Eclectic, Bohemian Bedrooms

Ok, so maybe my definitions of eclectic and bohemian is different from your's (or anyone's!), but for me I really feel that light, airiness, and a rockin' set of linens define this kind of space. Call me crazy, call me idiotic. Whatever. 

Here we go! I love this little built in bed. It is adorable. Surrounded by windows, you would totally feel like you were out in nature if you slept here. Plus that rug is fun and bright! The layered linens on the bed look so comfortable, I just want to curl up for a nice long nap. This room works really well because it contains layers of neutrals with pops of color in the rug and quilt. Mainly the room is layered whites, but again, the pops of dark in the wooden statue thing-y (technical term, I assure you) and in the quilt give it a more interesting feel. Although the space is mostly white, I don't feel like I'm in a museum. It's lovely. It's peaceful. It's relaxing. It's natural. Exactly what you want in a bedroom!

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Now this room has a bit more of a youthful feel. Definitely more eclectic. I like how the room is partitioned off from the rest of the space, yet it isn't completely out of view. There is definitely a nice flow here. The beaded curtain does a nice job. Though I can tell you from personal experience (I had a beaded curtain on my bedroom door in middle/early high school) that beaded curtains are super annoying. Especially if you ever want to leave your room without alerting everyone else you live with. They also tend to catch on things. Like skirts. 

What I do like about this space, however, is the use of color and pattern. The room looks like a collection of flee market finds. Such lovely layers. 

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This room is definitely more professionally put together, but, how cute is it?! As a former percussionist, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THE IDEA OF DRUMS AS NIGHT STANDS. However, there is a slight storage issue...Anyways the room is tied together with a similar color scheme spread over a large number of patterns and textures. I especially like all the added storage you can see throughout the room. Also I'm a total sucker for a settee at the end of a bed (even though I don't even know how to pronounce the word properly! I'm a dork, shut up). 

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Now this has to be a dream of mine. I adore this little room. It just looks unbelievably cozy. I want to curl up with a huge hot toddy cup of tea hot chocolate (who am I kidding, chocolate all the way) and a great novel and just read a winter afternoon away. This room again has a bunch of patterns going on, but the red and purple tones tie everything together. I love the surrounding bookshelves. I think it's a fabulous idea. Plus then you don't even have to get out of bed when you finish the first Hunger Games book and need to immediately move on to the next one. The modern lamp is a lovely contrast to the antique feel of the room and the old framed prints. 

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Last, but not least, we have this wonder of light, white, and calm. Again, layered linens! SO much white is a tad intimidating, but it looks so lovely here. The room is calm, peaceful, relaxing. Definitely a great get-away room. I feel like I'm in a spa!!

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Do you like this kind of bohemian, eclectic feel to a bedroom? Or do you prefer a more formal design? Anyone have tips on how to layer bedding like that? 

Colorful Kitchens!!

I collected a bunch of colorful kitchens for y'all! I am a huge fan of color. As much as I want to like Swedish design, it often isn't colorful enough for me. I could never live in an all white world. A) I'm super clumsy. Nothing white lasts more than a few months around me. I spill, I trip, I bleed, I track mud, I like big dirty dogs. B) Color makes me happy. It brightens up the day. :)

Anyways! Here is the first kitchen I have for y'all. This one's a statement, for sure! Bright pink-red. Magenta? Fuchsia? I'm bad with color names. heehee. (Also I totally just looked up fuchsia because I had no idea how to spell it, and turns out, IT'S GERMAN!! Named after some scientist whose last name was Fuchs. Which means its actually pronounced more like Foocks- ia. Funny!) 

