Thank you for Walmart for sponsoring this post.

Joe has had his office chair for about 6 months now and I thought it was a good time for a review plus I rounded up a bunch of other luxe options starting at $137! Here's the good and the bad about the gorgeous Pottery Barn Masterson Velvet Swivel Office Desk Chair (PS it's on SERIOUS sale right now!):

Other titles included "Resting Bench Face" and "Don't Be a Bench." 😆 I can't help myself. Anywayyyy, I finally pulled the trigger on a bench I've been watching for about a year and of course it immediately sold out. So I thought I'd pull together a round up of modern shaker style wooden benches at every price point. I literally love them all! Prices start at $140. Which is your favorite?

 

Nadia's room refresh continues and the next step was choosing her nightstands. I've always gone the asymmetrical route when it comes to nightstands, for aesthetics (it seems fun in a kids room doesn't it?) and to stretch the budget. In both Dax's and Genevieve's room I paired a small side table with a nightstand. But when I did this experiment, I loved the high end look of matching nightstands and Nadia's room seems like the perfect place for that look. I love the thought of her pretty headboard flanked by two substantial nightstands. Here are the light and white nightstands I considered and the one she chose. The price tags start at just $80 and they all ring in under $280! Side note, it's a good idea to narrow down options for kids- both to set them up for success and to avoid overwhelming them. I showed her 3 of these and she chose the one we bought!

We found a leather chair for the office and it wasn't easy! Since I spent so much time searching, I rounded up my faves to save you some time. Because I love you, that's why. Per usual, I had specific parameters- like a genuine leather chair, a small footprint (but not too low to the ground), and a neutral, vs a caramel tone that I knew would look orange beside our blue built-ins. I also wanted it to be relatively budget-friendly because of course I did. Here's the one I chose and a round up of 8 other top contenders starting at $467 for GENUNINE leather! Sorry I'm yelling but that's a good deal people.

We finally decided on dining chairs and I couldn't be more pleased! We (and by "we," I mean I) ordered several chairs- including one unfortunate order of 6 chairs without testing first- and returned them all. I'm not new to returning stuff, but returning dining chair after dining chair started to feel a bit ridiculous. That said, I'm glad I trusted my gut and didn't keep a set because it was a good deal or inconvenient to return. If you're like me and just really need to see a chair in your space, I'll be sharing some ways to shop that will avoid returns or at least make them more feasible so stay tuned for that future post. In the meantime, here are the other chairs we considered!

Rug  |  Chairs  |  Table  |  Light Fixture  |  Vase  |  Wooden Bowl  |  Curtains  |  Art (25% off!)  |  Candlesticks  |  Blinds (in Sahara)

I keep trying to not take family photos (so much work!) but I can't help it. I never regret a professional capture vs. the selfie that's required if I'm actually in the photo. We all know mom is behind the candid shots 99% of the time. I don't know how many times I've been frolicking with my kids wishing Joe had my same compulsive need to record everything that I posses. ha. Plus I love to include a professional picture in our Christmas card. You might not know this but I used to be a family photographer and loved providing consultations to my clients on choosing attire. So, here are my tips for choosing family outfits. 

"How much did you save?" was a question I got on my recent reel about Genevieve's DIY channel tufted headboard. And the answer was...complicated. I started with "This wasn't a cheap DIY..." Sometimes DIY is about saving money- if I'm being honest, most of the time that's it, over here. But often it can be about getting something custom that you can't find elsewhere. And I'd argue that if it's that custom, it probably would cost more to buy than to DIY! Or am I just justifying it? Either way, here's what Genevieve's DIY channel headboard cost and some similar options to compare OR to shop if you'd rather just buy one!

For Genevieve's new room, I followed the sage advice to start with the rug. That's often the hardest part for me so I figured I'd begin there and then base other decisions off of that choice. If you don't know where to start, it's a great way to get going. I love the rug we chose but I had a bunch of options saved so I thought I'd share them here. Many of these pink vintage rugs have an ethnic or a boho feel which I'm always drawn toward. Here are my favorite pink (and some coral) vintage inspired rugs. 

If you follow on Instagram, you know I have the "magic" rug in our loft and, well, the magic has worn off. I'm ready for a change. That said, I have to add though that this rug has been so good to us and was GREAT for 4 years with 3 littles. It cleans up really well and goes with everything. So don't rule it out if you need a kid-friendly rug! I've been checking out Rugs USA (not sponsored) and found a variety of large-sized neutral area rugs. I shared them all on Like.To.Know.It but I hear some of you prefer round-ups on the blog so this one's for you! 

When I was looking for a rug for Dax, I scoured the internet to find something affordable and boy-ish. In case you're curious, I chose this one- it's so gorgeous but features Dax's favorite color prominently- I tried to force him to choose green as his favorite color, but failed; it's blue. This rug also has more green in it than the stock images show, though, so maybe I got my way a little. The way I justify spending hours looking for something is to share my findings with you, so you're welcome. ha. The rugs below range in price from x to x, are categorized into tribal, vintage, and mod, and are all so great. If you don't see THE rug for you, click on any you find moderately interesting, and then use the site's suggestions to find others. It's basically a rabbit hole but it gets the job done. Ok, no more chatting. Here they are:

This will be short and sweet- I'm on the hunt for a dining table and as is the case with every big purchase I make, I'm overthinking it and trying to get the moon, under $1000. At least I'm consistent. ;) Here are my ideal requirements: