my dirty little decorating secret

Last August, I moved into the most uninspiring rental apartment you can imagine. Though we will only live here for another year at the most, I'm doing what I can to make it into a nice little home. It really stinks not being able to paint the walls, replace the flooring, or install different lighting! But one thing I can do is hang things on the walls.

I started out with my little entry gallery wall, using nails to hang all the frames. (Looks super crooked, but I promise it's not.) I hesitated to put it all up for a while because it put so many holes in the walls, but finally just did it. Then I had an epiphany: 3M Command Hooks.

Now I hang just about everything in my house from these sticky hooks--from the art and feather decorations on the sofa wall, to the cork board and curtains in our study.

Yes, I used Command Hooks to hang curtains.

I know that seems super ghetto, but no one notices. And for renters, it is a great solution--much better than having no curtains at all!

Be warned: the hooks don't hold up fantastically in humidity. When we got home from the beach yesterday, our large (heavy) hallway mirror had fallen to the floor. It didn't break (miracle!), but I wouldn't suggest using them to hang anything heavy or breakable. Lesson learned. I'm okay with using them for the study curtains only because we never open or close them and don't have kids or pets who might pull them down.

So that is my dirty little (rental) decorating secret. 

What's yours?

designer textile beach towels?

Sunara Ikat | Imperial Trellis

I am loving my little beach vacation! I have never lived this close to the beach (4 hours away) so it's really fun to just pack up and go for a quick weekend trip. Wouldn't it be awesome if beach towels (or bath towels!) came in as many prints as textiles? The ones I have are pretty cute in comparison to most, but here are some favorite Schumacher prints I think would make great towels.

 

 

Zenyatta Mondatta | Soleil LA

Oh my... what if Chiang Mai Dragon were a beach towel?

These are my deep thoughts from the beach.

toes in sand

Nina Leen

This is my weekend plan.

Have a lovely memorial day!

walls in pink

Marmalade Interiors

It's probably obvious that I love soft pink tones (they have appeared in a few of my color inspiration mood boards recently). The right soft pink tone (a warm blush, preferably) is feminine but not girlie and neutral-y but not boring. Perfect.

Emily A. Clark

My favorite use of the color is PAINT. I love love love blush colored walls. I think this is because sometimes blush colored textiles can come off as too soft. I like the unexpectedness of a very solid thing (wall) painted in a softening color.

 

Martha Stewart

Urban Grace Interiors

via

Apartment Therapy

See? Softening, but not necessarily girlie. 

industrial coffee tables

Industrial Coffee Table | Home Decorators $449

I am having a moment with industrial style, especially tables and lamps. I blame Emily Henderson and Secrets from a Stylist. I love when she uses industrial pieces in her eclectic designs, which she does quite frequently. Here are some of the industrial-style coffee tables I am coveting (at several pricepoints):

Dutch Industrial Coffee Tables | Restoration Hardware $1095-$1495

French Industrial Coffee Table | Wisteria $559

Industrial Vintage Coffee Table | Home Decorators $399

Aiden Coffee Table | World Market $279.99

kelly + peacock

A lot of the reports out of this year's Highpoint Market cited peacock as a coming trend. Not complaining-- I love the feather/bird motif and the beautiful blue and green gem tones. Speaking of the colors, why do we use "peacock blue," but not "peacock green"? There's a ton of green in peacock feathers, too. Just saying.


1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

For more inspiration, follow me on Pinterest!

imperial trellis curtain panels

Just when I thought I had seen enough Imperial Trellis, I came across these pictures. Beautiful. I think the print looks great as curtain panels--it looks pretty cool in folds and pleats. 

 Check out the rest of this cool, contemporary home by Kristina de Atucha Interior Design here.

lyric artwork

It's been years since I first saw this gorgeous dining room designed by Kishani Perera for Molly Sims' Soho loft. But whenever I am looking for a large piece of art, this room always comes to my mind first.

I am in love with this lyric artwork.

The greys.

The bold typography.

The crooked lines.

The the subtle metallic sheen.

The words.

The artist, Matthew Heller, did a whole line of lyric art pieces called "Homage to Music."

 This image from TRADhome reminded me of my much-loved lyric art. This piece is by Matthew Hall (which may be a typo? it looks way too similar to Matthew Heller's work).

Etsy seller GeeZees also does really similar custom lyric artwork. I personally like the larger scale pieces, but this definitely looks similar.

I'm obsessed.

double guest posts!

I am guesting on two great blogs today:

First, check out my contribution to the "What would you do?" series at Simplified Bee to see how I would design around a Jonathan Adler console. There may be gold and grasscloth involved.

