Category: decorate

i really love the idea of a room that serves a few purposes – it’s just that much more that you can use the space you have.  you may have a small or large home, but i think you could swing this idea wherever you live.  here are a few clever ideas.

tucked in a pretty little armoire, you could hide this office just about anywhere.

{kids’ room/study}

wouldn’t it be great to go to bed surrounded by books?  like sleeping in the library!

{bedroom/library}

this is a custom made dining table whose top pops off to reveal a pool table.  what a great use of space.

{dining room/game room}

{bedroom/office}

{office/living room}

{office/guest room}

and my favorite of all dual purpose rooms:

{the dining room/library}

{yes, yes, and yes}

i’ve been a bit out of whack this week trying to get our house back together.  we had new flooring installed on our entire first floor last week, and nothing was in it’s place.  slowly, i’ve been getting us back to normal.  the last of the christmas decorations came down today, and while i’m sad to see the season end, i didn’t mind getting the decorations packed up.

you might have heard me mention before that i kind of have a thing with bookshelves.  i am constantly rearranging the ones in our den – did it again during nap time yesterday – which means i’m always on the lookout for good ideas.  i think the secret is books + objects + a little space.  unless you’re going for a library look (which is awesome, but not really what i was aiming for), it’s important to see a little ‘negative space’ to let your eyes rest.  i also like the idea of adding a little art on the front of the shelving to break up the horizontal lines.  i’m cooking up something for our own shelves, and if it turns out any good, i’ll be sharing it soon.  in the meantime, a few photos that have given me inspiration lately, all via my pinterest.

i’m pretty sure those bookends are just bricks sprayed gold.  a rustic little touch.

a sweet little cave for curling up with book.

holy awesome wall o’ books.

i hope that’s what our home is.  a dose of classic, a dose of vintage, a dose of quirky, and very lived-in.  i’m reading deborah needleman’s new book, and she writes about how a home should have personality and a sense of life, be appropriate for its inhabitants, and beautiful.  while, i haven’t read much yet, i love the sentiment, and it is beautifully illustrated.  she was the founding editor of domino, a brilliant shelter magazine that sadly folded a few years back – so sad i didn’t keep all those issues! – so i like to think that i’m just reading a continuation of good ol’ domino.

all her rooms have a sense of fun to them – whether that’s by color, pattern, or otherwise – but also a sense of practicality, like it works for the people who live there.

all images via pinterest.

if you’re short on storage in the bathroom, i love the idea of a bar tray like this.

what kid wouldn’t love these rooms!?!  love that there is a dose of sophistication as well as plenty of whimsy.

chevron floors!  fun element for a relaxed sun room.

the settee at the foot of this bed is amazing.  love those curves.

i think home should be a place where you can put your feet on the furniture…with your shoes off.  :)

we’ve been decorated for weeks around here.  while i like to fully appreciate turkey day, i hop on the christmas decorations the weekend after to kick off the christmas season.  here are a few snapshots from our house.

the short guy loves the lights, and he visits them every day.

we went pretty lightweight on the christmas tree this year.  we weren’t sure how interested beckett would be, and i’ve heard horror stories of kids pulling over trees (ahem, my brother), so we just threw on some lights, silver balls (non-breakable), and christmas cards as we’ve received them.  i love the way it looks and seeing our friends and family every time we look at the tree.

you might remember these candlesticks from our fall decorations.  well, turns out, ornaments are a perfect fit.

i adore an all-white kitchen.  they are bright, they feel big even if they’re small, and all it takes is a nice green plant to warm it up.  i am hoping for an all-white kitchen in our next house – an island, carrara marble countertops, open or glass-front shelving, subway tiles, wooden floor, and bright chrome finishes are all on my wish list.  here are a few favorites i’m tucking into my someday file, all via my pinterest.

i had lunch with some of my old work buddies in the river market yesterday.  it was great to catch up and get the the lowdown on what’s changed since i left  the workforce – hello jeans day every day!  we went to a great little place called cafe al dente at 4th and delaware (i would like to recommend the offside sandwich – yum!).  after lunch, there i found myself in the river market with about an hour before nap time, so the short guy and i walked across the street to peruse one of my favorite antique shops.  i’ve talked about it here.  i came across this old school drafting table, and stopped in my tracks.  i think it would make a really awesome kitchen island.  keep the body just the same for a little industrial vibe, and redo the top with a hunk of butcher block or marble.  it would take up all the floor space of our current kitchen, but if it’s still there in a decade when we move, i’m going back for it!  i’ll take that stool too!

it has only just begun to feel like fall around here (no complaints from me!), so it hadn’t occurred to me to really do any fall decorating yet.  but this week has been cooler and halloween is in 3 days, so i think it’s about time i join the party.   i picked up a dozen pint-sized pumpkins earlier in the week at faulkner’s pumpkin farm, and while i love a nice orange pumpkin, i wanted to dress them up a bit, so off i went to hobby lobby for some gold spray paint.  i sprayed the bottoms first, let them dry for about 15 minutes, then flipped them and did the tops.  i let them dry fully overnight on some parchment paper, and scattered them around the house the next day.  i love they way they look so much that i think i could get in some trouble with my can of gold spray paint.

{here’s our mantle.  i still feel it looks a little bare, but i haven’t come up with anything else to add yet.  if you’ve got an idea, send it my way.  i’m picturing brightly colored ornaments replacing those pumpkins for christmastime. }

{on the dining room table}

{and a few on the kitchen table in a fun little missoni bowl}

happy fall!

have you seen this new textile line from caitlin wilson?  yes please, i’ll take all of it.  these would be super-cute in a sophisticated kids room, on a few pillows in your den, or to recover your dining room chairs.

my idea is to give our headboard a face-lift with this one.  the floral would balance well with the more geometric patterns we have happening in there already.

i love me a good chevron, and in the perfect color of greige.

having a green moment with these next two.

 

 

all of her stuff is youthful, fresh, and interesting.  check it out.