As promised, here is a blog post with some of our favorite camping luxury products and some tips/favorite spots in mammoth/yosemite.

First, I will start with some camping luxuries.  These are all products we love and have collected over the years.  These products are not necessary to enjoy camping but we’ve found them all super useful and they have held up perfectly over the years.   Here is a list of items we bring, in case you are packing and need some help.   And for any of the products pictured, click below for each link.

Packing list:  Tent, sleeping pads, sleeping bags, flash lights, camping lights, table (if no table provided), table cloth, cooler, camping chairs, towels, stove, propane, cooking pan/pot, spatula, hand washing water, dish/hand soap, paper towels, toilet paper, baby wipes, sponge, sticks for roasting marshmallows, fire stick, swiss army knife, paper plates, forks, cups, playing cards, music speaker (batteries). (I’m probably forgetting stuff. ha)

1. Cooler (worth the money) 2. Coleman Stove 3. Sleeping bag (only$30)  4. Camping lightbulbs  5. 7 gallon water container  6. Kitchen set  7.  Fan 8. Sleeping Pad  9. Kingdom tent  10. Camping chairs (they fold up tiny) 11. Fold up small table 

And here are some of our favorite spots and INFO for Yosemite and Mammoth in the summer.

Yosemite:

First, if you want to visit Yosemite this summer, you MUST make a reservation on recreation.gov.   You can buy a week day-use pass for $35 but you MUST pick it up on the day you purchased it for and then it’s good for a week.   Because of Covid, they are restricting the number of cars per day and it’s AMAZING because there are not a lot of people.  In fact, in many spots, we barely saw another person.

We entered the Lee Vining entrance, which is 45 minutes from Mammoth.  You should definitely stop at the Mobil in Lee Vining for gas, food and drinks (we stopped for food and drinks after exiting the park).  I know it sounds weird that I’m recommending food from a gas station but YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.  Amazing fish tacos – YEP I promise.

The entrance to Yosemite is approx 11 miles from the Mobil.  This is what we did in the park and we loved it all:

Pothole Dome/Tuolumne Meadows– Park at the meadow and walk to the right side of the dome.  You can walk up the dome to the very top.  It’s a unique experience to walk up rock/granite and the views from the top are outstanding.  There is also a nearby river (you can see it from the top) that you can hang out at.  The whole area is so beautiful and unique, your kids will forget they are hiking and will be in heaven!

Tenaya Lake —  It’s gorgeous, perfect for swimming, and you can easily distance from others on the beach.  You can also walk around it for a nice easy hike.  The perfect picnic spot!

Olmstead Point — Amazing views of Half Dome!  Many people just park and take a picture.  We hiked down to the “lookout point” and then continued to hike down and around and saw nobody.  The view kept getting better and better!

Yosemite Creek — Another easily accessible picnic spot.  We walked down to the creek and waded in the water while eating our picnic.

Tuolumne Grove/Sequoias:   Go there to see about two dozen mature giant sequoias. The Sequoias are only visible after a one-mile hike with 500 feet of elevation loss.  The walk back was fine for our 7 year old but she was a little tired.

El Capitan:  Park and walk through the meadow towards the forest (or park near the forest if on the other side of the road) and hike the “nose to south east face”.   Its approx 1/4 mile up a rocky trail that sometimes doesn’t look like a trail.  Don’t get discouraged, just keep walking and eventually you will be able to put your hands on El Cap and it is MIND BLOWING that (1) anyone climbs it and (2) that Alex FREE SOLO’ed it!

Yosemite Falls:  We parked and walked in to see the lower falls.  This is the only place we saw what felt like too many people and I would skip it next time.  Instead, we will hike the 1 mile strenuous hike to the upper falls, where I imagine we will see less people.

Mammoth/June Lake:
The town seemed crowded so we did not eat out, except for the following:
– Ate outside at the Distillery in the village (such yummy food and delicious whiskey drinks)
– Picked up “to-go family dinners” from Bleu on Old Mammoth Road.  DELICIOUS!
– The kids got ice cream a couple times at The Fun Shop
– We love the food truck at June Lake Brewery (open thurs-sunday only)
– We love The Lift in June Lake (cutest new’ish coffee shop)
– Mammoth Brewery has outdoor seating and amazing food and beer but was too crowded for our comfort when we visited.

