Got the Blues?

Was I the only one in love with the rooms in the March 2010 issue of House Beautiful? The entire issue was dedicated to the color blue. I'm a big blue advocate myself, so the whole thing was just heaven. My favorite just might have been this beach house designed by Kim Coleman & Michelle Green. Feast your eyes:

{all photography by James Merrell}

This space is rather obviously nautical, but it's not your typical "froofy" (is that a real word?) seashells and rope beachy room. How amazing is that print on the wall??

I literally gasped the first time I saw this room. LOVE! So light, crisp, clean, but warm & welcoming. I think being in this room would keep me in a good mood no matter what... I think. ;) My favorite elements would have to be the wall color, that amazing coffee table, and the stunning chair in the bottom right corner. I'm dying to see the entire room, and not just this one shot.

Would you LOOK at that SINK?? Really, who wouldn't love to wash their hands in a giant seashell? I also love it paired with the mirrored vanity. The glamour of the vanity tones down the beachy-ness of the rest of the room.

I love this room for two reasons: that amazing chandelier and the high dossage of pattern mixing. I get a little obsessed with patterned fabric, and love when it all plays nice with each other. This room does just that. Zebra? check. Chevron? check. Funky lamp? check.

Again, beachy and glamorous. The perfect mix.

This room has a bit of a Pheobe Howard aesthetic to me. Beautiful in soft blues & tans.

Obviously, the orange stools are what pops out to the eye, but check out that mirror and chandelier! Absolutely gorgeous. The sconces & plant in the center also give the vignette a very outdoorsy feel. Perfect for a beach house.

The clock and console table don't look especially large-scale til you realize how little those chairs look in comparison.


I'm not personally a fan of lavender, but this room's pretty well done nonetheless.



Again with the pattern mixing.. it just.. works.

I had to save this photo for last. I.LOVE.IT. I won't get into all the details on what I love about this bedroom- I'll let the room speak for itself. Stunning. Simply stunning.

See more details on this home here.

Things Are A'Changin!

I'm slooowwwly but surely working on spiffing up the look of the blog. My most recent venture has been my little navigation bar.

See it?? Wahoo! We're on our way to organization around here! The DIY link is NO WHERE near finished, but the rest is coming! There are a few other changes happening as well, but we'll save the other announcements for a later date. Seems whenever I'm looking for a particular post on a fave blog, it takes me forever to find it. I'm hoping this makes it a wee bit easier for you to navigate around the site.

Oh, and let's just ignore the oodles of fabric tabs I have open in the above screenshot. It's an obsession, people.

If any of you have suggestions on pages you'd like to see created, or some aspect that would make it easier on your eyes around here, please let me know! I'm totally open to suggestions!

Lattice Lust

Hi everyone! I'm back from our weekend in the White Mountains and it was just what the doctor ordered! Skiing, relaxation, and lots of retail therapy! :) I have several things to share with you, but until I get our photos edited, here's an amazing online deal that's just too good to pass up.

Ever since Nate Berkus started showcasing his line with HSN, I've been keeping an eye on it. I've also been looking at buying new sheets for a little while now.. and that want has become a need since the husband left our pillows and good pillowcases at the condo we stayed at this weekend. Imagine my delight when I spied these.

I just ordered a set in chocolate & cannot wait to get them! If you're in the market for some sexy new sheets, head on over!

Little Bitty Break

It's no secret around here that life has had me super busy lately. And when I'm not super busy I'm literally drained with no energy.. at. all. I've been feeling pretty bad for not keeping this blog up like I have in the past. So, I'm going to officially take a break for a few days, maybe a week. I have a lot going on the next couple days with work, and then thursday evening we'll be scooting on down to the White Mountains in New Hampshire for some skiing, shopping, and relaxation. I should be back by the beginning of next week. In the meantime, here are a few snapshots of where I'll be this weekend.

And, the place we'll be staying:

Oh, and for those of you that asked, the taupe & ivory fabric from my pillow covers in the last post is Waverly's Cross Section. There are a few colors of it here, for a suupperr cheap price. I definitely paid more than that when I bought mine, but hopefully one of you can strike a deal!

Fabulous Fabric

I've had some gorgeous fabric hiding away for about 5 months now. Over the past week or so I've had a chance to whip up some more custom pillow covers. Thank goodness for blogging- I had the tutorial I orininally wrote right here to remind me how to make them.

My serious love for geometric patterns shines through here, I know. But I toned them down with this bold floral print that I also love. Please excuse the horrible quality of these photos.. the lighting in a basement apartment is rather yucky.. and until our house is built, that's what I've got to work with.

I also found some zebra print pillow cases that I turned into large 20"x 20" throw pillows. Gotta love the zebra print!

Ah, I get such highs from fabric. Anyone else a lover of geometric prints? Anyone head over heals for florals? Obsessed with animal prints? Do tell!

Craft Rooms

A former teacher of mine (7th grade, to be exact!) messaged me on facebook with the following question:

I'm looking for some free decorating direction. This spring/summer we're going
to be gutting and remodeling our spare room/my hobby room (yuck and yippee!),
and I'm wanting to do the color scheme with chocolate browns, tans, and light
blues. I'm wondering if you have any good sites that you recommend for ideas and
such? The room is fairly small, so I'm looking for ways to keep it bright, cozy,
cheery, and inviting. I love looking at good pictures to inspire me, so if
you've got any faves, I'd love to know!

Before we get down to the specifics, here are a whole bunch of inspiration photos I've collected, for both craft rooms, and for bonus/spare rooms.

Pottery Barn

Spaceplanner.com

kaboodle.com

Michaels.com

But now, to get down to my favorites:

This next series is a gorgeous attic room that acts as a very neutral, relaxing office/hobby room/sitting room. There are several shots of different parts of the room.



I like the look of real exposed brick.. but this faux look isn't totally working for me. If it's just a small area, putting the real thing in wouldn't be too pricey.





The coordinating storage containers just seal the deal for me..





This little bench is a fantastic use of space. Storage and comfort all in one!







This last room is not particularly my color taste, but the concept is pretty close to what I think my former teacher was thinking. Dual function is the key here- the desk area coupled with the couch makes for numberous uses. And, if that couch were a pull-out, you could even sleep extra guests in here.

There you go, Lisa! ;) Hope some of these photos help you out! For those of you who have asked what my go-to places for inspiration are, hang in there. I'm working on a big post chock full of inspiration sources! Happy Friday!!

Drama Done Right

LOVVING this living room right now (courtesy of BHG).. it's the perfect dose of drama. Dark, edgy colors, but the room is still fresh and bright.

Stay tuned for a fun post tomorrow on those hard-to-balance craft rooms/offices/spare rooms.