fashion inspiration: relaxed boho living room.

Inspiration can come from anywhere. And for me, a lot of times that somewhere is fashion. Taking an outfit and using it to build your color palette or fabric profile could mean the difference of having a cohesive vision and a scattered idea. 

First, look at each piece of clothing separately and list what they could bring to the space. Then, take the entire outfit and identify the proportions of each element to figure out how to bring balance to the room. Finally, add a couple of your favorite accessories to finish the space.

tip: Try not to be too literal about your inspiration. Take what you like about a look and transform it into something that could work for the space.

outfit / sofa / chandy / chair / navy pillow / side table / coffee table / ikat pillow / cream pillow / rug

the shopping itch.

Believe me when I say that a girl has her needs. Unfortunately, these needs are coming the same time our finances are officially frozen. To get my shopping fix, I'm heading to my favorite imaginary land where all dreams come true, all rooms are adorably styled and all budgets are non-existent. That is, until the finances start thawing out.

First item on the list are sheets. Apparently, we have a lot of pillowcases in the rotation that just. are. not. cutting. it. The best part about this is Jim's been taking the "bad" ones and placing at the very bottom of the stack in the linen closet. Then, being the clueless individual I am, I've been sorting through the pillowcases, pulling them out of the stack and using them in the rotation. Jim finally came clean and filled me in on which ones not to ever use again.

In our home, the softer the better. This means 100% cotton, absolutely no sateen, at least 300 count and jersey is always an option. I swear, if Jim had it his way, we'd be using his old t-shirts as pillowcases. Naturally, this will not do. Fortunately, Target has been killing it lately with soft fabrics and neutral patterns that will satisfy both our needs - cute (me) and soft (him). Pair any of these with a duvet cover that has a larger pattern, a statement pillow to bring the look together and a nubby blanket at the foot and you've got yourself one good looking bed.

[thomas o'brien for target]

[thomas o'brien for target]

[threshold]

[threshold]

[nate berkus for target]

[nate berkus for target]

living room progress

We've put the living room together and, as mentioned in yesterday's post, are trying to find the perfect finishing touches. Overall, I think it's really coming together.

1. THE TRAVEL WALL. I LOVE the way this wall is coming together. We're hoping to fill the entire wall with places we've traveled to over the years. It's a wonderful way to remember the great times had and the gorgeous places seen. I'm thinking about introducing some more color through painted frames - maybe some rust and seafoam greens. But just a couple.

2. THE SHELVES. I like the way they fill out the corner but am not sold on the style. Since the accessories are sleek and shiny (looking to add some color and thrift store specials here too), I'd like to introduce some rustic charm to balance everything out. Lately I've been drooling over these shelves made by Mandi over at Vintage Revivals. I'm hoping to either find something similar or suck it up and make my own.

3. THE RUG. I just don't know what to do. We need a rug (thank you, Ruby's nails) but I can't find any I like under $700, let alone within our actual price range. The dining room rug has more of a traditional/oriental vibe I love and Jim hates. I'd like to get something a little more graphic that compliments without matching. Or maybe layering a jute rug with a cowhide? I've been scouring all the online stores in search for something (ANYTHING!) that remotely strikes my fancy but I've continued to come up empty handed. I'm starting to get a little nervous and may just make Ruby wear dog shoes if something doesn't turn up soon.

4. THE UPHOLSTERED FURNITURE. I HATE all of it. It's beige, the back cushions are sloppy and large and in charge. Jim however, sees nothing wrong with it since it's in one piece and is super comfortable. We don't exactly have new living room furniture in our budget so it's definitely not a battle worth fighting right now. Maybe I take a stab at reupholstering.

5. THE SIDE TABLES. I think I might "beat up" the little stool to build character and add texture to the space. As for the other side of the couch... see the rug explanation above. Since we'd like something a little taller and larger than the typical side table, I've been on the prowl for a cabinet-type piece. I actually got the idea wandering through Target one day, spotting this little gem that doesn't quite fit the space. I'm hoping to head out the the thrift and antique stores next weekend in search of something that works. Add one of my vintage lamps, a bright white shade and some accessories... I think this room will start to shine.

