Dining in Style.

You've seen some recent pictures of the dining room from the Turkey Day decorations, and I'm sure you noticed the wood paneling. The dining room was stuck in a major time warp when we bought the house. In fact, the whole house was, and I have proof in the receipts my mom just found of some remodeling that was done in the 70's. I'm not saying anything is wrong with that time, it's just not my favorite. Here is what the room looked like when it was my grandparents:

Little bit of nostalgia for you. The dining room was unchanged my entire life, aside from the carpet. It went from an orange/yellow/brown shag to a nice neutral beige. But it was still the same green trimmed, woodpaneled, pool hall chandeliered room. And it still wouldn't be so bad, except there was an almost identical shade of wood table and chairs in there (not to mention the buffets and cabinets that were in there that were all the same shade).

That was after we took over and cleared out the furniture except the necessities. Now you can see it's a sea of brown. It was cool last Christmas when I found some old linens and made it sort of a cabin, homey feel of Christmas:

...but otherwise, it needed a little toning down. I decided to use my free time when I woke up this morning and find a way to make it a little brighter and more stylish. Problem is, neither one of us want to take down the paneling. We learned from the bathroom remodel that opens up a can of worms, and the last thing we want to do is replace the dry wall again. So we're playng safe, keeping the paneling, and finding a way to make us BOTH happy with it:

It's a little all over the place, but I just tried to combine all my favorite elements into one big picture. Cushy captain chairs, zebra rug, anthropologie knobs, Emeco (knockoffs, I'm cheap!), Damask curtains, and the $39 Diversity Thrift table. I've spent the whole time we lived here throwing together so many different looks for this room, using inspiration, and nothing stuck. I finally started going with my heart and now I found a look I love. It's not easy finding your style!

We're planning on staining all the floors in the house, and I'm really leaning towards a dark stain. But because of that, the walls will need to be lighter or we'll really be swallowed up by all that wood! I initially looked into white washing, but that was pretty insane. So I thought I'd try a light stain instead. And to really help tone down the walls, no matter if we change the wood stain on the paneling or not, would be a gigantic canvas covering most of the upper wall. I took note in a lot of the metropolitan/glamorous spaces I've been lusting over there are big ornate frames covering the walls. And it REALLY brightens the space up. I figured I could just paint a large canvas, and put the miter saw to use some more to frame the picture.

I've also wanted an old decorative wood buffet to hold our dishes so I don't have to use a step stool to get the daily settings. I like the dark wood stained top over the white painted piece, with some pretty little amethyst Anthro knobs. Since a lot of the pieces in this room are diving hard over the line into traditional, the contemporary Ikea light fixture will help keep it in this century, and I'll find ways in the accessories to keep it more modern. Since this is a longterm look, hopefully the next place this set resides in will have normal walls surrounding it to make it easier to decorate!

Roomboard: How Alluring.

I was flipping through the stack of magazines my mom passes on to me when she's finished, and thought I'd study up on the latest trends in clothing... to avoid. But this picture from the November issue of Allure caught my eye, and the colors and architecture were love at first sight.


I sat and studied every detail in this picture, because it was all pure perfection to me. And trust me when I say this, that never happens. I guess I was just in an observant mood! The more I looked at it, the more I thought how awesome each detail would look as pieces in a room. Would you expect anything less from me?

Though this doesn't really NEED explanation, so I'll try to keep it short!

The fireplace reminded me of the texture and stone of the road. The painting's designs and colors are pulled from all the colors in the picture, and made me think of the bricks and windows of the buildings. The white vases on the fireplace are shaped like the clouds in the sky, and I used the texture of the clouds to pick out the shag rug. The slipper chair fabric is identical to the red building above the puppy's head. The coffee and side tables were inspired by the buildings colors, windows+window trim, and even the ladders on the buildings. The cowhide pillows were as close as I could get to the pretty coat on the puppy. The wall sconces are so cliche being inspired by her earrings, but hey, it works. Keeping with the outfit inspirations, those hot black leather gloves she's wearing translated to the sleek Ikea sofa. The table lamps look exactly like where the sidewalk meets the brick road, and the big elephant in the room: wall color from the sky! I chose Harbor by Behr. I picked it by eyeballing swatches online with the magazine spread, and was shocked to find it was almost dead on to the picture once I uploaded it!

