Why It Works and Happy New Year

HELLO!  Hope you all had a Happy New Year!  We ended the year on a somewhat odd note... My husband and I both caught the stomach flu on New Years Eve so we skipped out on a get together with friends.  Then after dinner, our power went out so we packed up the whole family and spent the night at my in-laws.  Everyone was in bed by 10.  :P  Thank God for family and thankfully we're slowly recovering!

My Why It Works for this week comes from House and Home's 2010 Show Home.  House and Home has become one of my favorite decorating magazines and this home is gorgeous.  Check it out.


WHY IT WORKS:

• This one of my favorite rooms of the house.  What caught my eye immediately was the color palette.  I love that fresh chartreuse color and what a great contrast with the light walls and dark floors, and dark couch.
• Fire place.  What drama!  I really love the idea of extending the stone/tile work around the fireplace all the way up to the ceiling.  It creates drama, a focal point and really sets the scene for a gathering place.
• Simplicity.  I love how the accesories in the room are kept simple.  The mantel is accesoried simply as is the coffee table.  I know editing is hard, but it makes such a difference.

INPSIRATION:

• Color.  If you're debating on wall color or flooring.  My go-to is dark floors and light walls.  I just think the contrast is stunning and timeless.
• Furniture placement.  This room is a great one to use as a model for furniture placement.  If you're can accomodate all this furniture, this is a great arrangement.  If not, a couch facing 2 chairs would also work too.  It really makes for an inviting conversation area, rather than all attention focused on a tv.
• Pillows.  I love how simple and coordinated the pillows are, they really help to bind all the colors together and finish off the room.  I really like using 2 pillows on each end of a couch and maybe a lumbar in the middle too.  Designers can often get carried away in using too many pillows.

Here's some more photos and click here to see the whole gallery.