Look what I spy!!
I love when I blog about a product and than randomly run across a photo of it in an actual room. Remember a while back I was scouting ceiling fixtures? Well I just found this photo over at My Home Ideas where they used the pendant version of the School House Electric Fixture! Than I spotted the photo below at Making It Lovely using the Ballard Design Chase Light, isn't it fantastic!?
Moving In with Verdigris Vie
Thank you so much Julie for inviting me to post on your incredible blog, it is such an honour. I have such great respect for you as a designer and a blogger, and I appreciate greatly all the wonderful work you put forth.
Moving into a new home is incredibly exciting and emotional. Whether it's your first home, or you're upsizing or downsizing, the process of redesigning a living environment can be a delight and a distress. The opportunity to start fresh in a space that better reflects your lifestyle is usually offset by the disappearing funds, and the realization that you will never have another free weekend again. Here are 3 things that helped me through the rough waters.
Paint it! - This is the one thing you don't want to hold off on. Attack it before or as soon as you move in! Nothing is worse than staring at drab walls, or a colour you don't like. If it's too overwhelming, have a designer come over for a colour consultation. It's worth every penny. You'll have set the foundation for your design palette, and future buying decisions will come easier.
Focus on a good one - You don't have to buy all your furniture at once. Pick a great piece to focus on, and take your time building your collection of furnishings. Finding local artisans and craftspeople to create the perfect dining table , server or armoire can be a very affordable choice. Buying quality always saves you in the long run, and is less wasteful . CreateGirl can give you 100 + ways to fill the space around it.
Plant life -Using Plants, floral arrangements even branches and twigs, will make your new home comforting, bright and inviting. Living plants actually help clean the air of your home. Their natural beauty adds life and energy to static spaces. Best of all, you can add pops of colour, volume and height to your home with ease seasonally.
(images from top to bottom: Canadian House and Home, House of Turquise, Pheobe Howard, Canadian House and Home)
Moving In with Coco+Kelley
Trust me when I say I've done my fair share of moving. The process of getting it all there? Horrible. Packing for days, having to throw out pieces you just won't have room for, and living out of boxes. Ugh. But the best part? When you're in a new space, with a clean slate, and all the possibilities in the world...
The bedroom I had was teeeeensy. The walls in the space were all beige as was the carpet (of course) and there was a huge ugly heater that was just left of center over my bed. There was no way I was investing in any pieces for this room since I knew I'd have a bigger space someday, so the name of the game here was Ikea. I purchased fabrics to hang from the ceiling to the floor behind the bed as a 'headboard' and to cover the heater. The other fabric I tossed on the bed as a coverlett. The colors in the room were inspired by my Anthropologie pillow (my one little splurge) and the bedding was all WalMart and Ikea as well. The bedside table was my favorite Ikea find though - from the office furniture section! The drawers looked lacquered and the handles were acrylic. So chic!
One of my favorite little corners of the apartment was the 'bar area'. This bar was an investment for sure. A gorgeous MidCentury piece. These are much easier to come by in LA, and finding something similar on Craigslist would probably have happened eventually, but the black acrylic top is what sold me! Every single other piece on the bar is a thrift store purchase! And the framed 'artwork' was actually a fashion editorial that I ripped out of a German magazine and framed.
Moving In with SabbeSPOT
Hello, let me start with a little background. We tremendously downsized when recently moving from our 1400 sf house in Memphis, TN to our teeny tiny 700 s.f. apartment in Boston's South End. My key to design happiness was moving things around, and around, and around until it finally felt right. Unlike our larger house, that we were constantly trying to fill out, a small apartment is like a puzzle. You have to be more creative. And I LOVE being creative.
I am a huge interior recycler. I had a friend email me a couple of months ago about a blog post I did on the craft nook I carved out in our bedroom. She was amazed the dining room table from our college days was living on.
1. The art is an Ansel Adams calendar I had matted and framed.
3. The table and chairs were a consignment store finds. I painted them black and recovered the chairs.
4. The fireplace art is a damask fabric that I stapled over a piece of plywood.
5. We had some pots that we used for outdoor plants at our last house. Our new apartment does not have enough natural light to keep plants alive. I bought a bag of Moss from JoAnn's, wadded up balls of newspaper, and spray glued the moss on top.
6. We received a lot of serving platters when we got married. When I'm not hosting a dinner party I use them as decoration. They are too pretty to keep in a cabinet.
So my entire dining room may have originally cost me $200, but as far as my for my new home in Boston...it was basically free.
