The Yellow Cape Cod

My Kitchen Makeover Reveal

Last night, I cooked dinner for my family. It was the first time in 5 weeks that we were able to prepare a home cooked meal in our kitchen. We sat down together (at the table not the sofa with tv trays) and celebrated the completion of our kitchen makeover project. I was enjoying the new kitchen so much that I snapped the reveal pictures while I was cooking.

Here it is...

After

Here's a look back at what it looked like originally...

Before

You may remember when I began the makeover. It started with a grand vision of the "perfect kitchen". The "perfect kitchen" design plan quickly exceeded our budget. Once I gave myself a reality check, I focused on making the space better instead of making it perfect.

Therefore, we ended up with a "better kitchen" as opposed to the "perfect kitchen".

I was able to take what I had and improve it.

I love the way it turned out. Not only because it's pretty, but because it didn't break the bank. I can enjoy my new space without feeling bad about how much it cost.

After all, isn't good design is all about how you feel when you are in the space?

I felt pretty good last night.

The chocolate cake may or may not have something to do with it.

Over the next few weeks, I will take you through each project one by one.

I will also post a source list with all of the product sources, paint colors etc.

My main objective was to give our builder grade kitchen a custom look.

One way I tried to accomplish this was by altering our stock grade cabinets with paint and trim.

I will be posting a step by step tutorial on my wine storage cabinet.

A real wine fridge was part of the "perfect kitchen" design plan.

This is the "better kitchen's" version.

I can't wait to share the details on all the design elements.

Be sure to check back to see how the kitchen came together.

For now, I've gotta go.

There's one piece of cake left and no ones looking.

For information on my affordable Online Design Services, please click here.

Online Design Service~Now Accepting New Projects!

Sarah Macklem Interiors is now accepting new Online Design Projects!

Please click here for the details on my new, improved Online Design Service.

I look forward to getting to know you. In case you would like to know a little more about me, here are some of my thoughts on interior design...

Not everyone can afford an Interior Designer. But, the truth is...most people would love to have one waive their magic design wand around their home.

The goal of my design services is to give “real people” their very own magic design wand. Whether it’s through the blog, the online design service or an on-site consultation, my design advice is simple, straight forward and un-complicated. My custom room designs are created using attainable, affordable products, usually found at mainstream retailers (or thrift shops).

I’m commonly asked “What is your design style?”. My response to that question usually gets a laugh, “it depends on who I’m working with”. I don’t have a signature style, per se. My style is relative to each individual client. I do, however, have a signature approach to design. Clean, simple, unique and practical. Ultimately, my design approach is making my client’s personal style look amazing.

I keep text book design rules in my back pocket but rarely conform to them. I take a light-hearted, artistic approach to design that allows the freedom to create a beautiful, unique space without boundaries.

I'm passionate about interiors, especially real life interiors. We are all deserving of a beautiful, inspiring home including those of us with real life budgets.

Please Click Here for details and pricing on my Online Design Service.

For local (Detroit, Mi) On-Site Design Service pricing and availability please email TheYellowCapeCod@yahoo.com

For examples of recent online design projects, please click here.
For client reviews, please click here.

"He Who Is The Happiest, Is He Who Finds Peace In His Home

Forever Young Living Room Design Plan Video

Today's Online Design Plan is a living room belonging to a young family with an adorable house full of character-rich antiques. The client asked me help her find her style and create a space that reflects her young, vibrant family. My goal was to create a room design that is fresh and young, but still embraces her vintage home.

Here is the design plan rock video...

{Click Here or on the photo below to view}

I used a combination of time-worn furnishings, a fresh color palette, and graphic pattern to create a timeless, forever young space...

I'm very excited to announce the details of my new, improved Online Design Service. Due to high volume of requests {for which I'm incredibly grateful} I had to temporarily discontinue the service. During this time, I've found ways to improve the turnaround time and streamline the process, making it easier for my clients.

I'll be announcing the details of the new service {including pricing} August 15th, 2012. At that time I will also begin accepting new reservations. Thank you to my current clients for your patience during this little back-up. Until August 15th, I'll be sharing some of my recent online design projects.

