Horse Love



The Bow

 I LOVE, this beautiful piece of artwork from Zgallerie, titled 'The Bow.' I dreamed up three ways of using this stunning piece to create some dreamy rooms that do it justice! To see any more info. about the furniture/accessories used on each board, click on the Olioboard link on the right hand side of this article to find out more.

Dining Room

Bedroom

Entrance

The Tides Style - Miami

The Tides - Kelly Wearstler Interior Design

I would love to be a fly on the wall at Interior Designer Kelly Wearstlers studio. To me, she is today's most daring and exciting trend setter. She mixes all kinds of patterns, textures and decades to create some jaw dropping rooms. One of my latest favorites is the lobby area of The Tides Hotel in Miami. The walls maybe the only plain thing in this room, from the sculptural chairs to the tufted sofa.. everything has a Wonderland type feel to it. Altogether the look feels both contemporary and traditional. I love how she plays with a multitude of materials within her room and then keeps the floor plan symmetrical for a cohesive and dramatic lobby area. Here's my attempt below..... it looks better up close! If your looking for a Wearstler style selection of furniture and accessories, check out Zinc Door for their amazing selection.

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Zinc Door - Costello End Table

Zinc Door - Dorchester Bar Table

Zinc Door - Waldo Floor Lamp

Hollywood Glamor and a design formula

Olioboard - Click to Enlarge

I've had a couple of lovely emails asking me how to put together a mood board. Thank you so much for asking, I am completely flattered and more than happy to post my thoughts on the subject! So here goes...

First of, I always start with one item that I completely love, in the instance above it was the amazing horse giclee from Zgallerie. From the first piece I try and envision a direction I want to go in, whether it be modern, contemporary, traditional.. etc.. I decided with this strong piece as my "jumping off point" (as Sarah Richardson says) that a glam Hollywood vibe would be the way to go.

Finding inspiration for a room and collecting photos is a great way to figure out the style of room you are working towards. One of my favorite places for room inspiration is Decorpad. Which is where I found the three images below. I searched 'Hollywood', 'Champagne' and 'Gold' and this is what I came up with. I loved the mix of metallic tones in the first room and wanted to come up with a room similar in feel.

Pulling colours from the art and mixing textures like the velvet tufted bed, dupioni silk drapes and wool rug add a lot to the overall room and give that luxurious Hollywood feel. Mixing fabrics and textures prevents a room from feeling flat and gives a lot of visual interest ( I know, I know... I watch far too much HGTV, lol).

Also, I think that all rooms need some sparkle, and that's why I added the pretty sunburst mirror, diamond photo frames and amazing "Elixir" chandelier from Layla Grayce.

One last important addition to any room design is contrast. My starting piece (Mr. Horse) will make a dramatic statement against a light coloured wall, and the medium/dark wood floor will be a great contrast to the light furniture and fabrics.

The Blue and White Scheme

Olioboard - Click to Enlarge

I always love a good blue and white room design. Whilst browsing one of my favourite blogs the other day, (by Phoebe Howard, see photo at end of article) I saw a fantastic dining room that inspired me to have a go at designing my own blue and white bedroom! This colour scheme evokes that British Colonial Coastal feel that I love so much. When you pair the dark inky indigo blue with the warm tones of mahogany and accents of fresh white you can achieve this great look for yourself.

I found the pretty sleigh bed from Bassett Furniture, it's called Coral Key, which seems appropriate for this type of design scheme! I added this antique style chandelier by Currey and Company for some sparkle and detail. Then the fantastic blue and white ginger jars that seem to be forever timeless. The one shown above is from Lampsplus and is hand painted porcelain. I think this look can work anywhere.. but it would be best with  a slight sea breeze for authenticity. :-)

Currey and Company - Sophia Chandelier

Ralph Lauren  - Indigo Modern Bedding

Courtesy of Phobe Howard

West Indies Porch



Olioboard

I received a lovely message from a fellow West Indies design enthusiast concerning a substantial sized porch. The design included furniture from the Faraday Collection, from Pottery Barn, breezy white outdoor drapes made from drop cloths and blue painted ceilings... I can only imagine how beautiful it will look! So of course, I headed off to Olioboard to get the feel for this pretty porch and here's what I came up with.... all I can say is wow, what a great plan for a porch... (even with or without the pool) I think it will be a stunning place to drink a cold beer and unwind after a hard days work.

Compass Pillow - Frontgate

Riveted Drum Table - Grandin Road

Black and Yellow Bathroom

http://olioboard.com/users/sallyjl

What a fun, fresh colour palette for a bathroom! Who woulda thought?? Sorry no blog lately - I started my new job (yippee) and time slipped by without me knowing!! Here's to the weekends!

images via decorpad

Contemporary twist on a twin nursery

http://olioboard.com/users/sallyjl

Happy Weekend fellow bloggers!! I have been way too addicted to Olioboard lately... darn it! Here's another entry for one of their awesome challenges. "Design a nursery for two beautiful twin babys. One boy and one girl. Create a space the two of them can enjoy and grow into." That's my entry above. I started out with the contemporary looking cribs. I wanted to do a fresh, clean colour palette that could be enjoyed by a boy and a girl. I found the brightly, printed fabric and used it as a rug (shh, don't tell) and then bought in more items that pulled out colours from the fabric! I am super happy with it! If you'd like to know where any of the items come from, just click on the link above and it will take you straight to my Olioboard page. Here's some more nursery inspiration for any mothers to be (all images courtesy of Decorpad!):

Love the striped ceiling!
Plus, what a great book display to add a ton of colour!!

