Inspiration Snapshot: Refined Living Room

I was flipping through the latest catalog from Ballard Designs and came across this beautiful space designed by Suzanne Kasler. Where do I begin?! I love the gallery wall of white frames and the sunburst mirror mounted in the middle - something I'd never think of doing. The mix of powdery blues, neutrals and natural wood accents is refreshing and inviting. The Greek key pattern on the chair and ottoman is fresh and timeless. The vignette of accessories on the table adds a nice touch, along with the fabulous iron chandelier. What are you liking about this space?   

[IMAGE SOURCE: BALLARD DESIGNS CATALOG]

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Giveaway: Stunning ExVoto Vintage Necklace!

Who doesn't love a gorgeous piece of jewelry? Especially if it's one of those special pieces that really "makes" an outfit and catches people's attention. Well, that pretty much describes the entire collection of ExVoto Vintage jewelry! They offer the most incredibly unique line of jewelry, created by revamping pieces that are discarded, left behind, and forgotten, elevating them into one-of-a-kind jewelry statements.

The gals at ExVoto Vintage were so sweet to send me a very special necklace, which I blogged about here, and I absolutely love it. Now they're giving you the chance to win a necklace of your own! 

The Prize: The 33" Graham Necklace with Turquoise Stones and Blackforest Medal, valued at $259!

How to Enter: It will only take a moment - all you have to do is follow ExVoto Vintage on Pinterest and you'll be entered! (No need to leave a comment here).

Giveaway Ends: on Monday, March 4th and the winner will be announced on March 5th.

Bonus: To receive a special discount code for 20% off your order, email them at info[at]exvotovintage[dot]com with the subject Belle Maison Reader Giveaway.

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A few more beautiful pieces from ExVoto Vintage...

View the entire ExVoto Vintage line here!

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Quote of the Week

"A good life is when you assume nothing, do more, need less, smile often, dream big, laugh a lot, and realize how blessed you are."

- Quote found here

[IMAGE SOURCES: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5]

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Amen to today's quote - it's something I really needed to hear! Hope you enjoyed your weekend. Please be sure to stop by tomorrow for a fun giveaway from Ex Voto Vintage, a fabulous jewelry line that you will love!

'Five Things' Friday

Happy Friday! Today's 'Five Things' Friday post is a round-up of beautiful things that caught my eye this week. Wishing you a wonderful and relaxing weekend! xoxo - Julie

One. I've been working on a commercial design project for Kiyonna (a women's clothing company) and this is a peek of the custom reception desk I designed. It was installed last week and now has a white quartz counter top, which you'll see when I show the finished design!

Two. Loving this adorable mini lamp by Port 68! Zelda Peacock Mini Lamp

Three. Many of my clients have small children and are often asking me for ideas on how to display their child's artwork tastefully. This is a fabulous idea! Image source via BHG.

Four. How gorgeous is this painted built-in? Such a great way to add a pop of color to a cabinet or built-in shelving. Benjamin Moore Harbor Side Blue #740. Image source.

Five. Coconut Cappuccino Muffins - I'd love to try and make these over the weekend!

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Inspiration Snapshot: Clever Art + TV Wall

Wall mounting a flat screen TV looks great, but what do you do when there's a ton of extra wall space around it? Depending on how high your ceilings are and the size of your TV, creating a gallery wall around your flat screen may be just the solution. The TV in this space almost disappears with the interesting art prints surrounding it. Clean lines and simple frames keep the wall from looking overdone and cluttered. I also love the kelly green console - what a fabulous pop of color! What do you think about this idea? Is your TV wall mounted or on a stand?

{IMAGE SOURCE: THIS IS GLAMOROUS}

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Design Concept: Modern Chic Bedroom

One of my favorite parts of the design process is coming up with fresh new design schemes and color palettes. This bedroom design was inspired by a single pillow (the chevron print on the board below), and from there I pulled out accent colors, patterns and furniture. The result: a modern bedroom that's sophisticated and feminine with a touch of glam! When creating a new color scheme for a space, I always start with a single piece of fabric, accent pillow, artwork, or even a piece of clothing that has a great pattern and color combination, and work from there to build the entire design. What inspires you when decorating?

