Hidden in Plain View

I love the idea of taking something unsightly and turning it into a
creative focal point. If you're like me, you dread ill-placed electrical
outlets and ugly cables, which is why this idea is so appealing!

Not only are the clips cute, but they're functional, allowing you to
create a shape on the wall.

And speaking of creating a shape...

How great is that?! I actually love that you can see the mantel art
leading into the lamp.

Another great idea, especially in a child's room is hiding the cables behind
a picket fence:


These suggestions have me thinking of cables in entirely different and new ways!

{Gizmodo}

INSPIRED BY: Katy Rodriguez

These colors remind me of sea glass washed up on the shore -- makes for a lovely, muted color palette.

{Images: Katy Rodriguez Spring 2010 collection, Living Etc, House Beautiful, Domino, Rodarte Marbled Dress}

Grey + Green

It's been a while since I've done a 'Grey+_____' post, so here you have it. It's great how a bright green works with a dark palette or a light one, creating a dramatic eco-loving atmosphere either way!


Polly Wreford


Tim Evan-Cook


Adrian Briscoe

{images via Sarah Kaye Representation}

Unsuspecting Combination

I would never have thought to put flowers and zebra print together, but I really love this! Now finding a way to incorporate a large canvas of the written word into my apartment decor...

{via LottiePan's Flickr, Behance, and Just Be Splendid}

Nesting Nook

Isn't this just the perfect little eating/reading/chatting nook??

I especially love how it's both elegant and comfortable, flawlessly!

{Forgot the source :/ }

Nooks and Crannies

Hallways, entry ways, and nooks and crannies are my favorite kinds of places...

I really love this last set! I'm drawn to the eclectic feel. Which one speaks to you?

{Sorry, can't remember the source! Suggestion?}

I Can See Right Through You

This dining room is fantastic: open, airy, and practically non-existent!
The combination of lucite, glass, and mirrors creates a space that
focuses on the best features of a dining room: the people and the food!
I love how your eye doesn't feel the need to settle on any one part of the room.
It's so pleasant and inviting to bask in natural light while enjoying good eats and great company.
Go here to check out the rest of the house.

{Images via Shootfactory}

Window Magic

If you have a room with no windows, it can leave the decor feeling a bit stagnant. To add some interest to the walls and create the illusion of a window, just add floor to ceiling curtains!

No one will ever know the difference and it adds height to the room as a bonus!

{image via Domino}

Bath{tub} Time

I love a good free-standing tub because they transition into many different styles effortlessly.Simple and TraditionalChic and SophisticatedRustic and Classic

{image 1 via House Beautiful, 2&3 ?}

Falling for Fall

Now that we only have one month left in the summer, I already have Fall on the mind! It's my favorite season after Spring, maybe because the colors are equally as vivid, just a couple shades darker. A while back I saved this picture from Mrs. French's blog Bliss as color inspiration for a Fall room. I really love how the burnt shades of burgundy and orange blend so easily with the ivory and grey. This combination screams Fall Harvest to me; it's the perfect balance of cool and warm tones that creates such an inviting atmosphere. My love for grey is no secret by now and I think it serves as the perfect foundation to transition from a Summer pallet to a Fall pallet. With such a neutral base, it's easy to take a room from season to season just by changing the accent colors.

I also love how you can create casualness or luxuriousness in a room simply by playing with the richness of the grey and silver tones -- I really like both!

{Images via Bliss, Freshome, Barbara White}

Grey + Blue

Dare I say that I've fallen for a better color combo than grey + yellow? I still love that one, but grey + blue has really won me over for it's calming effect.


There's something about the monochromatic decor that makes that saturated blue accent really pop in the most dramatic way.


This color scheme reminds me of walking along the beach at night under the winter moon... oh sorry, I got caught up in a nice memory!

Isn't it just lovely?

{image Polly Wreford [1,3], Chris Everard [2]}

One Room Challenge

Ok, ladies and gents, this is one HARD challenge!

Alek of From The Right Bank to the Left Coast has challenged all interior design bloggers to find one room/picture that encompasses your style. Now, all of you design lovers out there know that this is cruel and unusual punishment. But upon further inspection, I realized that this is actually fun! Hard? Yes. Torturous? Yes! But all decisions aside, this challenge really pushed me to define my style. I have a million pictures in my deco files, but I have a wide array of tastes, so as I was looking through them, I realized that as much as I love and am inspired by all of these rooms, only a few I loved completely and fully. So after much deliberation, I've stepped up to this challenge and chosen my room(!):


Why?
White walls
Bright, colorful accents
Beautiful built-ins
Big, big mirror
Modern Coffee Table
Updated Louis XVI chair
Wood Floors
Loft Ceiling
Saarinen Tulip Side Table
Simple yet powerful pallet
...everything!!

Now, Alek has so graciously turned this challenge into a seasonal occurrence, so I'm not obligated to my choice for ever and ever!

So now I turn the challenge back to you: What's your style in one picture?

When I Grow Up

Inspired by this post, I started reminiscing about the "when I grow up, my house will have _____" moments from my childhood. Even though I wasn't much of a girly-girl growing up, I always thought about the future as a Mom with a house -- don't all little girls? A friend of mine had a window seat and since the first time I saw it, I knew I wanted one. A window seat and a balcony were two house features that I wasn't budging on. Maybe I loved these two things because with them you can be as close to sitting on grass as possible while in the safety of your own home. I've always loved being near nature or surrounded by nature more than being in nature... weird? I think so, too, but I am what I am! Example: I'm destined to live near water, but I don't have a strong desire to be in the ocean, lake, or bay {I do love puddles and streams though!}.

As I've grown up, my tastes clearly evolved beyond little girl fantasies, but I think I'll always want a window seat and balcony. And I've added a few more things to my wish list, too:

An English-stlye garden {or at least rustic and a little unruly}

A fabulous closet {Cher's closet in Clueless used to be my dream, but now I'm a little more refined..}

And great, big built-ins!

I know I'm not the only little girl who thought about this stuff... what were your grown-up must-haves and/or did you get your wish??

Grey + Yellow

Spring's neutral trend jump-started my love for the color grey and it's gotten worse over time -- I have a full-blown obsession now! Grey {I don't really prefer the "American" spelling of 'gray'} provides such a wonderful foundation for pops of color and recently the combination with yellow has caught my eye.

The other day I was walking through Target with a friend and saw this one lonely pillow {right} on the shelf...

...and it transported back to when I stumbled across this living room and sitting area. Isn't this color combination divine?!

It provides the perfect balance between tranquility and visual stimulation. Sign me up!

Monday, Monday

So what does one do while not working, making no money, and waiting on a phone call that could change all of that? Organize your deco files!!

Yes, that's how I'm spending my afternoon and I'm not ashamed of it. Of course I'd rather be using my brain for something a little more challenging than organizing computer files, but alas, I'm tired of the sudoku and crossword puzzles. Let's face it, no one likes Mondays, especially me, so here are some of things I do like right now...

Mary Ruffles' photographs
Glass lamps that remind me of the ocean at night
Functional Art

Simple Dresses
What do you like right now?

I Would Like To...

Live here for a day! How amazing is that view? And the couch? To die for!Today is one busy day -- my calendar is packed with pencil from 9am-10pm.
Yikes!
I hope everyone else is having a more relaxing day!

{image via Shootfactory}

Alice in Wonderland

This London flat called "Madhatter" and clearly the description is correct: pops of color, crazy clutter, and just a little bit refined.
I love this space, and am intrigued by the concept of contrasting the white common spaces with black and red in the private spaces. Do you think it's too much or just right?

{Images via Shootfactory}