More Green Wall Inspiration

Image from November 2008 issue of Domino

I still haven't decided on a green wall color for the den. None of the colors I've chosen seem right. I want a darker green but something with a little turquoise to make the color sparkle a little bit instead of just lying flat? I guess I am being such a pain about picking a color being I'm a painter. I might just have to mix my own. Here are some more dark green walls for inspiration.

"A Smoky Green Library" found via housebeautiful.com.

Metropolitian Building from saipua.blogspot.com

Jenna Lyons on Domino Cover

The new November issue of domino is now out on newstands. I am in love with the new cover featuring the home of Jenna Lyons the creative director of J.Crew. The dark walls are so crisp and stunning. Her bedroom has such a great assortment of antique rugs that really make the room pop in the dark space. Maybe I should paint my living room darker? Jenna's house has so much inspiration that I sure all of us will be stealing! Check out a slideshow and video of this stunning interior on dominomag.com.

domino: The Book of Decorating

Have you ordered your copy of domino: The Book of Decorating yet? I got mine! So many of my favorite interiors from domino were included in the new book. My favorite part? In the back of the book there is an entire section dedicated to window treatments. Every curtain style, type, and configuration is broken down into easy to follow diagrams. Because honestly did you know the difference between pencil, pinch, soft inverted, tiny soft, or box pleats? The section also includes tips for hanging, types of curtain rods, and mounting options for shades.

The window treatments section has been endlessly helpful to me. Right now, I am in the midst of choosing curtains and shades for our new home. The whole process is overwhelming. It's nice to see all my options laid out on one page. I hate finding out about a great idea 6 months down the road after I invested hundreds of dollars into a project. This book is a must have for anyone who loves decorating! Grace over at design*sponge did great write up on the book with even more pictures. To purchase the book right now for just $21.12: amazon.com

Rita Konig: Decorator's Bathroom

Click on image for larger view

I've kind fallen for this bathroom from domino's Rita Konig. At first I thought it was a bit too decorated. It didn't feel at all like a bathroom. I've changed my mind. I have looked at so many stark subway tiled bathrooms that this bathroom feels vibrant and refreshing. I don't know if I would use it as my everyday bath but a guest bath would be nice. The look feels old, regal, and lived in. Be wise not to fill the room with too much crap which could make the space cluttered and granny.

Wallpaper: "La Promenade' about $75/roll, Twigs Fabrics & Wallpaper (800) 824-4204
Mirror: "Wellington" $219.95 signaturehardware.com
Lighting: Visual Comfort "Boston" wall lamps, $273 each, circalighting.com

Student Design: Living On The Cheap

When I was a student I was a master at creating objects out of nothing. Now that I am bit more comfortable in my life I find myself getting lazy and needing all the best tools to get a project done. If you fallen into this trap like me be inspired by these student budget-conscious interiors. When you have nothing to work with the most creative and inventive ideas arise. The key is to look at something not for what it is but what it has the potential of becoming. Check out the slide show on nytimes.com.

Inspiration: Amanda Peet's Dining Room

I am about to head over the paint store to see about paint for the living room. Before I go I wanted to share this dining room from Amanda Peet's house. The mix of textures, styles, and colors is great. I love all the different shades of wood found on the dining table, buffet, and mirror. The looks feel relaxed and lived in.

J.Crew At The Liquor Store

I have been hearing rumors from all my New York friends about J.Crew's new men's store in an old bar. I don't care so much about the clothes but the styling of the store is amazing! Attributed to Andy Spade—of the Kate Spade mega-prep brand—consulted on the styling of the space. The store oozes old New England waspy charm. I definitely need to invest in some worn antique rugs and various wood pieces. Get the full scoop on the store and check out more images: urbandaddy.com.

J.Crew at The Liquor Store
235 W. Broadway (at White)
New York, NY
212-226-5476

Inspiration: Embroidered Curtains

I just spotted these beautiful embroidered curtains on dominomag.com. I would love to use some my ribbon I bought last week at Daytona to copy this look. Super easy! Just sew strips of ribbon onto a sheer white curtain. You can pick up inexpensive white sheers like these at Ikea.

Strawberry Banke

I was up Portsmouth, New Hampshire over the weekend getting inspiration at Strawberry Banke. I was there checking out 18th century architecture similar to my potential new house. Strawberry Banke has a walking museum tour that allows you to tour restored homes dating back to 1740. I was surprised how much colorful wallpaper appeared in all of the historic homes. The wallpapers are reproductions of French and English papers that were typical during the time period. To check out more of the tour click on any image to view my flickr photostream page. Enjoy!