 SHOP THIS LOOK

 candace coral table lamp // geometric wallpaper // couture may 1951 vintage art // brompton tufted wingback headboards // borghese mirrored chest // faultline embroidered pillow // luxe wooly pillow // briar armchair // branch side table // virginia frame // curvy chrysanthemum vase

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Quote of the Week

"A wholehearted home frames the complex patterns of living, while leaving room for individual experience. It should have plenty of natural light, require the minimum of maintenance, and yet be warm and comfortable. Our homes should grow with us. Life isn't fixed, so spaces can't be, either."

- Ilse Crawford, Home Is Where The Heart Is

{IMAGE SOURCES: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5}

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'Five Things' Friday

Yay! We made it through another week! Today I'm continuing my "Five Things" Friday series where I round up and share what's been inspiring me, happening in my life, etc. Please feel free to share something you've been inspired by or anything else happening in your life. Have a great weekend! xoxo - Julie

One. This snapshot caught my eye on Pinterest - I love the open shelving in this kitchen along with the styling of beautiful dishes and accessories! [Image Source]

Two. The best little Valentine who made my day extra special! My husband and I took Luke out with us to an early dinner and we all had a great time.

Three. I've always had a "thing" for striped walls, especially black and white! This just "makes" the entire vignette, doesn't it? [IMAGE VIA IVY & PIPER MAGAZINE]

Four. This fresh little Aqua Trellis Tray is on my list of new "must haves" for our apartment! From the cute online shop Design Darling: The Boutique.

Five. Working on a MUCH NEEDED blog overhaul to launch just in time for Belle Maison's 5 Year Anniversary, which is next month! I've wanted to give this blog a makeover for a LONG time and just haven't taken the time to get it done. I'm also planning on launching lots of new features, blog series and more for 2013 so stay tuned!

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Interior Styling: Faux Fireplace

First, I want to wish each and every one of you a Happy Valentine's Day! I hope you have an amazing day with your husband, boyfriend, best friend, children - whoever it's with, make it memorable :)

Lately I've been noticing fireplaces being used for things other than making a fire, and kind of love all of the creative ideas floating out there! If you have a fireplace that doesn't work or you've never had a reason to actually use it, maybe it's time to spruce up what you have to make it more decorative and less functional? Here's a round-up of some really creative ways to utilize the entire fireplace, sans wood. What have you done with your fireplace if you're not burning wood?

 [IMAGE SOURCES: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11]

Transform Your Furniture with O'verlays

I stumbled upon the fabulous greek key chest (below) and discovered it was a fairly easy DIY makeover  using an incredible product called O'verlays to glam up an IKEA Malm dresser. Have you heard of this company before? I hadn't until yesterday and absolutely love the concept and idea behind these simple overlays. Created by friends Danika and Cheryl, they launched a line of overlay designs in a lightweight composite material that allowed greater flexibility and less splintering, an issue with the original vintage balsa wood panels. They also made sure the product could be paintable to allow for endless looks. Everything is compatible with specific IKEA furniture pieces but you can also use them for any old furniture that needs some sprucing up! Here's a look at a few makeovers that have inspired me to want to redo some of my own furniture! What do you think about O'verlays? Have you used them before? For more amazing DIY projects, visit the O'verlay blog!

{DIY Project by Amanda Carol at Home}

This IKEA Malm dresser was completely transformed by using the Greek Key Fret design from O'verlays, which were spray painted gold. Click here for details on how Amanda transformed this piece! 

[IMAGES FROM AMANDA CAROL AT HOME]

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{DIY Chinoisere Etegare via Sanity Fair}

I found this awesome DIY transformation over on the blog Sanity Affair, where a $70 IKEA shelving unit was painted white and embellished with these fun Greek Key corners from O'verlays. How amazing, right? Click here for the complete step-by-step project.
[IMAGES FROM SANITY FAIR]
 

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Gold painted overlays dress up this simple white chest. Details found on the O'verlay blog.

Custom mirrored GiGi panels via the O'verlay blog

This door was transformed with chalkboard paint and O'verlay's Anne 19" Squares! Details on their blog.

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