I am ready for a vaca!

Mud room/office/laundry

We have been toying with the idea of a very small remodel...  We have a side porch with an entry door to the kitchen and the exterior wall is shared with our laundry room.  I have been sketching ideas of closing in the side porch and removing the shared wall btwn the porch and laundry to make a mudroom with space for laundry and hopefully a small built-in desk.  There is not a lot of room so the design will have to be perfect to incorporate all three design aspects.  

I love the cubbies and high windows in this photo.  Natural light is an absolute must!  The more windows the better.

www.decorpad.com

This desk area is a good starting point.  I don't want any open shelving (I hate to dust) I would prefer cabinets and we can use all the storage space we can get.

www.pintest.com

This bench with baskets is a good thought for shoes to hide clutter.  I know I'm not going to like being able to see all the shoes lying around so the more concealed the better.

www.homebunch.com

Love these windows above the dresser and the high gloss blue ceiling.  The room still needs to be interesting even though we won't be entertaining in there!!

www.jsdpn.com

Too good not to share

Yoshino DC

I am so ready for spring!!! I loved our snow last week but enough already - bring on the warm weather.  Everyone knows about the beautiful cherry trees that grace the mall in our nations capital.  I have always wanted to go yo DC while the cherry trees are in bloom - they are stunning.  So this past weekend I found Yoshino Cherry Trees at a local nursery and grabbed two of them.  They are now planted in our backyard where I can see them every day out of the kitchen window.  I wonder if they will ever be as pretty as the trees in DC?

Color Filled Apartment - NYC

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!!  We had a nice relaxing weekend... Nothing too major.  I was cleaning this weekend and of course started to ponder how I could introduce a few pops of color and came across a House Beautiful article on a Manhattan apartment filled with color!  Interior designer Amanda Nisbett filled the home with an incredible amount of color.  I'm so used to seeing sleek and neutral homes from NYC that this article is a breath of fresh air. This color filled design reminds me of something I would see in a friends home here in the south.

A few of my favorite elements... The kitchen light fixture is to die for!! Fun and contemporary that works perfectly in the space.  The powder room is covered in the designers custom fabric... It's called hot hot hot pink - so fun!  The navy & green combo bedroom is one of my absolute favorite color combinations.  The two colors compliment each other and are bold without being overpowering.  And what a cool headboard idea for the two twin beds... I'm going to have to keep that in mind for future projects.

The reason all these fun colors work together is due to the white walls... Keeping the walls cohesive throughout the home allow you to have all the fun pops of color!! If the walls were all different colors it would be a headache.  

All images via House Beautiful

Pops

While perusing pintrest and re-pinning rooms I liked I noticed a trend I was drawn to.  Primarily neutral rooms with one pop of color.

Black, white, yellow... What is not to love??  All my life I have been such a yellow person... Just about every bedroom was a shade of yellow and then suddenly I don't have a drop of it in my house right now.  Weird!  I am painting my front door yellow so that should be enough.

I love this mid-century dresser... So chic!!  And the red mirror is the perfect shade for an otherwise completely white decor.  This would be a great and easy DIY project...find an old mirror and give it a fresh coat of paint in any color.

This foyer is lovely. The console is very straight and the ottomans tucked underneath it have a curve which softens the look.  The small piece of art is a great pop but isn't overpowering all the other wonderful design elements.  Great mix!

MILIEU - New Magazine Alert

Last week in the mail I received a gratis copy of a new design magazine, MILIEU.  It is outstanding!  This issue was their Winter White issue and features many beautiful homes, Darryl Carter's fantastic DC store, and even a feature on England.  The design that is featured is sleek and a bit on the contemporary side it's a great magazine for all to read... Great articles and beautiful photography.

A Hollywood hills home with interiors by Kelly Schandel is gorgeous!  The white walls and white upholstery make the accessories, artwork, and those views pop!!  I love the floating shelves to the left of the fireplace... (This is a very easy DIY project.  I have white lacquer flanking my fireplace - love.)

This is my fav!!!  This is definitely going in my file for my "forever home".  There isn't one thing I don't love about it.  What if I told you it's a bachelor pad...  Would you believe me??  We'll that is exactly what it is.  Located in the Mountain Brook suburb of Birmingham, AL with interiors by Patti Woods.  Gorgeous!  You have to visit the website to see the rest if the photographs. (When you do please notice the doors that flank the fireplace in the living room... To die for!!!)

A Mexican inspired home by designer Jan Barboglio who was born and raised in the neighboring country.  An American designer who returns to the Mexican culture for her inspiration.  I love the chest to the right of the bed... All that carving, oh my goodness!

Darryl Carter's Washington, DC store and also featured is a Q & A with Mr. Carter that is worth the read.  A very interesting article.  I especially was drawn to how fate lead him to interior design.  

Amazing inspirational photographs from England!!!  Can I pack my bags and go now???

This magazine has it all and I definitely recommend you visit their website and get a subscription! 

http://milieu-mag.com/Department?departmentId=3