Wallpaper I Wouldn't Mind Having

The trends of wallpaper come and go but there are some styles that I feel like stick around really well and I could imagine having in my own home:

If the pattern is busy, I'd say go with a neutral color way or only one wall.
via Pinterest via BHG

Classic patterns, like the diamonds above or the stripes below, are a surefire and chic way to go.
via Pinterest via Apartment Therapy

via thedecorista

Going with neutral colors or a simple print like stripes is a great choice for something that can last a a long time in a home and potentially resell just fine!

via Pinterest via Real Simple

Prints that seem to stick around are another option. There are always those few that don't seem to ever go out of style. Floral trellises are one example.

via pinterest

If you know you are going to be in the home you are in go with something you love! My suggestion would be to pick something you know you will still love years down the road, like a print you've always adored, since changing up wallpaper isn't as easy. 

via indulgy

Have fun with it, because after all - it is your home!

Feminine, glamorous interiors

Loving this pink and gold.  I don't know how much of this my sweetums would tolerate.

via Recently

If only my dining room was ever this clean and serene.  It's being used as an office until Chris is finished with his masters, and promises that once he's done the table will always be clear.  Time will tell...

via Rue Mag

via Adore Home

via Lonny

via House Beautiful

via House Beautiful

The easy, livable style of interior designer Sasha Emerson

Interior designer Sasha Emerson adds an undeniable sense of ease and comfort to her spaces. They all have a quality of warmth and family, and with character to boot! The four below showcase the home of Emerson herself.  You can see and read the entire article at Country Living.

Love the gray of the walls with the tan console and headboard.

Below are some of my favorite spaces from her website.

What do you think of Emerson's style?

Make your tiny bathroom gorgeous AND functional!

I think it's just my fate to always have a small bathroom.  Even the master bathroom in our home is small, even for a regular bathroom....  We make do though, and the best solution I've found is to use vertical space to create storage options.  We have a cabinet installed over the toilet, and the towel rods are installed on the back of the door.  Here is some more inspiration for fellow endurers of small bathrooms.

You can find cubbies and shelves in all sizes nowadays, and don't overlook even the narrowest sliver of wall as a possibility for storage. If you can maintain a clean organized look with your items out in the open, open shelves will be fine.  If not, look for cabinets with sliding doors or drawers.

If you have a little extra space that you can put in a built in, that's always the way to go if you can  swing it. This space looks especially sophisticated because the crisp lines of the toilet really matches the style of the moulding and shelves.

I really like all of the artwork in this bathroom. The shelves our great too - just make sure they aren't deeper than the toilet tank or it could make visits to it a bit uncomfortable!

I wouldn't use the built-in shelves in this bathroom for books - but the bathroom sure looks cute!

LOVE the perfume shelf!

via Pinterest

Making use of the storage you already have may be the best solution! adding a shelf to your door and finding the right storage accessories for your under the sink space can add a ton of storage solutions if you are lacking any extra square footage. 

There are some great accessories at ltdcommodities for storage needs that could really step up your space. 

Organizing junkies will love these little stick-on bins...myself included!

Do you have any tricks up your sleeve for creating storage space in a small bathroom?

via Ikea, via Pinterest via myparadissi.com, via Cuded, via Pinterest, via Cuded, via Pinterest, via Buzzfeed

Tips on Selling Your Home at Top Market Value!

Chris and I bought our first home this year, and so far we love being homeowners. We know that one day we will need room to grow, so when we start looking for our next home in 5 - 7 years, we are going to want to sell our home at a great price. We have already been researching the best investments to make in your current home to increase it's value. Here are some tips from realty pro Kathy Doyle to help get us started:

Use trends that fit the style of your house.
If you have a Cape Cod beach house, do not remove the beautiful wooden floors and cabinetry for stainless steel and radiant heated cement. Take all trends in mind with your home’s style and unique footprint on the real estate landscape.

Cape Cod Beach House via Picklee


Have an updated home.
Buyers of luxury and high end properties are looking for a house that is move-in-ready, in line with the investment they are making. The last thing any buyer wants is to envision a major remodel in their future, after spending millions on the home itself. The most important wonderful impression that must be made is a modern, updated kitchen. Top of the line fixtures and appliances are key. The top must-haves for appliances for today’s luxury buyers are a sub-zero refrigerator, excellent water filtration system, center island and second sink, dishwashers, trash compactor, and plenty of storage space. Beautiful bathrooms with tasteful design are also very important to the discerning buyer. (Me: Our home is very, very far from a luxury or million dollar property, but these principles can be applied still, just with a lower price point.)

