2nd and Strand

This week's second opinion comes all the way from Afghanistan! You know my sister (Kristen) that lived in Paris for two years (Paris post here, here and here with side trip posts to Portugal and Barcelona)? She and her husband now live in Afghanistan. Quite the opposite, right? 

Kristen and her husband live on one of the bases in Afghanistan. Aside from her full time job there, she is on a committee that's in charge of a commissary store coming up in the next couple months. Here is where the title of the post comes into play... this store will be made up of two shipping carts, one stacked on top of the other. That idea might seem crazy to me, but shipping containers are a pretty common "building" on her base. Kristen is tired of seeing boring beige, so she wants a 2nd opinion for something that would branch out a little from the norm. 

Since this is a government project, I want to find things that are inexpensive but good quality. Here is a direction I'd recommend - 

Color palate - I like these two options of colors palettes because they feel unisex, clean and fresh. From the pictures I've seen, there will probably only be a couple little windows so I wanted to keep the colors light and nature inspired. The pale green or blue can be for the walls (thats a nice change from beige!), and the dark gray for the floors.

Flooring - I thought about doing a stained or honed concrete for the floor, but considering the higher price point, I decided to recommend a more budget friendly gray tile. Its fairly dusty where they are, so I figured a cool gray would be great for making it not look too dirty all the time, as well as being easy to clean.

Lighting - I would recommend some awesome industrial style lighting (the one below is expensive... but there are definitely budget friendly options around). Lighting makes such a big impact in a space, so having some great lighting to highlight certain areas of the container would be a good idea. Since some pictures I've seen show a fluorescent light tube down the middle of the ceiling, instead of doing individual pendents you could do something like this. 

To warm this space up a little I would add some wood. Having an accent wall with some long wood shelves would do just the trick. 

So what do you think? I'm imagining a modern/industrial type feel, with the wood to help warm things up (but keeping the boards clean looking... I would rather not go barn-rustic style in this space).

So do you like the green or blue better? Or what color selection would you recommend for Kristen's shipping container conundrum?

-Megan

My friend Courtney is in the process of moving from the Los Angeles area up to San Francisco. Her husband recently took a new job that moved them to Switzerland for 3 months (which they've just returned home from), so you can imagine how jealous I was of all their fun weekend travels throughout Europe. While there, her husband's company informed them they could have a relocation budget to move all their previous furniture, or they can get money to buy new furniture. Can you guess what they picked?? Yep, they will be selling some of their previously used furniture and get the exciting task of picking out some cute new things for their new home.

Courtney has fantastic taste. Once she heard the news from her husband about the money for new furniture she started picking things out right away. 

For her master bedroom she is going with a dark slate pintucked bedspread, with accents of white, teal, and coral. A fun color palate, right? It's a good mix of masculine and feminine, has my favorite neutrals (gray and white) with pops of bright color to bring energy and warmth into the space.

Courtney's master bedroom color palate 
(and yes, colors vary on your computer screen)

Courtney would like a 2nd Opinion on paint color for her room. Here are my two options for what I think would look great - 

Option 1: Bunny Gray from Benjamin Moore

This gray would be modern and fresh, while still being soothing and relaxing. It would tie in perfectly with the dark slate bedspread and would still let the accents be the energizing pops of color in the room.

Option 2: Barely Teal from Benjamin Moore

While still being gender neutral (which I think is important cause I can't imagine Courtney's husband being overly thrilled with a super feminine bedroom :), it still helps to liven up the room. It will help bring the room together and let the furniture and bedding really shine while adding a light, fresh, energy into the room.

Quick painting tip: which ever paint color option you choose, get a small sample paint can and paint a patch on the wall. After it dries make sure its a color you love before painting your whole room (paint on the wall can definitely look different than what you see on the paint swatch). Many designers will pick 3-5 variations of a color, paint samples on the wall, and pick from there. 

-Megan

**If you'd like to submit a question to our 2nd Opinion segment (it can be as big as a room or as small as a lamp... whatever question you have, we'll help you out!) click the button below. We'd love to hear from you.**

I get to tackle my first entry room on 2nd and Strand today!  Reader Christy has a nice space with parquet floors, molding, lots of glass and light, and space for a great chandelier.  Dreamy really.  

