It's already a gorgeous room, but so much lovelier even when viewed in the context of the before.

Want to know why I love before and after pictures? And especially ones like these? Because they show you that the beautiful spaces you see that not only make you jealous, but also make you question your own decorating and design abilities didn’t always look like that. At some point in the past, they usually looked not as great, and someone had to make the decisions that led to the amazing transformation that led to the room you’re so envious of looking like it does today. A before and after photo set lets you see that change and furthermore shows you that there’s no reason at all that you can’t be the catalyst for a similar transformation in your own home.

In other words, before and after photos are inspiring. They show you what you can achieve. They’re encouraging, not disheartening like seeing a finished project out of context can sometimes be. So GO FORTH! CREATE! BE CONFIDENT!

A spot to think and dream and read

My head is so full of detritus at the moment that I can’t think of much of anything other than chucking those pillows onto the floor, curling up in that chair, and reading until I had no more light to read by. Unfortunately, I have a career and a kid and a house of my own that currently has nothing resembling a good spot for reading for hours upon hours. Maybe someday…

Do you have a special spot in your place that’s just perfect for reading?

It’s a raw look, for sure, but unfinished walls could be something of an antidote to all the perfectly-styled homes you see in magazines and books. Would it surprise you to learn that Bingham is an interior designer and also writes about gorgeous interiors? My guess is that it takes a good eye to make a half-finished paint job work as an intentional statement.

I’m all for letting the decor in a home evolve over time – I feel you end up with a more natural, real, inviting look that way – but this goes a little beyond that, don’t you think?

The benefits of leather furniture go beyond not absorbing dander and mites and such – leather furniture can be wiped clean with a damp sponge instead of needed a full shampoo, Aniline leather in particular can be deliciously soft, leather warms to your body temp on chilly days, and leather furniture is really, really durable. It’s not entirely maintenance free, of course, but what in this life is? I certainly wouldn’t kick a sweet red leather sofa out of bed.

Leather furniture can be traditional and classic and awesome, which I think is the main source of leather’s long lasting charm. How nice would it be, do you think, to curl up with a good book in this orange leather chair? Just keep in mind that all leathers are not created equal – after Aniline, there’s the sturdier but less soft semi-Aniline and then the extremely durable coated leather, which could be softer. (via)

Leather can be modern, too, of course, especially when you’re talking about bright yellow leather chairs. I am super digging on this KID4EVA Georgian wing chair called “Yellow Pages” from Burke and Hazelden. The impact of the sunny yellow leather is totally intensified by the colorful legs, no?

Then there’s the fun and freaky eclectic leather stuff, and no, I don’t mean *that* kind of leather. Furniture, dig? Green leather furniture outside of retro office gear is actually less than easy to find, but there are a few green leather chairs out there that aren’t totally dull. I’m loving this one, with its distressed leather and hide seat.

Did you know that most leathers benefit from regular treatments with leather conditioner to keep the leather from drying out? I did not, and I’m pretty sure that most of the people I know with leather furniture don’t, either. Oh, well. I can say from experience that even without treatment, something like blue leather chairs will still last for a good long time. I’m loving this one, which is basically a bean bag stuffed in frame.

And to top off my leather rainbow, a purple leather pillow from Pfeifer Studio.

According to an Apartment Therapy survey, the majority of people prefer a ceiling height in the 8-10 foot range, with ceilings that are ‘at least 10 feet’ a close second and very few people preferring 8-foot ceilings or something even shorter. Me? I loved the high ceilings I had in Germany and then again in Brooklyn, but I wasn’t the one paying the heating bills. And really, I love the coziness of my Cape – a quality that is in part due to the low ceilings. Also, I pay for heat now, so low ceilings are def a plus. In other words, I’d say there are benefits and drawbacks to every ceiling height, standard and taller. (I can’t think of any benefits of anything lower than 8, though.)

Since I’ve experienced plenty of both, I thought I’d talk today about some pros and cons of high ceilings and low ceilings.

HIGH CEILINGS

The Pros: They look awesome, and some people find that they feel freer in a space with high ceilings. You’ll never have trouble decorating a space with high ceilings because you’re not limited by furniture height or the size of wall art. And you can toy with the idea of a painted ceiling, if you like.

