Congratulations to the following winners:

In the Pine Cone Hill Giveaway, #327: Jessica B. who wrote:

“Lenox, Links, Scramble…oh my, they are all lovely. Thanks !”

The winner of the Wine Country Pantry Giveaway is #79: Rachel F. 

In addition to winning all the goodies, Rachel also posed this question with her entry:  

“As we continue through grad school we are still renting housing and it is becoming a bore, and quite frankly getting me down on my decorating abilities.  White stark walls, cement walls, old dingy cabinets, etc.   What in the world can I do to make this temporary home my own ?”

Great question Rachel!  You have the same dilemma many renters face:  turning white walls into a stylish and comfortable home that you want to return to at day’s end.   There’s not much you can do to dingy cabinets in a rental without permission to paint, beyond giving them a good scrub.  As for white walls ?  There’s a lot that can be done to bring warmth, color, pattern, and style to your abode. 

My Best Tips for Decorating with White Walls: 

Splurge on a Colorful Patterned Rug.   Pick a bold color or interesting design you love, then go for it !  These two examples by Pottery Barn and West Elm are staged on wood floors, but you’ll have a harder time noticing your less than desirable rental flooring with area rugs like these.   Plus, you’ll anchor your seating area and brighten your space.

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Most catalogs pile up around my house, and quickly make their way to the recycling bin, but I was glancing at the latest Wisteria catalog over the weekend, and was completely inspired by several of their pieces.  What I love about the style on the pages of Wisteria is the mix of old and new, whimsy with tradition, and rustic with modern chic. 

This reproduction trumeau was the first to catch my eye.   

I spied several expensive reproduction trumeaus on our recent trip to Jan de Luz in Carmel, and am determined someday to have a reasonably priced one in our foyer.  I’m so crazy about trumeaus, I may follow Susie’s brilliant DIY tutorial to reproduce one of my own. 

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Recently, I’ve stumbled across two sites that I love.  The first is NonPareil Magazine which features beautiful food and table styling, plus inspiration for brides, including DIY wedding projects and downloadable templates. 

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I’ll be the first to stand up and plead guilty to a love of decorating with white. 

I’ll spray paint just about anything white that’s standing still.  

I’ve noticed that for the last several years, all white rooms are popping up more and more in design.      

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I’m have a love of objects that project glamour, and lately white lacquer is on my mind.  There’s something about the glossy smooth surface and clean lines that had me wanting to incorporate this very modern look in our bedroom.   

For example, this white Parsons desk had me thinking it was the perfect bedside table.

 House Beautiful

so did this white console table. 

 via Elements of Style

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It’s the beginning of summer, and I feel the need to make everything around me light and bright, but I’m finding myself increasingly drawn to the drama of dark painted walls.  When it comes to painting a room an intensely dark color like chocolate or charcoal, I confess I haven’t taken the plunge because I fear the dreaded cave effect that may occur.  Oh, I’ve tried samples on the wall, but in the end I opt for the lighter hue. 

I especially love high contrast in design, juxtaposing the crisp white against the dramatic dark.  An intensely deep hue, balanced with plenty of light, conveys sophistication and elegance – two feelings I absolutely adore in a space.   Here are some intense walls that I’m drawn to these days.  Fancy that, in the middle of June. 

  Burnham Design

 Lonny Magazine

     House Beautiful

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Lately, I’ve been crushing on the colors in seaglass – those watery, ethereal blues and greens that bring to mind the colors of the many oceans, and the relaxation that seems to accompany spaces decorated in these shades.   

I love to collect seaglass, and these days I find myself drawn to all sorts of decorative glass objects in these vivid greens and blues – they just mix so beautifully together and always look fresh. 

Here’s a few of my favorite designer spaces combining all the beautiful colors found in seaglass . . .     

 Traditional Home

Manny Rodriguez Photography

via House of Turquoise

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Confession time, I’ve been sprucing up my laundry room this past week.  It struck me on Monday afternoon that I’d been avoiding that space for a good reason – it was outdated and not functioning as well as it could.  Plus I dread laundry. 

So I had a compulsive moment and started painting the cabinets which led to installing shelves which led to making window treatments.  I’ve convinced myself a spruced up washroom will fundamentally alter my aversion to laundry, and reverse my embarrassing habit of letting the clean piles of clothing get so high my children disappear under them.  

It’s almost done, but while I finish it off, how about a few gorgeous washrooms to inspire? 

What’s not to love about this beauty ?  I love the wainscoting and the picture frames on the white cabinetry, plus the oh so functional drying rack for delicates.  How soothing is this color on the walls ? I think I might like doing laundry in here.  But I think the floor needs a soft and playful patterned rug. 

 Rabaut Design via House of Turquoise

Oh, don’t you love that pop of apple green on the middle upper cabinet ?  I adore the blues and greens with crisp white cabinetry, and the contrast with the rustic wood folding table.  How incredible that shell fixture ?

 My Home Ideas

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Have you ever felt the frustration of a blank wall staring at you and you’re at a loss how to decorate it ?  Me to!  Where oh where do you begin?   I’m staring at the blank wall in our living room with the same dilemma. 

I’ve shopped my house and pulled all sorts of different artwork, frames, and artifacts together.   Now, I am in the process of displaying it all in a cohesive way.  I’ve been gathering inspiration and carefully observing different styles.  Meanwhile, I thought I’d pose these questions to all of you: 

1)  Do you prefer a wall display that is balanced

through symmetry and/or repetition ?

Style Court

  Apartment Therapy

 Kishani Perera

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What a whirlwind weekend friends, whew !  I made some serious progress on my boy’s bedroom – the walls and closet doors are finally all painted, now I just need to add some accessories and hopefully pull it all together soon ! 

Meanwhile, I was thinking about ways to decorate your home in a cost conscious way, and one of the ways to create big impact with little cost is to unite art on the wall with frames all painted the same color. 

Here are some of my favorite examples:

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