A new canvas on which to paint??

Well, I've been a little busy this past week.  I have mentioned in my earlier posts that our house is on the market....well, this past week we got an offer!!  And after a couple of counters to get those eager buyers back in line with our asking price - (as much as we can in this market) we have a deal!  OH - YEA - and we have to be out in little more than three weeks!!  WHUT?

So - needless to say - we have been fast and furious to find our next house!  Today we went through a record number of 11 houses in a four hour period - and found ourselves frantically making an offer on one that really shines.  This offer is still in progress - so no popping the bubbly yet....but I have to say that amidst all this hustle, I almost forgot what this means:  I GET TO MOVE IN TO A NEW HOUSE AND DECORATE AGAIN!  I know - Pottery Barn corporate has gotten the press release - and they are licking their chops!  Behind Decorated Doors may make their quarter yet!  

More soon - cannot wait to share pics of whatever house we end up getting....let the "before" and "after" comparisons begin!

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

When decorating smaller, smallish, or tiny spaces, mirrors are your friend.  They make any space look bigger.  What they also do is give a wall with no windows the appearance and the effect of having a window.  I love mirrors - if only I could put them everywhere in my house.  My next purchase of mirrors is for my newly decked out bedroom.  I love these from Crate & Barrel:  

The Dubois Mirrors are some of my favorites - and I've had my eye on them for a while now.  I want to purchase three of them to put above my long & tall dresser in the bedroom.  It will make a great addition to my "Romantically Organic" room! (see previous blog post on July 29th titled "Romantically Organic" for pics!)  Here's a picture of these mirrors in a room:

Look how great they look with black furniture - such a nice contrast.  If you remember, my bedroom furniture is black - so this is just the ticket.  PLUS - my bed is upholstered in microsuede the exact same color as the chair shown in the above pic.  

I already have this C&B mirror on the landing at the top of our stairs - I got it for $79 - it is normally $299 but it was a floor model that they were trying to get rid of!  I love a good bargain!  The Silver Ripple (this was the best pic I could get of it):

The below mirror, while not quite the right look for my bedroom, would look great in another room. I find myself back involved with Shabby Chic - and this mirror is just that.  I found it while browsing the Vintage Shopper website.  

The Distressed White Round Wall Mirror.  Love it. 

And look who I found when searching the internet for vintage mirrors:  The Mirror Lady

Many, many beautiful mirrors can be found on this site.  A few of my favorites:

The Old Gold Ornate mirror - 53"x 53".

Sunburst mirrors are just about everywhere these days (ZGallerie, C&B, etc) - but I like this one, the Silver Sunburst.  The braided inner frame makes it a bit unique!

And I think I just fell in love with Venetian mirrors.  How beautiful - all mirror, no frame!

The Georgette, comes in two sizes - 37" or 52".

And last, but not least, the Sophia:

Beautiful - a little more ornate than I usually prefer - but the etched designs have such a feeling of innocence.  I dunno, can't explain it.

And, of course, I cannot post without giving a shout out to my home sweet home, Pottery Barn (aka "The Barn").  They have such a great selection of mirrors these days - again, some favorites:

The Honeycomb gold mirror.  This one might be my favorite - and it gives me such a retro feeling.  I could imagine myself sitting in a living room in the 60's with this mirror on my wall!

The Geometric Circles - so different.  I love it. 

And since I have a new love affair with Venetian mirrors, I couldn't leave this one out: 

The Venetian Leaf mirror.  I love the cutout leaves - would add a little glamour to any room.  

Romo - As in Fabrics, Not Jessica's BF

Well, I've been so busy looking at children's furniture - I realized I was in need of some sophistication.  I've been loving the look of two particular colors together - one of which I have never used before in decorating (that I can remember, anyway).  I've got a big crush on Raspberry & Brown combinations.  I had been recently stalking one of my decorating heroes' blogs (Habitually Chic - see link on the right) when I read a recent post about Romo fabrics.  I thought I would check it out - and to my surprise - there popped up Raspberry & Brown in some of their amazing fabrics!

I have to say that these fabrics are some of the most unique and refreshing I have seen in a while - and so contemporary, I'm in love!  Check out this fabric, from the Manderley collection, in raspberry, brown and what seems like a mustard yellow (much prettier than my description!)

