Mad About Hue | Bedroom Inspiration

Now that my living room is squared away it's time to focus on the bedroom. Right now the design is pretty much nonexistent. I hate to admit it but the picture I posted earlier this week is pretty darn deceiving. The lamp, painting and bedding are just about the only good things going on in the room. I'm in desperate need of a headboard (Santa, Mom, anyone?) and a new dresser. I like the current black + white color scheme but I think it needs to be bumped up a bit.  A punchy coral, edgy chartreuse or muted mustard might do the trick...add in a chocolaty fur throw and a little leopard and we'd have a winning combination.  I know some of my inspiration images aren't of bedrooms but you see where I'm going with this, right?

(Images: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

Mad About Hue | Yellow, Green + Turquoise

What sounds like a completely awful color palette is really quite nice, don't you think?  I'm working on a project right now that has required me to think outside my sometimes boring color box.  My client's one request?  Design a room around Anthropologie's buttery yellow Atelier Chesterfield sofa.  Yup.  A big, expensive, yellow sofa. 

My first instinct?  Go neutral. You know, grey, black, white, yellow (à la Jenna Lyons).  But the more I thought about it the more I realized that yellow compliments many other colors quite nicely.  Above are four rooms that I keep referring back to for color inspiration.  Which on is your favorite?

(Images: Robert Passal, Nate Berkus, Vogue)

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall...

I know, mirrored walls often get a bad rap but their reflective surface instantly opens up a room adding a touch of glamour. I especially like the way smaller antiqued square mirrors look when hung in a grid. The smoky mirrored wall in Todd Romano's old apartment above is one of my all-time favorites! The tiles provide an enchanting background and help define this seating area as separate from the rest of his living room.

Antiqued mirror tiles anchor this chic vignette and create the illusion of another room behind the table. Just look at the way those red chairs pop against the wall. Love it!

This weekend I might just channel Versailles!  With a pack of Ikea tiles, a few decorative pewter stars and this genius tutorial I'll have my very own "hall of mirror" in no time!  What's your plan for the weekend?

(Images via Elle Decor and Nuevo Estilo)

X-tra Seating

Hello, hello!  I'm feeling refreshed after an amazing 4 day weekend!  It was a productive yet fun weekend, I hung out with friends and managed to squeeze in a little work.

So now the topic at hand.  Extra seating.  I'm working on a project for a couple that recently purchased an average size condo in Chicago.  One of the first things they told me was that a sectional sofa was on the top of their wish list.  Obviously I want to make my client happy but after drawing up the floor plan a sectional sofa just doesn't seem doable - it would take up the entire living room leaving no room for additional seating or side tables. 

Designing a small condo can be tricky, you have to consider scale and hiding the TV.  Don't get me wrong, I love TV and watch a lot of it but a big sofa just staring at it is just plain ugly.  When you're designing a home with an open floor plan (and not extra tv room) the trick is to create a space that is formal enough to entertain yet cozy enough to kick up your feet and watch TV.  Enter the x-bench.  It's the chicest, most versatile alternative to a sectional sofa.  You can use it as a foot reset when watching TV or as extra seating for guests then just tuck it under a console table when not in use. Genius.  Just genius I tell you! 

Julie Massucco Kleiner

Todd Romano

Antony Todd

Nate Berkus

Sig Bergamin

X Bench by Ballard Designs | Chloe X Bench by Kindel | X Bench by Kindel | X Base Stool by Wisteria | Woven X Bench by Baker | Raffia X Bench by Vanguard

Fashion + Furniture

OPTION 1:  Keep It.  I'm not sure what you'd call this color but according to Chloé it's "sunflower- yellow" ...love the color but not sure how I feel about the crushed velvet.

I inherited a pair of these chairs from my Great Aunt and have been contemplating reupholster them.  At first I didn't really like the color but now, after 2 years of living with them, it's really starting to grow on me.  Most of the furniture in my apartment is neutral - light grey linen sofa, jute rug, carrara marble tulip table, chocolate brown leather ottoman - so these chairs add a nice dose of color to the space.  I 've decided to keep the walls of my apartment white (thanks to your great comments!) so now I need to focus in on a design scheme and color palette.  For that I turn to fashion.... OPTION 2: Go (charcoal) Grey.  This look from the J. Crew Fall 2011 lookbook pretty much sums up my style.  A classic blue tailored oxford, a textured coat and an amazing chocolate brown leather bag (the same color as my ottoman).  I like this option BUT it might be too safe.

OPTION 3: Go Green!  A bold choice but I love it.  To break it down, white shirt = white walls, green skirt = green velvet chair, black shoe straps = black lampshades...you get where I'm going? 

So now I ask you, dear readers, which look do you prefer?  Any input would be greatly appreciated!

