Top Picks: Wisteria

I don't know about you, but I get lots of home decor catalogs in the mail each month. As I come across items I like, I tear out the pages. This usually amounts to one or two pages a month. But every now and then, a catalog comes along that knocks my socks off and it's page after page of things that I want. How to keep track of all of that fabulousness? A new series called Top Picks.

What I like best about these items from Wisteria is that they all look unique and very uncatalog-like. Just what I'm looking for when I'm buying things for my home.

*****

1. Treasured Sage Chinese Console
2. Honeycomb Mirror
3. Raised Shallow Bowl
4. Colorful Fold Art Flock
5. Handpainted Basket Shelves
6. Diamond Pattern Stool
7. Oil and Wine Jar
8. Colorful Wooden Tray

Loving Lavender

A couple of years ago, a coworker told me that lavender was starting to become very popular. Thinking of the lavender-painted bedrooms of childhood friends made me a bit skeptical at first. But after doing some research, I quickly became sold and even painted two accent walls in our apartment a perfect shade of pinky-lavender (I hope to show you pictures soon!). Here are some photos including wonderful shades of lavender that offered me inspiration.

Whether you are covering your walls and furniture, or just adding an accent pillow or two, a little bit of lavender goes a long way in bringing depth and interest to any room. 

*****

Lovely Lavender Bedroom by Kelly Porter of Porter House Designs via Houzz 
Classic Panelled Walls in lavender via Canadian House & Home
European Cabinets by European Cabinets & Design Studio via Houzz
Paint Walls, Trim, and Ceiling photographed by John Cullen via Canadian House & Home
Jamesport Showhouse by Eileen Kathryn Boyd of EKB Interiors via Houzz
Contemporary San Francisco Kitchen by Mercedes Corbell of Mercedes Corbell Design + Architecture via Houzz
Morrison Living Room/Dining Room by LUX Design via Houzz
Contemporary San Francisco Living Room by Amoroso Design via Houzz
Pretty Purple Pillows photographed by Stacey Brandford via Canadian House & Home
Eclectic Dining Room by Dreamy Whites via Houzz
Hammet Eclectic San Francisco Entry by Mark English Architects via Houzz
Patchwork Style photographed by Mads Mogensen, designed by Michela Curetti, via Elle Decor Espana

• West Elm Bedroom posted by septembergirl21 via Houzz

Minted Art Prints

Mindy recently discovered the custom art prints created by independent artists on Minted. We are going through the whole collection and will feature our personal favorites soon. But there are too many good things at Minted to show in just one post. Here are some prints that I think would look fantastic in a nursery and would make for a really special baby gift.

*****

clockwise from top left
animals alphabet
over the moon
paper cut abcs
greatest adventure

Jewel of the Adriatic

Hello! I'm popping in again to share some of our favorite photos from the three days we spent exploring and relaxing in the Dalmatian coastal city of Dubrovnik. Dubrovnik is located in the southern tip of Croatia and it is magnificent. Surrounded by an impressive stone fortress, this ancient walled city is a magical and one-of-a-kind destination. With the mountains of Bosnia on one side and the Adriatic Sea on the other, imposing seaside cliffs and lush tropical foliage, this place is indeed a "jewel".

*****

Instagram images by The Pink Chalkboard

Chalkboard Project: Dry Erase Board

I'm a list-maker. Always have been, always will. I fill up pages upon pages in the Notes section of my iPhone and am constantly emailing myself to-do lists.

But I noticed recently that in spite of my wonderful lists, I had been forgetting to do things. I decided that instead of just typing lists on my phone, I needed to actually see my list each day. I decided to create my own dry-erase board.

Using a frame that I already owned (and one that made an appearance in Channa's photo shoot, too), I placed green and white patterned paper in the frame, bought a dry erase marker, and voila -- a big, look-at-me-every-day to do list!

I know I'm calling this a Chalkboard Project but I actually debated that title. It's really too easy to be called a Project -- just put a pretty piece of paper in a frame and you're done.

Turns out the dry-erase board isn't just for me now either. My husband has taken to leaving notes for our kids -- for our 2 year old son, "finish handsome men's club application" and for our 6 month old daughter, "maintain cuteness".

*****

images via The Pink Chalkboard

Design Inspiration from Hus & Hem

When looking for a different point of view, I often visit the websites of foreign design magazines. They are a great source of inspiration where I can get lost for hours, viewing countless images of beautiful spaces from around the world. One of the best sites is the Swedish magazine Hus & Hem. Their design aesthetic is so clean and white, which offers a nice complement to my colorful, accessory-filled home. A great example is the apartment pictured below. This space is part of a converted school building in Stockholm.  I love how bright it is with quirky, unexpected touches. 

I just love this table (below). It was originally a much wider piece but they cut it in half and added a marble top. Isn't that brilliant? (It reminds me of the shelves against the wall in this image).

Here is a link to the full article. Try using Google Chrome as your web browser and you will be able to easily translate the text from Swedish to English. This method is a little bit funky but you can definitely get the essence of the article and the text adds a great background to these amazing images. 

*****

all photographs by Kent Bill Qvist via Hus & Hem
interior design by homeowner and designer Sigbrit Remaining Ning

Sea Bags for J.Crew

I get emails from J.Crew every few days and this image came in one of those emails recently:

Look familiar? It reminds me an awful lot of the nautical bags made out of recycled sail cloth that I blogged about here.

When I looked online, I found other bag designs including this fun one:

It's perfectly on-trend with it's stripes and neon brights. These bags would look great on the beach but also in the home. They can be a good-looking storage bin -- the perfect place to corral items (toys, magazines, that extra sock you dropped while carrying the laundry) and then bring them upstairs or down the next time you are going in that direction. I've mentioned before about displaying jewelry in the home. The same goes for bags. Why not use and enjoy something pretty?