Ahoy matey!

My wall-paper love is pretty well documented here on Room Polish, and I hope I never bore you with my "I HEART WALLPAPER!" posts. 

But this you have to see!

"Ohoy" wallpaper from Fine Little Shop

Where to hang this paper...where to hang it...I would love it in either a play room (gotta foster those imaginations!) or in a half-bath with a maritime theme. 

Are you on the wallpaper train? That's me on the wallpaper coal car, hootin' and hollerin'!

Splendid

Isn't this a lovely setting?

It makes me want to indulge my inner dream-house planner. 

via just be splendid

Time for some web shopping! Better start with the chandelier:

via Overstock

I love this table from Pottery Barn. A table even a little more rough-hewn than this would be just fine by me! The support bracket is a cool detail, huh?

via Pottery Barn

via Anthropologie

These vintage looking juice glasses have been cropping up more and more:

via Anthropologie

Keepin' on with the French theme:

via Anthropologie

And the finishing touch, gorgeous blue hydrangeas:

What's your favorite thing about the room above?

 I think for me, I love the mix of elegant + rustic. And the lovely subdued colors...

easy as abc

Wall letters: not just for children's rooms! I love these gold letters in different fonts and finishes, placed topsy turvey in a living room:

via style at home

via paper n stitch

via decor pad

I love the oversized button as "O"...

via decor pad

Shopping options:

{via}

{via}

$0 Room Revamp

Over the weekend I went over to my brother and sister-in-law's house to help them "Room Polish" their bedroom. In the chaos of med school/ having a BABY/ etc. etc. they were ready for a nice change, a bit of de-clutter, and most importantly: coming up with some extra room for the Pack-n-Play. 

Here's the room before:

 

So this was the deal. They wanted a new arrangement that made the room feel more spacious, they wanted to get some pictures up on the wall in addition to the one lonely picture that had been hung last fall, and they just generally wanted the room to have a better flow. 

Using 100% items they already owned, we mastered the "shop at home" idea. We pulled in a side table that was floating around the living room and brought it in to use as a nightstand. We went down to the basement and pulled out artwork to hang, fished out some wedding photos from their hiding spot in a desk drawer, and changed up the bedding arrangement. 

In other words....the whole thing was free! Just took a few hours of elbow grease. 

Here's the finished product:

We flanked the mirror with the two dressers to create a feeling of symmetry, and hung some pictures. The trick on the pictures was to hang them in odd-numbered groupings (3) at eye-level. 

The Irish blessing is done in my mom's calligraphy, isn't she the bomb-diggity? We're working on getting her shop set up on Etsy!

We folded the comforter into thirds and set it at the foot of the bed...It's still too hot to be using it, and so it had just been getting in the way and was starting to get lumpy. 

I highly recommend the book "Use What You Have Decorating" by Lauri Ward---the book is full of design principles and techniques for laying out furniture. The whole time we worked on this room, I was so excited thinking, "I'm doing the Use What You Have thing!" We didn't have to spend a cent, we just shuffled the furniture into a better layout, ditched a few things and brought in a few elements from elsewhere in the house. 

I had so much fun--thanks for giving me the chance to help, Simon and Grace!

Weekend Sleep-In

via decor pad

Check out these built-ins! ---The beautifully shaped arch, the brick zig-zag laid fireplace, the cutout above the mantel...perfectly complemented by beautiful upholstered furniture. Perhaps this "weekend sleep-in" can be renamed "live-in" because this room is one of my favorites ever!

Rotary Phones

I saw a rotary phone at a garage sale yesterday for just $5, and it got me thinking about accessorizing with objects purely for their looks. Now, most accessories fit into this category. They're on display because they're pretty, or meaningful, or have sentimental value... With these phones, it's funny to think that at one point in time, they were purely an instrument for use. These days, rotary phones are being used more and more to accessorize for solely aesthetic reasons. 
(It's pretty rare that these are actually hooked up.)


It's kinda cool to think of an object's transition from purely functional to "piece of art."
(Or "curiosity" might be a better word.)




So what do you think about accessorizing with something that was formerly functional and is now purely of aesthetic value?

I am tempted by this vignette:

via Domino

Just another great example of ways to add personality through accessorizing! 
Some people would love these phones, some would not. 
I think it's safe to say that some would say "decorating with rotary phones is contrived." Others would decorate with rotary phones because they really just think they're cool. Own it, I say! 


You know what would be ca-razy? People decorating with CELL PHONES in 2050.
"I'm looking for the perfect vintagey cell phone for my coffee table. Preferably a flip phone?"
PLEASE NO.

Room Love 9.24

via Houzz

This room makes the "room love" list for about a hundred reasons! I love how the bright white wall with sun streaming through the windows contrasts so highly with the foreground. I love the old portraits and I double love the orange club chairs.

What draws you to this room?

Chester Chester

As in: Chesterfield

noun

Definition:

1. Canada sofa: a large sofa with upright armrests at the same height as the back, usually upholstered in leather and with a rolled-over outward curve along the top

Always seen in libraries. Always. At least it seems that way:

via neon signs of happiness

Proof that the Chesterfield can be versatile-- here it is in white leather sitting pretty in a modern loft:

via Apartment Therapy

I love this next Chesterfield, adventurously covered in crushed velvet. A daring twist on the classically covered-in-leather chester!

via Apartment Therapy

I shall take you home with me:

via here

This scaled down club-chair version would be the perfect alternative for those wanting to dip a little toe into the Chesterfield scene:

via here

via mydeco.com

via Decor Pad

Although I always think of Chesterfields as being fairly masculine, I think this ivory-upholstered piece exudes femininity.

via Lonny

I'm such a sucker for tufting. (Tufting just refers to those little buttons that are sewn in to create divots in upholstered furniture.) I think that the tufting is a big part of what draws me to the Chesterfield look. 