Great fresh colour palette with a vintage looking crib.

Love the rug and colours....

Fun pom poms!!

Olioboard Fun

I'm not usually a big Modern/Contemporary fan, but two new challenges from Olioboard caught my attention! Here's the first - "A new restaurant in town asked you to design a retro inspired interior to liven the place up and draw in the crowd. While they love the retro vibe they don't want it to be overboard and feel like a tacky diner. Find a way to design the space that balances retro with class."

That's my interpretation above! I'm pretty happy with it. I thought the wavy retro fabric would be fun on some booths and then the other chairs are for the bar (red), lounging (yellow) and around the ends of the booths (black). And just look at those cool napkin rings - Dachshunds! So cool - never thought I'd say that about a napkin ring!

Here's the second challenge - "The top advertising agency of the year has asked you to bring your design expertise to their office space. This agency is known for their outside of the box thinking and want their office space to reflect just that. Make your design as creative and wild as you want. In this job, anything goes." And my crazy idea board below. Head over to Olioboard to get creative.

New Mexico Interior Inspiration

Olioboard - Click to Enlarge

Finally got a minute to post my newest Olioboard! Here is my interpretation of a New Mexico Interior. It all began with this beautiful piece of art called Indian Reed. I love the fiery blossom and the subtle backdrop. I used the colours as a basis for my design. When I think New Mexico, I envision Native American art and jewel tone colours. I imagine the bright turquoise and amber colours paired with antiqued looking gold and silver. I also found some swatches from Calico Corners that would make great drapery or ottoman/chair fabric. I think the Brea Russett would make great curtains as the pattern isn't so bold and the  Seismic Sun (great name) fabric could make some fantastic pillows, highlighting my colour palette and bringing in a tiny bolt of turquoise!

Indian Reed Art

Calico Corners - Brea Russett

Calico Corners - Seismic Sun

Glam Vanities

Olioboard

I saw this beautiful mirrored console from Layla Grayce and instantly thought - Glamorous Vanity! I can imagine it paired with with some pretty, delicate accessories such as two of these sparkly sconces. The circular patterns in the console, sconces and rug all relate well to each other, and combine to create a cohesive room.

Here's some more Glam Vanity inspiration... if only I could be so glamorous!!

Hourglass and Crystal drum sconce - Shades of Light

All images via decorpad.

Rooms by State - Louisiana

Olioboard

I wanted to put some ideas together for a Louisiana style sleeping porch. I used cool greens and blues in contrast to the hot and humid climate. I love the old wrought iron beds and their casual elegance, I thought that simple white/cream matelasse bedding would look crisp and cool, perhaps with a few complimentary throw pillows. I can imagine that this icy blue star lantern would be a nice addition to the starry nights sky which you could view from the comfort of the bed. I thought that a few strings of paper lanterns would also give a nice soft glow and create some ambiance. And, of course you have to have some hanging ferns to complete the picture!

I found a few great inspirational images whilst surfing. I would love to have the pretty blue bead board ceiling (Southern Living) to complete my sleeping porch, totally Southern! Eddie Ross gives some great ideas on his Blog, I hadn't noticed, until posting, that his porch includes the same Dash and Albert rug that I had used for my sleeping porch. I can imagine the the decorpad swinging beds would work equally well on a sleeping porch. They would be a nice place to drift off to sleep under the stars.. Finally, Pottery Barns interpretation of a sleeping porch... the perfect place for a kiddies slumber party.

Southern Living

Porch - Eddie Ross

via decorpad

via Pottery Barn

Rooms by State - South Carolina Marsh Bedroom

Olioboard

Well.... I know, it's been a few days since my last post, but we are finally in our new house! Yippee!! Although we are living off of the floor for the next few days, things are finally coming together. I am so grateful to be here in Round Rock, Texas. Despite the heat being in the triple digits, the people are wonderful and friendly and I feel at home.

Anyways... on with more bloggy related subjects! Here is my second board for the 'Rooms by State' segment.... I tried my hand at South Carolina this time. To me, SC is all about the stunning marshes and the inspiring wildlife. With this in mind, I found items that captured the marshy vibe. I began with the top right floral fabric by Waverly, it made me think of misty-morning-marsh-grasses (try saying that after happy hour)!! From there I added some traditional furniture, but items less stuffy and more relaxed. The rug is a sisal herringbone from Ballard Designs, I loved the subtle texture and pattern. Then the finishing touches, with some pretty fern prints and a casual take on a sparkly antique chandelier. I wonder what the lovely people of SC would think??

Waverly Fishbowl Cavier

Ballard Designs - Parish Fabric

Source unknown

 

Rooms by State - Florida Kids Room



Florida Kids Room
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I thought I would try something fun over the next few weeks. I am going to try putting together a moodboard, for every State in the U.S. I started with Florida, which is probably one of the easiest in my opinion!! When I think of Florida I think, bright white, turquoise and lime greens, like the palm tree print, top right. Add some coastal stripes, and nautical accents, then as we say in England "job done!" I can imagine this room in a light and bright beach house for a surf-riding-girly-girl who isn't into pink. Or... I could quite happily move in too, I just need to find me a beach house.... Here's some more inspiration for a Florida style beach pad.

All photos courtesy of House of Turquoise.