Hello tiny baby feet:)  When I see this space I really want to ground it with a darker paint under the chair rail, and then add wallpaper above the rail.  Christy sent me this picture as well, with a note that read, " I really like the colors on the chair with the blue. I am down for being bold, orange walls?".  Up for being bold, that is something a designer loves to hear.   

I really like Walnut Wallpapers, based in LA, but I am sure you can find a local wallpaper store that would be extremely helpful.  It would be important to make sure your wallpaper is lined because it appears you have some texture to your walls.  I looks as if your level of texture is called, orange peel, which shouldn't be too big of an issue, but lined wallpaper will go along way to achieving a smooth look.  

I like the paper above, I found it at Walnut.  I like the shade of orange it uses and I like all of the movement in the pattern, I think it would look amazing all the way up to the ceiling, really capitalizing on all that height.  I also like that it has enough white backgrounhero keep the space feeling airy and light.  I would take a sample of the paper to a paint store and color match the orange and use that exact color beneath the chair rail.  

I'd like you to look at the above picture, and then look at the molding in the first picture.  The molding around the door frame in the first picture is nice and big.  I think the molding in the door frame in the above picture is too small.  I would paint the area in between white as well.  I think as is, it looks a little busy, and you don't want your eye going to a door frame when you've got amazing windows and floors and wallpaper and all the rest!

Rug - oriented this way it moves the visitor in the door, but doesn't compete with the floor
Chandelier - black to tie in with the rug and to pop off the wallpaper, hang it low so it's visible in teh transom
Console table - I would place this against the larger wall in the first picture
Mirror - above the console table
Art work - opposite console wall, above and slightly off center the chair
Chair - visitors can take shoes on and off, etc, also it ties in color of floor w/ chrome leg
Wall Mounted Coat Rack - takes up no floor space, but a good place to hang items

Christy asked what I would do about privacy.  With all of that glass I am sure it is a real concern at night.  I'm including a link to 3M Window films.  I have seen this product in action and I think it is great.  If Christy were to treat her windows people could not see in her home, but her view out would remain the same.  It's pretty great stuff.  
  

Thanks to Christy for sending in her space.  We love to offer 2nd Opinions.  If you are in need of one click the button below and get started!

-Andrea

I need help picking out a new bath mat for my bathroom. The floor is a lovely laminate (you can hear the sarcasm in my words, right?), and I gave up on having a mat around the toilet when I potty trained my first son...that quickly turned disastrous. Having no mat around the toilet has left us with no tub mat (since it did double duty for us), which a spare towel hanging on the back of the door has taken care of when its bath time. 

So far I've liked things mainly white to keep things simple, and neutral in my families little bathroom. I'm either looking for one long mat that can be enjoyed while at the sink, or used when getting out of the tub or two separate mats (one for the sink and one for the tub). 

Here are some options I'm deciding between - 

OPTION 1
White woven bath mat. White is a little intimidating, but I guess its nothing that the washing machine can't fix. I picked out this mat for my sister's bathroom and I really like the pattern and texture.

OPTION 2
Woven Check Bath Mat (two)

OPTION 3
Fez Bath Mat (two)

OPTION 4
A combination of option 2 and 3. I would like the added interest in the space, and these two patterns balance each other out very well. But if I'm wanting to keep things more simple I wonder if this would be too much in this tiny of a space. 

So there you have it. I need your opinion! Cast your vote below -

-Megan

**If you'd like to submit a question to our 2nd Opinion segment (it can be as big as a room or as small as a lamp... whatever question you have, we'll help you out!) click the button below. We'd love to hear from you.**

Lauren would like help adding some finishing touches to her living room. She already has the main pieces of furniture: a couch, rug, coffee table, side table, and small bookcase used as a media console. It's a great room, right? Look at those amazingly big windows that stretch along that side of the wall into the dining space. And come on, an actual wood burning fireplace? I bet that will be her favorite thing about the apartment in the winter.

Lauren is off to an amazing start with her living room, she would just like it to feel more complete. The main piece of furniture she still wants is a accent chair. She would also like the space to feel a little more colorful and fun.

Here are individual images of what she already has in her space - 

One of the colors in her kitchen (which is off the living room) is yellow, so we thought bringing the yellow out of the rug as the main accent color would be a nice idea to tie the spaces together, especially since yellow is one of Lauren's favorite colors.

