Monday, January 30, 2012

It's Been Awhile...

Well, I'm going to see if I can kick-start this whole home decor blogging thing again, and get posting more often (at lease more than once a month, if at all possible).

There are many projects on the go at home, and I hope to share some of them with you soon.

And so, here is my revised, self-inflicted honey do list (in no particular order)

1. Re-cover a roman shade in a fabric we like, and attempt to mount it to a metal door.

2. Mount a safety-chain lock to the front door (to be more safe)

3. Paint the bathroom! (we did pretty good- the bathroom's only been 2 colors in one year, and it's time to switch it up)

4. Find a home and a purpose for this white metal medicine-style cabinet from IKEA.

5. Salvage thrift stores for a new side table for the deck for gardening season! (the LACK table has seen better days... the veneer is starting to strip off... sketchy).

6. Do some family tree inspired artwork as a family!

7. Repaint my metal pipe candlestick holders... yet again.

8. Get some pictures hung up- it's almost been a year, I think it's time to get settled in!

9. Donate like crazy! If we don't use it, it's gotta go!

We'll see where these adventures take us- and I'll do my best to avoid yet another failed attempt at blogging.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Black is the new White

Much of my downtime at work is usually spent engulfed in the latest issues of Style At Home, House and Home, Dwell, and Elle Decor magazines. Typically, I flip through page after page, yearning for some inspiration to incorporate into my own home. For the past 2 years, there has been a common theme through every single issue of these magazines: white walls. Nearly every home or living space featured is saturated with houses upon houses of blank white walls, just aching to be painted and decorated. I get how white can be a fantastic color for a backdrop to help punchy accent colors look, well, even more punchy. But, I despair that the industry is laying waste to this trend of a blank canvas.


I've been drooling over the exact opposite lately: dark inky colored walls- shades of black, off-blacks, and blue-blacks that can afford a lot of drama. People fear that dark colored walls will make a room feel too small. The only thing that will make a room feel too small is a lack of space planning and poor decorative execution. True that white walls will reflect light better, and allow for a brighter feel. But, if lighting is such a concern, consider getting a higher bulb wattage to better illuminate a dark color.


I first experienced this black bliss when I painted the back door of our apartment an off-black. The room gained an immediate dramatic presence, and looks much more thought out. I'm going to be as bold as to venture that black is the new white. May the coming months be filled with magazine pages full of ebony and ink dripping walls, saturated with dark hues- many livable rooms to spark the imagination.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

I Love This Mirror!

Let's just take a quick break from whatever we're all doing right now to discuss how fabulous this mirror is:

Dexter Mirror

It was designed and sculpted by Stephen Antonson (I have this weird affinity for people with the same name and spelling as me), and a consumer-ized version was just released through West Elm. But, I seriously love this mirror! I love how it resembles a spine and all things fossilized and looks chalky to the touch. I would love to mount it on a inky black wall, preferably in a bathroom or an entryway, with very obscured and dim lighting. I love this mirror! It's considerably healthy to appreciate the finer things of life- and I love this mirror!