Again With the Bookcases...

The bookcases above caught my eye in one of Grange's new ads. What I am loving about them, and what made me stop and take note for our office re-do, was that they are finished black on the outside, and the interior is left with the natural wood or wood stain.

Our Craigslist shelves are black, but not "real" wood with a grain that we could sand down. I've been thinking that we would paint them, but this picture offers up a kind of cool idea.

Enter this:

Woodgrain contact paper.

Not the same as real wood, I know, but for smaller shelves filled with books in a small home office done a super tight budget... I think it could be worth a try.

I'll be filing this away for later... once the crap is fully cleaned out. (Yes, we've hit a few stalls and bumps in the road...)

I really like this room

It's warm gray walls, those dark linen chairs, that dresser, the unusual wooden table.... It's beautiful and masculine without being *grunt* MASCULINE.

I wonder if I could convince Chris that he really likes this look? ;-)

Have a great weekend!

*photo from Reclaimed Studios (it's her living room!)

Wallpaper lust

Remember this wallpaper??

I knew there was a reason that I liked it!

Notice the wallpaper from my summer's guiltiest pleasure:

It's very very similar...

Fun show and great set interiors. (But all was NOT revealed by the end of the season!!!)

And I'm loving both of these wallpapers. No idea what either is called, or who makes them (so if you happen to know, please share!!).

Cowhide Rugs

Right now, I'm slightly obsessed with cowhides...

I am thinking that a cowhide would be nice under our kitchen table.

Of all the different "colors", the one below is my favorite.

I know of a company that treats their hides with a silicon type of finish, which helps with cleanability.

Do any of you have a cowhide rug? What do you think of them?

Hope everyone has a great weekend! Any big plans??

Summer Camp

We went to see "Grown Ups" this weekend (and it was hilarious!) - but it got me thinking of a summer lake house, and how I would decorate it...

Some nice throws available for those cool nights...

A touch of plaid or some stripes on the floor...

And a deep comfy leather sofa to curl up on...

Some modern with the rustic - a cowhide under the Bertoia stools in the eating area...

Classic and simple in the bedrooms...

And after a long day, a nice view of the lake from the bathtub...

How would you decorate your summer house?

What I'm Loving Now

The color green:

Go and read the rest of the list over at Elizabeth Anne Designs Living, where I'm posting today.

Chartreuse Lime Fizzy

Not a drink, but how I'd describe the color on these walls:

I love the color in this room. This weird color somehow makes me strangely happy, and I'm thinking about using it for our bathroom. But, the shade and value of it have to be just right, or else it can turn scary.

Trying to catch up - sorry for the radio silence, but the internet at our house is out, and work has been (thankfully) busy!

And thank you to everyone who gave their opinions on rug designs!!! I really appreciate all the input!

*picture from House Beautiful

Plate Update....

So I went to some thrift stores this weekend, but didn't find any contenders... not...a...one.

I think I'll need to scour some actually IN Dallas or Fort Worth. But I did find a really cute white purse for $5 at the Salvation Army!

It's Monday - back to the grindstone.
On a better note, at least the SNOW we got Saturday has melted!

Decorating with Plates

Lately, I've been keeping my eyes open for some plates like this to decorate a wall in our dining area:

I love the look of plates grouped together on the wall. So simple and easy.

They can work in bookcases and hutches too.

What do you think? Are you a fan of this look?

And, more importantly, do you happen to know where I can find some inexpensive plates like the first picture in green/white?? (I've already checked with HomeGoods...)

Have a great weekend!

*pictures from: Google Images, Haven & Home, Desire to Inspire, Haven & Home, Southern Accents, Southern Accents, Blue Hydrangea

Wallpaper lust

If I had the money, I would cover my entire bedroom in this wallpaper! Probably our bathroom too!! Too much of a good thing, overkill, love - call it what you want, but I am drooling over this wallpaper.

The bright green color is so fresh and happy. I'm not normally a "green" person, but this wallpaper is doing it for me.

Awesome money-saving trick: not using the expensive wallpaper in the nooks where you wouldn't see it anyways! They just matched the green background with regular ol' paint!

This month's Southern Living magazine is all about Charleston, and this is super-lucky interior designer Jenny Keenan's living room. This room is gorgeous. Not 100% sold on the purple rug, and would probably use a slipcovered sofa, but love all the rest.

You can see the rest of the photos here.

Bright White and Light

Light colored walls are everywhere right now. Magazines, the internet, real clients' houses, my computer's pictures file... I don't know when it happened, but I'm really loving the clean simplicity of the look. And when done right, I don't think it's boring at all.

I love darker trim with lighter walls...

And ebonized or darker floors...

Lots of natural materials to add texture...

The contrast of dark and light...

Different sheens to add depth...

I love this kitchen with it's white walls and darker trim, natural materials on the floors and counters, and contrast of the dark windows to the light walls. It has great lighting too!

I also love the brightness that natural light brings to these rooms!

I realized that I have sooooo many "inspiration" pictures just like these - with white or very very light colored walls - and right now they're making me want to re-paint my entire house. Which is extreme, I realize.

Anyone else like white out there?

*pictures from: #1-3 from My Home Ideas.com, #4-5 from Canadian House and Home, #6 - 9 from Cote de Texas, #10-11 from Country Living, and #12-15 from Head Over Heels.