 

Transitional Dining Room by Los Angeles Architects & Designers Studio William Hefner


Top Kitchen Trend: Warm and Inviting.
Forget the trendy kitchens of years past which came across as cold and utilitarian. Today’s top trend in kitchens is to embrace the space as the center of family and entertaining life. The color schemes for today’s top kitchens are warm and inviting to all the guests in the home. It is common for the kitchen to open into other entertaining spaces so that guests can mingle while hors d’oeuvre and drinks are being prepared. No more stuffy chef’s kitchens of years past, modern luxury is comfortable, warm, and casual. (Me: One of the first projects we have in mind for our home is either opening up the dividing wall between our kitchen and living room as a breakfast bar, or removing the wall entirely.)

This is pretty darn close to my dream kitchen.
Warm and Inviting Kitchen via My Random Inspiration

Eco Friendly can be chic via Ozvip


Be Eco-Friendly
Today’s buyers want to purchase a property that is friendly to the environment and on their wallets. When they purchase a home with large square footage, buyers must take into account long term energy and utility costs. So build savings into the home. Buyers love homes with double paned windows, lots of natural light, low-energy appliances, low-flow toilets, excellent insulation, and solar panels. Eco friendly is wallet friendly, and maintaining a luxury property is much nicer if you save money on utility
costs at every turn.

 

Luxury Pool via Luxist

Got a lot of lot space? Add a pool or guest house.

Luxury buyers want Guest Space for friends and family to enjoy the benefits of their good fortune. Guest space is key for almost every buyer I work with to find their dream home. Many want pool and spa for their guests to enjoy, and any property with one or both of these amenities goes up in value tremendously. Be clever and combine them both. Build a pool, and have the pool house double as guest quarters. One client in Beverly Hills built a gorgeous indoor/outdoor pool house with a daybed which served both as a seat for evening cocktails and as quarters for overnight guests to sleep in the open air. Sauna, Gym, Home Theatre and Massage Space are also high-end upgrades that add value to today’s luxury homes.

Luxury living room via La Dolce Vita

Stage for Success 

If you are selling your home it is key that you stage for success. You want your home to feel personable, but not personal (as though only your family can live in it). So remove personal family photos, clutter, tchotchkes and the like. The right buyer will imagine their life in this beautiful space. Have style which is welcoming, tasteful, and leaves room for the imagination to play! 

Find the Right Realtor

Kathy Doyle is a luxury real estate broker in Southern California. She is a leader in Beverly Hills and Malibu luxury real estate. With a keen eye for design, she loves to help her sellers make key remodels to make the most of their gorgeous properties so that they can get the highest purchase price on the market today. Buyers are looking for high end and beautifully updated homes, so to get the best price for your luxury property it is important to have the qualities today’s buyers are looking for.

this post is in partnership with Kathy Doyle Estates

Colorful Home Decor

With the imminent gloom of winter on the way, I thought I'd seek out some color and light and some examples of what color can really do for your home. This is great for those who love white walls, live in rental that you can't paint, hate to paint, or just have a love for accessories and changing them up. Sometimes a blank white canvas of room is a little intimidating and you might even not know where to start. Bringing in simple neutral furniture is a great start so that it can grow with you while you figure out what you really want in your space. Then, observe what colors you are consistently drawn to, and seek out small home goods in those hues. Pillows, lamps, and vases are a great way to start.

via Pinterest

Colors change with season and what's in style which goes the same with patterns. Instead of repainting all the time, try adding a little touch of color with some accessories and home decor around the house. This can give you that feel of color and texture that you might be looking for.

via House Beautiful

The great news with using home decor for your color is that it's really easy to switch it up. Add a bold cushion or curtain depending on the season...if it's a color you can't live with permanently, you can swap it out easily.

via justimagine

You can also do this with furniture pieces, like the blue table in the photo above. If you decided you didn't want blue anymore it would be a simple fix to change out just the side table and pillow. Another option would be to repaint that one piece! Since it's smaller it wouldn't be such a daunting task as repainting an entire room...

Inspiration for Home

Paintersplace.wordpress.com

Want to go a little further than accessories for your room? You can frame wallpaper or paint a canvas to hang on the wall or bring in a spot color chair. When you want to change it up later you can switch out the chair to a different room or paint a new canvas.

House Beautiful

Elle Decor

Houzz

You don't have to limit yourself - it might even be easier to switch out one piece like the rug to make the room look different. Don't be afraid to mix it up a little and make your room one that you love walking in to.

Beautiful office and workspaces

A little beauty to get you over hump day

via HGTV Magazine

via BHG

via Houzz

via Heart Home Mag

via Lonny

via Sweet Home Style

Deliciously chic and glamorous eye candy!

I've been running around like a chicken with it's head cut off these past few days preparing for my baby sis's baby shower, being a freelance web designer, trying to unpack and get settled into our new home, and wiping up puddles of puppy pee-pee.  Right now I just need some gorgeous eye candy to remind me that all my hard work CAN and WILL pay off!

This is actually an office! I love the look - and that wallpaper would look great in my home office!

Canopy beds always say luxe to me.

Gold, cream, gray, and a touch of pink...and horses...what else could a girl want!?!

all images vie Rue Mag Oct.