I almost wish I had another room to design to make this happen. Oh, please, someone want this so I can do eeeet!

Table for 12... Million.

We decided to get some use out of the beautiful table setting I'm so proud of with dinner tonight, and I thought why not invite all of our friends over for a meal as well? Small problem; our table only seats 6. But a blog seats MILLIONS. Drew spent all day slaving over the crock pot and made some tasty potatoes and served them along side some delicious ribs. So grab a chair (or most likely, just sit where you are) and come join us! I hope you're hungry!

I love these plates soooo much. They go with any and every color, and even though it's a pattern, it's a simple pattern that can also tie in with any design.

Before noms:

After noms:

And it wouldn't be a romantic dinner with Drew without a spill! He's been spilling his meal since the first day, scratch that, the first HOUR, we met. And that's why I love him.

My glass is always half full. Cause that's all I can fit in my tummy.

So glad you could join us for dinner. I hope you enjoyed yourself! We're stuffed.

An Autumn Setting.

I spent the evening rearranging and changing up centerpieces around the house to feel less Halloweeny and more autumny. Although we aren't hosting any Turkey Day gatherings, I wanted to take advantage of the warm fall colors before we change out to the jeweltone Christmas decorations after Thanksgiving. Every year I can't wait to clear out the Gobbles and bring in the Jingles, but this year I'm sort of mourning the fall colors so soon.

For the dining room, I already had the fake leaves and potpurri from two years ago, which I had spread around the living room. I took the colors from the leaves and raided the finally organized craft room for some scraps to use. I got a bunch of 1 yard scraps of fabric for about 60 cents each a while back, and one of them was the gorgeous maroon shade I used as a runner. I didn't want it to blend too much with the table, so I threw the linen fabric I had slated to make a pillow or two out of underneath to break up all the reds. Then I took some brown ribbon and tied a bow on the chandelier to warm it up a bit.

On the cake stand, I kept it covered with leaves and then I took two wine glasses and filled them with a leaf and lots of potpurri pieces to bring some height to the colors, but still add a touch of sparkle with the glass.

I didn't want to use anything at our wedding that we couldn't bring back home afterwards and put to use, which is why I DIY'd almost every detail in the wedding to our exact design taste. These hurricane glass votive holders were the main centerpiece at the wedding. I was going to add candles to them, but I'm going for fulltime warmth in here. I've made a habit of keeping even the smallest scraps of fabric because I eventually find SOMETHING to do with them. I had slivers of fabric left over from the pillows I made for the living room, so I stuffed them in the votive holders! The little candle holder was our wedding favor with our names and wedding date on them.

For the living room, I have a small problem. I don't have many accessories that are nice warm colors, or even white for that matter. I had a big bright color fascination when buying accessories up until recently. So I had to improvise. And since Turkey Day is only a week away, I wasn't going to sweat this too much. I stacked one of the red vases on 2 out of the only 5 books I own (here is a etiquette book from the 50's and a photography book from the 60's. yes, the only books I own aren't even mine! they're my grandparents) I layered a shot of downtown that was framed in the bathroom before the latest redesign with a picture of my old mini in the Fall of 05. And lastly I placed one of my grandma's vases on a saucer and filled it with calla lillies from the wedding bouquet I carried at my friend's wedding.

For the coffee table I just took the apples we got at Carter Mountain a month ago (they hold on for a LONG time!) and placed them in the usual white platter with leaves. Simple, but I love the colors.

I decided to keep the picture of my niece just a little bit longer, and pulled the orange candle over to this side table to bring out the pumpkin costume she's wearing.

For the other side table, I collected all the loose corks and put them back in the jar they originated from and set it with my beloved pony and some more fake leaves to keep it colorful.


Boy am I going to miss these colors in a week. We're going to have to put these decorations to use so I don't feel so bad replacing all these amazing warm colors with ice cold silver, white, and shiny sapphires and amethyst shades!

