PINK, GREEN, AND POM-POM FRINGE

Gearing up this morning to install Canopy Girl's bedroom. Just snapped a camera phone pic of what's in store for today!

Who wouldn't get excited about a pink and green color palette and spirited pom-pom fringe? Stay tuned for updates!

CAVIAR WISHES AND CANOPY DREAMS

Last week, I finally met my youngest client face-to-face. I love designing for little ones and now have the privilege of completing her room and her arriving baby brother. Even more adorable in person, she ran her tiny hands over my fabric selections and squealed with delight over her new candy-coated mint green lamps. In addition to her great taste in design, her reactions to my selections made me love her instantly. My presentation was coming to a close and I asked if she had any last requests. Her reply almost made me giggle like a five-year-old. "I want a canopy."

A canopy? Shucks, I want a canopy too but this isn't about me. So we showed her a few photos to get a better idea of what she wanted.

Hoping she'd chose something similar to the above images instead she declined them all. *GASP*

Surely, I though she'd like this one, but it was denied too!

With great conviction, "THIS, is the one I want."

Sure this one is cute, but it has a lot less pomp and circumstance than the ones I got excited about. My dream of draping layers of fabric from the ceiling [insert sad face] was deferred to the wants of this cute little 5-year old. It was settled. She was happy and that's all that truly mattered.

When I said my goodbyes and loaded my things back into the truck I laughed to myself about our differing opinions and appreciated the experience. Besides, maybe I'll have better luck convincing baby brother to go with my canopy idea.

INTERIOR/EXTERIOR DECORATING.

Recently, I made a house call to a potential client who lives in a house similar to this one.

She and her family recently moved here from a much larger home and is looking to decorate using her existing furnishings as well as a few new pieces.

When decorating your home I believe the interior decor should reflect the character of the exterior.  With that said, which room would you expect to see in the home pictured above?

 If you chose the image labeled "C," then I would agree. Most homes built like this one are located in heavily wooded areas and sometimes sit on lakefront property.  Usually parquet floors can be found in the foyer, heavy wood cabinetry in the kitchen, vaulted cedar ceilings and a stone fireplace in the family room, skylights throughout, and sometimes a loft overlooking the family room.

Unless you are planning a complete renovation both inside and out, I would recommend going with a rustic style decor based on the existing architectural elements.  Instead of fighting what's already in place, try creating a continuous and harmonious relationship between the home's interior and exterior.  Even if a rustic decor is not your preference, you can still achieve a look you will love. Here are a few examples of how to combine rustic decor with other decorating styles.

Do you agree that the home's interior should reflect the character of the exterior? If so, which decor combination which would you select? If not one of these, what would you do?

{image credits: house beautiful, kelly hoppen, the iron bed, david jimenez, sarah richardson design}

Evolution of My Home Office - Part 3

Here we are at Part 3 of the Evolution of My Home Office!  In part 1, you saw my office in very raw form shortly after we moved and in part 2 you witnessed me going a bit crazy with a can of gold spray paint.  Since then, I've purchased a "meeting table" and chairs, reupholstered seat cushions and a lampshade, hung curtains, refurbished an old bulletin board, and painted my desk a high gloss black!  Here is the final look:

The idea to cover the lampshade came after last month's post about burlap.  It was so simple, easy, and cheap! I'm very happy with the results.  Click here for instructions on how to revamp your old lampshade.

 

 If you have the option, I recommend positioning your desk in front of your window.  Taking in a view from the outdoors is much more enjoyable than looking at a wall. If you are a nosy neighbor like I am, this is the place to be!

 

 

If you like these ideas, you may want to read my previous post: 7 Steps to Styling Your Bookcase Like A Pro.

Here are the above-mentioned reupholstered seat cushions.  Originally covered in a cream microfiber, the chair had the shape I desired, but it desperately needed a punch of color.  I purchased a yard of the Saralisa fabric from Ikea for $8.99, cocked and loaded my staple gun, and went to work on every chair in my office that had a cushion.  Click here to see how.

 

I am finally at point where I feel comfortable with the look and feel of my new office.  There are just couple of items on my list, such as purchasing a new office chair and perhaps creating a gallery wall opposite my desk. In the Spring, I will paint, switch out the curtains, and reupholster the seat cushions. Aside from these things, it's on to Ava's room.  SIDE NOTE:  I can't wait to show you the piece I scored on Craigslist! It's going to be adorable when I'm done!

So what do you think of the new office space?