Here are some basic things I would add to the space- 

Sources and explanations- 

Sofa - main seating for the room.
Tuscan Alfombras Cream Rug- to anchor the space. All the color inspiration came from here.
Geometric side table - to go on the left side of the couch (in between the couch and chair).
Coffee Table - wicker baskets were added for dvd storage.
Upholstered chair - to go perpendicular to the left side of the couch to add more seating.
Ikat lumbar pillow - to go on the yellow side chair. I wanted to make sure colors were tied in together so this pillow does the trick with having blue (rug), white (coffee table) and tan (couch).
Orange round pintuck pillow - for the couch. I wanted to add a different shape and texture to the pillow group.
Ikat chevron pillow - for the couch. To go behind the round orange pillow.
Yellow and white medallion pillow - to go on the couch on the far side from the chair (right hand side).
Dip-Dye pillow - to go on the right side of the couch behind the yellow pillow.
Tibetan Cloud Ceramic Stool - to go on the right side of the couch. I really love this piece and love the whimsical interesting feature it would add to the room. But looks aside, this will be great as either a side table to place a book or drink, or can be an extra seating option if needed. It will also help balance out the room.

-Megan

**If you'd like to submit a question to our 2nd Opinion segment (it can be as big as a room or as small as a lamp... whatever question you have, we'll help you out!) click the button below. We'd love to hear from you.**

My sister-in-law, Marcie, has a very unique entry way to her home that she knows can be a real show stopper, it's just not there, not yet :)     There are a few things that are really working in the space, the sky lights, the bench, the pots, and the great wooden screen/gate.  I think that there are a few things that need to be added to this space to make it as inviting as Marcie and her family would like.  

The first thing that I would like to trade out would be the flush mount ceiling lights.  Now to replace these are a bit tricky, because they're installed on an angled surface I think it's important to keep them low-profile and circular.  

I found these that would definitely do the trick.  The cool thing about these lights is that they can be installed on the ceiling and the wall, so you could replace the sconce (as seen below) towards the front of the vestibule too.  I also like that this fixture is round, so many horizontal lines are already happening, and that it is shiny!  We need some light to bounce around in this space to help things feel bright and happy. 

Lucky for me I know Marcie really well, enough to know that she has lived in some amazing places and done some truly amazing things.  When I saw this licence plate collage at Home Goods a few weeks ago I thought of her.  Marcie had mentioned getting plates from all the places she and her husband have lived and then putting them together in an interesting way.  This piece is a similar idea, but not as cool as hers will be as it will have a lot of different color plates.  

And this spot above the bench by the door would be the perfect place to hang such a creation! I think this piece is really necessary as it would draw your eye towards the door.

Speaking of doors, how great is this door knob?  

Or how about this door bell?  I love the whimsy of this piece in particular, and it's only $30!  Thanks sharing your home with us Marcie, can't wait to visit and see the changes you've made!

*If you'd like to submit a tricky space of your own we'd love to offer you a 2nd Opinion, click on the button below to get started!*

Fall is approaching, so many are heading back to school soon. One of our readers, Shannon, is starting at college and wants some things to have in her dorm room to try to make it feel a little more personal. You obviously don't have much space, and have a roommate to think about it, so what little you are able to bring in your space you should love.

Shannon loves the bedspread below, and would like pops of color in the room, so we decided on a grey, white, turquoise, and navy blue color scheme. She likes abstract art so I definitely wanted to add something to the bare wall. Below are some items that would be fun in her dorm room -

I found this beautiful art on Etsy. Its painted on canvas which I liked, because then she could have it wrapped like a normal canvas piece, or wrap it herself around thick foam core/ styrofoam. Then she wont have to be worried its too heavy on the wall and can just use command strips to keep it up since no holes are allowed in dorm room walls. I like this piece because it seems soothing (which I like when its viewable from your bed) but the movement in it makes it interesting and the gold really makes it come alive.

Organization is a big part of a dorm room because there isn't much space to work with. Because Shannon hasn't seen her dorm room yet and doesn't really know what the space is going to be like, here are some general suggestions - 

- Get the velvet thin hangers, like these, to hang some clothes. You want to fit as many clothes in as possible, so getting the thin hangers will make a difference.

- Some dorm beds have drawers underneath, but if not than it seems common practice to use risers to raise the bed up, so there is room for storage underneath. These pull out drawers would work well for added storage.

