Mix and Match Dining

I've been drawn to casual formal dining spaces since I can remember, one that's just beautifully thrown together with this and that.  Mismatched chairs and linens done just right with only hints of color for cohesion.  About a year ago I scored these two mismatched chairs at a garage sale and brought them home, put them around the table and have been thinking about how to 'finish' them.  They are both very neutral and I have two white chairs and a bench around the table.  I think I'd like to paint the more vintage chair a very soft seashell pink (like in the first pic below) and then pull in some pinks in the linens, or a light turquoise....hmmmmm....

Here are some eclectic dining rooms I found in my scouring that have inspired me to finish my own space...


House of Fifty
I love the colors in this one more than anything.  I've always loved seeing pops of pink in a white and black room but never knew how to do it because I love decorating very beachy, well have you ever seen the inside of some shells?!  It's the most gorgeous shade of soft pink.  Now I feel like I can decorate with pink in a beachy themed interior.  yay!

 

 

This one is just shabby gorgeous in my opinion.  And I love the gorgeous chandelier that balances the shabby out.  Beautiful.

 

 

Decor 8 Blog

I love how they overlapped the different colored table linens on this table. 

House Beautiful

 

 

Chictip.com

 

 

Mobel Pobel Blog 

 

Craigslist Photo

I saw this one on Craigslist (they were selling the gorgeous table).  It might be my favorite one here!  I wanted to contact them and pretend to want to see the table just to see the rest of the house!  :-)

 

 

Peace,

Jill



Gorgeous Room Inspiration

I was in the mood to be inspired today so I visited one of my favorite blogs, SF Girl by the Bay, who never disappoints, and these are some of my favorite finds.  

I'm in love with these rooms and ideas and can't wait to someday have some beautiful spaces like these in my own home. 
Let the fun hunt begin looking for budget friendly ways to bring these ideas alive!  :-) 
Adorable reading nook from the Apartment via SF Girl by the Bay.  I love love love the ceiling and the eclectic mix of furniture.  And who doesn't love this rug?!

The above rug reminds me of this cool rug from Anthropologie, the Hattan Curves Rug.



Love everything about this room from Skandia Maklarna.  We have a white couch so I'm always drawn to room inspiration with a base white couch.  The small pops of color bring life into the room but just enough as to not create clutter.     

This room from Home and Delicious, a new online magazine published out of reykjavík iceland by husband & wife team photographer gunnar sverrisson and designer Halla Bára Gestsdóttirjust looks so thrown together and farm cozy I couldn't resist to add it.  I always think about the fact that no two rooms, no two homes are ever exactly alike.  We all live in unique spaces.  Even if we go to Pottery Barn for instance and buy the display room, there always ends up being little pieces of you brought in to make it your own even if it's a newspaper strewed about.

gotta love a display like this.... from The Apartment.

Hege Greenall-Scholtz

St. Francis House, in Cambridgeshire just outside of london

Peace,
Jill

Fun Antique Finds

Whilst browsing at a local antique shop during our Summer holiday, I gradually became more and more saddened that I was 2500 miles from home so getting these beauties home would be doubtful.
:-((((((

Anyways I still wanted to share these great finds!  And the prices were amazing!  Makes this all the more sad...  Boo hoo hoo hooooooooo

Peace!
Jill

Dream Kitchen

Ever since I watched the movie, like many others, I fell in the love with the kitchen from the movie, "It's Complicated."  I was surprised that although very cute and cozy was a very modest kitchen and something maybe in reach someday.  :-) 

Here is a small clip of the kitchen from the movie, oh how I love the marble countertops and the back window!

Here are some more pics of the house, in case anyone is interesed in buying!  :-)

Kitchens are such a huge part of the house, the heart of the house.  It's important to love your kitchen!  :-)  Here are some kitchens I love:

I pulled this off the internet when I was looking for pics of the movie set from It's Complicated, but wasn't sure what this kitchen was, if part of the house of something completely different and now can't even find it....  Well regardless I love it, so cozy and cute.  Although I love these countertops too, marble is just so gorgeous, I guess it depends on the look you are trying to achieve.  And I love how the chandelier transforms the room.  And who doesn't love love love the eating nook and gorgeous beam dividing the room!?!?  I think I like this even better than the one above from the movie. 

