Thursday, April 29, 2010

To have or not to have

I am eyeing this floor lamp.  Love the brass element and the modern vibe.  I'm just not 100% sure.  Thoughts?  

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Deciding on Artwork

India Hicks via Domino
Deciding on art for a room is one of the hardest things for me.  There are so many options.  The sources are endless.  And, to top it off I am very fickle.  I'm ashamed to say we have virtually no artwork hanging in the house.  I know.... sad.
After deliberating for months, I have finally decided on artwork for my bedroom (mind you, only 1 wall).  And, it wasn't until I did this post that I realized I followed a series of steps to make my final decision.  So, here are the steps I took.  The first question I asked myself, given the space I was considering, is what style do I want?  For example,
1) Framed series vs. Mixed gallery vs. Single piece?  
I decided to do a framed series.  While I love the mixed gallery look, I don't have a ton of art to fill the space right now.  Besides, when doing a mix, I would like the look to appear like it has evolved over time and not to be too staged.  I don't have the budget to do a large piece of artwork so, I settled on the framed series.  I, then, asked myself 

2) how do I choose the art?

I have no design experience so I don't know the rules per se. What I've learned is that you need to consider scale.  This consideration tailored my search.  For example, for a framed series, I already had 11 x 14 frames (which would fit well in the space I was considering) so the art I chose couldn't be bigger than 11 x 14.  

Michael Penney via CHH 
Then, I tried to visualize the feeling I was trying to create in the room.
3) What feeling am I going for (ethereal, vintage. organic, etc.)?

Then, I asked myself...
4) What colors need to be in the art to complement the color scheme I am using?
When I found a piece of artwork that had potential, I asked myself, do you love it?   If the answer was 'yes', it was a keeper.  So, when you're staring at a blank wall, how do you decide what artwork should go there?

Friday, April 23, 2010

DIY: Chevron Wall


I stumbled across this amazing blog, Caitlin Wilson Design , and spotted her DIY chevron wall and nearly died.  Incredible.  I love how she styled it - her gallery wall and tufted chair with the moroccan patterned pillow, Riad , Windsor Smith Home Collection by Kravet.  Beautiful!  M.E. , this post is for you - I'm dying for you to do something like this in your entryway!!!  Have a good weekend!

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Pinch Me, Please!

I just scored this campaign dresser off of craigslist for $25!  And, she has a night table to match that she is going to give me!  Unbelievable.  So lovely!!  Yahoo!

Deciding on my Dining Room


The only room in our house that I have yet to re-do is our dining room.  I'm not sure why I haven't tackled it yet;  maybe it is because it's the one room that is a little like grand central.  It's where we eat, pay bills, ichat, do crafts, entertain and do home improvement projects.  I would really like to tackle it before we move (hopefully, in the next year).  My husband is not a big fan because it would mean taking down the existing wallpaper and either replacing it with new wallpaper or painting.  There are a couple of more issues, but I won't bore you with the details.  In the meantime, I have an itch to do something.  What I really want to do is to tear down that wallpaper.  But, I need to come up with a plan first.  If we paint, I am leaning towards a neutral palette of brown, white and pops of granny smith apple green.  If we wallpaper, I'm at a lost - I think it'll be more bright and colorful just because there are so many beautiful wallpapers out there.   Here are some of my inspirational pictures.   

See Jane Work via Design Sponge 


Michael Penny via CHH 
via thibaut 

Monday, April 19, 2010

Sasha Emerson

Over the weekend, my friend sent me the above photo as inspiration for the living room in her summer home.  When I saw the photo, I immediately recognized it and remembered when I saw it in the July/August 2009 Coastal Living .  I love how this home incorporates a lot of color without it being too overbearing.  Sasha Emerson perfectly mixes midcentury pieces with classic, more traditional furnishings and uses a backdrop of black and white basics - ebonized floors and white walls.  She keeps it fun and modern by adding bold colorful fabrics and accessories.  It was a real treat to re-visit this home so I thought I'd share some of my favorite pics.  




 The graphic wallpaper reminds me of this .  Love this canary yellow sink console. 
Love the Victoria Hagan curtain fabric paired with the Dash and Albert rug.

Friday, April 16, 2010

Fresh Blooms


Recently cut some flowering branches off our crabapple tree and placed them in my office.  Makes me happy.  Have a wonderful weekend!

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Yet to Tire



I will never tire of Kelly Wearstler's imperial trellis for Schumacher.  I know it's on every design enthusiast's living room sofa.  Every time I see a picture featuring the pattern, it's as if I have just seen my best friend and I get all excited.  I know, crazy, huh?  Right before Easter, I received an awesome package of 2 yards of Kelly Wearstler's Imperial Trellis fresh from LGN's basement!  I got it for a steal and am very pleased.  I'm not sure what I want to do it with yet, but the possibilities are endless.  

Images via CHH , My fabric, summerthorntondesign , picasa, cote de texas , la dolce vita, LGN and The Designer's Attic 

Friday, April 2, 2010

Happy Easter


Wishing you a very Happy Easter!  We have lots planned over the next week - Easter, family visiting, Luke's birthday and a little R and R trip for mommy & daddy!  Can't wait!  Blogging hiatus will end in a week.  See you then!

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Sprucing up the office



In my last posts, here and here , I discussed how I am making small changes to spruce up my office.    The picture above was our light fixture in the office.  Yeah, does not make me proud.  So, the latest change I've made is the lighting.  Finding 'cool' light fixture for low ceilings is very hard.  There aren't many options especially when you're limited to flush mount lighting that is not pricey.  I was really inspired by Betsy Burham's workspace in the latest issue of Lonny and I loved her vintage chandeliers she snagged on ebay.  I wanted a lantern look but it needed to be flush mount (and budget friendly).  Averill, from Odi et Amo , kindly suggested a few from Shades of Light after I commented on her lantern in her newly renovated bathroom .

vua here 
I loved all these options, especially the birdcage lantern (middle photo), but the height of the lantern was too long.  And, then out of nowhere, I found the lantern on none other than Overstock !  And, for an amazing price - $27!  Here she is:  
Even though, the color was all wrong, an easy coat of white gloss spray paint fixed that and here she is: