Features Archives - Kathryn Lemaster

Hillcrest Cottage Featured on House of Turquoise!

Happy summer to you! We’re officially halfway through the year now and what a whirlwind it’s been so far. I don’t see things slowing down any time soon with our little one on the way, arriving mid October. Yay! We did just get back from a much needed East Coast vacation however, and there’s lots of Cape Cod and New York City inspiration from that on the gram!

I was so grateful to have the Hillcrest Cottage project featured in At Home in Arkansas “Bright Ideas” issue last month. I was still reeling from that excitement when to my surprise and delight, the lovely Erin from House of Turquoise reached out wanting to feature this colorful cottage as well!

What’s more though, she will be unveiling a few bonus shots from the shoot that weren’t included in the original article. So if you thought you’d seen all of this project – think again my friend! Head on over to House of Turquoise and don’t miss the bonus detail shots and one of the dining room, too!

Thanks for reading, and I hope your spirits are lifted by the happiness of this colorful home!

Oh Happy May!

Spring is my most second favorite season of the year (fall wins, because… the leaves, and my birthday!). I’ve been doing the happy dance ever since I saw the first bright green buds on the trees in my backyard this season. It seemed like overnight, everything was new and bright and alive again. I just love it! Well most of it. I could go without quite so many April showers, pollen-nados and here in the South, actual tornadoes…

But that’s all behind us now (I hope) because it’s MAY – with all the flowers, graduations, birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, and pre-summer joy it brings.

One of the special joys this May in particular brings for me is the long-awaited unveiling of a project dear to my heart – the charming and colorful storybook cottage remodel in the Hillcrest neighborhood of Little Rock!

A huge thank you to At Home in Arkansas Magazine for the beaming feature that so beautifully communicates the creativity, heart and soul behind this project. Be sure to read the full story and see more of the wonderful photos by Rett Peek, here!

The kitchen was the most extensive portion of the remodel, so to appreciate just how far it came from it’s less-than-thrilling beginnings, I’ll leave you with a few “before” photos for reference…

Change is good, yes? 😉 Here’s to beautiful seasons of transformation and newness!!

xo,

Kathryn

PS! If you’re new here, thanks so much for dropping by. I’d love to keep in touch! I recently completed my first ever free downloadable resource for my readers (my top paint colors, hello!) and would love to gift that to you for joining my “E-Party”! If you missed or exited the pop-up invite upon arriving here, you can simply scroll down to the bottom of this page to find the invite. Easy peasy!

“Heirloom Revival” Guest Room & Bath Reveal on House of Turquoise!

Ready for the never-before-seen Guest Bed and Bath photos from the beloved Heirloom Revival project published by At Home in Arkansas Magazine last year?!

Good! Because I have been waiting a year to share them with you and I’m so excited I can hardly stand it!

When it comes to publishing, sometimes there are a few rooms from a whole home project like this that don’t make the cut due to page numbers and editorial content. Rich in unique design details and historic family heirlooms, this aqua hued guest suite – located off the main hall in the center of the home – was just such a duo of rooms when the story was originally published.I wanted to give the rest of the house a full year of fanfare before adding these two hidden gems to the mix!

Then of course, I had to find the perfect place to introduce them to the world. I’m so honored to have everyone’s favorite aqua tinted blog bringing you these never-before-seen spaces for the first time: House of Turquoise!!

Without further adieu, please click above to head on over to Erin’s blog!

I’ll leave you with a “before” glimpse of each space…

Fall Decor Inspiration: At Home in Arkansas front porch feature!

Happy October!!

Fall is my absolute favorite season, of which October always feels like the official kick-off to me. It’s the best month of the year in my book, which is why I am especially thrilled to have a fall decor project included in this month’s issue of At Home in Arkansas magazine! Snatch up a copy and mosey on by their website to read the full feature – aptly titled “Welcome to Fall!” – for more lovely photos and fall decor ideas!

