I just couldn’t resist using the word “groovy”. #totaldork

So I’m getting ready to start on a new space and it’s great having a friend who enlists my help! This time it’s a dining room and here is my blank canvas.

Okay it’s not exactly “blank” right now (quick iphone pic) it’s a catchall space, but wiggle your nose and make the furniture and chandelier disappear. Aha! See? Blank canvas!

The first step is going to be jazzing up the walls, and I decided on a classic tongue and groove or plank wall treatment. I’ve considered everything else, stencils, bold wallpaper, etc. but keeping coming back to a look that I know she’ll love for years to come. It’s the same friend who loves classic meets modern (remember this dresser?) and so that’s where we’re going with this. I’ll be installing it later this week – meanwhile here’s a peek at some of the looks I’m loving right now. 

Tall & White?  Ooh, gorgeousness – love how it makes a room feel taller ha! and adds fab texture to a plain wall. Very elegant and cottagey and my fave for this space right now.

Lauren Leonard Interiors

Albertsson Hanson Architecture

Lauren Leonard Interiors

 Mackle Construction

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I’ve been increasingly drawn to deep pinks and pale blush shades in recent months. I love a vivid raspberry paired with classic navy, so much so I use the combination in my home office. Equally as appealing to me are shades of blush and pale rose partnered with gold, the two together are a chic and sophisticated match made in heaven.

So I was delighted when contributing writer Courtney Lake decided to tackle the topic this month in his most recent article. Please welcome back Courtney and his reflections on this often ignored color that deserves a second look.

“There is something delicious and whimsical about the color of pink yet frequently the hue is aligned with Barbie’s Dream House or romantic sunsets. There is a dichotomy to this color that can’t be ignored – it is what I think represents the best of design duality. Pink certainly has the ability to skew towards juvenile delight but also to uptown sophistication. It’s because of this dueling personality that I find it to be one of the most interesting, under-utilized, and least appreciated colors in a designer’s arsenal.

Country Living

Elle Decor

Pink is technically a tint of red – a red base that is then augmented with white, which gives unbelievable control to a designer to create the perfect intensity of color. So when a client states that he or she doesn’t like pink, I always ask them to point out what their concept of "pink" on my color wheel and without fail it either veers towards Bubble Gum or Hot Pink – both of which lean toward a younger audience. 

It is only when I inform them that pink encompasses all the hues from pale pink to purple leaning magenta that they start to fully comprehend that pink can be a sense of depth, visual interest and calmness to a room that few colors can match. Keep in mind that pink plays well with other hues from blue to yellow to green, and gets along superbly with dramatic black.

Michael Wells Photography

 

Tobi Fairley

 

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A few years ago I toured some local model homes and spied a beautiful media cabinet in a townhome with inset grasscloth panels – yum!  Since then I’ve been a fan of pieces of furniture that incorporate fabric or organic texture into the design, be it linen or grasscloth or burlap, and even animal skin.

I’m inspired by anyone who can pull off a great DIY version too, check out this dresser covered in grasscloth and nailhead trim! Find the this detailed tutorial at Elsee blog – she transformed a simple Hemnes dresser into a chic changing table, wow!

I see a lot of high end furniture with fabric texture out in the marketplace and my mind is always clicking into the “bet you could DIY for less” mode. I absolutely love this Bretton Console from Jayson Home by at $950 it’s pricey. To create the look for less, combine this $69 Parsons console with burlap and upholstery tacks and you could end up with a fabulous knock off.

… or apply a similar (but more detailed) treatment to a $299 Birkeland dresser from IKEA to achieve the look of the $2,400 Magdalena dresser from Horchow. Patience required!

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Hey everyone, it’s the start of a new week! Let’s kick it off with a recent reader submission, an email from Kristin who posed a design dilemma many people (*ahem* ladies) face when decorating their living or family rooms, and today’s focus is on that piece that so many dudes love, the leather sofa or sectional. I received this recent email from Kristin:

“Hello! I have been following your blog for years and I share a lot of the same styles but have a dilemma. My husband and I have a decent size house but one living room with a leather furniture set. I love the airy and clean looks of your decorating style, but the leather furniture purchased by my husband is big, dark, and manly.  We don’t have many windows and the walls are a light beige (Latte by SW) and I decorate with a lot of whites, blacks and beiges but I just feel STUCK! Any suggestions for making the room feel more light and feminine?”

Hi Kristin! This is a common dilemma, since many people own leather sofas and sectionals, and pieces upholstered in a traditional dark hide can feel visually heavy in a space. But I think it’s less about making a room feel more feminine and more about creating a room that is balanced with clever layering and accessorizing since (done right) leather sofas can be both attractive and comfortable. Here are five ideas I came up with to decorate around leather sofas.

1.)  Lighten Up.  A traditional leather sofa is dark by nature so the easiest way to balance that out is to accent and/or surround it with plenty of light for desirable contrast. A paler hue on the walls, soft cream or white accent pillows, and/or a light or white coffee table will accomplish just that!

The Painted Hive

West Elm via Apartment Therapy

source unknown

SF Girl by Bay

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