Inspired Interiors: Pink, Gold and Black

Pink, gold and black... I've been seeing this color combo around a lot lately and every time I see it... I WANT IT. There is a slight Hollywood Regency feel here, with a bit of eclectic crazy thrown in for good measure. Now, I have some pretty interesting brass piece that came from thrifting, though those doesn't quite fit the glamour motifs going on in my head. 


Daphne's gorgeous nursery above is featured in depth on Apartment Therapy.  There are so many drool worthy elements here, but I simply adore that rug and lamp! Okay... and the mirror, mirrored dresser, stool.. so everything. A lot of people have been diy'ing mirrored dressers as of late. A pretty good tutorial here:

Fiona's room by My Favorite and My Best, has so much charm, pattern and color! She makes a good point, that a lot of things could afford, she didn't quite like.. so she "just stuck with what i had and added some black and white tile fabric pillows and a deep green mohair velvet pillow." And that is what decorating is for most of us... finding small yet exciting ways to insert a snap of personality into our rooms.

I went to IKEA yesterday (my mom and baby Elisabeth's first time) and my head is just spinning with grand ideas. But IKEA hacks add even more flavor to a room. This Dorothy Draper inspired diy dresser by Nancy of Marcus Design has made the bloggy rounds, but it should! She even offers a tutorial on how she did it here. The otherwise neutral color palate is made very regal in pattern, and I love those pink rose buds, bringing in some femininity.

Coco Cozy's brillant golden wall swag. Reminds me of a flowering pheonix. Love. And the bright orange and pinks paired with a dusty rose? Unexpected, but oh so stylish. But her whole place is stunning.

Wow, look at that bathroom by Jay Jeffers! Coral, mint, aqua, pink and lots of golds. Whimsical, ornate, and interesting choices, but I think they work together. In essence, by adding texture through golds and brasses, and some pink, a fun or elegant mix can be attained by all, even if you simply replace a few dated pieces on a small budget, it can be done.

 

Inspired Interior: Bedazzled

I love browsing craigslist. I find real gems sometimes... In this case, I found a lot! I see potential, creativity and personality here, some really neat pieces of furniture too, great job, Sammy! I also see that someone got a little carried away with a bedazzler. I wonder if we know when we have gone too far? Sometimes, it's good to question that, I suppose. I would have loved to see the creativity here of the gems used in a large scale piece, like a large art piece or the entire screen wall or coffee table or a chandy dripping with jewels... as opposed to a little bit speckled everywhere. What do you think? Interestingly, I'm totally inspired now to take one huge item and just craft jewel the living heck out of it. I do have colorful ones for sale here, maybe I need to add clear ones to the mix? All this furniture, and accessories, with diamond trim (including a bedroom I didn't show), is available for $4,000.

 

 

Inspired home: Dark and Inviting

 I'm drawn today to these images from interior designer, Abigail Ahern  book, A Girl's Guide to Decorating. There is a rustic, regal feel, with a cooling urban atmosphere in her home. (Her sister Gemma's home is a dark beauty too). The dark and neutral tones and textures feel so homey to me right now.

In her recent blog post, she talks about figuring out your decorating style. She says,

"I follow my heart and my subconscious and although hard to define its a funked up, idiosyncratic tour de force (can I say that about my style)? For some of us it can be over whelming its visual overload out there what with cool interiors stores, magazines, galleries, blogs, fab bars and so on. Pull back and try to analyse what appeals what pushes your buttons or makes you heart beat a little bit faster – tear out images from magazines, flag blog images you respond too and before long you will have a folio that begins to build a story of how you want your space to look. Its worth noting anything that shouts Ta Da when going through images as this is what turns a space from ordinary to extraordinary. It could be a super sized lamp on a tiny desk, a beautiful patterned rug skimming a floor oh and remember it takes time. A simple fact you can’t define your style if you haven’t invested time in knowing what’s out there its as simple as that."

 Apartment therapy describes her book as, "Abigail Ahern's rooms are dark and seductive as photographed for her book, A Girl's Guide to Decorating. These rooms wrap you up like a cozy blanket when you're reading on the sofa late at night."
 

