Some delicious eyecandy from 3 beautiful blogs

It was design blogs that inspired me in the first place to start blogging, but between running my web design business, and running Decorology, I never have time to peruse my favorite blogs the way I once did. Therefore I decided to make myself make time by publishing occasional posts featuring images from other awesome design blogs. Enjoy!

{featured in no particular order}

Images below from  "Live Creating Yourself."

so pretty

the charming The Marion Housebook had this delicious eyecandy

 

The two bedrooms above are so simple and peaceful

On Pure Style Home  I was loving these...

gorgeous

Reveal 1 - our new apartment

So last week boyfriend and I looked far and wide for an apartment in DC, because he's starting his masters program at GWU in the fall. We searched in multiple DC neighborhoods - Georgetown, The Hill around Eastern Market, Dupont Circle, Foggy BOttom, Shaw, Cleavland Park, Glover Park, etc. We also scoped out Arlington and Alexandria in Virginia, and Silver Spring and Bethesda in Maryland. While there were areas of DC we really liked - we couldn't get the space we needed with our budget. I work from home and therefore require more space than if I left the house for an office each day. We also really fell in love with old town Alexandria, but the only thing we could find in our budget was a good 20 min walk from old town. In the end, we decided on an awesome Bethesda apartment. I'm from Maryland but had actually never been to Bethesda, and was really impressed. Where our apartment is situated is only a 7 minute walk from the subway, and we can walk to shops and restaurants. In DC we just didn't have the budget to live close to shops and the subway.

We also have around 750 sq ft and 2 huge closets! That's unheard of in NYC and Brooklyn where I was living before. Anyway, I have to decide on paint choices. We want to keep the colors somewhat neutral because unless colors are "extreme," we aren't required to repaint when we move out.

I took some pics of the place and did some photoshop magic to show you the 2 colors we are thinking of. I'm really loving gray lately - so I'm thinking gray for the bedroom, and a nice, creamy light aqua for the large living/dining space.

So, these 4 pics are the bedroom

These are the living room - which includes a dining nook

Let me know what you think? Has anyone painted a room gray? I've been seeing it a lot, and I'm really liking it.

Home office for two? How to make the space work

So my boyfriend and I will be moving into our new apartment in Bethesda, MD in a week. I still have a ton to do - pick out paint colors, paint, pack, etc. I work from home, and he will be spending a lot of time studying when he starts his masters program at GWU the end of August. We have a large living room, and a medium-sized bedroom, so we've been trying to plan out how to create workspace that works for the both of us. I know I will want my desk in the living room, and we can either set up a home office for two in the living room, or he can set up his desk in a nook in the bedroom. We're not sure which route we will take, but in my search for inspiration I found some great 2-person home offices.

Check 'em out below:

This set up is a great idea..though it will inspire footsie in times of peace and kicking in times of war...
via Unclutterer

Really like this one too...seems the key is staying uncluttered!
via Curbly

two desks situated in an L position...I like this home office but I don't think we could work this configuration in our space

via Apartment Therapy

One of my all-time fav offices.  If we had the space I'd love to do something like this
via ?

This couple created a workspace in the bay window of their bedroom with a piece of Ikea counter top. This is great but I can't work from the bedroom. The idea could really be done anywhere, though.
via Flickr

This 2fer looks like it's an ikea desk with a small set of malm ikea drawers for storage to divide the desk space.  Also one of the monitors is mounted on the wall to save space.
via Picasa

So pretty.  I need a tad more surface space on my desk though, and one of those hopelessly ugly office chairs... There's a DIY for this desk here.

I adore this home office/guest bedroom/playroom all-in-one
via Young House Love

 
Another pretty option.  This desk is fashioned from a closet door.
via Utopia Invitations

Has anyone every had a 2 person home office? Any tips for me - did it work for you or no?
Thanks guys! I'll be sharing some pics of the new apartment soon!

3 Top Tips when using Flooring Rugs

Rugs are a great way to bring a new lease of life to a tired looking room. However, before you make your selection you should consider these three tips, as rugs can be used in many different ways in a home or office.

1. Placement:
You'll need to think about where you place flooring rugs if you want to avoid trips and falls at home or in the office. Irrespective of which room you place a rug try not to have the corner in the middle of a door opening as this can lead to a potential tripping hazard. It is a good idea to use rugs in high traffic areas just so long as the larger part of the rug is in the doorway.

via Nesting Newbies

2. Sitting Areas:
You can create an inviting sitting area in a room simply by placing a sofa and chairs around a rug. Pale or light colours, with a low-key design offer a more intimate space in which people can sit and talk. Circular or hexagonal shaped rugs are also ideal for cosy seating areas. By placing the front feet of chairs and sofa onto the edge of the rug, not only will you be reducing any potential trip hazards, you'll also provide sufficient rug surface for people to have both feet on the rug itself. This will help to make people feel more at home and at ease. You could also place a flooring rug under a coffee table to create a central focal point in the seating area.

via Anthology

via Maison Marigold

3. Open Areas:
One of the most fashionable ways to use flooring rugs is to place them in areas which have no furniture, such as in front of the fire-place or in the middle of a room. Placing rugs in open areas can help add a new dimension to a room more especially if they are a contrasting colour to the flooring; they can provide a different texture which will give a room more personality and help ground a colour scheme.

via Casa Diez


*disclosure: this is a sponsored post from UK Flooring Direct

Two awesome shows back-to-back tonight! Design Star and awesome HGTV new-comers the Novogratz!

So - I have a confession to make - I don't really watch much HGTV, but that's only because I don't really watch much TV.   I'm not a TV person, and it is really hard for me to commit to a tv-watching schedule. Luckily, we just got DVR, and two new shows have caught my fancy. One is this season of "Design Star" (I hadn't heard of the show until this season), and the first two episodes I loved, and the other is "Home by Novogratz." I know of the Novogratz via Six by Design and their awesome book, "Downtown Chic" - which I reviewed here.

So when I heard they had a new show airing on HGTV I figured I'd give it a shot, and I really like it so far. The duo's solutions are great for people who love to try DIY projects, shop at flea markets, and find it really important that their home reflects them, not the most recent issue of the top-of-the-line home and interiors glossy.

I have for you a sneak peak at what you'll catch on tonight's "Home by Novogratz," where the couple livens up a rather dull family beach condo into a colorful and whimsical get-away. What's really exciting about tonight is the Novogratz are also guest starring on "Design Star" and then their new episode airs directly after that! So be sure to have the tube on HGTV at 9 for "Design Star", and/or 10 for "Home by Novogratz"

These images below are from their first episode, where the Novogratz team created this awesome surfer-girl home for two sisters.

You can read more about the show on HGTV.

Graham and Brown wallpaper and Thomas Paul rugs on sale!

Since I'm moving August 1st (we found a great place in Bethesda, MD - pics to come soon!), I have been in a sale sniffing mood, scouring high and low for great deals. Some I just have to share - like this gorgeous Graham and Brown wallpaper and these fab rugs...

If you're interested you can get them on sale at Joss & Maine (you have to sign up, but it's free and fast - click here).

A cute and pretty house with a nod to mid-century modern

Cello is one of my favorite instruments. I would love to learn how to play one day

cute pantry!

via Covet Garden

Have a great weekend!