A Not-So-Blue Blue

We're all familiar with the little blue box (I've never seen one in person) but I instantly recognize that pale robin's egg blue as the Tiffany Blue.

In a room, mix it with brown for a soothing, yet warm look.  Add a little black and you get a crisp and updated feel.  Paired with white, the room becomes quaint and charming.  Standing alone, this soft blue creates a classic and sophisticated space.

It's a soft and happy blue, feminine and masculine, classic and trendy.

In this room, Tiffany Blue, chocolate brown, and white work cohesively for a very beautiful and serene room.

image via Southern Living

Two very different looks:  A pair of modern leather chairs upholstered in blue leather are the splash of color in a sea of white and dark surroundings.  Soft blue linens peek out beneath white and neutral decor.

images via Sunset and Coastal Living

Feminine Fridays: Vintage Retreat

The Room:  It is a space that is neat and tidy, yet full of feminine touches.  An antique iron bed in black contrasts with the perfect shade of pink walls.  A pillow created from vintage fabric sits on top of crisp white linens on the bed.  A large chest serves as a nightstand, which is full of detail and painted white.  On top, a feminine mirror, pitcher full of flowers, and a lamp with a floral shade create a romantic vignette.  Underneath, a muted aubusson rug adds to the softness of the room.  image via: Better Homes and Gardens

Women who might like this room:

A feminine, yet no fuss woman with a busy schedule who wants a retreat.

Faith Hill, Jane Seymour, and Reese Witherspoon

Spreading the Love: January Giveaway!

It's time for a giveaway!  I've been given the opportunity to select a product from CSN/Stores to just "give away" to a lucky Decorica reader. 

I've selected an area rug because I think that rugs are a great way to add color and pattern to any space in your home.   This 2'x3' area rug has many shades of blue as well as grey and chocolate.  It is 100% poly-acrylic, so it is tough enough for your entry way or laundry room.  The colors would go great in a bathroom too.

A $45 rug for free...here's what you do:

• Comment on this post...where would you put this rug in your home and why?
• At the end of the day on Monday, Jan. 31st I will assign each comment a number and use a random generator to select the winner.
• If you decide to or currently "follow" Decorica, I will add you twice to the pool.
• The winner will be announced on Monday, February 1st.

Good luck!

Sorry, US and Canada Residents Only

Elbows on the Table

A few years ago my mother remodeled her kitchen.  She insisted on adding a counter with stools and I couldn't understand why, at the time.  Now years later, it is the spot where we have special meals and use daily.  It's a small space, so she has 2 rush seat backless stools tucked under the counter.  Below are some great ways to use stools to enhance or blend in with your kitchen decor.  If you're on the fence about adding a counter with stools to your kitchen, I say go for it.

Bar stools are available in all sorts of styles, colors, and materials. "Counter" height is typically 24-26" high and used at counters and tables that are 36" high (the same height as your sink and oven). "Bar" height stools are usually 30" high and placed at 42" high counters and bars.

Upholstered in black, contemporary stools with a pedestable chrome base and keep the look minimal.

  Surrounded by a white kitchen, a rustic and warm center island is the perfect place for sleek metal stools to stand out against.  image via: decor pad

 

Sleek, yet welcoming saddle stools in a warm wood tone look great with lavender blue colored walls.  image via:  decor pad

White beadboard paneling is the pefect backdrop for red schoolhouse style stools.  image via:  apartment therapy

Simple white round stools tucked under the counter blend seamlessly into a classic white kitchen.  image via:  decor pad

 Rush seat stools topped with green cushions add a splash of color to a creamy white and stainless steel kitchen.  image via:  HGTV Green Home

Find the best selection of stools at http://www.allbarstools.com/

Manly Monday: Tailored Luxury

The Room:   A white leather tufted ottoman, with ebony legs and pewter nailhead sits at the end of the bed.  A natural rug adds texture and keeps the look minimal.  Hotel chic linens in a grey/blue trimmed in black and a grey/blue upholstered headboard give this space the softness a bedroom needs without looking frilly.  Lampshades trimmed with black and photos framed in black unify the color color scheme and provide extra details.  Room designed by Barclay Butera.

Men who might like this room: 
This is a sophisticated and tailored room fit for a detail-oriented man who likes the finer things in life.

Alec Baldwin, Neil Patrick Harris, and Tim Gunn

A Little Bark Won't Bite

If you live in New England you're no stranger to the beauty of the Birch tree, which is famous for its flaky and silvery-white bark.  Below are some creative ways to use fallen birch in your home.

