Interior Design & Decoration for the South Florida region
I am looking forward to a nice, long weekend ahead! I thought this dining room image was cheerful and reminded me of spring! Although I wouldn’t take the literal interpretation of this room for my own home, it’s a happy space for this Easter weekend!
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! 🙂
I have had my eye on a certain fabric lately, that has to find its way into my home! The flame stitch print is nothing new, but I love that it looks like a new take on the chevron print.
I am on the hunt for pillows in this amazing print! My ideal color combination would be brown, gold and cream.
A little while back, I tried a DIY experiment on my walls. I loved the idea, but didn’t quite love the result. So… I had to try it again! If at first you don’t succeed, try try again, right?? I had written here about a couple blog posts that had me inspired to write on my wall! When I tried it the first time, I didn’t take my time and measure, ensuring it would be straight. So of course, it was a little crooked and cramped. (Sometimes taking the short cut doesn’t make the project finish any faster!) But this time, I measured the wall and made little 5 inch pencil marks where I wanted each line to start. I think the finished product this time around is easier to read, clearer and much straighter!
Luckily, I had some extra paint leftover. I quickly added a couple coats to cover the words, then gave the paint about a week to cure. The next week, I was back at it again- this time carefully making sure I had each line straight. I would step back after every few words and check my work. The first time, this quote fit three entire times. This time, it barely fit once! Since I recently repainted the wall, I will wait about a week to erase the pencil marks, making sure the paint has enough time to settle. This time, I think it’s much easier to read and doesn’t feel so cramped. Here is a photo of the first time around:
Before:
And here it is now (one more time):
After:
Much better, I think! To see the quote in its entirety and read about the first wall writing experiment, go here!
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 Wednesday and welcome to the series If My Blog Was A Room… where I pose the challenge to think of your blog as an actual space. What would that space look like? I am excited to have Nikki here, from her decor blog Nikki’s Nacs. Nikki has great style and shows creative DIY projects on her blog. I also had fun participating in her series 2 Bills 2 Blow, where I had the challenge to come up with decor ideas for my home after stumbling upon an extra $200! It was a very fun problem to think about! Without further adieu, here is what Nikki came up with for her blog room:
Thank you Amber, for including me in this fun series, and hello to all of you. I am Nikki from the blog nikki’s nacs.
I blog about life as wife and mommy, decorating, cooking, cleaning, crafting and organizing. That’s a lot of stuff. I knew that my blog would best be represented by a kitchen, the heart of our home.
If my blog were a room it would have to be this kitchen and dining room from Southern Living . The colors are just right , and it’s simple but still full of detail. I think I notice something new every time I look at this kitchen.
Thanks so much, Nikki! I absolutely love this space! It is bright, cheerful, and who doesn’t love white kitchen cabinets?!? I could linger here for hours with a nice cup of coffee. And this soft green gets me very excited for spring! To check out Nikki’s blog and say hello, visit here!
I have been thinking about this lately and was curious on your thoughts… have you ever tried/thought about using e-design? I started my own e-design business last year and have loved it so far! Every design and room is a unique challenge- like solving a puzzle. It consumes me (in a good way) until the project is complete. For me, there’s nothing like it!
Designed by Jennifer Dyer
Designed by Emily A. Clark
No matter what your design background is, I think it’s always useful to have outside opinions on your own space. It’s that second set of eyes that can tell you what you didn’t think about! Some may say that a negative to e-design is that the decorator is not able to see the space in person. I understand that criticism. On the other hand, it’s an extremely affordable way to work with an interior decorator and get their view/outlook of your space. With the amazing internet, seeing multiple photos of the space, constant dialouge between client/decorator- you truly feel as if you are there in the space. I also love seeing the client take the design and run with it! They tweak it a bit and put their own spin on the decorator’s ideas. It’s a great partnership.
Happy weekend and welcome to the series Fashion Friday… where I discuss my other design love! Yesterday’s office space was beautiful, comfortable and practical. So, this outfit was easy for me to put together, because I always dress for practicality and comfort! I could look at gorgeous heels and chic dresses all day long, but the fact is that I love to be comfortable! 🙂 So here’s my fashion interpretation of yesterday’s room!
But who says comfortable can’t also be stylish? Starting this outfit off with a pair of fun flats works for me (and my feet!) I love the look of skinny jeans with a long cardigan, to help with balance. The pop of green with the top is fun and feels like spring to me! The jewelry is eclectic, mixing different stlyes, just like yesterday’s room. And the clutch was unique with its wood veneer… very reminiscent of the gorgeous farm table in the office space.
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.
Little changes in home decor tend to yield the biggest results. Just a change of paint color can dramatically transform a room from ok to wow. That always makes me feel happy, because dramatic changes can also be easy on the wallet! Recently, I have began to love the look of black trim on the windows. I think it adds a bit of glam to the space. It really makes you take notice! Lately, I have even started looking at beautiful rooms and thinking, this space would be perfect with black trim on the windows. Here are some gorgeous images of rooms that have taken the plunge with black trim:
I love all of the different examples of how black trim can be used. And what I love best, is that it can work with a super traditional space or ultra modern! This spring, I will definitely be adding some black paint to some of our interior doors and trim!