Tag: home decor

If we could turn back time, there might be a few things we’d do differently, but since that sort of thing is really quite impossible, we may as well enjoy the here and now.

For lots of us, that means delighting in all the beauty of the world around us — a pastime made even easier by sites like Pinterest and Etsy. And today, we’ve pulled together a host of adorable clocks from the fine folks just like us who have their own little online shops on the side. Get ready for some Etsy therapy!

First, there’s this aviary clock from Wall Decoration — a sweet parental story presented in black and white:

Next, from the same shop, check out this little guy for those who just can’t get enough of their Droid phones:

Since we’re rather literally riding the theme of “creature” comforts, so to speak, here’s a cute lime green elephant clock from LeLuni (who, by the way, also has roosters, rhinos and rabbits… oh my!) that would be equally charming in a kid’s room or a kitchen:

And up top, leading off today’s post is a polka dot creation from Shannybeebo. Of course, these are just a tiny sampling of everything that’s available out there, so with that, we’ll bid you a timely adieu. Happy shopping!

Photo credits: Shannybeebo, Wall Decoration (x2) and LeLuni

It’s been said that the color yellow can promote tension, but color theory aside, isn’t it just warm and inviting? Particularly with an abundance of natural light streaming in from outdoors, yellow can be magical, like liquid sunshine inside a room.

Whether it’s a bold, bright lemon or a subtle lemonade, any shade of yellow literally brightens the space it’s in and provides a sunnier outlook on things with its optimistic hue. When paired with black or grey, it even ascends to an unexpected level of sophistication.

Today, we’re inviting you to let the sun shine in a little and play around with this irrepressibly happy color.

Photo credits: More Love XOXO (first & last images in series), Deny Designs and B Design Interiors

Those of us who are addicted to Pinterest probably owe at least a tiny debt of gratitude (or blame) to Debbie Needleman, media maven extraordinaire and founding editor-in-chief of the now-defunct home decor magazine domino.

In response to the uber-high-end interior design magazines of the early 2000s, which included largely inaccessible (re: incredibly expensive) furniture and home accents to the sort of clientele who could ably hire interior designers to do their bidding for them, domino blessedly shed the sheen of six-figure personal incomes and provided a high/low mix of ideas and inspiration for the “middle-middle class” woman with an eye for design.

In short, it took high-end concepts and provided an avenue through which to make them real in a typical suburban home.
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Making the leap into green living can start with small steps, one at a time, and the best news is, it doesn’t have to cost a thing. Depending on your level of creativity and dedication to setting an environmentally-conscious example for your kids, it can even be — dare we say it? — fun. Here’s a three-tiered guide to get you thinking green. The rest is totally up to you.

1. Refurbish & renew.

Let’s say you want to refresh your interiors, and you want to do it in an eco-conscious way, but you’re not quite sure where to start. Good news: sometimes, the answer is right underneath your nose. If you’re even remotely crafty, it’s easy as pie to take what you’ve already got and give it a bit of a makeover.

Maybe you have a set of dining room chairs that you absolutely love — you bought them in the first place for exactly that reason, right? — but the upholstery is coming apart or just looks dated. There’s no reason to throw the baby out with the bathwater; innumerable how-to articles and videos are available all over the web and in magazines dedicated to decor and crafting — giving your current furniture a facelift may be as simple as a few clicks of your mouse and a trip to the local craft store.

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Not all of us have time to renovate our bathrooms when they need a little sprucing up. In fact, some of us are lucky to find time to go to the bathroom, period. So today, in the event your, er…powder room…is looking less than fantastic, we’ve got a handful of ideas for quick and easy improvements.

The first is likely the most obvious — the shower curtain, like the one shown above from Anthropologie. If you have a glass-enclosed shower and/or tub, there’s not much you can do to change it that doesn’t require, at the very least, a toolkit and at most, a small construction crew. Read more…

With 2012 zooming by at the speed of lightning, it’s amazing to realize spring is nearly here. And speaking of the passage of time, looking at the trends emerging from the runways, splashy neons are making their way back into our closets in a decidedly less ridiculous fashion than they did twenty years ago…meaning, no hair scrunchies or “Frankie Says Relax” shirts this time around.

As for home trends, though, sun-soaked vintage pastels are making a huge comeback, from warm sherbet hues to the ever-classic robin’s egg blue. A perfect example: cutie-pie Rachel Bilson’s new housewares line for Macy’s, Edie Rose, mixes and matches peachy patterned place settings with bird and hydrangea patterns, bringing a vintage chic element to the dinner table. Read more…

I know it’s been around a while, it being from sheep and all, but I’m just discovering how amazing felt is. Felt can be used for oh so many things. And, 100% wool felt is amazingly earth friendly – again, think sheep!

Think coasters, like these from Etsy. Since wool is naturally water resistant, it makes for a perfect coaster. One that won’t let your glass drip all over your table when you pick it up either. So no little dribbles.

What about folded and stitched into a bin for toys? Get a load of this adorable felt toy Read more…

I stopped by Design*Sponge recently to see what they were sharing and got totally sucked in by their before and after round up. I just love it when that happens – when you stumble upon something that you didn’t know you wanted to see and then bam! all this time flies by because you’re engrossed. Read more…

I couldn’t interior-design my way out of a paper bag if I had to. Brown paper is very eco-friendly and in, right?

I know what I like, and that’s about it.

Apparently, this Lytegem lamp is a reproduction of a classic 1965 design by some dude named Michael Lax. Some other famous design dude deemed this lamp “one of the 20th century’s top 100 product designs.”

Hmm. The lamp is cool and all. I could see using it, but really? Top 100? Where does this lamp rate in Read more…

When my kids were little babies, it seemed that one thing was consistent (besides incessant diaper changes, that is). I always had a dish towel, laid out on my counter next to the sink, where bottles, pacifiers, baby bowls and feeding spoons would dry.

If you’ve read some of my other posts on my disdain for clutter, you’ll know that even something as minor as a towel laying out on the counter would drive me crazy.

I’m not a fan of traditional dish drying racks because they take up too much space. Not to mention that I find them extremely ugly.

But this Grass drying rack by Boon, Inc? This is cool!

This 9×9″ square drying rack is low profile (read: not big and Read more…

I am an organizer.

There, I said it!

Clutter drives me bananas. I can live with dust, but seeing stuff all over my kitchen counters? That makes my blood boil.

The problem is that I normally cheap out and just buy plain, old, boring plastic tubs when I want to organize. I’m not sure what’s worse: clutter everywhere, or ugly plastic tubs.

And as I get a little bit older, I’m finding that Read more…

I know it’s unreasonable to think a 3 year old can remember to hang her coat up upon entering the house, but I have high hopes. I recently installed coat hooks in our coat closet so that she has a special place, just her height, so that she can do it herself.

She’s constantly wanting to do things herself anyway, so I thought I’d jump on that band wagon. I wish I would have seen the Room and Board coat rack, though, before I installed the hooks…it’s so cheery!

It’s just a coat rack, nothing special, but Read more…

When you sit down to eat, does each member of your family have his or her own chair? Chances are, if your family is like mine, then we all definitely have our own chair, and if someone other than Mommy sits in Mommy’s chair, then we’ll hear about it!

Here’s a cool way to handle all those individuals but still have a great looking table: Family chairs from Design House Stockholm.

I love these! Such a sweet modern twist on a windsor chair. While all slightly different, they all go together seamlessly. Like family, hence the name. I especially love the black finish on these.

It’s like we say in our house, “same same, but different.”