New Bedroom

Soooo, we’re moving, but no we did not buy a house. So many factors went into this decision it’s hard to explain them all, but it just seemed like God was telling us not to buy now. It was just too stressful and difficult. The moment we decided to rent a newer, larger, and nicer apartment, that is closer to work, we both felt happier and so very relieved.

Also, I’ve been trying to decide whether to continue with this blog or switch everything over to my design portfolio website and blog about interior design over there. For now, I’m going to blog in both places… well just the interior design stuff over there, and I may eventually make the transition.

Back to the bedroom… we’re moving to an new apartment, with a LOT more space and a guest room. The guest room means we’ll be able to use our room as just a bedroom and not a bedroom/office/treadmill storage/catch-all. We’re pretty excited.

This weekend we ended up at the mall (a lot) and part of that was spent at Z Gallerie. J (Hubs) and I have a bit of a difference of opinion on how we want our bedroom to look. I love bright colors and pattern and he didn’t want colors. (I’m going to re-do the guestroom while he’s out of town, shhhhhh).

Z Gallerie Mimosa Reversible Bedding – Aquamarine & Geo Bedding - Sunset Orange

J was dead set on getting this zebra print bedding for about 3/4s of the store and then he wanted this shiny bedding for about 10 mins. Did I marry Austin Powers?

Z Gallerie Zebra Bedding - Grey & Sophia Bedding – Charcoal

You guys that is the color of that bedding, it hasn’t been converted to grey scale or anything! I PROMISE! This trip to the mall reminded me how we ended up with the super boring Target bedding we’ve had for the past 3 years. (Not that there is anything wrong with Target bedding). I was not going to get stuck with this bedding in our new apartment, I knew J was thinking the same thing, so today at work I looked around and came up with this lovely combo of bedding. (I think I need Photoshop, you guys).
Z Gallerie Geo Bedding – Grey & Zambia Throw – Aubergine, West Elm Tall Grid Tufted Headboard – Heather Grey, Organic Cotton Pintuck Shams – Light Amethyst, & Organic Seersucker Sham – True Grey

Check it out – compromise. I got my pattern and color, he got is grey and animal dealy. I kid you not when I tell you HE is my hardest design client. Well him and my mom.

A special thanks to by Twitter friends for helping me pick out the headboard.

Interior Design Bingo – Door, An Item Repurposed, Up Lighting, and Scale

I came across this door today, linked through Twitter to House of Turquoise. This door is gorgeous and unlike anything I’ve seen before. If I could change my front door (and this would match our house) I’d be calling a contractor right now.

I love clever items, I think I’d told you this before. This is a light fixture found at The Dry Bar in Fashion Island, although I’m pretty sure they have at least one of these in all their salons. I think it would be super cute in a teenage girl’s bathroom or above a vanity.



The infamous up lighting. This square on the Bingo board has been the most difficult to address. Heck, I tried to find pictures online to define it and had little luck. You can imagine how excited I was to see these lights flanking the elevator at my Dr’s office today. Hideous 90’s mauve tile be damned, I was posting these lights!

These lights at the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa (aka the hotel Jessie, from Saved by the Bell’s, Dad was married) are one of my favorite examples of scale. This space is HUGE and those lights are equally huge. This may sound silly but when I first walked into this space and saw those lights I froze. See, I love ceiling and lighting design and I loved this solution. There was no drop down ceiling or hanging ceiling clouds, they kept the open and grand feel of the space. I just love it.

Have you checked out the posts by the other participants?

Interior Design Bingo – Outdoor Seating, Art & a Bathroom

I’m so behind on my own challenge, it’s pretty embarrassing. My excuse is I’ve been under the weather most the week and really didn’t have the energy to write blogs posts… along with the 10 page paper I had due on Wednesday. The good news? A) I’m feeling better, I was able to eat solid food yesterday, TMI? B) The class with the paper met for the LAST TIME on Wednesday! I just have to finish my internship hours and I can check that class off the list! YAY! Okay, on to the Bingo…

Outdoor Seating


On our way up to LA on Saturday, to celebrate the beautiful Kinzie Says' birthday, Hubs and I stopped in Long Beach where there is a block or 2 of retro and antique stores. We found SO MANY things we need want need for the new house. (P.S. I should probably stop talking about this house because I kinda jinxed it posting about it last week). We were talking around the last antique shop when I spotted this outdoor cafe set. It’s way girlier than most things I’m drawn to, but there are daisies all over it (as you can see) and I am a bit obsessed with daisies. Since we have absolutely no where to put it right now, I just took a picture and freaked the guy in the background out.