Favorite Hikes:
– Convict Lake:  It’s approx 3 miles around, easy hike, gorgeous views and NO CELL service.  Lots of great places to picnic and fish around the lake.
– Horseshoe Lake: 2 mile easy hike/mountain bike trail around it
– Duck pass Trail – Gorgeous but long (read about it before you commit with your kids).  Lots of lakes along the way.
– Emerald Lake trail head –  Some elevation/rocks but my 7 year old did it no problem
– Inyo Crater hike – easy hike and the craters are AWESOME
– Earthquake Fault – the kids enjoyed exploring it and walking in and around the rocks/trees
– Crystal Lake Trailhead
– Rainbow Falls Trailhead (easy 3.5 mile round trip to lower falls but shorter if you just go to the upper falls).  It’s past Devils Postpile, which we skipped because the trail was narrow with too many people.  Go early 8am to avoid crowds.

Other things to do:
– Mammoth Lakes Pack Outfit for horse back riding!  They have rides for almost all ages.
– Mammoth Mountain mountain biking — SO FUN
– Mammoth Creek Park (the playground is closed b/c of covid but you can bike/scoot on the trail there up to Eagle Lodge)
– Twin Falls Overlook (beautiful place to stop on the bike trail that goes from town to Horse Shoe Lake)
– Crowley Lake:  Great lake to rent a boat and cruise around
– June Lake beach (great for swimming and relaxing with gorgeous views)
– Kayak at Lake Mary
– Skate board at Volcom Brothers Skatepark
– Explore Mono Lake (in Lee Vining and have lunch at the Mobil) – you CANNOT swim in this lake but it’s gorgeous!

Happy exploring!  Here are a couple pics.

xoxo,
Kristin

It’s tricky to think about what you might want for mother’s day this year or what to buy your mother/sister, RIGHT?  So just in case you wanted some help, I decided to share everything that I love and am using during this “stay home” time.

1.  I love ordering and receiving products from Public Goods.  Because they are high quality, well priced and eco-friendly.  The best part?  They have hand soap, sanitizer, paper towels and toilet paper IN STOCK.  Click here.

 

2.  I have been LIVING in these overalls – they are the best (quarantine or not).  TTS. Click here.

3.  I just ordered these jean shorts and LOVE them.  Click here.

 

4. I’ve only worn running shoes or flip flops lately and havaianas are my go-to. Click here.

 

5. Since we can’t go to the beach, it’s nice to have some beachy vibes on our coffee table.  Click here.

6. Everybody should be washing their hands ALL THE TIME, so why not up our hand towel game?  I sent my mom hand towels from here for her present.  🙂 Click here.

7. Jewelry – what mom doesn’t want jewelry?  Lizzie makes the prettiest personalized dainty metal jewelry EVER.  Click here.

8. Faux plants to style a WFH desk right now makes A LOT of sense.  Right?  And how gorgeous is this one?!!! Click here.

Happy shopping!  Stay safe at home!

xoxo,

Kristin

If you want to learn how to beautify your outdated tiled floors for less than $100, keep reading!  Here’s what my bathroom floors looked like BEFORE I partnered with Rust-Oleum and painted them with the new Rust-Oleum HOME Floor Coating. The grout lines were stained and the tiles were not my style.

BEFORE

AFTER

Here is what the floors looked like after I used Rust-Oleum’s new HOME Floor Coating 2-part system.

In case you want to try this miraculous floor paint, here’s everything you need to know:

• First, clean your floors.  Unlike many floor paints, this floor paint does NOT require sanding prior to use.  Just a good clean to remove any wax. No stripping, sanding or priming required! Rust-Oleum recommends Krud Kutter Original Cleaner/Degreaser for tile, vinyl and linoleum – click here.
• Make sure you have all the tools necessary for painting your floors:  I used frog tape, a foam roller, and you will need a paint tray (I used an old plate because it’s what I had on hand).
• Then, start painting!  First, I applied the Base Coat of Rust-Oleum HOME Floor Coating in “steam grey” matte. Click here to purchase.  
• I applied 2 coats (I let it dry 6 hours between coats) and still used less than 1 quart of paint.
• When you are finished painting your floors and they have sufficiently dried, you can need to apply the Top Coat for protection.  The Top Coat is available for purchase here.
• Rust-Oleum HOME Floor Coating is also available in kits . You can purchase 1 quart of the Base Coat and 1 quart of the Top Coat in either Matte or Semi-gloss.

