WHY IT WORKS - Mixing Florals and Patterns

Happy Monday!  Well, we're right in the middle of a soggy April here in the Pacific Northwest.  As I was  looking for an inspiration room this week, I found myself drawn to bright colors and floral patterns.  I'm eagerly anticipating the warmth and brightness of spring to come!  Are you?  Here we go!



(via houseandhome.com)



WHY THIS WORKS:

• This room is a great example of successfully mixing colors and patterns!  Sticking to a defined color palette is what makes it work.  In this room, black and white are the base colors accented by plum and aqua blue. Even the tulips match!  In this way, everything seems to "fit" as a whole and you're not looking at pieces individually.  Decorating boldly takes planning and a discerning eye.
• Keep furniture classic.  The furniture in this space will never go out of style.  I love the color, the shape and the legs of the sofa.  You can easily update the look by changing the throw pillows.  The side chairs and coffee table are also neutral and can evolve as your tastes evolve.  Like a wardrobe, invest in basics and let your accessories help keep your look current.
• A console table, my favorite piece of furniture!  I love the look of a slim table behind a couch.  The great thing is... if it's simply acting as a stand for accessories, you can really get away with something inexpensive like plywood and 4 table legs.

INSPIRATION:

• Throw pillows.  I can really get carried away with these!  These days, my favorite source for throw pillows is etsy.com.  The prices seem better and the patterns are more unique.  You can also find fabric and have your local dry cleaner make pillows for you. 
• A chalkboard panel.  I'm loving the panel behind the couch.  I'm not sure if it's a painting or if it's a chalkboard panel, but I'm inspired!  Just have a piece of wood cut down to size and paint it with chalkboard paint.  You can write poems, messages, stories on it and change it throughout the year(s).  Now that's fresh!
• A pair of lamps.  Accessorizing with a pair of lamps is such a classic look.  You can never go wrong with this.  Look for simple lamp bases and you can have the flexibility of changing out the shades.

WHY IT WORKS - House Proud Worthy

Can I tell you how happy I am to have a design show on that I can watch EVERY day?  I love watching the Nate Berkus Show and never miss one.  I DVR all the episodes and one of my favorite things to do when everyone is sleeping is snuggling up with a blanket and watching 2-3 episodes at once!  Ahhh...

Our inspiration room this week is from one of my favorite segments, House Proud.  Check it out. 

WHY IT WORKS:

• Architectual details.  Jennifer, the home owner, added plain MDF boards to the wall behind her bed and it just elevates the whole room. 
• Mix and Match.  I love the dark bed frame with the white night stands.  Doesn't it just make it more interesting?  Can you imagine the night stands in the same color?  It wouldn't be horrible, just a bit boring.
• Mounted lighting.  The wall mounted lights on each side of the bed was such a nice choice.  They are practical and beautiful.  Look how nicely it just frees up space on the nightstands.   
• Color.  LOVE the color palette.  Aqua blue, chartreuse, white and dark brown.  My favorite?  That gorgeous fabric that ties everything together.

INSPIRATION

• Wall treatments.  Reconsider what you have going on with the wall behind your bed.  It's a natural focal point of the room, let's take advantage of it.  If it's a bit boring, there's a ton you can do to jazz it up like adding architectural detail like molding, hanging wallpaper, art work, photographs, or just painting it an accent color.
• Mix and Match.  Use this principle in all areas of your home.  You do not need to buy whole suites or sets of furniture. Dressing your home is like dressing yourself.  You wouldn't want to wear a black 3 piece suit all the time.  It's not bad, but not very interesting either.   Sticking with pairs is a good idea though.
• Color.  Paralyzed by color?  Look everywhere.  Fabric stores, paper stores, clothing stores, and nature.  What colors are you drawn to?  What colors make you happy?  Chances are you'll find a theme.  I like sticking to a limited palette of 3 -4 colors.

Click here to see more photos of Jennifer's gorgeous home.  I'm definitely saving several photos in my "inspiration" file.  :)

Why It Works: A Blue and White Guest Room

We just got back from a little family vacation and I'm pooped.  So here's a quick one for this Monday.


WHY IT WORKS:


(via House Beautiful)



• Color.  Black and white or navy and white never go out of style.  It's clean, simple, and it's easy to put together. 
• Beds in front of windows CAN work.  Bed placement in a bedroom is key because everything else revolves around the bed.  Every room is different, but don't rule out putting a bed in front of a window.  Try it.  :)
• Vignettes.  I love how they styled the nightstand and the wall behind it.  Clean and beautiful.  Consider doing the same thing with a round mirror, small lamp and a couple of books and accessories.  A framed photo of your guest is always a nice touch.

