Oh Baby!

I haven't written a blog in a while and so I decided to fix that. I have a very dear friend that just found out she is expecting a girl! How exciting! She has asked my help in designing the nursery and I couldn't be more happier. Little girls are known for having bright pink rooms to come home to. But not this little girl. I have been challenged to create a room WITHOUT the pink. I know, it's crazy, but I have come up with a few ideas. I'm starting to see that pink isn't the only girly color!

1) Paint: The nursery is quite small so adding horizontal stripes to an accent wall will help make the room appear larger. On the flip side, if your room has short ceilings (like at my sister's house), vertical stripes will make the room appear taller.

I have chosen a soft, cool grey with white stripes like the room below. This room example comes from here. Paint colors: "Morning Lake" by Valspar & "Hush Hush" by Valspar

Lighter colors also make a room look larger. It gives the space a feeling of cleanliness as well as brighter. In another sense, darker colors do all the opposite.

The other accent colors will be a turquoise, sea-foam green, and a touch of light lavender.

2) Lighting: Lighting plays a huge part in any room of the house. Nurseries tend to be brighter with a lot of natural light. In my friend's room, there is one small window so it's very important choosing the right light fixture that extends enough light to fill the room.

The lighting fixture I have chosen is more aesthetically pleasing than necessary but I thought it was so cute. Using a cool white light bulb instead of regular yellow/orange tone light will help the room get that bright light were looking for.

This fun chandelier came from PBTeen. The price: $100

So far so good! It's looking like this sweet little girl's room will turn out great! That's all I've got for now. I have to get with the mother to decide on a crib and a rocker. Will be updating soon!

Think Clearly

Do you have a small space your not quite sure how to decorate? Let clear be your new inspirational best friend. That's right! There are ways to incorporate a chair or table in without making your space look cluttered. But how?

Coffee tables and chairs are big pieces that can fill a space up really fast. But most of the time they're necessary. If your room is particularly tight, swap out that big black desk chair for an acrylic alternative. I have a newfound love for acrylic furniture. Or, if you’re living room is just a bit too cozy, incorporate a clear coffee table or footstool. Transparent pieces are not limited to tiny spaces though… Clear furniture is perfect for balancing out rooms that are very ornamented with heavy wood or bold colors. The weightless feel of acrylic furniture allows you the practicality of storage while giving the beautiful idea of a sleek, seemingly uncluttered room.

Another name for this wonder furniture is lucite.

Remember, you know the furniture is there but your guests may not. To avoid embarassment, accent your chair with a bright cushion or fill up your table with a vase of flowers or your favorite magazines. Also, try accessorizing with lucite or acrylic.

Louis Ghost Chair

Target & Exclusive Mod are just two places you can buy this furniture.



Can we talk about closets for a second?

If I had the money, this is for sure what I'd invest it in. A $40,000 room devoted to all of my clothes and shoes. Let's hope that price tag covers the cost of those clothes and shoes, too. This is truly magnicifant. There are no words. Take a moment and drool...

If only I had a voice like Mariah's...



The Ultimate Man Cave

Every guy needs an exclusive space to hang out in their home -- a nice, quiet getaway place where they can enjoy what they love, whether it's a soundproofed basement used as a rock 'n' roll lounge and covered with limited edition guitars or a room where diehard football fans can chill out with a roaring sound system and huge flat screen TV; every man needs their own space for all of their own crap!

You know where I'm getting to - a Man Cave! Every man needs one! Check out these amazing Man Caves! It kind of makes me wish I had one!

My dad is still working on his Man Cave but here is the progress so far. He designed it all and is totally proud of it!

Not like the ones you've seen before... He's a tool man; those are his babies!

That's it for today! Have a great weekend! 

Get Happy!

Color Physchology: Yellow

I did a little research to find what yellow can actually do for a space. I've put together a lot of very interesting facts about this amazing color and how you can properly use it! Enjoy!

Yellow is the most visible color so that means it is also the most attention-getting color. Yellow is a color that can be used in a very small amount to quickly draw notice to something. Yellow is the color of sun, that’s why people think it can save them from depression and attempt to use it in the interior to lighten up the mood. However not everything is that simple. Let’s have a look at a few most controversial features of the color yellow:

• Yellow is the first color the eye sees in daylight.  Thus yellow objects immediately draw attention.
• Yellow is also the most fatiguing to the eye due to the high amount of light that is reflected. It is hard to perceive the color especially for elderly people.
• Yellow can also increase the metabolism. It make you feel energetic.
• Yellow can make you both energetic and aggressive by stimulating brain receptors that may trigger very controversial emotions (from anger to happiness).
• Yellow is the color of sunshine. It denotes happiness and joy.
• In nature yellow is used by some animals to warn they are poisonous (or pretend to be). There is a biological reflex built into us that causes even babies to recoil from this signal. People are more likely to lose their tempers in yellow rooms and babies tend to cry more in yellow rooms.