Amanda Peet's Guest Room

I keep coming back to this bedroom from Amanda Peet's home pictured in Domino magazine. I love the muted greens layered with various patterned florals and touches of yellow and ruby red accents. I wonder if I could paint something on the walls similar to the motif using a block print and small detailing with a brush. The space just looks so comfortable and lived in. Love! Check out more of Amanda Peet's house: dominomag.com.

Eve Robinson

The 2008 Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse is now underway in New York. You can purchase tickets here to check out the great event. I want to reminisce a bit about last year's Showhouse before we jumped into 2008.

My favorite room last year belong the room designed by Eve Robinson. The room was so lush, elegant, and airy. The simple palette of creams, browns, slate blues, and charteurse green accents felt clean and classic in the space. A favorite was the large slate blue curtains which help anchor the large windows in the space. A close second was the gorgeous felt wool carpet made up of large squares that were hemmed-stiched together. I felt like I was walking on clouds. Check out more of Eve Robinson's porfolio: everobinson.net.

Cork Penny Round Mosaic Tile

My favorite tile in the world is white penny round mosaic tiles. The look is classic and a great choice for any bathroom renovation. These eco-friendly cork alternatives come from a company called Habitus. The cork and grout can be custom dyed. A few examples of recent projects are pictured here. Check out more at: habitusnyc.com.

I found these super awesome cork penny rounds via former House & Garden editor turn contributing glam.com blogger. Jen is always in the know about the coolest cork flooring. Check out Jen's blog for more nesting tips: blogs.glam.com/glamnest/.

Huge Paint Inspiration Slide show on Dominomag.com

I had to share this great new slide show that launched today on dominomag.com. 50 slides of color inspiration that we make you want to start painting tonight. A totally great resource for anyone playing around with color ideas. Every image has shopping info so you can purchase the exact paint at a local store. Just a few of my favorites above and below. Check out more: dominomag.com.

Floral Wallpaper

I love floral wallpapers! I can't get enough of Domino's new floral wallpaper slide show. A few of my favorites above and below. To check out more visit: dominomag.com.

Harriet Maxwell Macdonald

I feel in love with Harriet Maxwell Macdonald's home back in November 2007. I just found some great shots on the house in domino's "house tour" section of their website. The warm but muted interior feels so erthera and quiet. My favorite are the grey walls seen in a sitting room (above). I am dying to paint my living room this color. The grey seems so soothing and luminous. To check out more house tours featured in domino magazine: dominomag.com.

Drew Barrymore in Domino

Be sure to pick the April issue of Domino magazine (now on newsstands) to see all of cover girl, Drew Barrymore's Flower Films offices. A few of my favorites above and below. Drew looks so cute! I am in love with the office kitchen (below). The green walls are so gorgeous. The yellow Farrow & Ball wallpaper is super sweet in the powder room (below). To view more visit: dominomag.com.

Before/Afters-Design Sponge

Damn grace, you had some amazing before and afters today. The befores were horrible...like throw-up bad. Seriously scary! But the results were amazing. So inspiring! I love this kitchen, so clean and simple! I dream of subway tiles in my bathroom someday (below). It makes me hope that I can buy my own dump to fix up! Seriously, I wasn't being sarcastic..I wish I could have a throw-up awful shack. To check out design*sponge's weekly before/after column: designspongeonline.com.

Fawn Galli

The new April issue of Domino is now on newsstands! I absolutely fell for this adventurous, pattern driven interior designed by Fawn Galli. The house has an amazing energy and personality without going overboard and turning kitchsy. Some of my favorites above and below. How amazing are those green walls and that wicker bed! To view more: dominomag.com.

High-End Houseboat Living

I think one of my boyfriend's biggest fantasy is to run away and move to some warm destination and live on a houseboat. We saw a lot floating houses on our trip to San Francisco this past fall. They were pretty cool.

I came across this super high end example of a houseboat on Seattle's Lake Union in Met Home. Houseboats are definitely not the gypsy shacks you would imagine or maybe I imagined. Seattle's houseboat culture seems to be a mix of super high end architecture and a more homey versions. I guess I always associated houseboats with more seedy types. But it seems more and more people (yuppies) are seeking an alternative lifestyle. And why not? This looks like an amazing place to wake-up every morning. Hmmm maybe Seattle is our new home?

