master bedrooms are important

The other day Imogen was over for our weekly Tuesday dinner date. Banh Mi and Banh Bao from our favorite local Vietnamese joint. And we wound up chatting in my bedroom about some family drama or something, when she started laughing. It seems while I focused on the little man's nursery, and getting settled in nola, I neglected to notice that our bedroom was a hot mess.

well, challenge accepted!
Below are some inspiration and a few solutions to get us to a  relaxing and cohesive room.

pintrest

The walls are just sexy. and the rustic layered feeling isn't trying to hard it is just there.

from here 

technically this is a white room with some grey. but that fireplace is ridiculous. and the chandelier is amazing. So it is allowed.

http://livethemma.ikea.se/tarva-riktig-sang/

I love the linens on this one. Layers of greys. Not to formal. I do one hundred hate the chair as a night stand situation up there. That is not functional. Lets be serious guys.

The one thing missing from my insparation rooms was pattern. But I found these guys and thought they would mix well with where I want to go

I think taking out the polished silver curtain rod and replacing with a more rustic one would keep the whole lot from being to formal.

from here 

(ps not the rings or at least not clipped like that)

Now on to finding some bedding I love....

he loves me, he loves me not

 So we have this cat. Jackson Wellington III. And he loves flowers. The second I bring flowers into the house he knows. Fast asleep, in another room, it doesn't matter. And what does he do? He eats them, he obsesses about where they are, he cries at them. He really takes all the joy out of having beautiful flowers. And so I don't get to have them at home. Which, of course, only makes my desire for flowers even more intense.

To make myself happy here are a collection of my favorite flower arrangements from around the web. Some are bridal and some are just bouquets. But all are not allowed in my house.

from here

 I LOVE peonies. The one above is paeonia lactiflora sarah bernhardt. (Isn't that a perfect name?) They are beautiful and wild. Delicate and soft. If I could only have one flower for the rest of ever it would be the peony.

I enjoy these (below) with a tumble of greens and in various states of opening. Plus that tin vase is perfect with the rustic-ness of the peony. 

From here

or of course:

from here

If I was allowed 2 favorites the ranunculus is next on the list. Similar loveliness of the peony but a little more refined. Like what a rose should be. Of course the lovely photography helps. 

from here

I feel like these sum up romantic taxidermy. Sexy and dark and brooding and layers of mystery.

from here

of course there must be a beautiful spring bouquet (or two) included in this post.

from here

I love this bouquet. Pretty pale pink and bold pink.  Gorgeous Ranunculus and the amazing Juliet garden rose (the peach one). This in a mercury glass vase. Delightful.

from here

More of that beautiful Juliet rose

from here

final thoughts/picture 

this is why I love them:

this

Pen



fall+shoes

Today i am obsessing shoes. Specifically, heels. Non-sandal heels. I will pretend autumn in New Orleans has resulted in cool weather that demands new non-summer, closed toe pumps.

Like these:

lyst

Army green. Mary Jane. So very sexy. Maybe with this jacket on your way to work? 

net-a-poter

First of all, they will always be YSL in my heart. These T-strap Saint Laurent are brilliant. Some days I just need a sexy t-strap. Feminine and classic but add a modern heel shape.

net-a-poter

I want them with this military coat. If the world was perfect the navy would be changed to a olive. But I'm not in charge. Ms. Ahrendts is.

net-a-poter

anthro

The color is amazing. The fish scales are sassy and curiously sexy in a 50's secretary way. 
Love them with something easy- t-shirt and skirt or with a fancy dress.

anthro

Sometimes I get caught in a anthropologie wormhole and find these awesome color blocked guys. Clearly, I am in the mood for a strap + heel. But the color is neutral with out being obvious beige.  Again, great for shoe for any occasion.


I know I wanted heels but I stumbled on these great boots. So here:

freepeople

Just right. With jeans or leggings. Love love. My fondness for tall lace up boots is not new. I might secretly want to be a horse woman.

ok, I feel better now. Shoes obsessed on and ordered. 

art for artsake.

Art. for most of my life it art has meant mirrors or black and white photography. Indecisive much?

