Rooms

Good Monday everyone. My champagne-induced weight gain is officially out of control. Sadly, the celebration must come to an end. But thank you all for congratulating me. It makes me feel really important and stuff!

Okay so when I wasn’t binge drinking this weekend, I was visualizing ways to make my house feel less Christmasy and more Springy. I immediately flipped through Kate Ridder’s Rooms, which is filled with photos of fresh, colorful interiors that make my space look bland in comparison.

What I love the most though is how Ridder mixes contemporary pieces and bold colors with vintage patterns and antiques. What I learned from this book:

• Don’t underestimate the power of interesting lighting
• An orange couch is cool
• Wallpaper something stat

Are you also feeling the urge to freshen up your space?

Buy your copy here.

Exotic Taste

This was the year that I started to appreciate more ornate interiors. Remember, when I punched myself for not accepting the numerous kilim rugs my mom gifted me. That was BB (before blogging). These days, I like to stare at design books to draw inspiration. Like this gorgeously photographed beauty that makes me want to stock up on colorful goods and textiles.

Exotic Taste, Oriental Interiors by Emmanuelle Gaillard and Marc Walter features a whopping 236 pages of rich, luscious interiors, textiles and furniture from Japan, China, India and the Middle East. Seriously, I can’t even get over the details and colors  in these spaces.

These floors are killing me softly.

Pink and gold walls. Hell to the yeah!

Pattern overload in the best possible way. The stripes remind me of my favorite duomo in Sienna.

Florals done right!

Fanciful arches – check. Glorious floors – check. Tufted seating – check.

I spy Greek keys!

The good thing about this book is that it also comes with a history lesson. So it’s like education with a side of pretty. Buy your copy here.

Book c/o Vendome Press.

Homey

Sometimes I see a space that I can’t get out of my head. This is one of those spaces.

View the rest of the apartment here

Don’t forget to enter the House of Harlow giveaway here!

Horse Play

Another day, another dollah. That’s what I say to myself every Monday morning to help get me through the week. I also treat myself to an energy bar.

Speaking of treats, I’ve been lucky enough to be the recipient of a few great giveaways in Blogland and most recently won a magnificent horse sculpture from my design savvy bestie Elizabeth of Modern 24/7. I actually squealed when I tore through the ginormous box to find this beauty. He doesn’t yet have a permanent home (I’m thinking he’ll eventually sit on the entryway console when I actually get around to buying and styling an entryway console). But for now, he’s content on my dining room table where he’s the center of attention. The Monster sniffs him an awful lot and once even snarled in his direction, but they’re almost on friendly terms. Isn’t he precious?

Copy Cat

I know these types of posts are really common among bloggers so I apologize if it makes you want to punch me in the face. I’ll punch myself on your behalf and then I’ll peruse the Internet for more outfit to room inspirations because they make me happy.

Images: Arizona Muse for Vogue UK and my Pinterest

Lacy

Do you not adore the navy lace tablecloth?! Or is that a purple lace tablecloth? This is my favorite from the latest issue of Rue. I plan to copy immediately.  It’s almost the weekend! Let’s get drunk

via Rue

Should I?

I did nothing noteworthy this weekend unless you count eating, sleeping and drinking as noteworthy, in which case I ate summer salads (recipes later this week), slept a minimum of 8 hours a night plus afternoon naps, and drank a lot of champagne because it’s my new Sunday tradition.

I also vacuumed frequently because I can’t seem to get away from dog hair. The Monster is shedding and it’s making me crazy. So crazy, in fact, that I can’t stop thinking about leather couches. It’s so much easier to wipe away dog hair and dog drool on a leather couch right? Anyways, I haven’t come across many leather couch-adorned spaces that I love, but here are a few that I like for inspiration. What do you think? Are leather couches cool in the design world or do they scream 1990. Also, tufted or non-tufted? Black or brown or neither? Tell me my design savvy friends. I need professional input.

Images via

Another Day Another Light Fixture

For our anniversary, the Husband paid an electrician to install the new light fixture I got for our dining room. And I paid someone to give me a massage so the Husband doesn’t have to. Aren’t we a thoughtful couple?

We’ve been lightless since the bubble chandelier debacle a few months ago and I finally took Elizabeth’s advice and opted to add more natural texture to the space. It’s not absolutely perfect, but it was relatively cheap and does the trick. I’m the worst at photographing interiors so trust that this looks better in real life. And it gives off a romantic glow.

Click here to see the the bubble chandy and here to see the evolution of the dining room.

West Elm Abaca pendant

Room vs. Style

The new issue of Lonny has a lot of goodness, but I’m especially drawn to these interior shots. Neutral but interesting. Exactly how I’d describe my ideal wardrobe. Now I’d like to rid my home and closet of everything I currently own and start fresh. Agree Husband?
Images via Lonny and Pinterest

 

Casa Cox

I love me some Courtney, but I’m finding her Malibu home featured in this month’s Elle Decor to be a tad too sterile and catalog-y. I do adore the art, the master bath and the outdoor space though and I wouldn’t mind one or five of those modern chairs. What do you think?

Tour the rest of the house here.