Back to design now... I actually really like this kitchen, although it is understandably a bit too much for most people. The wood toned island in the center helps tone down the pink though. The stainless steel compliments  the color of the cabinets and also alludes to the sparkle of glass. I like the glass door cabinets, it helps tone down the color since the back of the cabinets is white and the dishes are glass or white (I think I see some steel bowls too!). The only thing I would replace is the chandelier. It's a bit too Princess-y for me next to all that pink. The green and yellow accents are nice and also removable! Overall, this kitchen rocks. The owner clearly has some balls. I'd totally buy this kitchen. I wonder if they'll ship me a duplicate for $500? heehee

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Ok, this kitchen is a tad more realistic for the majority of y'all. (How many times have I said y'all in this post? My mother's Kentucky accent is totally rubbing off on me. [except she doesn't say y'all, so really it's my extended family/ I am on crack.]) 

Aaannnyyhoo, this teal kitchen is much more subtly colorful. The color is a nice pastel. The wood counters also ground it in nature and compliment it very nicely. As always, stainless steel appliances look modern and slick (seriously does anyone renovate a kitchen and not use stainless steel these days? TELL ME IF YOU DID AND SEND ME PICTURES!). The handles on the cabinets are also stainless steel so everything matches well. I like, I like.

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So you want a sleek, modern, useable kitchen? Add a dash of yellow and this is what ya get! This is another kitchen I luuurve. Thanks to John & Sherry at Young House Love (I want to be them I swear. I just need to save up to actually buy a house of my own... Banks totally give huge mortgage loans to 20 year olds who only have $1700 in the bank and absolutely no credit right?) for house crashing this pad and posting this picture. This kitchen is hella cool. (Yeah I'm from NorCal. My slang is all over the place today.) The yellow is bright and loud and the blue and orange accent colors jump out at you to say "Hi!" It's awesome. Look! There's even a chalkboard cabinet on the left. The white counters and sink and the stainless steel appliances and shelving (on the right) help ground the kitchen. This will also help for re-sale value; buyers could paint if they aren't digging the yellow. 

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Here we go green! I like this kitchen's color scheme, though it borders on Christmas. I do not like the letters etched (or silhouetted in the etchings or... I have no idea how to phrase this. Suggestions?) into the class cabinets. I'm not really sure why one would go through the trouble of glass cabinets and then decide to frost them. Maybe different owners did it. hmmm... 

There are a lot of things I do like a lot about this kitchen however. The high ceiling and tall cabinets are gorgeous and especially useful for a tall girl like myself (I'm 5'10")! The layout also works really well. The cabinetry also included that super convenient wine rack and those cute little drawers which I would  totally use for spices. There are some really nice design aspects to this kitchen. Mad props. Also I want a kitchen faucet like that desperately. 

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Ok, maybe it's just because it's red, but I ABSOLUTELY ADORE this kitchen. I think its amazing. It reminds me of the country. It's rustic, it's modern, it's sleek. Basically, it's great. The color of the cabinets is a fabulous shade of red, not too cherry, not too blood. The kitchen could look a tad too goth with all that black, white, and red, if it weren't for that amazing table. It's wood really brings the whole kitchen together. Also I really like that rustic look. What a fabulous kitchen table. 

That white sink? Yes please. Would you call that a farmhouse style sink? Or is it just '50s? Either way it is AMAZING. Plus all those veggies are making me hungry. As in I want a nice big salad. And I don't even like salad!

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So there are some lovely, bright, vibrant, colorful kitchens for y'all! Hope you liked them. Comments? Do you like a colorful kitchen? Or do you prefer a more neutral palette? Should a kitchen be all neutrals? Or should it be a neutral background with pops of accent colors? 

Also I totally apologize for my ridiculous accents and over usage of exclamation points today. It's sunny and beautiful here in Boston for once and I am SUPER EXCITED AND HAPPY ABOUT THIS!! Also color is my favorite thing ever. 

My Dream Spanish Style Home: Exterior Inspiration

I like houses. This should be obvious. As a wannabe architect/interior designer I design homes in my head. I think about them constantly. Normal people have one ultimate dream home that they think about. I, however, am not normal. I imagine several dream homes, each fitting a separate stage of my life. I think about them all the time and find inspiration for them EVERYDAY. I can explain rough layouts to you and give color schemes. I can even tell you what plants grow around and in these imaginary homes. I'm crazy, yes, this is a fact. 