Roomboard: Melinda's Main Squeeze.

Although this was my second room to makeover from pictures of an already existing space, it was my first big challenge since the last one was a bathroom with the (permanent) bones already there. This bedroom belongs to Melinda. I made her the Wizard of Oz room a couple weeks ago for fun. However, she wants to keep the wall color and the main furniture, but make it look more grown up.

Like most women, she’s a big fan of Target. Who isn’t? Their stuff is stylish AND affordable. So I decided to use only Target purchases in this room as part of my challenge. And a challenge it was. I had to break down and cheat in the end by using fabric from another website for the curtain and the cushion on the end of the bed, but that’s it! Surprisingly, Target doesn’t have such a wide array of curtain patterns in black and white as I hoped. Now let’s break it down!

1. Melinda already had 2 black bookshelves that looked like they got a lot of use, so I wanted to incorporate them in a way that they’d be even more functional. I stuck them behind the chair so she can have her books within reach while she’s lounging around, and she can used these frosted storage bins to hold all her odds and ends. To make it less of a library, I put some chic contemporary accessories on the top shelf. She already had a white bedside table, so I took it from her bedside and used it as a side table for the chair. Suddenly the dark bookshelves aren’t dark at all!

2. She has a dresser that she has painted many times, but what’s one more coat for good measure? I chose a charcoal color (try Ralph Lauren's Urban Loft line in Bleeker) so it’s a little darker than the knobs so they still stand out, but not quite as dark as the bookshelves since it’s a large piece that will be standing alone. She already has those super modern pulls, so the only investment in this piece is more of that paint! I pulled some design cues from a dining room buffet by flanking the drawers with two lamps, a centerpiece of lemons in a circular bowl and a crisp black and white portrait behind it.

3. The chest in front of the bed was also an existing furniture piece that was up against a wall. I moved it in front of the bed and chose the charcoal color again for this piece to tie in the dresser since they’re two different styles. I picked a very thick, white textured fabric cushion to go on top so Melinda has a place to put on and take off her shoes.

4. The only furniture I added in were a headboard and the side tables. The headboard is an easy DIY, but this headboard came with the picture. Since Melinda’s room is upstairs with sloping walls, I wanted to bring in lots of reflective surfaces, so I chose these mirrored side tables. They not only add sparkle and light, but lots of glam as well!

5. Now onto all those wonderful fabrics! I chose a clean, modern circle pattern bedding since it wasn’t busy, but still had some pizzazz. I chose two charcoal pillows with a damask pattern (for $15!!) to pull in the side chair design and the color of the chest and dresser, and a yellow/white tie die effect pillow to go front and center to pull in the wall color and add a touch of personality. The window sheers are a burnout pattern to pull out the design in the punchy yellow pillow, and the center panel is fabric I pulled online from Timeless Treasures. I also found the fabric pattern on that side chair online, so it can be bought and used to recover her existing papasan chair, if she chooses to keep it. Although it’s a lot of different patterns, using only 4 colors to tie them altogether helps keep the look cohesive.

6. Next up, those accessories! As you can tell, I pulled in my usual circles and squares. It’s easy to design a room just mixing and matching those two shapes. As I mentioned earlier, I wanted lots of reflective accessories and surfaces to make the room feel larger. So I chose that super chic sunburst mirror to shed some light on the dark colored shelves, which has little capiz shell details. I love those ball lamps, but instead of the usual acrylic balls, I went with chrome to inject some industrial chic in this space along with the bowl on top of the dresser. I picked this bowl because it has the same look of the bedspread, and filled it with lemons to pull in that punchy yellow pillow from the pillow and curtain panel. I also used one more bright yellow detail with that daisy flower dish on the chair side table. This can be used to hold Melinda’s rings, earrings and any other little trinkets. I put in some pale pink flowers in a black and white vase to match up with the candle holder on top of the bookshelves, and add a personal touch with her initial on it. The frame around the large picture is actually bronze, which is pulled from the pharmacy lamp beside the bed, and picks up the tones in the wood vase that is on the book shelves. I went along with my trusty black framed, white matted black and white portraits over the bed since it’s a classic look that works in any space. I chose black lampshades to detain the ambience to a close proximity, and I only used table lamps make the room feel more cozy and elegant. No harsh lights in this peaceful getaway!

