creative inspiration

I'm often asked where do my ideas come from. Some are truly my own random thoughts (that often wake me up in the middle of the night) or are a result of using what materials I have on hand at the time. But like most designers and artists will tell you, inspiration comes from many sources. Bits and pieces of images, color combinations and clever solutions get catalogued in our minds and we pull from those when creating a design. These days, its made even more convenient with technology. For me, Pinterest, Evernote and my iPad have all but eliminated my stacks of magazines and overflowing bulletin boards. Of course, if Domino were still in print, I'd still be a subscriber! I have several of my favorite issues and still flip through them from time to time.

My Domino collection

I've also been blessed with several naturally creative and stylish friends who have encouraged me, either actively or through observing the confidence they have in their own style, to pursue my passion and listen to my intuition. In my early twenties, my small town of Apalachicola, previously only known for its seafood industry, became flooded with 40-something artist types with the vision to renovate downtown historic buildings and open boutiques, art galleries and upscale restaurants with (gasp!) wine lists. I took it all in, frequented the shops and admired their free-spirited attitudes. 

Downtown Apalachicola

Then in my late-twenties, while living in Port St Joe, I became friends with Melissa Farrell of Joseph's Cottage and Lauren Spring of Fuss Boutique. Both of these adorable ladies were recent transplants from Georgia, had left "boring" jobs and opened their own boutiques. Melissa's passion is interiors, while Lauren's is fashion -- and each of their styles are distinct, their voices clear. Their determination to make their businesses succeed and brush off the naysayers helped keep the wind in my sails!

Lauren Spring :: Owner of FUSS Boutique

I also craved inspiration from outside of my small town and poured over magazines like House Beautiful and Elle Decor. Then one day, I found Design*Sponge and instantly became a fan. From her DIY posts to the informative "Biz Ladies" column, I visited the blog daily.  I also began a collection of design books that became like encyclopedias to me. Of course I purchased Domino: The Book of Decorating the moment it was available, but my next favorite is Vicente Wolfe's Crossing Boundaries: A Global Vision of Design. It was a lesson in taking inspiration from your surroundings and travels and interpreting those in a unique and beautiful way that wasn't too literal. Living near the beach, I could easily hang pictures of tropical fish or glue seashells to everything, but what's inspired about that?

One of my favorite little DIY projects came straight from the pages of that book. In Crossing Boundaries, Wolfe handily dealt with the bain of every decorator's existence and mounted a large flat screen television to a fabulously sturdy studio easel. Just last year, maybe inspired by Wolfe's ingenuity as well, Restoration Hardware introduced a similar TV stand. 

TV Mounted on French Easel :: Vicente Wolfe

Here's how I interpreted the idea for my space using my smaller flat screen and a wooden studio easel. I made it several years ago and got a great deal on the easel -- only $99 at Hobby Lobby! Here's the same model for $194. Still not a bad price considering what you typically pay for a standard TV console. The steps were very simple. I assembled the easel using the directions included. Then, I marked and drilled holes into the wood so that I could attach a TV wall mount. I used a simple Sanus tilting wall mount that I picked up at Best Buy. I found similar ones online for around $40.

Tilting wall mount attached to easel frame

With the help of an extra pair of hands (thanks to my always willing son, Dylan), I attached the TV to the mount, made a couple of adjustments and that was it. Super simple!

A bonus of this kind of easel is the bottom shelf, which in my old house, held the receiver and DVD player. Its important to note that this size easel works for small to mid-size flat screens. I would err on the safe side and chose a larger easel for anything over 32".   

Deemed way too small for the living room, my "petite" TV now resides in my office. I'll use the handy shelf to hold a few design books...maybe come full circle and place Crossing Boundaries there.  

Have an inspiring day and stay warm! The South is having quite a winter event and this morning we woke up to a beautiful blanket of snow. Typical for a good bit of the country, but exciting for residents of North Florida!

room by room :: little girl's bedroom

For this little girls' bedroom, which will also serve as a guest bedroom, my goal was to design a cheery space that was young, but not so juvenile that an adult would feel like they were trapped in a Disney cartoon. And although the color scheme would deviate somewhat from the rest of the house, I still wanted to maintain a blend of traditional, vintage & modern elements.

