Home Improvement

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How perfect is that today I'm headed back home to Texas for Thanksgiving Break and today is Home Improvement Thursday's here on 85 Dresses! Sometimes, all you need for a little home revamping can be something as simple as a black and white print. While trying to decorate your home or room with art pieces can seem intimidating at times,  a black and white print with either a favorite movie quote (say it with me, everyone : "uch, as if"!) or one by your favorite artist, is simple enough to be a good starting point. I love how the Warhol print above isn't even hung and instead is just balanced against the wall. There are so many options and that is one that doesn't require a lot of commitment by not putting any actual holes into your walls and sort of has a studio-like feel to it to me.

Would you decorate with a print like these? Not gonna lie, I'm really into the Clueless one.

Hope everyone gets home safely for Thanksgiving with all of the snow that we've been having over here! Can't wait to head home tonight and get a heavy dose of southernness. It's about time.

Home Improvement: Jonathan Adler

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One of my favorite brands for home and office decor is Jonathan Adler. "Mid-century modern, art and global pop culture" are what inspire Jonathan Adler and all of his pieces have a sense of whimsy and fun to them which I definitely admire when it comes to how I think about decorating my future home. I've gathered some of my favorites above including that fabulous pink couch (which is a piece that I know I want to include someday) and a creative vase that looks like an ice cream cone! Can't get much better than that.

Home Improvement: Furry Decor

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Recently I've found myself obsessing over furry decor - specifically sheepskin. I think that texture is one of the strongest elements in decor and design and these sheepskin elements provide such an amazing texture both visually and tactilely. When it comes to searching for interior design inspiration, I have found that I have been drawn to interiors that include these textural elements. Below are some of my current favorites. Also, how amazing is the pink floor throw?

Home Improvement

The Gallery Restaurant at Sketch London

There's no question that pink is a favorite of mine and I'm not picky for where it is. Whether it's fashion or interior design above, this dusty pink is a version that I am particularly fond of. While I never got the chance to visit, in perusing Pinterest for this week's Home Improvement post, and I'll admit, a little London withdrawal, I came across The Gallery Restaurant inside of Sketch--London. The pink is used perfectly by being paired with sort of rose gold chair bases and table top accents and a floor that is an unexpected herringbone pattern in a series of browns, and the fact that the chairs and booth style seating is plush velvet as opposed to a different fabric creates an incredibly luxe and pleasing look to the eye. Not to mention, the almost cartoon-like drawings perfectly aligned on the wall match the playful setting and definitely make me long for the time I get to jump back to London and visit Sketch.

Home Improvement

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When I think about summer, I think a lot about the outdoors and light and airy spaces. As soon as I came across the image above on Pinterest, I knew that this space is one of those breezy areas to lounge in during the summer. I love areas that work really well to easily switch up for times with friends that also work for solitary time, as well. With the white brick, light colored floors, inviting couch, and bright green plants, this is a place that I can absolutely see catching up with a couple of friends or spending time curled up with a magazine.

What does this space make you think of?

Home Improvement

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Wow, you guys! We haven't had our regular Thursday 'Home Improvement sessions in quite a while. Inspiring and comfortable home decors are something that I have grown quite interested in over the years, and finding them for these weekly posts is something that I very much enjoy. So, we'll be getting back to those for all of you reading. Aside from my clear recent obsession with all things black and white, yellow is a color that is finding its way into my obsession category, as well.

While yellow is a color that so many people, including me,  shy away from (similar to orange), I began to shift my thoughts towards it with a recent trip for a pedicure. It sounds silly, but yellow is a color that is known to make people happier, and with bright yellow toes, it certainly has done a little bit of joy every time I go to change my footwear for the day. I began thinking that if yellow toes can instantly add that bit of happiness, what would happen if there was yellow accents in our home decor? While too much of it may be a bit bright, depending on your feelings towards the color, a little accent here and there definitely adds that punchy brightness that easily finishes a room and fills it in with the way that a lot of colors just aren't able to. In the room above, I love how the room is mostly black and white with pastel accents and sort of faded pieces and then the small yellow pillow and blanket on the couch make it warmer than if they had not been there at all.

What do you guys think? Adding any yellow into your lives in the future?

If not in your decor or your wardrobe, I suggest at least starting with your toes :)

Home Improvement

 / Photo from The Life Styled /

As much as I love color, I have a special place for neutrals, as well. However, even with neutrals I can shift between both ones with texture and prints and ones that are super monochromatic and solid. This week's Home Improvement post features a living room setting that has a glamorous feel using neutrals of gold, blacks, creams, and whites, but playing up the lack of color with glitter, polka dots, chevron, and fur throws. The light colored couch, walls, and table keep the room light and airy and allow the accent pillows to provide the perfect amount of pop and interest to the space. Can't you totally picture sitting here reading stacks of magazines and chatting with girlfriends?

