Monday Color: Black and Gold

Like the 100 or so million other Americans who watched yesterday's Super Bowl, I was truly entertained and inspired. It was a great game. Although I have to admit that the most pleasurable source of entertainment and inspiration for me was that thrilling half-time performance by the legendary Madonna (and several talented buds of hers). And so I turn to her wardrobe palette for today's Monday Color combination: the fierce black and gold pairing of her half Grecian, half Stripper ensemble. Here's how it works off the field:





























Images above:

1. An opulent black and gold bathroom.

2. A sparkly gold fireplace in a room dotted with bold black, found on Real Simple.

3. A wild zebra rug with a more subdued gold velvet sofa against deep black walls strikes a unique balance.

4. A living room filled with sexy black seating and a bunch of industrial chic accents from ehomee.com.

5. The combination of gold damask wallpaper and a black bed show how fine the line between tacky and tasteful is, but successfully pulls it off with the sophisticated of black and white photography and crisp hotel bedding (from Decor Pad).


6. Whoa! Daring gold-painted trim with black and gold wallpaper and accessories (from Beautiful Shopping).

7. And DOUBLE whoa! The Midas Touch Collection by Philip Plein (as seen on Luxury Launches).

8. A black and gold Ralph Lauren Home pillow, found on Departures.com.

9. Leonardo Leather Ottomans as featured on ID Best.

10. Guilt Mirror by Koket.

11. Barbara Cahn's handmade black and gold porcelain vase.

12. There are plenty of over-the-top black and gold dinnerware options on the market, but nothing makes this color duo more palatable than classic a Black Astbury Wedgwood set (available from The Crystal Company).

13. From the Metalic Cowhide Collection at Saddlemans of Santa Fe.

14. A clever gloss black and gold leafed Jewelry Armoire by Powell available at Accent Furniture Online.

Etsy Love: (something a little different this week)

This week marked the soft, unofficial launch of my new interior design firm Wolf & Wing Interior Design, which is really just a re-branded, blended fusion of all my design businesses of the last decade into one unified concept that I'm so proud and eager to move ahead with. New Years Intention #1 checked off the list!!!

Since I've been a little busy with all this, I have neglected to post anything here since Monday and am only going to do a modified Etsy Love post today, not featuring a single shop, but rather a curation of items throughout Etsy that feature either a wolf or a wing to celebrate my new endeavor. You can't hear the noisemakers and champagne bottle corks, but they're honking and popping over here nonetheless. Enjoy with me, please.


Brass Eagle from Rhett Didn't Give a Damn


Bird Wing Printed on Vintage Map of NW Australia by Herbert Co (Ingrid, if you're reading this.....you must get this and put it on your dream board!!)


"We Make Our Truth" Graphic Hand Printed Tee from Sirius Grafik (if ANYONE'S reading this, I'd probably fit a Mens Small!).



Two beautiful, screaming-my-name Patina Wing Pendants from Amanda Davies Elements Etsy Shop.


Evolving Habitats Custom Made Wolf Forest Light Box.


Baby Boy On Wolf Print by Hide N Seek.


A Little Lark's Gold Wolf Sketchbook.


Recycled Cotton Canvas Lunch Sak with a hand-screened image of a wolf in a forest, also from A Little Lark.

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).