02/17/2025
Our latest pint-sized project, back in Tuscaloosa. In this college town, proximity to campus (and especially the stadium) is EVERYTHING and this one does not disappoint, only a couple of short blocks away.
Wanderlust8 is small but mighty. A compact one bedroom, we added additional sleeping space in the main room with a cabinet under the TV that contains a queen size bed!
Inspiration for this space came in a few different areas. Elephants are synonymous with Bama and we wanted to include them wherever we could. This started with finding the perfect wallpaper that incorporated pachyderms. After looking at dozens of options, we settled on this blue and cream paper from Spoonflower. Other elephant accents included a small figure on the scorched bamboo shelving from Chairish by the front door, and salt and pepper shakers from HomeGoods .
The second inspiration were some antique French botanicals we picked up on our fall trip to Round Top Vintage Market and East End Salvage. We leaned into French influences in other ways with some of the furniture and decor accents.
Lastly is that infamous crimson color that every Alabama fan knows. But we didn't want it to be too in your face, so found ways to incorporate it more subtly. The vintage Broyhill sofa with cane accents was recovered with a fun cut velvet fabric in crimson and pink (we carried a lighter version of the pink onto the ceiling in the living room and kitchen areas). Art and textiles in the bedroom also picked up on the reddish tones.
All walls and trim were painted a creamy BehrPaint Simply White. One of the showstopper moves was removing upper cabinets and replacing this area in the kitchen with gorgeous blue subway tiles, which solidified another element of the design, from Floor & Decor .
To work with the refreshed color palette, solid surface counters from The Home Depot diminished the emphasis on gray and focused more on warmer tones, with a creamy base and light brown veining.
Silver fixtures throughout were also replaced with gold accents (bathroom lighting from Anthropologie , kitchen island lighting and bar stools from Wayfair, plumbing fixtures from Delta, and k***s from Amazon Home). Other Bamatastic touches included art fashioned from sheet music and antique wooden blocks, etched Bryant-Denny Stadium decanters from Etsy, and an elephant museum bee picked up at a great Birmingham vintage/antique emporium, Stash.
"Before" photos are included at the end to let you see the transformation of this tiny oasis from basic to Roll Tide perfection.
