Get Out of Your Comfort Zone!

I love how all of these spaces have some patina and a lot of personality. These spaces confirm for me that I could never live in a cookie cutter space that looks just like the one next to it. If I had to live in a ho-hum space, I'd make sure the interior styling sang! 

I love these vintage brass light fixtures in a kitchen by Tia Zoldan (design crush!) I also LOVE the black muntins and casings in the windows. So European and cool. I want these even if they are most likely insanely expensive.. 

Kitchen designed by Tia Zoldan, featured on Modern Palm Blog

This is the opposite of cookie cutter. I've enjoyed seeing more accessible bar spaces in interiors recently, no not for the booze factor, but for that old hospitality that was so common in the 50s and 60s (think Mad Men). Not to mention, the bottles add some sparkle and sculpture to a table top and do not take up precious cabinet space. Ha!

Bar set up from Rue via Erin Ever After

If you had asked me five minutes before I found this picture if I like exposed brick, I would have said, "No thanks." I should bite my tongue, because looky here.... I could move right into this space. The antique rug warms up the floor. That couch is perfection and with a fireplace and lots of cushions, you won't be left cold. Built ins and a library ladder? The icing on the cake. (And look, black muntins and casings in the windows again!)

Via pinterest, originally from Apartment Therapy

We've spoken about my love for reading nooks before.... And wallpapering a tiny space is genius. This convo reminds me of a great slideshow on Apartment Therapy on the topic. This trick is not prohibitively expensive and makes that small space special and distinct. 

The Bone Collector via Pinterest

Well, here are some more antlers.... I can't help it. I love them, as seen in this post, and this pin... And I am not over reclaimed wood installed as a feature wall. When these trends are over, I need one of you to take my by the shoulders and give me a good shake because I won't want to let them go. Promise you'll do that for me.

And ya know, black and white stripes are just right up there with the most accessible and hard-to-get-wrong  tricks. It goes with anything!  And while we're talking about black and white stripes, I want to give b&w chevron and zebra print a shout out. Same idea. Neutrals, people! But they are exciting neutrals. Yes.

Two images just above from Katie Bower on Nate Berkus' "House Proud" segment

Happy Monday to you! I hope you have a great week! And since I like to start off the week with a great quote, I had one more thing to add before I take off....

When you're trying to decide between the chevron rug or the beige carpet, between the boring art that could work in a hotel room or quirky ceramic antlers, or between the solid color throw pillow or the b&w striped one, keep this in mind:

Unknown creator on Tumblr. Found via Pinterest.

Every Wall is an Opportunity for Something Great!

Every wall is an opportunity.

There will be many considerations for each... Will you make a grand gesture on this wall, or will the gesture be more subtle? Are there architectural details that should be showcased? Does the wall need to provide some function (i.e. storage or separation of spaces) or can it just look pretty? Is it the focal point in the space? How large or small is the wall?

Here, lovely wallpaper plays subtle second fiddle to the bold lamp shades. But the soft pattern makes the wall space look considered. It is the finishing touch. If you like this, you must check out Thibault fabrics and wallpapers.

thibaut via little green notebook

In the next image, this wall provides extra storage in the form of handy shelves and hooks, which also provide a subtle contrast against the floral wallpaper.

stadshem via wszystkieporyroku.blogspot

I love this next image. You can tell a designer lives here because she has taken a small "nothing" wall next to a closet and made a moment out of it. There are so many opportunities like this in every home, but you have to find them. In my opinion, this vignette is the small difference between a house and a home. You can "fill" each room by checking off your list: Couch, chairs, coffee table, end tables: Check. But how boring is that! Now she has a pop of color, a convenient extra spot to set something as she hunts in the closet, a place to showcase some personal art, and more storage. That all adds up to a more livable, more personal home.

sarah hvass via design sponge

We've all seen gallery walls and I still love them, but how 'bout over a doorway. With tall, vaulted wooden-slat ceilings, why not draw the eye up?

livingetc.com via interiorsporn

I love the asymmetry in this space, with that little touch of the "z" floating in the last line on its own. I especially love this artwork idea for a home with children. You could easily stop and point to letters to learn them as you walk by with the kiddo, but I think the graphic nature of the alphabet looks great, not childish. What do you think?

carl mobel via wszystkieporyroku.blogspot

This is a great idea: Mount the TV on the wall and surround it with a gallery wall. It almost hides it. Erin Gates over at Elements of Style did a post on this not long ago. She calls the TV the "evil necessity." Ha!

apartment therapy via wszystkieporyroku.blogspot

Now, here's an idea that I initially found in a Pottery Barn catalog. (!!!) I have drank the kool-aid on this one. When I have discussed this with some of my (non-designer) friends, some don't "get" it.

The idea is simple: Create art or a focal point on a wall with a collection or repetition of some thing. It doesn't really matter what it is. Here, the thing is hand-mirrors. I've seen spoons, keys, race ribbons, even necklaces, hung in groups on a wall. I love the impact of this and I love it because the possibilities are endless and so very customizable. (Spell check doesn't like "customizable"?)

1st-option via wszystkieporyroku.blogspot

Of course, we can't talk about walls without mentioning wallpaper. It's clear that it's back, baby, in a big way. I know our parents are all cringing. We spent many summer days tearing down the grass-cloth wallpaper in our then-new-to-us house in 1990. I remember my mom couldn't say "grass-cloth" without this exaggerated sneer like it was the grossest thing she'd ever heard of. Ha! Now, it is BACK. (She's still in denial.)

Here are some really beautiful wallpapers, IMO! And while I'm really not a fan of a focal wall with paint... (Grrr to one red wall in an all white room. Nate Berkus said it well on his show one day, "If you like the paint color enough to paint one wall, you should like it enough to paint the whole room." SO true.) But as I was saying...While I'm really not a fan of a focal wall with paint, I really don't mind wallpapering just one wall. (I know, ever the self-contradictory chick.) It saves money and time and makes a room feel extra special.

stadshem via wszystkieporyroku.blogspot2

This is STENCILING work. Can you believe it??

jen hill before and after design sponge

I love the bold choices here in the upholstery fabric against the wallpaper. I think I'd like to be this person's friend.

Jay Jeffers via decorati

I love the soft white and blue paper here in a large scale. If this was a smaller print, it might be too distracting or dizzy-ing even, like a Magic Eye from way back. I also like the organic shapes here.

Erinn Valencich via decorati

Now, I'm not positive of the floor plan here, but I imagine this being a sort-of small hallway, enclosed by several doors. In which case, I love the use of wallpaper to highlight the small, otherwise-only-a-pass-through-space as a moment. Again, it's about creating moments in your house to make it a home. It makes this small hallway considered.

blo-laget.se via interiors porn

My design client has lots of blank, white, tall walls.... I'm inspired! Are you?