Romantic Rooms

I love romantic rooms.  Many romantic rooms employ the use of draped

 fabric.  This room has great contrast from its dark walls covered in dark

fabric with contrasting bright orange sheers that pool on the ground.  The

chandelier, table cloth and candlesticks help give it romantic feel.

Modern rooms can be romantic too.  The big factor in this room that makes

it more romantic are its textures - especially the large shag rug on the floor.

This living room is more traditionally romantic.  The painted trees and

birds really make a statement and beautiful focal point in the room.

Outside of texture, color palette can be a big influence on how romantic a

room feels.  You're certainly not going to feel as romantic with a palette of

yellow and gray as you would with mauves and plums.

This room is a shocking pink.  Once could say

that it is Romanticism with a modern twist.

Now here's an elegant and romantic bathroom with it's shell chandelier and

creams and whites.  There's a curious pop of wildness in the zebra rug but

overall, it's a very spacious and spa like bathroom.

Aaah white.  It's back to those sheer curtains -

a sure fire way to create a romantic space.

Hope this has given you some inspiration to

bring some romance into your rooms.

Photos from PointClickHome.com

Girly Design and Feminine Wiles

I'm a sucker for really well designed girly rooms.  Pink and

Green is one fantastic combo, but it's hard to get that right

hue if you're not designing a garden tea party.  Gina Viscusi

Elson of Viscusi Elson Interior Design certainly got this luxe

boudoir right!  Lacquered Fuschia cabinets, with luxe velvet

on a chaise, mirrors on a huge patterned mirror - she really

made this space a fantasy boudoir for girl.

Here's a very sophisticated space that has feminine touches to it.

Designed by Elizabeth Cutler of San Francisco.

Now this space is just super fun!  This space is designed by Linda Allen

and it is absolutely fantastic.  It's Audrey Hepburn meets an haute couture

store in Paris. I love all of the pink and black finishes in the room.

She carried the motif throughout the room.

This room is not complete without a spa. 

Check out the pink poodle lamp to the side!

These girls show that being eco-friendly can be

super glam.  I Love the countertops!  They are

made by IceStone and it is a mixture of recycled

concrete and glass.  The palette in this kitchen

really makes it a beautiful and feminine place.

Designed by MWM Interior Design.

On a separate note, since I've never been much of an artist (stick figures) 

I've always admired others who can draw - especially portraits which is

one of the most difficult subjects to draw in my opinion.  I stumbled upon

Jill Stalowicz' site called Smallish and it is obvious what great talent she

has at drawing black and white portraits. 

The details that come out in black and white portraits are just amazing.

Jill draws portraits in 5 x 7 frames.  If you're thinking of a unique gift

for someone, a portrait can be a very special gift.

Making a Family Home

by Shannon Honeybloom

I grew up in the ideal home where my mom was a stay at home mom.

Having wonderful memories of childhood is something very special and

something to hold dear.  We all love interiors and design, but outside

of interiors - there are those special things that actually makes a house

into a home.  I thought this was a pretty neat book that reminds us of

those little things that makes a house a home.

Photos from Nesting Newbies Magazine

HGTV's Pure Design and Samantha Pynn - A Feminine Space

One of my favorite shows on HGTV right now is
Pure Design which is hosted and designed by Samantha
Pynn. She is absolutely brilliant with texture, color - not
to mention everything she does is green and eco-friendly.

I totally loved this space that she redesigned for a mother
and her young daughter. It's got enough whimsy and romance
for her daughter, yet is still sophisticated enough for adults and
entertaining.

Projects include keeping and repainting her dining table and
china cabinet as well as reupholstering some furniture.

The fireplace was totally repainted and the
furniture recovered in bright and fun fabrics.

A window bench was built in
with storage underneath.

A light and neutral gray on the walls provided the
perfect backdrop. The chandeliers provided the
perfect touch of glam.

I really love this wood stump
that serves as an end table.

The china cabinet was really old fashioned,
but a new coat of paint really did wonders for
it. It was repainted in a powder blue-gray.

In the dining area, Samantha covered the entire
wall with personal photos printed and framed in
black and white. Just stunning.

I've totally fallen in love with Samantha Pynn's
designs and so I'll be showing more of them.

$500 Room Makeovers
by Lisa Quinn

This is one of my favorite budget design books.
Full of fun projects and room designs of all sorts.

HGTV's Before & After Decorating

HGTV has some pretty good publications and
the Before & After book is no exception. There's
some really great ideas in this book and it's really
reasonably priced.

Photos from HGTV Canada