Swoon Interiors

interiors that make your heart skip a beat.

Holiday decor made simple …

Wow, I realize it’s been a while since my last blog post! Where has the last month gone?

I thought it was time to check in with a few pictures from my own home of some easy holiday updates.  This year I decided to go with a more neutral color scheme … instead of the typical reds and greens. It stills feels festive, just a little more light and fresh.

I’ve found that some of my favorite holiday decorations are places where I’ve taken something I already have and just added a little greenery or sparkle.

 
A simple wreath hung on the vintage bread board in my kitchen.  The bow is made from ribbon I found at Hobby Lobby.
 
 
A little fresh mistletoe adorns my chalkboard … along with a tribute to our favorite reindeer.
 
 
A simple boxwood garland wrapped in these tiny lights from Restoration Hardware that come on at night adorns my mantel along with my favorite vintage angel sculpture.
 
Yes, that’s a peek of my new Moroccan rug … (read more about them in my last post here)
 
 
I ended up getting the one from Furbish Studio and it is so soft and plush! You might also notice the new color on the walls … Benjamin Moore Gray Owl. I am loving the lighter and brighter feel.
 
Anyway, back to holiday décor … a few of my favorite new things this year came from Target.
 
 
I love this little snow globe that is also a music box.
 

 
And this sparkly pillow adds a little touch of holiday to the sofa.
 
 
 
 
How cute is this little tray? Yep, Target!
 
On to the dining room … I know people always struggle with centerpieces that will last through the season.  I usually do fresh flowers when we have a seated meal in there, but I also like to have something easy but festive for everyday.
 
 
Instead of just filling a bowl with ornaments (I have done that too), I grabbed this little pedestal made of twigs I snagged on One Kings Lane and piled it high with sparkly blue ornaments. I like the juxtaposition of rustic and glam.
 
 
A few simple additons to my buffet …
 
 
And my bar cart is ready for a party!
 

 
 
 
I know everyone has their own little tricks and traditions for making their homes extra special during this time of year. What do you do to make your house glow?  
 

Rockin’ the Moroccan Look

I am looking for a new rug for our family room and while I’ve looked at and considered many, many, many, many (many!) options, I keep coming back to a Moroccan Berber style rug.

I’ve had this picture on my “Inspiration Wall” in my office for months now …

 
It’s from the California home of Corbin Bernsen and Amanda Pays featured in Country Living and (unfortunately for me) the article says she got the rug in Marrakesh.
 
Hmmm. How can I get to Marrakesh?
 
I think these Moroccan style rugs are a great alternative to heavier traditional ones. The lightness and subtle pattern make them versatile and easy to coordinate with a variety of design styles. Plus, unlike many of the natural jute and sisal rugs that are popular for the same reason, these are typically super soft and cozy underfoot.
 
The Moroccan rug designs of which I speak are from the Beni Ourain people, who comprise 17 Berber tribes from North Africa. These rugs have distinctive designs, which range from ordered geometric shapes to more free-form, expressive patterns. They almost always are in a neutral palette (usually they have an ivory background with brown or black geometric lines), and they have a shaggy pile. Never intended to be decorative objects, the rugs were originally woven for practical purposes: It is cold in the mountains, so they were used for blankets, shawls and bed covers.
 
My favorites are the ones with just a simple, subtle large scale diamond pattern that aren’t too shaggy.
 
 Wouldn’t you agree these rooms are all rockin’ the Moroccan look …
 

 
Emily Henderson for Design Love Fest
Erika Brechtel
 
 
There are some that are a little more funky too …
 
Jenna Lyons Brooklyn office in British Vogue
 
Pinterest

1st Dibs
 
Original Beni Ourani rugs cost a small fortune so, aside from hopping the Atlantic, where can you find great reproductions?
 
 
Restoration Hardware features some in their catalogs … although when I checked them out in-store they were much shaggier than they look in photos.  I was somewhat disappointed to see how matted down they were in person. Granted, they withstand a lot of traffic, but I’m not sure I want to take the risk for that price.
 
Dara Moroccan Wool Collection
 
This one from Clayton Gray is a beauty…
 
http://www.claytongrayhome.com/item.php?item_id=1408
Beni Ourain style diamond rug
 
The one Emily Henderson used in the example above was from Rugs USA:
Moroccan Shag Ivory Rug

 

 
I also really love this version from Shop Furbish …
 
Cream Moroccan Rug
 
This one from All Modern is a little different, but very pretty too.
 
