Planning in Pattern: Tackling a Room Design

It takes me forever to plan a room design simply because I am drawn too many different colors and patterns, and can't ever decide which to settle with. When it comes to pattern picking, I compare it with dating and figuring out which person you are compatible with, and when it comes to wallpaper, its deciding to get serious with that pattern you love. I know, I take this overboard. This is why, there is still nothing but a rug in our living room. I have plans to change that asap, and will keep you posted;)

After playing around with these patterns by Wallpaper Update and narrowing down different style I am drawn too, I felt like I was staring at a paper evaluation of my personality! These can all be found in the contemporary section. 

You should give it a go. Take some time to figure out your favorite design patterns. It will really help give you a better perspective at what style you are drawn to, and what you might be able to commit to;) I tend to go neutral with pattern and more bold with solids so that I can switch them out as needed. Looking forward to living room updates with you as I go along!

Happy January weekend!

*This is a sponsored post that is 100% my own opinion.

Pattern Play: Monochromatic Mixing

Yellows: 1, 2, 3

Grey Blues: 1, 2, 3

Black and Whites: 1, 2, 3

As you can tell by my recent outfit posts, I love to mix patterns;) This carries over in the home as well. I am currently piecing together our living room and bedroom by mix matching monochromatic pattern pieces. I was excited to discover allmodern.com had pattern options galore in some of my favorite designers as well. We have a few Dwell Studio pieces to start with (ie: the striped throw and rug above), and I can't wait to complete the rooms. It takes patience...one piece at a time:) 

When it comes to your house, its all about making it feel like a home, right? As with fashion, style is objective these days. You can mix patterns in so many ways. I throw in some solid pieces here and there for balance but I am always drawn first to pattern and color.

What about you? What is your pattern play method?

P.S. The winner is announced for the Angel Wings Accessory Giveaway here!

*This is a sponsored post which is 100% my own opinion

Happy weekend + Links!

(Geronimo Studio via I Art U)

Anyone else want to live in this studio? Geronimo Balloon Company's amazing space shot by the talented Jennifer of I ART U.

It was an exciting week that completely flew by. Will share more details soon.

How was your week? Looking forward to catching up with some of your blogs!

Couldn't enter the weekend without sharing some fun links for you:

Jess LC has a new lookbook curated by bloggers you love!

Dying to try these stuffed caprese bites.

This brand wins in my book for successful package design.

A few favorite DIY's of the week: Painted leather keychains, outdoor candle stakes, and Hannah's version of the linen clutch.

Excited that Allegra re-opened her etsy shop!

Cupcake tops in your ice cream? Take me there.

Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend!

Take 3: A lofty corner, Mismatched Chairs, Stripes & Dots

 Room 1 | Room 2 | Room 3

I am hunting for chairs like to mismatch in our dining room. It might be a summer long project:)

Each of these rooms had a bold element that makes them stand apart from the average. 

Happy midweek to you~

Privet House for Target Collection

{ 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 }

I saw the first pieces in Lonny Mag and knew I must see the rest. The printed look, the modern and classic typeface, and the fresh and rustic textiles runs through each piece. I picked up a few of these for wedding gifts. View the full collection at Target. (Some pieces are online exclusives.)

Have any favorites?

Double Dose of Layout Faves: Lonny + Rue

______________________________

Oh just a few favorites spreads from a few favorite online magazines.

If you haven't had the chance to view, see the full issues:

Lonny's May Issue here.

Check out RUE May Issue here.

I am in the middle of designing some brand pieces for clients, so viewing these issues was such a nice break and inspiration uplift for my creative heart. Hope you enjoy!

P.S. Our lucky giveaway winners from the deloom.com shopping spree are #640 Annie and #1605 Stephanie Nelson! Thanks to all who entered!

Take 3: Sangria Dress, Drink, Decor

Take 3: Dress. Decor. Dine + Live Colorfully

1. Dress - Christian Siriano Spring 2012

2. Decor - Emily Henderson via You Are My Fave

3. Drink - September Wren

Kate Spade from Lacey on Vimeo.

Hope these brighten your day! :)

Take 3: Dress. Drink. Decor.

1. Trina Turk via Cupcakes for Breakfast.

2. With Style and Grace

3. Design*Sponge

Currently working on my little office space, and its looking similar to the room above:) Love to be surrounded by inspiration. If you try the drink, let me know how it is!

