Room and (inspiration) board

I love that the "inspiration board" / "mood board" trend of late gives me permission to tack up all the things I love/want/need/havetohave onto a bulletin board without feeling like a 1980s schoolgirl. And sometimes, the very inspiration board turns into a piece of art itself. Here are some of my favorites from the blogosphere:


Photo from sfgirlbybay, as spotted on Beach Bungalow 8.


Photo by Jeltje Fotografie, via the Style Files, as seen on Canadian House & Home.


Inspiration boards hang as artwork and command central in the entryway of Toronto stylist Sabrina Linn's home. Photo by Michael Graydon, from the August 2009 issue of Canadian House & Home.


Julie Richards of the blog SHELTER boasts an office with a colorful inspiration board - though I think the perky pink deer is my favorite little surprise.


Jamie Meares of I Suwannee corrals her photos and inspiration files with a criss-cross pink beribboned board.


John Derian's bulletin board is sprawling and colorful, yet somehow still artfully arranged. Image via simple + pretty.


Monochromatic but meaningful. Image via Simply Seleta.

Do you have an inspiration board of your own? Or just a junk board? Maybe your refrigerator doors? Perhaps I'll get brave and post photos of my own office bulletin board sometime soon (it's ever evolving).

Proof.

While we're on the subject of Maine...

Lest you think - from reading my daily musings on fashion, design and home goods - that I'm just a frilly, sissy, only-types-with-manicured-nails, style blogger who never gets her hands dirty, here's proof that I'm actually an outdoorsy, DIY kinda girl:

See that stone wall? B and I built it. With our bare hands. And a wheelbarrow (whatevs, I loaded those rocks into said wheelbarrow with my bare hands so it counts, right?). How very rustic of us.

Guess I do indeed have some Irish potato-picking, toil-in-the-field genes in me somewhere. ;)

Another Oprah progeny

Has anyone seen The Nate Berkus Show yet? It started this Monday. I adore him (exhibit A, exhibit B), but I can't tell if the show is going to be tragic or awesome...

Though regardless I will probably DVR whatever episode Bethenny is on. I can't help it - she's oddly fascinating to watch - I think it's the extreme oversharing she offers. :)


Have you seen the show? Is Nate great? Or is the show a trainwreck? Do tell!

Lessons learned: Caroline DeCesare interiors

Goood morning! Today I'm feeling inspired by some interiors I came across on Full House (great blog, by the way) and thought I'd share some of the ones I really loved. The rooms are all designed by Caroline DeCesare and they're not only gorgeous, but also kind of "educational" (take that with a grain of salt since I am in no way a professional). The point is, there is something to learn from these rooms and the way the designer has brought in some quirky and creative ideas.

Like this room:

That barn door on a sliding track is kind of genius. It allows you to close off the living room for some quite or privacy, but doesn't close off the space.

Idea #2:

Don't be afraid to display interesting objects in unusual ways. I lurrrv these framed vintage bathing suits. Paired with the old sewing form but juxtaposed with the very clean furnishings, this room stays somewhat modern and doesn't get into kitschy territory.

I also love how she groups things:

I'm already a huge fan of a big ol' gallery wall (I have one in my own house), but this one seems especially awesome to me. I think it's because she's unified the objects with all black frames and has kept the items displayed to very graphic things.

Another fun idea:

I love that she's brought what look like house numbers inside. You could put up your actually house number, or even just your favorite number or something with significance.


In this room, a mirror is fashioned to look like a porthole window, giving the impression of a ship's cabin. So creative, and super easy to implement.

Another unexpected element is the thick rope covering these lighting cords:

It has a hint of nautical without being too theme-y, and adds some rustic appeal to the otherwise polished room.

So what do you think? Do you like these quirky elements and unexpected inclusions?

Heads above the rest?

Peeps. Did I tell you I won my first-ever giveaway (a free prize from another blog) on the lovely Leslie's blog, A Room Somewhere? The prize was a custom-designed blog header from Jill of Freshly Squeezed Designs. I was ecstatic, considering the current sea*life*style header is something I jury-rigged myself back when I started s*l*s - needless to say, it's not the most professional looking thing ever. Behold, the current header:



(You can also just look up to the top of the page to see it full size and in full color - as long as you're actually on my blog and not reading this post through an aggregator).

Now, here's what Jill came up with for this site:
(....drum roll, please....)