Inspired Room: Mourning for Japan

sibella court's bathroom

Today is a somewhat somber, moody day. With all the tragic happenings in Japan, we happened to Netflix the film, Grave of the Dragonflies before the earthquake and it could not have come at a more perfect time. Really, it's so close to the current status of Japan, what are the odds we would Netflix this film right before the tragedy occurred?  It  is truly a beautiful and tragic story of the a brother and sister fighting for survival after the 1945 fire bombing in Kobe Japan's WWII, based upon a semi-autobiographical novel by Akiyuki Nosaka .  Truly, the thing that brings peace is knowing that Christ has a plan for us, and that families can be together forever. Being that it has been thundering and stormy all day, and the tidings of the week, I'm feeling that very black and natural interiors are fitting.  Interesting she has a few Japanese themed items in her home as well.

Stylist Sibella Court, has a beautiful home, a curious shop called The Society, inc... Her lovely book, Etcetera: Creating Beautiful Interiors with the Things You Love, chronicals her many designs and ephemera finds, with photos taken by her brother, photographer Chris Court.

the random trail of glowing bulbs is mesmerizing

 sibella's living room, loving the Japanese pilgrim's jacket

this would be a perfect place to read Wuthering Heights

her favorite quote from Jeanette Wilnterson’s Lighthouse Keeping: My Mother called me silver

 sibella's bedroom

Playfully Somber

floral canopy bed ~ tracery interiors

There is a balance to be had for a somber effect. An endearing touch to make the space inviting,
and it's in those playful touches that can be achieved. The floral canopy isn't particularly somber
with all of the white, but it does have some melancholy feel to it. Perhaps it's just my perception,
with all of the canopies in the victorian gothic novels I have read.

I have an abiding admiration for vintage ephemera and those who procure them so freely for the
internets enjoyment. These images you can print and play with seemed fitting in some way.

farmhouse chair fine art photographic print ~ jack the hat

la mode illustre patterns from april 19, 1896 ~ free images via the graphics fairy

dining table ~ lonny

butterflies and beetles ~ lisa leonard

bedroom~ photographer tobias harvey
I'm actually kind of in love with this bedroom.

 old book png image ~ free graphics at percy and bloom

White, Black, Gray & Paint

dining room ~ in the fun lane

One day, coming up soon (as in before it gets too hot), I would love, LOVE to paint my wood furniture. We have an armoir, tv stand, kitchen table with 4 chairs, large desk with hutch and two dressers.We would let the boys stay at grandma's for the weekend (okay, maybe 2 weekends) and just do a paint marathon for 2 days straight! I love the suggestions on Shabby Chic Furniture on preparing the wood, to use water and sugar soap to clean the furniture as regular cleaner can keep the paint from sticking. Holly of In the Fun Lane has some of the best painting advice out there.

black table  via Veranda

 dresser painted black over a red glaze ~ bhg kids rooms

I am considering going black with the kitchen tables and chairs. There is a large burn hole from a small fire on the table that will need to be filled and layers of wax from small details. Reading this advice forum on redoing kitchen tables make me balk, so we'll see...

 white hutch ~ in the fun lane

white night stand end table ~in the fun lane

But what about the rest? I have a find love of all white distressed wood ever since I grew to love antique malls and seeing the vintage pie safes in all of the layers of peeling paint, some with even 4 or 5 different colors peeking out from underneath!

my house of giggles gray hutch makeover

gray painted captains bench ~ life in the fun lane

Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic

But, the more I see grey, the more I grow to love it. It's not to light, not to dark, it has an urban county chic appeal and can pair most any color I choose to decorate with.

Maybe, I will do a mix of white, grey and black. What do you think? Do you mix and match your furniture? Do you prefer light or dark? I like how she keeps some of the natural colors with the painted pieces.

white dresser with caster feet and natural wood chair ~ in the fun lane

white dining room with natural chair ~ in the fun lane

As a note, I love natural wood and stain, especially mid century modern pieces,  but trust me, none of our furniture is lookin so hot for that right now, though I do think that maybe a few chairs would look neat! I do need to get two more for the ends of our table anyways...