A lot of things in this room can be DIY’d, from the lampshades to the curtains. Here’s some tips:

Curtains are so easy to make. Just measure from top to bottom how long you want the panels, then add 4 inches to the top and 2 inches to the bottom for seam allowances. As for the width, measure the width of your window, and that will be how wide you want ONE panel to be. Don't forget to add another 4 inches to your width measurement for seam allowances. I just used a store bought panel as an example when sewing the pocket for the rod, and it was piece of cake.

In this picture, the headboard came with the bedspread picture I found online. But you can just cover painting canvases with fabric and hang them in a grid, or if you’re really handy you can nail three 2x2 pieces of wood together in the width of your bed and as tall as you want, and nail batting and a solid fabric to it.

The chest cushion for the end of the bed is an easy DIY project as well. Cut some foam to the size of the chest, then sew on some fabric. Next, tack on some straps to tie around the top door of the chest. That way every time you open it, the cushion stays put. Of course, you need a little sewing know how, but if you can find something in your house that’s similar, just study how it’s made and jump in and try it!

Roomboard: Meaghans Modern Whimsy Nursery.

I designed this whole room off my favorite crib bedding, by DwellStudio no less (who made my comforter!). All I told Meaghan was that it would be Modern Whimsy. I can get strictly modern when it comes to making someone else's space. However, for a nursery I wanted some cute woodland creatures tossed about for a little whimsical feel. I tried to inject some touches of soothing luxury to keep mommy and daddy happy and relaxed in this space as well. After all, isn't that what a nursery is all about? This is what I came up with:

1. As usual, I went with the espresso wood furnishings, and wanted to keep them less bulky looking with the frosted glass dresser, open legged Poang chairs, and the raised leg side table. I didn't put in a changing table because I feel like it's pointless to invest in a piece that will only be useful for a couple years, for you to just sell off for a dresser. I put a foam changing pad on top of this dresser and ta-da, you're years ahead of yourself! The side table opens like a cabinet door so you can stick your baby books inside for easy reach and they can sit neatly upright for easy pickings. I put up a white shelf to keep the walls light and to hold the baby monitor and some cute family pictures and little trinkets.

2. As I mentioned earlier, I'm in love with this bedding. Meaghan said she liked patterns, so I pulled some colors from the Owl set and picked out some contemporary pillows to toss in the crib. The crib skirt is striped fabric that you can cut and literally just hang from underneath, or pin to the mattress. I chose a soothing sage green solid sheet to compliment the owl print, and I would love to pamper baby in super soft high thread count. Nothing but the best for baby! And hopefully, it would help with a rare good nights sleep. Hey, you can dream ;)

3. I'm a texture person, so I picked floor length, super silky curtains, and a large, soft sheepskin rug that both you and baby won't want to step off of. The floor lamp is covered with paper with a spiraly wire frame to give it some form, and it provides a nice soft ambience (and only $15!!). The table lamp is capiz shells. This is very contemporary, and pretty trendy, but you can't get much more texture than this!

4. Now for the best part of this baby paradise, the whimsical details! These deer wall decals are SO cute, and don't overpower the room since they're plain white. I wanted something behind the crib to add some personality to the blank space, but I didn't want anything unsafe for baby. Enter the tree decal! Since there were so many fun trees in the owl bedding, I decided to play them up just a little more. You can find thousands with a quick "tree wall vinyl" google search. Also, I can't begin to explain how excited I was to see this new Poang chair cushion at my Ikea trip in Philly. Oh how I wish it was out just a few months ago when we got our Poang chairs! As much as I wanted more trees in here, I decided to stop them there and just use a green cushion in the foot rest. If you're looking for more of a rocking chair to put baby to sleep, they actually make a rocker version of this chair now. Score for Ikea again!

