I knew Marcy wanted to keep the same design aesthetic here, as in the rest of the house. I tried to do that by bringing in natural elements, pairing wood pieces with neutral fabrics and keeping the overall design modern and rustic. Starting with the bottom left and working clockwise, here is a break down of the ideas behind the choices and shopping sources:
1. The dark gray color on the bottom left is Marci’s room color now. It is Willow by Benjamin Moore. I love this color- it was a great jumping off point!
2. The gray/white stripe pillow and yellow ikat pillow are both from this etsy source here.
3. The next two pillows are from a source Marci loves and can be found here. She also plans to incorporate their bedding, when it becomes available.
4. The chosen drapery panels are from Pottery Barn. Marci has 9ft. ceilings in this space, and I would purchase these drapes in 108in. and hang the drapery rods up to the ceiling. That helps draw your eye up and takes advantage of the height in the room.
5. Since we’re on the topic of window treatments, I also chose the woven shades for a layering effect to add depth and texture. These are blackout lined, for mornings when you want to sleep in and can be found here.
6. The starburst mirror will hang above the bed and is from Wisteria.
7. The upholstered headboard adds a soft element and is from Pottery Barn.
8. The table lamps can be placed on end tables next to the bed. Marci can either choose one design, or use one of each. They are both from West Elm. She already has end tables and an armoire that she plans to stain a gray color, which will work great in the space!
9. The leather cube ottoman from Ballard Designs can sit at the foot of the bed and Marci can use two to give the effect of a bench. It will help to visually add more depth to the headboard. The woven basket is from West Elm and will be great for blanket throws and books.
10. The bedding is from Dwell Studio and adds a sense of whimsical nature to the space. Marci has a bird statue on her dining table, so I thought this tied the two spaces together.
11. The armchair and side table are both from West Elm. I would add two of these armchairs to the space and place the side table in between. I chose the headboard and armchairs in a light fabric, to help balance the darker colors in the space. 
12. The wood accessory is also from West Elm and adds a rustic touch to the space.
13. The gallery wall is from Pottery Barn and gives Marci a place to add family photos or this Love art piece from this etsy source here.
14. Last but not least, is an idea I have for the main wall where the bed will go- this is actually a stencil Marci can apply to the one wall behind the bed. It will act as the focal wall and mimic the look of expensive wallpaper. (Marci’s beautiful craft closet is proof that she can stencil!) This stencil art can be found at this amazing etsy shop here. At first, I was going to suggest grass cloth for this wall, but when I found this, I thought it would be great! Marci can apply the stencil to her existing wall color and get a designer look without the expensive price tag! She can use a lighter shade of the wall color for a subtle touch, or a creamy white (like in the above design) for a more dramatic effect.  

Now that we’ve discussed the design in more detail, I can also show you my inspiration for this space, as well as Marci’s! After she described her style and what she wanted to achieve for this room, I found inspiration in this design:

This room has a lot of natural elements, and I instantly loved the bedding! Designed by Linda Woodrum for the HGTV Green Home 2011.

Marci already has an armoire and side tables that she plans to refinish in this gray stain color:

This was an inspiration photo Marci sent, and I love the stain color from this piece!

Here is a wonderful inspiration pic from Marci that shows her modern rustic style. http://www.archinspire.com/

There you have it- the story behind this design! I truly enjoy interior design and thanks so much to Marci for this opportunity! And she loved the design- yeah!!

If you would like some design ideas for a room in your home, please e-mail me at [email protected]. I would love to work with you!

Today, I’m doing a guest post over at Marci’s blog, Timber and Lace. Her blog has amazing DIY projects and beautiful design ideas. Marci has given me an exciting challenge- to create a master bedroom design! I’m honored and thrilled to be asked! Stop on over here and check it out.

I will be sharing some of the design details on my blog tomorrow, including Marci’s inspiration pictures and my own! Thanks again for the opportunity, Marci!

It’s Wednesday and time for the series… If My Blog Was A Room… where I pose the challenge to think of your blog as an actual space. What would it look like? Today, I am excited to have the wonderful blogger from JandJ Home. She has a great design blog, filled with inspiring ideas and creative DIY projects. Here is her beautiful blog header:

I love the colors from her blog! Here is what she came up with:

I’m here visiting from JandJHome and I’m so excited to be here on Simple Dwellings. When thinking about this idea of “If my blog was a room”, I couldn’t help but think of what I want my blog to feel like. I think it’s important for a room to ‘feel’.  These images describe that so perfectly.  First of all, this bed is gorgeous. I love how simple the room feels, yet the bed is so striking.  I’m also a huge lover of yellow, so that in itself is the best part of it.

