Merching the Fall Catalogs: Crazy, crazy bedrooms

My girls' room 2.0 is turning out just a little sweeter or more proper than I maybe initially intended.  These here boards feel like a rebellion to that: really letting my freak flag fly.

Sources here

Sources here

If I was just a little more freewheeling, a little less uptight, a teensy bit cooler than I actually am, maybe my house would look like this.

Shoot.  Now I feel bad about myself.

But I want in to these bedrooms.

For living rooms using the fall catalog merch, check it here.  Dining room here.

Merching the Fall Catalogs: Dining Rooms

One of the fun things about putting together vignettes that are pure fantasy is the opportunity to experiment a little.  For years, I wanted to be a window dresser at ABC Carpet and Home, and this feels a little like that, lite.  In these dining rooms, I pulled benches up to the table, repurposed dressers as buffets, and generally pushed it just a bit with the mix.

Source here

I'm loving this dining room.  It isn't "me" exactly, but man do I love all of these elements.  I decided to try on some West Elm faux-wood wallpaper for size, mixed three different kinds of seating at the parsons table, and used a campaign chest as a buffet.  Loving the rope chandelier and the mid century bar cart.  It all feels on-trend without going overboard trendy. 

Sources here

And this here is the kind of dining room I always thinking I'm going to do, but never actually do.  Love the mash up of pseudo-Gustavian (bench), updated Chinoiserie (mint chairs), beach (bead chandelier and rattan mirror), coastal (striped dhurrie and galvanized metal table), and regency-lite (dresser and gold garden seat.)  I think I would pull the daybed up to the table and finish it off with six of the minty chairs.  Oh, and gold curtains?  Where have you been all my life?

The first one reminds me a little of the work I did at the local restaurant Cheeky Monkey (which I still need to share properly).  I would love the first one in a second home, and the second one in my first home.

What about you: any favorites?

Merching the fall catalogs: Living Rooms

Last spring, I created some design boards as a way to share (and play around with) my favorite new pieces in the big box catalogs.  It was such a great way to tune in to the new stuff, I thought I would do it again.

Only, when you click on "new" on most of the store websites, the first gazillion items that come up are Christmas decorations!!! Ugh, so much for getting a jump on fall.

Is it super nerdy that I spent the last two nights making design boards for no one?  Tell you what: it was lots of fun.

First up, a couple of living rooms.

Sources, here

Sources, here

I have to say, Serena and Lily and West Elm have such fabulous art collections now, it was easy to really complete these spaces.  I am way too lazy to list out all the sources, but if you click through to my olioboards, you can then click through to any specific item.  

Stores I perused included:

West Elm

Pottery Barn

PBTeen

Crate and Barrel

World Market

Wisteria

Ballard Design

Schoolhouse Electric

Serena and Lily

Anthropologie

and some random etsy bits here and there.

Every time I do this, it makes me want to start all over.  Even though I LOVE all the pieces I have collected over time, and the many stories they have to tell.  

come back tomorrow for bedrooms and Friday for dining rooms, or vice versa.

I could live in either of these rooms.  This is making me want a colorful couch!

West Elm Summer Preview

As always, lots of good stuff coming from West Elm this summer.  A few of my favorites in color:

And black and white:

Check out all new items here!

Merchandizing the new spring catalogs

I'm loving many of the new looks I'm seeing in catalogs for spring.

Just for fun, I did a little virtual merchandizing, grouping items into vignettes that suggest (but do not necessarily function as) spaces for the home.

How about an entryway or two?

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sources

What about a fun and bright game table for two.  Or is it a kitchen dining nook?  Who knows what that screen could be hiding.

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How about a full-fledged dining room?

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Loving all the variations on a sunburst or crosshatch pattern there.  (On the chairs, too, though it's tough to see here.)

A brand new living room, perhaps?

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Particularly loving that slipcovered ottoman--very John Robshaw, but from Crate and Barrel.

Well.  It was fun to pull favorites from the new catalogs and to see the ongoing trends.  Mid-century modern, kilims, bird art, chartreuse, bright/saturated colors, wood as a material (rattan, bentwood, etc), and strong graphic patterns are still popping up everywhere.  I love many of these trends, so it works for me.

Any new items you are lusting after these days?