Thursday 17 June 2010

Design Chameleon: the Zebra Rug

Being a design junkie as I am, I've spent a lot of time pouring over many many design blogs. I love getting inspired by what other people have created. One design element that keeps popping up is the zebra rug. I was surprised to see how versatile this rug is, as shown below...


The Cottage Zebra: this one looks at home in a comfy modern cottage-style living room


The Nature Zebra: Here we have an example that's nearly upstaged by the gorgeous view outside....the view itself is almost like a giant work of art!


The Vintage Zebra: this dining room has a great vintagey vibe due to the quirky artwork.



The Modern Zebra: yellow, black and white look so great next to each other.


The Pop Art Zebra: the wall sculpture makes the zebra look vaguely pop-art-esque.


The Rustic Zebra: here, the rug adds a touch of class to the rustic headboard and simple furnishings.


The Mid-century Zebra: an office done up with a classic tulip table


The Masculine Zebra: two clssic chairs (how comfortable does that Eames lounge chair look?), a classic bust and an abstract work of art all add to the masculine appeal of this space


The Beachy Zebra: who knew zebras could be found on the playa? Here's a hotel room designed by Kelly Wearstler with a great, bright, natural feel.


The Formal Dining Zebra: the pretty curved legs on this formal dining table mimic the curves of the zebra rug very prettily.
So there you have it. Apparently the world's most versatile piece of furniture is not a lamp or chair, but actually a zebra rug. Surprise, surprise.

Thursday 10 June 2010

If I could paint my new room...

....I'd go with a warm grey and change my planned color scheme. You may remember, I'm going with something along these lines.....deep purple and grassy green. (Plus, how cute is that inspiration board in the form of a clothespin line?)



I really really like the items I've come up with so far in those colors....but lately I've been running across images that make me want to change my mind. Namely, images in greens and warm greys.


Grassy green and cool grey, with fun prints to liven things up a bit.



Yellowy green and grey with modern prints...



This room gets its visual impact from the great green, white and black Art Deco style rug and pillows that carry the pattern to the couch....grey walls look sharp against the print.


And last but not least, a great, homey bedroom with a modern edge to it. This room combines a lot of different styles--traditional grey plaid blanket, formal grey bench, mid-century chair, modern wall art and sleek headboard, plus that great circular rug. So many good things in one place. Although I don't really like the brown of the chair.

Anyway, grey + green is a color combo I'm loving right now!

Friday 4 June 2010

3 lovely poems and a lively painting

So since this blog is about all things I love, I feel it's time to showcase three wonderful poems and a wonderful painting!

Here's a poem for the ladies:

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

"Phenomenal Woman" by Maya Angelou

And one for the boys:
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too:

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream---and not make dreams your master;
If you can think---and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same:

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build'em up with worn-out tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings,
And never breathe a word about your loss:
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings---nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much:
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And---which is more---you'll be a Man, my son!

"If" by Rudyard Kipling

Last poem: just because I like it.

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick flowers in other people's gardens
And learn to spit.

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickle for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

"Warning" by Jenny Joseph

And lastly, a beautiful painting I found on Etsy called "Wave of Euphoria" by Destiny Womack.


It's so gorgeous and organic-looking! Like what would happen if a hurricane and sunset married and had a painting baby.... :)
So these are the things that made me happy today!

Thursday 3 June 2010

It's been a while...



Wow! Haven't posted a new blog in forever! So to make up for it, I have a pretty pretty color combo that really jumped out at me as I was scouring my saved images. Grassy green and deep purply plum look so amazing together that I do believe I've saved every image ever with this color duet. I love it so much that it's the inspiration for my bedroom once I relocate in August to attend grad school....enjoy!


This photo represents the first time the two colors really caught my eye....grassy green and a plummy lavender...mmmmm....


A punchier version of the duo....fushia and bright green look modern with a glamorous touch when you add the beautiful gold mirror.



Ok so technically there's no purple here but these great velvet chairs are too amazing not to show...

...so to make up for that one, here's a lovely pic that's mostly plum :) Love the shot of green via the flowers!


Interesting combo here....fushia-y purple plus more of a forest green aren't two colors I'd put together naturally, but they look pretty here!



Aaaaaand my favorite photo....the gold lampshades killlll me. I would've done something different for the bedside tables, probably a dark wood to warm it up a little or a rattan to match the bed frame peeking out from under the linens....but the colors are amazing nonetheless!

And here's a final one which I've posted on before....that's how much I love it :)

Just a note, when the green is grassy like in several of the above images, gold accents look amazingly glamorous, but I think that if you were to take a more celedon/celery color with a purple that had more grey tones to it (such as the photo directly above), silver could look beautiful too. What do you think?