, Erika, gave birth to her third boy, and he’s the most precious little squish we ever did see! That’s right THIRD boy. So with three small kiddos running the household, we thought it would be a fun idea to do a nursery and kids room design for those tiny humans in your life. One for the boys, one for the girls, and even some interchangeable pieces for both, too! We’ve got to train them to appreciate design while they are young, right? As much as we need to surround ourselves with an environment that makes us feel happy, our children deserve an inspiring place to grow, too. Take a scroll below to see some nursery and children’s room designs by the South Harlow Interiors crew, and then take a peek at our boys & girls room round-ups while you’re at it. Let this post be your muse to give your kids an uplifting room upgrade!
Hi friends! We are back at it again, and boy oh boy do we have a good post for you today. You’ve probably seen us post our latest Coronado J Project on Instagram, and what a beauty she turned out to be! If you’ve been following us on social for a while now, you may have even seen us post a couple of snippets of this project during the construction phase, too. We have shared the during, the after, but we have yet to share the BEFORE. Yep, the time has come. We are showing you the before and after photos of our Coronado J Project right here, right now. It is mind-boggling, to say the least, so buckle up!
THE EXTERIOR
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This home has Old Spanish roots, so we wanted to stay true to that essence, but give it a major facelift and a breath of fresh life. We said bye-bye to the blue door and windows and modernized the home with black pops of contrast, a new and improved Spanish-style railing, and a new lantern over the door. We can’t talk about all that is new to this home without pointing out the addition to the upstairs. We teamed up with Christian Rice Architects to bring this house to great lengths, literally and figuratively. Not only did the home itself get some improvement, but the landscaping did, too. New plants, pavement, and a cozy fire pit can go a long way!
THE ENTRYWAY
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WOAH. Talk about a transformation! We made a few minor adjustments here. Just took down some walls, raised the ceilings, and some new hardwood flooring throughout – no big deal right? If only things were that easy! We added a powder bath underneath the staircase and added some built-in storage on the sidewall. We also gave the staircase a brand new railing which is probably one of our favorite features of the whole home.
THE GREAT ROOM
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For starters, we ousted the outdated furniture. We wanted to keep elements of the Old Spanish character, so we kept the beams on the ceiling but gave them a brand new paint job in black to create a modern, stark contrast against the white interior. The classic combination of black and white can really hit the spot! We took out the alcove shelving to keep things more clean and simplistic, and we restructured the archways to be less boxy and more curved and timeless. The window frames and fireplace got some upgrades, and we kept that big window in the front to allow all the natural light inside. Lastly, we topped it off with some beautiful furnishings to suit this family’s coastal, laid-back lifestyle.
THE BAR & DINING ROOM
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Drumroll, please… say hello to the new bar and dining room! This home bar has got to be one of our favorite design moments to date. Thanks to Mill Brothers Fine Woodworking Inc., we were able to bring our white oak vertical wall paneling dreams to life. It’s modern and minimal but with a punch of warmth and contrast. This millwork and shelving is a total showstopper in itself, but we aimed to keep materials rich and natural for an elevated and refined feel. A sleek marble bar with a waterfall edge paired with a brass foot rail and modern pendants really knows how to make a girl swoon! Fun fact about this bar space, our architect dream team, Christian Rice Architects, added some square footage to the home to make this space possible. If you look at the before photos, you will notice that this room was expanded to add in an extra archway from the great room into this bar and dining room and the beams on the ceilings were flipped to run parallel to the adjacent great room. Fun, fun!
AFTER
We leaned into a sleek and modern look for the dining area of this space. A light and bright base with some moody warmth and contrast for the win! As for that shared wall leading into the kitchen seen in the before photos, we busted that bad boy down to open things up into one big, functional floor plan.
THE KITCHEN
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Oof! Those before photos are rough on the eyes. The kitchen is one of the biggest transformations in the home and was entirely gutted. We knocked down the shared wall that housed the refrigerator, moved the fridge to the sidewall, and added a corner pantry. We moved the gas range, added a Portola hood for a plaster effect, and kept things clean and tidy with the vertical stacked backsplash in 2×8’s by Fireclay. Take a look at that kitchen island. Isn’t it a beauty? Did someone say black-stained oak? Yes, please!
THE FAMILY ROOM
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If we were to sum up this room into one word, it would be windows! We said goodbye to the dated built-ins and shelving and said hello to LaCantina doors and pretty windows. This family room serves as a sort of landing zone between the outdoor area and the kitchen. Our main goal here was to keep things feeling casual, ethereal, and airy.
THE BACKYARD
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This is what backyard dreams are made of! To entirely harness all that is good about San Diego weather, the whole back of the home was structured to have an indoor/outdoor flow. The unkempt grass and brick are gone, and in their place are a brand spanking new pool, casita, outdoor dining space, and custom sunken sofa and TV zone. Yeah, when we said this is what backyard dreams are made of, we weren’t joking!
A historic Spanish modern home for one beautiful family is now in the books! Did we mention this is only the downstairs? It’s the house that keeps on giving, but we are leaving it at that for today. If you want to see the full project, check out Coronado J on our projects page. See you next time!