- Shannon will be sharing a bathroom with the girls on her floor, which means she'll need to tote her belongings with her when its time to shower. An option like this or this would work well. A towel robe and inexpensive plastic flip flops are probably good investments as well!

- I imagine door hooks would be useful. You could hang it on the main door into your dorm to hang towels/shower totes, or coats and scarves, etc. If that option doesn't work with your door, than you could always used the heavy duty command hooks to hang some additional belongings. 

- Shannon's parents live close by to where she will be attending school, so she'll be doing laundry at her parents home. A pop up hamper like this seems like a good option because it's light weight, can be easily carried because of the straps, and it is sturdy enough to hold her folded clothes back to her dorm, or it can be totally collapsed for easy transportation.


So what do you think, readers? I've never had the experience of living in a dorm, so I'm sure there are things that I'm missing. Are there any tips you'd like to share? Like, what was your favorite way to organize shoes? Are there any must-haves? I'd love to hear what tricks and tips you learned from your living experience in the dorms!

-Megan

Jillian, my lifelong friend, would like a 2nd Opinion for her living room. She moved into an apartment with a new roommate, and is at a place in her life where she wants her home to feel more cohesive than what's typically found with shared living spaces.

Below is a picture of her living room taken from behind the island in her kitchen, which gives you a good overall view of the room. The items in the middle of the room (the desk, bin, banquet, lamps) will be moved to different areas of their apartment, but the couch, trunk (under the left window) and bookcase will stay put. 

Jillian loves the idea of an orange living room. She would also like to incorporate red because as you can see in the image below, the kitchen has red hanging pendant lights. Since these spaces are open to each other, she'd like make the red seem intentional and bring red into the living room as well, which is a fantastic idea. Since orange and red are both warm colors, we decided to throw some blue in the space to be a neutralizer while highlighting the orange since it's its complementary color (click to see our post about color theory and complementary colors).

The bookcase wall shown below will be the focal point in the room. A TV will be mounted, and Jillian has two original art pieces from Dan Christofferson that will be flanking both sides of the TV. She would also like the wall to be painted an accent color. To make the art stand out in the room, and also to make sure your eyes aren't too strained while watching TV, I would stay away from any overly bright colors. I think a medium toned gray-blue would look great on the wall.

Below is how I would suggest the room be laid out. Jillian wants more seating, so that was the first issue I wanted to address. 

First, I would suggest moving the trunk down the wall towards the bookcase, and put a chaise settee in the corner under the window by the sofa. I thought this would be a nice option to add some shape and interest into the space, but it has a low profile so it won't block the window. How great would it be to read a book relaxed on a chase with the natural light of the window? Or stretched out at night watching TV? Both situations sound great to me. 

Jillian and her roommate wanted an ottoman, so I picked a large square option to fill the room in better.

Next, I wanted to do a smaller scaled chair on the other side of the ottoman (or two if it would fit!) so it doesn't impede your view into the living space. An added perk of this chair option is that its pretty from all angles, since you'll be seeing it from the back in the kitchen, and from the side when you come into the apartment (you'll see when you look below). 

Along with a chair I thought placing two poufs at the other side of the ottoman would be nice (read Andrea's post about why poufs are awesome here). Not only would it create more seating if needed, it also helps extend the furniture towards the right wall to help fill the room and to make it look like a more unified space without blocking the view of the bookcase/TV.

A rug would be great in the room. It would help warm up the space, and since Jillian wanted the main color to be orange, a rug is the perfect opportunity to add that color, texture, and pattern to help liven up the space. A rug will help group the furniture and make everything feel cohesive and planned. And as a side note, orange will also really compliment the wood tone of the floor as well. 

And as a last touch, Jillian would like to change out the plain white drum shade that's hanging from the ceiling, so a new option is a great opportunity to add more interest and pattern to the space.

Here are some items I think would look great in Jillian's space-

Sources -

1. Sofa - Jillian bought off Craigslist.
2. Orange mosaic medallion rug.
3. Navy upholstered ottoman... it would look great with this white or orange tray on the top for accessories, remotes, etc.
3. Red velvet chaise settee.
4. Barrel back chair(s).
5. White leather poufs.
6. Navy blue striped drum shade.
7. Orange pillow for the sofa.
8. Red ikat pillow set for the sofa.
9. Orange lumbar pillow for the chase settee.
10. Painting (one of a set of two shown) - Jillian already owns.
11. Bone inlay wall mirror - not shown above, but this can go on the entry way wall right off this room.

