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 Interiors: Classic Living TV Room

 

I got lucky when I came across bryn alexandra's post. She showcases a home she was working on that is very similar in concept to what I am trying to achieve. A tv room, with separate nooks and seating areas, storage solutions, gray couches and a huge square ottoman (ours if a coffee table about the same size), that has a classic, modern feel with some pizazz. The flooring is also very similar to ours.

Plus, I want to hang my curtains higher to give this room height, since the room is long and narrow with low ceilings. But then the crtains would be too short. I was toying with the idea of sewing a black edge on the bottom, and her design realizes that look for me in a setting that is similar to mine.

I love the use of blues, blacks and grays with neutral whites. Even though this post is a few years old, it is still a classic styling that gives me some great ideas. She has has some good ideas on getting started along with some 'progress' photos of this room to see how it came together.

Inspired Rooms: Bachelor Pad Nursery

I simply, madly adore this nursery, aka "Ike's Bachelor Pad" from Design Crisis. I would love to do something like this for my boys room. The drummer art, the stuffed giraffe, the hot air balloon chandelier and Persian rug are what floors me. Okay, so to be honest, so does the rocking chair and the gorgeous gray walls, ( Pratt and Lambert’s Wolf)... I basically love everything. Be sure to visit the link for more pics, details and supply info!

Bits of Pink

bhg 

All of these rooms feature bits of PINK. Simply smashing, especially with natural elements

 of wood and earth tones. I must indulge somehow.

stellen herner

domino 

Eren Hays, San Pedro

stellan herner via sfgirlbybay 

 nester

Homefront: So Long, Couches

 We got rid of our couches!! I did love my slipcovers, but my highly energetic 4 year old is a major couch jumper, and keeping those things on, are near impossible with him. It's been a good 2-3 year run with them, so I'm not complaining. We are selling off the large couch and slipcovers in a garage sale this weekend, but keeping the small loveseat with it's slipcovers to cozy up another room.

9 years ago when we were first married, I fell in love with a gray sofa. But, $500 was way too much, so we got a half sectional, gray corduroy for $86 on clearance from an actual furniture store. I loved that couch... but since it only had one arm, the cushions always slid off the other side. Ever since then, we have had one couch dilemma after another. Always from garage sales, hand me downs... at one point, we were using a bundt pan and kettle to sturdy the broken legs of a very awful sunny yellow floral monstrosity.

My slipcovers (white pottery barn and brown surefits) were heavenly, but they had drawbacks as well. Constant rearranging and so forth. So, nearly every single day for the past year I have been searching for nice, sturdy, affordable gray couches. Preferably, ones in which the cushions do not easily come off.

 And I found them last week! A natuzzi microfiber gray sofa and loveseat for $225... barely used on craigslist. They are a little shorter/smaller than I was hoping, but aside from that singular detail, perfection.

Ever since we brought these couches in, I have been on a major redecorating curve. I found these images of Kristin's living room via Little Green Notebook and it inspired a living room transformation. The beginnings  is taking form in a similar style and placement as hers.

Now all I have on my list to do... rehang wall art, find a coffee table, paint our tv stand, maybe dye our curtains, and learn how to slipcover my $1 skirted circle ottoman find. Pics to come soon!

Inspired Interiors: Blue Honey

mustard gray and white mantle via annesage

I'm not quite feeling the spring yet. I love the varying shades of blues here, like a range of patina... but the hints of  honey and mustard accents keeps me in my comfort zone. I've been having a lot of decorating ideas lately that combine these colors, even with a bit of navy mixed in. I just got a new set of chairs from a city wide garage sale and am considering finally pulling out that sander I borrowed from my friend to do something colorful. Well see where this adventure takes us.

kids  room via living,etc

mustard wallpaper and blue chair via annesage

aqua bedroom design via madeline stuart