Happy Leap Day! Hope those who have birthdays today are celebrated 4x fold;)

*P.S. February was such a fast month! If you would like more information on March sponsor rates, email me!

Also, I drew a winner Monday night for the Shopkempt giveaway! #33 is the lucky winner! Congrats Renee!

Wreaths that make me swoon...

As I told you before, wreaths seem to make a home come to life. When I saw these ideas over at Style at Home I found myself lost in a winter wonderland daydream....breathtaking.

The blue spruce wreath on the white swing doors made my heart skip a beat. I know, who would think a wreath could do so? You should go ahead and check out the other amazing Holiday decor ideas over at Style at Home. 

You might be there a while just to warn you;)

P.S. Sorry for posting being sporadic timing this week! Still traveling and enjoying family, but I have some fun posts still coming up! Hope you all get a nice break this week to be with loved ones!

Shop Feature: Room Service

(all pieces via Room Service)

I was so happy to be introduced to Room Service. Eye candy for design lovers out there. Unique, original, bold, and eye catching. I just about fell over when I saw these regal and modern armchairs above. Would love to adorn my house with them because I am pretty sure they would be used quite often to read a good book or have a cup of joe. Wouldn't you say??

P.S. I am sharing my proudest parenting moment, guiltiest pleasure, and favorite moment of the day over on Henry happened today! Come say hi! (Her blog is amazing)

House to Home: Bookshelves

In our family room, we have  a built in wall unit filled with shelves and room for the tv. At first, I was overwhelmed by what to do with them, but it ended up being a great way to place many of our pictures, favorite books, and art. Here are just a few of them....

(A few of my favorite books on this shelf! Audrey Hepburn, A Severe Mercy, The Tipping Point, etc.)

If you look closely on the second bookshelf, you can see the picture of my best friend/sister Maria and I as little girls:) 

Gabe and I love finding old used books...especially classics like Robin Hood or Anderson's Fairy Tales. We also have a spiritual reading shelf, photo book shelf, and art and design shelf. It seems that when they are out if front of you, the chances of taking time to read them are increased;) 

What are your current favorite reads?

I'll be back tomorrow with an outfit post/apple orchard recap, and the winner of the Maple Boutique Giveaway (Last day to enter!)

DIY: Stenciled Floor + Stenciled Rug

Since we are renting our home, stenciling the floor is not an option:/ But I had to share this cool idea for any homeowners who are looking for way to spruce up a room!...especially if your hardwood floors are beat up!

(designvagabond on flickr via pinterest)

(Missmustardseed via pinterest)

I want to add a splash of yellow in Veronica's room so I also loved this idea of a stenciled jute rug! Jute rugs are more affordable so its a good alternative for tight budgets.

By the way, you know who is awesome with interior finds? Michelle. And I am lucky enough to meet up with her tonight. We are heading to the local Fashion Night Out:) Will share pics soon. I kind of wish they had a live Rachel Zoe Project show today. Would love to watch that craziness! ;)

One Room to Inspire: Bold and Curved Frames

It was instant love when I saw this on Sandy's blog. I can track where the original photo came from although its by Polka Dot Umbrella Photography.

So readers, I need your help.  Any ideas where I can get frames like these?!!  Dying to get a hold of some for Veronica's room! Thanks friends!

******

UPDATE: Thanks to some fabulous blog readers and twitter friends, I have found a few places to find these! THANK YOU! ...The Lollywood Shop (thanks Laura and Tracy), The Organic Bloom (thanks Megan), The Orange Blossom Shop (thanks Megan), A sticker version (thanks Vicki!), and a tutorial version (thanks Julie!)

I had a blast with my sister over the weekend. Will post a pic later!

Have a great start to your week!

House to Home Spread for Radiant Mag

(via Ikea, Crate and Barrel, Pappelina)

I finished designing the Fall Issue of RADIANT magazine, and really enjoyed doing this issue's House to Home spread. These are some fantastic items of color to add to a room without too big of a commitment:) And I kind of have home goods on the brain since I spent all day Saturday hunting down rugs, making curtains, and thrifting:)

Could you go for any of these items??

P.S. If you have been in need of a blog design re-do, come back tomorrow for an exciting giveaway!!

