Wednesday Eye Candy: Lovely Living Room

I found this beautiful living room while trolling on Pinterest (via Stephanie Torres).

Those lamps kill me. I would love to have them on the (nonexistent) night stands in my bedroom. If I could steal the rug, I would. I'm a sucker for a bold, graphic rug.

All the little details also wowed me immediately too: the vignette on the sofa console, the gallery wall anchored by a mirror, and  how that blonde brick plays nice with the driftwood side table. And there's not even a grey wall to be seen. Shocking!

(All photos via ee photography. Design by Farrow and Cobb.)

Wednesday Eye Candy: Elegant Entry

Maybe it's because the entry is the only spot in our house that it sporting almost-smooth walls, but I fell hard when I saw this picture (from West Elm?) on Pinterest.

I love the soft aqua walls (which I definitely have a thing for), and the mix of rustic woods with that modern chevron rug. Oh, and that greenery in the fun sculptural vase reminds me of Figgy.

It's getting me thinking about what I want our entry to look like once we finish retexturing and painting it...

P.S. Somehow this is my 150th post!

Happy Wednesday!

New Brain on Backorder

I have been struck down with a migraine. Drat. So instead of posting about how we got our hot tub up and running, I am leaving you with something pretty to look at from the latest issue of Rue.

 
Love the complementary lamps, the mirror, the console, and all that yummy texture.

Let's hope the new, migraine-free brain gets here today so I can post about our tub tomorrow.

Obsessing

I am obsessively working on two things this week: finally priming the living areas of the house so we can retexture the walls and paint, and researching a digital single lens reflex camera to buy.  As a disclaimer, there a lot more words than pictures in this post.

Let's start with the first project I am obsessing over...I am not going to talk about paint colors again until I get one up on the wall, but I thought I would share our progress on our crazy mission to retexture our orange peel walls. I know there are many of you out there who, like me, are loathing the textured walls in your house but might be too scared (for financial or physical effort/pain reasons) to do anything about it.

We are just in the beginning stages, but so far it's not too bad. I have primed the entry, dining room, and (part of the) kitchen so that the mud compound has something tacky to adhere to when Ryan gets going on his part of the job. Today I will tackle the ceilings and the hallway, and the rest of the week will be spent on our living room with the lofted ceilings. Should be fun. I am taking it slowly so as not to get burned out. Once we retexture the walls, then I will have to go over the same areas again with at least two coats of paint, if not primer. Slow and steady so as not to get overwhelmed and walk away.

Looking at pictures like this grey living room by Jimmy Stanton help keep me motivated. It will all be worth it in the end.

I can't remember which online shelter mag these came from. Shame on me!

I love the rustic coffee table with the iron chandelier, the large scale art behind the sofa, and the bowl of moss balls. While my own living room will not feature such an awesome light fixture or a rustic table, I will be rocking some large scale art behind the sofa (hello map!) and moss balls. I have a weird obsession with moss balls. I think it's a color and texture thing...

Meanwhile, I am also researching digital single lens reflex cameras (DSLR's). I want to be able to take better pictures of our home for the blog, as well as of the pooches, and eventually of kiddos when we get there. Ideally, the camera would also have the ability to record short videos. I really don't want to use a separate camcorder because that is just too much gear to haul around, in my amateur opinion.

I have been doing a lot of research, and I have narrowed it down to two or three models. Most bloggers and reviewers recommend either a Canon or a Nikon. I have zeroed in on the Canon EOS Rebel T3i (or T2i, a slightly older model that is almost identical), or the Nikon D3100. Both are entry-level DSLR models. The Nikon has better tutorials for beginners, but it got some negative reviews for not bracketing and I am worried I might outgrow it if I really take to this photography thing. The Canon is approximately $200.00 more but has rave reviews and was the most recommended entry level DSLR by two separate publications. Either way, it will be a huge upgrade from our current camera - I think my phone has more megapixels - so I really can't lose.

But I do want to make an informed decision so I am turning to you: Do any of you have either of these cameras? Or do you have something else entirely that you would recommend? Want to weigh in on the great Canon vs. Nikon debate? Any insight would be welcome!

Eye Candy

I am out of town for a conference, so while I am away, I though I would leave you with some eye candy from the latest issue of High Gloss.

It's the work of Sasha Adler and Lauren Gold, Design Directors for Nate Berkus. I love the peacock blue walls with the burnt orange leather chairs, the gallery wall, the light fixture, and the dark wood beams. It looks so cozy and rich, like a library, but modern at the same time. I wouldn't mind scoring portfolios (what I am doing today and tomorrow) in this room!  

Jumping On the Bandwagon: Emily Henderson

The blog world has been buzzing for a few months about Emily Henderson, an HGTV Design Star winner and the brains behind their new show Secrets From a Stylist.

But since I don't have TV, I didn't really sit up and take notice - at first. Then my favorite bloggers started posting about it: Michelle at Ten June posted about the show here, followed by Modern Jane here. Last week Michelle was back to interview Emily (which you can find here), and Young House Love punctuated the week by talking about the show here.

