The Art of Interior Styling

I'm off to a slow start this morning...yesterday was my birthday and my husband took me out to a wonderful dinner - we stuffed our faces, shared a delicious bottle of wine (plus more cocktails), and had cheesecake for dessert. I'm 33 years old and am happy and so blessed!

When it comes to styling interiors, it definitely takes a great eye for color, texture, balance and composition. It takes a lot of effort to make a styled space or vignette look effortless or contrived, if that makes any sense! I stumbled across designer and stylist Justina Blakeney's blog and wowza! What an amazingly talented woman with an exciting career. Her collection of boards on Pinterest is so inspiring and I'm sharing some of my favorite pins with you today. I'd love, love to be a stylist one day and work on photo shoots and creative projects. Styling and accessorizing a space is one of my favorite parts of every design project I work on - there's something so special about layering in all of the finishing touches to bring a room to life. What's your favorite part of the design process?

 [ALL IMAGES SOURCED VIA PINTEREST - CLICK HERE TO SEE EACH IMAGE POSTED]

Floral Inspiration

Today's post is going to be short and sweet. I'm prepping for my speaking engagement at the Laguna Design Center on Career Blogging tomorrow morning. It's a part of Design Camp hosted by Kelli Ellis and Lori Dennis and is a blast :) I'm looking forward to sharing my experience with you soon! Have a great weekend! xoxo

[Image sources found here]

Design Love :: Emily Henderson

Emily Henderson is one super talented designer and stylist - I absolutely adore her work! Her blog is pretty fabulous too, where she shares about her life "behind the scenes" as a designer, and she makes each post so personable. I'd love to meet her one day! Here are some snapshots of Emily's work - she has a great eye for color and styling! Who's work is inspiring you these days? 

Well, this morning I'm off to Design Camp at the Laguna Design Center to hear Katheryn Ireland and several other amazing people speak!  I'll be joining Paloma Contrares of La Dolce Vita and Christian May of Maison21 on stage tomorrow as guest speakers on the topic of Career Blogging. I'm really looking forward to it and can't wait to share the whole experience with you!

 [All Images via Emily Henderson]

Five Ways to Style Your Coffee Table

I'm working on accessories for a model home project and am in need of some coffee table styling inspiration. I myself don't have a table in my living room...the leg broke on our previous one and we never replaced it because of our (then) baby, now toddler. I look forward to the day we can have one again that I can actually accessorize without everything being pulled off and thrown around the room! Until then, I'll have to get my fix through design projects. If you're looking to change things up a bit for the fall season on your coffee table, here are five ideas on how to arrange and style different accessories and objects. What do you prefer to have on your table?

 Small stacks of pretty books, each topped with a shell or small object, accented with a vase of flowers or live plant. [image source]

 A long narrow tray holds decorative objects and stacks of magazines placed behind the tray give balance. [image source]

 I love the idea of placing a large tray underneath the coffee table to hold extra books! [image via west elm]

 Classic and simple - an oversized tray holds stacked books, glass hurricanes and interesting objects. The key to a set-up like this is to stagger the heights of each object.  [image source]

 Another oversized tray with simple candles, a vase of flowers and stacked books. I like the little glass jar holding matches - functional and chic! [image source]

 

The Styled Kitchen

I recently started doing some contract work for a design firm I worked for several years ago, before branching out on my own. I'm working on designing and accessorizing several model homes, which is kind of a dream job. You get to design each model from top to bottom, from specs & paint to custom bedding, art, draperies, linens and my favorite, styling. The best part is that you get to design with more freedom than residential clients usually allow. You don't have to get approval on EVERY SINGLE thing, which allows you get more creative and each job is usually completed and installed in 2 - 3 months, tops. This week I've been shopping like a crazy person to get ready for an install I have next week in Utah. I've been racking my brain for some fresh ideas on styling the kitchen, so what better place to turn to for inspiration than Pinterest?! ;) I'm loving all of the layering going on in several of these kitchens, along with the mixture of wood, ceramic and glass. What do you have going on in your kitchen?

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Inspiration Snapshot: Styled Bookcase + Amazing Wallpaper

This amazing photo caught my eye today on BHG. The wallpaper is unbelievable! And it creates such an amazing backdrop to this beautifully styled bookcase. Are you loving it too?

 [IMAGE VIA BHG]

Quote of the Week

  "Always pray to have eyes that see the best in people, a heart that forgives the worst, a mind that forgets the bad, and a soul that never loses faith in God."

- Author Unknown, found via Pinterest

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Fresh Ideas for Displaying Spring Flowers

While I enjoy having vases of flowers in my apartment year round, I especially look forward to springtime, when some of the most beautiful flowers are in bloom. My moms garden is always filled with colorful flowers and I love bringing a bunch home with me whenever I visit. I also like picking up flowers at our local farmer's market...or even the grocery store! This season, instead of putting flowers in just any old glass vase, why not display them in a new way? Here are some simple ideas and quick DIY tips on creative ways to showcase your fresh blooms.

{LOVE this idea! Wrapped soda bottles in pretty paper and twine. Image via Decor8}

{Hanging flowers in vintage bottles with rope or twine - a great idea for your patio or garden. Image via}

{Simple and so pretty - a single flower in a mason jar. Image via}

{A collection of white vessels lined up along a window sill with large flowers. Image via}

{Container wrapped with brown paper and twine, stenciled with a simple design. Image via}

{How gorgeous is this? A simple white tray filled with a variety of flowers and glass vases in all shapes and sizes. Image via}

{A vintage teacup filled with roses. So cute for a desk or small table. Image via}

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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?

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