Early on I was inspired by my friend with the coolest large scale black and white poster. It was mounted on some sort of foam core so she just leaned it against the wall. All torn and loved. In my memory, it was James Dean, but could have been any number of handsome movie stars. If I was a better person I would pause and ask her who it was but that's never going to happen. I obsessed on that poster. I even got my own version. A giant black and white poster of some city, some where. It went from home to home. 4'x6'. Big. Super big.

Eventually, I layered in some photographs and some curiosities. My favorite being the tiny sombrero I "borrowed" from another friend. Or maybe the HORRIBLE marionette of Darth Vador we "won" from another friend.

Sombrero

my pal Darth

 My point being, i am not the best, or most trustworthy, at selecting art. This matters since we are renting and can't paint the nursery. I became obsessed with adding color and fun without paint? Could do curtains. Could do a super fabric-y crib (not. going. to. happen) Instead, art wall. Seemed to be the sensible solution.

Inspiration:

from here

Love the baby animals. But really want something bright and bold.

from here

Love the energy. The bright colors are very engaging but it is not quite calling out to a baby's room.

from here

The branch is so great. This whole room is awesome fun. (there is a teepee!)
But I am loving the mixed media aspect. The birds and branch instead of a mobile. Crazy good.

Finally I found this one:

from here

 Super love the mounted heads. Found a one from west elm that is so cute. HIPPO!

west elm

So inspiration took me to etsy for inexpensive art. There is a lot of art. I mean A LOT OF ART. I fell down the rabbit hole for a couple of days. But when I crawled out we have the makings of a great art wall. 

Here are a couple examples. 

     

here, here & here

 


















So far, art is hard. But we are getting there. And Etsy is the answer.

tiny humans

Babies! More specifically, my baby has brought about a whole new world of designing and shopping obsessions. A nursery to design, showers to plan, and wardrobes to purchase (mine and baby).



First up: nursery.  Shockingly, my grey obsession continues now paired with yellow/ orange. We were lucky enough to be given nursery furniture from some dear friends (who doesn't love a second life). A beautiful crib, changing table/ dresser and a high boy. All three in great shape with great lines. All three loved by our friends twins.  To the spray room we go! (mostly because i need to do something to make them mine besides just putting them together in my house)

At first I wanted to go chalkboard paint crazy on the high boy. A little something like this:

find it here

 I love the color- blue-grey and the idea of labeling the drawers is too good. But sadly, I have moved on. With only three pieces in the room it felt weird to have the three piecs each be a different color. Need something that links them.  Decided to go with two in the same color and a contrast.

My heart is set on a grey crib. How great is this:

from here

(Don't look now but it is from wal-mart! WHAT!?!?) And I almost decided I HAD TO HAVE IT. But then the hormone surge passed, and I realized I should just paint ours.  Currently, am going with Benjamin Moore sweatshirt grey as our crib and tall boy. And a fresh coat of white chalk for the changer.


Just for fun here are some more nursery inspirations:


I will admit I think the walls photograph a bit muddy but that rug is so great. And there is the beginning of a gallery wall which i might love.

from here

I mean this just makes me fall back in love with yellow. And the ceiling! Great addition- smart to add some pattern. of course, once again gallery wall....

from here (it's pretty great)

 
 So clean and fresh. Of course now i am obsessing the jumper. It is going to be difficult not dressing this child as a frenchman. All stripes and jumpers.

from here

My girl Sarah Richardson did this one and  I must admit I kind of hated it on the episode-mainly because of the ceiling. Which looks interesting in the photo. Much more muted- which is good. But the orange and navy are classic and quite pretty. Not my grey obsession but a close cousin. (and again with the gallery wall)

Sarah Richardson from Design 101

 Before posting these reminder pictures I was fully on board with grey and white but now. I really want orange or yellow! This is trouble. Grey and White? or Grey and Orange? or Grey and Yellow? Imogen suggested a jumping off color pulled from some art. And I found a ton of great, cheap, art on etsy. Off to wander etsy for a day or two.

PH

anatomy of greys

With Thanksgiving over, and New Orleans life settling in to a rhythm, I have a moment to discuss my current [color] obsession. Grey. or Charcoal. or Dark blue-y grey or soft silvery grey. I love them all. I think it is a way for me to have color in my life with out having  to commit to a "color". Also, it makes me feel moody and dramatic.