At this point, I really couldn't ignore the buzz any longer; I just had to see what all the hype was about. Lucky for me, HGTV has full episodes online (since you all know we don't have cable), and I watched the first season in a record 4 days. Thank you, summer!

Emily is just adorable! She is sweet and peppy without being saccharine thanks to a big dose of quirky and down-to-earth. And like her multi-faceted personality, I love how she layers different styles in a space to create a look that is interesting, personal, and curated.

It's a lesson I could definitely use so my house does not become a mid-century modern museum. Here's what my instinct would be...

And here's the final product thanks to Emily's layering genius.

So much more textural and visually interesting, even if it is a bit out of my comfort zone.

Plus, I love how she finishes a room with art and by styling shelves and other surfaces with books, flowers, and other curiosities.

Oh, and she finds the most awesome sofas. Witness these two beauties.

Her sense of color is really keen too. (Watch me attempt to complement myself here.) Check out those ochre walls that she featured in look 2 of the first episode.

Do they look familiar?

Oh, and I want to steal all of her vintage blouses, flowered dresses, high-waisted bell bottoms, and her jackets. I am starting to think the show is as much about fashion as it is furniture.

(By the way, all photos via Emily's website, which you can check out here.)

I'll be back tomorrow to share how I fancied myself as Emily over the weekend.

Fancying Fiddle Leafed Figs

I am taking a short break from grading to bring you some Wednesday Eye Candy on this Thursday. (What can I say? The Monday holiday is still throwing me off.)


I am so infatuated with...(wait for it) a plant! But not just any plant, the fiddle leafed fig. Here it is in all it's glory and splendor.

Pinterest via abodelove.blogspot.com

I particularly this alliterative plant in the woven baskets that I have been seeing everywhere, like this month's Home Beautiful cover and the picture above. The chartreuse moss is the icing on my fiddle leafed fig cake!


Here's some other examples: 

Pinterest via themeektwins.blogspot.com

 Pinterest via sfgirlbybay.com

Their bright green and shapely leaves look beautiful with wood tones or against grey walls, which is good news for us. And whether tamed...

Pinterest via jennycastledesign.blogspot.com

or growing wild and free...

Pinterest via apartmenttherapy.com

they seem to inject any space they inhabit with a heavy dose of life. 


And I already have the perfect spot for it. 

It will replace the dying corn plant I have affectionately named Corny. Now all I have to do is hunt one down...

Wednesday Eye Candy: Pattern at Play

The newest issues of Lonny is out!

And of course I have fallen head over heels in love with a room, this time by Lisa Sherry Interieurs.

I would love to magically transport the entire room to my house. It is playful, colorful, and yet sophisticated at the same time. And seriously, how much do you love that rug and wallpaper? I would have never thought to put something like that together, but it totally works.

The little details get me too. I have a thing for tripod lamps, so you know this oversized guy has me all worked up. As does that playful green patterned fabric on the bean bag chair that is hiding on the left side of the photo. So.much.fun!

Her style is really speaking to me these days. It turns out this pic that I posted last week is her masterful work too.

(I am on the hunt for a map of my own. I have my eye on some ebay lovelies.)

Happy Wednesday!

Wednesday Eye Candy: Large, Moody Landscapes Behind Sofas

I finally finished TradHome, and in the last 150 pages, I was struck by how many homes featured large, moody art behind sofas. Check it out:

But then again, it doesn't even need to be a moody landscape, as this last image proves. How fun is that map with all those blues, greens, and yellows?

Via

I think the huge wall behind our sofa would be the perfect place to showcase some similarly large-and-in-charge art and inject some color.

That wall is just crying out for something (besides paint). So now I need to go through my photos to see what I already have, and I am thinking of searching ebay for old classroom maps.

Happy Wednesday!

Wednesday Eye Candy: Starbursts Galore

Lonny, the online shelter magazine, teamed up with Tradition Home magazine to launch TradHome, an online collaboration, last week.

It's a behemoth 347 pages of pure design goodness, and I am only halfway through, but something has already caught my eye...

It's a home Jeff Andrews did for a client. I love the combination of deep greens and golden yellows. I flatter myself by saying that reminds me of a living room I used to know. Don't I wish?

But what really makes the room in my opinion is the wall of starburst mirrors. Ah, yes please! They take a room that could otherwise feel too stodgy and serious, and inject it with a serious dose of fun. And those gilded coffee tables and wood owls don't hurt either.

Happy Wednesday!

Wednesday Eye Candy: Treasure Trove

I'd like to play hooky and spend the day exploring here:

 
It's ABC Carpet and Home in NCY, featured in the newest issue of High Gloss magazine.

Maybe I'll find something like this for the bar...

(Not the girl! The awesome fish scale pitcher and highball glasses.) Oh, and I'll take at least two of these too while we're at it.

I don't know where I would put it, but I am obviously having a moment with all things geometric and shiny. (All products from High Gloss.)

What's catching your eye these days? What do you wish you could spend the day exploring? If you're like me and too much of a wimp to take the day off to do it, I wish you the happiest of hump days!