What do you all think?

I would love to hear your thoughts, so please feel free to leave a comment below. However, I've been picking up what you're all puttin' down and I know some of you said you don't always have time to leave a comment or sometimes you just want to be "quiet" online (see? I do listen to you all!). SO. If you don't want to comment but have a second to literally click a button for "old" or "new" instead, I'm trying out my first-ever in-blog poll. Today is a day of all kinds of new things, huh?

Here is my first attempt at an automated poll; please give it a go!:



If you want to comment, please do! If you don't want to comment, maybe just submit via poll? If you don't want to do either, I understand. I still love ya!

And here's to hearing what you think about the header sitch. Thanks and cheers!
xoxo, r. (sea*life*stylista)

The stationary/stationery issue

I'll admit it: I am a big ol' jerk, a grammar snot if you will (I may have mentioned this before). Sadly, if you spell something incorrectly, I'll probably judge. Sorry, but it's true. :| I'm not perfect by any means, but I do like a correctly written sentence.

One word/homophone pair that gets confused a lot (other than "a lot," which is not one word, as some people seem to think): stationery vs. stationary. That's why I love this tote bag:

The genius Sapling Press created this helpful tote in case you - or any repeat offenders you know - need a quick reference. It really clears things up, huh? And if you're a mean, mean grammanimal like I, then you're in luck, because these bags are available in the Sapling Press shop here.

Originally spotted on Oh So Beautiful Paper. Photo from Sapling Press.

Want more grammar-nerd posts? Enjoy a slew here.

A fun cuppa joe on a rainy Wednesday

Goooood morning! It's Wednesday and it's rainy. I'm dragging. I'm not normally a caffeine drinker, but I think a cuppa might do me some good this morning. I'd love to stumble into a coffee shop and find this amazing branding suite:



All three concepted, designed and created by Rachel Dangerfield of Quail Creative, who just graduated from Columbus College of Art & Design - hello, talented.

Love this. And now I'm off to find some sustenance... Hope you have a great hump day! Be back later!

xo, r.

La-la-la-Lonny

Did you all check out Lonny magazine the first time I introduced it? If not, you really should go take a look. It's a free, online-only publication with so much home design goodness in there it's unbelievable. It also happens to be perfect for when you're pretending to work at work but not working (ahem). And, if you're an avid shopper (or just want to know where things came from), each issue has clickable links embedded in the web pages, so you can roll over the products/items shown in the photos and access the source straight from the mag.

And in case you need a further kick in the tuckus to go check out the newest issue (which came out Thursday), here's some eye candy from the recent release:










Also, I think I need these curtains in my living room (since these didn't go over so well):

All photos from Lonny magazine.

With that said shown, hope you check it out and hope you enjoy! (And let me know what you think...)

Calligraphy love (& stamps too!)

I think the combination of lovely calligraphy and a variety of stamps on pretty letters might be my new go-to design obsession (see current exhibits A and B). Whew - thank goodness - because my silhouette obsession was getting quite out of hand (exhibits A, B, C, D, E, F - yikes).

Adding fuel to the paper-craze fire? These cards by Jenna Hein, which couldn't be more lovely:


Don't you agree? If not, speak now or forever hold your peace, because there may be a lot more of these where they came from (as evidenced by my previous posts - reference above in the plethora of slightly scary exhibits). ;)

Originally spotted on Clover and Bee.

Matrix rug in a cozy clubhouse

The lovely Lauren Liess from Pure Style Home posted this photo today and I was instantly enamored with the cool graphic rug.

The best part? It's a twofer: The rug is not only indoor/outdoor, it's from Overstock.com (here) and pretty inexpensive. The indoor/outdoor function is key since the rug resides in what used to look like this:

Lauren took a pre-fab shed from fiberboard blah to gorgeous and inviting - the perfect playspace for her two young boys and even an occasional retreat for her husband and herself. Here's what the inside looks like after Lauren worked her magic:

Awesome, right? Click here for Lauren's description of the process and to see more pictures.

I want my very own backyard playspace! (I want a backyard, period.)

And in case you want some more outdoor living space inspiration, check out these amazing treehouse casas.

Color and print gets plussed

Maybe it's the spring weather coming (welllll, the idea of it at least, since we've had a ton of cold and rain recently - but anyway...) or maybe it's all the 9 by Design I've been watching, but I am so in love with color and print in interiors - specifically on walls/couches - lately.