Anyways, I've decided to share my inspiration with y'all. So here it goes. This is my ideal Spanish style home. I will hypothetically build and own this when I have kids who are no older than 5. The house will reside just outside of Santa Cruz, CA in a rural area on several acres of land. The likely hood of me ever being able to afford this is 0.91892211%. But I can dream, ok!?

You will enter the estate through a large gate. Similar to this one, but bigger! As in big enough for a car or two... :) 

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It will most definitely have lanterns similar to these and be built into a strong stuccoed wall like this one.

The exterior facade is harder to explain, because truth be told, I have a hard time finding Spanish style home inspiration on the internet!

Here is the house from Modern Family. I haven't seen the show, but I do like this house. It's gorgeous! Mine will be similar, but five million times as large and with a different color scheme. 

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 The entrence will be more interesting like this one, with the tile around it. Also note the path tile: more Spanish. My home will be more like this. Also it will have a facade that is more fluctuating like this one, and less flat (ie the Modern Family house...)

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Also the arched windows here are to die for! I prefer these pointed arches to those that simply curve. I have no idea if this is more or less Spanish. Do you know? It's like a step between the plain ones on the Modern Family house and Moorish arches like these? Maybe?

Also the house will definitely be covered in ivy like this one from the second Parenttrap movie. Also the red color of the building here is similar to that of what mine would be. Ivy grows super fast right? It'll totally look like this with in a month of being build? hahah

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The exterior in the back will look a bit like this:

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Lots of verandas, doors, windows, porches, levels, balconies etc... Definitely a must. There will also be a pool, but I'd prefer mine a tad farther from the house. 

Here is another Spanish style building. I couldn't tell you exactly which of its features will be designed into my house, but I like way this one looks. Perhaps the stair step wall on the right side of the picture? Definitely a porch like this one, but much much wider. This will be a home of extravagance!   heehee :)  

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The house will definitely contain elements like this below. The chimney design is fabulous. Simple, yet elegant! And again with the pointed arch. I just prefer them. 

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The house  mansion will definitely have a tower. Or two. I can't decide. I love towers. I want to take them home with me. Originally I wanted a round one. I wanted to put a multi story library in it with a reading room on the top story and a curving decorative staircase. I've begun to rather love this tower too though. So maybe I'll have to have multiple towers. I think that's a little veranda up there. If it is, I love this even more. I want a tower veranda! Off the master bedroom maybe? I would love to sit up there, have sex relax in the evenings, and watch the sunset!

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The house will definitely have a courtyard like this one from the movie, It's Complicated. Perhaps more than one courtyard. Maybe the front of it will be laid out in a U-shape, like Versailles, in the front. They might be atriums actually. 

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Atriums  that look like this one, except for not a greenhouse. And awesomer. And bigger. 

I will probably need to win multiple lotteries to afford this house. Or I could marry Prince Harry. He's pretty cute with that red hair! 

My house will also include a lot of indoor-outdoor spaces like this one. Is it inside? Is it outside? Is it both? I love this little veranda here. The beams are beautiful, That cut out with the plant is beautiful. The textiles are beautiful. Hell, if I can't afford this house, I'll just take this veranda and be happy. 

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Also this dining room is gorgeous. The arched ceiling is amazing! I love the vines. Al fresco dining is a must for California. Especially in the summer.

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Finally, because I want want want want, there needs to be water incorporated in the home. I like this arch on the right below. Yeah, basically I want a moat for my castle of luxury. heehee

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Or even a veranda like this with a small pool! It needs to be a salt water pool. None of that chlorine for me!

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More outdoor space inspiration: FIREPLACES! I love fire, so this is especially critical. I want a fireplace like this. And I want a big fire pit that can fit a lot of people for roasting s'mores. I also need little moveable fire pits, like the ones in my favorite veranda above, for all my verandas and balconies. This is for warmth purposes as I was born cold blooded or something. I am always freeeeeeeezing!