How I created the triangle pattern:

• With this floor paint, it is easy to add a stencil pattern on top with another color, BEFORE applying the top coat.
• I created my own pattern using frog tape and painted the triangles using the Rust-Oleum HOME Floor Coating Base Coat in “aged grey” – click here.

After I finished the floors, I decided to paint the tile that runs up the wall in my bathroom (same as the floor tile) in “aged grey.” For best results, I recommend two thin coats of the Top Coat on the vertical tiles.

I am VERY impressed with this product.  So far, it is holding up perfectly and has 100% transformed our bathroom.  I DEFINITELY recommend it and would FOR SURE use it again!

For more information about Rust-Oleum* HOME Floor Coating visit: rustoleum.com/rohome.

Here is the final look.  Happy painting!

xoxo,

Kristin

*This post is sponsored by Rust-Oleum but all thoughts and reviews are my own and I ABSOLUTELY recommend this product!

As you guys probably know, I LOVE decorating outdoor spaces and have often used furniture from World Market. They are having a HUGE sale — 40% off all outdoor furniture. SO I figured, I would show you guys some of my favorites from the sale.

ACCENT CHAIRS

(1) We had these “Wicker Vernazza” chairs in our backyard in our Venice home and LOVED them – click here.

(2) The “Girona” chair is another favorite.  I’ve sat in it and it’s very comfortable and stylish – click here for the grey, here for the white and here for the natural weave.   LOVE.

 

DINING SETS 

Here are my favorite sets . . .

(1) Whitewashed Eucalyptus Table – click here. (2) Sintra Outdoor Collection – (same table as above but with white chairs) click here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(3) Another whitewash table – click here.

click here for the matching bench

 

 

 

 

 

SOFA SETS

Here are some of my favorites.

(1) The Formentera set – click here.

 

 

 

 

 

(2) Segovia Couch – click here. 

 

 

 

 

(3) Grey wood and metal couch – click here.

.

 

 

 

 

ACCESSORIES

(1) Planters – click here.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(2) Cute side table – click here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope this helps if you are shopping this sale!

xoxo,

Kristin

 

 

It’s hard to believe we’ve already been living in our fixer upper for 6 months.  Sometimes it feels like we’ve been there forever and other days it feels like we just moved in.  Nonetheless, I thought it would be fun to reflect on all the DIY projects we’ve managed to accomplish since moving in.    We are finalizing our remodel plans with our architect but I want to remember this “interim” time and what we did with our own hands FOREVER.   Blog posts last forever right? 🙂

If you are interested in a tutorial on any of the below, I’ve either written a blog post about it, or you can check my highlight stories on my instagram.  Here are some of my favorite projects from the last 6 months, including before/after pictures, where applicable.

MY DAUGHTER’S RAINBOW WALL:  We used frog tape and paint samples from Home Depot.  Click here for the full blog post.

 

KITCHEN PROJECT:  Replaced the backsplash with common wood, painted the cabinets, spray painted the hardware, took off some upper cabinets and made my own DIY shelf.  Click here for the blog post.

 

DOWNSTAIRS BATHROOM: I paid to reglaze the bathtub and tiles and vanity tiles, I painted the vanity and floor and mirror, replaced the hardware and light, spray painted the shower curtain rod, and added hooks.  Click here for the full blog post.

 

MASTER BATHROOM PROJECT:  I painted the walls and tiles, created a “mural” wall, added hooks, and was gifted a new vanity, mirror and lights.   Click here for the full blog post.

 

OUTDOOR STENCIL PROJECT: I painted our patio black with Behr patio paint.  I used stencils to create a “tile” look and it’s SO much more interesting than plain stained concrete.  🙂

 

DIY FAUX FIREPLACE PROJECT:  We needed a place to hang our xmas stockings so we made a DIY faux fireplace.  All of the information you need to do it yourself is in my highlight story on this project.  I used portola paint to make it look like a plaster finish.  Such a fun and easy project.

FAMILY ROOM ACCENT WALL: I came up with this board and batten’ish idea with a modern feel.  All the steps are in my blog post, just click here.

 

MY DAUGHTER’S HUGE DIY DOLLHOUSE:  My handyman helped me significantly with this one but this was my daughter’s SURPRISE xmas gift and SHE LOVES It!

 

MASTER BEDROOM STYLING:  I love this room so much.   Besides hardwood floors, and different access to the closet and a new master bathroom, the look and feel of this room will stay similar.  Click here for the blog post with links.

