Thursday, March 29, 2012

Couch Pillow Placement

I received a recent inquiry about couch pillow placement; how should they be placed and the maximum amount of pillows you should add. My personal rule of thumb is place as many pillows on your couch as long as you and your guests are still able to sit comfortably. Of course the bigger and plush the couch the more pillows you can add but don't go adding 50 pillows to where your guests end up sitting on the floor. You can mix and match your pillows from geometric patterns to floral design. My tip is if you do use several patterns, break up the busy-ness by pulling a solid color from one of the pillows to tie it together and make it a little easier on the eyes.

dl rhein mod link robin's egg embroidered pillow bindi stripe swoon dl rhein mod link robins egg embroidered linen pillow

As far as arrangement, It highly depends on your organization style. If you have a casual design with a room full of mix matched patterns, I say randomly place your pillows on the couch just like this...

If you have a very detail organized room neatly coordinate your pillows..

There's nothing wrong with a single pillow. It adds a simple compliment to your couch. Another rule of thumb, if you have leather couches, select soft plush pillows. The soft texture breaks up the cold feeling of the leather couch and brings warmth and comfort.

If you a have super sleek contemporary couch and you want to bring in some warmth, bring in matching pillows such as these to make for an inviting seating area. There is nothing more cold and uninviting  than leather on leather with white on white. 

Toss pillows are an easy accessory to replace. Alternate them between seasons or style them together. Either way it brings instant change to your room that you won't regret~MG

Sunday, March 25, 2012

DIY: Herringbone Theme Wall

One of my favorite solutions for a refreshing change in any space is paint. A fresh coat instantly transforms a room without changing anything else. To make for an even bolder change, create an accent wall using multiple colors. I've come across several DIY accent walls and the herringbone design is one my favorites! The simple sleek design is a stylish and easy enough pattern to create. One of my favorite DIY projects comes from DIY duo, Ashley and Eric from Design Build Love. Check out how they tackle the herringbone design in their laundry room. Don't let the angles intimidate you...it's a lot easier than you think..


I admit that the downside of painting is prep work but I can't stress enough how important it is to properly prepare to get that smooth finish. Once all that pain in the arse prep work is complete its time to have fun. Choose your base paint color and use strong adhesive paint tape for the pattern. Ashley recommended Frog Tape. I've seen the infomercial for this and was instantly sold on the paint block technology leaving clean lines after peeling it away. I've used that blue stuff plenty of times and had to go back to fix my straight edge design.

Next, the pattern..To simplify, locate the mid point of the wall and draw your vertical line to get two even sections. Find the center of section one and draw your vertical line; do the same for section two. Now you have four even sections and ready to draw your chevron pattern. Evenly space the chevrons as you go and begin taping over your template.
Choose your desired colors. Ashley and Eric used multiple neutral shades.
Have fun with it. You can either make a consecutive or random pattern..Either way, your end result will look great!
And VOILA! I love this! I don't know about you but I wouldn't mind doing laundry with this stylish pattern facing me.
 For detailed instructions check out designbuildlove.co.

More DIY herringbone accent walls. Get inspired to create a simple change in your home. 
via apartmenttherapy.com
Here's a tip..if you're afraid to steer away from one color to multiple and pattern design, start off by painting a small space in your house. Even if it is just a laundry room or maybe a pantry, the change really does go a long way.~MG

Monday, March 19, 2012

Color Inspiration: From Trendy Color Block Shoes

Spring style is here and I'm noticing that color blocking is the current fashion trend in just about anything. I walked into DSW not too long ago and found an array of stylish color block shoes in the brightest and boldest colors you can imagine. I was memorized by the color combos and wished that I myself was bold enough to wear different colors of the rainbow since I naturally lean towards the Wednesday Addams look. As I'm walking through the store the interior design voices in my head start speaking to me and I begin to wonder how these colors will look in a room. So I took color inspiration from some of my favorite color combo shoes and translated them into interior decor color schemes... 
 Fuchsia and Orange with hints of gold. These colors scream GIRLY GIRL...
I couldn't tell which color was more dominating so I tried to use both orange and fuchsia as evenly as possible like on the shoe. I splashed some gold accents and a few neutralizing tones to make it easier to look at. If I added any more fuchsia or orange the display would be a potential hazard to your eyeballs. I would love to sit in this room in real life and feel the energy. Would it be pleasantly relaxing because of its stylish decor, or give you the same feeling when you've had a medium size cup of Peet's house blend? (SBux lovers..you know what I'm talking about)
via 
I was also curious to see if these colors were actually used and low and behold..This is a perfect way of balancing the colors and similar to my design board, neutral tones helped keep you from thinking you walked into the mind of a 4 year old girl.
Teal, Blue and Mustard Yellow...I love this combo..I would definitely purchase these because its a bit more subtle than the fuchsia and orange..
Unlike the temper tantrum room I can totally see myself entertaining guests in this soothing yet fun room. Again I chose a neutral color for the couch to calm down the brightness..

via cococozy.com 
I had a hard time looking for the same color combo and this was the closest thing I could find.. The yellow chairs make such a statement in this room and are so unexpected. It's so refreshing to come across everyday items in out of the ordinary colors. It's a fun surprise for your guests. 

