Swoon Interiors

interiors that make your heart skip a beat.

Pretty Plumes

When I was outside the other day, something felt different.  What was it ?  It took me a moment before I realized … birds were chirping! There is something about that sound this time of year that is so wonderful and hopeful. Spring has got to be around the corner.  I walked out of the bank yesterday and a little robin was on the sidewalk in front of me. He cocked his head as if to say hello and the color of his red breast was striking against the gray backdrop of the chilly, gloomy day.
If you’ve been reading my blog from the beginning, you may have caught on to the fact that I love birds. In my post on pillows, I talked about the bird pillows I had made from a favorite fabric.  In my master bedroom post, I talked about the bird ottoman on my wish list.  I’ve got a few other feathered friends who have settled in around my house too.

There’s just something about birds … there are so many different kinds and colors. They are kind of like people with all of their different personalities … the wise owl, the cocky rooster, the diva peacock, the hummingbird soccer mom who’s always buzzing forwards and backwards at top speed.
So in honor of Spring and birds everywhere, here are my favorite ways to incorporate some plumage into your home.
I love this master bedroom of Kirsten from 6th Street Design School …

And of course, if we’re going to talk pillows, there are so many cute bird pillows.

ChicDecor Pillows

Dwell Studio

The trio of bird prints I have stacked up the wall in our house always make me swoon. Here is more aviary artwork that I love.

Vintage Treasure Shop

I found these tapestries from Thailand on Overstock. I think they would be stunning, framed and hung on the wall.

Overstock bird tapestry

Overstock bird tapestry

And this canvas from Ballard is so dreamy, don’t you think?

I have drooled over this lampshade from Anthropologie forever.
And how cute is this tea towel?

Anthropologie bird towel

Of course, I mentioned the Katie Ridder bird wallpaper that was featured in Sex and the City in an earlier post. Here is another one I like from Walnut Wallpaper.
What about a shower curtain? I found this beauty on Etsy.

Pond Lily

Or these drapery panels …

The Curtain Call

These are cute for the table … but I’d also hang them on a wall in the kitchen. They come in 4 colors.

Pier One

How about these to set the table for a lovely Spring Brunch?

ZGallerie

And for a table or mantel …



Wisteria

How about these hooks in your entry or mudroom …

ShopTen25

I would love to hear about your favorite feathered friends!

In the meantime, happy bird-watching!

I’m hooked …

I was flipping through the latest Anthropologie catalog the other day and something about these hooks made me smile.

My first thought was that they’d be super cute above a fireplace in a lower level family room or rec room … especially if the wall was painted a deep brown color. You could do kind of a whimsical, family friendly version of this:

image from Restoration Hardware

They’d also be great lined up on a wall of a mudroom … the perfect place to hang light jackets or (empty!) backpacks.

Then I saw this picture of Sheryl Crow’s bedroom in Architectural Digest …

Hmmm … clustered over a bed, especially in kid’s room, would be really fun.  Again, I like the contrast of the white against a really dark wall. Perhaps navy blue?

On a completely different note, do you have your DVR’s set to tape Emily Henderson’s new show, Secrets of a Stylist on HGTV Saturday night? (8 pm central time) I do! For obvious reasons, I love the idea of this show and I was so happy she won The Next Design Star. She shows people how to layer different styles in their home which is something I totally believe in.

 She also does a great job of finding really unique pieces from a variety of places to fit her clients personalities.  I love to watch her shop!

 

both images via HGTV
Even though I’m excited for the show, I’m even more excited to spend Saturday night with my dearest college friends … so I’ll be taping it and hopefully watching it on Sunday afternoon with a mug of hot chocolate … or maybe a glass of vino!
Hope you all have a great weekend!

Mondays @ my house: V-Day edition

So, as promised, here is the first in a series of blog posts entitled Mondays @ my house where I’ll give you a closer look at some rooms in my house and the inspirations behind them.

Since today is Valentine’s Day, I though it only appropriate to begin in the “boudoir.”

Let me show you a quick picture of our bedroom when we first walked through our house before buying it.

And now …
Soothing and serene with a touch of glam.
First job was to paint. I knew I wanted a soothing blue and deliberated for many hours, days, weeks … months on the perfect pale blue color.  I think I found it in Benjamin Moore Blue Ice.
For the glam component, I wanted to add lots of sparkle with glass, mirrors and other reflective objects.
The bedding is from ZGallerie and I was immediately drawn to it for it’s shimmery fabric, various textures, and luxe feel.
I have always wanted a four poster canopy bed.  I added the sheer white curtain panels to create the illusion of an “adult fort” if we want to pull the curtains closed. (Grin. Grin.) I love the dreamy cloud like feeling that envelopes us in bed each night. It is especially pretty when the sun is shining through on lazy Sunday afternoons.
Our bedroom furniture we have had since our first condo we purchased 12 years ago.  If I were to do things over today, I would not purchase matching pieces, but it is still a really nice set.
 I really like the idea of a “his” and “hers” side of the bed and this set offered what I call a masculine nightstand and a feminine nightstand.

As long as we weren’t staying symmetrical, I chose different art work for each side of the bed as well.

Got this one from a shop on Etsy called Tastes Orangey. I just think it’s a great, sexy bedroom picture. The artist has many more beautifully interesting prints.  I think it would be so fun to buy a bunch of them and hang them all around the bed with a haphazard art gallery look.
  

These vintage Paris prints hang on my side and I just love them. For me they evoke memories of meandering down the narrow streets of Paris and stopping for drinks at a sidewalk cafe … not a bad thing to think about each night when I climb into bed!
I will admit, I have always been a girly-girl. I had pink bedrooms all my life growing up, until I got married.  Now, with two boys, there hasn’t been a stitch of pink in the house except for my closet … until recently.  I was inspired by these pictures to add just a small touch of purply-pink to our master bedroom.

 If you read my post on pillows, you’ll know that I found these Madeline Weinrib inspired pillows on eBay. 
With pink flowers and just a few other small pink accessories … I’ve got my pink fix.
Future plans for the bedroom include a seating area by the windows and fireplace. I’ve always wanted a chaise like this one.
(I’d add a pink throw.)
Several years ago, I saw this chaise at Anthropologie. I’ve been thinking about it ever since.

Sadly, it is no longer available. But then I found this ottoman.

I’d like to pair it with a big, comfy, Grey’s Anatomy … or Sports Center watching chair.

I’d also like a pair of these X-benches at the end of the bed.

And then, maybe some curtains like this.
I’ve also always wanted a little desk with a Ghost Chair, either in place of my nightstand, or against the windows, like this.

(I’ve had both images for awhile, but unfortunately not the sources.)

And don’t forget about my zebra rug!

West Elm

Of course, we also need a new chandelier. As I mentioned in my post on kitchen chandeliers, all of the light fixtures in our house were selected by the builder. While some of them are nice, there are ones I’d like to replace.  The one in our bedroom is quite beautiful, but it doesn’t go with our silvery, shimmery color scheme.

 I’m hoping I can maybe sell it on Craigslist and trade it in for something big, glamorous, sparkly and sexy. I’m still on the hunt for the perfect one … but these are some beauties …

So, is your boudoir ready for Valentine’s Day?

*** Update: Be sure to check out the simple change I made with new bedding in Master Bedroom Mini-Makeover.