Inspired by Emily Henderson

Hello! I am back from New York and had a blast! I really wish I could share with you all about the show as I had planned to do, but unfortunately I cannot tell you more about it just yet. But I had such an incredible time and cannot wait till the show airs. If you ever have the opportunity to go up to NY, I highly encourage getting tickets!

Did you watch Secrets from a Stylist on HGTV last night? I thought it was great! I really like her style and love that she went into detail explaining why she made certain design choices and even showed us several different ways to style one room. I felt like I could actually learn from her. I have only felt this way about Sarah Richardson (especially her first show, Room Service, where she would take us step-by-step into her design process.)

Here are a couple of shots from last night's show. You can find more on her blog post here. 

Above three photos, source

Here are a few more images from her beautiful portfolio:

Last four images, source

What did you think of her show? What is your favorite design show right now?

Off to Nate Berkus Show!

I'm so excited, because later today I am headed to NYC...I got tickets to tomorrow's taping of the new Nate Berkus show!! The show is set to air starting September 13, so I am curious to see what it is going to be like. While I won't be allowed to take any photos, I will be sure to let you know how it went.

Below are a couple of pictures of one of my favorite rooms by him. The project was his own sister's studio, and I just love the colors he used and the layout, which makes such great use of the small space. You can see more photos of her place here.

I'll meet you back here next week. Have a good one!

Images, Glamour.com

Living Room Transformation Begins!

This weekend was an eventful one for me. Apart from attending one of my best friend's wedding, on the decorating front I had not one, but two pieces arrive on Friday.

First, my new sofa was delivered! I must admit when it got inside the house, it was not love at first sight. In fact, I almost had a meltdown because the sofa seemed enormous and took over the entire living room (despite having measured it.) Thankfully I finally got used to it (and it helps that it is incredibly comfortable, which was the main goal in the first place). Wanna see it?

The photos are not exactly styled, and the lighting is making the color look funky, but you get the idea. I am of course planning on changing out (or covering) the pillows, and still need to find the right paint color for the walls. I am also now on the hunt for a new round coffee table. It's a bit hard to tell the shape of the couch from the photos, but the couch is basically a small sectional with a curved shape.

I am just glad that the old couch is gone. I never showed you pictures of it before because it was a horrible hand-me-down that had seen better days. The pillows had to be fluffed about 500 times per day, plus the couch was far too small for us. The only thing I miss is the symmetry I had with the two side table and lamps:

I can't believe I am even showing you this picture! Though actually in the picture it is not looking as bad as it really was...

The couch is now history! We took it apart and into the trash!

Anyway, the most exciting part of my day is that my new Eames Rocker chair actually came as well! Now this one really was love at first sight!

It is so cute. It's funny because it is so petite compared to the couch. I'm not sure if I will be keeping it in the living room or not, but for now it's there so I can keep admiring it. The best part? It is an authentic Herman Miller reproduction and only cost me $180 due to a 70% discount through work. I still can't believe it!! 

Let the living room decoration officially begin! I am still a bit stuck on the paint color, but am hard at work to find new pillows, tables and decoration for above the sofa. I had been waiting so long for this!

A Colorful 700-foot Apartment

The color series is going to take a mini break over the next couple of weeks. But, they will be back soon in a slightly different format. Instead, this week I wanted to share one of my all-time favorite small rooms.

Canadian House & Home's small spaces issues are always my favorite. Inspired by this month's wonderful issue, I went back through my magazine archives and fell in love all over again with a very happy, colorful space that was featured back in their August '08 issue. Check it out:

Such a bright, cheerful space! I love that this look is so easily attainable, too. The console and the ottoman are from Ikea, and you could easily find similar lamps at your local Home Goods or TJ Maxx. The renter of this apartment actually hides all of her 'ugly' electronic components in the ottoman, which I think is so clever!

Loving the bold, blue walls!

I adore the bookshelf in her bathroom. Even in such a small space she was able to fit a piece of furniture, giving her much-needed storage. Plus the styling looks great!

This image has made its rounds through design blogs, but you gotta love the screen headboard idea. Plus that Moroccan pattern on the comforter is still one of my favorites.

What is your favorite feature in this apartment?


All images from Canadian House & Home, scanned by me.

Shopping for Fabrics at Tonic Living

I just came across a great online shop for fabrics, and thought I'd share! Tonic Living is a fun fabric shop out of Canada, but they do ship to the U.S. as well. Take a look at some of my favorites from their vast collection:

Delilah Quarts and Quatrefoils Pewter

Best Friend Gray and Cufflink Yellow

Quatrefoils Cream and Sweet William Sand

Cotton Oatmeal, Flatiron Black and Gladstone Black & White

Bloom Gray and Edenamber

Woodcut Garden Pink and Night & Day Sparkle

There is lots more to see on their website. What do you think? Who is your go-to source for fabrics?

From the Inspiration Folder

It's finally the weekend! I am glad to have the next couple of days to relax and get a few things done around the house. In particular, I hope to test some more paint samples in my living room. I think the cream paint is going to work pretty well, but fingers crossed!

Canadian House & Home

I recently saved this image into my inspiration folder. I love that it has such a mix of furniture styles that manage to work so well together. The classic, glamorous couch against the clean-lined side table and the rustic coffee table creates such a beautiful but unexpected combination. I especially love the lightly-tinted lavender wall. It looks surprisingly sophisticated and not too sweet.

