Snow & Graham’s cocoa cups flannel bedding for Garnet Hill would be perfect for my imaginary winter cottage. I would happily spend cold, snowy days curled up in bed reading shelter magazines and chick-lit novels I’ve checked out from the library.
{via}
So I’m watching “Bang for Your Buck” on HGTV this weekend, and the always adorable David Bromstad remarks that a ceiling fan in a master bedroom makes the room look a little cheap. Yes, an elegant chandelier in a master bedroom would definitely make the space appear more luxurious, but what if you like (or need) a cool breeze to help you sleep?
Now, I’m not a huge fan of ceiling fans (pun intended). For the most part, I find them to be an eyesore. But my husband insisted we have one in our bedroom and our kitchen, and I let him win that fight. They may not be my favorite, but I can’t argue that they aren’t functional.
Can somebody explain to me…Why do designers despise ceiling fans?
(image source)
No, I’m not talking about the Sicilian delicacy. I’m talking about the paint color by Benjamin Moore. Check out my pick for bedroom paint over on Elizabeth Anne Designs Living.
Anybody want to place a bet that I’ll change my mind again before the paint goes up on the walls?
(bedroom inspiration via House Beautiful)
Our house came complete with window treatments in each room, thanks to the previous homeowners. I happen to like the off-white Roman shades; they are simple and clean and work with my style.
The one exception is in my bedroom. In that room the young couple from whom we bought the house hung the same Roman shades but in maroon rather than off-white. I have a love/hate relationship with those maroon shades. I loathe the color, but I appreciate how dark they keep my bedroom. They block the sun almost completely, making sleeping in, one of my favorite things to do, oh so easy.
Too easy, perhaps. I am not a morning person and will routinely hit the snooze button 2-3 times before dragging my sleepy self out of bed. At 8:30am. Not necessarily an outrageous time to wake up, but it’s so dark in my room that I could probably sleep straight through til noon and not realize I missed half of the day.
As you know, I’m in the process of redecorating my bedroom, and I’m seriously considering replacing my light-blocking shades with sheer curtains thanks to this bit of wisdom from the September 2010 issue of Whole Living:
Let the natural light be your morning alarm clock. Trade the blackout shades in the bedroom for more translucent ones; it’s a gentler wake-up call. “When your alarm goes off, your first feeling is resistance, which creates stress,” Miller says. “The rest of the world awakes with the sun–why don’t we?”
Are you addicted to the snooze button like I am or are you a morning person? What gets you out of bed?
(image source)
While studying abroad in Sydney, Australia in 2001, I traveled to Alice Springs, where I purchased an original piece of Aboriginal art by Marlene Coombes. I even have a photo of the artist holding her artwork tucked away in my scrapbook. At the time, the warm, muted colors spoke to me, and I felt a connection to its meaning, which, on a basic level, has to do with women sitting around campfires. The indigenous people of Australia tell the most mystical stories through their artwork.
Over the past nine years, my Aboriginal dot painting has hung in various apartments in Boston, DC, NYC and Omaha. But when we moved into our house two years ago, I wasn’t sure where to display it, so it’s been sitting in box in a closet, and I haven’t given it much thought. That is, until I came across these posts by Viv from Ish & Chi and Jen from Made by Girl.
Long story short, Viv was contemplating buying a gorgeous pink-hued canvas by Aboriginal artist Jeannie Mills Pwerl for her living room. When she took the plunge (I imagine her purchase was quite costly, as I believe she was debating between the canvas and a new bicycle), she inspired Jen to track down a Jeannie Mills Pwerl original of her own.
I don’t know how J feels about Aboriginal art, but I would love to own a similar piece by Jeannie Mills Pwerl and would proudly display it in the living room. I can’t get these two pieces off my mind. I’m totally obsessed with their large scale and bright, airy colors.
How do you feel about Aboriginal art?
1. my photo 2. my photo 3. image via Ish & Chi 4. image via Made by Girl
I’m over at Elizabeth Anne Designs Living today writing about all the possible colors I am considering painting my bedroom — teal, orchid and aubergine. I would love some input from my design savvy readers, so hop on over to EADL and help me decide!
I wrote about my living room’s naked walls a couple of weeks ago over on Elizabeth Anne Designs Living and have been pondering what to hang ever since.
I’ve always loved the idea of a gallery wall but could never decide where one might go in my house. Then, while scrolling through Design*Sponge’s round-up of gallery walls, it hit me — how about over my couch? It couldn’t be an expansive gallery wall, but it may be more interesting than simply hanging a larger print in the space between the two windows.
(And yes, I’m still considering hanging picture rails on the outside of the windows, but I’m having a hard time making a commitment. Dark wood or metal?)
What do you think, design-savvy readers? Would it work, or do you think it would be too much going on in such a small space/on one wall?
(image via Design*Sponge)
I love my living room — it’s the room in which I spend most of my time — but it’s suffering from Naked Wall Syndrome. J and I have been in this house for over a year and a half, and I hardly have anything up on the walls. I’m determined to change that this summer while he is deployed. However, I could use some help determining what to put where. Click over to my post on Elizabeth Anne Designs Living to weigh in on what I should hang in my living room. Please don’t be shy — I need your help!
Did you know that the traditional 2nd anniversary gift is cotton? I’ve been thinking about replacing our heavy down comforter with a new cotton quilt for the summer; perhaps I should take a page out of Jen Mankins‘s book and splurge on John Robshaw bedding. There are several bed collections that I love, like Tripoli and Pewter, but the price points are a bit high for my budget. Can anybody suggest any lower-priced alternatives to John Robshaw quilts?
(image via design*sponge)
