Saturday, April 19, 2014

Rabbits, Eggs, and Cherry Blossoms

Easter is just around the corner, and I am sure you are expecting the whole family for lunch. If you want to "wow" your guests with your Easter decoration here are some very simple but very glamorous decoration ideas. 

bhg.com
Make an Easter wreath with colorful eggs in just a few simple steps. First take an egg (not boiled) and with an awl or bigger needle poke a small hole in both of the ends of the egg. You can now dye the eggs or decorate  them by gluing different colors of patterned wrapping paper. Then string the eggs onto a thicker thread or some kind of wire, whatever you find and think will work. Do not forget to make a knit before stringing the first egg otherwise you will lose it on the ground. Leave an extra inch on both ends; you will need these two inches of thread in the end. Make a knit after every egg and when you are done with the eggs, tie the two ends. Put a ribbon in the middle in order to make it more beautiful. 


bhg.com
If you feel like going rustic this Easter, find an old watering can and fill it with spring flowers, ribbons, dyed egg shells, greenery etc. Tulips or narcissi are a very suitable choice for the event. 

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One of the easiest ways to make an effective centerpiece is to take a glass vase and fill it with eggs and flowers and greenery in matching colors. Green, yellow, purple and pink eggs are very easy to combine with spring blossoms with predominantly whitish and pinkish colors. Red eggs are best decorated with red tulips (don’t forget to cut the stems).

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The asparagus center piece below is very elegant and sophisticated way of decorating the table. The asparagus is formed as a fence around a bouquet of beautiful spring flowers. Wrap the asparagus with packthread for the finish touch. Tree blossoms, pink roses, peonies, white tulips all are perfect for elegant and excquisite atmosphere. 

marthastewart.com
I love this one. Remove the top of an eggshell, dye in soft purple, delicate baby blue, or leave it white. Then use it as a small vase for spring flowers- lilies-of-the-valley, forget-me-nots, lilac, hyacinths.

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If you plan to spend Easter outside the city this is a very cute way to surprise your guests. Unconventional and different this decoration is very suitable for a more rustic environment. 

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White carnations and yellow eggs in a porcelain bowl is one very simple, delicate, stylish, and unpretentious decision for a center piece. 

marthastewart.com

Yellow narcissi in a small paper basket. Very creative, simple and will definitely impress your guests.

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This is one of my favorite - very creative and cheerful this decoration will definitely brighten your day. Dye several eggs in yellow and then cover the dyed eggs with broken egg shells; you have to make the yellow eggs seem like they are trying to pop out of the white egg shells. With black marker make two dots on which egg- they will be the eyes of the chicken. Then from red or orange paper cut as many rhombuses as number of eggs you have. Fold the rhombuses into two and here are the beaks of your chickens. 



And here is a little something from me. I found some delicate pink blossoms in the garden in front of my house and I put them in a martini glass. Also, I bought some purple lilac which fills the entire house with indescribable scent. I added one white paper rabbit and there it is- a very simple decoration for my work desk.



This one is very simple, too. The pot is with fake grass- I found it in Ikea. I added cloth daisies and a couple of chickens and ta-da. 

Friday, April 18, 2014

Brick Walls, Large Size Photographs and Stainless Steel - Urban is here!

Nowadays people are obsessed with the idea of incorporating urban style in their apartments and homes. Many people live in cities crowded with people and they live in small apartments and lofts where the urban style fits perfectly. Others like generation Y are beginning to follow a trend of buying homes in the suburbs, but they want to preserve the urban feel even in the suburbian home.

Here are some tips that will help you get the urban look.

#1 Brick Walls- If you haven’t bought an apartment you can look for one with brick walls, they just scream urban design. A lot of public venues and especially restaurants are beginning to count on brick walls for creating a cutting edge design.

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#2 Contemporary furnishings- minimalistic and modern furniture is the best in order to get the urban look. Simple white lack shelves, stainless steel minimalistic lamps, fluffy carpets, simple sofas.

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# 3 Bare Floors- in order to get an urban look leave the floors bare. If you want to cover up a part of the floor do it with a fluffy carpet in white, grayish, dark purple.

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#4 Simple windows- do not cover especially if they are tall. An urban window look requires lack of interference from any type of thick fabrics for covering. However, if you feel like the place does not look finished without something covering the windows then choose a simple sheer fabric that will allow for some view.

