Styling “How-To’s” & Tips

9 Easy Steps to Create An At Home Vanity

Vanity Styling Ideas that Help You Create the Perfect Personal Space
Filed Under > Everyday

Vanity Table Essentials, Waiting On MarthaMarble Vanity TableVanity Essentials, Waiting On MarthaBeauty Essentials, Waiting On MarthaEssential Oils, Waiting On Martha Marble Vanity Table Vanity Essentials, Waiting On Martha

One of the biggest issues with my home is functionality and space.  It just wasn’t built with enough great kitchen, closet or bathroom functionality for my liking.  Oh how I dreamed of a big marble vanity table full of all my candles, crystals, and beauty products. A place where I could sit and welcome the day rather than stand and feel rushed to get out the door. So after years of complaining I finally decided to to create that space I craved with an easy vanity.  

The great news is you don’t need a lot of actual space to create a vanity, and it doesn’t even need to be in your bathroom.  After playing around with the setup my newly created vanity is actually in an unused bedroom.  

I found an great sized marble vanity table I already owned, perfect for me to apply makeup, give myself an at-home mani, meditate and journal.  Proof that you don’t need the perfect piece of furniture or a huge amount of counter space to create your own vanity. 

The key, though is to have a few pieces, like trays and baskets, that can corral items and keep things in order.  And if you’re creating a space that’s semi-temporary or will be changed frequently, details like a standing mirror rather than one on a wall, framed art propped against the wall, picture frames of loved ones, and fresh flowers can give it that personal touch without getting too permanent. 

Below I’m breaking down nine easy vanity styling ideas and essentials.  I think you’ll find that so many of the items that make a beautiful vanity are super versatile, affordable and can always grow and evolve with your routine!  What’s your must-have item on your vanity?  How do you enjoy a little moment to yourself in the morning?  Truly, MKR

P.S. Find some of our favorite vessels and vases that would look wonderful on your vanity! xo 

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Gemini 6" Oval Mirror

Bed Bath & Beyond, $24

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Having a mirror is a no-brainer; you need a good one here!  If you’re creating a space that may evolve and change, or just prefer a closer look, I’d suggest a stand mirror like this one.  Sometimes I end up moving my setup to another corner in my room or bathroom, so it’s nice to have a mirror that can easily follow suit. 

Gone Wild

Etsy, $20

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Setting up art and picture frames with photos of loved ones can instantly make the space feel like it’s your own. This personal touch helps create a more special and sacred feeling when you’re having your alone time. 

9" Peonies in Tapered Vase, Faux

One Kings Lane, $89

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When have flowers ever been a bad idea?!  But seriously, I love the idea of having fresh blooms, or even faux, around to keep things feeling light, fresh and inspiring.  Flowers make me happy, and they are very fitting in the space that I have created just for me, myself and I! 

Rattan Square Tray Basket

Wayfair, $60.99

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Another must-have for your vanity is a tray, or two.  Trays easily and effortlessly corral everything and keep things looking tidy.  This is especially important with beauty products and random trinkets, candles, crystals, etc.  They have a way of making everything look in place. 

Mint Julep "The Best" Cup

Waiting on Martha Home, $35

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Having vessels like mint julep cups, vases and candle glasses after they’re done burning to serve as holders for makeup brushes and other necessities is important.  The added height helps create a balanced vignette, too. 

Woodlot "Recharge" Coconut Wax Candle

Waiting on Martha Home, $26

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I don’t know about you, but having candles lit always soothes and recharges me.  I love keeping candles, always non-toxic, at my vanity for the wonderful fragrance too.  

The Five Minute Journal

Amazon, $22.95

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As I mentioned above, I love to carve out time in my mornings for quiet time, and that doesn’t just mean for my makeup and skincare routine.  I use this time to journal, meditate and read my devotional.  And being able to do all of this in a space I love, that’s just for me, makes it even more enjoyable. 

Young Living Essential Oils

The Well Code, $160

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If you’ve been reading the Blog for some time then you’d know that I am in deep with essential oils.  In fact it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that along with myself every WOM team member is in deep with EO’s and they’ve done nothing short of change all of our lives. No joke, change lives!  Anyway, with essential oils being such a large part of my daily routine you’ll find a diffuser on my vanity along with my morning and evening oils of Peppermint, Lavender, Stress Away, Abundance, Joy, Peace & Calming and Breathe Again.

Marble Top Vanity/Bar

West Elm Marble Counter Table, $699

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If you remember my old WOM offices then this bar/vanity will look familiar to you…it was our coffee bar.  But I’ve found its the absolute perfect vanity if you don’t have an actual built in vanity for your home.  And just as I did, when it’s done being used as a vanity it can easily go back to being a bar, island, or desk.

