Category: Week of Design

Red Accents – Week of Design

It’s hard to believe that our last Week of Design was back in 2007! I received so much positive feedback from you and had such fun working on it that I’ve been hoping to do another one ever since. Here we are, one toddler and two years later, and I’ve finally pulled another set of design inspiration photo collages together. We’re still renters with no plans to buy, but I continue to save photos on my hard drive for our Inspiration Files. I’m thrilled to share a small portion of these beautiful photos with you over the next seven days. Enjoy!

Thank you to the following sources for photos and inspiration: A Browner Brown, alex the girl, decor8, Design*Sponge, Eddie Ross, Flickr, How About Orange, inchmark, Nesting, Oh Happy Day, Ohdeedoh (and the other Apartment Therapy blogs), sfgirlbybay, Simple Lovely, Small Notebook, The Inspired Room, the seventy tree, Tiny Decor Blog, The Yvestown Blog, and the following magazines: Cookie, Dwell, Domino (miss you so much!), Natural Home, Real Simple, Sunset.

Love those sites!

Do you see a photo of yours and I missed you? Please let me know right away and I’ll add you to the list. SO sorry about that and thanks!

Week of Design (Day 6)

Second to our kitchen, at home we spend the most of our waking hours in our living room, which right now is also our office and dining room (ah, small apartment living!). Let’s do an inventory of items we have already procured that are necessary according to my favorite living room photographs below. Beige sofa: check! Snazzy chair: check! Great artwork: check! Throw pillows, recessed lighting, marble fireplace, and books: check! Evidently all that’s missing is a fabulous chandelier, a styling area rug, and, oh, a beautiful living room with giant windows, gorgeous curtains, and hardwood floors…

For our dream dining room, we are way behind in its execution. We do have a fabulous giant wooden table (from my Grandfather), so that is a plus, and we have tons of great serving ware, etc., but we’re still using wooden folding chairs for seating and pretty much lack any sort of ambiance that these pictures project:

Only one more day in our Week of Design… Stay tuned!

Week of Design (Day 5)

Some of my favorite evening childhood memories center on open fire pits, campfires, and fireplaces. I fondly recall the smell, the flickers of light, the warmth (sometimes overwhelming!), the singing and storytelling, and, of course, the food (and treats!) cooked over them. For several years I abhorred open fires when I was dealing with my chemical sensitivities, but now that I am feeling oh-so-much better, I’ve started to think again about fireplaces and their place in our dream home. While there are so many great ones out there, David and I were amazed about how inefficient many of the designs are. When we build our little cob cottage in the country, I want a fully-functional and efficient fireplace to occasionally cook over and heat our house… and I want it to look damn fine too.

Here are some fireplaces I love the look of, though I can’t vouch for their functionality. Which one is your favorite? Can you guess which one belongs to Brad Pitt and which one is from a popular television show?

Week of Design (Day 4)

I love the use of textures, geometry, and natural materials (such as stone) in gardens. I love courtyards and entry ways, paths that don’t just direct you from point a to point b, but lead you through a beautiful garden, and the use of plant foliage—and open space—in creating a place of escape.

For David and me, our bedroom is currently our most important place to escape, containing the ever-essential calming colors, soft materials, and a feeling of home. Our bedroom is also our greatest extravagance at our house, with our organic mattress and organic sheets. We both sleep great pretty much every single night and never wake up allergied or with puffy eyes like we used to (before we went organic). We get a good night sleep and love and look forward to going to bed each night. Rather than post pictures of our current bedroom which fits my tastes perfectly, here are some photos of other dream bedrooms for your more modern (and not-so-modern) sensibilities. I just love ’em.