Inspired by Alice Lane

Every time I see an image of an interior designed by Alice Lane, I fall in love. Their style is exactly what I love...sophisticated palettes, interesting contemporary pieces, loads of texture, and just the right amount of modern patterns.

Recently on their blog, they posted pictures of the owner Jessica's home. It is absolutely stunning!! I am so into these smoky "mushroom-y" tones lately, and wish I could magically move every single piece into my home this very minute.

What do you think? Here are a few other inspiring images from their portfolio:

Do you have a favorite from the above? I'd love to hear what you think. Have a great week!


All images from Alice Lane Home Blog

From the Inspiration Folder

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a good Easter (those who celebrate!) Mine was great. It is always nice to have some time with family - there is nothing like it.

During my days off, I also tried to make progress on my little hallway makeover. I thought this would be a quick and easy project, but once I started to paint out all the trim, it became a much bigger task (our condo came with the trim painted in a bad off-white, and I've been slowly painting over with a brighter white.) The hallway has four doors, and once you paint one side of it, you have another, which leads into painting another room! I ended up running out of paint and oddly enough so did my local Lowes, so I have to wait another week before they restock semi-gloss paint! Hopefully I will be able to share with you all soon though - I really like how it is turning out.

Anyway, I wanted to start the week sharing a very inspirational space I just came across. it is the dining room of Erika Brechtel of Small Shop. When I came across her blog, I became an instant follower. This room is one reason why:

Her dining room is so glam! I love the wall color, all of the gold accents, and the La Fiorentina pillows! Erika did such a great job styling it. You can see more of her home on her blog, here.

Have a great week!

Purple & Gray Condo

While we are on the subject of style evolution, I happened to come across images of a condo that perfectly illustrates how my own style has changed over the years. I just picked up the House & Home Condos Lofts & Apartments special edition, and opened the pages to a beautiful gray and purple condo that would have been 100 percent my taste had this been 2 or 3 years ago.

While I still love it, I know I would have gone crazy back then for the home's clean lines, neutral palette with hits of geometric patterns, and its overall modern aesthetic. 

 
In my last home, all I owned had sleek, straight lines. No curves or ornate designs in sight, much like this condo.

 (I'd still flip for that cozy dining nook any day though!)

For years, purple was my ultimate favorite color. It seemed like everything I owned was purple, and my decor was no exception. Seeing the bedroom below would have made me want to paint my own purple accent wall.

However, these days, I'm suddenly more drawn towards transitional style,  and find myself replacing some of those clean-lined furniture for softer, curvier pieces. I believe my designs will always have a modern influence, but now they may be infused with more classic - and dare I say it - ornate pieces!

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.

My Wish List ~ Accessories!

Happy Friday! I am wrapping up my dream wish list with my favorite accessories for the home. This list was a little tougher to put together as there is so much great design to love out there, but here goes:

1. Capiz Shell Chandeliers:

Viva Terra

West Elm

I so love these lamps! There are several variations, including this this lotus chandelier from Viva Terra or one from West Elm, but they all give such a beautiful sparkle to a room. I am hoping to eventually replace my dining room lighting with one of these. Or at the very least get a table or floor lamp version.

2. Oly Meri Drum Chandelier:

Unknown - had this image for ages!

This one is similar to the capiz shell ones, but I love it so much that it goes into a category all its own. I mean, just look at the shadows it creates! Just gorgeous.

3. Jonathan Adler lamps:

Style at Home

Jonathan Adler

There are a few similar shapes in his collection, but I love them all. They add such an interesting shape to a room.

4. White pierced urns/lanterns:

Burke Decor

I love these little guys. They have become easier and easier to find these days, so thankfully this is one item in my wish list that is not out of reach!

5. Anything Greek Key

Decorpad

Nate Berkus for HSN

Southern Living

This is such a great motif that works not only in fabrics, pillows and rugs, but also as details on furniture and accessories. I love the look of adding greek-key trim to curtains, as seen above. It is so easy to incorporate this motif and instantly makes the space look more chic! 

6. Chevron!

domino via Fric and Frac Blog

All Modern

Another fun motif! I've been seriously crushing on these pillows from Twinkle Living for quite a while. I think I am going to finally pick one up for my living room soon!

