Birds, Birds, Birds

I love the winter, but after all this snow and cold, I’m getting pretty excited for the spring. A recent scan through facebook confirms that most of you are too.

In anticipation of afternoon park rendezvous, farmer’s market trips, and storing winter clothes far, far away, it’s never to early to start thinking about fun spring designs! I'm a big sucker for incorporating furniture and accessories that are nature themed. One of my new favorite designs is the use of birds. Check out some of the fun and funky items I've come across!

The use of industrial wire with the brightly colored ceramic birds is fantastic! To top it off, I'd add a vintage style light bulb with exposed metal (below).

Combining both texture and nature, these wooden napkin rings from Z-Gallerie are sure to be a conversation starter at any dinner party.

Add a Scandinavian approach by incorporating a wooden mobile like this one from Anthropologie - your living room or kid’s room will have a fun, almost whimsical feel.

 

The bright spring colors for this dishcloth would be perfect in a vintage kitchen mixing the old with the new.

I love incorporating abstract art into all styles. Especially if you're spending a good chunk of change, you are going to want your visitors to notice your design style!

I wish I saw these when I was writing my "Destination Organization" post! I love finding funky new folders, and while these don't include the same witty comments, they are gorgeous!

Sneak a Peak: Bedroom Design Case Study

My fiance and I recently moved into a new apartment that was able to hold more than a just a bed and a small dresser, a rarity for the younger New York crowd. With this newfound space, I was able to design my ideal bedroom from the ground up.  

I start with a big caution. It’s all too easy to go out to a Raymour & Flannigan or Rooms-to-Go and buy a complete set of furniture. The commercials make it look so nice and easy – and it is. But it’s also exceptionally boring and, for most of you, you’ll be sick of it pretty quickly. With a little effort (or a professional designer like yours truly), you can make a bedroom you’ll be excited to sleep in!

Now let’s get to the design. With a real space (at 15 ft x 12 ft, it's actually big enough to be entitled the word MASTER). The bed of course is the center piece, but you can actually still choose what the focus is. A quality headboard is a must. I wanted to create an upholstered headboard with brushed nickel nail heads to give a tailored look while keeping a cozy feel.

The next necessary item is a dresser. I went for a classic, solid wood double dresser. The thing I particularly loved about this dresser was the masculine patina finish on the handles. The legs were inset which added to the unique look of the room.

Lighting is another critical element sometimes overlooked in the average bedroom. Pictured above is the gorgeous, smoke blue Murano glass lamp. It's difficult to find a masculine chandelier, but this might fit the bill as both! Along with some reading lamps, we have our lighting needs well covered.

If you have the room as we did, I absolutely love the metal legs and nail heads on this chaise lounge from Shine by Sho!

All wool handknotted Makhmal rug from ABC Carpet to tie the room together.

In our last apartment, our bed touched 3 out of 4 walls in the room – it was quite literally a bed-room. I have been dreaming of nightstands for a while now, so I chose antiqued mirror drawer chests to straddle the bed.

So what do you think? Send me some comments on my ideas for our new master bedroom and I promise to share the final results! Stay tuned for an up in coming post showcasing possible accessories too!