Monday Color: Blush & Chocolate

My son recently asked me what my least favorite colors are and I quickly answered red and pink. I've warmed up to red in my design work over time, but pink still haunts the tomboy in me. I have one shirt dotted with tiny pink flowers but I always wear it with jeans and boyish cardigans to offset the frilly femininity. But I came across the first bedroom below on House Beautiful's website and saw a sophisticated, soothing side of pale pink that I'd never acknowledged before, thanks to its pairing with a deep brown, crisp lines and touches of subtle glamour. So I delved deeper to find other examples of a how hues of blush pink and chocolate brown work together, outside of a box of Valentine's chocolates, that is.


































Images above:

1. The subtle accents of blush pink and chocolate brown that inspired this post, as seen in the second photo in a round-up of pink rooms on House Beautiful.

2. #35 on a list of 56 beautiful living rooms, also on House Beautiful, the sweet pale pink walls are balanced by hearty chocolate leather chairs and textural sisal in this space.

3. Apple green punches up a pink and brown palette in this sitting area (found on Confetti Style).

4. Found on Odi Et Amo, the wood tones in this living room provide the grounding dark browns for a rainbow of pink hues to dance against.

5. A sweet yet sophisticated pink and brown girls room, found on VT Interiors.

6. A glamorous vignette of pink art on espresso walls.

7. Another bedroom with a contemporary chocolate brown upholstered headboard and plenty of white to balance out the powder pink walls (via a blog called Mama Mona).

8. I love the chocolate brown walls and subtle touches of pink in the chandelier and chair backs in this dining room, found on The Lennoxx .

9. The Gladstone Cast Iron Single Ended Bath comes in a soothing pale pink, from the UK's Victorian Plumbing.

10. The perfect towels to pair with the tub above for a nature-inspired blush and chocolate bathroom color scheme (Cherry Blossom Towel Set from Amazon).

11. A hand block print pillow in brown and blush hues from EarthLab's Etsy Shop.

12. The Don't Be Square Rug from Rugs Direct would be a mod touch in any girls room.

13. Saturday Knight Ltd's Owl Shower Curtain marries light pink and chocolate brown with several other fun hues, perfect for a modern kids bathroom.

14. Carter's adorable Pink Elephant Crib Set from Baby Super Mall.

15. Graham & Brown's Hand-Painted Orchid Canvas Art from All Modern.

Etsy Love: Bookha At Home

Knowing my love of feathers, it's no surprise that it was the Tea Towel with the sweet black and white bird and Springtime themed images on them that first drew me to Bookha At Home on Etsy. But I was further delighted to find a tight edit of environmentally friendly materials and original designs for home and baby. And for those women who actually still shop for themselves (what's that like?!?), there's a great little line of clutches and totes.


Hand-printed Spring-inspired images make this Tea Towel more a work of art; solvent free inks on hemp/organic cotton make it an eco-friendly beauty.



Laser cut birch Wood Alphabet in Courier New font, up close and hung in a darling nursery in a Covet Garden magazine spread.


Animal Onesies printed in nontoxic ink on organic cotton.
- moose (red ink)
- owl (orange/red ink)
- beaver (rust brown ink)
- hare (light grey ink)
- tortoise (burgundy ink)
- bear (blue ink)
- cat (blue/grey ink)


Combining function and beauty, Bookha At Home's Small Storage Boxes feature original designs printed with nontoxic inks on 100% natural linen with organic cotton canvas linings.

Pipe Dreams

Some people are so damn creative. This wall unit and desk made from industrial plumbing fixtures featured on Remodelista today is the epitome of clever creation. And it's a beauty too. It is the product of the creative hands at Houston-based design firm Analog/Dialog. If you are as ambitious, step-by-step instructions for something similar can be found on The Brick House. I love the $200 total investment, but the head-ache sounds like it has a higher price. I was curious to see what else the tinkerers out there were making with plumbing fixtures, and here's what I dug up:


The shelving in the lobby of the iconic Ace Hotel in Palm Springs that inspired The Brick House DIY project.


A much less rigid, sculptural approach from Akke Functional Art.


A desk found on Apartment Therapy by and for Oat's graphic design studios.


Found on Curbly, these light fixtures were conceived by MESH Architects. Adapt the lessons from this DIY Plumbing Fixture Lamp tutorial from Man Made to throw together your own, or find pre-made versions on MESH Architecture's Etsy shop.


Also on Etsy, Stella Blue Designs Etsy Shop has an array of wall-mounting shelving and other storage solutions made from industrial plumbing supplies, including this smart corner shelf.

First Aid

I have a little boy who is 6, going on 13, it seems. But thankfully he's a mellow kid with no natural inclination for violence. But the after-school playground football games seem to be getting more aggressive and as they say, boys will be boys. Just for fun, I thought I'd find some cool bandages to stock up on for future scraped knees and elbows. Spongebob themed Band-Aids probably won't cut it anymore.


Jesus Bandages from Amazon.com ($9.98 for 2 tins).


What Happened? Bandages available at Urban Outfitters ($7.00).


Cowboy Bandages from Archie McPhee ($4.95).


Pirate Bandages from Entertainment Earth ($4.99).

Monday Color: Citron & Gray

Today's skies alternated between an overcast haze and somber gray rain clouds without a sliver of sunlight from morning till night. The dismal weather clearly sparked my selection of colors for today's post, badly needing to inject some bright sunshine into today's grayness. Plus, I'm always a sucker for unexpected opposites and balanced contrast - for the 'yin' and 'yang' of decorating motifs, so to speak - which citron and gray most certainly are. Let's see what you think about this bright and gloomy Monday Color pairing.....




































Images above:

1. From a post on Styled Haven, these gray & white stripes, layers of yellow and rustic nightstands go perfectly together.

2. There's so much to love about this eclectic living room found on Home Bunch.

3. Gray grasscloths walls would be enough to have me smitten, but paired with a yellow headboard and bench, and that daring introduction of deep army green.....all I can say is 'wow!' (found on Decor Pad)

4. This bedroom reflects the mellow results when both the citrine and gray are on the warmer side.

5. From Laura Casey Interiors' blog, this yellow door and gray home exterior make me almost as happy as my own white house with its bright golden door.

6. A gray and citron living room featured on Nell Hill's blog.

7. These deep yellow walls are balanced by abundant white architectural details and subdued gray furniture.

8. In this living room, a daring citron sofa is perfectly paired with medium wood tones and plenty of gray, and echoed in accessories and shelf insets for an expertly finished look.

9. A great art idea for a cheery yellow and gray bedroom, from Martha Stewart, via All Things Chic.

10. This ultra-modern room doesn't feel overly cold thanks to the injection of bold yellow on the accent wall.

11. Michael Millers Citron & Gray Bird Swing fabric from fabric.com.

12. Chester Tufted Upholstered Sofa in special order Dandelion, from West Elm.

13. Gray and Yellow Sputnik Rug from Domestic Modern.

14. Perch! Design's Early Bird Light in yellow also comes in a soft gray.

15. Omniware's Hemisphere Gray & Yellow 11" Dinner Plate from Amazon.com.

16. Romo's Kimura Wallpaper in Tumeric.

17. Using the same Romo pattern, this room highlights a creative way to save money but still add big color impact: framing wallpaper as art (found on Exponent Expira).