INSPIRATION:

• Color.  Pick 2 colors and go with it!  Pick basics and you can easily pull the look together with pieces from different stores.   A lot of times you can find great single pieces at TJ Maxx or Target.  With basic colors, you can easily mix and match.
• Duvets/Pillows.  This is usually a great starting point if you're not sure where to start.  There are tons of beautiful stuff out there at all price points.  Start with your bedding and get inspired by the colors and prints.  You can EASILY get paint, rugs and accessories to match.

Why It Works - A Craft Room

Happy Monday!  We're in the midst of shuffling some furniture around at our house.  We're going to try to create a home office for my husband and a separate work space for me (we currently share an office).  I'll try to document the process as we go.  I love this photo!  Sooo many good ideas and I'll be featuring several items from this room on IKEA FRIDAY this week. 

WHY IT WORKS:



(via houseandhome.com)



• Wallpaper.  I love that a craft room or a work room doesn't have to mean all utilitarian.  It still can have style, polish and personality.  With the furniture and accesories being so simple in this room, the graphic wallpaper really pops.  What a nice touch.
• Lighting.  Again, working in a space that is both functional and inpsiring is very important.  This overhead pendant is great!  It is both functional and beautiful.  What a bold piece and I love that it also brings in some natural texture.
• Closed storage.  The boxes and mounted cabinets really help keep this room clean and organized.  I really like how they tried to keep the visual clutter to a minimum.

INSPIRATION:

• Wall color.  Remember, you'll probably be spending a lot of time in this space and you want it to be inspiring and beautiful.  What colors make you happy?  Have you considered wall decals?  I know wallpaper can be daunting because it's both a time and money commitment, but paint and wall decals are simple, economical and easily changed.   
• Work space.  When thinking about my own work space, I try to have an open work table or a long desk so that I can spread out.  Try not to clutter every flat surface with storage, accessories or equipment.  I love the open spaces in this photo and how they stored supplies on the wall, rather than on the work surfaces.
• Wall cabinets.  In trying to create more work space, work vertically and use the walls!  This frees up an incredible amount of space.  You can use cabinets like in this photo or even floating shelves with bins and baskets. 

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.

WHY IT WORKS - More Christmas!

Ok, for all of you who found my post last week inspiring, you will be even more inspired this week!  Melanie, over at My Sweet Savannah, has taken Christmas decorating to a whole nother level!  Melanie's home was the one that inspired my striped entry way.  When I first saw her holiday decorating post, all I could say was, "wow!"  Her home is GORgeous!  She has a hot chocolate making station!  Nuff said!  I've posted some of my favorite pics, but go over to her blog to see more photos.  Well done Melanie!  Thanks for inspiring me to kick it up a notch! 


WHY IT WORKS:

• In my opinion, there are a few key reasons Melanie's decor works so well.  First is color.  Even with her holiday decor, Melanie stays true to the creamy color palette of her home, so everything flows seamlessly.  The best way to acheive this is with careful editing.
• Natural elements.  Adding natural elements is fool proof.  It adds life and texture to any space.  I love how the natural elements she used still ties into her color palette, using creams and whites.
• Mixing old and new.  Her home is so interesting to look at because so many of the pieces look like they could tell a story.  Whether truly aged or aged looking, mixing old and new is a great way to add interest.



(Hot chocolate making station!  It doesn't get much more welcoming than this!)




(Christmas balls in an urn.  Simple and beautiful.)




(White poinsettia, beautiful)




(Paperwhites and reindeer moss.  Nice)




(An understated, yet festive mantle)

 INSPIRATION

• Be a careful editor.  Remember, you don't have to display everything, all at once.  What feel do you want to convey this year?  What's your color palette?  Red/Green?  Metallics?  Creams?  Commit to it.
• Add natural elements.  There are so many options for holiday decorating!  They all look great!  Branches, greenery, holly, poinsettias, paperwhites, and amaryllis, even cyclamen.  I also love miniature lemon cypress trees like these.

• In the end, anything that brings you joy and peace this season goes!  The holidays are about traditions and family.  So, if you really love your singing reindeers and snowmen... GO FOR IT and HAVE FUN!  :D

WHY IT WORKS - Gallery Walls

I love how putting anything in a frame can make it special!  They make an even greater impact when you assemble the frames and make a gallery wall.  Take it one step further... I love it when the gallery is in a front hall or entrance.  What a great way to tell your story to anyone who enters your home!  It's what makes a house, a home.  These inspiration photos do just that. 