Here’s a preview of “Look #1: Cheerful, Warm, Eclectic” – designed my moi and styled with the expert assistance of Editor in Chief, Chip Jones, topped off with glorious photography by Rett Peek!

Behind the scenes bonus material! (Crafting, coffee consumption, and amature photography by moi as well…)

Burlap and twin garlands and pumpkin wraps in progress. Produce hunted down at various pumpkin patches and grocery stores. Materials found at local craft stores and my garage. 😉

Nothing like a few handmade Kantha quilts and pillows made from recycled Indian saris to warm up a space! Available at my favorite yoga studio, Arkansas Yoga Collective.

Styling away! My estate sale retro side table had to come along, of course. So did a few fun rugs from Cynthia East Fabrics. The Gerber daisy and ceramic planter were less than $10 combined at Home Depot. #score

Ready, set, shoot!

The pros, making that photo magic.

That’s a wrap!

Make sure to visit At Home in Arkansas to read about this fall front porch design and see more glorious, non-amature photos. 😉 We’d love to hear your thoughts or questions about sprucing up your own space for fall, so feel free to leave a comment below or on At Home’s page.

Thanks for hanging out on the porch with me. This was fun. It’s going to be a great fall!

Interview with Travel + Safety Podcast

“The podcast for those who want to play it safe while living dangerously” – if that doesn’t sound interesting I don’t know what does! Recently I had the pleasure of being interviewed over coffee and Skype by podcast personality Michael Beattie for his fun and informative show, Travel + Safety! Michael is an Italian and English native who ended up in California and now resides in the Florida Keys. In this episode, we talk a bit about my upbringing, living in the “Natural State”, some design philosophy Q&A, traveling for work, and more! Michael was a true delight to visit with and I found myself wanting to ask him more questions than he asked me during our chat. While I can’t say much for my southern accent (which I didn’t realize was evident until I heard myself talk…) you are certainly in for a treat when it comes to Mr. Beattie’s British accent. 😉 Click the link below to listen to our show!

“TAS033: Experiencing the Incredible Lightness of Being with Kathryn LeMaster ”

I hope you enjoy the show and learn a little something new, too! 🙂

Designer Insights: Interview with Terry’s Fabrics in the UK!

I hope you all have enjoyed a wonderful summer! If we’re connected on social media, you’ve probably seen it’s been a fun and full one around here. (If we’re not connect there… Um, we should be! I’m on Instagram and Twitter daily – @kjlemaster – please reach out and say hello. I’d love to stay in touch with you there!) Time seems to have flown by at lighting speed. It’s hard to believe autumn, my very favorite season, is just around the corner. Lots of exciting things are on the way, including some fall decor inspiration. More on that soon! 😉

A recent highlight I wanted to share with you today: I had the privileged of being interviewed by Terry’s Fabrics, an awesome fabric and home decor resource located in the UK, as a part of their “Designer Insights” blog series! Writing answers for the Q & A and sharing some decor inspiration I’m loving for the Top Choices section was so much fun. I always learn something new about myself and my style through collaborations like this; it is my hope you will learn something new through it, too! Click the article below to read the full page version on their blog. Thanks again to the wonderful Terry’s Fabrics team for the opportunity to be a part of this great series!

Courtesy of: Terrys Fabrics

Heights Remodel Project Featured in At Home in Arkansas Magazine!

It’s been such an exciting whirlwind that I haven’t had a chance to announce on the blog yet, but At Home in Arkansas Magazine, our state’s ultimate home and lifestyle publication, featured our Heights remodel project in their May 2015 Before & After issue!!

(Instagram moment from when I read it for the first time… #memories. Follow on Instagram, @kjlemaster to keep up in real time.)

You can pick up the magazine in newsstands around AR today, or subscribe to receive your very own, glossy copy in the mail! What makes this being in this issue even better than it already is – one of my super talented, good designer friends – Brittany Nixon – has a remodel project featured in the same issue! This is the kitchen from her project on the COVER! (Go Britt!! *virtual high fives*) If you see this magazine – snatch it up fast! The Before & After issue is one of the most popular of the year and will be gone before you know it.

