Best of the Week

I save a lot of things while I’m surfing, a lot of which I don’t post because I’ve thought I might be spamming you all with it. But going forward, if it’s ok with you all, I’ll be sharing more instead of less. Because if I think something is awesome enough to save, well, maybe you will too. 🙂

Hyphae Lamp by Nervous System @Etsy, $600.

“Minted” pulls & knobs in satin brass by Sumner Street @ Lowe’s, $5 – $8.

Upcycled flooring of wood shipping pallets by Arctic Plank, price on request.

Marble Tray @ Restoration Hardware, $125 – $155. (Thanks to Camille Moore for sharing this on Twitter while I was writing up my post!)

Designer Visions 2011. A trio of showhouses take their inspiration from the movies:

Jed Johnson Associates for House Beautiful – Factory Girl.

Carrier & Co. for Town & Country – Igby Goes Down.

Thomas O’Brien for Veranda – Someone To Watch Over Me.

My favorite is Thomas O’Brien’s design but they are all amazing and have a wealth of ideas in them. You can learn more about it at Designer Visions Online.

I hope you’re having a great Friday and have good things planned for your weekend. I’ll be working but making the most of it! Have a great weekend, everyone!

PS Sorry for the lateness of the post but just when I was almost finished my whole thing froze. I had to reboot and lost half the post… hope it was worth the wait. Ciao… for now!

The Black Door

I love black doors! The first time I realized I was leaning towards this was when I saw an article in Elle Decoration about an art collector and her husband who’d redone the interior of an old Victorian in a completely modern style. The floors, trim, and doors were a deep, glossy black and the walls were a super bright white. The whole place was flooded with light and the colorful art stood out beautifully. Ever since then I’ve been a fan of the look.

Nate Berkus’ Chicago apartment as featured in O.

Nate Berkus did the doors of an apartment of his  featured in O a couple of years back a blue so dark that in some photos it read as black.

The entry of designer Michael Bargo’s apartment from the last issue of Domino Magazine.

But my favorite of all time was the apartment of twentysomething designer, Michael Bargo, for the Domino issue on style at every age. His whole apartment was totally gorgeous – and featured black doors!

Here are a few more examples of totally cool black doors and entries.

From top left: A black doored entryway from Atlanta Homes and Gardens Magazine, Victoria Webster’s home via Belle Maison, Eve Robinson via CocoCozy, Thomas O’Brien’s American Modern.

Patterned entry hall featuring black doors. Love this one! via Abode Love blog.

From top left: Celerie Kimble’s closet in Lonny Magazine, inspiration from Belle Maison (again!), Tommy Smythe’s kitchen from Canadian House & Home.

A black door peeks out of the corner if this inviting and contrasty entry. (source unknown)

Zach Motl’s micro sized apartment proves you can do dark colors in small spaces. From NYTimes.

What are your favorite colors for interior doors? Have a colorful Monday!

Elegant Simplicity

A few simple, yet elegant rooms for this cool spring day. I hope it’s fairer in you part of the world!

A simple, modern living room from MSL.

Warm neutrals and hints of black cozy up this living room from Lonny Magazine.

Cool and serene digs from decorpad.

Calming blues, pale wood, and simple shapes in this living room from House Beautiful.

Clean and modern dining room (Elle Decor?).

A uniquely shaped headboard is simplified by crisp white fabric.

Floored.

I’m a fan of wood floors. Probably because I have some mild allergies. Or maybe it’s because while I was growing up, I lived in apartments and I always had to look at and live with cream colored carpet (the often ignored or forgotten plane of the ubiquitous “plain white box”).

Wood floors have a look and feel that can’t be achieved with any other material. For me they look warm and have so much more depth and interest than wall to wall carpet. And though, generally speaking, I love wood floors of all colors and configurations, my favorite is a herringbone floor… Crisp, beautiful chevrons laid out side by side, creating an almost 3D effect when viewed from the right angle. I don’t think there is a more beautiful style of wood floor pattern! So, today I’m offering some favorite pics of this beautiful style (including one that I tore out of a Met Home years ago and lost the clipping of. I found it again online last night!).

Do you have a favorite type of flooring material and layout pattern?