Contemporary Glamour

Luscious inspiration on adding glamour to your living space:

 Love the pale aqua walls paired with the black, cream, and splash of pink:

Unexpected oval room with a beautiful chandelier and round dining table:

 Kelly Wearstler Designs

Luscious Savings at Rue La La

Are you a member of Rue La La? I just received an email that one of their boutiques is Bliss Living Home, which means huge savings. Email me & I will send you the link to join. Usually the sales are only available for a couple of days. Here are some of their items:

 "Kew" Duvet Set $169-$179 (retail price $275)

 "Love" Decorative Pillow $59

 "Kew" Shower Curtain $79

"Amanda" Sheet Set $119-129 (retails $225)

 "Park Ave" Decorative Pillow $39

 They feature many more fantastic boutiques! Join & start saving!

Luscious Pillows

I am loving these bright pillows from Pier 1. My mother-in-law just bought this pillow to brighten up the space in her living room. I am thinking it would also look great on my yellow chair (the $8 thrift store find) that I have yet to paint. However, I first want to browse a few discount home stores- Marshalls, Homegoods- to see if I can find a similar pattern and color at a cheaper price. For $35 at Pier 1 I'm thinking I can find one for $14.99 or even $20 would be worth spending.

Below is my $8 chair find with pillow possibilities. The pillows are all from Pier 1. For now I am keeping the yellow chair with the brown because I am too busy to paint. It will be on my project to-do list for the summer!

I love the feminine look of the ruffled pillows. The ruffle also adds texture to the space. The purple would be a fun pop of color and the cream would soften the space. The cream would also be more versatile being a neutral color, especially if I wanted to switch rooms.

My pillow inspiration also stems from my recent post on the HGTV Dream Green Home, in which they added funky designs and colors in throw pillows to freshen the space. Below is more pillow inspiration. 

Pillows & Throws:

West Elm:

Madeline Weinrib:

 Ikat Pillows

Vintage Suzani

Organic Blockprint

Hot Pink Brooke

Don't forget to always mix and match your throw pillows to your liking. Rotate them throughout your house and experiment in different rooms. Have fun with them!

HGTV Dream Home

Did anyone watch the HGTV episode Sunday night that aired the tour of the Dream Green Home 2010? The house was built in Massachusetts and is New England-inspired design. It has traditional architecture (very cool) with a modern flair, which of course I love!

I love the traditional white kitchen with the splash of bold red on the island, which immediately connects with the bold red sofa in the great room. The red is a theme color throughout the house, and used in a variety of furniture. I also love the upstairs bedrooms. I noticed the IKEA expedit bookcase being used as storage in the kids bedroom. I love the matching funky black mirrors in the master bathroom, and who couldn't love the soaking tub in a room full of light! Also in the master bath is a huge shower with beautiful tile and a rain shower. The tower room is used a place to escape. It's in the top room of the house and a very small space, but definitely a place to relax.

There are multiple ways the house is eco-friendly, or "Green." Most materials are eco-friendly and the fabric and bedding are organic. I love the creativity of the lamp in the dining room made out of a wire basket. My friend, Lauren, would love the numerous baskets used for organizing recyclables in the mud room. There are also a lot of environmentally friendly products used in the outdoor space.

I loved all of the bold colors and fun patterns around the house. I thought it was a very energetic house. You can check out the house and watch a 90-second clip on the website.

DIY Ideas from the Dream Green Home:

• Use contact paper on a piece of furniture (as seen in the charcoal coffee table in the living room)
• An inexpensive coffee table (just make sure there are no young kids go in this room): Use a sturdy basket as the base with a piece of glass on top (as seen in sitting room of master bedroom)
• Spray paint! I love the aluminum chairs used at the kitchen island. Imitate the look of aluminum with metallic silver spray paint.
• Paint a bold stripe as shown in the kids bathroom (light blue & orange)
• Incorporate colors of the dream home into your home: red, gold, charcoal. Give old accessories a new and updated look with spray paint.
• Update cabinetry with a fresh coat of paint and new hardware
• Browse local art shops and galleries for new art in your home, or paint your own!
• Add bold colors and prints in fabrics (pillows, bedding, lampshades, etc)

Don't forget to enter in the Dream Green Home 2010 Giveaway!

Dress Up Your Windows

Window treatments can complete a room. They add warmth, comfort, and privacy. There are so many options for window treatments that sometimes it can be overwhelming trying to make decisions. They can also be super expensive depending on the number of windows you need to cover. I love shades and room-darkening curtains in the bedroom to block out light, as mentioned in a previous post.

When my husband and I bought our house we found affordable shades at JC Penney. We chose white cordless Roman shades. We put them on most windows- in our office and the bedrooms.