In Orlando, we had the most delicious shade of charcoal grey in our bathroom. Partnered with burlap. (thanks Imogen) I loved it soo much. Now, I am working on bringing some shades of grey [sorry couldn't help it] to Nola. Until then here are some of my inspiration pieces:

via

This is my absolute favorite. I love everything and want all of it instantly transported to my home. please and thank you. In addition to the color choices I love the architectural lamps with dark shades. The crazy deep bed sofa that really wants me to curl up and read a good book on it. The wall hanging. Everything is right. 

via

I like the softness of this grey room. It is not as moody as the dark one but still brings a really romantic feeling home. And the walls. love! I in my mind this is what happens when you live in a 500 yr old villa and I support it.

via

Such a bright cheerful room. I love the grey added to all that white. Makes me feel clean and fresh. Country cottage with wide painted pine floors and touches of gray to keep it from feeling sterile

via

Some might call this black but I say dark charcoal. Black is harsh while greys are softer. The wall paper is the best thing. Really, the whole room is great. I like the randomness of the picture placement. Casual and unfussy. (PS. i think that mirror might just be same as the ones in Imogen's bathroom...)

via

I love this nursery. Pale grey- better than white or sickly pink/blue some require to denote gender. The yellow adds the needed color (i would remove the print pillow) The whole room is mod and calming and peaceful. Not sure I understand the changing table ON the crib but that might just be because I am short? [Imogen tells me that a. I am short and b. it is a thing.] And how great is the school desk!

via

Now this is moody. Love the molding and ceiling painted out the same. The sofa looks comfy and the pink is just the right bright addition- and I appreciate the limited placement. I might not love the pillows but the rest is great. 


 

Ultimately, I have only reinforced my love of greys. Dark room or light fulled room. Doesn't matter grey is the way I want to add color that doesn't punch you in the face. But also isn't a beige or white.

pen.

island time.

A new home means new struggles in design.  Add in the fact that we are renting and can't actually renovate the kitchen and this girl is gearing up for a battle. Our new place is a perfectly precious 1920's apartment in New Orleans.  The kitchen is actually a great size but in no way functional. The stove, next to the pantry, has no counter adjacent- where to put your ingredients?- and there is only one 3-foot long counter for prep.

So I was thinking we could add a free standing island. Perhaps with wheels to roll out of the way. Could be a prep area or a breakfast bar, plus it would add in storage.  Should it be IKEA to the rescue? Lowes? Target? or something custom?

Here are some ideas that I have been obsessing on:

inspirational green

I love the stools at the end.  Traditional design would have them on the side, right in the flow of traffic. But these smart people saved the sides for function, and food prep, and put eating at the end. (In other news, lets talk about the windows- awesome).

Hansen Kitchen

I am diggin' this little guy. Why? Well, THIS IS A WHOLE KITCHEN! Just plug in water, electricity and gas. So functional, while being sexy, and so European. Of course after thinking this through I would need about 10 of them in order to store ALL MY THINGS. Or we could downsize. (just jokes, I mean really. ) But the concept is solid and the design is beautiful. So there's that.

industrial kitchen

Do we even need to discuss the amount of cleaning that comes with this guy? You CAN NOT have children, or dogs, or children. But, my is it pretty. The mirror looks antiqued and the simple faucet is stunning. Of course, I love the parquet floor- if you are going to have mirrors it must reflect something worth looking at twice.  So to sum up:  IRL- no;  IMD (in my dreams)- y.e.s.

greigedesign.blogspot.com

I was thinking something like this would be good. Simple table with metal top would allow prep and a casual stool for a pal to sit and drink a glass of wine. (minus the sink, of course)

I like this guy's industrial feel.

http://www.wisteria.com

 I might want to add one additional shelf for storage but the rest is perfect.


speaking of industrial...

zin home

Love the wheels. Love the storage. So chic and functional. I'll take one, please.

One more cute little guy:

urban outfitters

 I would like two of these. They are small but would add character and function.


But here is where my heart really lies. Reclaimed barn wood, the deepest of caramel, finished to highlight the all the dings and knots. I am obsessed with the carts they put under the counter- the addition of a modern, chrome bakers rack is perfect against the ruggedness of the wood. Personally, I would have gone with a square or rectangle for the sink- kinda hate the round- and canceled the glass top range. But overall I can't love it more.

reuse kitchen

A quick stop at the local architectural recycling and this could be mine.