Thanks for reading and for your interest in my DIY projects!

xoxo,

Kristin

I transformed our Family Room with a very easy DIY modern interpretation of Board and Batten. I knew I wanted to add some dark paint and some texture to the wall but I wanted it to be my own creation.   So, per usual, I went to Home Depot with no exact plan and came up with it on the fly.   For better or worse, that’s how I roll. 🙂

A little back story — when we remodel our home, this wall is coming down.  So, I did NOT want to spend a lot of money and I did not worry about application on the walls.  Application?  If you are adding a wall accent and might want to take it down someday, it will be better to use a nail gun to attach the wood to the wall.   I used glue.   Since I don’t own a nail gun, it was cheaper, easier and I don’t have to worry about maybe taking down this wall accent someday.

WHAT I BOUGHT AND COST:

For the top piece, I brought inexpensive (and lightweight) wood.  Specifically, I bought two 1×3 BTW Whitewood at $4.00 each.  I had them cut to the exact size at the store.

For the vertical lines I bought this molding .  It costs 48 cents/foot.  If you know your exact measurements (from top of molding to bottom of top piece), then you can have it cut at the store.  I chose to cut it at home using a hand saw.  Because each of my vertical pieces were approximately 42″, I spent approximately $35.00 on this wood.

I  bought a quart of Benjamin Moore paint in “Wrought Iron” at my local paint store for $25.

Here is the glue for $10.00.

And you will need a caulk gun for $4.00.

Total Cost = $82

 

 

HOW I DID IT:

First, I planned out the design.  The bottom of the top piece is 42″ from the ground (I don’t have floor moldings in this room).  Each vertical stripe pattern is spaced 13.5″ and the stripes are 3″ apart.  Using a level is very helpful.

I hung the top piece first.  Applied the glue and held it against the wall until he stayed by itself.

Then I applied each vertical piece with glue.

I let dry (a few days because I got sick but I’m sure 12 – 24 hours is enough time).

I painted 2 coats.

And VOILA!

DECOR:

Let’s talk about this rug from Loloi Rugs and Ellen Degeneres!  I saw it and knew I needed it for this room.   It’s so cozy and soft to lay on too.   You can purchase is here.

You can click here for my accent chair.

Sofa is from Interior Define.

The coffee table is a Noguchi and you can click here.   Or here for a knock off.

And I found the stacking side tables at a thrift store for $10 total and I painted them using Edgecomb Grey by Benjamin Moore.

The art is art I’ve owned for years, except for the bottom right – I drew that yesterday.  🙂

AS ALWAYS, thanks for visiting and for your interest in my design!

xoxo,

Kristin

It’s  almost Black Friday and I am sharing my favorite home decor purchases that make perfect gifts too!  These are mostly all items I have around the house and LOVE!  They are on SALE for the next few days!

When styling your home, it is helpful to have baskets (great to hide clutter), vases, coffee table books, decorative objects, faux plants, pillows and throws.  Good looking towels, mirrors and soaps are also key for the bathrooms.   And bedding can make or break a bedroom look!  In fact, you can easily change up the look of a room for a particular season by swapping out these accessories.

First, I’m including my favorite picks from Serena & Lily – I have 90% of these items and truly love them.  It’s worth noting that Serena & Lily is offering 25% off almost EVERYTHING from today until December 3rd.  While pricier than some other brands, I am consistently impressed the quality of their items.   You get what you pay for!

1. Topanga Pillow 2. Diamond Pillow 3. My COMFY sheets 4. Plaid throw 5. Our quilt 6. Our linen duvet 7. lanterns 8. serving board 9. basket tray 10. ladder 11. Towels 12. My stool 

Next, I’m sharing my favorite accessories from a variety of other stores!  These items also make great gifts!  Especially because the price point on these accessories is more budget-friendly.

 

1. Faux Olive Branches  2. Gold Vase 3. Mirror 4. Birch Logs 5. Set of 12 Twinkle Lights
6. Set of 3 planters 7. Faux Olive Tree Plant 8.  Faux Fiddle Leaf Tree Plant 9. Family Room Chair 10. Fav Chunky Blanket 11. Family Room Ottoman 12. Striped Pillow 13. Faux leather + mudcloth pillow 14. Black striped mudcloth pillow 15. Metallic Basket set 16. Wall basket set
17. seagrass basket set

Happy shopping friends!

xoxo,

Kristin

 

When sourcing furniture for clients, I am ALWAYS open to new resources to shop!  For all you designers out there – I found another great resource – Universal Furniture.   You know when you need to find a clean-lined simple — yet gorgeous – dresser or media stand for a client but you aren’t sure if it’s well made because you haven’t seen it in person?!   Well I tested this shop on myself and I am hooked!  Both the media stand and the dresser I picked out are heavy, high quality, and VERY well made.

