Beautiful Walls on a Budget!

My daughter e-mailed me a link last night to a site with really beautiful and unique wall decals and re-stick art-I just had to share. Thanks Ashley! What I am so impressed with (besides the beautiful oversized graphics) is that in most cases you can customize the colors. Best of all is that they are sooooo affordable! Prices range from around $25.00 – $55.00. It was hard to pick a few to share with you! Check these out…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This could go anywhere. I’m thinking it would be great in a bedroom, living room or even an empty bathroom wall. By the way, this is probably where my dog is right now as I type from the office – on my bed!

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love the scale of some of the graphics and this purple is definately a trend for 2009!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Isn’t this Great for a Powder room or Bedroom?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 How about this for a teenager’s room, play room and even a kitchen?

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Isn’t this fun for a family room or game room?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 For Card lovers….

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And that favorite little tyke…

 

 

 

Have fun and check them all at www.whatisblik.com I think you’ll find it hard to find a favorite – I loved them all!

Pouf! It’s a Large Round Ottoman (Thanks, Bill)

Exquisite Designs

I had no sooner posted my reply to Tamara (see below) , who asked…”what is the “official” name for a large round ottoman/bench that is often used in a dressing room or large bathroom?”, when I got a loving e-mail from my very dear friend Bill Rice (WNR Design) – a wonderfully talented designer in Atlanta. Bill and I became close friends as design students at FIT in NYC in the early 80’s, although it does seem that it’s always me to pick up the phone to keep in touch 🙂 (Okay, truth be told, I’m horrible about picking up the phone, but lucky in that he loves me enough to call me anyway!)

Bill’s e-mail ever so charmingly suggested that perhaps I was recovering from an evening at Studio 54 or the Pub at Columbia University and had missed that class. I have absolutely no idea what he is talking about (haha!), but I assure you that he was quick to refresh my memory! I must have missed those cliff notes, as he smuggly explained that the Designer’s name for a large round ottoman is a Pouf.  

pouf (poof)

n.

1. A woman’s hairstyle popular in the 18th century, characterized by high rolled puffs.

2. A part of a garment, such as a dress, that is gathered into a puff.

3. A rounded ottoman.

 

Although the dictionary says a pouf is a large round ottoman, you’ll find when googling it, that the design world loosely applies the name to ottomans of many shapes and sizes – even those with a small back.

So there it is Tamara… courtesy of my friend Bill, the “official” word is Pouf!  Maybe we can get him to come visit as a guest blogger. He always has something to say! Love you Bill! xoxox

Here are some Poufs that I found.

   Retrotogo.com

 

Style Hive

 

  Design Spotter

 

Authentic Morocco

 

 

Quick fix for a bathroom with old Pink Tile and Teal Accents

Everytime I walked upstairs, I had to pass my daughters bathroom with light pink 80’s tile and teal accents around the tub. It slowly was driving me nuts. Last weekend, I jumped in and did some quick and inexpensive updates. In the perfect world, I would rip out the tile, buy new cabinets, etc., but the reality is…  a few inexpensive updates – haha! It’s decorating on a budget for this room.

I decided to go with a color pallete of light pink (imagine that!), cream and black with chrome accents. Notice I left the teal out. The teal tile was around the tub/shower area which already had glass doors and I decided to find a way to hide the teal tiles. There are some great products on the market to paint tile, but I wanted to keep this project to a miminum and opted not to do that. The cabinets were older, brown and scratched; since she wanted a more modern feel, I did decide to paint them black. 

When choosing paint for a room that has a existing color that you don’t like, sometimes you want to go in a different direction. In this case, I embraced the pink and matched the wall color to it. It’s a light enough color that it really becomes a neurtal back drop for everything else.

I decided that the room had a lot of hard items and wanted to add some warmth and softness, so even though I have glass shower doors, I added draperies to either side with a chrome rod and clip rings and very inexpensive walmart linen drapery panels. Not only did it hide the teal down the side of the shower, but the added height had a modern touch and really added some character.

  

 I had chrome faucets, but awful gold hardware everywhere else, so I picked up some chrome door handles and brushed aluminum switch plates – both are inexpensive items that can make a huge difference. I also added a couple of towel rings and wall hooks in chrome with plastic glass ball accents which added some nice detail and sparkle.

     

Next I went to my daughters room and borrowed three black decorative boxes to set at the foot of the tub, a black candle base with creme candle, and a black picture frame. I had a silver tray that I grouped all of her perfume and set it along with the candle on the back of the toilet. Grouping are always a great way to organize similar items and to avoid the look of clutter. I had a long creme bath rug, and for now that will work – although I do prefer a nice area rug.   

  

My final touch the addition of two fashion drawings that I found at hobby lobby. They had an abstract background with  mixed shades of pink and bold black drawings of a gloves on one and a hat on the other. They pulled everything together perfectly. The whole project was less than $150.00, which isn’t bad for a fresh new look and a happy daughter. They do say you are only as happy as your unhappiest child. Think about that one. That’s a blog in itself!