Oh yes - and this is beautiful for someone looking for less floral print/pattern.  The Mimi collection might be my favorite showcase of Raspberry & Brown...

And this is the Audley collection in shades of red, brown & cream.  Ooh la la!

And the drama in the Kimura collection is breathtaking - and this picture just showcases it! Black and Khaki - ah, one of my favorites:

Now, this fabric very well may be out of my league - but it is nice to dream, isn't it?  This company is out of London - so if I just have to make a trip across the Pond to check it out myself - then so be it.  Or maybe I can go to their showroom when I'm in NYC in three weeks??

More Inspiration...

Another room at the "Barn" has caught my attention - I love the color of the walls and the bedding.  And I had been drawn to navy blue furniture - but I like the way this looks - I think I've found a new color palette - and it's very sophisticated and would last a long time.

This piece is the Rustic Thomas Twin-Over-Full bed in the espresso finish, and the bedding is the Navy Kasey Quilted Bedding.  I'm sold! (But I tend to make decorating decisions quickly - so I'm glad I have some time to mull this one over...)

Pottery Barn Calls to Me...

I can't help myself - Pottery Barn calls to me.  As I stated in my previous post - I am on the prowl for Kids' Bedroom decor.  I reviewed HGTV last night for some divine inspiration - and like a magnet tonight I found myself checkin' it out at the "Barn."  Well - I found a bedroom I really really like - even more versatile and long-lasting than the surfing theme.  It is the Carson bedding collection at PBK:

I really like how simple and "age versatile" this bedding is.  Considering our toddler climbed out of his crib tonight and nearly broke his neck - a new bed may be in his future.  The crib - which converts to a toddler bed is holding tight for now - but at some point, it will be time to bite the bullet (oh, the horror of it all!) and re-do his room.  I better start saving my pennies now...

And how about this bunk set?  The Camp Twin-Over-Full bunk set:

This bed comes in a honey finish, navy (shown) and a lighter blue/gray color....I'm just not sure which I prefer....good thing I have plenty of time to make up my mind!

HGTV - Children's Room Inspiration

My toddler is getting bigger and bigger by the day! This means that someday soon he will outgrow his crib - and I will have to redecorate his room (twist my arm - oh the horror of it all)! I'm feeling a bit guilty b/c I have been willing him to learn how to climb out of his crib just so I can start the process of finding new furniture, new bedding and coming up with a suitable color palette for his new room.

I'm not terribly fru-fru when it comes to decorating. So - when it came time to decorate his room before he was born, I stayed simple -and YES - his bedding came from Pottery Barn. I find myself going back to the "Barn" to see what they have to offer for my new endeavor. I have pretty much decided that he will have a bunk bed with a double bed on the bottom and a twin on the top. This set up should last him a very long time - which is my goal.

I decided to branch out and look at other sites for inspiration. I came to the HGTV site and found much inspiration for a toddler's room. Too bad I was more inspired by the girls rooms than the boys. (sigh) The design idea's within the 'Designers Portfolio' section are quite helpful when trying to conjure up ideas. Here is my favorite boy's room idea, with a surfing theme:

I love how grown up this theme is - and is more long-lasting than, say, a Cowboy theme or a space ship theme. I'm going to seriously consider this for his room.





And here is one of my favorite little girl's rooms:



I love the modern lines in the pattern on the bed and the fun chair! If I only had a girl.....maybe next time! (I love my boy!!)

Stay tuned - I will be sure to share more children's room inspirations. I have lots of ideas....

Increase My Traffic

So, I've been researching how to increase the traffic to my blog.  I can't expect to get my big break by blogging to my mother and a few friends, now can I? 

One way to promote your blog is by linking to others blogs.  SO:  introducing my two new best friends:  Material Girls (two design divas out of Texas) and Habitually Chic (a NYC design professional).  They don't know it now - but they are my new heroes.  I figure I need to make connections any way I can - so look out ladies - I want to share your styles with my (oh so very few - but soon to be many) readers!