The Heights remodel is a very special project we’ve been working on since the end of last summer and just wrapped up – barely in time for the magazine photoshoot! The story is one-of-a-kind. I just can’t tell you how thrilled I am that you get to hear it first from an outstanding source like At Home. From the editor, to photographer, to writer, to everyone else involved – the team that covered it is amazing, and I’m so grateful to share it with you all this way thanks to them! I’m positive you will enjoy it and glean something inspiring from it. Click here to read the full story on their website, and enjoy a preview of one of the before & after comparisons below!

Laundry Room turned Home Office:

Before:

After:

I die over that cheerful little office. Every. Time. I still wish it were mine!

Be sure to stay tuned this month and next for project extras, bonus photos, and behind-the-scenes that may be surfacing on our blog and At Home in Arkansas Magazine’s blog! 😉

House of Turquoise Feature: Before & After Reveal of Rustic Modern Bath

Ladies and Gents, thank you ever-so-much for coming by on this special day for a very exciting before & after reveal!

I am incredibly thrilled to have the one and only Erin Olson Moser from House of Turquoise unveiling this project in terrific HOT style by featuring the after photos for the very first time today!!

This is going to be so much fun! I’m sharing the before photos and design plan here – then you can hop on over to House of Turquoise for the amazing after photos, photographed by Karen E. Segrave of KES Photo. If you’re coming over by way of HOT, welcome!! I hope you enjoyed the finished result and will relish your regressive design “meal” as you take a peek back at how it all began.

Meet my friends, the Bollens, a wonderful young family with whom I had the pleasure of working on this project. Jessica and Daniel were new homeowners and ready to kick it up a notch or 10, functionally and aesthetically, with their master bathroom. Take a step back with me to their original master bath:

There were many reasons to bid farewell to the existing layout and finishes. From the brown tile and cave-like shower to the ho-hum single sink vanity, it was simply time for an update.

They opted for a DIY style design plan, as they are savvy do-it-yourself-ers. They also enlisted the help of skilled craftsman and builder, the talented Mr. Chandler Tedder, to oversee the remodel.

I wanted to include their wishlist items (make-up vanity space, double sinks, glass shower, display and hidden storage…) while incorporating their taste and style, which was one of my favorites – a rustic-modern fusion! After collecting their input, I set to work designing their dream bath and presented them with a design concept which included dimensioned drawings, a concept board with selection options, material samples and a resource shopping list.

Here is a sampling of a few of the new selection options to give you an idea of where we’re headed:

Below are the concept drawings illustrating the new design!

Can you image it now? Thanks to the Bollens and Chandler, who took it from a concept to a reality, Karen, who captured it, and Erin, who’s sharing it today… you don’t have to just imagine – you can go see it, right now!! Jump on over to House of Turquoise for the grand after reveal!!

Kitchen Styling Tips on At Home in Arkansas Blog

If you enjoyed our Before & After feature in At Home in Arkansas this month, you’ll definitely want to click on over to their blog today for a bonus feature from this family friendly kitchen design!

They will show you how we built in flexible accessories to be able to swap out styles in a pinch, creating two different looks and feels. Hopefully you’ll get some ideas on how this could apply in your home!

Click on the image below to connect to their post, “Styled Two Ways“!

At Home in Arkansas Before & After Feature is online!

Good things take time, and they are always worth waiting for.

I’ve been waiting awhile to unveil this never-before-seen, major kitchen remodel with you all. Thanks to At Home in Arkansas, I get to share it with you today!

Head on over to www.athomearkansas.com right now for the full article covering this Family Style kitchen, including unbelievable before and after images!

(Photo by Nancy Nolan via At Home in Arkansas)

In the coming months I will be sharing a post series that you won’t want to miss, walking you through the behind the scenes of the project. I invite you to subscribe to my blog to make sure you don’t miss a post! 😉

Stay inspired,

-K