Beautiful + Bubbly

I’ve been hunting for a chandelier to go over my new dining room table for a few months now.  I've scoured thrift stores, flea markets, craigslist and ebay but nothing affordable or amazing enough to warrant purchase has popped up.  While I was on the hunt I did, however, fall in love with the incredibly expensive work of Lindsey Adelman Studio.  Her Bubble series, with its stunning hand-blown glass globes and custom metal fittings, has both a contemporary and vintage vibe.  It's exactly what I'm looking for, minus the huge price tag. 

Fortunately, the lovely designer has posted a DIY version of her chandelier on her website.  The instructions include a detailed parts list with sources.  Isn't that just about the nicest thing you've every heard?  I looked up all the parts and I think the total cost for the project will come in around $120...not too bad!  I consider myself quite handy so I'm going to take a stab at creating my own chandelier this weekend. Does anyone have any pointers?  I figure if I completely screw up I can drive out to my parent's house in the suburbs and have my dad finish it. Wish me luck!
Everything about the kitchen pictured above - the chandelier, backsplash, table and chairs - is perfection.
Despite the chandelier's contemporary design, it works well with the traditional millwork in the foyer pictured below. Lindsey's Knotty Bubble series, pictured below, is inspired by Japanese maritime culture and packing.  Wouldn't it look great in a beach house?
Images: Lindsey Adelman Studio

Black Magic

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! I didn't have time to take pictures of my guest bathroom but I did buy black shades for all the lamps throughout my apartment.  I must say, it was money well spent!  There's something to chic about a black lampshade, don't you think?  Just look at the lamps in these rooms - I swear the black shades are like a touch of magic. Do you have any black lampshades in your home?
Lauren Gold's living room
Living room designed by Jennifer Dyer

Living room designed by Angie Hranowsky

Living room designed by Callie Jenschke

Eddie Ross' layered living room

Bedroom design by Pereira Associates 

Bedroom design by Celerie Kemble 

Bedroom design by Ryan Korban

Images: 1 Nuevo Estilo via This is Glamorous, 2-11 Lonny

Black, White + Leopard

J. Crew has done it yet again.  Their fabulously styled Fall 2011 lookbook is, well, beyond.  I'm completely inspired by this look - it's how I want my apartment to feel.  Masculine yet feminine. Classic yet modern.  Tailored yet casual.   I love the varying textures - wool coat, patent shoes, crisp white shirt.  Gray, black, a dash of pink...and, of course, a touch of leopard.

Image: Style Caster

White Out

To paint or not to paint, that is the question and currently my new home dilemma.  I moved into my apartment almost a month ago and I'm starting to think I could live there until I'm ready to buy a place. When I signed the lease one of the first questions I asked was if I was allowed to paint the current white walls (seen here). The owner said yes, as long as I repaint them white when I move out....what a hassle, right? Who wants to live with white walls...Not I! Or so I thought until I saw this gorgeous home designed by Ted Tuttle.

He used Benjamin Moore’s Super White on all the walls and trim and it looks incredible. This particular shade of white, he believes, has a lot of depth and is “still as rich at night as it is in the morning.” So what's a girl to do? Do I keep the white walls and add depth and interest with things I can take with me when I move or paint and have it repainted when I move out? That whole temporary 'I'm-not-going-to-change-a-thing-for-the-next-three-years' thing drives me nuts but so does the thought of having to pay someone to paint twice. What do you think? I'm torn!

Photographs by John Granen for Elle Decor July 2011

Brace Yourself

I'm trying to decide what to do with the large wall behind my dining room table. The space isn't big enough for a piece of furniture and there isn't much room in the budget for a large/expensive piece art.  I want something with big impact so I'm thinking a grouping of wall brackets might look nice. I like the look of Miles Redd's design pictured above. He used plaster wall brackets to display Celadon vases from Middle Kingdom. I like the repetition and how the monochromatic vases add depth to the wall. Steven Gambrel also used plaster brackets in his design pictured below.  Although nice, there's something about the arrangement that is throwing me off...maybe the lack of symmetry.

Celerie Kemble used acrylic wall brackets from plexi-craft to display a group of small potted plants.  I like how they sort of disappear and make it look like the plants are floating.  Plexi-craft sell these shelves in a variety of sizes on their website.  At $12/each, it would be fairly inexpensive to recreate this look, I'd just have to kind a way to keep the plants alive...

(Images: 1, 2, 3)

Saarinen in Milan

I was searching for more apartment inspiration when I stumbled across this amazing kitchen designed by Dimore Studio in Milan. Obviously I initially obsessed over the white marble Saarinen Tulip Table however what caught my eye was the beautiful time-warn brass island.  I mean, look at it, isn't it just beautiful?  The patina of the oxidized brass plays off the muted grey walls and the green and mustard accents creating the perfect color palette.  And doesn't it look gorgeous against the worn out rust-colored cupboard?  All the elements - the fabrics, styles, furniture and colors - are layered creating a room that is truly original.  This is the feel I hope to create in my new apartment - a space where everything was chosen for a reason and has meaning...I'm a sucker for anything that shows age.

(Images: Emanuele Zamponi for Yatzer.com)