What do you think of printed and textured neutrals in this week's room?

PS-How amazing is that gold pillow?

Home Improvement

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It's amazing how you can find yourself drawn to design aspects that you never thought that you would be interested in, don't you think? Today's 'Home Improvement' post is not necessarily one that I would really decorate my home with (see: cow tile work), but I certainly think that the image above is inspiring. Green is one of those colors that I think is so often overlooked when it comes to home interiors, and yet, it is one of those colors that pretty much have whichever impact you want it to. Pale greens can be calming and quite pretty, while emeralds and kelly greens are much bolder and make a stronger statement. I find the idea of a green kitchen interesting, in that green is often associated with a state of calmness. In the kitchen, cooking and being with family and friends, should not be a stressful activity. Who knows? By incorporating more greens in the kitchen, and not just on our plates, our general stress levels may even lower. All of the flowers don't hurt, either.

What do you think of green interiors? What about green kitchens?

Check out this green formal room that I would love to daydream in, as well.

Home Improvement

Pastels are playing a huge role in coats for the upcoming fall and winter seasons. What used to be reserved for darker blacks, grey, and navy, have been replaced by more subdued cotton candy colors. With pastels making a statement in a season other than traditional Spring, I came across this room above, that keeps the pastels and sweet colors slightly toned down with a graphic black and white rug, funky light fixtures, and a bit of nature with a pop of kelly green plants. Keeping the furniture simple both in shape and style is key in a room like this one. With the prints and patterns displayed on the fabrics, the basic furniture helps to balance it out, and the robins-egg blue table picks up on colors in the blankets. 

How would you arrange pastels in your home to keep them from being overly sweet? I'm in love with that rug!

Home Improvement

Finding new ways to decorate and style spaces is always exciting to me. It's so easy to change the look and feel of a room with a simple DIY. While these purple chairs may or may not be a DIY project, it is a fun thought to realize that with a touch of spray paint and basically any piece of furniture, you can fairly quickly and inexpensively alter your home to match whatever is suiting your style at the moment. If you're anything like me, committing to something as seemingly permanent as home furnishings can be difficult. With a purple color as unique as the one featured in the image above, it would be interesting to test it out for a time period and when the color is no longer inspiring, change it up with a few sprays of a different shade and watch the space transform.

Aren't these purple chairs amazing? Not too pastel and not too deep of a purple, they provide a happy medium for a decorating color that is often not explored

Home Improvement

I've recently noticed that I am becoming more and appreciative of a perfect black wall. What used to seem so dark, dreary, and depressing when it came to interior design, now feels almost as clean of a slate as a spotless white. When black walls are decorated with contrasting colors and elements, it creates a sense of warmth that I have yet to find in different colors-it is also much more unexpected. The image above features a black wall in an office-like setting, but black is such a versatile color whether in clothing or design, and could work well in any space. Don't worry, though, if you don't feel quite ready to make the leap over to the dark side (ha), this is a key opportunity to test out a black accent wall. Who knows, you might just fall in love with it.

What are your thoughts on black walls? Love 'em or hate 'em?

Home Improvement

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Do you find yourself doubting your projects when you're at work? I know this is something that I am definitely guilty of. When working on a project for a while, similar to staring at a paper you're trying to put together, it is hard to appreciate it for the spark from where the initial idea came from that caused you to act on it. This week's Home Improvement feature is a fun take on a bit of self-encouragement for an office setting (or wherever you see fits). Though at first it came across as a bit overwhelming, I love how when doing a double take, the words can come across as almost like a graphic wallpaper print. If these walls could talk they would definitely keep inspiration flowing and get ideas back on track to where they were. Also, how cute is that little orange polka dot desk organizer? I love how the sea-foam scissors holder and desk organizer pop against the other-wise only black and white desk. 

Would you ever try a wall like this one?

Home Improvement

Being in college and planning on moving to New York City after I graduate in a few years definitely has prepped me for dealing with living in small spaces. In more compact environments, it is important to make use of every nook and cranny, but making sure to still stay true to your sense of style and need for comfort that should be associated with spaces like homes. In an open floor plan, moveable pieces like wall dividers and easily moveable pieces of furniture can help to quickly transform a space with minimal effort and maximum effect. Today's feature for home improvement follows this similar idea. While I'm not sure if this particular wall in the image above is moveable, I began to think how great a moveable gallery style wall would be. While we all know how much I love a well curated gallery wall, they seem so permanent to me because each piece of art has to fit well with the others on the wall--like a puzzle. By creating a similar gallery-stye wall, but on a moveable piece of furniture, you can take the art that you already have worked to gather and arrange, but can create a completely different effect when moved to a different space, possibly sectioning off a new space, as well. After all, however, small spaces provide plenty of room for creativity and experimenting with what works for you.