However the controversial nature of the color doesn’t mean you should avoid it completely. Knowing both sides of this complex color will help you to make the most of it. It is recommended to use yellow in entry way, powder room, and halfways as well as transitional areas.

Besides, combinations of yellow with other color may be very powerful:

• Yellow and Red: Stir imagination and the creative juices and inspire brilliant thinking.
• Yellow and Purple: Have healing effect, it is believed to be the best color combination for those recovering from illness.
• Yellow and Orange: Improve appetite (thus used in kitchens, breakfast nooks, and dining rooms)

In conclusion, it should be noted that despite its controversial nature, yellow is an awesome color to use in interior design: use it in moderation and in combination with other colors to achieve powerful effect. Here are just a few brilliant examples of introducing yellow into the interior design:

There are easy ways to add a touch a color in your spaces at home, especially if you're on a budget. Try these top ten things in your own home.

1. Paint one wall instead of all four.
2. Make your own pillows for cheap.
3. Buy some fresh flowers and a cheap vase.
4. Buy a cute, inexpensive lamp shade and throw it on a lamp you already have.
5. Your fifth wall - the floor! A simple or pattern rug is a quick and easy way to add color.
6. Recover a seat cushion or chair you already own.
7. Buy an old, bulky mirror from Goodwill and paint the frame your favorite color. Then place it on a boring wall and wala!
8. Support starving artists - they always have random, unique artwork that will liven up any space.
9. Paint the back of a bookshelf.
10. Pull out Grandma's handmade quilts; they have tons a color!

Hope you enjoyed today's post! Have a wonderful afternoon!

Welcome to the Smith's Home!

Today's Celebrity Wednesday is Will Smith along with his wife, Jada and their three children. 

The actor and his little family have a very busy life so hardly do they ever find time to relax at home. But when they do, they have an exquisite 25,000 square foot home to enjoy it in. 

The Smith family opened the doors to their Calabasas, California home in the September issue of Architectural Digest. It was designed by architect Stephen Samuelson and the adobe-style home has a circular floorplan. "The idea was to create an infinite cycle that represented what Jada and I hoped for our love," says Will Smith.

Read the write up by AD.

"The design incorporates Parisian, Moroccan, Spanish and Southwest American influences, as well as a healthy sense of spirituality," says Jada Pinkett Smith.

"Everything needed to be done by hand," he explains. "We wanted to feel the love and labor that went into every piece of this place."

“For Will and me this home was always a spiritual endeavor…we’re very earthy, organic people. We wanted to create a family retreat, something made by hand and as natural as possible, something that ties back to the land,” she says. “Whatever it becomes, the craftsmanship will always represent our union and the love of our family.”

But the place isn't finished just yet. "It's definitely a work in progress," she says. "Will and I were very young when we started the house, so it keeps on changing as we get older and understand how we really live in it. But whatever it becomes, the craftsmanship will always represent our union and the love of our family."



Thanks for stopping by to read this week's celebrity's home interior.
Have a great day!

Tropical Oasis

Tuesday Theme!

Today's "Tuesday Theme" is Tropical Oasis. Didn't everyone grow up with a dolphin or fish themed bathroom as a kid or am I the only one? Ha! Well, times have changed and ocean themed rooms are still popular. Tropics are something more than the little fishbowls that are filled with fish and posters which might probably be much bored as you are. Tropical spaces are more about the blend of colors and simplicity that would make you feel as if you were actually there. The more curves you have in a space the better it will make it feel. Curves represent the ocean. Light, cool colors represent the water and atmosphere you get in a tropical place. Bamboo is a great wood that you can incorporate into the space as well as wicker for items such as baskets and chairs. Also fabrics such as linen and burlap add texture to the space. It's as simple as some shells on sand in a vase that can tie the room together. You don't always have to throw a palm tree in the corner to get your "tropical" feel.
The pictures below are of some spaces that have been recreated to an underwater paradise. The artists and designers of these spaces are so talented and so creative. So relaxing!











This bed is fabulous.



And I thought I'd share a room in my own home that is ocean themed. This room for when my two nephews and niece come to stay. It's not quite finished because my mother is constantly adding new things to it. My sister painted all the decor on the walls. Excuse the mess; can you ever keep a kid's room clean?



Don't be embarrassed if you want an ocean themed room because no one is too old to have a relaxing oasis! There's a right way to do everything so that it doesn't look tacky. Get some help from your trusted friends and family and research designers to have done ocean themed rooms and have at it! Everyone loves the beach so why not display that in a room of your own, just don't go overboard! (get it? overboard?)

If you're interested in giving me a theme for Tuesdays or a celebrity for Wednesday I'd love to do it! Just comment on this post or on my Facebook page. Thanks!

Hope you enjoyed today's Tuesday Theme! Have a great day!