That concludes my dream wish list. It was so much fun to put together! I feel like it helped me to hone in a little bit more on my design style. I realized I like a lot of white, whether in furniture or accessories! This exercise also got my head spinning trying to think of ways that I can incorporate some of my favorites into my home without their price tags.

I highly recommend doing a list of your own! If you do, please share it in the comments!

Have a great weekend! I will be celebrating my 30th birthday at a winery, so that should be a lot of fun!

My Wish List - Tables!

Continuing with my dream wish list, I am going to showcase all of my favorite tables!

1. First up is the Saarinen Table:

Decorpad

domino

Whether as a dining table or side table, this table is so wonderful. I currently have the cheapie Ikea version, but I hope to one day upgrade to the real thing.

2. Clear coffee tables

 Decorpad

 Kishani Perera

Made with either glass or lucite, either way I love these tables. I am contemplating one for my living room, as it is such a great item for a small space. It has minimal visual weight, helping the space feel more open.

3. Oly Studio Pipa Coffee Table

 Apartment Therapy

6th Street Design School

Oh how I love this table! I can't quite explain why, but I always love spaces that use this table, whether the coffee or side table version. I like the texture it brings to a room.

4. West Elm Parsons Desk:

  

 Ron Marvin

 Apartment Therapy

I mean, who doesn't love this perfect desk? I think it works as well as a desk as it does a console table. I so wish I had gotten one of these instead of the desk I got. Oh well, eventually!

5. Bungalow 5 Nightstand:

 

Kimberly Ayres

Bungalow 5 via Eboniste

This is such a cute side table. I love the detail on the legs as well as the ring pulls. I think it looks great next to so many different styles of bed.

I'll be back tomorrow with the color series, then more of my dream items for the remainder of the week!

My Wish List - Chairs!

Hello everyone, hope you had a good weekend. Mine was good, but they are never long enough, are they?

My 30th birthday is right around the corner (on Sunday!) so I thought it would be fun to post my all-time favorite furniture and accessories this week, my dream wish list if you will. Up first are chairs!

While a perfect room formula to me is a mix of furniture styles and eras, it seems that nearly all of my favorite chairs are mid-century modern. Simply having one of these in a room makes such a statement.

1. The Barcelona chair by Mies van der Rohe:

M.A. Belle

I swear I will own a white one of these one day! My office has two black ones right by the entrance, so I look at them everyday yet my love for them does not end. I can't get enough of the tufting and the "X" legs.

2. Bertoia side chairs by Harry Bertoia:

domino

I adore these chairs. It's too bad my husband hates them and thinks they look like "picnic" chairs (in his words). Still, maybe we can compromise and put them in a covered patio or sunroom one day!

3. The Arne Jacobsen Egg Chair:

la dolce vita

plush palate

I'll admit these chairs were not love at first sight for me, but lately I've been seeing them in such fun colors and fabrics that now I want one! They make such a statement.

4. Faux Bamboo Chippendale Chairs

Whatsupwhimsy

These chairs are great not only for their looks but also for their versatility. They would work as dining chairs, a desk chair, in an entryway, or next to a sofa or bed. They come in so many colors, and you can also have fun uphostering the cushion in so many different fabrics!

5. Philippe Starck's Louis Ghost chair:

decorpad

You just can't go wrong with a chair that visually dissapears anywhere you put it! It literally goes with everything and makes the space instantly more chic!

6. The Eames Rocker, by Charles & Ray Eames:

Telegraph UK

I am so excited because I actually am getting one of these! I got a super discount through work, so in a few short weeks I will have my very own rocker! It will probably go in my living room for now, but one day I see it looking really cute in a nursery...

I'll be back tomorrow with my favorite tables!

Love Angie Hranowksy

I keep noticing that I've been saving lots of pictures from the same designer - Angie Hranowsky. So I decided to check out her website, and sure enough, I saw tons of beautiful interiors I was familiar with, plus many more. Formally trained as a Graphic Designer, Angie jumped into desiging interiors, describing her style as a "refined mix of vintage and new, bold color and clean lines." I love that she is not afraid of color and mixing patterns. Check it out:

Loving the hits of purple and the David Hicks print on the chair.

I've had this picture saved in my inspiration file for a while, but did not realize it was hers!

You may recognize this from Coastal Living. I'm in love with this room.

Talk about a dining nook!

Another picture I'd saved forever ago. I want those chairs!

There is a lot more to see over at her website. What do you think of her work?