Front Door Makeover

Well I finally got around to painting the front door the same color as the family room/living room walls. Then I moved the bookshelves back to both sides of the TV because I have a new plan for the dining room.

Before (ugly taupe-y color)

After (clean white)
Notice my husband, doing what he does best

Next on the to-do list for my home: the third bedroom (second guest bedroom, which will have an office in the closet) and the master bedroom.

And in other news, I began volunteeing to do TNR, which is trapping, neutering and returning feral cats to their original neighborhood. Here is one of the cats I caught. She is currently nursing so I had to let her go. But she is definitely not feral, so hopefully she and her babies can be adopted. The poor thing was all skin and bones and very dirty. This is what happens when people toss their animals outside or don't fix them. And if not for TNR, all the ferals cats that make it to humane societies are immediately put down.

My Dream House

I know that "living small" is popular right now, and most times necessary, but I don't think I could ever do it. I'm a 3+ bedroom 2+ bathroom kind of girl. And my 1,100 or so square foot house is still too small. Our butler's pantry is a shelf in the basement. And I have no intentions of sorting through my things and getting rid of stuff, and I can't resist a good find at TJ Maxx or Marshalls, so I am constantly bringing in new stuff. The only option is to move (someday) to a bigger house.

Here are my requirements:
#1 A master bedroom with a nook where the bed will go, a seating area with a coffee table, and a fireplace.

Photo: don't remember, I think it might be Design Sponge?

Steven Mays via Kelly G Design

#2 A master bathroom with chevron or herringbone tile.

Christina Murphy Interiors via Decorpad



#3 A bedroom just for my parents that looks a little bit French royalty, a little New England seaside, and a little bit English countryside. They always say they'd never live with me, but I'd force them to rather than putting them in a nursing home.

Rue Conde

Things That Inspire

#4 A guest bedroom for my most frequent company. Probably either blue and white or red and white, and I would like for it to seem like a hotel room.

Massuco Warner Miller Design

Living Etc via Decor Is Like Butter

Habitually Chic on Flickr

#5 A baby girl's room (assuming I have a girl) in untraditional cranberry or the lightest pink, with hints of yellow, blue and purple. It must have a teepee, lots of stuffed animals, permanent white christmas lights, and a little desk with chairs. Also, sublte details of fairytales (not the usual ones) and myths and celestial things.

Photo: I don't remember where I found this

#6 My daughter's own colorful bathroom.

The Nest

#7 A kitchen like this:

Source unknown

#8 Amazing architechtural details.

House Beautiful

Other details I would like: a balcony garden or rooftop garden, a spiral staircase, a hidden room, a carriage house, a pond or pool (and an indoor pool would be best) but I'll settle for a hot tub or sauna, a library/office combo, high ceilings, lots of fur blankets and sheepskin rugs

Amazing Dining Rooms

Lonny Mag March/April 2011

James Michael Howard

from the blog Harmonisk Lykke

Gary Dutton via Decorpad

Celerie Kemble via House Beautiful

William Waldron

from the blog Aphrochic

Karen via The Art of Doing Stuff via Once Daily Chic 

Janis Nicolay via Decorology

Angie Hranowsky via Design Sponge

Ann M Cramer via Design Sponge

Joel (blog archive) Design Sponge

Designaddictmom.blogspot.com

Lantliv via Decorology

Olivine store display

Vicente Wolf

Color Inspiration

So you have a neutral room - beige, white, brown, cream...and you want to inject more color into the room, but you want it all to work together. Just because you love blue doesn't mean the whole room has to be blue, and just because you love purple doesn't mean it's going to work with what you already have. Here are just a few examples of different color schemes that inspire me.
I am not an interior decorator, but I think the starting point is to decorate with the things you love (lots of pictures of family, books with colorful bindings, stripes or patterns) and build off of it. For example, you love big, comfy sectional sofas. Start with that. Make the overall appearance of the room with the big, comfy sectional look "comfy." If that sectional is a neutral color, put pops of color in the pillows. Personally, when it comes to comfort I go for furry pillows and chunky knit blankets. Then I add white candles and a soft rug, possibly a sheepskin.You don't have to use the pillows your sofa came with, nor do you want everything to be too matchy. There should also be one black piece in every room. It adds depth and interest.

Black & white with pops of bright color:

Victoria Webster

Dunn Family via Country Living

Just black and white:

Image from Joey and Lana Make a House a Home

Seafoam:

From the book "At Home With White"

Sherwin Williams "Hazel" via Woodson and Rummerfield

Brown:

The Brooklyn Home Company

http://gallery.apartmenttherapy.com/photo/sf-comfortably-glamorous-family-home/item/157099

Medium Blue:

Decorpad

Mary MacDonald

Massuco Warner Miller

Baby blue:

Miles Redd via Apartment Therapy

Palmer Weiss via Lonny

Lime:

Domino

Highgloss Magazine

Green:

Judy Aldridge of Atlantis Home via Table Tonic

Miles Redd

Pastels:

Tobi Fairley's Energy House

Mrs. Howard Personal Shopper

Orange:

Ruthie Sommers via Decorpad

via Decorpad

Yellow:

source unknown

mansion21

Charcoal:

Ron Marvin via Decorpad

Steven Arroyo House Tour via Apartment Therapy

Purple:

Diane von Furstenburg's home fabric line

Celerie Kemble via KristyLeeInteriors

Pink:

Moises Esquenazi via Cococozy

Paris Hilton's bedroom

Red:

Campagne decoration via Cote de Texas

Habitually Chic on Flickr

Silver and Metallics:

source unknown

via Attic Mag

And my current fav, grey+cream+white+wood

Marian's Awesome Apartment House Call via Apartment Therapy