Via Design Manifest

This next space feels so fresh and peaceful. I love white.  This rug just makes me want to walk barefoot.

Via Designers Call

This last space feels fun to me. It has that fresh, clean, modern look, but the accents and colors are what I’m drawn to.  Of course, there’s yellow in there.  I love that little cabinet. 

Via Billedesign

So there you have it. We’ve learned that I’m drawn to anything yellow and white and that I love things to be simple and clean looking.  Thanks Amber for having me here today.  This was so fun and really helped me figure out what I really love in a home. I wish I could take these rooms and actually put them in my house.

Thank you so much for being here! The room inspirations are gorgeous! Yellow is a fun color and looks great in any space. If you haven’t stopped by JandJ Home, definitely check it out!

My design styles tend to evolve and I find myself drawn to accessorizing in new ways. When styling a room, one technique I like to often try is symmetry. It brings a sense of harmony to a space and can balance a room nicely. One way I like to try design symmetry is with lamps. I am drawn to large drum shades with a substantial lamp base. I love this type of lamp as a pair, on either end of a console, buffet or dresser. I recently added a second lamp to my living room chest of drawers, and I like the balance and symmetry the second lamp gives to the vignette. One of my favorite design bloggers, Emily from the wonderful blog Emily A. Clark, beautifully uses design symmetry with lamps in her gorgeous home. She was gracious enough to allow me to share her beautiful lamp vignettes! Thanks, Emily!

Every Easter, when getting ready to decorate the eggs, I always forget how to properly boil them! I guess I should save the recipe, but that’s what the wonderful computer is for- I just googled it and came up with a great site with helpful tips! Here is what they say to do for the perfect hard boiled eggs for Easter:

*Place eggs in a saucepot large enough to hold them in single layer. Add cold water to cover the eggs by 1 inch. Place pot over high heat and bring eggs just to boiling. Put a lid on the pot and remove it from the burner.
*Let the eggs stand in the hot water 12 minutes for medium eggs, 15 minutes for large eggs and 18 minutes for extra-large eggs.
*Drain immediately and serve eggs warm, or cool completely under cold running water or in a bowl of ice water and then refrigerate the eggs.

I did just that, and so far so good! We tasted a couple, then left the rest for decorating! As fas as egg decorating goes, the wonderful Eddie Ross is a pro! I will leave you with some gorgeous Easter decorations he made this year for Woman’s Day.

I absolutely love design challenges- they force me to think outside the box and in a creative way. Inspiration can come from so many sources, even the ones out in left field! Take for example, olioboard’s newest design challenge: to create a library or reading room inspired by a spectacled owl! Huh? I had to search google to find out what that type of owl even looked like, then decide the direction this design should go. Well, I’m up for the challenge. Why not- it’s not like I have spring cleaning to do, or anything!  🙂 Here is an image of the beautiful spectacled owl-

Thanks so much for being here today, Amber! The rooms you chose are beautiful and the fabrics and colors are amazing! If you haven’t checked out Amber’s amazing blog, visit here! You’ll be so happy you did!

I have been camera crazy around our house lately, snapping pictures of different rooms in our abode! These photos will appear on my sidebar under the link Our Home. As I was putting the pictures into this post, I realized I have been playing musical chairs with the same white tray and lantern! Seems I am not sure where this should go!  🙂 Maybe more accessory shopping is in order this year. Without further adieu, here’s the abode:

There is no denying that I am a huge fan of HGTV and draw so much inspiration from the many unique and talented designers. There are some shows I watch consistently and others I check in on every now and then. My favorite series, which I never miss, are the HGTV Dream Homes and Green Homes- they never disappoint! The lead interior designer Lisa Woodrum meticulously designs down to the last detail and always leaves me in awe. Tonight, the HGTV Green Home 2011 was featured- and it was a jawdropper! Located in beautiful Colorado, the scenery is a treat in itself. In the home, I loved the color choices, reclaimed green pieces and the great thought to detail. Here is a sneak peek into this year’s home and designs: