Duralee,I'm Enthralled by Thee

It seems that everything made by Duralee is beautiful. Their fabrics are that perfect synthesis of french tradition, modern cleanliness and simple beauty. I am almost certain that that sentence makes no sense, so you must see for yourself.

↑  I love this print. I would use it on decorative pillows thrown about on a buff/cream colored sofa

 

↑  This print seems suited to a lonely chaise lounge

 

↑  Soft blues  in flower designs will always remind me of cozy summer cottages and elegantly scruffy oak furniture

 

↑  This fabric is clean and the simplicity of it makes me think of  the bathroom at a beach cottage

  

↑  I would use this fabric in the kitchen, either for a table cloth or for curtains

 

↑  I imagine an airy apartment in the South of France, only moments from the beach, with this fabric sprawled on an oversized divan 

 

↑ This would look beautiful adorning a loveseat in a corner of a bedroom, accepting only tea-sipping and romance novel-reading patrons

 

↑ Blue + gold = regal beauty. I 'm imagining this fabric on an overstuffed ottoman in a gentleman's dressing room

 

↑ Light and geometrically playful, and could be used to transitions a little girl's  room from the all-pink décor that dominates the preteen years

 

↑ I love toile. I especially like this color combination because it is atypical of the oft-seen blue/white or red/white color combinations. I might use this fabric on decorative pilllos to add detail to a single-color sofa or to upholster a single armchair in a room with single-color pieces

 

↑ One tires less of textures than of prints, and this fabric beckons one closer  so as to determine whether the fabric is embossed or simply printed

Duralee also makes furniture and a lot more beautiful things. I thought I might suffer from an overload so I focused on thheir beautiful fabric for today :)


QEDMWJ4WK7GG

Blogs of Note

Recently discovered blogs that beg to be shared :

Freshome is a great source of fun and doable, as well as dream-worthy and to die for home decor ideas. I especially love the recent post on wall chalkboards. They bring out the kid in me and I'm definitely adding that to my Dream Home Book. I think a wall chalkboard would look great in a library or a study. In a home with kids, the possibilities are endless.

Belle Maison dips into making every part of your home yours, from candle scents to clutter organization. I love it!

Dear Ikeahacker, you had me at Ikea. I'm still in my twenties so I think I'm allowed to love Ikea, despite those who think its housewares are best left alone to college students!

I love finding new sources of inspiration :)

Soft, Warm and Luxurious Brown

Brown is a beautiful color. Its multi-faceted character allows it to be earthy, yet rich, soft, yet strong, and conjures up images of both smooth clay and textured sisal. For the home, brown can be used in small rooms such as bathrooms, to envelope the guest in smooth comfort. For larger rooms, lighter shades of brown are earthy and create a warm base for additional decor colors. From chocolatey smooth to caramel sweet, brown tones can help ground your decor , adding to the palette, yet somehow beautifully and just adequatelly detracting from it.

 

i love the smooth texture of the pear contrasted with the rugged and versatile fabric of the sisal/burlap tablecloth. The scraggy shells of the nuts on display is inspiration for details such as decorative pillows and area rugs

 

the key to staving off the B {bor...}word when it comes to brown is in the details- textures and prints keep the eye interested

details,details,details  

yellows and creams lighten the palette in the summer and reds can be used to add rich diversity in autumn and winter

-BHG Nov 2009

Remember, the words Brown and boring do not have to be synonymous!

The Perfect Chai

This winter, its been snowstorm after snowstorm- before you recover from the last one, the weatherman is warning of the impending blanket of white stuff. To stay warm, I've been drinking ALOT of tea. My favorite tea is black tea, and I love it made Kenyan/Indian style-
 

1. Boil 4 cups of water
2. Add 1 tbsp. of loose black tea + a combination of any, but preferably all of the following spices ; ginger, nutmeg, allspice, cardamom
3. Let boil for about two minutes, then add 2-3 cups of milk according to your preference
4. Turn off the stove when the chai comes to a boil 

Yum, i drink about 99 cups a day of this tea every day in the winter time. This tea tastes best fresh, so I try not to make too much at once, which can be time consuming when there's snow to be shoveled int he driveway. Great thing STASH tea makes packs all the delicious flavor in a  teabag. Their recipe adds cinnamon and clove, which does the impossible- makes a perfect chai even better! Stash tea can be found in the tea/coffee seation of your local grovery store or online.