Logs glued together for a small end table.

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Birch bark wrapped around pots and vases.

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Birch logs wrapped with rope and topped off with a glass table top.

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A great piece on the use of birch bark by Native Americans:

http://www.nativetech.org/brchbark/brchbark.htm

Fallen bark found on the ground below some Birch trees.

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A Little Nookie Nookie

Sometimes you have to be creative to get the most storage and use out of your personal space.  Fill in those nooks!  Below:  Cubbies for shoes and sportsgear are tucked into the dead space below a staircase.  Bookcases built into walls give daybed nooks storage, creating the perfect place to cozy up and ready a book.

     

 images via:  Builder Online, Decorology, Domino.

If you're lucky enough to have a kitchen with an alcove, create your own custom nook to enjoy breakfast and lunch.  If you don't have an alcove, you can create one by having a pair of cabinets/bookcases built on each side of a bench.  The bench seat should be 17 - 24 inches deep.  You can have the seat cushion custom made from a local window treatment shop (they usually have a workshop that makes cushions).  This can cost anywhere from $200-400 depending on the faric you select and the length of the bench.

 

Above:  A pair of benches flank a wooden table.  Also a nook is created in the wall to store cookbooks.  images via:  Better Homes and Gardens

 

Above:  Place a couple of chairs around a round pedestal table and tuck it up to a window seat.

image via:  Better Homes and Gardens

 

 Above:  Kitchen nooks don't always have to be casual and quaint. 

Black leather and chrome chairs and a leather bench seat add a sleek look to this nook. 

Again, they utilized the wall space for a book nook.

image via:  Better Homes and Gardens

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nook  –noun

1. a corner, as in a room.
2. any secluded or obscure corner.
3. any small recess: a breakfast nook.
4. any remote or sheltered spot: a shady nook that was ideal for a picnic.

Manly Monday: Rustic Thinker

The Room:  A collection of art is displayed against a deep taupe wall.  A track arm sofa is neat and clean looking with it's straight lines and tight back.  A wood framed leather chair and a small barrel back chair round off the conversation area.  Wide pine floors add a rustic charm under a contemporary coffee table.  The windows are kept bare, but trimmed in a mustard color.  Room designed by Nate Berkus.

Men who might like this look: 

An intellectual with an outdoor interests and who has a collection of antique maps.

John Corbett, Orlando Bloom, and Patrick Dempsey

Designer Tip: Towel Troubles

I'm having an issue with towel storage in my bathroom.  There is a nook filled with a radiator that I would love to build shelves within, to hold folded towels.  The problem is that one of the walls is not straight...creating a problem that shelving would have to taper in size from front to back.  I'm just not sure I'm up to the challenge.  Also, the walls are old and crumble easy so I can't hang hooks.  The door is not an option, too small, and the cabinet is already full.

I ordered a towel ladder from Amazon, got it, threw some towels on it, and am not quite loving it.  It's only 60" high, so it's a little diminutive and flimsy.  It doesn't hold that many towels either.  It's going back.  So, while looking for solutions, I found some cute ideas.  If I can't use them, maybe you can...                          

A window box mounted inside stores towels without using counter or cabinet space. 

Stackable wine racks are the perfect size for rolled up towels.

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A nice antique piece could store plenty of folded towels if you have the room.

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I'm thinking that the wine rack idea might be a solution I could use....it just might be constly since the wine racks are $10-12 each.  I'll keep you posted.

"Sweet" Interiors

Pink.  The color of sweet confections, little girl's dresses, and kitten noses.  Pink is also the universal color of love.  Pastel pink is soothing, romantic, delicate and feminine.  Hot pink, magenta, and raspberry have more energy, are more bold, yet still feminine.

image via:  Country Living

Your first incliniation might be eek, but take a closer look at each individual item in the room.  I love that hot pink velour chair on the left, and look at that stripe on the ottoman with nailheads and that curve!  The gigantic mirror takes up the whole wall, but in this room, artwork would not have worked, that mirror does.  And of course, notice our striped little friend underfoot.  image via:  HGTV

  image via:  Southern Accents                                image via:  Country Living

A very soothing space with light pink walls and white slipcovered furniture.  The pale wood floor is also soft looking...perhaps a round cocktail ottoman would fit nicely into this space...  Oh, I spot a ceramic garden stool.  image via:  Domino

 These words are synonymous with pink or represent various shades of the color pink:


Salmon, coral, hot pink, fuschia, blush, flesh, flush, fuchsia, rose.  source

image via:  Domino                                                                                       image via:  Renovate and Decorate

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