Just back from a great visit with family in Iowa. (yes, they’re all okay and thankfully weren’t affected by the massive floods there) So, now that I’m back I’ve been busy plugging away at a new website! I can’t wait to reveal it, but it’s not quite ready yet. Stay tuned, sneak peaks to come!
If you haven’t been to Rejuvenation’s website, or peered through their catalog, then it’s about time! This company provides beautiful authentic reproduction lighting and hardware. On their site, they have a handy “style guide” as well as an online gallery of room settings to view their products, and an online store showcasing their lighting and hardware. A great resource if you want to add a bit of history to a new home, or add some finishing touches to your historic renovation.
I have been a fan of the magazine, Domino, since it’s come out. (I have all the back issues in my resource library!) So, I was really excited when I saw this feature in their magazine a while ago and thought I’d share it with you! They take outfits as inspiration, then turn them into room designs. So fun! The one below is from their latest issue. To see more, go to www.dominomag.com/go/outfit
How about that for some inspiration?
Check out these fabulous chandeliers by jGoodDesign!
bubble series chandelier
aqua chandelier
hourglass chandelier
So I’ve been on a bit of a blog hiatus, due to the fact that we’ve been helping my in-laws settle into their new place, since they just moved here from California. On that note, we’ve been busy making their apartment get organized and feel more like home. (a plus- they found an apartment that lets them paint and that helps a lot!) So I thought since apartments were on my mind, that I’d share a few ways to make an apartment (or any space, for that matter) feel more like home:
- Incorporate your favorite colors- This is a must. Even if you can’t paint in your apartment, add in your favorite colors by using pillows, curtains, throw blankets, picture frames, you name it.
-Think outside the “white box”- Hang curtains on the length of an entire wall to create an accent wall in a place where you can’t use paint. This will add color and texture too! Get a couple of spotlights that can sit on the floor and shine them at the curtain for dramatic effect.
-Multi-Use spaces- In smaller living environments, make everything do double duty. Use your vertical space (wall space) for storage shelves, add shelving to your laundry room so you can store extra food pantry items, use your dressers as nightstands, think creatively! Take a step back and think about how you can best maximize every inch of square footage.
-Don’t forget the floor-Add in some area rugs to make things feel unique and more personal. You can use area rugs over existing carpet, too. Area rugs also help to define spaces in open floor plans.
-Fight back against bad lighting- Apartments can be notorious for having a single overhead light in each room. Get some table lamps and floor lamps to scatter around the room- use some for reading, some for accent light, you can also use the mini spot lights in the corners of the room to make it feel larger. Spreading out the lighting will make your space feel much cozier and the light will be more flattering, too.
also, check out this cool apartment, from apartmenttherapy.com (a great website for inspiration!) I LOVE the giant photo artwork in the background!!
So I blogged a while ago about how I’m trying to bring my own bags with me while shopping. Well recently a friend told me about envirosax, an Australian company that sells reusable shopping bags. In patterns and colors that I LOVE (and I bet you’ll love them too)! If you’re even remotely considering getting some shopping bags, you have to check out envirosax and I think you will be convinced- and yes, it’s okay if you’re buying them just because they’re cute. As long as you use them, you’re still doing your part, right? 
I’m always on the lookout for great lamps- they are one of those little things that makes a room great. Here are some of my favorites from the latest issue of Interior Design magazine…
This is the artic pear table lamp- absolutely gorgeous!!
This is the T lamp by Manjaca- simple, modern and romantic!
And last but not least- a chandelier made out of…paper clips!
“The best rooms also have something to say about the people who live in them.” -David Hicks
Lately I’ve decided it was time for me to start bringing my own bags to the grocery store. I really hate those plastic bags anyway, sliding all around my trunk, spilling everything, not to mention that the bags themselves just don’t fit much, so you end up with way too many. I do re-use the bags for doggie duty, but I have more than enough for that already.
Eventually, I want to get some cute personalized bags to tote with me, but for now, I decided to go one better and re-use some bags I already have lying around from countless trips to NeoCon. I used these bags on a recent trip to the store, and thought, wow, that was easy! Why didn’t I do this a long time ago, if for no other reason than the bags just work better??! So don’t bother with the plastic anymore, and use some tote bags you already own! If you don’t have any lying around, then I suggest these- they’re classic, sturdy and come in a bunch of sizes too.
I, not unlike so many of the rest of the world, need my daily coffee fix (now, more than ever since my little girl entered the world, but I digress…). And I know we’ve all heard how much better it is to re-use our own cups than to keep trashing the world with paper ones. Okay, I get it. But what if you really like those paper cups? ( I, for one, haven’t found a “travel mug” that I like, or that fits in my car’s drink holder!!) Well, enter the ”I am not a paper cup” cup. It’s a re-useable porcelain cup with a silicone top, shaped just like your fave paper cup from the coffee shop. I was going to get my own online- however, apparently everyone else loves them too. Everywhere I checked (I googled it) they were out of stock until May. I’ll be waiting!