Upon searching for teal colored rooms..I came across this and just had to share..  
The various teal colors are so relaxing and although this room is a bit too "fancy" for my personal taste..I still visually soak in its beauty. I absolutely love the two toned wallpaper and the pinstriped arm chair. Such great details in this room!
Black, Purple, Light Blue with a bit of gold. This was another challenging color combo. Most rooms that I came across only had two of the color combos. I even had a hard time getting it together on my design board but in the end I came up with this and I must say this is another room I would love to bring to life..
I chose black walls with lighter accent pieces because I recently watched the Black and White Master Suite Color Splash episode where David painted all the walls pitch black but used extreme contrasting colors so that it didn't look like Darth Vader's cave. So, I gave it a try..
The color combo was done well in this room..The dominating color on the shoe was black but I love how it was used minimally. 

I had a lot of fun with this post and it challenged me to work with color combinations that don't exactly automatically come to mind when approaching a color scheme. Any of you looking for a drastic change in color but don't know where to start..then hit the shops and see whats trending..Even if it is from a shoe.~MG

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Lucky Green

Happy St. Patty's Day! I've come across many posts today about decorating your house green and of course I would like to add to the hot topic of the day. Green actually is one of my favorite colors...more so sage and mint green.  Now, I would never decorate my entire house green; painted green walls, furniture, accent decor pieces, etc, unless of course I was a Leprechaun. However, adding pops of this fun color would definitely brighten up a room..I had a lot of fun this morning creating a design board collecting accessories in different shades of green. Start off your spring decorating adding any one these gorgeous accessories that would be perfect for getting into the St. Patrick's day spirit but can also stick around through summer. 

in this picture:layla grace: terrene green cream indoor/outdoor rug trina turk: greek key green hook rug
zig-zag village green elemeno pillows  trina turk: needlepoint shanghai links pillow pisa 19" pillow
geo print green pillow
in this picture: west elm arm chair nori green stripe place mat stoneware container lid hr/15 minute glass cargo element caddy pop green candle holder green bowls:unknown

Choose as many or as little accessories to add either subtle hints or bursts of green. For the subtle hints, add in a few toss pillows and maybe a green lampshade, add in a green armchair, or choose wall art with minimal green patterns. For a burst of green, paint a wall your preferred shade, add a bold area rug along with adding splashes of different accessories throughout your room. You you can't go wrong if you choose the right pieces and spread them evenly throughout the room. 

Having a hard time picturing it? Here a few rooms with subtle hints.. 
 via decorpad.com
A few toss pillows..
Green accent chair and toss pillow..
Green accent furniture like this dresser
A gallery wall with hints of green
 Don't limit style in your kitchen. These mint green chairs brighten this white space instantly.
More pops of green..
A green couch is not your ordinary couch color but it's not as loud of a color if you compliment it with neutralizing tones ..This designer did a great job!

Here is your burst of green. Choose a brighter shade with bold texture.
This room screams Spring time! I love the sage green painted walls with splashes of bold color in the toss pillows and ottoman, accent chair, and table accessories.
The accent arm chair balances out the bright theme wall. 

Green isn't a typical color you come across in a home but done moderately and it will give your space a refreshing and very unexpected, yet delightful surprise to your guests.~MG

Friday, March 16, 2012

Comfy Cozy

It's been a wet week here in the Bay Area and all this cold and rainy weather makes me want to bundle up in a fleece blanket and do absolutely NOTHING. Yes coziness has always been my cure for the rainy day blues. For a room to be cozy to me it has to have warm colors with plush couches and pillows, and a tight or surrounded feeling..I guess I like spaces that would make a claustrophobic go mad..check out these comfy cozy rooms perfect to lounge around during the cold season.. 

Awesome view in this cozy kitchen. Rain or shine..I would sit in this kitchen sipping coffee or tea enjoying the view. I love the decor..plush pillows in this tight space make it easy to relax.
This room meets all my requirements of a cozy room..plush pillows, warm colors, enclosed feeling..I would never want to leave for work if I started my day eating breakfast in this kitchen..
Another comfortable setting. I love the high boxed in nook..Also super private which is great when you want to be left alone..Although I am not a fan of the decorative print..
The deep reds and oranges warm this A-frame living space up instantly. This is a great room to have company over during the rainy season..I can picture myself cozy-ing up with the hubby while watching a movie or having friends over playing fun board games and drinking cocktails..Cheesy? No cozy!
LOVE BUTTON! Talk about enclosed! Shut yourself out and delve into a good book in this super snug nook. Although there isn't much warm tones the cool blue is soothing and a perfect hideaway from a stressful day.
Such a simple room..it has that cottage feel to it where you wake up to the sound of rain and all I would do is turn over and go right back to sleep..Easy to do in this comfortable bedroom...

MG's cozy living room
All this talk about getting comfy that it's now time for me to take action..Slipping on my fleece pajama's and bundling up on the couch with my fleece blanket ready to be a couch potato in my own home..Time to snuggle up~MG

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Don't Toss That Lamp!

A great way to make something old into something new.The easiest DIY fix ever! Check out Dress A Shade custom lamp shade slip covers. They are made to fit any size lamp shade giving your dated lamp shade a custom modern makeover....
 Amethyst Peacock Slip
  Apricot Velvet
 Harlequin
 Kelly Floral
Newpaper

These are my favorite covers. So unique and adds that unexpected touch to your home.

Comic Book
All photos via
What a great way to recycle your existing lamps. To give your lampshade the full makeover, spray paint the base and choose from the variety of designs fit to your style.~MG