Self Indulgent Behavior

I have a confession to make. Monday night I came home and had the house all to myself for the evening. I didn't have to make dinner and I was procrastinating on all those pesky household chores. Two of my favorite magazines had just arrived in the mail (Elle Decor and Coastal Living) so what did I do?! I plopped down on the sofa, turned on HGTV, poured myself a glass of wine, enjoyed an entire box of macaroni and cheese all to myself while I indulged in some glossy paged goodness. My downtime is pretty limited these days, so it was nice to get a break from the usual hustle and bustle of everyday life and take a moment (or three hours) for myself. How divine!

via Coastal Living, June 2010

Room of the Day

I'm loving this indoor/outdoor space with its sleek, modern furnishings and loads of light streaming in. And who doesn't love a surf board propped in the corner?!

via alifesdesign

Overstock, why do you keep teasing me?!

 I have tried ordering this rug for my living room twice now (at the amazing low price of only $129 for the 9x12 size) only to be a day late or a dollar short! Either it's out of stock, or the price gets raised to $176 at a blink of an eye. I just can't bring myself to pay the higher price, but the $129 price tag is very appealing! Should I keep checking back to see if the price drops, or should I just bite the bullet and pay $176? Decisions, decisions. . . my birthday is coming up, maybe I will have to drop a few hints with a few special people ;)

Room of the day

via Mark Lund Photography

Easy, breezy sunroom

I am loving this space featured in BHG. The cool color combination of aqua, orange and white with pops of yellow is simply divine! A sunroom is ideal for entertaining, or even just relaxing, all year round.

The white wicker funiture help keeps the space feeling casual, and potted trees and plants bring the outdoors in.

Wooden benches line the room and create extra seating, as well as extra storage space. 

Aren't those roller shades fantastic?!

A beverage area is set up in the corner of the space and is ideal for entertaining.

For more fun outdoor spaces and sunroom ideas head over to BHG!

Jonathan Adler feature in Elle Decor FR

I can't read the text, but I like what my eyes see! Trés chic, non?

 

via here

Room of the Day

via The Estate of Things

There are so many elements that I adore in this dining room, I don't even know where to start! I love the subdued color pallete, mismatched chairs, farmhouse style table, banquet seating and not to mention the elephant in the room - those two matching light fixtures! Love, love, love it all!

Every once in a while I like to sleep in late on a Sunday. Like really late. If it weren't for the woven wood shades with blackout lining that I have in my bedroom, this would never be possible! These can be a little pricier, but oh so worth it in my opinion!

 

Blinds.com is my go to resource for most hard window coverings. They have a huge assortment of blinds, roman shades, woven wood shades, shutters and more and all at extremely great prices! Even better, shipping is free and they have samples available on most products as well.

What's in your garden?

Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?. . . If only I had a dollar for every time someone recited that to me!

via Gemma Comas Photography

I have several rose bushes that we inherited when we purchased our home. I love being able to pick fresh flowers from my yard and display them throughout the house all spring and summer long! Although roses aren't my favorite, they still look beautiful scattered in vases throughout the house, and best of all they are free! Right now they are blooming in full force and it seems like I have an arrangement in every room! What's in your garden that you bring indoors to spruce up the decor of your home?

A Request

Earlier this week I posted an array of images of outdoor living spaces. Spring is in full force, and I am daydreaming about transforming my patio into a chic and comfortable place to dine al fresco and sit back and enjoy a cocktail in the warmer months. I spotted this image below via Colour Me Happy (I believe it's Ralph Lauren) and I can't help but imagine a similar banquet in my space! I am pretty sure my carpenter (aka the boyfriend) could whip something similar up for me in no time! No problem! So hop to it, honey, our patio is begging us to use it this summer! :)

Show House Visit?!

I am DYING to make a trip to San Francisco before the month is over so that I can tour the 2010 San Francisco Decorators Showcase! May is already jam packed for me and I am not sure if I am going to be able to squeeze it in. . .

Katiedid has been posting about the show house for the last couple of weeks and I have been trying my hardest not to read the posts and see all the beautiful pictures of the interior, as I don't want to spoil it if I go! It's really hard not to peak though! Keep your fingers crossed for me that I will be able to attend!

Outdoor Living

Although the skies are filled with gray clouds right now here in 'sunny California', I am still daydreaming about outdoor living spaces! I have a large patio that is in need of a major makeover and I can't help but imagine how nice it would be to transform it into a comfy outdoor room to enjoy this warm weather season!

Do you have an outdoor living space that you enjoy using during the spring and summer? Is it simply two chairs and a table or a more elaborate layout complete with a dining area? Please share!

Thrifting in Santa Cruz

I spent Mother's Day weekend with my boyfriend and my family in Santa Cruz. It's a tradition in my family to head to the beach every Mother's Day so this year we made the short trek again. You might remember me mentioning that I am helping my sister (who lives in a townhouse two blocks from the beach) redecorate her second story living area. I delivered the table to her this weekend (that I blogged about here) and now we were on the hunt for two chairs to go with it.

As we drove around town Saturday we kept our eyes peeled for garage sales in hopes to find something at a reasonable price. We spotted an antique store and take a look at what we found inside!

Chairs, chairs, and even more chairs! Too bad most of them had price tags over $50 and still needed some TLC. We were trying to keep our budget at around $30 for two chairs.

We spotted these already made over beauties, a pair of painted latter back chairs. Unfortunately they came as a set of four for $100 and the owner of the shop wouldn't split up the set. Darn it!

Next we hit up a flea market in downtown Santa Cruz. I could spend all day there trolling around and looking at all the hidden treasures!

Take a look at what we found there. . .

Two sturdy bentwood chairs for a grand total of. . . wait. . . $15!!! Jackpot! I plan to paint them a glossy white (they are currently chipped in several spots) and recover the seats in a fun fabric.

I'll share more on this project later! I hope all you moma's out there had a wonderful Mother's day!

Room of the day

via Coastal Living

West Hollywood Apartment of Melissa Warner

Yesterday's 'Featured Designer' post highlighted  the work of an up an coming design firm, Massucco Warner Miller. (Click here if you missed it!) This month in House Beautiful you can see the West Hollywood home of Melissa Warner. Her San Francisco design firm recently expanded, opening an LA office and Warner needed a home away from home. The two bedroom apartment she is renting is filled to the brim with fabulousness! Check it out. . .

Her boyfriend likes to call the apartment 'Disneyland' because it exudes such an aura of cheerfulness! I agree! I could definitely see myself living in this space.

Warmer thinks that pillows should bring something new to a room, whether it be introducing a new color, adding a graphic pattern or a layer on texture. The graphic orange pillows that she used here add that extra punch that the room needed to take it to an entirely new level, in my opinion!

I simply adore this vignette! I am working on a project right now and am considering painting a credenza just like this one!

I love the 'Eat' sign in the dining area, it adds a punch of playfulness to an otherwise taylored room.

All of the dressmaker details that Warner uses really adds to the polished feel of the room.

All I can say about this office space is YES, PLEASE!!!

In the office: Melissa uses a lucite chair and glass top table to trick the eye and give the illusion of more space. She also reversed the original mirrored closet doors (that made the space feel too much like a bedroom) and wallpapered the backs! When she leaves, she can just remove the paper and turn them back around. Genius!

To check out more of Melissa Warner's work, you can visit her firms website here.