Exhibits A-D:

Photo from Elle Decor, via Caitlin Creer Interiors

Um, could this giant print be any cooler? Also the patterned rug in grayish-blue makes me pretty happy. And the printed wallpaper in lovely lime-y yellow just happens to fit right in with my other three exhibits (below)...


Photo from Domino (RIP), via Caitlin Wilson Design-Style Files

I never knew I could be so into saturated, bright color, but this photo is totally doing it for me. The couch - wow. And the wall color is pretty amazing as well. A bright yellow pillow on its own? No thank you. In this room? Heck yes. It all works together so well. Love.


Photo of Christina and Chris Cuomo's living room (decorated by Emma Jane Pilkington and shot by Roger Davies) from in Elle Decor, via Habitually Chic

And what might be the coolest sofa/chaise/settee/loveseat (what do you call this thing??) ever, I am absolutely head over heels for this navy ikat thing, especially when paired with the little pop of pink and the addition of silver. Genius. I want this. It has a bit of a touch of the Target ikat chair I've been eying up forever, no? (Though I'm sure the pricetags are not at all in the same realm.)


Photo from Oh Happy Day

Last but not least, perhaps the least colorful, yet still peppy and patterned, is Jordan's living room. The setee - which happens to be from Nate Berkus for HSN - too cute, especially with the Jonathan Adler lemon pillow on it. This room is another good example of a print couch with an oversize print.

So what do you think? Is a patterned sofa too crazy for your taste? Or are you lapping up all that color come spring? Do tell...

And happy Friday, by the way! :)

Hello. on paper.

The cuteness! If I am ever fancy-pants-y enough to have personal calling cards, I want these ones that Erin Jang created, which were printed by the awesome Studio on Fire.

I'll take 250 with my info on them, please.

Spotted on Black Eiffel.

Font selector

This typeface guide by Julian Hansen is hilarious - and useful! If I were creating a logo or an invite, I would totally check to see if I were going down the right path by referring to this chart.

And if you're a really big design buff (or type nerd, perhaps?), then you can pre-order a print of this poster here to have on your wall all the time.

Sea is for Caramel

I'm about to mess up your breakfast with some eye candy (literally):

The stale granola bar you just dug out of the bottom drawer of your desk doesn't seem that delicious any more? Oops. Sorry.


Sorry, sorry. I just couldn't resist sharing these lovely chocolates. Mind you, I haven't actually tasted them myself - these Sweeteeth chocolates are currently only available at shops and restaurants in Charleston - but the packaging was just too adorable not to post. Doesn't this "Sea is for Caramel" bar fit in perfectly here on sea*life*style?

I hear online ordering is coming soon. Once it does, I'm in trouble, because this “Sea is for Caramel” bar is gorgeous and sounds delicious - and would make a perfect hostess gift. And we all know I'm a sucker for paper, design, little gifts, and candy. Gulp...

Spotted on simple + pretty.

Color + a touch of clutter

Some would say my house is slightly minimalist (I am certainly not a junk hoarder, nor am I a huge tchotchke fan), but a little well-styled clutter goes a long way.

I was trying to find a unifying theme within the below photos that have been inspiring me lately, and all I could think was that each had great color, plus a little bit of perfectly styled clutter. What do you think?

These are stacks of perfection. I love, love, love the console too.


This bedroom is cheery, breezy, casual and comfy. I'd love to be a guest here for a week (or four).


Traditional wedgewood blue dining rooms are so not me, but the giant coral chandelier so is. Such a good pop of color in an otherwise very formal room. I love it!


A closet of dreams. Shoes? Bags? Great blouse on display and fabulous organization? Check, check and check. I love it, especially the great use of space in the over-the-door shelves (not to mention the sunny bedroom just beyond). Those who know me know that I'd happily sleep in a closet if it were well-organized and pretty enough. (Confession: sometimes I sit in my walk-in just because it's nice in there...)

Does these rooms appeal to you too or are they too busy for your taste? Clean or cluttered, I am loving the color and breeziness of them all, just in time for spring.

Photo credits: 1 and 4- Sabrina Linn's loft in Canadian House and Home, via Oh Happy Day; 2- My Home Ideas, via Young House Love; 3- Sanctuary Home.