A fantastic surprise home makeover for a soldier returned from Afghanistan!

What caught my eye in this home makeover was the casual, "collected-over-time" look. What I loved way that newly wed Meg Stein surprised her Army sergeant husband with this home makeover when he returned from Afghanistan! How sweet is that?

I love the cozy but clean design of this dining room.  Wood chandelier - $50 at a garage sale...vintage Duncan Phyfe table - great deal on eBay.

It's all about white kitchens for me.

Meg already had the flat file coffee table, so she designed the room around it.  I really like the file as a coffee table.  It's unexpected, and what a great way to store mags!!

What do you think of this charmer?

via HGTV Mag June/July 2012 issue

Read More

An East Village apartment by the Novogratz - A home with a vintage and scholarly air...

I'm sure most of you by now have heard of the designer husband and wife duo the Novogratz after the widespread popularity of their Rizzoli book, "Downtown Chic". Well, Rue Mag was awesome enough to feature one of their latest projects, a friend's small three bedroom, 1 bath apartment in the East Village. It has a sort of vintage, masculine vibe, and I also feel like the space has an academic feel to it.

Not only did they find the perfect rug, they found the perfect *rugs!  Layered vintage oriental rugs give the entire space an "old study" feel.

I'm seriously crushing over those gilt bamboo chairs

The Novogratz used paint to accent certain architectural details

Wall mounted, open shelves like these are a great way to make the most of limited space.

Gotta love french doors for the bedroom

What do you think of this East Village apartment?

All images via Rue Magazine

*disclosure: this post is in partnership with theperfectrug.com

Read More