Photography, Kathryn McCrary for Waiting on Martha

How To Keep Making Room For A Growing Art Collection

Easy Framing & Finding Space For New Art with help from Simply Framed
Filed Under > Ideas & Inspiration

3d Gallery wall ideas complete with our favorite Juju Hat, waitingonmartha.com How to arrange a gallery wall, including our favorite juju hat via @Waitingonmartha Colorful paintings & gallery wall ideas via @waitingonmartha Gallery wall art ideas via @waitingonmartha How to arrange a gallery wall complete with our favorite natural feathered juju hat, waitingonmartha.com

You may remember my colorful and quirky loft space from a 2015 One Room Challenge; it had a MAJOR mix of playful colors, patterns and textures galore with its centerpiece being my gallery wall of collected art.  With a whopping 24 pieces on the wall itself, I feel like I defined a whole new level of “gallery wall.” 

When I initially created the gallery, I purposely left some room on the wall for the collection to evolve and grow.  It wasn’t until recently, right before Christmas, when I walked into my guest room (rather storage room) and saw over a dozen pieces just leaning against the wall, unframed and collecting dust, did I realize that I better get them on the wall before it becomes too daunting to do so.  And if I’m being honest, a dozen plus pieces was already becoming to feel daunting.

I had used a few framers in the past, but with each frame ringing anywhere from $200 to upwards of a $1,000 for my largest piece, the idea of framing everything was even more daunting than getting them hung on the wall.  Fortunately, I had recently met the founder of Simply Framed at a conference here in the A.  I was beyond inspired by her story and bootstrap mentality of starting her business.   I knew next time I needed a framer,  Simply Framed would be where I turned.

And man, am I happy I did.  I cannot tell you how simple and seamless the entire process was.  Simply Framed‘s approach to all of this framing business is beyond refreshing.  I went online, picked out my mattes and frames then Simply Framed sent me the shipping tubes and pre-paid labels to send in all of my art safely.  Once everything arrived, I worked closely with their customer service team to make sure all of the art was perfectly matched up to it’s corresponding frame because I was nervous with so many pieces and different frames things would get mixed up.  In less than two weeks, I received my pieces back at home, along with an easy framing kit that, again, made it ridiculously simple to finish the project. 

When it came to actually laying out a gallery wall of this size and caliber, I can honestly say I was a tad on the uneasy side.  When buying each piece, I wasn’t thinking “…oh this piece of artwork will look great next to this piece, and that piece”.  I simply bought what I loved and had faith it would work itself out.  I mean, I have plenty of walls, so if it didn’t incorporate well in the gallery, I knew there would be another wall or shelf where it would work. In the end, I was thrilled to find that even though the majority of the pieces were bold and bright, the overall tone worked well; with a warm, peachy neutral emphasis and clean, modern frames. It’s funny how even though you often don’t intentionally think about a color scheme or pattern, one always seems to naturally work its way out. 

This time around that natural theme included a bold, colorful nude by Kate Waddell via Well + Wonder. Collective.  Have you heard of Well + Wonder?  It’s a beautiful website with a collection of southern-curated artists, and it’s quickly become my go-to when I’ve got the itch for a new addition at a price that doesn’t make me feel buyers remorse.  This industry has me fortunate in meeting so many talented creatives and collectives like Well + Wonder, I always enjoy finding new additions; each one carrying a special feeling, memory, or moment.     

Some other new finds include my floral girl by Clare Elsaesser, the 1955 Gerry Winogrand print, a perspective-invoking “Look Down” print by Gail Schechter, the upside-down palm trees, my Sally King Benedict tennis court, Gray Malin’s lamas, and of course my gorgeous ladies by Haley Mitchell that you may remember from the WOM offices at ADAC.  And my wall wouldn’t be complete without 3D accents such as a NEW natural/toffee colored Juju hat that’s a bit smaller than our original size and the oversized worry beads hanging from the hand hook.

Of course there’s more that goes into a gallery than tone and gorgeous art, so stay tuned tomorrow for more tips on nailing a strong gallery wall (pun included).  Truly, MKR

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Photography, Rustic White for Waiting on Martha | This post is in collaboration with Simply Framed, a brand we love and adore.  All opinions are 100% our own. 