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#5 Leave open spaces- urban look requires a lot of open spaces. If you live in a big apartment you can have a lot of open space without cutting on storage furnishings, but if you live in a loft you will have to get rid of some of the commodes or numerous bookshelves in order to leave some air for breathing. Also, one big space consisting of several different-purpose rooms is very appealing. Get rid of some of the walls- it is very appealing to have living room, dining room and kitchen in one big open space.

#6 Clean-lined Furniture- if you like clean-lined furniture that’s great because urban style likes it too. Cleanliness and less frills makes the place look more spacious. Also, clean-looking pieces of furniture and simple accessories imply a feeling of calm and tranquility.

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#7 Dual purpose furniture- urban apartments are usually not that big. Use some of the furniture for more than one purpose.  For example put a couple of storage stools in the living room along with the sofa. You can use the stool as a place to sit, to put your legs when you sit on the sofa, or to use it as a storage space.

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#8 Stainless Steel- it Is inevitable when we talk about urban style. You can choose stainless steel not only for the refrigerator and oven, but for the kitchen island, for some of the lamps in the house, definitely for the accessories. Look how nice those stainless steel frames fit the whole atmosphere.

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#9 Large-size photographs and posters- posters and large sized photographs are very urban. Photographs of urban city life, of bridges, cars, abstract art are perfect for the walls. A lot of designers count on wallpapers that cover the whole walls to create the feel. Black and white photographs are also a very good choice.

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#10 Nature- urban style loves live plants in pots- the bigger the better. Also, urban design allows for flowing fountains, pictures of flowing water, waterfalls, etc. 

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#11 Color- It is true that the predominantly used colors in urban design include white, black, grey, put you can also spice up a bit with colors. Put colorful cushions, blankets, elements and accessories to brighten up the place. Also, you can always paint one of the walls in some bold color.


Sunday, April 13, 2014

Inspired by Nature

Often nature plays a huge role in the decoration of our home. I am not only talking about flowers and plants, but accessories, posters, details on cushions and bedsheets, prints on carpets, etc. I was searching the internet for some new ideas and I came across hundreds of lovely cushion inspired by nature. Let's see some of the best.

This ostrich faux feather cushion is available at Marks& Spencer for about 40$. This is one of my favorite, inspired by the Great Gatsby and the 20s this cushion is both cozy and stylish.
www. housetohome.co.uk
Here the feathers are only used as a detail on the cushion. Done in black and white by Bloomingville this cushion can be a very nice accessory to a white sofa.
feather cushion from rockett st george
This one is a bit more colorful and expressionistic. But I think it will very well fit a bit more eclectic living space. For the more bold ones I think it can perfectly fit a velvet peacock-blue sofa. I found this one on a website called Lovely Decor. The cushion is available in different sizes an the price is as high as $33.

Lovely Decor
This one is again with feathers but is more glamorous than the ostrich one. However, think twice before you purchase it because with the wrong furniture you will go from chick to tawdry. In my personal opinion this can fit very well on a contemporary white-leather sofa. I found in on Wallace Sacks Linens.

Wallace Sacks Linens
 I found this amazing rustic looking cushion that resembles the soft blue flecked feathers of the bird Kookaburra. The blue on the feathers of the bird are represented as a washed mixed blue print on the cushion. I personally adore this one! Found it on Etsy for about $70.

Etsy
This also looks more natural and maybe the washed color prints are done on organic cotton or linen. 
However, those look a bit more eclectic than the the previous one. The blue prints resemble peacock feathers. I found those on Houzz for $46.


This one is very classy and fabulous- look how the feather pattern is entwined! One of my favorite for sure! This one is 100% cotton cushion cover that has been printed in Macclesfield and stitched in London. On the website this is one from a range of cushions inspired by quotes from English authors and poets.The quote here says:  'I am a feather for each wind that blows' from The Winter’s Tale by William Shakespeare.The price is £46.95


Linden Williamson

Sarah Jessica Parker - peacock blue, vintage ping pong table and globes

Less than a month ago Sarah Jessica Parker revealed parts of her NYC apartment for Vogue magazine. She answered 73 questions, yes 73 questions, while allowing the world to take a sneak peak into her apartment. 

With the opening of the door we can immediately spot the amazing tiles on the stairs leading to the second floor. The pattern tiles reminisce of the Spanish interior design details we talked about couple of weeks ago. Also we can spot an arch right behind SJP which also is an interior-design detail influenced by the Spanish culture.

