Friday, January 31, 2014

Pretty in Pink…and Blue

When I was considering an abstract art piece for my mantle I looked at a lot of prints that featured pink (the accent color I wanted to add to the room) and blue (to tie back to my living room wall color). It turns out all this research really reinforced my love of blue and pink together. Look how pretty these colors can be, especially with a little gold thrown in!

Alpha xi Delta Blue Pink Gold Tassel Garland by StudioMucci, $35.00

Blue, pink, and gold tassel garland via Etsy

Pink and Aqua Living Room from House Beautiful via House of Turquoise

Trellis Flowers - abstract flower print, pink and blue art, living room garden decor, guest room, master bedroom art

Trellis Flowers Print by Cortney North via Etsy

ranunculus hues

ranunculus hues via Design Seeds

Blue, Pink, Gold

Wedding party via Studio A Photo

Free Valentine Printable from Insitefull Living

U.S. Army Captain Katie del Castillo's Washington DC Apartment Tour #theeverygirl

Living Room via The Everygirl

Summer Flower Garden, fine art print, abstract pink yellow and blue contemporary wall art, cottage decor

Summer Flower Garden by Cortney North via Etsy

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Craigslist Crushes

It’s time to play my favorite game: Shopping on Craigslist for furniture I love but don’t need!

First up, these lovely velvet chairs:

Pair of Aubergine Tufted Wingback Chairs, $150 each

A velvet wingback in the wrong color can look really dated but I think these chairs are so cute. They’re the prettiest shade of purple and they look like they are in great condition. I’d love them in my office on either side of my hutch, or maybe I’d use one as my desk chair à la Emily Henderson.

Vintage Mid-Century Magazine Rack, $10

This is a much more stylish option for storing my magazines than my red storage basket from Target. I wish it were a little bigger though because we got a lot of magazines.

vintage bookcase

Mid-Century Bookcase Shelving, $65

I really like this Milo Baughman style shelf and I’ve seriously considered buying it for the landing at the top of the stairs, but the metal looks pretty scuffed up. What do you think?

Vintage End Table, $80

I’m obsessed with faux bamboo right now so it’s no surprise that I love this table. It looks like the paint is perfect so this piece would require no extra work to make it useable. Too bad my husband doesn’t approve of me buying random $80 side tables that I don’t need/have a place for Sad smile 

Vintage Lane Altavista End Table, $55

Another side table! I’m a little on the fence about this one but I think the brass legs are really cool, plus it’s a Lane table which is a very well made brand of furniture.

Monday, January 27, 2014

The Most Popular Mirror in School

Guys, my new Threshold Starburst Mirror is so popular. It’s like the kid that’s picked first for the kickball team or the really pretty girl all the guys want to date. It’s that cool.

Of course having a one-of-a-kind mirror is great too but it’s been fun seeing my new mirror all over the interwebs on sites such as Young House Love and House Beautiful. Check it out!

A Moodboard Comes To Life | Young House Love 

via Young House Love

threshold sunburst mirror

via House Beautiful

fun-colorful-throw-pillows-79A

via Catch My Party

Kendal Rogers' Atlanta Townhome #theeverygirl

via The Everygirl

Has anyone else used this mirror in their home?

P.S. In other exciting news Blue 11 Interiors finally has its own Facebook page! Click here to follow and keep up to date on everything blog-related.

Friday, January 24, 2014

How I Decorated My Mantle

Does that title remind anyone else of “How I Met Your Mother?” By the way, I just read that Monday’s episode is titled “How Your Mother Met Me”…does this mean Ted and the mother will finally meet?! I sure hope so; this season of HIMYM has been keeping us hanging for too long!

Ok, back to my mantle…last week I asked you all for your opinions on what should star on my redecorated mantle: the Target sunburst mirror, a vintage gold mirror, or a DIY abstract painting. I got the most votes for the painting but I also got some votes for the Target mirror and the vintage mirror. Well, I decided to go for…

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The Target mirror! Although it wasn’t necessarily my first choice it was the easiest, and I’m all about easy these days. Plus, it happened to be on sale when I bought it so it only cost $36! (P.S. it’s still on sale if you want to get one of your own!)

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In addition to the mirror I added a pink peony and ranunculus arrangement (also from Target), a lovely vintage Vogue cover (which was a wedding gift from my aunt), some books flanked by my new Jonathan Adler foo dog bookends that I’ve been wanting for a while (thanks to my mother-in-law for getting those for me for Christmas!) and a blue glass bottle from HomeGoods with some faux pussy willow stems.

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I also picked up this Nate Berkus basket from Target a few weeks ago on clearance for only $10! I really love how it looks next to the fireplace.

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The pink accents on the mantle go well with my new suzani pillows, don’t you think?

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I paired the suzani pillows with some nice white and silver pillows from Target (wow, this post really is all about Target today isn’t it!).

What do you think? I’d still like to try my hand at a DIY abstract painting but it can be an accent piece, not the centerpiece of the mantle.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

And 3 Design Rules You Can Break

Yesterday I shared my 3 design rules that go against the saying “Rule are meant to be broken.” Today I’m showing you 3 of the rules that you can, and often times should, break.

1. Don’t Paint a Small Room Dark

This is a design rule that’s been drilled into our heads over and over again. And while this rule does have its merits it’s not always true. Small rooms can be painted dark and still look fabulous. Dark rooms can be moody, cozy, and dramatic. Just make sure you have good lighting and use reflective surfaces like mirrors and metallics to keep the room from feeling like it’s closing in.

Bathroom by Ashley Goforth Designs via Apartment Therapy

2. Make Sure All Your Wood Tones and Metals Match

Buying a set of matching furniture may be the easiest way to decorate a room but it’s definitely not the best. Mixing and matching pieces gives your room a lot more interest and character. Even when you’re not using pieces from a matching set you don’t need to use only dark wood or light wood pieces; they can look beautiful when paired together in the same room. Lonny mag has some good tips on how to do this successfully.

