Beautiful, bright, spaces for Spring decorating inspiration

I know I've been saying it for weeks, but I can't wait for spring and warm weather.  CAN'T WAIT.  I miss the smell that comes with rising temperature and leaves bursting from tree branches!

Here are some spaces that put a smile on my face

so cheerful!

Love the fuchsia!

This room is a tad too busy for me, but I love the use of gold with the pinks and blues.

all images via BHG

Here are some great deals to get the springtime warm and fuzzies a little early this year (though retail therapy alone and some new decor always puts a smile on my face too)  All these items can be found at Joss and Main

What says spring better than green and blue!

How ADORABLE is this fun clock?

Still loving ikat?  I did a double take when I saw that this chair is on sale for only $249!

This mirror is in my shopping cart right now... I'm thinking it can be like my own personal sunshine...

Do you have a go-to trick for making your space more cheerful?

It's the small details

that make some spaces so delicious

I am crushing on that blue hexagon tray SO BAD.

Love that table - I suspect it is a lucky antique fine.

1.,2.,3. High Gloss, 4. Llamas Valley, 5. Lonny Mag, 6. Sweet Home Style

A 1940's Suburban in a modern traditional style with just the right amount of color

I particularly like this house tour because it's not over the top or a complete interior design fantasy.  I can see real people living here. The house is located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and inhabited by a New York couple.  The interior design is by Lindsey Coral Harper.

This entry is like a breath of fresh air.

The kitchen floor is painted.  Harper says:  "
The floor was stained a deep, dark brown, and it brought the whole room down. I suggested we do a large geometric design, because the kitchen is so large — it's a 20-foot-long rectangle. The bold graphic breaks it up so it doesn't feel so big. We kept the pattern clean and simple because the ikat on the sofa is so busy."

A tip from Harper I've never heard before, but one that makes a lot of sense, if you are going for impact that's not too over the top:

"You can only have one showstopper in a room. In the foyer, it's the wallpaper; in the living room, it's the curtains; in the dining room, it's the chandelier; in the kitchen, it's that acid yellow color. It's like a dinner party — you can only have one great storyteller. If two people are vying for attention, it doesn't work."

Love this bedroom.

What do you think of this house... a good balance of color?

via House Beautiful

Tips for the ups and downs of moving

As the weather gets warmer,  more people start looking for their new home or apartment. There’s nothing more exciting than getting settled in a new home. Though at times it can be stressful, it’s worth all the redecorating and reorganizing.  I especially love becoming reacquainted with my possessions and travel mementos while trying to decide their place in my new dwelling. Unfortunately, the loveliest of your things can often be the hardest to move, either because of unusual proportions or because of their sentimental worth – but there a few tricks of the trade to help you get everything moved without any breakages or losses. Use the checklist below while you’re getting stuff packed and then, at the other end and with all your beautiful, practical belongings intact, make sure you’ve updated the address on your contents insurance!  I didn't kick my butt into gear until we experienced an earthquake here in Maryland, and then, an apartment 3 floors up suffered a fire!  My boyfriend and I finally decided not to put off getting renter's insurance any longer.

Bedroom
Probably the trickiest things to move here are your chest of drawers and dresser– if they’re small and relatively light, consider tying the drawers/door shut and transporting them clothes et al. If they’re heavy, you need to empty your clothes into an appropriate box with wrapping and some form of protection against creepy crawlies.  Don't use moth balls - naphthalene, the main ingredient in conventional moth balls was recently listed as a registered carcinogen by the U.S. government.  If you come across past mothballs in your house, put them in the trash, and air anything that holds their smell in the sun as often as possible.

Here is how to make an easy and effective moth repellent sachet:
This recipe will fill about a dozen sachets. You can buy herbs in bulk at almost any health food store:
• 2 ounces each dried rosemary and mint
• 1 ounce each dried thyme and American ginseng
• 8 ounces whole cloves

Via Care2.com

You might also have smaller valuables in your bedroom, like jewellery – it’s a good idea to take these with you in the car as you travel, rather than packing them in a cardboard box. You’ll avoid any worrying that they might get lost in the move.

via Pure Home Style
 

Moving is undoubtedly stressful, but it helps to think of it as a fresh start, and change can be invigorating. I personally love change. Your new home can be like a blank canvas where you can undo past design mistakes and/or incorporate a new look you've been wanting to try. via Southern Living

 Kitchen
This room could potentially take you the longest to pack because all of those glasses, plates and mugs are breakable. Wrap them individually in tissue paper or packing materials that you have saved overtime to reuse for just such circumstances (if they do break, at least the pieces will stay together) and then pad the box with blankets, marking it as fragile. Plates should be stacked vertically rather than horizontally – that way, they’re less likely to snap if something presses down on them from above. If you are taking large appliances like washing machines and freezers with you, they need to be thoroughly drained and defrosted before you attempt to pack them up – at least overnight. There’s no need to box them up but you will need to tape their doors/drawers shut and wrap them in protective foam to stop them from being scratched. 

via Southern Living

Living Room
Take the cushions of settees and chairs to save room, you can use them to pad other items in the truck, or stick in leftover crevices of space between boxes and furnishings. LED and flat screen TVs need to be kept upright or they’ll be damaged, so be careful where you put them – it’s not a bad idea to save the boxes and packaging from these items so they can be carefully transported in the future.  Books should be packed in smaller boxes because they can be quite heavy, and you don't want to pack a big box full of books.

via Bolig Magasinet

via Small Space Style



Bathroom It’s better to try and use up any old bottles of shampoo and shower soap you’ve got lying around rather than taking them to your new digs – keep the stuff you’ll need as soon as you’re settled with you in your toiletry bag. Towels and shower mats that are damp need to be aired so keep them hung up for as long as possible – then put them in a plastic bag and take them with you in the car so you don't forget about them and end up with mildewed towels.  If you're moving any mirrors apply an "X" over them with masking tape to help support them.  If they break, the tape helps control shards of mirror from getting all over the place.