A couple more photo blogs I found with houseboats, a Kayakers tour of Houseboats and Sausalito house boats.

David Yocum and Brian Bell's architecture office

I found this funky architecture office in the NY Times on Sunday. My boyfriend and I totally dug the rock floors (below) in the bathrooms. How does that really work? Don't the rocks shift around a lot? Cool idea nonetheless. I thought the platform bed (above) was kinda interesting and totally doable DIY. Looks like it's just 2 x 4's nailed together. They painted the end grain a bright blue. I guess they probably built a square frame underneath to elevate the frame. Good idea! To check out more of this funky interior in Atlanta, nytimes.com.

Living Green Interiors

Domino's annual green issue is now on newsstands. The March issue is jammed-packed with loads of eco-friendly decorating ideas. Be sure to check out dominomag.com to get all this great info and much more including videos, an exclusive under $100 with design*sponge, and one of my new favorite slide shows: Gorgeous Green Interiors. I grabbed these shots from the slide show to prove that eco can be chic and sustainable.

Blue is the new "it" color

Check out of our favorite new "it" color: blue. Blue is one of the easiest color to live with and also happens to be the only color both my boyfriend and I can agree on. Blue is great because it can be soothing and more vibrant and funky. Check out Domino's jammed packed slideshow full of inspiring ways to incorporate a little blue into your life, click here.

Lobby Inspiration-Carlton Hotel

I wanted to share a little afternoon inspiration. A mix of eclectic antiques and modern shapes gives this room a exotic world traveler feeling.

The shot is from the lobby of the Carlton Hotel in San Francisco that I stayed at back in October. I keep thinking about this lobby. I really feel in love with the pair of green silk velvet sofas shimmering in the sun. The lobby's gray and white marble tiles made the room feel grand but the weathered area rug with hints of rusty reds grounded the room and stopped it from feeling to stuffy.

The mantel was gorgeous painted in a black gloss. To the right, is an antique Wedding Chest covered in a inlaid shell pattern. Often you will find these chests inlaid with camel bone. The inlaid pearl worked well with the luminous feeling of the sofas. I really like this room. Can I go on vacation again?

Amy Lau Inspiration

Yellow has made a definite mark in 2007. I love it paired with greens and grays. This cute bedroom designed by Amy Lau is a perfect example of yellow done right. The yellow feels fun but it doesn't get crazy. The grey and mossy greens help ground the color and give it some sophistication. The white duvets keeps the color crisp and casual. Check out Amy Lau's work by clicking here.

Mancini Inspired

I have been sick with the flu since Monday. In my cold medicine induced coma I kept dreaming of these images. The photos are from H&G's Italy issue. The colors vibrate off each other creating a dynamic tension that is so juicy and inspiring. The image on the top is my favorite. The big block of red against the intricate patterning of the blue tile floor is outstanding. So today is the day, sick or not, I am stopping with the all the excuses and I will start painting.

Examples of Mancini's pottery punctuate nearly every room, and one spare room is overwhelmed by her terra-cotta work as it awaits glazing.

Novembre from H&G

I was just cleaning out my office and found stuff from H&G. I had tons of extremely organized folders detailing the stories we would re-launch houseandgarden.com with back in March 2007. Sad. I was reminded of Novembre one my favorite stories and favorite images (girl in sofa) from our Italy issue.

Passion and fun, these interiors suggest, should prevail over the prosaic in everyday life. "Architecture awakens our senses," Novembre explains, "so we must hold on tight to love to experience the full force of life without succumbing." The architect's wife, Candela, reclines on his titanic coiled "And" sofa, designed for Capellini.

When Candela found the steep climb of the glass staircase intimidating, Novembre added the red lacquered wooden railings with hearts for finials.

The master bedroom is accented with pieces in lush reds. Unusual lighting is provided by Corrado Levi's Edipos lamps, which sit on Tom Dixon's Jack lights; Jacopo Foggini's Apple (2005) is on the wall. The headboard, an antique mirror, reflects Albrecht Dürer's Eve, reproduced on a laminated panel. A Soft Heart armchair by Ron Arad, through Moroso, is next to the bathtub.

Carla Lane Interiors

Courtney from Style Court, did some fantastic guest blogging over at Design Sponge. I totally dug her interview with one of my favorite new designers, Carla Lane. I remember seeing this bedroom shot before and loving it; great mix of traditional with some funky ethnic textiles. I have been trying to find nightstands for like 2 months. This is giving me total inspiration. To read the full post click here.