A constant work in progress that's slowly pulling itself together as our living room. Hopefully I can find some things at the thrift stores this weekend to start on the enhancements.

bootie licious.

I can never resist a good play on words. It finally feels like fall and with fall comes boots. Actually, booties. Here's my collection and keep in mind, I've condensed over the years.

For me, a good bootie is all in the detail. A little buckle here, a knot there, some oxford detailing, a little folding or even just a simple pipe with suede heel. I look at booties as a feature on my foot. Here are the close ups and no, I'm not above buying shoes on the cheap.

target

forever21

mia

jessica simpson

nine west

For first time bootie buyers, I suggest taking a look at your shoe collection and see what detailing pops out the most. Do you have a lot of shoes with bows? Embellishments? Metallic accents? Use these as your queue when shopping and find a pair with similar features.

Another thing to keep in mind when searching is how the bootie is cut. For people with long legs, disregard because any bootie will look fine on you. I however, happen to have short legs that can very easily look like tree stumps when not featured properly. For those that share the same problem, opt for pairs (examples shown above) that are either cut at an angle, have a slouch factor or are tight at the ankle. If they're neither of those, they're not going to look good no matter what you pair them with.

Once you've got your pair 'o booties, experiment with outfit types to see how they can best flatter your figure. The typical pairings include cropped pants, minis (a-line or straight), skinny jeans/cords, leggings or a-line knee length dresses or skirts. Take note of how your legs look (stumps are never a good thing) and stick with that silhouette whenever wearing.

Here are some examples of good bootie wearing. Happy Friday!

inspired design

the glitter guide

cococozy

small shop studio

floorplanning a workspace.

First off, thanks again to A-Line Magazine for letting me offer up some advice on refinishing. It was a really fun assignment and an easy way to prevent project procrastination.

Speaking of project procrastination, I'm still up in arms about what to do with my craft room/nook/workspace. I've actually decided to call it a workspace so it can accommodate whatever new project I put on my plate next. Commitment crisis, averted.

Now that I have the name down, I started picking apart the floorplan in hopes of uncovering some super easy solution or idea for pulling the whole space together.

Here is how it's setup now.

The triple doorway off to the left leads to a bathroom (top), bedroom (side) and pantry (bottom). I placed my desk on the tiny wall next to my bathroom door which spills into the kitchen entryway and blocks the side of the fridge. The hutch and Lois the sewing machine are right next to each other, leaving room for the opening and closing of the top. Ruby's area is in the small corner and seems more forced than planned.

Largest area of dislike? When you look at the space from the living room (open space on the right wall), it looks more like a garage sale than a room. There's no area of focus and everything is stained wood. It's just so blah.

After working through some options, I gave myself two to pick from.

Option 1 is all about making the space a room. I moved the hutch to the side of the pantry, helping out the view from the living room. I switched the desk and Lois, thinking of adding an "inspiration wall" to block the fridge and creating an easier flow in terms of functionality. I'm still not happy about the dog bowl and toy basket placement - I think moving them next to Lois would be a better option.

In this case, I would paint the hutch, drawing attention away from the kitchen. I would then refinish the sewing machine and leave the top of the desk the same dark wood color for balance.

desire to inspire

I like this color combination as inspiration for refinishing the hutch. The blue will tie into my living room and the yellow will help blend the kitchen tile. It might be just a tad too "antique" for me though. Probably go a deeper blue and a little lighter on the distressed look.

target

 

The second option plays off the narrowness of the space, making it more like an alleyway than an actual room. This will draw less attention but still keep the plan of refinishing the hutch blue. The bench along with some other seating options can be pushed neatly underneath for storage while adding some pops of color to that side of the space. I kind of like the hutch completely blocking the fridge, acting like it's just a part of the wall. The hutch would then create a Ruby area (like she needs another one) that would house her food bowls and always-empty toy basket.