What do you think of this room? Have a great weekend!

Color Series ~ Charcoal & Purple

The color series is back this week, and today I am mixing charcoal with a deep, moody purple. When the right hue is used (such as a dark eggplant,) purple can look so sophisticated. It has long been one of my favorite colors. 

This combination creates a dark, sort of sultry atmosphere, making it a great color scheme for a bedroom. Here is a beautiful example of this:

I decided to do a bedroom as well for this week's mood board:

What do you think of this color combination? Would you ever decorate a room with it?

Moodboard sources:
Wallpaper - Jonathan Adler
Bed - Crate and Barrel
Curtain - JCPenney
Side Table - Home Decorators
Lamp - Decor-Home
Dresser/nightstand - Bungalow 5
Jewelry Box - Target

Sheet Set - John Robshaw
Fabrics - Fabric.com, Duralee

Slight Change of Plans

Ok, I lied. The paint I had praised last week, thinking it was the perfect color for my living room, won't work after all :(  I am amazed at the difference it made between painting on a piece of bristol paper versus painting the actual wall.

On the paper, the color came out a beautiful taupe, whereas on the wall it ended up looking kind of "muddy." Part of the problem is the space I have to paint is fairly large, with inconsistent lighting throughout, which means the color looks different everywhere I look. I had moved my painted paper throughout the room, but it just didn't have the same effect.

Plan B was to try Benjamin Moore's Edgecomb Gray, which I thought would be a bit gray-er version of the original Behr Parisian Taupe. Wrong. It looked absolutely nothing like the picture below, and was just bad.

Canadian House & Home

SO! We realized taupe is just going to look a bit dark and not quite right for our already dark space. Instead, I am changing directions completely with a a very neutral color that has been on the back of my mind all along - cream! Take a look at some inspirational images:

Source Unknown

Nuevo Estilo

Apartment Therapy

Micasa Revista

I think the lighter color just may do the trick, but I hope I don't have to buy too many more samples before I nail this one! Picking a paint color is just not as fun as it looks, is it? If you have any good cream paint recommendations, I would love to hear it!

Unfortunately this is making me reconsider my entire color scheme (seen here), so now my head is just spinning with ideas...

Inspired by Kenan Interiors

During one of my random Google searches, I came across the work of Palm Beach, Fla.-based Kenan Interiors. I'm so glad I did!

Sterling Kenan grew up in North Carolina and developed her interest in design after working for her mother's home furnishings boutique. After attending the University of North Carolina, she went on to study Interior Design at Parsons - the New School for Design. She developed her modern aesthetic after working at none other than Kemble Interiors, where she gained experience in not only residential design, but hospitality and commercial design as well. She opened her own firm in 2009, and will soon launch a line of sustainable textiles.

Take a look at some of her projects:

 A gorgeous, colorful living room!

 Such a soothing palette.

A beautiful boutique!

What do you think?

All images from www.KenanInteriors.com

From the Inspiration Folder

Hey guys, it's been a busy week for me, so I was not able to put together this week's Color Series post. Instead, I will leave you with one of my all-time favorite interior images, featuring the color that will be part of next week's series:

Sara Story

How incredible is that purple ceiling? I might have to find a room to do that with! I'm thinking it could be really cool in an office...

A Very Productive Weekend

Hello, hope you had a wonderful weekend! Mine was the perfect mix of relaxing and productive. It had been so long since I had a weekend like this, so it felt great.

On Saturday, I went to a few consignment and design stores with a friend. On the way there, I came across an interior design studio I didn't know was there. Of course, my curiosity peaked and I decided to come inside and talk to the owner. Turns out, the studio is called Sanctuary on Church, and they sell some beautiful accessories as well as offer design services.

Source

I spoke to one of the owners for a bit and told her I am starting to get into the field. She had some wonderful advice for me. She was so friendly and welcoming, that I decided to ask whether she would let me shadow her in one of her jobs - and she agreed! So hopefully I will be doing that soon. I am excited to learn more of the ins and outs of the job that you don't learn in school.

I didn't buy much at the consignment, but I did walk out with this crystal decanter:

I'm slowly building up a nice bar:

Then on Sunday, after a little trip to Home Depot, I walked out with a sample for a kitchen backsplash, and it's going to work out great! I've been wanting to do this for so long.

I also finally picked up a sample pot of what will probably be our new living room wall color. After looking through billions of colors, I kept coming back to Behr Parisian Taupe. I was surprised to actually feel like I nailed it with the first sample pot!

The picture is not very accurate, it's more taupe-y and looks a bit grayish at times - exactly what I was looking for.  I only sampled it on a piece of bristol paper, but next I am going to paint it on part of the wall, and hopefully it will work just as well.

Oh, and we also managed to paint our kitchen earlier today, from a boring off-white to... a boring off-white. Yeah, not at all exciting, so I didn't bother to take pictures. Our adorable dog Mac has managed to ruin our kitchen walls, so we just needed to freshen them up. One day when he's older I'll paint it a nicer shade.

Anyway, I feel like I rambled on this post, but I just feels so good finally making progress with projects around the home and taking a small step towards my career! Tell me, what did you do this weekend?