What do you think of the idea of a moveable gallery-style wall?

Home Improvement

Years ago, when my family lived in our old house, my sister and I had a pink playhouse. While the house itself was every little girls dream, it was an element in the house, a chalkboard wall that my dad painted on, that really made it unique and special. The always-drawing art lover that I was, appreciated the wall as an endless source of creativity and inspiration, and when I came across this dreamy chalkboard wall behind a bathtub I was reminded of the space where so many ideas flowed without too much scrutiny. How dreamy would it be to have a relaxing bath and doodle on the walls? After all, so many of us come up with our best ideas in the shower...why should this be any different?

What do you think of this creative alternative to wallpaper or traditional paint?

-If anyone knows the original source of this image, please let me know-

Home Improvement

Despite being the extremely girly girl that I was growing up, I never had a pink bedroom. Oddly enough, even being the age I was, I saw it as sort of typical and expected. However, when I stumbled across this pink room, the color and amount of it spread throughout the entire room was anything but typical. While the furniture is definitely not my style, this room with it's large windows and intricate crown molding on the ceiling make me want to fill it with pieces in white and lucite to contrast against the color. Can't you picture throwing spontaneous events with friends and chatting until early hours in here? This is a pink room that is much more sophisticated than any that I've ever seen. Imagine all of the other colors that could have the same effect.

Home Improvement

As much as I love falling asleep during a thunderstorm, I love waking up to a bright sunny morning just as much. There is something about that perfect surge of morning light rushing through your windows that adds a bit more pep and energy to start off the day right. When I came across this bedroom, I started imagining waking up to the flooding of light through those incredible windows. The slanted walls create so many amazing opportunities for decoration and style and make the windows even more interesting. With the unique shape of the room, I also really appreciate how the owner took the chance to play the shape up and create a sort of focus wall filled with an abstract floral wallpaper. In a pattern that may otherwise overwhelm if spread throughout the whole room, when narrowed in on a small and angular part, the pattern is not only easier to take in, but more complimentary to the space, as well. 

What do you think? Wouldn't you love waking up in this sunny bedroom?

Home Improvement

In this extremely hot weather that we've been having lately, how can you help but want to transport yourself to this home in South Africa. Aside from being located near the beach, everything about this home adds to its airy and fresh atmosphere. From the light colored floors, fabrics and materials of the  furniture, to the larges sliding glass doors, it seems that maybe just being in this space could help with the heat. The high ceilings add to the overall open feel of the space as well, and I am in love with the hanging lights that not only have that same airy feel to them as the room does, but create another interesting texture and element, too.

So, who's with me on taking a trip to South Africa?

Home Improvement

When it comes to pink, things can get tricky really fast. Naturally, the color is full of girly qualities to begin with, so it can easily err on the side of super-feminine or sometimes even juvenile. While I love nearly all shades of pink, playing with the femininity of the color with some earthy textures and colors     [seen in the fur throw on the wooden chair, table decorations, and wall paintings], help to make the pink more of a relaxing neutral than an over-the-top girly setting. 

How would you style a pink room? All-out feminine or mixin' it up?

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Home Improvement

When I came home from my finishing my Sophomore year of college last week, I came home to a literal home improvement. While I was away, my parents had changed our stairs from being covered in an old, grey-ish carpet, to clean hardwood ones. It's amazing what something as simple as going from carpet to wood can do to a part of a space and it got me thinking about alternative stairs, an aspect to some homes that is often neglected--as was ours. In perusing favorite interior sites, I had seen everything from turning parts of the stairs into hide-away storage units, to mirrored stairs for a definite sparkle lover. However, one of the ones that stuck with me was a set of beautifully painted floral stairs (seen above). While to some it may seem unnecessarily decorative, I thought of how unique it might be to instead of having paintings, these stairs were in a perfectly white staircase and the only color came from the steps. There surely is something quite whimsical, but not too quirky about these stairs, and it will definitely make me pay more attention to spaces that are otherwise left unnoticed. 

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Home Improvement

Have you ever seen things differently after you start taking interest in a new trend or activity? When Madewell came out with their 'map view' print, I began taking an interest in maps of all kinds. While we don't really look at traditional paper versions as often as we used to on travel excursions and road trips and turn to the digital iPhone, Mapquest, or GPS version, I think that there is something so intricate and interesting about them. It takes a great amount of skill to layout and organize an entire area of a place. For this week's Home Improvement, the kitchen above with the large wall map in a black, white, and grey palette creates an interesting sort of wallpaper and art piece at the same time. In keeping the furniture to a simple style and neutral, natural colors, the focus is clearly on the wall and doesn't make the rest of the room boring.

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