Art

At the same antique stop I spotted this birdie print at the cash register while they were ringing up Hubs’ finds. (We found some awesome barware!) I convinced myself I needed it and planned the whole guest room around it, I checked the price and realized it was $600. I don’t really have $600 to spend on bird are right now when we’re trying to buy a house. The saddest part is I can’t read the artist’s signature. Do you have any idea who did this?

Bathroom

I chose this bathroom because it’s so different than anything I would think to design, but it’s so clever… and I LOVE clever design. Using the basket to hold towels? I LOVE IT! I love finding things like this, they totally inspire me to think outside the box or outside my comfort level.

Have you checked out the posts by the other participants?

Interior Design Bingo – Kitchen

…or the post in where a lot of you will probably think I’m crazy.

As I’ve talked about briefly in a couple Five for Friday posts, Hubs and I are in the process of purchasing our first home. It’s been quit a roller coaster so far, so haven’t posted any pictures or anything because I’m afraid to jinx it. Don’t worry, at some point I will blog about the whole process, show pictures, etc, I promise. But, today I’m just going to show you the kitchen.

The house bungalow was built in 1953 and remodeled in 2006. That’s when they added the bamboo floors, dark wood cabinets, black granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. It’s nice, I know that. It’s just not our style, entirely. Our stainless steel refrigerator is going to fit in perfectly and I really like the glass fronts on the upper cabinets. The lower cabinets (that you can’t see) are actually large drawers which I am SUPER jazzed about because it makes storage so much more efficient. Also, can we talk about the cabinet on the outside? Genius! No space was wasted.

So, why are we possibly crazy? This is our inspiration picture for the first phase of the kitchen remodel. The first phase is what we want to change about the kitchen before we move in.


Yes, we want to paint our cabinets aqua/teal/Tiffany blue. I love it! It’s so bright and cheery :) Eventually, we’ll replace the countertops (hopefully after I find a place that recycles granite countertops, because we do feel badly just throwing them away) and put a fun light in. (Don’t get me started on that ceiling fan in the dining area).

Have you checked out the posts by the other participants?

Interior Design Bingo Definitions

Mid Century Modern – A style of design that began after World War II and continued into the 1960s, that is marked by simplicity, clean lines, organic forms, and materials such as wood, metal, and plastic. Though color is used quite a bit in post-war design, mid-century modern is typically less cutesy than the more pop-art offerings of the later 1960s. (source) Think Mad Men.

1, 2, 3


Scale - The size of one object and how relates to another or to the space in which it is placed. For example in the pictures below: #1 the tables and sofas are all lower to the ground have the same slender scale; #2 is an example of a lamp on a whimsical scale but still fitting with the scale of the room; and #3 all the legs and structures of the multiple table are on the same scale.

1, 2, 3


Vignette – A grouping of accessories, photos, end table, and/or chairs.

1, 2, 3

Let me know if there are any more terms you want defined :)

Interior Design Bingo - Ceiling

This little ceiling accent was on the ceiling of Hubs’s and my room at the Tropicana in Las Vegas. The Tropicana had recently re-modeled their entire property when we took a vacation there in the Spring. I loved this detail they added to make the ceiling just a bit more interesting and it’s totally something you could add to any room in your home to make a plan ceiling a bit fancier.

Interior Design Bingo

It’s November 1st which mean it’s the start of Interior Design Bingo. I’m so excited several people signed up to play along.

ABC: Life from the start of the Alphabet

Bien Living Interiors

Bricolage


Forty Twenty Four


Heart the Day

Letters from the Heart

Love and Renovations
 
The So-Called Wife
  

Sugar and Spice

Talking and Sleeping

I can’t wait to see the inspiration these ladies post throughout the month. It isn’t too late to sign-up, just comment below and I’ll add you to the list.

Interior Design Bingo

With the October Photo Challenge coming to a close in a few days I decided to invent a challenge for November to help me jump start my interior design blogging skills, as a gear up to start my portfolio blog for school. With these 30 interior design ideas to keep in mind during the month of November, I hope it will inspire me in school and in other design projects.


Unlike the photo challenges, I’ve decided to lay this challenge out as more of a BINGO idea, because I know finding some of these things may be more difficult. You can find a few in one day or go an whole day without finding any. Just a picture to and post them on your blog. The goal is to find all 30 by November 30th.

I hope you’ll participate with me! Please comment below if you are so I can link to your blogs on November 1st.

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I thought I’d clarify a couple things since a couple of you have brought this up…
1 – Don’t worry, you’re not meant to find ALL these in your own home. It’s meant to help us become more aware of the designs in all the spaces we’re in – restaurants, shops, friend’s homes, offices etc.
2 – On Tuesday, the start of the challenge, I’ll define a few of these more “interior designy” terms. If you have something specific you’d like me to define, please tell me in the comments below :)
3 - It's not a competition, just a challenge, you have the whole month of November to get all 30. Just have fun.