-Megan

**If you'd like to submit a question to our 2nd Opinion segment (it can be as big as a room or as small as a lamp... whatever question you have, we'll help you out!) click the button below. We'd love to hear from you.**

Lindy needs some help picking out new hardware for her antique dresser in her bedroom. When the dresser was handed down to Lindy and her husband, they were told that it once belonged to Cecil B. Demille, who was a very famous Hollywood film director and producer. Like, Academy Award winner people! Do the films 'Cleopatra', 'The Greatest Show on Earth' and 'The Ten Commandments' ring a bell? Yep, those are from Cecil B. Demille. 

Although Lindy doesn't have any paper work to verify its history, they don't want to do anything to the dresser that would take away its potential value, which means we won't be messing with the wood at all. 

A couple of the knobs are starting to fall apart, so Lindy would like to take them all off and replace them with new knobs before any more damage is done. So, she would like a 2nd Opinion on what to do.

Here is the dresser-

I decided to stay away from nickel or chrome and would like to stay more in the bronze/gold family. I think this will highlight the dresser nicely while blending in well... nickel would look out of place in my opinion. The bronze or gold family will also nicely bring out the warmth in Lindy's bedspread. 

Quatrafoil Cabinet Knob from Rocky Mountain Hardware. I think these turned on their side (from whats shown in the picture) would look great and be a fun addition to the dresser by playing up the curves in the wood. 

Mother of Pearl Knob from Anthropology. This option brings a little more femininity to the dresser, but I like how it brings in the pearl but has the gold to tie into the dresser.

Quincy Knob from Restoration Hardware. I like how this one brings out the darker tones in the wood and would blend in more .

I know this is chrome... but they offer a satin brass finish that they have no image for. So just use your imagination and pretend this is brass : ). This is F-03 from Nest Studio.

So what do you think of the options? There are definitely aspects to each that I really like. The fun thing is, you could always be creative and mix and match hardware. You could do the top row in one style (maybe one of the options that would stand out more) and do the bottom 2 drawers (four knobs) in another coordinating option. 

So now is your chance to help Lindy out! Take the poll below to cast your vote for which hardware you'd like to see on her dresser.

-Megan

Jordan submitted her dining area (shown below) so she could get a 2nd opinion. Her main complaint is that the space feels too dark all the time. Also, she would like to update the fabric in the room, which means her valance, curtains, and chair covers. Overall she wants this very used area of her home to feel lighter and brighter. 

Her dining area is connected to her living room. The colors in that space are sage green (couches, which look much darker in the photo than they really are, and the rug), a rich deep beige (two side chairs, one you can see, pops in the rug and the drapes), with little pops of a deep beautiful red (in her rug and pillows). Since these areas are open to each other it's important to make both places feel cohesive. Jordan did a great job of making the two spaces feel united, but since her current dining area isn't working for her, we will focus more on the other colors from the living room to accentuate.

I've planned out two options below for Jordan's dining area. Although the fabrics below can be interchangeable, I have them laid out as the largest sample (on the left side) as the valance, as those are the most noticeable fabric from other areas of the home. Next, the top left would be for the drapes, and the bottom right would be for the chair covers. At the very bottom is a paint possibility for the walls. And I would recommend re-painting the cute highchair a pretty sage green regardless of which option is picked.

So lets get to the fabric combinations! Take the poll at the end to cast your vote and give Jordan your 2nd opinion.

Option One
I decided to focus on greens in this group. I think these choices would help make the room feel airy, would lend a classic yet updated feel, and makes the space feel relaxing. I decided to keep the wall color in the beige family for the wall (just a much lighter option than whats currently in the room) to bring in a little of the warmth of the living room.

Option Two
I decided to use more bold fabric options in this group. The patterns give the space some fun energy, while the wall color will help keep things light and airy, just like Jordan would like. Jordan has a cute blue bookcase that borders the corner of the living room and dining area (you can barely see it in the photographs above) so I like that the valance fabric carries that color further into the space.

So dear readers, will you give Jordan your opinion and vote for which fabric group you would recommend?

-Megan

**If you'd like to submit a question to our 2nd Opinion segment (it can be as big as a room or as small as a lamp... whatever question you have, we'll help you out!) click the button below. We'd love to hear from you.**