Peter Dunham via Little Green Notebook

The same mix and match mentality can apply to metals as well. You don’t need to use only silver or only gold in a room; they can look amazing when mixed together, as proved by this beautiful living room. Just try to distribute the different metals evenly: you don’t want a room full of silver accessories with one small odd gold piece thrown in.

Mixed Metals

via Lonny Mag

3. Only Use Accessories in the Room They Were Intended For

Just because you bought something in the living room or the bathroom section of the store doesn’t mean you have to use it in the living room or the bathroom. In my bathroom I store my q-tips in a blue container meant for the kitchen and I store my makeup pads in a vintage tin meant for, well, I’m not sure where it’s meant for. But I like both of these containers and they look great in my bathroom, so why not? Don’t be afraid to use pieces in unexpected places, like lamps in a kitchen or art and upholstered stools in a bathroom.

Kitchen by Rolston via Elle Décor

Bathroom by Steven Sclaroff via House Beautiful

Monday, January 20, 2014

3 Design Rules That Are NOT Meant to be Broken

You know the saying “Rules are meant to be broken”? In the design world that saying is true most of the time, but in my opinion there are 3 rules that, with few exceptions, should always be followed.

1. Hang Art at Eye Level

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My Living Room

Art hung too high is one of my biggest pet peeves, and a lot of people are guilty of it. Heck, I used to be guilty of it! But now that I know better I always take care to make sure my art is hung at the correct level. According to Apartment Therapy, the center of the picture should be 57” above the floor. You’ll have to do a little bit of measuring and math to figure out exactly where to put the nail but trust me, it’s worth it. For step by step instructions check out AT’s article here. Houzz also has an excellent article regarding hanging art correctly.

 

2. Every Seat Needs a Landing Spot

Emily-Henderson-+-Curbly_livingroom01

Curbly’s House Living Room by Emily Henderson

Every seat in your house needs a side table, or poof, or something within reach on which to set your drink, phone, or book. This was drilled into my head during my first interior design class; when we drew floor plans every seat had to have a table within 18-24” or we lost points. My coffee table may be slightly too big for our living room but I love that no matter where you’re sitting on the couch you always have a place to sit your drink down. This rule also applies to side chairs. The landing spot rule is not only practical, it also helps to ground the space so you don’t have a lonely chair hanging out somewhere by itself. 

 

3. Accessorize in Odd Numbers

design-manifes-guest-room-aurene- tear-drop-shade-over-chair

Guest Room by Design Manifest

This is another rule we learned in our interior design classes: accessories always look best when grouped in odd numbers. Instead of placing 2 or 4 tchotchkes on a shelf, place 3 or 5 things together. It will be much more pleasing to the eye.

Thursday, January 16, 2014

How Should I Decorate My Mantle?

Now that the Christmas decorations are finally down and put away it’s time to do a little redecorating around the house. I have most of the accessories figured out but I’m a little stuck on what to do with the mantle.

Before I decked it out for the holidays the mantle looked like this:

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I love this look but I want to change it up. Plus, I’ve added a bunch of little pink accents to my living room so the red Paris map doesn’t really go anymore. So I’ve been thinking about what I want to put up instead and I have a few ideas but I’d like your thoughts on which one I should choose.

Option #1

Target mirror

Threshold Starburst Mirror from Target

Pros: Good price ($40), good size (24”x24”), available today Cons: Mass produced, not the best quality

 

Option #2

vintage mirror

A vintage gold mirror similar to this one from The Shabby Chickster on Etsy

Pros: More character, better quality Cons: Might take some hunting to find one I like that’s the right size and price

 

Option #3

painting

A colorful abstract painting or print like this one from siiso on Etsy

I really love the colors and feel of this print but it’s a little smaller and a little more expensive than I would prefer. So I thought about painting my own piece using this technique from Craft Pond

diy painting

Pros: 100% customizable to my taste, inexpensive Cons: Don’t know it will turn out, could end up looking cheap and too DIY

 

So those are my options. Which one do you vote for: the Target mirror, the vintage mirror, or the DIY painting?

Monday, January 13, 2014

Dream Nurseries

This weekend Ben and I drove to the middle of Kansas, which isn’t something I normally like to do but we went there for a good reason: to meet Ben’s cousin’s new baby Mason. He is such a cutie! Both of us got to spend lots of quality time holding and cuddling with the baby. We also had a great time visiting with Mason’s mommy and daddy and his big brother Jacob.

Mason

All of that time with the little ones of course got me thinking about babies. Even though I’m not quite ready to have one of my own yet I love checking out adorable nurseries on Apartment Therapy and Project Nursery. Here are some of my favorites.

Project Nursery - Contemporary Eclectic Girl Nursery Room View

Contemporary Nursery with Some Room to Grow via Project Nursery

Vivi and Brigette's Home Away from Home Nursery Tour | Apartment Therapy

Vivi and Brigette’s Home Away from Home via Apartment Therapy

Cooper Nursery-5.jpg

Coooper’s Soothing Neutral Nursery via Apartment Therapy

Coral and Gold Nursery - Project Nursery

Coral and Gold Nursery via Project Nursery

Reed's Soft, Starry Space Nursery Tour | Apartment Therapy

Reed’s Soft, Starry Space via Apartment Therapy

Antique Campaign Dresser Painted Pink - #projectnursery

Mary’s Modern Antique Nursery via Project Nursery

Project Nursery

Megan’s Embrace Space via Project Nursery

Wynn's Whimsical Meadow Nursery

Wynn’s Whimsical Meadow Nursery via Apartment Therapy