You can sign up for a trade account here.   Please note that you must ship to a receiver when ordering project from this store.   For big projects, this is not a problem.  But for smaller projects, I realize the inconvenience and maybe Universal will come up with a solution for this in the future.

And for all of you potential clients out there who NEED this furniture –  I’m happy to source for you!  Just shoot me an email or DM.

This post is sponsored, but just like ANY of my sponsored posts, I give an HONEST review.

xoxo,
Kristin

I put together some very reasonably priced big kid (works for girls or boys but I designed with boys in mind) bedroom inspiration and product ideas for you guys!  And each style includes a bunkbed because many of my friends have recently said their boys are requesting bunk beds!   If I were to put my son’s room in one of these categories, I’d probably say it’s scandinavian/rustic? In this “interim/pre-remodel” phase, I let my kids do whatever they wanted with their rooms using the furniture from our old home.

In my opinion, some of the key ingredients to a kid’s bedroom are:  the bed, rug, baskets for toy storage and a dresser or nightstand.  So I picked out some of these key ingredients for various different styles below.   I hope this helps you with ideas for transitioning your kids to “big kid” rooms!

Scandinavian Inspired Bedroom Idea: 

With a different rug option . . .

Here are the links for each product I found pictured above:  bunkbed, rug 1, chevron rug, baskets, sheet set,  art, side table

Rustic Inspired Bedroom Idea: 

 

Links: Bunkbed, Striped rug,  Basket, Pillow, Dresser

Coastal Inspired Bedroom Idea: 

Links: Bunkbed , Jute Rug, shibori pillow,  baskets, side table, dresser

Traditional Inspired Bedroom Idea: 

Links: bunkbed,  rug, storage,,  faux plant, basket for plant , dresser 

I hope these boards help inspire you! Let me know if you have any questions or if you need help designing a room for your bigger ones!

xoxo,

Kristin

If you have an outdated bathroom that you desperately want to remodel but cannot afford a full gut remodel, please keep reading!   For less than $5000, you can drastically update your bathroom from drab to fab!  My advice? Replace the vanity, lights and mirrors for an instant update.   Update your accessories.  And if needed (in my case it was needed) –  paint!  You can even paint tile!  Eventually, if you end up paying for a full gut remodel, you can reuse your new vanity, mirrors and lights.  Win Win!

Here is the BEFORE of our bathroom:

Here is the same view NOW:

 

SUCH a difference, right?!!!!

Here are the products I used thanks to Build.com: 

THE VANITY is the James Martin Vanities Chicago 60″ Free Standing or Wall Mounted / Floating Double Basin Vanity Set with Wood Cabinet and Carrara Marble Vanity Top from Build.com
It comes with the counter and sinks and is free standing, which I LOVE because we can use it (again) after we fully remodel our bathrooms.  

THE FAUCETS are the Delta Trinsic Widespread Bathroom Faucet with Metal Drain Assembly
in black. 

THE MIRRORS are the Ren Wil Sorella 36″ X 24″ Rectangular Framed Universal Mount Wall Mirrors

THE LIGHTS are the Progress Lighting Spatial Single Light 5-3/8″ Wide Bathroom Sconces and they are only $60 each!  And so pretty.  

THE SHOWER CURTAIN ROD screws into the wall, which is AWESOME because it never falls down.  It’s the Signature Hardware 72″ Straight Shower Curtain Rod.

I spruced up my accessories with the following products: 

Stools in bathrooms are SO cute and add character IMO . . . you can shop mine here

The black bordered towels are part of the Banded Border Bath Collection 

My basket is from Home Goods but LOVE these ones too (I have them and currently are using them for toys).

The rug is vintage.

The candle is so cute with a wood lid and available here.

I found the shower curtain, hand soap and faux fiddle plant at Home Goods.

I painted the wall and tile (better than bright yellow walls and blah tile):
Step by step:

1. First paint the wall the color you want the stripes to be — in this case, I painted the wall white.
2. Use painter’s tape to tape out your design.
3. Starting with “distant gray” but adding some of the next darker color each time . . . I created colors to create an ombre effect.
4. Here are the colors in order from lightest to darkest:  distant gray, misty gray, thundercloud gray, deep silver, trout gray, wrought iron.
5. I painted the tiles “trout gray” (please see my modern coastal bathroom blog post for a tutorial on painting tile).
6. I painted the cabinet over the toilet “wrought iron.”

