Blogger House Party

Now this is a pretty office! Ez was out there reading decor8 yesterday and after seeing my yellow living room/reading nook, she decided to create an office in our virtual house. Any other bloggers want to get involved and create a kitchen, bathroom, master bedroom, guest bedroom, or an entryway off of the same theme - yellow and pretty pastels? Here's the house we're building so far. :)

Office by Ez of Creature Comforts.

Pretty little living room by me. :)

Anyone want to try a room? Maybe we can pull together an entire house like this, one blogger at a time. I've been looking for some creative online exercises to do lately with my fellow bloggers and this would be a fun project to collaborate on. Perhaps I should just nominate others or else some may feel to shy to get involved? Okay then, I challenge Joy to pull together the bedroom, Irene -- a kid's room, Susan -- the kitchen, and Victoria to design a bathroom complete with a vintage clawfoot tub. Can Danielle pull together a guest bedroom? And I'd like to see Nicole put together a fancy patio space. Wouldn't this be a fun project to do once a month in blogland? Hmmm....

[update: I just emailed my blogger friends so let's see if they have the time to do this. For fun, I sent them a little bio about our virtual client. Home owner: Young single mother (cookbook author) with a son living in a 18th century Georgian townhouse in Savannah Georgia approx. 2000 sq ft., 2 floors, 3 bedrooms (one is an office), and a large patio off of the kitchen. She loves to entertain, enjoys pastels and Swedish decor, decorating on somewhat of a budget but she can splurge on one expensive item per room. Loves pattern and feminine touches but can't deal with too much clutter.]

(images from ez and holly)

Inspiration: A Monthly e-Zine

Blogger Erin Loechner from Design for Mankind sent me her new e-zine today called Inspiration (yay!) and I really like it - nice work Erin! It's a glance into the inspiration boards of others and I'd love to share it with you so you can download the free 20-page PDF file and read what inspires some of her creative lady friends. I spotted many decor8 images in her newsletter from the various inspiration board contests I've held here, it was exciting to see some decor8 readers part of Erin's piece - not just bloggers and designers but also lots of really creative types that are a bit harder to find on the web. Such a refreshing body of work. Yay!


I hope this is the start of many more e-zines from bloggers, I think newsletters and e-zines are the best!

And speaking of past decor8 contests, I've been working with Amy Butler for the past few weeks on an amazing contest she'll be sponsoring on decor8 in the Spring and again, the focus will be on inspiration and mood boards just like last time only with a twist. You'll have to wait until April to learn more as many details need to be ironed out, but Amy and I can't wait to get the contest rolling. You'll love the prizes. Maybe I can work with Erin to get our 5 winners posted in her May issue of Inspiration. Hmmmm....

(images from various contributors to erin's newsletter, all credited in Inspiration.)

Rice: Color Me Happy!

Most of you know that I'm a big fan of Rice in Denmark, so I thought today during the dead of winter (at least here in New England) that some of us buried under snow could use a dose of color. A ginormous dose.


Rice usually isn't this colorful, yes they're pretty big on blue, pink, red, but it seems this season they've taken their usual palette and turned it wayyy up to near neon excitement. Think lime, bright pink, orange, colors that leap from the page. Happy! Joy seems to be the feeling they're going for with their energetic Spring collection.

One day I vow to have a living room with ceilings this high and light this gorgeous filling it. Am I dreaming?

Lots of hand painted furniture, this bright blue table is so easy to duplicate - you can find lots of tables like this in those unfinished wood stores or in second hand shops.

I always think of toile as super stuffy - nice to see it displayed in a whimsical space like this.

Everyone who is designed obsessed, moves around their furniture at least on a monthly basis, and is color crazy (but who cannot commit) needs to live in a space like this. Pure white walls (devoid of any color/tint - decorator's white from Benjamin Moore is my favorite) with neutral flooring. Larger pieces of furniture should be a mix of mostly white and wood (light to medium tones). Splashes of color can come from soft furnishings, trunks, small tables in bright hues, art, etc. That way, we have the perfect canvas for our constant need to change things around. Tired of your little green table? Paint it blue today. Sick of pink? Remove the pillow covers and sew up two vintage silk scarves and slip them on instead. Isn't this the perfect interior scenario? To me it is.

What little girl wouldn't love a purple bedroom (and parents who are totally cool with it)?

Furnishings aside, look at this light and these large windows. How can a space not look pretty when you have these bones to work with? Decorating is so much easier when you have a room like this as your starting point. It's like working with Kate Moss, you can dress her in anything and she'll be stunning.

This is a super saturated outdoor patio, but you can't help but respect the lady that could run a home so well. :) Only in photos, remember that, only in photos.... {sigh}


Fun entryway. I especially like how they've painted only part of the wall. This was a very common fad in the 1980's in America only we were so clever as to use wallpaper border to trim it. Eek. What were we thinking? But '80s flashbacks aside, I could deal with a wall painted only part of the way up if it's done right - this is an example of right. Very nice splash of color, a nice way to welcome guests. Interesting animal head. I could perhaps do without Mr. Rhino and instead, I'd have my new favorite chandelier installed by Patrick Townsend.

{1/31: I have to update this post! I'm so excited to say that I just returned from Barnes + Noble with a copy of the Feb 08 LivingEtc magazine in hand and as I flipped through it during dinner, I saw an apartment that looked so much like these images. The pendants over the dining room table were a dead giveaway. I realized that the apartment featured on pages 58-66 is Charlotte Geeniau's place - owner of Rice. And it's a rental so if that doesn't inspire you... But what an awesome coincidence. You have to pick up LivingEtc because the full on spread is amazing.}

(images from rice)

Polly George {handmade ceramics}

Can you resist the beauty of Polly George ceramics? The clean lines combined with fluttery details are so feminine, in just the right amount. Very balanced, modern, chic.


Polly slip casts and individually creates each piece with birds, butterflies, roses, and other adornments. You may be familiar with her Mr & Mrs Jones ceramics as they're in lots of my favorite design stores. But I didn't realize that she created so many beautiful things so I'm glad I looked her up today.

Travel tip: When in London, you can visit a shop that Polly co-owns called Luna & Curious at 198 Brick Lane in London's West End, it's a collaborative boutique run by five designers showcasing everything from fashion to interiors and of course, ceramics. :) I *heart* such stores, it's exciting to see designers working together more and more since shop ownership can be so hard on owners flying solo.

(images from polly george)