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

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

I have always had a thing for libraries and when I was younger had a goal to read every book in the neighborhood library. While obviously unrealistic, it is a good thought. The idea of having all of the books filled with information, inspiration, and photographs waiting for me to delve into them was exciting and the limits of what could be read were endless. So many libraries seem to be under appreciated and are seen as dated. Even still, I can't shake the thought of eventually having a small collection of my own in my future home. While it will be a while, or never, until I can have a room organized with books in every category, simple bookshelves and coffee tables will take place. To liven up the basic set-up, like in the image above, a few photographs and prints, wallpaper accent wall, and the word "library" in a fun script, create a place for the books that show a little love to them just like a library would.

Do you ever think of creating a library--big or small?

Home Improvement

Growing up, fairy-like canopy beds and cushioned window seats were always on my mind when it came to the design of my bedroom. While the desire for a sheer canopy bed didn't last very long, my attraction to window seats still remains. Whether curling up to read the latest magazine, working on an assignment on a laptop, or sitting down to time with family and friends in the image above, window seats feel like the ideal example of easy relaxation in nearly any setting. The window seat that is pictured here, though, is a style that I had not seen before. The way that the home is up in the forrest allows for a picturesque landscape to be seen through the window. And, with the size of the window larger than most usually associated with quaint and cozy window seats, appears almost like a forrest painting, as well. 

Did you ever dream of having a window seat in your house?

Home Improvement

When I was younger, I collected everything from quarters from each state to porcelain dolls. Through the years, though, I have grown quite an affinity for collecting and admiring coffee table books. With their typical high cost, my collection (here, here, and here) is still small, but in their nearly endless categories of inspiration from fashion, photography, and art, I see them not only as amazing references for my interests, but as beautiful decorations in themselves. While their name mainly places them on the coffee table, the way that they are displayed in the image above, is not only much more interesting to the eye, but allows for the true beauty of the content and covers of these books to be showcased. Just as artwork can show the owner's personal style, these coffee table books can do just that, as well as provide passages into the owner's interests. On my current dream list: fashion, typography, and a favorite artist.

What are some of your favorite coffee table books? Would you display them like this?

Home Improvement

There's something about leaving a brick wall exposed that makes a room feel sort of unique and special.  While I typically associate red and brown brick with coziness and warmth, this white bricked small space is comfortable and cozy in a similar relaxing way. Pairing the rustic brick with the more feminine pink and creme pillows and wicker furniture makes for a combination that is both aesthetically pleasing and perfect for a room to lounge in. 

Home Improvement

Following earlier this week's post on Winter Whites in fashion, I felt that they are just as comfortable and cozy when applied to homes. Although light colored furnishings are hard to keep clean, when in colors like Ivory, Light Greys, and Taupes, they provide a similar simple elegance to a room that is as perfectly simple the way it is, or is also an ideal base for accent colors such as the green and yellow plants and candles in the image above.

How do you like your Winter Whites? Rooms or fashion?

Home Improvement

While mint green is one of my favorite colors, I would never think of using it in an interior space such as the one in the photo above. When I think of living rooms and fireplaces, I often don't think of pastel and cooler colors. However, with the high ceilings, intricate molding, abundance of knick knacks seen in the fireplace, pillows on the couch, and plates and bowls spread throughout, the mint is just as inviting and comfortable as any other color would be. And, it has a sense of uniqueness and freshness that would not often be found.

What do you think? Would you ever use a pastel color for your living room?

Home Improvement

Back home, we have a two-way fireplace that goes through the dining room and into the family room. When I was younger, I remember sitting on the bench in front of the fireplace and roasting marshmallows to make s'mores and watching as my dad would add wooden logs to the fire as I watched the flames grow and the embers burn from the other side. Though it isn't cold enough yet for snuggling in front of the heat, that is one of the memories from home that I love. These cozy and sweater-like cushions and mugs filled with coffee in tea in light cream and tans makes me excited for those cold weathered nights where even just watching the fire in the fireplace will keep you warm.

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