Moving Part 2: Dining Room Design

I had a harder time designing this room. I'm not sure why.... I know that I definitely want a blonde-wood dining table, black dining chairs, and a white sideboard. I guess it was the accessories that tripped me up this time. I love all of the pieces individually, just trying to decide if they work together. I would love to hear your feedback!

P.S. How cute is that donut print?

1. Donut Art Print by Fah + Mindo from Society6 | 2. Good Vibes Only Print by Pink Sunset from Society6 | 3. Besta Sideboard from Ikea | 4. Pineapple Candle from h&m | 5. Black Vase from h&m | 6. IDOLF Black chair from Ikea | 7. Triangle Rug from Urban Outfitters | 8. LISABO Dining Table from Ikea | 9. Geodesic Bowl from CB2 | 10. Black Chair from allmodern.com.


XO
Claire

Designing a 'Big Girl' Room

As we prepare to transition our little girl from a crib to a twin bed, I am inspired to give my daughter's bedroom a bit of an update. The design that I originally used for her room was relatively simple and gender neutral (since we didn't find out if 'the baby' was a boy or a girl). But, now that she is 2 and has a definite personality and style of her own, I think it's time to give her room some character. Here are some of my ideas:



1. Yellow and White Zig Zag fabric from Hodi and Poppi Fabrics
2. Amy Butler Floating Buds fabric from Seth Grayson
3. Take Shelter print from Ashley G and Drew
4. Love Candy print in lemon from Made By Girl
5. Pretty Bird plush from Pretty Little Things
6. Tall Wood Bed Frame in white from West Elm
7. DwellStudio for Target rug (we already own this rug and it is no longer listed on Target's website)

I will post updates once the room is in progress / completed. What do you think so far?

ABC!

I just designed an alphabet poster for my daughter, so now I've got letters and typography on the brain. I love how a simple letter can look so beautiful, graphic and bold. As a designer, I have so much fun playing with different fonts, colors and negative space. With that in mind, here are some of my favorite 'typography/alphabet' themed finds on etsy:


White Wood Ampersand by Hindsvik


Paris Letters - 5x5 Original Photos by Little Brown Pen


Initial Letter G (from Antique Typewriter) by QA Create


Yellow Orange and Pink Alphabet Pillow by Pillow Factory


Wood Alphabet Blocks by August Grove

Stylish Storage

I have been a big fan of Sewing Momma on etsy for quite a while. Her shop's tagline is "Trying to make organizing pretty", and I think she has succeeded. These beautiful storage bins could be used to store just about anything. Here are a few of my favorites:


Large Comfy Storage Bin



Extra Deep Fabric Bin



Perched on a Branch Fabric Storage Bin

Displaying Children's Artwork

We do a lot of painting at our house, and sometimes it can be hard to figure out what to do with all of the resulting artwork. I'm sure this has been done before, but I decided to cut out pieces of some of my daughter's paintings and frame them in a mat that I had leftover from a previous project (more on that later). And voila, here is the result:





I think it turned out pretty cute!

You will love this magazine...

If you were a devoted reader of the late great Domino, you will be very excited to learn about the brand new Lonny Magazine. Lonny is an online mag, whose mission is "to reopen the doors of accessible design." (in a time when shelter publications are turning their last pages).
And let me tell you, they have blown the doors wide open with a breath of fresh air. In fact, stumbling across Lonny (thank you decor8) is what finally inspired me to get creative again (after a much-too-long hiatus). I am now officially painting, creating and blogging again. Thank you Lonny!

P.S. You can check them out on facebook too.

I want...

... a silver moroccan pouf.


It would make a great (albeit expensive) little kid seat.

Bold Striped Rugs

I'm really loving bold, striped rugs right now. They have such a fresh, clean, nautical vibe. Here are a few of my faves (I'm especially in love with the black and white striped Flor tiles).

Bold Striped Rugs by lclaireeves on Polyvore.com

Click on the image for more info.

Wallpaper: Help me make a decision

The wallpaper trend is still going strong, and as a result there are a ton of gorgeous papers out there. However, for someone who is "decision challenged", such as myself, the abundance of choices can make it rather difficult to pick just one. So, I was hoping to get a little help selecting a wallpaper design for our dining room wall.

Here is a photo of the wall we are planning to paper, along with 4 runner-up designs. The plan is to remove the picture ledge, wallpaper the whole wall, and then frame and hang all of the pictures (on that wall). So far, the dining room is relatively neutral - the chair covers are black and white. However, the main colors in the adjoining living room are blue, teal and yellow.



So, which do you like best:

1. Family Tree in petrol by Ferm Living
2. Modern Birdcage in ebony by Graham & Brown
3. Silver and Yellow Flowers by Moda Wallpaper
4. Elinor in duck egg by Graham & Brown

Or maybe you can suggest something else. Let me know!

Etsy Love

If you have never checked out Etsy, you really should. It will change your life (or at least the way you shop). Etsy.com is "an online marketplace for buying and selling all things handmade". It is a wonderful wonderful place, and I spend far too much of my precious free time browsing through all of it's amazing handmade goodies.
Here are a few of my current faves:


Little Forest Organic Blanket by GreenThreadShop


Wool Felt Butterfly Delight Lampshade in Cream by MIXKO


Small Tote (Mushroom Spore Print in Turquoise) by willywaw


Coriander in Pink Maryjane Baby Shoes by GraciousMay

Happy Shopping.

Blu Dot for Urban Outfitters

Okay, so maybe I'm a little behind the times, because Oh Joy posted about this on the 10th, but I was just browsing the Urban Outfitters website and fell in love with their new line of furniture by Blu Dot called "+oo™ by Blu Dot for UO". There are 7 pieces so far, and my favorites are definitely the "In a Pinch Chair"

and the "Tripod Side Table" in Yellow.

Take a look at their website to view the whole collection.

Photos courtesy of Urban Outfitters.

DIY Project: Chinese Garden Stools

This is a really easy, fun project.
I found these 2 Chinese Garden Stools at a local thrift store for about $70 a piece.



They're cute, but they didn't match our decor (or each other). So, I primed them with 3 coats of a Shellac-based primer (one that is good for use on ceramics), then painted them with three coats of an All Surface Enamel (acrylic latex high gloss) from Sherwin Williams in 'Cooled Blue'. I also sanded them lightly between coats of paint for a smoother finish. And here is the result:

DwellStudio Rugs for Target

I have been looking for an area rug for our living room for what seems like forever. I didn't want anything expensive, because it was really going to serve as a glorified play mat for my daughter and dog. However, I couldn't seem to find anything in my price range that matched my taste, and I just couldn't bring myself to buy something that I wouldn't enjoy looking at every day.
Target to the rescue: I was browsing their website one day when I stumbled upon two area rugs by DwellStudio. They are both cute, 5x8 and (drumroll) just $140.
So, I bought the Floral Block rug, and have been extremely happy with it. Here it is in my living room: