Friday Crush

de Gournay, of course. L'Eden mural design. One day, y'all...one day.

Are you up to anything fun this weekend to kick off summer? We headed to the beach over Memorial Day so this is our catch-up weekend. Hopefully I'll get one of my many to-do list items accomplished. Enjoy your weekend...see you next week!

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Quilt as Headboard

I l-o-v-e quilts. Love them. Charming, cozy, graphic, geometric, colorful - they can have so many interesting qualities that can really liven up a space. And I'm slightly obsessed with how Phoebe Howard used this quilt as a headboard, really upping the sophistication factor.

Image via mrshowardpersonalshopper.com

They even used the leftover to make coordinating  pillows. That is some smart thinking.

If you found the right quilt - likely a vintage one - you could maybe try your hand at something like this for a bedroom. I especially love the idea of matching twin headboards using different quilts in the same color scheme.

This vintage quilt from Etsy might do the trick for a twin bed:

Or maybe this quilt if you like your quilts soft and monochromatic like the one Phoebe used:

If you are generally in to quilts like I am, check out my latest ideabook on Houzz where I put together some of my favorite colorful quilts out there on the internet:

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Gingham Tile

Did you catch this feature on gingham in Garden & Gun? It's great and it introduced me to gingham tile.

GINGHAM. Tile.

#genius

What a ridiculously good-looking idea. And the possibilities! A kitchen backsplash. Bathroom walls. A ceiling! This stunning tile is from Virginia tile designer and manufacturer New Ravenna Mosaics...you might remember them from these banana walls.

My favorites are actually the ones in the G&G feature:

But the pièce de résistance is this green number:

I would use it on the walls in a bathroom with a slick black vanity with brass accents EVERYWHERE.

Check out the entire Plaids (yes, there are plaids) and Ginghams collection from New Ravenna Mosaics here...

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Friday Crush

Woah.

Spotted this on Pinterest from Chinoiserie Chic, pinned from The Foo Dog Ate My Homework. It's designer Nancy Morton's bedroom as seen in Architectural Digest.

Now that that's taken care of, woah. That green bed against those baby blue walls is the stuff dreams are made of. Not to mention the timeless Chinoiserie flair. And why isn't scalloped moulding standard at Home Depot?

Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! See you next week!

Chinois Palais

Falling into the category of insanely beautiful is the fabric Chinois Palais by Mary McDonald for Schumacher. Like panels of our favorite hand-painted Chinoiserie wallpapers, this fabric comes in the most splendid hues. I love the idea of upholstering a wall with any one of these:

And the loooong repeat lends itself well to curtains:

Fret not if you don't have to-the-trade access...I found this Etsy listing but be warned that it's not inexpensive. But beauty like this is worth every penny in my opinion...just one repeat's worth and you have a dynamite piece of art to hang on a large wall.

Have you seen the rest of MM's collection for Schumacher? It's definitely my favorite designer collaboration thus far.

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Catalog Pick: Bamboo Stick Sconce

I'm loving these bamboo stick sconces from Shades of Light because they are full of Chinoiserie flair but in a tailored, modern way:

They also come in 6 awesome colors (not pictured: white, coral & turquoise)...my favorite is the red, but I am speechless over this yellow. Why don't more people make yellow sconces? These are so incredibly lovely...I need to figure out where I can use a pair of these guys.

Check out the sconces here...I would opt for a mini-drum shade over the rattan-like ones - keeps the look tailored and not so tiki.

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Friday Crush

See what I did there? It was a week of Etsy art! Finishing up the week with something to cleanse your palette - gorgeous, modern watercolors by Malissa Ryder. I love the soft shapes and beautiful hues that Malissa conjures up. These pieces create a perfect juxtaposition with a traditional room or blend seamlessly in a more tailored, modern space.

See more of Malissa's creations here...

Have a beautiful weekend...see you next week!

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Oil Landscapes by Donna Walker

Landscapes are typically not my favorite kind of art. I like them well enough but they usually don't grab my attention with force (which is how I like my art to grab me)...until I discovered the art of Donna Walker.

Hold on to your hats:

WOW. Donna's oil landscapes totally had me drooling in front of my computer screen. The vibrant tones are so eye-catching. And don't you love those sheep? The vistas she paints are so alive and colorful. I have so much respect for artists that can create such gorgeous pieces...