The Cons: Supposedly, a room with a high ceiling can make inhabitants feel small and insignificant, though I never noticed this myself. In a room with high ceilings, the eye is drawn to the height of the room, making the horizontal dimensions of the room seem narrower. Spaces with high ceilings can be more difficult to heat and cool, depending on the design of the home.

LOW CEILINGS

The Pros: A lower ceiling can make a small room appear wider. Easier to heat and cool, if only by virtue of there being less airspace needing temp control. Some people find low ceilings cozier and homier than high ceilings.

The Cons: Decorative ceilings and thick crown molding and things like chair rails are right out, and tall people can feel decidedly cramped even if you don’t draw attention to the lowness of the ceilings. That feeling might be even more acute in a wide room. It’s tough to find the right ceiling fans and also to jump on the bed, boo.

I told you, now you tell me: How tall are the ceilings where you live? And what ceiling height would you actually prefer?

So how cute is all this?

Owl throw pillows in a living room via Dwell

A retro owl umbrella stand from Burke Decor

Matt Pugh‘s simply lovely wooden owls

Colorful printed owl tea towels from The Heated

A sweet owl mobile from Petit Collage, home to many other owly things

Or like this?

Black and white… color… black and white… color. I just can’t decide! Right now, my little Cape is colorful. So much so, in fact, that it’s often the thing people notice first and it’s certainly the most commented on characteristic of my home. But not infrequently I find myself thinking how chic it would look if I switched up my interior with a monochromatic palette.

(Images via)

Um, Miss NTB? Do you take requests? If so, may I request a home entry on incorporating kids toy storage into your living room? I mean like, serious storage. Not just one or two cute baskets for decor. We have the world’s smallest living room, which is now also the world’s worst decorated (thanks, kid-proofing). I have been TRYING to come up with something somewhat stylish and utilitarian, but I end up with dumpy and cluttered. I WOULD LOVE YOU FOR A BAZILLION YEARS.

A bazillion years? I like the sound of that. Of course, before I could effectively answer Tiffany’s question I needed to know just how small the world’s smallest living room actually is. The answer? About 14′x12′, which I think is about the size of my own, so I can definitely sympathize with the very real fact that a tiny space plus childproofing plus toys can equal a major bummer of a room. The good news is that you don’t need to be all LOOKIT MAH TOYBOX!

The bad news is that it’s not like you have all kinds of unused square footage to start adding in a bunch of furniture whose only purpose is to store trucks and blocks and the like. Too many people for my taste suggest things like this, because yeah, that’s just what we all need, toy Tupperware in the living room.

What I’d suggest you do need is furniture that does double duty and looks good, like a bench ottoman that you can sit on but also use as a coffee table:

That could go by the front door, where the chair and little table currently reside. The added benefit of a bench ottoman is that it becomes a place to toss a purse or the groceries at the end of an outing or a place to park your tush while you put on your shoes before going out.

Next, you have the traditional cylindrical ottoman, which can be used as both a a side table and storage:

I’d put it where you currently have what looks like a toy box or bench, behind the kiddie couch. It’ll have a small profile, making your living room look a little larger because you can move the love seat over a tick, and it’s okay because you now have all that extra storage and seating in the bench ottoman.

And finally, I’d move the kiddie couch next to the bench ottoman or, better yet, replace it with something that does double duty like this:

Besides being a totally cute little chair, it has a small storage drawer. It’s not going to do as much to keep your living room clutter free, but it has some space for stuff, which is better than most kiddie couches!

One more thing that really helps the toy organization process along is to start thinking of your kid’s toys as just more stuff belonging to another member of your family. His stuff might be kind of different from your stuff, but it’s still an important part of his life so when you’re organizing think of his stuff like you think of your stuff. In a small living room like yours (and like mine) the more important thing is to not let the toys overwhelm your space.

We, for example, keep one small basket of toys along with one small basket of books in the living room under a writing table. Not out of sight, but definitely out of the way. Do toys migrate out of the nursery or into the hallway? Pretty much every day, but at the day’s end I toss as much as I feel like tossing back into the baby’s room and stuff everything else in the baskets. Is it the optimal solution? Nah, but until someone hooks me up with a sweet ottoman, it keeps me sane and keeps my living room looking reasonably sharp!

Maybe it’s just me, but the prints and color combination in this old Victorian house family room just scream old lady to me. Or if they don’t scream old lady now, they will in five years. Of course, what do I know? Maybe an old lady lives there!