And second, check out what I think my blog might look like if it were a room on Simple Dwellings. I'd be interested to hear what YOU think Roost might look like as a room!

mini modern

Mini Eames Lounge

As much as I love traditional design, I'm pretty crazy about modern chairs. Specifically the Barcelona Chair by Mies van der Rohe. There's one in the front window of a shop husband and I often pass. I drool.

I also love miniature things. These child-sized versions of modernist chairs are killing me with cuteness.

Mini Barcelona Chair & Stool

Mini Bertoia Diamond Lounge Chair

Mini LC2 Chair

Mini Eames Molded Plastic Chair

lemon + blossom + dove

I'm kind of obsessed with using dove grey as a neutral base--it looks fantastic with pretty much every color imaginable. In this palette, it brings a grown-up element to the youthful bright yellow and pale pink.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

For more inspiration, follow me on Pinterest!

diy animal and branch mobile

This week, I've spent some time volunteering as a room guide in the Charlottesville Design House. The first room I volunteered in was the nursery, designed by Andrea Gibson of Gibson Design Group. I loved this room because its design was so accessible. Several items in the room were from IKEA! I have a lot of respect for a professional designer who is not above using a little IKEA.

The real showstopper is the mobile above the crib, which is 100% DIY-able with just a branch, fishing wire, ribbon, plastic animal toys, push pins, and a hot glue gun. I love the bows at the top! This would be so easy to re-create, even if you are craft impaired.

I'll post the the professional images of all the gorgeous rooms as soon as they are available. But if you're in the area, stop by and take a look in person from now through May 22. It is well worth the $20 ticket (proceeds go to the local womens shelter) and there is something for every taste. I'll be there again on Friday morning, so come say hello!

lobby re-design

Last month, I got to work on this fun design for a condo building lobby. The lobby has really great potential, with floor-to-ceiling windows on most sides and great moldings. But right now all the good stuff is hidden by mid-90s burgundy decor. 

My re-design brings the outdoors in with a lot of green, grasscloth, wood, pillows and artwork in GP & J Baker's Nympheus, one of my favorites! I like a lot of things about this design, but especially the industrial crank table by Jamie Young & Co. I really like mixing pretty, traditional pieces (like the French-style armchair) with industrial accents.

corals

Isn't coral the best Summery color? It has the warmth and ferocity of red and orange with the playfulness of pink and looks great both soft and bold.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

For more inspiration, follow me on Pinterest!

kips bay 2011

Matthew Patrick Smyth

The 2011 Kips Bay Decorator Show House is now open in NYC. I wish I could check it out in person, but instead I'll be at the Charlottesville Design House (more on that next week). Here are some of my favorite images from Kips Bay this year:

Cayley Barrett

Richard Mishaan

Barbara Ostrom

Celerie Kemble

Wayne Nathan

For more photos, check out The Lonny Blog.

the most amazing thing i've ever seen

Really.

This is the greatest thing I've ever seen.

Kudos to Danika of Gorgeous Shiny Things for doing the unimaginable--making Chiang Mai even more amazing than the original. I'm blown away.

tour: dried figs & wooden spools

I was introduced to Dried Figs and Wooden Spools through this blog, and I just had to share Gillian's home! I love beautiful homes, but I especially love beautiful homes in my town. Gillian and her husband, both architects, renovated and decorated the home themselves.

L I V I N G

 The first thing I noticed about this living room is how bright and open it is. I love the soft grey walls and the floor-to-ceiling shelving. 

Then I noticed the shelves--so nicely styled! I love that the books are arranged by size and color without a "rainbow" effect.

K I T C H E N

 When the family moved in, the kitchen was completely outdated and had no style (check out the befores). But look at it now! I love the open layout and the lack of upper cabinetry. It gives a kind of modern farmhouse feel. 

For the pantry, they used blue locker doors. You can see them in the back left of the room. So cool and unexpected. The pendant is from IKEA. They call it "The Sea Urchin." (ha ha!)

M A S T E R

In the master bedroom, curtains are used to cover the closets instead of doors. I love how much pattern this brings to the walls (along with the large art above the bed). It also softens a room with a lot of hard surfaces.

O F F I C E

 A simple, open office. Love the long desk, pops of yellow, and clean shelf styling.

M U D   R O O M

Notice that there is no fireplace behind the mantle. It is such a cool architectural feature! But my favorite thing about this room is the matching inky blue ceiling.

Thank you to Gillian for letting me share a peek inside her home--if you're in the market, the house is currently for sale!