Calm

I love my room. My bed is the focal point of my room and getting in it always makes me feel calm and cozy. It was a rainy day and its an unexpectedly cold tonight after all the humidity has worn off. So I'm thinking about doing my reading in bed instead of here at the desk.

These rooms are calm and inviting and are a welcome haven on any cold night.

 A large bed like this one not only anchors a room, it makes one feel little in it. Whether you are engulfed by a fluffy down comforter or enveloped in high thread count silk sheets, that's not such a bad feeling. The upholstered bed softens any sharp edges that might have been. Soft yellow and beige suit any season of the year and with the addition of table lamps, add a soft and sunny warmth to the room.

A canopy on this bold wooden bed creates an envelope of sweeping cotton that just calls for bedtime

Calm and inviting does not have to mean neutral. Just look at the raw silk embroidered on this headboard and the rich tones shining through the bedding

Sweet dreams

Rainstorms and hot baths

Its the middle of autumn, been raining since yesterday and the skies show no sign of closing for at least another day. I love the rain, but I have to admit skipping puddles is not as enticing in 50 degree weather and 18mph winds. When I got back home today my feet had soaked through my boots and all my clothes were wet.On top of that I had just made a quick run to the ATM, which had malfunctioned and stolen $80 of my deposit. Hot baths have always been soothing to me, whether I'm stressed out or just cold, so I began to dream about taking a long, hot shower...rubber duckie optional of course

A cast-concrete tub on a concrete slab inside this glassed-in shower enclosure transforms an average home appliance into a sculptural focal point. I also like the simplicty of the decor, with clean, muted greens and creams.Tub from the Clodagh Collection Faucets and shower fixtures by Waterworks.

Nothing makes a girl feel prettier than pink! The over scale pattern on this wallpaper by Manual Canovas paper from Cowtan & Tout is pretty, modern and perfect for a bathroom. Originally shown in the March 2008 of House Beautiful issue.

I love when designers use paint to make bold statements, because its something the rest of us thousandaires can afford. Paint by Benjamin Moore. Featured in the July 2008 of House Beautiful.

The floating tub and walls in brown vinyl grasscloth — Elitis through Donghia — evoke an aura of absolute calm. Simple, classic and clean. Featured in the March 2009 issue of House Beautiful.

Glass tiles (Waterworks) and art deco-style accessories( mirrors from Potter Barn) make this bathroom uniquely stylish. Plus, I just love yellow in bathrooms.

Creativity always places higher than luxury in my book. Its easy to spend money on a piece of furniture but harder to see the possibilities in a simple piece. Case in point- this gorgeous secretary seems perfectly at home in this bathroom, but is often placed in a study/library or even dining room. The tub's feet are large and bold, but the design has few embellishments, making it perfectly classy. I love the use of the bronze plant stand as a towel stand..creativity is so cool.

We all start our days in the bathroom (hopefully) so I think it is worth it to make this room calming and welcoming or energizing and fun-depending on whether you're headed to a desk job or another adventurous life's calling..

House Beautiful

15 minute home refresher projects

I love finding quick and easy ways to refresh home decor that we've gotten accustomed to. I like to rearrange furniture in a room about 2-3 times a year, but when time or energy or a rigid floor plan doesn't allow for this its great to be able to update the room in other ways. These are quick, easy and best of all, super-flexible.

Customized photo art

- simply find your favoriye photos or take some  high resolution, enlarge and place in simple, elegant frames

If you're a minimalist (or shy), try grouping several frames of different shapes without anything in them. Coordinating color or frame texture makes for a neat display

I have to stay organized or I'll never get anything done, but corkboard bulletin boards can be so drab.  Find your favorite textile or even use vintage fabric and cover up the board with 4 simple tacks and voila! Criss-cross  ribbon in a complementary color across the board for tucking postcards and pictures into.

I love this idea because I love old fashioned ideas like using handkerchiefs instead of Kleenex...despite being a bit of a germ freak. Anyway, during the winter months, its easy to find cotton handkerchiefs in many stores. Find colorful ones or simple, classic gentlemanly handkerchiefs and iron, then frame. Groupings of 4 in similar frames make a nice display. This idea would also work with silk scarves which are my favorite accessory!

Find more at Martha Stewart

Le Salle de Sejour/ Living Room

I was reading one of Robert Kiyosaki's books when I started thinking about short-term future goals ..specifically fun goals. I realized that I have been so busy this fall that I havent spent any time getting lost in home decor magazines and websites and catalogs and such, and I miss it. So i ran to my bookshelf and grabbed an IKEA catalog, a Ballard Designs catalog, and a Better Homes & Gardens magazine- my favorite! Two hours later, I realized I had fallen into just what I had been missing out on-getting lost comparing those paint color samples in BHG and coveting Ballard Design's french-inspired home office pieces. sigh

Then I started down memory lane, recalling a "portfolio" for lack of better terms, of home magazine & catalog clippings that I had in high school, before my dreams of being an Interior Design major were so brusquely dashed. I believe that dream book is somewhere in my closet, stashed with other high school effects, and I am planning on bringing it out from under that rock next time I go home. But until then, there's nothing stopping me from collecting a few clippings on here, of decorating and designing ideas that I love, homes that inspire, and just bits and pieces I want to remember.

How did I segway from reading a financial education book to home decor? Well one of my goals after graduation and acquisition of a full-time job {cross my fingers!} is to do a bit of work our house. Our house is totally and completely lacking in decor, style and comfort,and I'd like to do what I can about it. I'd love to start with the family room, which is the most lacking in all 3 parts of the trio. I know it will take time, and money and dinner table compromises with the fam, but for now, I get what I want :)

I love the warmth of this pale yellow-its not a bright sunshine yellow, so it's perfectly inviting during any season

but you gotta love how energizing yet cool this room is..

yellow and grey make a creat contemporary couple, especially if you throw in some orange..

Now I retire to bed, dreaming of contemporary, energizing, yet cool and comfortable living spaces...