 I have been so encouraged by all the decorating blogs I have stumbled upon.  I just want to take each one of them out to lunch to figure out how the heck they got started in this business.  Tips - anyone, anyone?  I did notice that Material Girls started out by going to design school - and Habitually Chic works for a design firm in the Big Apple.  Uh so - how does an informally trained eye get her big break, girls?

Shabby Chic: Meet Layla Grayce

So I've been searching the web voraciously looking for new inspiration. I stumbled across this online site, Layla Grayce, and just had to share it with you. If shabby chic is your style, Layla Grayce is your girl. The site has women's items, children's nursery decor - but more importantly, a fantastic home store!

I've spent a good amount of time searching through their rugs - and I have to say they are fabulous. I think that an area rug is a focal part of a room and, depending on the room, should not be an after-thought. You know how sometimes, we women, buy a pair of shoes, and then FIND an outfit to wear them with? Well, on occasion - for the "right" rug - I am tempted to do just that. And why not? When decorating any room, it is always a good idea to pick that first "element" to build your room around - so why not build a room around a rug? I am particular to Layla Grayce's Colorful Cottage Collection - which is more than just rugs. Here are a few of my favorites:

Sonoma Rose Rug

I am trying to talk my sister in to this rug in her living room.  I think it is so unique and would really make a statement in any room.  Of course, with a rug like this, one would want other upholstery to be solid colors - with some accent pillows to complement the hues and pattern of the rug.

Tapestry Rug

This rug is fun.  So many colors to work with....I wish I had a spot for it in my home.  If we sell ours soon, maybe I can work it in to the new house.  

There are so many more decor items on this site, I cannot possibly talk about them all.  But if you're looking for something unique - with that shabby chic feel - this site is a one stop shop!

I love these mirrors:

I must stop myself - but please check out their lighting section, too.  There are some great lamps and chandeliers!  Decor inspiration abounds!

New Pillows

I recently took a class at my local Pottery Barn on decorating with color and pattern. It was a good class - it gave me some great ideas (Albeit, ideas on how to use Pottery Barn merchandise... Well played PB marketing execs, well played). They do give you a 10% discount on items in the store to use for the day - and use it, I did!

I've always struggled with the pillows on the couches in our family room. See my previous post - they were pretty standard - green and off-white. I've been dying to branch out - so let me know what you think!





Thanks to the creative gods at Pottery Barn for all of their groovy color combinations in their Fall 2008 line. I highly recommend viewing their website if you have not already familiarized yourself with it. It is all about color, color, color.

But I digress, so I was sitting in Pottery Barn attending my free class when it dawned on me that orange and red aren't just for superheroes. Orange and red could actually look good together - as evidenced by this fabulous flowered fabric - the Serafina Pillow Cover:



My internal monologue: "Hmm. Never would have thought. Oh - wait - I have red couches. I hate my current pillows. Nah, these wouldn't look good. Would they?" Insert my helpful friend, Jayna, who practically threw the pillows in my arms and made me purchase them (at least, that is the story I told my husband.) So - Jayna made me do it. And she is brilliant! Orange and red - how fun!

Family Room Re-arrangement...

Yet again, our stager took one look at our living room and took it upon himself to make many suggestions regarding furniture layout, etc.  The shape of our room presents a challenge when placing furniture - there is really only one wall to place pieces against due to the open floor plan of our kitchen, eating area and two story living room being all one room.  So - here is the family room before.  Note the large sofa, smaller sofa/loveseat & oversized chair with ottoman.  And yes, yes - thanks to my toddler, we had a train table "acting" as our coffee table.  No mas!

And now - here are the after pics.  We got rid of the wine pics on the wall - got a new floor lamp (Restoration Hardware), new round, coffee table and matching end table in black (Pottery Barn), we stored the oversized chair & ottoman.  Thanks to my friend, Aharon, for donating the Tuscan scenes that are now hanging on the wall in place of our tribute to the wine country.  Oh yea - and we painted the green wall the same color as the rest of the house.  Personally, I liked the green wall - it was painted green when we moved in - and it worked.  But when trying to sell your house - neutral is best.  Rick says, "Less is more."  And he's right....so we bit the bullet. Drum roll please......

Note the pillows on the couch....I'm foreshadowing for my next post. I know - the suspense is killing you. It's killing me too!