MID-CENTURY MODERN {MAKING A COMEBACK}

For the past few days I have been working on furnishing multiple model homes for the company I now work for, and the style that was agreed upon for one of the homes was mid-century modern. I was given the over-all concept they were looking for, and told to go with it and furnish the homes. I initially stayed true to the mid-century style, however after a few critiques, a mix of sleek contemporary was thrown in the mix too. I believe my work turned out great when I was submitting it this evening! I was happy!:)

As I researched and styled the home, I became quite inspired and thought I would introduce it on the blog, and show you how you can incorporate a mid-centurty flare in your home. (And as always, budget friendly!)

One site that I am quite fond of and visit often to see what new things they have is West Elm. Have you heard of it? It's pretty awesome, and priced well. I know it's not exactly a bargain, but if you want to splurge on a piece or two, this is probably the place. West Elm is known to have a trendy, and mid-century flare. See for yourself! 

Still not sure what I'm talking about? I found this board on Pinterest by another "Pinner" (sadly not mine) that will give you a look into true mid-century style, and iconic pieces that were incredibly popular at the time. See for yourself here!  This time period, as you may know was one of the world's most innovative periods in product design, architecture, interiors, and graphics!

Here are some more links if you love it so much and can't get enough:
http://www.pinterest.com/creativecoquett/mid-century-modern-style/
http://www.pinterest.com/lucky1715/mid-century-modern/

Hope you enjoyed those links! Here are some tips to help you incorporate mid-century flare in your home:

Here are some Mid-century inspired rooms that I enjoy:

Gotta love the SHAG CARPET! 

And I love this living room... The eames chair in particular! 

COTTAGE STYLE

I recently took a trip to Texas and one of the things I did was a girls trip to the Texas hill country, to a very quaint and small town called Fredericksburg. Fredericksburg is a town that was founded in 1846 by German pioneers. (Click here to learn more) It was so interesting to see original buildings, explore boutique stores galore, as well as enjoy one of a kind restaurants. I had a blast with the ladies I went with! One of my favorite parts of our mini vacation was the bed and breakfast we stayed at, which was called the Carriage House. (Click here to see more of the Carriage House)

Morning coffee! 

Are you loving it? It's a bummer you couldn't see it in person, the house literally takes you back in time with it's old world charm. The home had beautiful details of wood work, including floors that creaked, and doors with skeleton key-holes.  

I hope you're feeling just inspired as I was, because I have some ideas for decorating! (I bet you didn't see that coming) 

1) For bedrooms, toile pattern bedding is ideal! And any color is perfect! -You can even make this as cost effective as you want. I know stores like Target or even Khol's have bedding like this.  

2) When selecting furniture, you don't necessarily need to have every piece vintage and  distressed to achieve a cottage look. Pick the most dominant piece in the room and focus on that to be your old-world inspired piece.  It's that piece people will notice more than the little side tables or chairs that may also be in the room. 

3) This may be more on the pricey side, depending where you find these, but it will really make a huge difference. Swapping your silver or gold fixtures for more of an oil rubbed bronze finish will make a huge impact and give you the old-world look we're going for!  PS. I love the green wall color! Would you be so bold to do that? 

4) Table top decor can be as simple as flowers in an old water pitcher. It's easy, and it's so chic! 

5) Why not buy a few fun pieces of china? You know you can find these at flea markets and second hand stores? I think they look even better mis-matched. Life is too short to use boring tea cups, won't you agree? 

HAPPY NEW YEAR! {2014}

New Year's Eve is such a great time to throw one last party for the year, and why not finish it with a bang? I've been searching for ideas for styling your home and below is my "New Years Eve Mood Board". Enjoy, and HAPPY NEW YEARS! 

FOUR {PRETTY} IKEA HACKS

CHRISTMAS INSPIRATIONS & DECORATING

Hi friends!

I hope your holiday season has been filled with so many fun gatherings with friends and family already! Seems like Christmas is fast approaching, and I was just thinking today how fast the season comes and goes! Seems like one minute we are thinking about Thanksgiving, then instantly Christmas... I would like to just slow time down a little bit more and take in every inch of gingerbread late this, and christmas movie that, wouldn't you?

As with any holiday, I've gathered fun D.I.Y's, and beautiful inspirations to get the creative gears in your brain going! Enjoy:

As you can probably gather from the images I post, I lean towards more of a "vintage" look and use of antique items. -Especially at Christmas. I love the bright, vibrant colors mostly. And mixed with a little mercury glass? LOVE IT! Are you wondering how you can pull this look off too? Honestly, I use E-Bay for all vintage ornaments and knick-knacks, and anything mercury glass or for table-top, I have found at Home Goods. You would be surprised what you can find! But as I always try to stress: decorating is not worth it if you end up breaking the bank.

PANTONE COLOR OF 2014 {RADIANT ORCHID}

Here's how the color was chosen!

(Unfamiliar with Pantone? Learn more from their site HERE!)

When I first learned that this next years color was radiant orchid, I immediately remembered a number of interiors done by widely-known interior designer, Jamie Drake. This designer knows exactly how to work with colors, and has been an inspiration to me since before attending design school. See below:

Jamie Drake is very bold with color as you can see from the above, and I believe that takes a real talent!

For even more inspiration, you can see here for Pantone's fashion forecast for Spring 2014. I am usually checking this site for what's trending, and what's on the forecast. This helps so much as an interior designer, when color is a huge factor in creating interior designs. 

Lastly, here are the previous colors of the year: 

  As always,