Roses have long played a role in home decor and decorating. As standalone embellishments – cut roses or rose bushes – the rose has been the front-runner of all the flowers in the world for a centuries. In paintings, carvings, and textiles, roses began appearing (along with other blooms) with regularity in something like the 17th century. And why not? Images of roses are gorgeous whether they’ve been captures true to life or in stylized fashion, in 2D or 3D. Plus, as decor goes, roses tend to be timeless. Not every rose curtain or wallpaper will stand up to the passage of years, of course, but the iconic rose will certainly do so. Love roses? Me, too, which is why I put together a little inspiration for us to share.

(via)


(via)

(more…)

The Stokke Tripp Trapp is, in my opinion, the best high chair out there. If you’re starved for space but still need to feed a baby or toddler, it simply takes the place of a normal dining chair right at the table. Add to that the fact that they’re easy to clean and come in amazing colors like red and purple and black aaand they’re just so much cooler than the plastic monstrosities covered in animal prints that can absolutely overtake a kitchen.

What else can I say? My daughter loves sitting in her red Stokke Tripp Trapp because it means she gets to sit at the table with mama and papa instead of off to the side, and that I think is my favorite thing about it.

The one caution I’d offer up is that some people have posted videos of their toddlers tipping the Tripp Trapp. Personally, we’ve never had that happen and I’ve heard that it’s only really an issue if the seat isn’t placed correctly for the height of the table. And every Tripp Trapp high chair comes with base extenders for anyone with a particularly leggy toddler.

Has anyone out there reading had a different experience – perhaps an instance of a tipping Tripp Trapp in your own household? I’d love to hear about it because it seems exceedingly rare.

Tufted furniture is undeniably awesome – a few well-placed tufts can turn what would be a blah headboard or bench or couch into something really visually appealing. A wee bit harder to vacuum? Well, sure, but not all that much more difficult to keep clean. The bad news is that tufting can come at a premium – the good news is that I found a great tutorial at Apartment Therapy that will have you diamond tufting in no time at all. Until you get the hang of it, though, here’s some sweet tufted inspiration to stimulate your aesthetic appetite!

(via)

(via)

(more…)

Your entryway – if you have one – sets the tone for your home. We have two points of entry, the front door that enters directly into the living room and the side door that dumps you into the kitchen via something we switch between calling a mudroom, a foyer, and an entryway. The front door is a lost cause, since there’s no room for, well, anything and coats and shoes get stuffed into the closet. The side door area is a bit more spacious but our mudroomfoyerentryway is tiny, so no cute benches or coat racks.

This post is for all of you out there who either have a real entryway or just dream of having one – like me! Why should a simply entryway get so much priority when it comes to decorating? Consider that it’s the first and last place anyone visiting your home will so. And while you may not sit and relax in it, you do spend a lot of time there, donning shoes, finding the right coat, and getting ready for your day. It can be a very important and useful space if you let it. How about adding: A mirror to give yourself one last look over before heading out to your meeting? A bench to make taking off muddy boots easier? Bins for shoes? Hooks for purses, backpacks, and coats in the wintertime? A bowl on a table for your keys and other pocket sundries?

Basically, think not of how you’re using your entryway, but how you’d LIKE to be using your entryway, and then decorate and accessorize accordingly.* Here’s some sweet inspiration:

(via)

(via)

(via)

(via)

(via)

(via)

(via)

(via)

*Good advice no matter what room you’re improving, actually.

How beautiful is this light and airy house? I love all the windows and all the white, even if an all white house wouldn’t stay all white for long with my current kid- and cat-infested lifestyle. There’s just something so cheery about it, like I feel like I wouldn’t even stay sad for long in an interior like this one. Also, how about that bare log crosspiece in the last picture? It’s such a fun, natural way to give anyone roaming this house a break from those all-white walls and ceilings!

Images via Stadshem

First came chalkboard paint, then came whiteboard (dry erase) paint. And I think both are super cool! We already put up an amazing magnetic chalkboard in my daughter’s room – and I’m almost all set to do the surface of our kitchen table in chalkboard. Next stop, whiteboard in the office!

But it never even occurred to me to use dry erase paint on surfaces! You can get a whiteboard table from Powells, for example. Or you do what someone did in the space pictured above and cover your boring kitchen counter tops with whiteboard paint. While I don’t know how the finish would, ahem, stick around, I can say for sure that it would be fun while it lasted!

When small spaces have an upstairs and a downstairs, it’s still more common to have stairs in place than, say, a ladder or a tiny elevator. But stairs can take up a lot of room, even so-called space saving stairway options like traditional spiral staircases. Enter EeStairs, with what it calls its efficient stairs.

Space saving stairs like these give you more free floorspace in your home while also giving you access to the next floor up (like any other staircase) but EeStairs efficient staircases are built differently from most in that they start with a plain metal tube that reaches from floor to ceiling and then attach steps to the tube. If you need stairs that are extra tiny, these space saving stairs are made to fit into openings of just 1m x 1m and are designed to be placed where no staircase was ever intended to go.

Hmmm. I like the idea, I like the execution, love the look… but judging by the number of times I have butt slid down my stairs into the family room, a call to EeStairs is probably not in my future. Would you give them a go?

It’s hard to be a fan of minimalism in the U.S., where every other media message is “BUY BUY BUY!” But there are some great benefits to choosing this style of decor, especially if you’re operating on a budget, live in a small space, or find that clutter makes you feel stressed out and overwhelmed. Pad Style makes a great case for minimalism in a recent post in which they argue that stripping your decor of stuff doesn’t have to mean stripping it of style.

So just how does simplicity of sensibility pay off? Minimalism is peaceful – you may find that downsizing your stash of possessions is stressful, but once you’ve pared down to the essentials you’ll feel a lot more in control. And minimalism can be inexpensive in the long term – if you’re not hooked up you may need to make some initial investments, but once you have the essentials you can put away your checkbook.

Plus, minimalism represents a great way to use space. Make your essentials awesome – like this very NOT budget friendly Alvar Aalto armchair – and you don’t need a lot of other decor!

Copper is a beautiful thing to bring into your home, whether in the form of a single copper colander or you’re outfitting your entire drain spout system and overhangs in it. Shiny or patina-ed, I love it, and here are some of the things I love. Hopefully they give you a few good ideas!

A pretty French kitchen photographed by Simon Watson

(more…)