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Watercolor Safari

I have found THE coolest animal watercolor prints on Etsy. Shop indigo mutt is creating these whimsical, irreverent, incredibly hip pieces of animal art:

I want them ALLLLLL. I've seen variations on this theme of modern fauna against white drawn up in a quirky fashion but indigo mutt's is my favorite! I'm completely smitten with the use of pastel colors to create these beautiful little patterns on each creature. A wall of prints would be so, so charming in a family or kids space...obvi.

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Ana Claire and Daddy

I have been wanting to commission a little painting of Ana Claire for a while and decided that a painting would be a great gift for Carter for our wedding anniversary back in April. So I hopped on Etsy and found Colorado artist Laura Prill.  There is a sea of artists on Etsy that will paint family pictures so choosing one was a bit daunting, but one of Laura's painting caught my eye so I contacted her.

We started the process with two photos of Ana Claire (at 2 months) and Carter - I asked Laura to combine the two because I liked Ana Claire's expression in one but wanted to get Carter's profile from the other.

Laura and I went back and forth via Etsy a couple of times...she first showed me a pencil sketch that we slightly tweaked and then she started the painting. She sent me this final watercolor after about a week:

Isn't it sweet? It's prettier in person and Carter loved it. I love the pastels and the little expression in Ana Claire's eyes is priceless. We're planning a wall of family photos at the top of our stairs and this little gem will be the focal point.

Laura was great to work with, so I highly recommend her...check out her Etsy shop here.

In other news, Ana Claire is 5 months old today! Here is the current state of our nugget:

This weekend sitting on daddy's lap

Her "official" 5 month picture

I clearly have terrible photo-taking skills but hopefully her cuteness shines through :) Hope you had a wonderful weekend.

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Friday Crush

Design by Phoebe Howard, image by Josh Gibson via Good Housekeeping

A current project has me checking out neutral bedrooms and I am loving my discoveries of gorgeous, serene spaces. This spindle bed totally caught my eye and how it plays up a texture in a very monochromatic room. I don't love every single thing in this space (I'd switch up the art and curtains) but I love the concept. Your eyes and brain can rest at the end of the day in this space.

Have a wonderful weekend...see you next week!

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The Mix

Design by Benjamin Dhong, image by Lisa Romerein, via House Beautiful

What makes this vignette great? The mix.

Silver + Gold
Rustic + Refined
Soft + Edgy
Modern + Traditional

The contrasts are so pronounced, yet the overall palette is simple so that the mirror and greens can really pop. So much gorgeous detail and thought in a small, beautiful space.

Happy Wednesday!

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Embracing an Awkward Space

Due to my obsession with Phoebe Howard, I'm always popping in to the Mrs. Howard Personal Shopper blog, which often showcases before and afters of work being done by Phoebe and her associates. A recent post about a nursery caught my eye.

The before (a small office space):

Photos via www.mrshowardpersonalshopper.com

See that window situation? Makes furniture arranging a bit tricky...especially for a crib AND a twin bed. But professionals are real good at figuring this stuff out, like Vaughn Connerty from the Mrs. Howard Atlanta store who gave the client this sweet, beautiful solution:

See how Vaughn just made it work? Windows? Who cares? Vaughn placed the bed in a slightly asymmetrical fashion and loaded up the corner with framed watercolors. It's not perfectly perfect but it totally works. I love everything about this space and its soft sweetness. Note to self: get some pleated lampshades.

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Friday Crush

Loved this pin from Matters of Style.  It's a bedroom from the 2013 Southern Living Showcase House in Texas, designed by Heather Scott Home & Design. Pretty sure that's a Quadrille toile on the windows that sets the color scheme for the room. Love the white and light foundation that is peppered with restrained color throughout. And the organic shape of the light fixture works so well against the refined furnishings. Just a little breath of fresh spring air with this one.

Have a fantastic weekend...see you next week!

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Michael Carter

I just realized that the dining room from this post and the living room from last week's Friday Crush are from the same Boston home designed by Michael Carter of Carter & Company Interior Design (great name!). Funny how that happens.

Here are more images of this gorgeous, elegantly layered home:

All images via www.mcarterandco.com

 WOAH.

I love a good, fancy house. So very pretty.

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