Refresh: 12 Home Organization Essentials You Need

A Few Must-Haves While You Marie-Kondo Your Home
Filed Under > Living

Linen closet organization tricks via Waiting on Martha

With the new year comes the inevitable itch to tidy up around the home.  And ever since we read Marie Kondo’s life-changing book, we’re craving a bit of an overhaul with organization solutions that actually work.  Bonus points if they look gorgeous, too. 

Fortunately, so many of the best home organization essentials are just as pretty as they are functional; I’m a huge fan of woven baskets, trays (I am obsessed with a good coffee table tray) and acrylic organizers for nailing in both categories.  I rounded up a dozen of our top home organization essentials below, and I’m sure you won’t be surprised to see a lot of them are Pottery Barn, The Container Store and One Kings Lane; three of our go-to sources for all things home organization.  

What would you add to the list?!  I’d love to try it!  Cheers, Kat

Jacquelyn Recycling Bin Basket

Pottery Barn

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This deep woven basket on wheels is a great solution for large stowaway items, specifically extra linens, towels and items like toilet paper and paper towels in the closet. Most closets allow for a basket of this size to fit under the last shelf, making this basket from Pottery Barn one of our first and forever favorite organization essentials.  It’s timeless, is easy on the eye, and holds up for years. 

Acrylic File Box

One Kings Lane

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I’m guilty of hoarding papers, receipts and anything and everything for work.  This gorgeous acrylic file box is nice enough to land a visible home beside my desk, and it allows for me to stash all the important stuff for later. 

Rattan Square Tray Basket

Wayfair

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MKR introduced us to these lovelies in her holiday house guest prep post.  These shallow rattan trays work wonderfully to corral bedside necessities, as well as beauty and skincare favorites on the bathroom counter. They’re handwoven with a super tight weave to hold even the most delicate and small details. 

Stackable Bamboo Drawer Organizer

The Container Store

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There’s nothing worse than a jumbled up drawer (it’s called a junk drawer), and there’s no excuse to let that happen with highly used items like silverware and serving pieces.  These stackable bamboo drawer organizers are the perfect solution to all of the above.  We LOVE the look (they’re elevated from the usual plastic) and we love that they’re environmentally friendly and made from easily renewable sources of natural bamboo. 

Nate Berkus Gold Pencil Holder

Target

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A chic must-have on any desk (or bathroom counter) really, this gold pencil holder by none other than Nate Berkus for Target of course made the list.  We envision pens, pencils, makeup brushes and more to make their way into this stylish catchall.  

Linen Drawer Organizer

The Container Store

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Once we master the art of the fold, we’re snagging a few of these linen drawer organizers for all of the dressers and closets (available in four different sizes).  They’re perfect for lingerie, undergarments, hosiery and accessories because they keep it all organized AND visible (I’m huge on that aspect of it). 

Faux Bamboo Tray

Society Social

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When it comes to organizing and styling, you really can never have too many trays.  We love this faux bamboo tray from our friends at Society Social for a chic tabletop and countertop solution (how great would it look on a coffee table?!).  It effortlessly corrals your candles, coffee table books and accents. 

Beachcomber Large Tote

Pottery Barn

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These beautiful Beachcomber baskets are almost too pretty to hideaway in the closet.  I love the idea of keeping these baskets visible in the living room to house throw blankets, pillows and anything cozy within an arm’s reach.  

2-Tier Acrylic Tower

The Container Store

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The area under my bathroom sink is straight scary, and actually loses a lot to dead-space where I could be stashing my ever-growing collection of organic beauty and wellness products.  This acrylic tower is a nice solution; it allows for me to corral products on two levels to maximize the space. Doesn’t hurt that it’s pretty to look at, either! 

Polder Chrome 18-Bottle Spice Rack

The Container Store

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This chrome spice rack solves the problem of an untidy pantry or kitchen cabinet, that’s for sure. Take away the ugly, brand labels and mismatched collection of spices and say hello to the feeling of having your life together via the kitchen.  Its sleek design settles in nicely atop the kitchen counter too, making it anything but an eyesore in the space. Talk about form and function. 

Savannah Underbed Baskets

Pottery Barn

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Forget the plastic bins under the bed; opt for these stylish woven baskets instead.  They’re the perfect size to nestle easily under the bed frame, offering plenty of storage space for anything and everything needing stowing. 

Chrome Cookware Organizer

The Container Store

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I’m embarrassed to admit that I don’t own one of these (yet).  But that’s about to change because this cookware organizer sounds like a God-send. You’re able to conveniently store baking pans and serving ware horizontally or vertically (!) to maximize the space in your cabinets.  And the dividers are adjustable (and removable) so you can be sure to fit everything needed. 

Featured image, Rustic White for Waiting on Martha

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