I hope you guys like it!  Thanks for reading!

xoxo,

Kristin

 

Welcome to my dream master bedroom!  Thanks for visiting and here are all the details!

Bedding

I’m going to start with the bedding because it’s arguably one of the most important aspects of any bedroom!  I like my bedding to feel like a luxury hotel – crisp, clean and super comfy.   I went with Serena & Lily to achieve this goal and WOW I LOVE our bedding!  For me, the success to a beautifully made bed is layers. AND GUESS WHAT? Bedding and beds are up to 30% off until October 28th during Serena & Lily’s Sleep Well Event! Here are the layers I chose:

1. Sheets – I chose the Beach Club Sheet Set in Fog for a slight pop of color on a clean and crisp white sheet.  
2. Quilt – I went with the Foxwood Quilt with matching shams also in Fog (white with a border of Fog)
3. Shams – I chose the matching Foxwood Shams 
4. Duvet Cover – I chose the Cavallo Linen Duvet Cover in Smoke Chambray – it is so beautiful and adds the perfect texture and casual, yet elegant, look I was going for.
5. Throw Pillows – It is always a good idea to layer with throw pillows to finish off the look.  I used 2 of the Topanga pillows (24in) and one of the Camille Diamond Medallion Pillow Covers in 20in.

Rug

We have wall to wall carpet in our bedroom.  When we remodel, I plan on installing hardwood flooring.  BUT wall-to-wall carpet is NOT stopping me from adding an accent rug!  I went with the Dugginsville Area Rug from Boutique Rugs.  This 9×12 rug is on sale for only $508!  Such a deal!

Lighting

The previous owners, hung sconces in this bedroom.   Since we plan on remodeling, I did not want to spend money on labor in here.  So I searched for the perfect pendant lights that I could hang from the same electrical spot.   These Meadowlark 11″ Luxe Cord pendants from Cedar & Moss are typically used in kitchens but I think they look super perfect in our bedroom.  What do you guys think?!  

Bedside Tables

I bought these bedside tables – the Castagnier 3 Drawer Nightstand –  several years ago for our bedroom in our old house.   But they totally work in here too!   I switched out the hardware to these pulls for a more modern look.

Bed 

I searched and searched for the perfect canopy bed.   I finally found our bed from Room & Board.  I loved it SO much I purchased it the day I found it.  I just knew it would be perfect.   Our is a California King in the “tall” version.

Side Chair 

Our bedroom chair is the Emmaline Armchair.  You’ve also seen it styled in our family room in our old house and our family room in our new house.  We love it!  So comfy and stylish.

For those of you interested — here are the links for my jeans and top

Thanks for visiting!  Feel free to ask me ANY questions!

xoxo,

Kristin

Did you know you can elevate an uninspiring window with curtains?  I did just that in our fixer upper.  We are planning on a full remodel, where we will likely change out all the windows but until then, I wanted our windows to look taller and wider.  Here are my tips:

Tip 1:

Hang the curtain rod up to 15 inches taller than the top of the window — it will give the effect of a taller window.  If you hang it right at the top of the window, it will dwarf it.   In our living room, we hung the rod 15in taller than the window and just 2 inches below the ceiling height.

Tip 2: 

Mount the rod approximately 8-10in wider than the window, to allow you to push the curtains open past the window, which makes the window appear wider.

Here is a before/after of our family room window, using these tips:

Again, because we are remodeling in the near future, I did not invest in expensive drapery.  I found these stylish yet INEXPENSIVE curtain rods from Amazon.  The rod is just $29 and comes in two different sizes.   In the living room and family room, I hung linen flax sheer curtains from Amazon.  In our Master bedroom, I hung the longer rods and used four panels of  faux linen sheer curtains – similar soft and textured look at a fraction of the price – also from Amazon.

If you want to really step up your window game but can’t afford custom drapery, check out

West Elm’s linen curtains
Pottery Barn has a nice selection of linen curtains
And click here for Wayfair’s selection of linen curtains

Why linen?  I love the soft textured look to it.  It looks organic and still modern, which is totally my jam. It isn’t as heavy as traditional drapery.

I hope this helps!  Tag me so I can see your elevated windows!

xoxo,

Kristin