Boy's Bathroom Reveal~Using Two Shower Curtains

Today's before and after is a bathroom that belongs to the sweetest three year old boy, Jack.
Jack's family just moved into this brand-spanking new home.
I had the honor of decorating his bathroom.

{Before}

{After}

{Before}

{After}

We started with a great brown and gray striped shower curtain from Target. From there we were able to pull together the new color scheme easily. The cool striped rug is also a Target find. I rarely shop the bath department for bathroom rugs. This one was actually found next to the door mats.

Jack loves sports. I shopped his toy box for the new bathroom accessories.

The cool sports prints are from a home decor warehouse in Utica, Michigan called Garden Ridge.

For the walls, I went with a subtle, large scale stripe.

You can find a step by step tutorial on painting stripes here. I used Sherwin Williams paint, Lazy Gray for the base color and Morning Fog for the accent color. These colors are next to each other on the paint swatch deck. The subtle difference creates a quiet tone-on-tone effect.

Jack's books and stuffed animal are not only cute accessories but also at arms reach for bedtime baths.

The satin nickel jars, shower hooks and soap toothbrush holder are a high-end looking collection from Target.

Here is a secret bathroom decorating tip,

If one shower curtain is good...

...two is better.

Hope you like your new bathroom, Jack.
Thanks for letting me invade your toy room and steal your stuff!

I look forward to sharing more of this beautiful home soon!

Orange and Yellow Bathroom~Target Style

Today, in the design studio, I'm having a ton of fun pulling a client's new guest bathroom together.

So much fun that I had to share it.

I'm excited about this project for two reasons,

the first reason is that the client is not afraid of pattern and color.

Bathrooms are a great place to have a little fun with trendy prints and bold color.

I took the client's warm and sunny disposition my cue for the color palette.

Warm and sunny equals orange and yellow.

The second reason I'm so excited about how this room is shaping up is...

with the exception of the art {which my client already owned} this unique, high end looking design was conceived at...

Target!

So far, I love the way it's looking on my desk.

I can't wait to install the new design it in the actual space.

I'll be sure to share the reveal just as soon as the paint is dry {paint colors are Martha Stewart "october leaf" and "shortbread"}.

The only problem I have with Target is I never leave without a full cart.

Does anyone else have the same issue?

Tutorial~DIY Herringbone {Chevron} Wall

Recently, my daughter and I designed her new bedroom around a custom pop art canvas of her dog, Murphie. {If you missed it you can see it here}. After the reveal, I decided it would be fun to incorporate a bold, graphic pattern on the wall behind the art.

It was a quick, easy, inexpensive project that had a huge impact on the space. I thought I'd share the tutorial in case anyone would like to use the same simple technique.

Here's how I did it..

Using the art as my color guide, I chose a beautiful dark gray {Cityscape by Sherwin Williams} as my base color. For the accent color, I chose a lighter shade, two colors down the same paint chip card{Argos}. This created a tone on tone effect which is a little more subtle than a contrasting color combo would be.

I gathered the following supplies:

one gallon of the base paint color {Cityscape}

one quart of the accent paint color {Argos}

chalk

painters tape

level

step ladder

hat

paint roller, brush and tray

I painted the wall the base color and let it cure for 24 hours.

I measured the length of the wall and divided it by 4 {in this case my wall was 142 inches, 142 / 4= 35.5}. Using chalk, and my level {which features a ruler, eliminating the need for a tape measure} I made a light mark every 35.5 inches across the wall.

Using the level, I followed the marks to create 3 evenly spaced, vertical chalk lines. I measured the height of my wall and divided it by 6 {in this case, the wall was 96 inches tall, 96 / 6 = 16}. Every 16 inches down the wall, I made a mark along each vertical chalk line. These lines created my taping guide. Using the painters tape, I connected the dots, diagonally, in a herringbone pattern. I was very careful to make sure the tape covered the side of the stripe that would be my base color in the end. Otherwise, the stripes would not be the same size.

The paint rolling part is where the hat came into play. Paint-in-the-hair happens, no matter how hard I try to avoid it. If I were using pink or purple, it could be kinda hot. Gray, not so much.

The small pieces of painters tape were used to remind me which stripes were going to be the base color and which stripes were the accent color. Using my base paint color {Cityscape} I sealed the edges of the painters tape. It's only necessary to seal the edge where the accent color is going to be applied.