Vogue


As we enter the living room we see walls painted in bright green, a very eclectic velvet peacock blue sofa on which she comfortably sits while answering the numerous questions of the reporter. One of the walls is covered from bottom to top with bookshelves.We can spot the fancy accessorized bar cart on the right behind SJP.

Vogue

The living rooms continues in another room and at the very entrance we are stunned by a vintage-looking ping pong table. The open-plan living room is full of artwork but the ping pong table does not break the atmosphere. In a strange way it fits the whole idea.

Vogue

The white fireplace is a masterpiece- very elegant, sophisticated, French, dreamy. But it is not SJP's favorite thing in the apartment and neither is the small piano situated in one of the corners of the living room. She admits the one thing she adores in her home is the collection of glowing globes which she carefully organized on the top of what looks like closet.

Vogue
She does not show any other part of the apartment but definitely she leaves us with strong curiosity what they might look like. Indeed, as she is a complicated and diverse person, so is her home. She combined completely different styles, materials, fabrics, etc. but as a whole the home feels very cozy, intimate, and very much like her.

If you want to see the whole video that shows Sarah Jessica's home check the link of Vogue's exclusive video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W511rtnnlZM

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Aloha Hawaii

I have never heard somebody have something against Hawaii. After all it is a beautiful place, perfect for vacation. So if you cannot find the time or money to go there, why not bring Hawaii into our apartments. Here are some very fresh, vibrant home decors inspired by Hawaii.

taken from pinterest.com
A very inexpensive and at the same time reaching the desired effect thing to do is to buy wallpaper with palms. Nowadays, there are a lot of stores that have tons of wallpapers and it is very easy to put them on the wall. A couple of pillows with fruits and patterns and there you go - you have a little bit of Hawaii into your bedroom or living room.

taken from pinterest.com
If you want to get deeper into the subject you can buy armchairs with some leaves drawn on them, with flower patterns, coconuts, or anything that reminds of Hawaii. Armchairs with delicate patterns that just imply the feel of Hawaii are a perfect solution for people who love to redecorate often because there might be no need to throw them away. On the other hand if the room is full of obvious hints about Hawaii probably the furniture will not fit any other interior-design decision that you make.

taken from pinterest.com
Great decision for an entrance corridor is to incorporate some details into the wall, use furniture from typical for the Hawaiian culture materials, typical colors, etc. Mint green blue and rustic wood will be a good choice. I found this very nice foyer and I just loved the wallpaper that has bamboo intertwined bamboo sticks on it. It will be a good choice not only for a foyer but also for a bathroom.

taken from pinterest.com
Accessories can help you a lot with making the place feel more Hawaiian. A drawing of Hawaiian shores, or some flower, won't cost you a lot but are a very good choice for the space above your bed. Bedside wooden lamps, decorative cushions with the typical Hawaiian flowers will blend in perfectly.

 
taken from pinterest.com
taken from pinterest.com
Rattan chair and coffee table with glass jar filled with seashells also brings the Hawaiian feel. If you have a nice corner on the terrace this is the perfect place to create you small island.


From Barcelona with Love

Today I have decided to show you one lovely bedroom designed by the famous interior designer Eduardo Arruga. It has an amazing feel of spring and showcases warm and romantic atmosphere.

taken from pinterest.com

One thing that caught my eye since the first time I saw this bedroom, was the windows. Four or five large wooden arch windows make the room look extremely spacious and open an incredible view of the area. Long pink/beige curtains make the area around the windows look very romantic and welcoming. Right next to the windows there is a little corner with two armchairs and a vintage coffee table- the perfect place for a refreshing morning coffee. Of course, the usual for the Spanish look, high-beamed ceilings are not missing in here- colored in soft beige they create a very bright and relaxing atmosphere.

picture taken from pinterest.com


 Fireplace facing the bed warms up the bedroom and makes it even more welcoming. Accessories, blankets and pillows in soft colors fill the whole romantic picture- very delicate and dreamy. Vintage wooden desk with chair on the right reminds of summer nights spend in watching the stars through the large windows and writing romantic poems. Delicate flowers on the desk blend perfectly with the whole picture. Just lovely!

picture taken from pinterest.com  
The natural look of the place is accomplished by little details- cushions with vintage flowers and patterns, small glass vases with delicate spring flowers, accessories in vibrant colors. Soft blankets are spread all over the bedroom making the bedroom very relaxing and welcoming.