A PB Entry

One of my all time favorite stores is Pottery Barn.  I've even worked there for a couple of seasons.  So, it's only fitting that I include Pottery Barn in this series.  I love their look because it is timeless and classic.  Home furnshings are expensive, so if I'm investing on items I'm going to have for awhile, I don't want to worry about it going out of style.  With Pottery Barn, you won't. 

WHY THIS WORKS

• Wall color!  The blue in this room is beautiful!  You're drawn in to this room, but it doesn't overpower.  You're not thinking, "Woah, that's a really blue wall."  This color is dramatic and soothing at the same time. 
• Art Gallery.  Notice how they have several different pieces of art, but they all relate.  They're all  in black and white and are framed in either a mahagony or black frame.  With so many elements on this wall, limiting the colors is key.   
• Symmetry.  You can't go wrong putting a pair of candles, lamps, sconces, etc. on either side of a table.  Again, because this wall has several small elements, the candle hurricanes help give a sense of order and a place for the eye to rest.

INSPIRATION

• Do you have a focal wall?  Use color to draw your eye into a space.  Not sure on color?  Benjamin Moore has a fabulous palette of colors, one of my favorites!  Check out their Pottery Barn swatch books, free at stores and they come out with new colors each season.
• Photos/Art.  Display your photos!  Live with reminders of special times each day!  Put them in the same style frame, but in differing sizes.  You can't go wrong with changing your photos to black and white.  Timeless!
• Accessoring a table.  Stuck?  Try arranging items symmetrically.  You can even follow this photo exactly.  2 lamps/ candles on each end, tray in the middle, add flowers and decorative objects.  There you go!

(photo from Pottery Barn)

IKEA Fridays... Meet BYHOLMA

I love IKEA.  I love its vision, mission, and business model.  My love affair with IKEA first started in the 80s.  I had never heard of IKEA until I came across a catalog at my cousins' house in Canada.  I was hooked!  I loved going there and curling up with their IKEA catalogs.  I think I was around 10 years old.  Strange then, makes sense now.  :)  So this led me to my next inspiration... IKEA Fridays.  Every week, I'll highlight a piece that I love or have been inspired by.

This week...meet BYHOLMA.  I've always liked rattan and wicker furniture.  (For those of you are curious, the difference between rattan and wicker is that rattan is a material and wicker is a process.)  I like it because it's casual, affordable and can be dressed up or down.  I've had a rattan chair for over 10 years that I've used as an office chair and a side chair and it still looks great.  At $79, this is a great deal.  I love the color of this chair the best.  The aged gray is perfect!  It can be used as a dining chair of course, or a pair of them would look great in a living room, family room, even a bedroom sitting area.  Here she is as a dining chair in Canadian House and Home.

Here's a similiar chair from Restoration Hardware in that fabulous grey.

ENJOY YOUR WEEKEND!

A Birthday Party

We just had a birthday party for my 1 year old and 3 year old.  Whew!   I loved spending countless hours researching, planning, designing and preparing things for the party.  We were blessed by good weather, good food and most importantly, wonderful family and friends.  I'll be sharing photos, inspirations and sources from the party soon!

A Tailored Living Room

WHY THIS WORKS

• Color. Your eyes bounce around this room because of 2 accent colors. Notice the lime green and turquoise spread throughout the room?
• Artwork. One of the most common decorating mistakes is using artwork that is too small and it's hung too high. These 2 pieces fit the large wall behing the sofa and are hung just right.
• Finishes/Materials. This room has a great mix of finishes like glass, wood, soft fabrics and even some shine in the stool. The room would feel a lot heavier if they had used a heavy, solid coffee table.

INSPIRATIONS:

• Palette. Do you have 2-3 colors that your eye can focus on and jump to?
• Artwork. Does the scale fit and are they hung at eye level?
• Finishes. Do you have a mix? Soft, hard, clear, heavy?

(image from Canadian House and Home)

Why This Works

I'm introducing a weekly series called, Why This Works. We've all seen those DO/ DON'T photos in fashion magazines right? The ones with the faces or eyes blocked out? While, no one wants to be caught in the DON'T section, how do we become a DO? In this series, I'll help you dissect some inspiration rooms and teach you how to incorporate that "designer" look in your own home.

(photo from PBK)

Here we go!

Here's my first blog posting. Who would've thought? A year ago, I didn't even know what a blog was. Since then, a good friend of mine introduced me to the vast world of blogs and now I can spend hours blog hopping and getting inspired by all the women who take the time to share their vision, mission and life with the world. Needless to say, I'm a newbie at this and am learning how to post/edit/design as we speak. I imagine only a few people will be looking at these first posts, but who knows who might be looking back at this in a year? Ok now... how do I add captions?