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I love this little side garden nook. It's toooo cute. So sweet. A perfect little place to sneak away to.

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And I definitely need a covered walk way like this one. Mostly for the photo opportunities beneath it. Also it would be great for weddings and I fully expect everyone I know to get married at my house. Heeheehee

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And I want these scattered spots around my land! I love the bed and the table. Simply beautiful. Plus I love things that hang. There will definitely be some big California oaks around, so there won't be a problem finding places for these to hang. :)

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Also built in benches in the backyard please!!

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And a big pool house with a fireplace like this one! Only Spanish style. 

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Oh and my house will have some solar panel roof tiles like these! (But only in the places you can't see well, I'm not a fan of the look)

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And that's it guys. That's my idea Spanish style dream home! The one I will never be able to afford, but will continue to lust after until I die. I'll continue to show you more as I go. This was just the exterior! :) Get excited!

Oh! And of course I apologize for my extremely ridiculous and extravagant taste for what I will never afford. : /

But, hey! A girl can dream. And dream I will

Innovative Closet Ideas

Because we can't all have a closet like Eva Longoria's...

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here are some fun, creative things to do in your closet!

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HomeGoods Style Quiz

So I recently just took this HomeGoods style quiz. It was SO accurate! My color palette they recommended? You guessed it! A collection of pretty red hues. Similar to that used here on this blog actually! Here's what it said about me:

Laurel, You Are A BOHEMIAN CLASSIC

You have a refined sensibility and bring a sense of history and tradition into your decor. You appreciate how symmetrical arrangements and beautiful, well-crafted pieces create a solid foundation to a room. But you like to shake up this restraint with objects and accessories that express your personality and your love of other cultures. When traveling, you seek out unique objects that reflect what you love, and you use them in a sophisticated way. You want people to feel comfortable in your home, and cozy chairs, ethnic fabrics, unique pieces, and even a little touch of quirk or humor give your house a laid-back, Bohemian flair.

You value creativity. You are stylish and fun loving, and can be an inspiration to others. You have a natural sense of drama, and you know you have to be willing to take risks—whether with colors, finishes, furniture choices, or ideas—for your home to stand out. Your home can be happy and lively and the place all of your friends want to be.

Putting Your Style to Work!

With your style and needs in mind, here are a few tips that will help you make your home a little happier.

1. Your Design Challenge: ORGANIZEThe front hall sets the mood for your entire home. Consider how to accommodate all the room's functions as beautifully as possible. At the very least you need a console, and if you're short on storage, consider a dresser. Outfit the surface with nice trays and bowls for mail, keys and sunglasses. Keep a trash can for immediately tossing the junk mail. Closet-door or wall hooks encourage coat and bag hanging rather than dumping. If you have children, try to give each a basket in the closet for hats and gloves. It's nice to have a chair or bench for changing shoes, a mirror for last-minute lipstick checks, and a lamp or sconces for warm light.

2. Your Happy PlaceMake this room as comfortable and inviting as possible by bringing in some real furniture like an armchair or a sofa if you have the space. A little lamp on the counter or decorative hanging light can set the mood. Stools are great perches and can easily be moved around. Don't forget to bring your personality and style into this room: hang some art or display a collection of family photos in mixed frames. Consider bold, happy colors in the kitchen as well, like brightly colored pots and pans, big bowls for corralling fruits and vegetables, and trays for spices, oils, teas and pepper mills.

3. Be Party-Ready All the Time!

Scent: The first thing you notice about a home is how it smells. Use naturally fragrant cleaning products. If you find a scented candle or fresh potpourri you love, stock up on it. Any scent you like, whether perfume or linen spray, can be used on upholstery, bedding or just spritzed into the air.

Mood: Nice, flattering light makes us feel good. So nix the harsh, direct light from overhead fixtures in favor of the softer glow from floor and table lamps. Also, stock up on some votive candles and a couple of hurricane lanterns for setting around the room.