In a recent article in InStyle Magazine (April 2010) I read a fun way to do something different with curtains was to mix the color of panels. For example, one panel may be a red and the other, orange. Or, 2 shades of pink is another example.

Better Homes & Gardens has a window treatment tool online, in which you can select the wall color and try different colors and patterns in curtains.

Below are some window covering photos:

House Beautiful: 

I love the zebra print!

 HGTV:

There are a ton of curtain websites, but here are some of my favorites:

Overstock

JCPenney

Urban Outfitters

Country Curtains

Bed, Bath, and Beyond

West Elm

Pottery Barn 

Ikea 

Pier 1

Fresh Flowers

One of my favorite things to have around our house are fresh flowers. They remind me of summer, add a pop of color, are a great accessory to the home, and make me happy. Plus, they are inexpensive way to decorate your home. I go to our local farmer's market where they sell a variety of flowers and plants at great prices. My spring favorites are tulips and carnations. I love carnations because they last for weeks!!

I have bought square glass vases at Marshall's for about $5 each. For our wedding last summer I bought small vases from Crate & Barrel to hold a pink floating gerbera daisy for each cocktail table. I love collecting pretty vases to hold a bouquet, such as the blue and white porcelain vase from Holland. Water pitchers and glasses make perfect vases for flowers, as well. In addition to bouquets, I also love floating a single flower in water. A few pebbles or glass stones in the bottom of the vase is a pretty centerpiece.

In order for flowers to last make sure you cut the stems at an angle and refill the vase with fresh water every few days. 

My most recent purchase of hot pink carnations arranged in a square vase:

Saved some for this small vase (Crate & Barrel):

 Purple spring tulips in blue & white vase:

 These light green carnations lasted about a month!

Pottery Barn offers some tips on decorating with flowers and gives examples on using flowers. Martha Stewart also offers ideas on table arrangements for weddings- a perfect place to get ideas for your own home.

Crate & Barrel Love

One of my most favorite Home stores is Crate and Barrel. I first discovered this store a while back while visiting California. But, back then I didn't have a home of my own. When my husband and I got engaged I knew that was a store I wanted for our registry. Luckily there was a location in the area by the time I was able to shop there. 

We had a lot of fun adding things to our registry. My husband wanted a part in it, as well, which I loved. I also want to add that I am SO grateful that my husband and I have the same style for our home. We both like contemporary and modern. He trusts all of my home purchases and we can go shopping for furniture together and make quick decisions.

I noticed that some of my registry purchases are still sold in stores so I wanted to share them with you. I bought my drinkware here and love the simple, classic style. Plus, they were very inexpensive (.95-$1.50). They come in all sizes. I bought the double old-fashioned and the cooler glasses. The double old-fashioned is good for a juice glass and also for margaritas! :) I registered for the white Aspen dinnerware. I decided on white dinnerware because we love to entertain and doing tablescapes and white would be the most versatile. Again, I love the classic style. It was at a great price, too!! I am so glad I went with the white because I have had a lot of fun with tablecloths and colorful place mats & napkins. I can use the white dinner plates with different color salad plates to mix it up. I bought a green tropical serving plate & bowl, and the green goes so well with the white dishes. Unfortunately, these pieces are no longer sold at stores.

One of the things my husband really wanted were carafes. After a trip to Holland, he was obsessed with glass carafes filled with water or juice on the table instead of traditional pitchers. We registered for 2 Vinny carafes and love them.

I also received the Evelyn Vase from my registry. A fun twist to the classic glass vase. I definitely recommend this stemware rack that fits perfectly underneath your cabinets (or shelf).

I went to C&B today for a shower gift and purchased a few things for myself, too. I bought a large Bistro bowl- a great pasta serving dish. I bought these colored citronella tealights, which I will put in this candle holder- perfect for summer nights. I also bought a few of these mini Parker bowls in turquoise, a colorful addition to my white dinnerware.  

While shopping, I also fell in LOVE with these items:

Gorgeous White & Turquoise China with a Gold Rim:

Luscious Green & White Hampton Dinnerware: the green is so fun and fresh for summer!

Everytime I come to this store I eye this pillow. It would be perfect for our brown couch, but I can't seem to spend the $50 for 1 pillow....

Here it is against a purple chair:

The Clara Chair:

Another item I've been wanting are these fun, geometric prints: 

These napkin rings are so fun for entertaining:

As soon as I saw this turquoise leather chair I thought of the chair I bought at a garage sale for $5. It needs to be re-upholstered- the leather seat is torn. But, the C&B chair sells for $1,099 and I'm thinking I could definitely re-upholster my chair for much less. I will have to add it onto my project list! I'm not so sure about a leather chair- I will have to do some research. Take a look below:

 My $5 Torn Leather Chair:

C&B's Marsden Leather Chair:

Enjoy!