*CLOSED* DECORATE Blog Tour + GIVEAWAY!

"In Decorate, the world's top designers and leading décor experts – including Kelly Wearstler, Amy Butler, Jonathan Adler, and many others – come together to share over 1,000 professional tips, ideas, and solutions for every room and every budget..."

I am beyond thrilled to be a part of the DECORATE book tour. The well known and beloved blogger, Holly Becker of Decor8, released this beautiful work of genius this year through Chronicle books! Have you gotten your hands on a copy yet?! Well I was lucky enough to receive my copy before our road trip, and I spent HOURS pouring over these pages!! I wanted to take notes and copy paste many of the rooms into my home;) 

Tangible tips, gorgeous decor, photography brilliance, and uniquely styled rooms that you can bet you have never seen before!! Just a few reasons, I am head over heels for this book,and plan on referencing it quite frequently when I move into our new home in a few weeks! It had to be such an adventure composing this book, so I asked Holly the following question:


What was the best part of composing this book, & what do you hope readers will take from it?
Working with photographer Debi Treloar and design writer Joanna Copestick - it was lovely to work with such professional women with years of industry experience. Traveling with Debi was especially nice, she was so helpful and since I'd never styled for a book before, her warmth and friendliness really made me comfortable so I was able to do my job and feel completely confident. I wanted Decorate to be much like my blog, decor8, to include a community of people, which is why I interviewed nearly 100 people and quoted them throughout -- I wanted the book to feel a bit bloggy in that sense. Plus, I don't believe I am the ultimate voice when it comes to decorating, in fact I don't believe anyone is THE guru of design. Everyone has an opinion and a right to one because decorating is subjective and so I wanted to take the best advice out there from the design community and pull it all together so Decorate would contain a myriad of inspiring thoughts to motivate readers. With so many opinions in the book laying next to photographs, the reader is drawn in to actually reading the book and not just looking at the pretty pictures - the quick bites of text are fun to read -- plus the point becomes clear to the reader with the flip of each page that there is no ONE single way to decorate but that you should allow basic principles to guide your journey though most of decorating is truly from the heart - your heart.

Don't miss out on the rest of the book tour. Here's the remaining schedule!:

July 11 – Simply Grove   July 12 – Elements of Style July 13 – Apartment 34 July 14 – Mrs. Lilien  July 15 – Mint

 

Lastly, I cannot forget to mention that one of you lovely readers gets to win a copy of DECORATE courtesy of Holly Becker and Chronicle Books!!

ENTER TO WIN YOUR OWN COPY!! (Open to U.S. Only):

1. Leave a comment with why you would love to win this book!

Additional entries (Leave a separate comment for each):

2. Blog, Tweet, or Facebook about the giveaway!

example tweet: Just entered to win a copy of the new DECORATE book by Holly Becker of @decor8 over @inhonorofdesign! http://bit.ly/rh4d01

Please make sure your blogger profile or email address is readily accessible! Can't wait to pick a winner! 

You can also buy this very affordable gem over at Chronicle Books!

One Room to Inspire: Sumer Haven

via LonnyMag

The perfect summer getaway room!!

I'll be back tomorrow with a super cool giveaway from a certain popular blogger and her amazing new book:)

Stay tuned!

The Perfect Pair

(via citysage, Habitat via pinterest)

They belong together:)

I am behind on catching up with all of you, but promise to come visit soon!

<3

One room to inspire: Styled Studio

This is another favorite studio space I found via decor8 blog. Its similar style to my own office space (will be sharing mine soon!) I also found some fun office products I would have to throw in with it!...

(Clothespins, pencils, notebook)

How was your long weekend?! I have to catch up with many of you! 

So happy summer is just about here! Its going to be a good one! :)

One Room to Inspire: Lounging Work Space

(via Lavender and Lilies)

I have a folder in pinterest of dream rooms that inspire me. This is one of them. Such a fun space you could lounge, work, or play in. I would take this room in just about any color:)

 P.S. Lovely Diana of One Crafty Fox had me as a guest today in her Yummy Mommy feature. It is a fun post with fashion for less tips!

And for the winner of the Cameo Nouveau Giveaway.....  #55 Debby!!

Will be contacting you for information. Thank you for all who entered!

  Cameo Nouveau is still offering a discount with mailing list sign up AND free shipping in May!!