Food: Devote space in your pantry or on a shelf for go-to party essentials: crackers, dip, chips, nuts—whatever you like to serve. Keep on hand a collection of attractive bowls and cocktail napkins, and you'll be able to set a spread—instantly!

Drink: The simplest and chicest thing is to have a drinks tray or table always set up. Include a mix of pretty glasses, an ice bucket, a lovely pitcher, and bottles of soda and water. When the bell rings, just add ice and limes.

Putting Color to Use!

Don't forget that color looks best when paired with some neutrals for a little visual relief. If you go wild on the walls or with your upholstery, pull back a little on the rugs or curtains or vice versa. Each room can definitely have its own color palette, but think of your home as a whole, with each room transitioning to the next. Some tricks: go for fairly neutral hues in hallways, or add some colors from one room into the neighboring room, even in the form of accessories or fabrics.

Chalkboard Rooms

Chalkboards have been all the rage lately. I've seen them in nearly every type of room on various blogs.  I'm choosing to share a view I like with you. I find them particularly useful in kitchens. Chalkboard walls certainly bring a feeling of youth and fun into a room, no matter the rest of the decor. 

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I like this a lot. It's very simple, yet totally awesome. The colorful chalk and the child like table and chairs makes me what to color. Or cook. I can't decide. This is a great way to use an empty wall in a dining area of a kitchen. Writing up most-used recipes is a fabulous idea!

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Now, I am pretty sure this is not actually a chalkboard, but I like the idea of a large canvas or piece of wood as a statement piece in a room. The fact that this one is black and graffitied made me think of chalkboards. Anyone could do this as a large, ever changing statement art piece, you just need to paint a large piece of wood and lean it against the wall [maybe fasten it to the wall if you live in California! ;)] 

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I think chalkboard walls work fabulously in kids' rooms! This one is great, but clearly done by an adult. I like that it is a way to have an ever changing space. Something that is particularly useful in a kid's room. This is playful, colorful, fun. 

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Now this is a screenshot from the movie Because I Said So. I am in love with Mandy Moore's character's apartment. It is gorgeous industrial design. If you look carefully here though, you notice that she's painted an older fridge with chalkboard paint! What a fabulous idea! It looks amazing and is super super useful!!

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Here is another kitchen with a chalkboard wall. I like the way its broken almost into sections. The mother or another adult uses the right side for lists and such, and lets her kids draw all over the left. What a great way to use the space as a family!

Red, Of Course!

How could I not show some red rooms for this first post? These vary from a few red accents to a dominating red color scheme. I rather enjoy both. Don't worry though! I'll be mixing it up, this blog is not entirely about red rooms.

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I love these red storage boxes and the chandelier. I think the room needs at least one other color though. I am afraid of all that white near pens, ink, newspapers, etc. 

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I love this room! So warm and inviting. It is very traditional.

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Oh my goodness. Can you say heaven?  I absolutely adore everything about this room. The red and turquoise work so well together. They truly are complementary. I love how each piece looks like an antique, and yet the overall look of this room is very modern. Mostly I adore those long, tall, red curtains and the bedspread.

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This is such a happy, bright space. Invigorating. It would be great for a kids bathroom. I would love to bathe my kids in that tub! The red of the tub and the red of the wall paper work very well together. Even though the only dominant colors of this room are red and white, I don't feel like it is as stark as the office above. I'm not afraid to touch anything here. I do wish the clawfeet were painted white or gold, though.

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This is another bathroom I love. The clawfoot tub is gorgeous, especially raised up on this platform. I can't imagine trying to vacuum under that raised platform though. What a pain that would be. The accents of red are very subtle here, yet have a lasting affect. I believe that little red cart is about $5 million though. I adore that little black and gold stool, however and the curtain that so gently and elegantly filters the light and adds privacy. This room is both rustic and finished. Its amazing.