The Loft Chapter 1: Floor and Walls

I hope you had a great weekend! On Friday, I mentioned that I was going to spend the latter part of my weekend designing my loft space. Well I don't know what it was like where you were, but here it was sunny and warm! So you will have to forgive me, but enjoying the warm weather took precedence over designing the entire space. BUT, I did make some decisions. Starting with...

Should I Paint? 

The back wall of the loft is connected to the staircase. The staircase walls are connected to the foyer walls. I would love to paint the space, but doing so would require me paint the staircase and the foyer. So I will stick to what I have to avoid painting the foyer and the staircase. Like I said, this is going to be a simple and quick makeover.

Color Scheme?

Since I am not going to paint, then I thought of colors that would compliment the wall color. Black, cream, brown, and gold came to mind. I like the idea of using a black and cream rug as my base, like this one from Walmart. Don't you love when you find good stuff at Walmart?? This one is only $79! Love it.

I also thought about going with something a little more wild like this zebra rug from Target.

I think I will be able to decide which one to use once I make a decision about my wall space...

Wall Space?

Before I design any space, I always turn to design magazines and blogs for inspiration. Over the weekend, I ran across my new favorite blog, Room Remix. Earlier this month, PK did a series on how to accessorize walls. She had some great ideas about how to style bookcases...



Canadian House and Home

I have tons of books and their colors make them great accessories. But I think the space is too small to integrate a full-scale bookcase. So my second idea was to do a photo wall. If you are like me, you have a ton of pictures that need to be framed. I already have a small collection of frames, so I think this is the perfect option.

Photo walls are very warm, personal, and versatile. I love the simplicity of this photo wall I found via House Beautiful. The simple black frames with white mats would really pop on the wall.





Since this is a more simplistic look, I would use the zebra rug to add more style and contrast.

The second option would be to use a mixture of black, brown and gold frames, as seen in this photo I found via Pottery Barn.

Since the color contrast is on the walls, I would use the Walmart rug to keep the space from being too busy and overwhelming.  

Decisions, decisions! TODAY, I am leaning more towards the black, brown, and gold frames and the simple Walmart rug- but that is subject to change. What are your thoughts? Your input would be greatly appreciated! I hope to make a final decision this week so that I can move on to furniture and accessories next week.

Oh and speaking of black and gold, what did you think of January Jones's Carolina Herrera dress last night? I'm still pondering...

Friday Favorite: Sleep

I am still recovering from my Vegas trip and have had a busy week at work! So here is where I will be spending most of my weekend...

I wish I could take that picture from Rue magazine and make it come to life in my own bedroom! 

Do you LOVE to sleep as much as I do?

After I get some much needed rest, I will spend the last part of my weekend designing my loft space. My cat has taken it over and I want it back!

I know that I should only take on one project at at time, but I have "decorators block" with my bedroom, so it's on hold. I have some great ideas for the loft and I think I can get it done in a quick and affordable way. So stop by next week to see what my plans are for the space!

Happy Friday and have a great weekend!

Purple Reign

During my Vegas trip, I did some window shopping at the new high-end mall at CityCenter. I couldn't help but notice that the color purple is in! The spring 2011 collections of most fashion designers include something purple...

like this purple Tory Burch tunic

and this short, flirty high-fashion dress by Marc Jacobs.

Oh and these Brian Atwood platforms are particularly sassy...

I searched the online design magazines to see if purple has caught on in the design world. Most of you know that my taste is warm-toned neutrals, but the creativity of some of these designs via Canadian House and Home are tempting! The purple is well defined, but not too powerful or overwhelming. I find it to be quite warm actually.

Epiphanies in Vegas

I just returned from a girls weekend in lively Las Vegas! We shopped, spent half a day at the spa, ate lots of delicious non-healthy food, and partied! People-watching was equally enjoyable...

With that being said, I am sure you are wondering why the pictures above are not of our modern and upscale hotel (which was Aria and I highly recommend it), or of the famous Vegas sign, or of us ladies in our sassy but classy party dresses. Call me boring or nerdy, but my favorite part of the trip was our time at the Hoover Dam and the Hoover Dam Bypass.

The ladies and I took a tour of the Hoover Dam via Pink Jeep Tours. Yes, we were actually in a pink jeep. Here is proof...