*disclosure: this post is sponsored by directline.com

My curtains revealed and an introduction to The Loaded Trunk!

My curtains are finally finished! Some of you might remember this post awhile back when I asked for suggestions for curtain colors after we moved into our new apartment in Chevy Chase, MD.

Before:

After:

The curtains the apartment came with were drab and heavy. Our couch had to stay, and is an olive-colored suede, that depending on the light and colors around it can look gray, brown, or green. The rug is a new purchase that I love, and wanted to make it work. Our walls, though hard to tell in the picture above, are a light aqua blue.

I tried photoshopping some different color options in this post, but all of them left me a bit underwhelmed. You guys offered up some amazing suggestions for DIY's, specific fabrics, and other resources. The amazing Christine of Design with Christine came up with an amazing edesign for me, utilizing some Ikat curtains, and some throw pillows to tie the rug in with the couch. You can see the amazing job she did in her post.

The curtains Christine chose.

My photoshopping the curtains and pillows Christine found. Christine’s genius really got the ball rolling for me to find a pattern to balance out the visual weight of the bottom half of the room with the visual weight of the top. So, since I wanted to sew my own curtains, I began the search for the perfect (afforadable) fabric.

via 6th Street Design School

I really liked the fabric above, which a reader suggested to me . Even though it was above our price range, I ordered a swatch. The medallions were a bit too large for my liking, and the background was more of a beige than a white, so we decided against this one. I also ordered a few more swatches, but I wasn’t sold on any of them. Then, I noticed the curtains below on Danielle Oakey's blog, and went on an internet scavenger hunt to find the fabric.

Long story short, I finally located enough to sew my curtains (9 yards) from Red Rhino on ebay. They were actually the only seller I found with the fabric available. Red Rhino gave me a great price, amazing response times, and I couldn’t have been happier with the fabric. The match was very accurate to what was on screen.

via Danielle Oakey Interiors

So, after hours and hours of measuring, ironing, starching, sewing, and ironing and starching again, we finally had our curtains. I also added a black tape on the right and left vertical borders of the outermost curtains to mimick the black border on the rug. We are really happy with the results. I'm also in the process of testing out some swatches to sew throw pillow covers.

Another view of the room with the ikat curtains

A close up of the curtain and the black border

I'm testing out a suzani style swatch, as you can see from the bottom pillow.

Isn't this red pillow AMAZING!?!?

I couldn’t be more thrilled with the pillow, which  I received from The LoadedTrunk!

There couldn’t be a better cohesive element between my couch and my rug! What’s even cooler is the history of the pillow, called a Hmong pillow:

“This beautiful vintage textile was once part of a garment worn by Hmong women in Vietnam. The Hmong, an Asian ethnic group living in the mountainous regions of Vietnam and Laos, are known for their traditional textiles which feature cross-stitching and often indigo block printing. They have been given a second life and were re-cycled to make these lovely pillows.”

 

They offer a handful of one-of-a-kind Hmong pillows.  This one in purple is gorgeous

I love that mine is one of-a-kind. They have other hmong pillows, and lots of other global goods. I could make a really long wishlist of items from this store, but here are just a few:

These bronze hammered bowls would look glamorous and beautifully organic anywhere.

The color in this Mexican coverlet is so rich.

Thanks again to The Loaded Trunk! You can see all their treasures on the online shop.

SO..how do you think our living room is coming along so far? 

We still have some art to hang,  maybe a floor lamp for the corner behind the palm, and the rest of the throw pillows for the couch (I want a pillow that will tie in the colors from the curtains)

And how about that pillow from the Loaded Trunk?

I can't wait to hear what you guys think!

*disclosure: I received the Hmong pillow as a sample

A great giveaway for designers and DIYer's from Lewis and Sheron Textiles!

So, on Tuesday I introduced you to my newest sponsor, Lewis and Sheron Textiles. Today I'm happy to announce that they are offering $100.00 in store credit to one lucky Decorology reader!

To enter for your chance to win, simply visit lsfabrics.com and browse through their amazing selection of fabrics. Come back to this post and leave a comment sharing the name of the fabric you would buy with your $100.00 credit, and what project you have in mind for the fabric. To comment on this post (scroll to the bottom of this post and right above "Labels" you will see a number followed by the word "comments." Click on the word "Comments." Or, you will see a link, "Post a Comment," which you click on to comment.

If you receive posts in your email feel free to respond to the email noting that you'd like to be entered in the drawing (don't forget to mention your favorite fabric!).

Below are a few more of my favorite fabrics...

"Tribal Thread" - I would love to reupholster my dining chair cushions with this.

"Parisenne" - I think would make some really cute, conversation starting table linens - napkins, placemats, or a runner.

The fabric above, "Westminster," would make a really fabulous upholstered headboard.

"Iskander" would be great for throw pillows.

I can't wait to hear what everyone's favorites are, and the projects you'd use them for! Post your comments by Dec. 8th, 6 PM EST, and I will draw the winner at random and announce the lucky reader the next day!

Good luck!