5. From the foot cushion, I decided to put a little more green in the room with the Bumbo. I never heard of this until I met my neices, and fell in love with this adorable "babysitter." I threw in a simple wood toy dangler from Ikea as the only toy. Although I didn't include it in this picture, there are endless options for toy storage. I like this open bin clear storage to help your growing child keep their toys organized. I love clear storage bins to keep my space neat but still somewhat visible, and I REALLY love labels. Also, having this large storage system with so many different compartments for different types of toys, it should be fairly easy to use the toy in/toy out rule when it comes to accumulation of toys. Just try not to collect past capacity of this piece of furniture when it comes to toys, and when a toy comes, in, a toy goes out to make room. I know it's hard with the grandparents spoiling the little booger, but it's worth a try!

6. Lastly, or maybe it should have been firstly, I picked a very subdued, soothing shade of greenish blue called Vermeer by Ralph Lauren. I'm a big fan of their paints because the most used room in our house is the only one with Ralph Lauren paint, and it's also the only one that hasn't needed a touch up from scuffs or wear and tear like all our Behr and Valspar paints. Sounds like a winner for descrtucto baby's room!

I look forward to the day I can design in person, especially in a fun kids space!

Roomboard: Adrian and Alastair's Guest Bathroom

I sent out a request (ok, I begged and pleaded!) for someone to turn over a room that needed help so I could fill my spare time I’ve suddenly been handed while Drew studies for a big exam. I was so excited to get a response from Adrian, because I’m just crazy over bathrooms. I went house hunting after putting this hot little number together, and realized how many homes have such blah bathrooms that the typical human being spends AT LEAST an hour in every day. Ok, maybe more of the female persuasion does, but you get the idea. I look at my bathroom and I can’t imagine having white walls and all white fixtures. If I had my way, I would spruce up EVERY bathroom with lots of color and style. I’ve been through enough theme-y kids bathrooms to know what works, what doesn’t, for both guests and home occupants alike. So I tried to display that in this space. This can be tweaked and worked over to work for anyone, but the basic principle is modern, clean lines to inject some style and personality, earthy tones and materials, but add in a couple fun elements spruced up to a more adult like style without being too theme-y. Lets get started! Here's the before:

And here's my design plan:

1. The paint color is Versatile Gray by Sherwin Williams. It shows much different under lighting (so versatile!), but it’s a nice neutral to work with and help brighten up the slate tile and espresso wood furniture.

2. Nothing screams masculine to me more than slate flooring. This slate mixture is where I pulled all my colors for the room and set the tone for the whole industrial, masculine feel. Once grouted, the slate will play up the textiles beautifully. I don’t have a crystal ball to tell you if slate will be “outdated” according to the masses, but it’s a natural stone, so to me it would never go out of style. I chose to use 12x12 tiles on the floor and the shower stall to keep the eye moving around the room. Putting in the same size from the floor up the walls won’t break up a space like different sizes would, which is important in a fairly small bathroom. I did add a border to give the tile some interest. Although many borders can really date a space, or your taste may just change (like wine grapes in a kitchen, or turquoise border around hot pink tile in a bathroom!) using the same tile in a different size or shape won’t look as outdated, or out of place like a special personal touch would. I also kept it near the top of the shower stall so it won’t shorten the room like it would at a lower height.

3. Since this bathroom was described as Alastair’s bathroom, but was still the main guest bath, I wanted to bump up the style but still keep it playful enough for a little boy. Growing up, my little brother had an underwater theme, like most kids do in a bathroom. It was very theme-y, which is cute for a kid, but as my brother ages (and myself being 18 and getting ready in there) it didn’t work forever. So this cute little tropical fish wall decal swam in, and the bubbles he’s blowing are small, round mirrors. I liked where Adrian had his circle mirror before because even in the pictures, it appeared to keep the space open and light. So I just threw in several more in smaller sizes, and took them up the wall to add more height to the room.

4. I’m big on complementary colors, but I like to shake things up using different shades of complimentary colors to add some interest. So in this room I put in earthy light blue slate, navy blue textiles that were on hand, and for the accessories I added in bright bold orange to heat things up. I literally squealed when I saw this Jonathan Adler hot orange wastebasket, ON SALE. Trust me, Jonathan’s pieces are not cheap, but this price was actually in line with something you would find at a department store. I’m a huge fan of his happy, colorful pieces that are oozing with personality. I simply couldn’t resist.