The latest issue of House Beautiful, Jul/Aug 2012, has some amazing kitchens!  Here are some pics I took from this issue. 

 Peace,
Jill

 

The Elephant Hunt

Since I've decided to put a huge elephant photo above my couch inspired by this room from Elle Decor South Africa, I've been on the hunt for the perfect photo...

Of course I now have this urge to go to the zoo and take my own photo so next week might be a zoo day with the girls!  Too bad they have this high fencing in front of them!  Maybe I can get a good shot from the overlooking deck. 

If that doesn't work out, so far in first place is this gorgeous photograph from maybesparrowsplace on Etsy.  Isn't it great!?

Runner Ups

Etsy Shop Love Infinitely

I also love some of these shots from Carol Stevenson Elephant Photography, but she want's your first born in exchange for a print!  Oh well, can still be inspired by them...

Peace,
Jill

Nate Berkus and House Beautiful One Day Makeover in a Brooklyn Brownstone

I guess it's natural to always wonder what it would be like to live in a different type of environment.  I've been lucky enough to have lived in many places.  I grew up living in a small area surrounded by gorgeous lakes, then lived in a mid sized city surrounded by gorgeous mountains, then in a beach town on the ocean, then in a small community again by the ocean.  The other day Brooklyn, NY was on TV and my daughter said, 'I want to live there Mommy.'  I was thinking a girl after my own heart, I always wondered what that would be like...

So I always love seeing the interiors of big city dwellings, and was excited to see the outcome of the one day make over with Nate Berkus and House Beautiful. 

This is what it looked like before, not bad but missing that coziness and wow factor (I totally know the feeling, Nate please rescue me!!! :-))

And here it is now, it's crazy what a few accent pieces and an amazing couch can do.  I think a lot or all of the pillows are from West Elm and the couch is by Milo Baughman, a brilliant designer from the '70s. The amazing vintage gold mirror above the fireplace is from ABC Carpet and Home in NYC.  Oh how I'd love to spend at least a month here.....  

Peace,

Jill

After much deliberation....

so after months of staring at a blank wall (well lots of blank walls), i've finally decided what I want to put above our living room couch.  i'm the type of person that can't just walk into a HomeGoods, pick out some cute art and wallah...  i like the idea of everything I display and hang to have some type of personal meaning or something that grabs my heart.  that makes decorating so much harder. 
whilst reading my new online digital subscription to Elle Decor South Africa, i was captivated by this room, mostly this large wall photograph.  It's perfect.

since i can remember, i have been more than infatuated with these beautiful beasts.  elephants make my heart happy.  wish we could get a pet elephant...  since we can't, a beautiful photograph above the couch would be a nice runner up and it will sustain through many design changes and years to come.  now the hunt begins...

here are some more inspiring images from the magazine.

is it nap time???? 

love the wall art display

love the shabby simplicity with the little pop of color in the fabric banner

peace,

jill

 

Neon Obsession

so i've been totally on the fence with this neon fashion trend.....  sometimes i think it's okay, then i don't and think, why waste your money and time on such a quickly passing trend?! (or is it??)  then i love it when i see this cute fashionable girl confidently rocking some neon rosey colored denim with a blue denim top, skinny black belt and amazing suede peep toe black wedges.....that was last night...  :-)

this morning i went to one of my favorite blogs, sf girl by the bay, and fell in total love with some images she posted from the latest jun-jul issue of elle decor south africa.  then I started thinking, my house would love this trend.  where can i get a neon rosey pink geranium today?!?!?! 

and by far my favorite!!!!  love love love this little cabinet with neon pink knobs....love

these are the gorgeous neon coral pink denim jeans from bloomingdale's that reminded me most of the girls denim I saw last night, dl1961 jeans - amanda skinny jeans in coral

 

or these joe jeans



have a rosey neon pink kinda week!!!

peace,
jill