Inspiration

Hellstrip (AKA The Boulevard Garden)

May 17, 2013

Inspiration Photos Found On Pinterest Guys, did you know that what I have been referring to as a “boulevard garden” is much more commonly known as a “HELLSTRIP”? Cause I had no idea, until I started googling around looking for inspiration for my much more mild mannered “boulevard garden”. I realize now that “hellstrip” is a very fitting name (plus it sounds pretty badass), it describes that little patch between the sidewalk in the street where nothing grows. Here in snowy Minnesota our hellstrips takes a beating, not only is it compacted with snow, but also pummeled with salt too. My hellstrip has seen better days. I planted it 4 years ago. One day I was out weeding and the next thing you know I was digging up the front boulevard. I’m am so sad to say that I think a lot of the perennial plants I had “growing” out there didn’t make it through the winter. I need to come up with a plan and make this area rule, I’m determined. Last year I started weeding the other side of the hellstrip, which until then had remained grass, er ah, weeds, er ah, a hot mess. Weeding quickly turned [...]

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Get the Look : B&W Vintage Modern Bathroom

March 6, 2013

Jenna Lyons Home Featured in Domino Magazine I’ve been overwhelming drawn to black and white bathrooms these days. I’m no where near being in the market for one but if I were to be, I think the final result might end up looking a lot like one of the bathrooms in this post. Black and white is a classic combo for any turn of the century home. You see those colors so often represented in basket weave and honey comb floor tile so popular during this period. It’s often seen in the oil rubbed bronze of hardware, and porcelain doorknobs too. Old houses can be updated to be modern, but I love the idea of an old house giving props to it roots. Updating yes, but maintaing some of that vintage style and setting it off against newer modern elements. For me, this is key in bathrooms and kitchens of old homes. 1 Factory Light No. 4 from School house electric Oh my god! Do you know about School House Electric Co? I so love this site. They have thee greatest stuff! Their collection of flush mounted ceiling fixtures is totally amazing, I had three picked out for this post [...]

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Thinking About : My Living Room

February 13, 2013

Hey Guys, I’m still obsessing over the final plans for the living room. If you’ve been reading along you know that I’ve been compiling style boards for potential sofa, rug, and chair candidates as we’re in the market for some new living room pieces. I’ve realized that there are like a million combinations of furniture pieces that could work together for our living room. This of course is driving me insane, and for my own mind-processing-powers, I decided to lay it all out there in one nice animated gif. It’s a weird way to solve a problem, I know. BUT, doing this I discovered that my favorite chair, sofa and rug combination made themselves quickly apparent. So it worked! I still haven’t narrowed it down to “I know exactly what I want” but I have a really good idea of what I am looking for. For example, I realized that I really like that Stockholm rug, and it works as an inexpensive stop-gap option from now until when the kids are older. When that day comes along we might be able to get a way with a light colored rug like the Souk (let’s hope). I totally love the lighter [...]

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Notebooks!

February 11, 2013

Notebooks have become a part of my life in a major way. I live with a notebook, I carry it around the house from room-to-room and if it’s not nearby I get panicky. Maybe it’s because I’ve entered the stage of life where so much is going on that I can’t keep anything straight. If I have an idea I need to write it down before it passes, because it will pass. I also write lists, lots and lots of lists. From blog ideas, to shopping lists, to sketches, to floor plans, and website redesigns. I’m tearing through notebooks like nobody’s business and I need something new. I would love to get a notebook with tons of pages that would take me forever to fill. Most importantly I want it to feel good, like a soft covered book that you can bend in half, or a record with a really nice matte sleeve. If it doesn’t feel good, I won’t use it. I always love a good moleskine, and am considering getting another “batch” of them, but I’d also like to branch out and try something new. Anyone out there have a unhealthy relationship with their notebook too? Do you [...]

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Thinking About : Graphic Rugs

February 5, 2013

We’ve been saving for a few months now and it’s getting closer and closer to shopping time for some new living room furniture!!! In case you couldn’t tell by the excessive exclamation marks, I can’t wait! If you remember from previous posts, our living room sofa and arm chair have seen better days. Now that kids are getting a little older we figure we can trust them not to puke or pee on our future new couch… we hope. I’ve posted before about dream sofas and chairs and now you get to hear about rug candidates too. Our living room has recently been painted and now has dark teal walls set against dark woodwork. I knew that getting into the dark wall game meant adding more contrast to the room. Using colors like black and white as accents throughout the space and painting picture frames white give the space the contrast it needs. All of our pillows and throws are black, white, bold and graphic. Our current rug (Jorun from Ikea) is also, black, white and graphic, although it looks awesome in photographs it hasn’t held up too well. The furniture tends to stretch the rug out and it drives [...]

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