Quick Share - A Grand Jubilee
Here's a Quick Share. I absolutely love this company Mod Green Pod! Their gorgeous fabrics are all 100% organic cotton and their wallpapers all have a vinyl free finish. Which equals healthy for your home. I have fallen in love with this Grand Jubilee wallpaper in earl grey. I think it will be just perfect for a bedroom I am working on right now! Hop on over to their website and blog, there are many more patterns to fall in love with!
Moving In with Plush Palate
Hi everyone, it's Crystal and I blog over at Plush Palate, a style, fashion, and interiors blog. I'm thrilled to be contributing to CreateGirl today and to meet all of you! Recently I moved into a new apartment and Julieann has graciously invited me to share a few tips I've picked up along. Moving can be an overwhelming and daunting task, so I've learned to keep it simple!
3. Pre-used Is Sometimes Better Than New
When trying to fill a space, we don't always have to find something new. Sometimes it's as simple as pulling a piece out of storage and sprucing it up a bit with some new paint or hardware. In my case, I was in desperate need of a new duvet cover. Instead of heading to the store to purchase something, I first asked my mom if she happened to have an extra one. To my delight, she had a gorgeous, white duvet she had gotten on a trip to Europe just sitting in a linen closet. Generously she passed it down to me. It's prettier and of higher quality than anything I could have found new in a store! So, don't be afraid to ask friends and family if they have something you could use. You might just be surprised :)
The "Moving In" Series
(image from Real Simple)
Signing Off for the Wedding Week!
Enjoy the next week!
(images from frolic, utterly engaged & happy accidents)
Jace Interiors New Hues
This is a fantastic application of Behr Brilliant Sea. I found this over at Bonnie Van Voorst, a new favorite blog of mine!
Blogger Meet Up - Boston Style
The lovely Stephanie over at SabbeSPOT has put together a Boston Blogger meet up. If you are a blogger or blog reader head on over to Masa on Wed night and say hello. Sadly I will not be able to make it because of the wedding festivities but hope to attend another meet up before the year is out. Please say hello to Stephanie, she is new to Boston and an incredibly creative girl.
Enjoy!
Swingers in the Bedroom
(image from Coastal Living)
Jailed in the Liberty
I just posted about the Liberty Hotel in Boston but left out a few details and just have to give you the scoop. Can you believe the hotel was once the Charles Street Jail built back in 1851?! It reopened in 2007 after some of the best designers and architects in the city gave it an amazing face lift. The modern hotel is glamorous but has some rough jail edginess to help you keep in mind the history of the structure. As you can see by the picture above most of the building stayed in its original form. The parts that catches my eye every time I enter are the incredibly 90 foot rotunda, cat walks and over sized windows. I often wonder if the inmates ever appreciated the details, jails were built to fit into the city instead of the big block of cement they are now.
than have drinks on the roof deck of the suite. Ahhh looking out onto the best city!
if you are one of the guest at the dinner party you can turn in on this bed in one of the guest rooms. Now this looks like a much more comfortable cell than ones from the original jail!
Karmalooping with the Boston Ballet
The premise was to launch the Boston Ballet's new image which is a bit edgier and younger than previously known. The ballet paired with the clothing of Karmaloop to put on the contradictory show. The sleek ballerinas danced around in the edgy Karmaloop streetwear. Lots of flannel, leather, brightly patterned leggings and an array of the coolest hats. The girls hair was teased to high heaven which completed the look. Their dance moves were ever so soft and swan like while the dj blasted hip hop! I loved ever second of the mix, it was so visual! I left the photography to my incredibly talented friend Fernando since he would be the only one to do this show justice! Take a look below
(images from Fernando Neves, Korn Design & Karmaloop)
Monday Morning Happy
Do you ever have a week where time just flies right by you? Well that was last week for me I lost touch with the blog and hope you can forgive me! To be honest I have been spending more time over at Twitter since I can throw out inspiration quickly in 140 characters. Sometimes I come across a link and update it up over there knowing I don't need to pressure myself in creating a perfect post! With that said this is going to be a great week!
I have some fun guest bloggers lined up for you towards the end of the week, most I am sure you will recognize. You see my little sister is getting married this weekend and I want to make sure and be 100% present for her big day! A ton of family will be flying in from all across the country so I will be playing the best hostess I can while a few of them stay with me. I will be more than excited to share pictures of the amazing day when I return. Please keep checking in and give some "blog love" to my great friends, I am sure they will inspire all of you with their creativity!
Enjoy the new week!
jul
(image from Frolic)