5. Since it is, after all, a kids bathroom, a kid needs some storage for his toys! Since the toys are so colorful, I picked out very subdued storage baskets to sit on the floor, since they blend well with the slate flooring. I added some texture using these natural Abaca tree bark baskets, and because they’re lined with cotton fabric, they’ll dry faster than sitting in plastic bins and can be washed to keep out the mildew.

6. I’m a big fan of crisp white towels. They look clean, luxurious and can brighten up any dark space. I highly recommend spending the big bucks to get quality Pima Cotton towels. They will stay soft through countless washes (which should happen often with towels!) and who doesn’t want to feel like a million bucks being wrapped in luxury every day? I added in some navy blue hand towels by the sink to tie into the existing navy blue textiles and inject as much color as possible on the neutral backdrop. Don’t forget to fork over those precious pennies for the hand towels too! You and your guests will thank you for many years to come. Nothing like pampering loved ones!

7. I wanted a modern vanity with frosted glass to keep it airy, enough counter space for the little one’s products, and a bright white sink to tie it in with the toilet and tub. I found this little beauty and it fit the bill for everything on my list. The cabinet space is large enough to house all of Alastair’s extra products, and guest necessities like soap, lotion, towels and TP. It’s a dark granite counter, but the white sink helps break up the darkness. Granite is very overplayed, but it is, after all, a natural element, which I wanted to be main stage in this room. They make spas with these products and shades for a reason! The mirror is much like Adrian’s current one, but with a wood bottom and shelf. I chose this one mainly because the shape of the wood at the bottom “mirrors” (ha!) half the counter shape below that’s lining the sink. I’m obsessed with the details!

8. The lighting that was not all that pretty. I went with this one to keep all the light that’s in there currently, but broke it up so it's not as harsh or overbearing by having 4 different lights and shine it down on the occupant, while light still seeps through the shade. There are lots of chrome fixtures in the room, so I picked a fixture with large amount of chrome on the lighting. I like shiny surfaces to give lots of depth, and the reflective surface opens a space up. I noticed in the pictures Adrian sent me, his TP was squished in between the vanity and the toilet, and the toilet brush was stuck in the back of the stall. To inject just a little more style, I found this multi-functional little number: a TP dispenser/brush caddy in one! As a personal preference, I like the TP in front of you so you don’t have to turn at all to reach it, and to be honest, having it on one side may not be conducive to someone who prefers it on the other. Having it front and center, it’s wham, bam, thank you ma’am. No preferences disregarded, and a happy, speedy, guest bathroom go-er. Having the brush on there, although not the cleanest thing to have in the facilities, is at least keeping the floor clear of clutter. Plus, that space wasn't being utilized before, so now it's no longer a plain, open wall.

9. When I saw this sleek, espresso colored bathroom storage piece, that looks just like an upside down version of the vanity, I couldn’t help but paste it up in this room. The light paint and all the chrome fixtures will definitely help tone it down if you're worried about having heavy, dark wood all across one wall.

10. And lastly, the littlest detail I made sure to not overlook: the stainless steel switch plates. It was one thing Adrian said he wanted to change out but just hadn’t yet. It’s so inexpensive and easy to change out, so I made sure to include it. However, one thing I would do, from experience of course, is change over to the huge contemporary switches so the stainless doesn’t get all smudgy for one, and two, the little hands can flip the switch easier. And even as a big “little one,” I enjoy playing with those switches. I’m just sayin’.

Fall Cure/Craft Room Update.

Although I've been a little behind on the actual Fall Cure steps on Apartment Therapy, I'm still working hard at my attic craft room. When I went to IKEA in Philly, I stocked up on a good amount of organizational supplies. I mixed and matched different styles of the kitchen organization systems, and stood at one of the IKEA kitchen counters for a good 30 minutes mapping out how it would fit in my angled wall space. It was SO worth it. This evening I finally installed the system, and put all my supplies on it:




I also got a bunch of cheap, white containers for my scrapbooking supplies, random crafts, scrap fabric, and magazines. I'm planning to build shelves like that white shelf turned on it's side. This was just to test how it would look. I'm glad it will take up a lot of the dead space and make it more usable:





That big star light is brand new at IKEA. It was in the holiday section, but was a great accessory for my night sky feel. It really gives off a nice, warm glow.