WHY IT WORKS: 

Lauren over at Pure Style Home created this beautiful entry in her home.  First of all, don't you love the color of her door?  Second, those frames sure make an impact when you enter.  Click here for details on how she created her entry. 

(image from purestylehome.com)

 
Next, this photo is of Nicole's entry from her blog, Meohmy.  These are all family photos that have been placed in simple IKEA frames.  I love how she arranged them and how she can continue to add to her gallery!  Click here to read more.



(images from meohmy.com)


Our 3rd inspiration photo comes from Paige over at paigeknudsen.blogspot.com.  Nicely done isn't it?  Paige did a great job of showing how she created this look.  Click here.

INSPIRATION:

• Something that all these photos have in common is their scale.  Go bold!  Too often, we see photo galleries composed of frames that are too small. 
• White mats!  They make anything look beautiful, polished and important. 
• Frames.  Good sources for inexpensive frames are IKEA, Target, and Aaron Brothers, especially when A.B. has their penny sale!

Creating a gallery wall does not mean spending a lot of money.  There is beauty all around you in books, nature, photographs, mementos...  Where do you find beauty and joy?

This is will be my next home improvement project!  Maybe yours too?  :)

Why It Works - A Charlotte Living Room

Boy, when I saw photos of this living room, I was immediately in love!   This is the home of interior designer, Beth Keim, owner of Lucy and Company in Charlotte, NC.  Let's break it down!



(image from lucyandcompany.com)



WHY IT WORKS:

• Wall Color!  HELLO!  (you remember that line from Jerry McGuire?  "you had me at hello")  What a gorgeous choice! 
• Symmetry.  The lamps behind the sofa definitely works!  One of my favorite looks is a sofa table behind a sofa, especially if the back of the sofa is facing another room like in this photo.  It helps that those lamps are GORGEOUS!
• Accent color.  Notice how the accent colors are spread throughout the room so that there's a sense of flow among all the elements.  You have orange in the throw pillows, lamps, decorative bowl, and side chair.

INSPIRATION:

• Wall color.  This is a big decision and not something you want to rush into.  Always buy small samples and do test patches.  If you have a room that has lots of light and white trim, you can definitely get away with bolder colors and it doesn't feel too heavy.  Notice all the white trim in the inspiration room.
• Matching lamps.  ALWAYS look chic.  You can place them on an entry, sofa table, buffet, mantle... you can't go wrong!
• Color Palette.  Pick a palette and stick to it.  I like spaces where I can immediately pick out a color palette, rather than a hodge podge of colors and patterns.  To me, it's calming.  I love how she picked a color palette and committed to it.  It makes more of an impact.  There are tons of gorgeous things out there... but you don't have to bring them all home.  :)

Later this week, I'll be sharing more inspiring ideas from Beth's beautiful home.

Why This Works - Ina's Kitchen

I was helping a friend collect ideas for her kitchen remodel, so I've had kitchens on the brain.  Well, here's an old favorite.  Ina Garten (The Barefoot Contessa) designed House Beautiful's Kitchen of the year in 2009.  It was of course inspired by her own East Hampton kitchen.  This is classically gorgeous.



(images from House Beautiful)



WHY THIS WORKS:

• I always love the contrast with light and dark.  You see it work beautifully here with the white cabinets and dark countertops.  White dishware and dark stools and dark floors. 
• Open shelving.  It is a very popular trend right now to incorporate open shelving in the kitchen.  It's practical and gives a casual, restaurant feel to a kitchen. 
• Storage in the island.  Genius!  Try to get as much as you can out of your island by incorporating cabinets, a wine rack, drawers or bookshelves.  We even managed to conceal our garbage and recycling bins in the island using a sliding drawer.   

INSPIRATION:

• If you're looking for an instant way to update your dishware, go for white!  You can get it anywhere and you can hardly make a wrong choice in white.
• Containers.  Take another look at the containers on your counter.  Are they pretty to look at?  A couple of my all time favorites are these 2 jars: 

 

Target and the Container Store have a great selection of containers like these. 

• Color.  Notice how much Ina has in the space, but it doesn't seem jarring.  It's because she has kept her color palette very simple.  If you like displaying things, balance that out by keeping the paint, patterns and furnishings very neutral. 

Later this week on IKEA Friday.  I'll highlight some pieces that will help you get this classic, East Hampton look in your kitchen.