  And here is me in it...

The things that struck me about the dam were its size, beauty, and obviously its history. It was built on the Colorado River between 1931-1936, which was during the Great Depression. During the tour, I learned that thousands of men sacrificed their lives and time with their families to build this massive structure that would provide irrigated water, flood control and hydroelectric power for millions of people. Due to limited technology, many workers used their bare hands to pour concrete, lay pipes and dig tunnels- all for a grand total of $4 per hour. Ninety eight men lost their lives during the process. Several hundred men lost their lives after its completion due to carbon monoxide poisoning. That is what I call the ultimate sacrifice.

Nature has also sacrificed its beauty and its elegance for human benefits. Excessive droughts have caused the water level of the Colorado river to drop over the years, as evidenced by the white residue on the sides of the mountains. I wonder what it will look like 20 years from now?

Adding to the beauty of the dam is the Hoover Dam Bypass. It was completed just last year and is the second highest bridge in the United States. We didn't walk across the bridge, but I enjoyed the breathtaking view and how it accessorized the dam.

As I was on the tour and basking in the beauty of the dam, the bridge, and the surrounding mountains, I had the following thoughts:

 - Sometimes, you just gotta do what you gotta do, even if that means sacrificing your time, your family, and sometimes your life. - 

 - If a beautiful structure like that can be built with bare hands, then ANYTHING is possible if you have a plan and put your mind to it. - 

 - Nature never goes out of style. -  

And one of my favorite quotes about nature by Martin Luther King, Jr.:

"God writes the gospel not in the Bible alone, but on trees and flowers and clouds and stars."

Friday Favorite: Chocolate

I love ANYTHING chocolate...

I like chocolate cake, like this cake from Piece of Cake, my favorite bakery in Atlanta.

I like chocolate cookies, like these Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookies. These were the very first cookies that I made from scratch. I make them all the time and they are just flat out delicious.

And it's very rare that I can pass a Godiva store without stopping in to purchase two- sometimes three or four- of their sinfully delicious truffles.

I even like chocolate fashion, like this whimsical chocolate brown Marchesa dress that Olivia Wilde wore at the 2011 Golden Globe awards...

 

And chocolate interior design never disappoints...

Beth Webb

Albert Hadley

Karman Ng

House to Home- UK

If chocolate doesn't get you going, then I don't know what will. Happy Friday.

Enter Here...

Enter here if you want to see something:

Modern and Sleek...

 Or Rustic and Chic...

Or maybe you want a bit of drama...

Or maybe not...

Or maybe an entry that has a little of everything...

That entry reminds me of my upcoming Friday Favorite. It's so rich and decadent that you won't want to miss it. So make sure you stop by...

Images 1/5: Elle Decor

Images 2/3/4: House Beautiful

Faith

"Faith is taking the first step, even when you don't see the entire staircase." Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Image here

Friday Favorite: Sarah Richardson

One of my New Year's resolutions was to up the ante of this blog. One of the ways I plan to do that is to add more structure to the blog so that you will have some idea of what to look forward to. So each Friday, I will have a feature called "Friday Favorite." In that post, I will feature a person, room, blog, or object that has caught my eye and is a favorite of mine. My goal is for it to become a favorite of yours!

My first Friday favorite is Sarah Richardson. She is a Canadian designer whose designs and cute outfits always amaze me. Season 4 of her show, Sarah's House, started last week on HGTV and I can't wait to see what she does to her next fixer-upper!

Here is why I love Sarah Richardson...

Speaking of baby rooms, she just finished the baby room in her most recent fixer-upper. Click here to see the photos! Don't you just love her?

Images: HGTV & Sarah Richardson Design

Paula Deen Is At Home!

I'll just start off by saying that I LOVE Paula Deen. I'm a southern girl at heart, so I love her southern recipes, her southern accent, and her southern sense of humor. She has her own cooking show, owns a few restaurants, has several great and entertaining cookbooks, a line of cookware and knives-- and who knows what else! She always seems to be on the move. So one should not be surprised that she now has her own furniture line. If you are in to country, rustic, southern decor, then her furniture should give you some great inspiration.

You can view more pieces and find a dealer on her website, Paula at Home. I wonder what's next for her??