So as a recap, here's the before:



And the not quite after/in-between:



I still have a lot more organizing to do with all the misc wedding and backpack stuff on the right, and I can't wait to paint. I decided on the color "Sullivan" by Ralph Lauren in the Urban Loft series, of course. Stay tuned for more!

Ethan Allen's Style Quiz

I was reading the newest posts on one of my daily reads, Young House Love (who is also based in Richmond!), and they apparently have a love for Style Quizzes too. The last time I took one, I got a result "Kitschy" which was probably closer to the truth at the time, but my style has evolved and grown up a bit. For John and Sherry at YHL, their results seemed pretty accurate, so I thought I'd give it a go. Here's what I got:"The verdict is in—your style is Metro. Metro is a great modern space. Chic, comfortable, clean. Do the math. Strong horizontals plus graphic clarity plus a fearless blending of metal, woods, leathers, and wovens; minus the superfluous and the clichéd; equals urban architecture domesticated, a vision for living. "



It was completely accurate for the #1 result, and even the backup "Glamour" result was the exact mix I have with it. Although my design may not exactly show this feel completely yet, in my planning this is what I'm always drawn to and try to put into action.




Here, they show the looks for this result: http://www.ethanallen.com/looks?lifestyleId=100185

"A contemporary haven for the art and design maven. A fearless mixture of styles punctuated with pops of chartreuse, pink, and black. "
"Handsome modern meets pop artisan – where chocolate brown is fed spoonfuls of brights – at once innately chic and industrially smart. "
"Inside the urban landscape, where the tempo is fast, the frills are few, and neutrals come to life with shape and texture. "
"A sophisticated blend of myriad browns and creams for a vibe that’s both urban and earthy. "


I mean, hello?! This is the girl that put a traditional cherry wood table in her (for now) wood paneled dining room and mixed in cushy, clean lined, crisp white captains chairs and is going to add in aluminum side chairs and a zebra rug. All of this under a super modern chandelier.


And in the bedroom, where it's soaked with happy blue walls that are toned down and modernized with deep black/brown, straight-lined furniture. I wanted to bring in lots of texture with linen and sheer curtains and our hamper made of dark brown wicker that's lined with thick cream fabric.


Then there's the craft room in progress: dark navy blue walls with chartreuse and pink accent colors, with lots of metal accessories and my very textured cream fabric and medium wooden frame Poang chair.


Of course, the Glamour result was the perfect mix to go with my Urban Metro style. Pearls? Damask? Acrylic lamps? Don't mind if I... already have :) Test out your style here. I hope you're as pleased with the results as I am!

Roomboard: I can see your Halo.

The Xbox room. Inspired by lazy xbox obsessed friends and the Xbox 360 system itself:

1. The green table lamp is inspired by the green light ring on the console, and the red mirrors above the bed are from the 3 rings of death.
2. The round pillows on the bed should be obvious: the controller buttons. The white comforter comes from the overall white on the controller, and the gray throw comes from the bottom color on the controller.
3. The rug is pulled from the logo on the packaging box.
4. The fan and accessories were inspired by futuristic games, and although you can barely see it, the candle holder on the bedside table looks like a stack of xbox games:
5. The wall decal is a 4' tall Master Chief.
6. The base of the side table next to the game chair reminded me of the curves of the controller, the top of the table reminds me of the analog controls, and I provided some GAME FUEL Mountain Dew and power bars for the intense gamer.
7. And lastly, for said intense gamer, a pile of clothes from days of being glued to the 52" tv several days in a row.

Hopefully SOME guy SOMEWHERE would enjoy hanging out in here. I've convinced myself I'm not as good at designing a mans space as well as a females. I thought it would be the opposite!