Outdoor Inspiration

WHY IT WORKS

This week's WHY IT WORKS inspiration comes from a weekend getaway we had with some good friends.  I'm typically a city girl, but every once in awhile, it does feel good to be out in the fresh air.  We stayed at a charming lodge set right in the middle of a forest, next to a river.  It was beautiful.  As I was clicking away on my camera, I spotted a small match of reindeer moss tucked beside some river rocks.  The bright green of reindeer moss is one of my all time favorite colors.  The following pieces are all inspired by my little patch of moss.  Just goes to show... inspiration is everywhere.  If the color palette and textures work in nature, it will work in your home too!

Crate and Barrel Bennet Green Pillow

             

Anthropologie Coqo Rug

West Elm Tree Stump Side Table

Crate and Barrel Braden Coffee Table

John Derian Plates for Target

A Gorgeous Kitchen

I came across this kitchen about a year ago and I still come back to it from time to time.  It's one of my all time favorites.

WHY THIS WORKS

(image from Design Sponge)

• 
  
  Color!  I absolutely LOVE the color of these cabinets!  My cabinets are white right now, and if I ever decide to change things up, I'm going for this look. 
• 
  
  The rug!  I love that pop of color and how it relates back to the orange in the clock.  Doesn't that rug just make you happy?
• 
  
  The glass front cabinets and farm house sink.  In my opinion, these are classic designs and will never go out of style!   

INSPIRATION

• Painted cabinetry.  I love the look of painted cabinetry.  If you're looking to update your kitchen cabinets, painting is a great option!  Paint and new hardware can completely tranform a kitchen.  I love grays!
• A rug in the kitchen.  Most of us spend countless hours standing in the kitchen and we all need a rug to save our feet.  I love a beautiful rug, but in a high traffic area like a kitchen, I have to be practical too, which is why I like FLOR tiles.  They come in a beautiful range of colors and there are so many ways to make your own custom rug!  I have FLOR tiles in my home and I don't feel guilty when I get a stain and need to replace a tile.  I love FLOR so much that I'm sure I'll be doing a separate post just on FLOR in the future.
• Countertops.  I know it's a battle, but having a clutter free countertop is so good for the soul.  It's not realistic to have our counters look like a magazine picture all the time, but I'm always looking for ways to edit and store.  Take a look at your kitchen and critically look at all the things you have on your counter.  How much of it is necessity and how much of it can be thrown away or stored? 

To see more of this beautiful home, click here.

Nate Berkus!

I have always loved watching Nate on the Oprah show!  I was ecstatic when I heard he was getting his own show!  I love his design philosophy and his style.  He's definitely one of my favorite designers!  In honor of his new show, The Nate Berkus Show, starting today, our inspiration room this week is from Nate's Chicago Apartment.

WHY IT WORKS:

photo from Elle Decor via Apartment Therapy

Wall Color:  Like in most things, balance is key.  Notice how he kept the background of this room neutral so that things in the foreground can pop.  The rug is amazing, I'll be featuring a similiar rug on my blog on Friday.  I love paint and I think color is great, but sometimes, you just can't go wrong with classic white.

Legs:  Tables, chairs and sofas usually have exposed legs or covered legs.  Nate has used exposed legs for all the pieces in this room.  When you see the legs on a piece of furniture, it makes it appear lighter because your eye can travel all around it.

Color Story:  The color story in this room is basically black, white, brown and green.  Neutral, but definitely not boring.  Most importantly, notice how the colors relate to each other.  The black is seen in the rug, bookshelf and art.  The browns are in the sofa chairs, and art.  Lastly, a punch of green is brought in through the chair cushions, pillows and flowers.

INSPIRATION

Colors:  Take a look around, can you narrow down your colors to 3 or 4?  Do they relate to each other?  Do you see your primary colors in various pieces and throughout the room?  A common mistake is to err on either extreme.  Often we put too much color in a room because we can't decide, or we're so afraid of color that the room is too neutral and boring.

Rug:  I love rugs.  Because they're usually large and in the center of a room, they make a big impact.  Even if you have wall to wall carpet, go ahead and put an area rug on top.  It works!  Rugs are a great place to draw color inspiration too.

Wall Space:  Take another look at Nate's room, notice how well he uses his wall space to display art and collections.  Another common decorating mistake is not using your wall space well.  Many times, artwork or photos are too small and you're left with a blank wall that looks unbalanced.  Look around your space,  how are you using your walls?   

For more photos of Nate's Chicago Apartment, click here.

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)