Breeze Blue Sky by P. Kaufmann :: Melinda's

I found this fun print at a small, but very well stocked fabric store called Melinda's in Brookhaven, MS. It's a modern take on an old-school paisley print and has a variety of colors to work with in fresh, current shades like lime, citrine & raspberry. And at only $24.99/yard, it wouldn't cripple my budget. I had already designed and made the bubble chandelier, which I thought was whimsical and modern at the same time.

DIY Bubble Chandelier :: Lemongrass Interiors

I also had my eye on several vintage-style beds, including a really awesome peacock rattan and this super fun Jenny Lind in the same raspberry color found in my fabric -- (I love it when a design starts coming together!).

Jenny Lind Bed in Raspberry $799/queen :: Land of Nod

Sure the color was perfect and the style was a classic...but the price was a deal breaker. So I  went on the hunt and found an antique bed with turned posts for $50 bucks!! It was originally a full, but since I need to make new rails and repaint the whole thing, I can convert it to a queen with no problems. I'll be sure to post the DIY on that soon. Despite a few sceptical, raised eyebrows,I've chosen Benjamin Moore Italiano Rose for the bed. Online it looks a little rosy, but the actual color is much punchier.

With the inspiration fabric and statement furniture piece set, I decided to go with a pale yellow on the walls. As anyone will tell you (even design veterans), yellow can be tricky! I pulled out my Ben Moore fan deck, tacked up larger samples and painted swatches on the wall diligently checking them at different times of the day. I finally settled on Lemon Sorbet...sounds fun right?

Holy Ray Bans! Though I tried to warm up to it...this color was nearly blinding. After a week, I repainted the room in a tried and true standby...Hawthorne Yellow. Safe, calm...

...and muddy. I didn't even give this one a week. Late one afternoon after I had walked in and out of this room maybe a dozen times, I dumped the remaining Lemon Sorbet in with the remaining Hawthorne Yellow and kept adding white until I reached what I felt was the perfect shade.

Now of course there's no formula for recreating this color, but I was able to take a sample to my paint guy and have a full gallon mixed that (thank goodness!!) was a perfect match. Here's a shot of the new, lovely, makes-me-happy-when-I-see-it color going over the Hawthorne:

yessss!

At this point, the design could use a little white, so I'm planning to repaint a vintage nightstand we already have and I'm on the hunt for a dresser. I'll also be looking for an ornate, carved vintage mirror that I may paint to match the bed. For the finishing touches, I have this Robert Abbey Double Gourd Lamp in Apple Green in my stash...

Apple Green Double Gourd Ceramic Lamp by Robert Abbey $190.91 :: Lamps Plus

...and I found a great source for affordable, original art at Scoutmob. This watercolor has a sweet old fashioned vibe that I love and is only $30.

Modern Floral Watercolor by Kiana Mosley $30 :: Scoutmob (sold out)

For the bedding, I plan to use a plain white duvet set from Target and have my friend "The Monogram Queen" at Persnickey in Port St Joe, FL add a large, classic monogram to the shams a la Leontine Linens. I'm kind of digging the blue color of this monogram, which is also found in the Kaufmann fabric.

I'll top it with a "bed scarf" sewn from the inspiration fabric and maybe one accent pillow. I am forever in love with all things Quadrille, but the China Seas prints are fabric perfection! I think the graphic nature of Aga reverse (as shown on this adorable stool) would be spot on.

Aga Reverse in Watermelon on Tint by China Seas :: To the Trade

Finally, I'm looking for something fun on the floor. Every room can use a little stripe and I'm a big fan of Dash & Albert rugs for their simplicity, functionality & value.

Tiki Stripe by Dash & Albert $225 6X9:: Joseph's Cottage

Tiki Stripe is one fun option and I like the wide, bold swaths of color. I also found this adorable (and cushy) DIY option on the british blog "Conversation Pieces". 

DIY Felt Rug :: Conversation Pieces

I'm not sure if I can get my hands on the same smaller rugs she found, but I'll have fun trying!