In this case, I'd probably add a hallway-sized rug to bring the two sides together.

The plan is to head back to my place after volleyball tonight (USA! USA!) to try out both arrangements and report back.

The good news: I have a direction for the hutch.

The bad news: I still haven't a clue how it's going to turn out.

Here are some more ideas I've collected (Pinterest! Pinterest!) to bring the whole space together.

[http://rikshawdesign.blogspot.com/]

[http://rikshawdesign.blogspot.com/2011/09/fall-home.html]

[http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/interior-design/on-trend-in-europe-the-handcrafted-hippie-home-look-158685]

[http://www.tumblr.com/likes/page/332]

[http://frenchbydesign.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2010-05-26T07%3A41%3A00-04%3A00&max-results=20]

[http://www.antiquaireonline.com/?cat=140&paged=2]

[http://go.pinterest.com/?id=1847X546955&site=pinterest.com&xs=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fcustomer-media%2Fcustomer-gallery%2FA3HQKGTU3EQXXZ&xguid=a3d75ead960921214aca5896b5a78583&xcreo=0&sref=http%3A%2F%2Fpinterest.com%2Fpin%2F195113908%2F]

[http://homeshoppingspy.wordpress.com/2011/02/23/nathan-missprint-team-up/]

for the love of colored corduroy.

All you ladies in the house, get ready. As mentioned in earlier posts, I love fashion almost as much as interior design. The fact that you can transform yourself (and believe me I do) from one style to the next gets me p-u-m-p-e-d. So every Friday, I'm heading into my closet and pulling out some of the latest things I've been crushing on.

Right now, it's corduroy. I'm IN LOVE with colored corduroy. Take my old reliables. These are last year's navy Gap Always Skinny version that I probably wear at least once a week. I have a huge problem finding pants that fit and Gap seems to have one of the only answers. Had I been smart enough last year, I would have grabbed a pair in every color.

It all started when searching for a pant option I could get away with wearing in the office that had the same comfort level as a jean. I'm not a huge khaki fan so cords seemed to be the perfect option. As soon as I buttoned them up, my mind started racing through the millions of things I could pair them with. Like this.

The mix of pattern compliments the corduroy texture while the bright mustard and fuchsia create contrast. I can't resist adding some metallic to the mix which, in the end, pulled the whole look together.

Next I picked up Gap's lightweight corduroy leggings in maroon. These were purchased during my birthday shopping spree earlier this month with my mom (hi mom!).

I liked the darker hue because it could still be used as a neutral and gave off that whole ski-lodgey vibe I'm way into for fall and winter. Again, adding some pattern and sharpening the color by adding brighter red pulled the look together.

Finally, we have my beloved hunter green corduroy mini I found at Forever21. Also purchased during the shopping spree madness, I CANNOT wait to start adding to the mix. Yes, hunter green can be pretty drab (hello 1990s interior design) but I think the buttoned-up front and trendy accessories will modernize the piece, making hunter green seem almost as cool as neon.

Uh, pretend those rolled up wife beaters are cute little white socks. And aren't those gray Nine West booties adorable? 

P.S. the picture doesn't do my new crocheted headband justice. On, it looks more like this.

craftaholics anonymous

And for the record: I've not worn any of these outfits yet. SO DON'T STEAL THEM! For makeup, I'm thinking a fresh face would look adorable with all of the looks - lots of highlighter, a thick cat-eye and neutral lip.

tig-fashion

IN MY CLOSET (from top to bottom):

Gap Always Skinny Navy Corduroys

Target mustard 3/4 sleeve cardigan

Target brown and white striped tank

Target fuchsia and gold scarf

Forever21 metallic beads

Old Navy metallic ballet flats

Gap Lightweight Maroon Corduroy Legging

Forever21 red plaid shirt

Forever21 patterned sweater

Nine West red suede loafers

Forever21 hunter green corduroy mini

Old Navy patterned sweater

(??) beaded necklace

Forever21 crocheted headband

Nine West gray booties