We see Chesterfields so often on movie & TV sets, but not as often in real life. I can think of one family friend with a reddish-leather Chesterfield---but that's it! Do you know anyone with one? They have so much character. Someday I hope I can incorporate the perfect little Chesterfield into my nest. 

Tiny Dorm Rooms: Helpful Hints

I received an inquiry from a college student looking for ideas to spruce up her tiny dorm room.  I'm feeling thankful that I'm a fresh-minted college grad---dorm living isn't too far back in my past! It can be quite a challenge to fit all that "stuff" into a cell-sized space, especially if you are going for the warm and inviting feel.

Here's an inspiration board I came up with to help set the mood for a fun, bright room:

{Shopping Guide}

Pillows via Jonathan Adler

Lamp via Target

Rug via Jonathan Adler

Bookshelf via Target

Agenda via Jonathan Adler

Art via West Elm

Curtains via West Elm

Mirror via HSN

My first piece of advice is easy---

liven it up with some bold patterns and bold colors!

Sound crazy? Going bold will trick your mind (just a little) into thinking that your space is bigger. Take a cue from the college-student go-to source Urban Outfitters for bold patterns. Here are a few bedding examples:

Sunshine Medallion Duvet Cover

Antique Floral

Falling Leaves Quilt

Another great way to add pattern to your room is with curtains. Even if the dorm room already comes with curtains, feel free to cover them up with your own! 

     

  Ikat print is huge right now. Here's a pretty, toned-down version:

via here

Or you could go bold with blue:

via here

Chevron is a classic, too. I like this version from West Elm:

This chevron is so much more subdued than many of the chunky versions you see these days.

Sick of pattern yet?! Better not be, because now it's time to talk area rugs! In your tiny little room, having a rug might help separate your "living" space from your bed and desk area. Depending on how bold you go with prints and patterns elsewhere in the room, you can either go all-out with your rug or tone things down a little. 

I'm loving this sage-gray zebra stripe right now:

via here

Or you can switch things up with something a little more geometric:

The most important thing to remember----

and I'm going to sound like such a mom saying this---

is to just have fun decorating your dorm room! It's college---your last hurrah to have that thrown together, almost chaotic even, look. Live it up!

I would recommend buying a few bookshelves and organizational bins from Target-- you'll have the rest of your life to invest in something nicer. But for now, go the inexpensive and easy route!

Affordable shelving, via Target

And don't forget to accessorize-- a few art prints on the walls, a pretty mirror if you have room... don't let yourself think that just because you live in a dorm room means it can't be pretty!

Mirror via HSN

Here's Tess's dorm from the outside. Isn't it oozing with character?

Old historic dorm with tiny little rooms!

Have fun decorating, Tess!

In Room Polish land...

It has been a crazy and blessings-filled few days around here! Just to get you all caught up to speed, the weekend started off with a baby shower here in honor of my beautiful sister-in-law, Grace. 


If you want to see pictures, be sure to look at Anna's blog for a little recap. Anna is the genius designer behind "In Honor of Design" and she was my co-hostess at the shower! She's a  truly wonderful person, always laughing and I love her! 


And listen to THIS: Good thing we had the shower when we did, because less than 48 hours later little Julia Grace was born! Little baby, what timing you have! I have already been to the hospital 3 times to squeeze in as much Auntie time as possible. I'm so lucky to be back in Kansas with my family, I can't even believe it! 


After the baby shower, we went to my youngest brother's football game in the crazy heat. Perhaps what brought on the labor? Who knows. After the game I drove down to Winfield for the Walnut Valley Music Festival----can't even gush enough about how much I loved it. 4 stages of simultaneous bluegrass and folk music---I was in heaven. All kinds of new bands for me download on iTunes! (yee-haw)


While I was down there I was finally able to check out Josephine & Co., a HUGE home furnishings store just full of pretty accessories, one of a kind pieces for your home, and most importantly---nice helpers. I had several very friendly ladies ask me if I needed help, yet I didn't feel hounded. (Isn't that the worst, feeling hounded while shopping?) Well anyway---I highly recommend stopping by Josehpine & Co next time you're in Winfield. It makes a great little road trip from Wichita! Go support them if you can! And if you're looking for a shopping partner--- call me up, I'd go back in a second!


Today I'll be working on a dorm room tips post for a student at my alma mater, who contacted me about doing a post. (How sweet, thank you I'm blushing a little!) Also working on a few client things, and then YES---baby time. With my new precious little niece! 

Life is so good! 

(Back to our regularly programming of pretty-rooms posts soon---today's my day to gush!)

This is a steal!

All my Mad-Men fans out there craving clean lines and sharp angles, check out this leather sectional on deep clearance from West Elm:

It's only 449.99! 

Somebody please get your hands on this.

The leather is a deep chocolate brown, and you get a 2-seat sofa section, the corner piece, and an individual chair. 

...Perfect for those of you who love to get crafty with your furniture arranging:

What do you think? This last picture is my favorite for the way they've styled the room. It has a very bright, fresh feel anchored by patterns and deep browns. 

via West Elm