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)