Happy Thursday and welcome to the series Why This Works… where I show a designed space and talk about what I love! This living room is gorgeous and definitely has me thinking about beams! The homeowner decorated the house herself and more images of her amazing home can be seen here. We have two rooms in our home with ceilings just like this! The addition of dark beams is a perfect match for this type of space.

When architectural details are on the ceilings, it immediately draws your eye up, making the space appear larger. Ceilings with height are a great eye teaser, giving the illusion of more ground space. In our home, the two rooms with high ceilings are not very large, so the height really helps! Adding beams would enhance the look even more and allow extra depth and texture into the room. I love how this homeowner decided to keep the furnishings light, striking a nice balance between the dark beams and the light furniture. The beams and cabinets give a rustic, farmhouse quality to the room, making you feel relaxed and right at home. The slip covered sofas give a casual, practical feel, perfect for any family room space. I love the pairing of the drapery with bamboo shades, giving extra texture to the room. The task lighting and books makes you want to linger and relax for hours. Overall, this space works! Now off to show this photo to my husband- I think we have some beam installations in our future!  🙂

Happy Thursday and welcome to the series Why This Works… where I highlight a designed space and talk about what I love! This study has amazing moody walls and makes you want to linger and read/blog for hours! This space was designed by Jan Showers and (to me) is the epitome of what a library should look like.

Designed by Jan Showers

What I love most about this space is the dark wall color. It brings you in and invites you to stay a while. The color feels like a warm blanket, which is the perfect cozy touch for reading! I also pinned this image from pinterest because we will be going dramatically dark with our office walls soon and this was the perfect inspiration to take the plunge! I love that the designer also took the dark color to the windows, drapery and bookshelves. That gives the space a great continuity and allows your eye to rest. She also decided to go dark with the sofa and brought a rich, velvety brown to the room. This color blends well with the wall, making a smaller room appear larger. I think if there were too many color variations in this space, it would appear like a smaller room. I do like the subtle hints of lighter color and pattern in the armchairs and area rug. It helps to brighten up the space a bit, as does the beautiful windows! And I absolutely love the little touches of gold in the space. I love this trend in small doses, and the designer did a great job bringing this finish in with the coffee table, accessories and lamps. This study works for me!

Happy Thursday and welcome to the series Why This Works where I highlight a designed space and talk about what I love! This next office space is beautiful- I can see myself getting some serious work done there, while also some great blogging! It is the office space of designer Charlotte Moss, and I love everything about it!

What first brings me into this space is all of the amazing color… it awakens and inspires! I love the color blocking on the bookshelves, making it look like a chic rainbow of books. All of her design inspiration is carried onto the large, rustic work table, with stacks of books that are easily accessible. This is exactly how I like to work too- surrounded by inspiration with everything in reach! The flowers also make this space! The color is great and it draws your eye right in. The room might appear busy at first glance, but I think it is a very functional and practical design. The white bookshelves anchor the space, allowing for the rest of the color accessories to stand out and not compete with each other. The blue and white vases on top of the bookshelf works so well paired with the golden hue on the walls. It is very similar to our dining room colors, which is why I think I was drawn to the space so much! The natural fiber area rug is a nice neutral and works well paired with all of the color in the room. I have really been drawn to lantern style chandeliers lately, and this one is beautiful above the work area! The peek into the other room shows beautiful flowing drapery with a large print, giving a modern nod to a traditional print. The framed artwork to the left has simple black frames, giving another modern touch to a traditional space. The frames are simple and allow your eye to rest after all of the bold colors in the space. Overall, this space works and I could work here! If you would like to see more of Charlotte Moss’s work, go here.