Erin Kestenbaum

A living room refresh

September 13, 2022September 13, 2022Interiors1 Comment

When designing my living room, I gave myself permission to go slow and let it come together organically. And layer by layer it has come together, where we started with refinishing the floors, then paneling and painting the walls, adding a mantel, then new lighting, then reupholstering our vintage sofa and vintage chairs, then a new coffee table and rug, and window treatments. Yet, it still wasn’t feeling quite done. So, when SWD Studio reached out about a pillow refresh, I knew it was going to be the final missing piece to making this space officially done.

PS Make sure to scroll to the bottom for a promo code on your own designer pillows from SWD Studio

Continue reading ➞ A living room refresh

How to tile like a professional

June 26, 2022Interiors1 Comment

Tiling is one of my favourite DIY projects because you get the instant gratification of getting to step back and see a formerly blank wall come to life. It’s been over five years since our first tiling project and we have learned a lot in those years. More recently, we completed an epic bathroom tiling project with Fireclay tile in which we put all the below tips to use. After every project, we assess what we could have done better, so that the next time our results and process are even more fine tuned. So that you can skip over learning those lessons first-hand and be a more professional tiler, everything we’ve learned is below.

Continue reading ➞ How to tile like a professional

Our new satin brass bathroom faucets

May 26, 2022May 25, 2022Interiors3 Comments

A few years ago, we completely renovated our primary bath and have absolutely loved how this space works for us. However, in time, our faucet finish started to wear, I believe due to hard water (which we’re addressing!). So, when DXV approached me about updating a space with their luxe plumbing fixtures, it was the perfect opportunity to update the faucets for some beautiful, well-made ones that will stand the test of time.

*This post is sponsored by DXV Luxury. All content, ideas, and words are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that allow us to create helpful content while featuring products we use and love!

Continue reading ➞ Our new satin brass bathroom faucets

A new chair in the nursery

May 18, 2022May 18, 2022InteriorsLeave a Comment

When I revealed my son’s nursery a few months ago, I noted that we were having trouble finding the Goldilocks of chairs for his room: petite enough to fit in his very small nursery, a hard-wearing performance fabric, and a lead time that wasn’t insane. If you’ve been shopping for upholstered furniture in the past two years, you know that the last requirement is not easy to come by. Well, friends, I finally found that unicorn chair from Coley Home.

*This post includes gifted product from Coley Home & Pehr. All content, ideas, and words are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that allow us to create helpful content while featuring products we use and love!

Continue reading ➞ A new chair in the nursery

Affordable Ceramic Tile (That look expensive!)

February 20, 2022August 19, 2022Interiors2 Comments

For a recent bathroom project, we discovered that the very affordable denim blue ceramic tile we had picked out for the walls was no longer available due to the factory having recently closed in Spain. This set me off on the hunt for replacement tile that was on budget, available immediately, and hand-glazed. I crowd-sourced some great options from my audience and compiled in hopes it helps others. For reference, I deem affordable as being $10/square foot or less. Yes, you can get plain white subway tile for less than that at Home Depot, but I’m looking for one step up from that, where the tile looks handmade and has colour options, and preferably in a long skinny brick size, my preference for ceramic tile.

One other note, I love high-end ceramic tile and have many times before worked with Fireclay tile, when the budget allows and it is 100% worth the added expense. That being said, not all projects have the budget for high-end tile, hence the below list!

Rosemary 2×8 Tile from Fireclay in my Guest Bath

Continue reading ➞ Affordable Ceramic Tile (That look expensive!)

Nursery Reveal

December 13, 2021December 15, 2021Interiors1 Comment

This post has been a longggg time coming. We waited until after our son was born (quite a few months later) to actually start working on his nursery, and now, with two weeks to spare until his first birthday, I can officially call his room done. A few years ago we turned our third bedroom into my office, and we were enamored with the space, but then, knowing we had to make space for a new baby, we again transformed the room, turning it into the nursery it is today.

Before jumping into the reveal, I want to quickly thank the brands who partnered with me on this project: Annie Selke, Nestig, and Buster + Punch. Thank you for supporting the brands that allow me to create spaces that I can share with you. All opinions are my own.

Continue reading ➞ Nursery Reveal

A Living Room Update with Serena & Lily

October 14, 2021October 14, 2021InteriorsLeave a Comment

A little over a year ago, we painstakingly installed panel moulding to our living room, painted the room a soft green (Farrow & Ball Cromarty), had our vintage Baker sofa reupholstered, and then we stalled out on completing the room. It has been top of mind for us recently, as we shift gears towards completing the remaining spaces in our home. Days before Serena & Lily reached out about partnering on this campaign, Cory and I had been discussing that a new coffee table should be bumped to the top of our list, on account of first off, our living room just not feeling all that cohesive and secondly, a baby who will crawl under any piece of furniture, regardless of our concerns over him hitting his head on the underside of our former marble coffee table.

*This post is sponsored by Serena and Lily. All content, ideas, and words are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that allow us to create helpful content while featuring products we use and love!

Continue reading ➞ A Living Room Update with Serena & Lily

A guide to reupholstering furniture with Calico

September 15, 2021September 14, 2021Interiors5 Comments

As you already know, I’m a huge fan of giving new life to older pieces of furniture through upholstery. The saying “they don’t make them like they used to” directly applies to upholstered pieces, where often-times older furniture is made for longevity and comfort and can be easily modified to match current aesthetics. So, when Calico reached out again to partner on a reupholstery project, I was thrilled to get to share how easy Calico makes the upholstery process.

Continue reading ➞ A guide to reupholstering furniture with Calico

Wallpaper and tile combinations that pair beautifully for a bathroom

April 1, 2021Interiors9 Comments

One of the defining features of our most recent bathroom renovation is the combination of beautiful handmade coloured ceramic tile from Fireclay paired with a complimentary wallpaper. It’s a timeless combination that brings a lot of drama and interest to a space, and also feels incredibly elevated. I dove into my assortment of Fireclay samples and paired them with wallpapers I think would look gorgeous in a bathroom, to inspire you to create the same look in your own home.

Shown here: Fireclay Rosemary Tile in 2×8 and Round Liner with Sandberg Raphael Wallpaper in Green

Continue reading ➞ Wallpaper and tile combinations that pair beautifully for a bathroom

Roundup: Small vintage rugs perfect for bathrooms, all under $100

March 18, 2021March 18, 2021InteriorsLeave a Comment

In every one of my bathrooms we have a small vintage rug at the vanity, which adds both some colour, dimension, and warmth underfoot. In our recent bathroom reveal, I added a faded Oushak rug and it may surprise you that it was only $70. It’s such an inexpensive accessory that brings so much warmth and a piece of history to the space. Since my rug is one of a kind, I rounded up 10 similarly sized rugs on Etsy, all under $100, that would be perfect at a vanity and that I would use in a heartbeat. For reference, #7 below may not look like much, but it is very similar to the one we have in the bathroom below, if you can believe it!