Pasargad Moroccan rug
Even Pottery Barn and West Elm carry variations on the theme …
 
Souk Wool Rug
Beni Ourain rug
 
 
Once something hits mainstream stores like West Elm and Pottery Barn, I worry that it is a trend waiting to die.  But I’m not so sure about this.
 

A long line of designers and taste makers have had a love fest with these rugs. In Paris in the 1920s and 1930s, designers used Moroccan rugs for their modern yet ethnic look. A couple decades later, mid-century modern designers were known to use these same fluffy piled rugs as a counterpoint to their sleekly designed furniture. In 1972, designer Billy Baldwin chose a room with a diamond-patterned Beni Ourain rug for the cover of his book Billy Baldwin Decorates. 

When something has been a staple in the decorating world for almost a century, I don’t think you can call it trendy. I think these rugs are timeless. What do you think? If you have a Moroccan-inspired rug in your home, send me a picture! I’d love to see how you are rockin’ this look!

 
 

The things we keep ….

Ok, don’t hate me.  I’m about to introduce you to another potentially time-sucking website. I’m warning you. Continue reading at your own risk.

So … maybe you want to take a little break from Facebook or Pinterest and to try something new?

Enter Keep.com. Keep is the place to go when you want to discover AND BUY the latest trends in fashion, decor, accessories and design.

Yes, the idea is similar to Pinterest.  You install a “Keep It” button on your browser and whenever you’re checking out your favorite online stores and see something you like, you can click your Keep It button and save the item to your Keep collections. (Lighting, rugs, pillows, art, boots, beauty products … you decide.)

Let’s face it … Pinterest, frankly, can be a little exhausting, right?  Even a few minutes on it can leave you feeling like you need to get up and make 3 casseroles, paint a dresser, wallpaper your bathroom and make your kids their own organic finger paint.

With Keep, there’s no need to get that busy. You simply keep track of all the fabulous things you want to buy, today, tomorrow … three months from now.  No more thinking to yourself “Shoot, where did I see that antiqued brass sconce I loved so much?”  If you kept in on Keep … you’ll know exactly where and can click right through to buy it.  Yep, that’s right. Every item on Keep has a nice big BUY IT button.

But here’s the rub.  You can also check out what other people want to buy. Yes, that’s where the addictive part comes in. Your screen is full of lovely items that others have already discovered. You don’t need to ask or wonder “Where’d they find that fabulous sweater-purse-rug-pillow-fill-in-the-blank?” Just click on Buy It or Keep it for your own wish list collection.

Above is a screen shot of my Keep home page. If you follow me, or check out some of my collections, you’ll see a handful of things I’ve added in just the last few days since I discovered Keep myself. If you’d like to start Keeping all your wishlist items in one place … click here to join. But don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Speaking of shopping … this is Kristy and I after a particularly “exhausting” day of accessory shopping for some very lucky clients. We are surrounded by our purchases!  (Yes, we love our job.)

We spent literally hours inside the new Classic Remix which recently relocated from Lincoln Park to River North. ( I blogged about the original location here.) If you go and see the size of the store, you will wonder how we spent hours there, but we did!

Fabulous finds everywhere you look …

Check out these incredible chain link shelves which the owner designed herself.

Does your home need an accessory spruce up before the holidays? Contact us to set up a consultation!

Some illuminating finds ….

So, do any of you have this problem in your homes? I call it Boob Light Syndrome.

 
We have a few too many of these lights in our house, put in by the builder. Ick. Boob Light. This one is in our mudroom … but there are others … hallway, laundry room, closets, even the front entry. It is my goal to eradicate them all over time. 
 
I’m happy to say that last week two of them came down along with the Boob Light Fan in my office. I have been searching for and collecting the right replacements for some time and finally had my trusty handyman in to do the swaps.
 
The hallway that leads from our kitchen to the mudroom had one single Boob Light to illuminate it.  It was replaced by two of these white Barn Light pendants I snagged on One Kings Lane.
 
 
Next up, my entryway.  Another Boob Light.  I have been back and forth and probably looked at 3 dozen different options for this spot.  But I kept coming back to this one.  Our entryway is not very big so I wanted something simple with clean lines, but also a little drama. I think this fits the bill.

 
Finally, out with the Boob Light Fan in my office and in with this Antique Brass Lantern I’ve been swooning over from Circa Lighting.

 
Of course, I had to get someone’s approval first. No, not my husband. (Sorry honey.) Another male in my life.

 
Fortunately Leo approves.  (As a side note, that chair has become the world’s most expensive cat bed.)