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.

IKEA Fridays - Meet Agam and Ingolf

I have a practical pick this week.  With 3 kids under the age of 5, you'll notice that I tend to be on the look out for kid-friendly furniture.  Things that I love to look at and will meet the needs of our little ones.  We splurged a couple of years ago and purchased the Tripp Trapp Chair from Stokke.  Looks like this:




(image from stokke.com)



It's been great!  Our kids use it everyday and it's so nice to have them up at the perfect height of our table without having to be on their knees.  It's definitely an investment piece at around $250.

So I was very excited when I saw 2 junior chairs, Agam and Ingolf, that serves the same purposes, but at a fraction of the cost.  The seats don't adjust like the Tripp Trapp and it doesn't have straps, but for the price, it works and looks just as good!



Meet AGAM for $39.99 and INGOLF for $49.99. 



(AGAM)



(INGOLF)

Have a great weekend everyone!  See you next week, when I'll be talking about "art".

Pumpkins and the Slow Family Movement

The week before Halloween, we made our annual trip to the pumpkin patch.  This year, we went to a small family owned  farm and had a great time! 

It was incredibly charming and our kids had a great time running around with the animals, feeding them and playing in the barn!  I don't know about you, but every time I come to a place like this, I get a small tug to get out of the "burbs", and create a life that's a tad slower and simpler.

I know living on a farm or rural living is certainly no easy task, but I believe there's something special about it for kids and adults alike.  It forces us to live in a way where we understand the importance and joy of work, and of taking care of things and people other than ourselves.

A few months back, I read a great article on a movement called the Slow Family Movement. Here's just a short quote from the article, "My dream is that I have a home where my kids want to return and spend time..."  Click here if you'd like to read more about it.

Why This Works - Dwell

It's late and I'm recovering from a great Halloween Party.  Oh boy - was our house full tonight!  Can you imagine... 20 kids under the age of 5 running around in costumes WITH candy?  Noise and energy, laughter and fun... in my opinion, that's what makes a house a home.  So... let's go on to a short but sweet, WHY IT WORKS this week.

WHY IT WORKS:  Dwell Studios never ceases to amaze me.  Their color combinations and patterns are just gorgeous.  I've fallen in love with one of their latest patterns, Zinnia.  Take a look!

First of all, the color combination is genius.  Soft pink, light and dark grays with a hint of sky blue.  Wonderful!  And those flowers are feminine, graphic and fun!  Unfortunately, these linens are not in my budget these days, but I can definitely steal the look. 

INSPIRATION:

• Now, if you're really on a tight budget, but are inspired by this pattern, the cheapest way to recreate the feeling is with paint.  You can use any of the colors in this pattern as wall color.  Check out the pink they used in the first photo and the light blue they used in the second photo.

• If your budget allows you to purchase something in this collection, I would first start with the sham for only $36.  Even if that was the only throw pillow you had on your bed, it would definitely make a statement. 

• Another idea... consider buying the shower curtains just for the fabric.  You can make dummy draping panels, a simple valance, your own throw pillows or use it to back a cork bulletin board!

• And if you can really splurge!  Go for the duvet and rug and send me pics!  :D

IKEA Fridays - Meet Persika and Farm

So all this week, I've been writing about fall decorations and Halloween party ideas.  I wanted my IKEA post this week to stick with this theme so I'm going to start with this inspiration photo.



(image from hgtv.com)


Isn't it lovely?  Like I mentioned on Monday, using natural twigs, leaves and branches are great way to add a touch of fall to your decor.  Check out that white vase.  A white vase is so versatile because it goes with any holiday, event or season and because it's solid, you can put together an arrangement and not have to worry about how the stems/branches look at bottom of the vase.  It makes it much easier to put an arrangment together.  Here are 2 great vases from IKEA.

Meet Persika.  It has a similar shape to the vase in our inspiration photo and I love how this modern shape will look with some rustic branches.  I think the contrast is striking.

Meet Farm.  Aren't these great?  Can you imagine them all grouped together with some small twigs tucked in?  Understated and beautiful.  I'll need to pick these up on my next trip!

Halloween Party Preview

So, we're starting to count down to the big day or should I say big night?  I thought I'd share with you some of the things I have in mind so far.

Decorations:  We're going simple here.  I loved this tablecloth idea from Martha Stewart.  She created it using layered crepe paper and streamers, but I think I'll also use tablecloths and fabric. I had a hard time finding crepe paper that big. 


(image from marthastewart.com)



Favors:  We'll be using these adorable trick or treat bags from Packaging Specialties.  One of my favorite stores!


(image from ps-stores.com)



Food:  We're having a snacks and dessert party for all the kiddos.  One of my favorite go-to snacks is this delicious Caramel Corn recipe from Savory Sweet Life.  Alice's blog is amazing!  This blog was on the first ones I started reading and it's been a true source of inspiration.  Her recipes are delicious and foolproof!


(image from savorysweetlife.com)

 Ok... those are just a few things my friends and I are working on.  Hopefully I'll be able to post some pics of the party next week.

Halloween Treat Box

Love is in the details.  How fun would it be to hand out treats in these fabulously creative treat boxes.  Like I mentioned yesterday, the blogosphere is amazing!  This box is designed by an artist from Melbourne, Australia.   Bee's blog, honey jumble is adorable with TONS of great artwork available for purchase.  Click here to see her blog and download the template for FREE.  Thanks for sharing Bee!