Things that Inspire ~ Part Two!
Things that inspire, Part Two!
Favorites, Inspire Entire Rooms!
Inspiring Pieces, Part 1 is here, in case you missed it!
In this episode, I share things that inspired me and some that I did not plan. Who knew?
As a reminder, these are ideas to decorate a room in a snap or at least get started. Is it time for an update or a refresh? Start with something you love and create a space using an inspiring piece. It could be a small accessory or a favorite antique.
Below are some inspiring pieces I used to create rooms I love. Clean lines and great lighting make a home that is warm and inviting. These favorites are not in a particular order of love, just a reference point.
#1 Favorite ~ Accidental Inspiring Piece
The Mirror
The intention for the mirror I bought for our dining space was to be temporary. I needed something to fit the space beside our French doors. I found this mirror online and gravitated to it because of the cathedral-shaped muntins.
The mirror is an accidental inspiration piece because it was not intentional. It was a placeholder until I could find something spectacular. When I purchased the mirror, there was no wood of the same color in my house. The base of the kitchen island stools are the same patina, and the mirror blended with those nicely.
I will quickly address the muntins in my own words and terms. Muntins are the grids in your windows and mirrors. If you hear the term mullions, not to be confused with minions 😂, mullions are structural. Mullions are the vertical shafts between the windows that offer support. Muntins are cosmetic.
My image below shows the windows on either side of our fireplace with cathedral muntins. Decorating is personal, and I love cathedral-shaped muntins.
If you visited the post about my 1998 Inspiration book, I drew a picture of a window with cathedral-shaped muntins.
Mirror #2
The mirror in the image below is in the Girls’ Bedroom #2. I saw this in a boutique and asked to buy it even though it was not for sale. Oy! I loved the mirror because it was narrow and had cathedral-shaped muntins.
Side note, you would not believe the number of times I inquire about products in stores that are not for sale. Most of the time, I go to check the tag, and it says NFS. Sometimes I get lucky, and they sell it to me.
Revisiting the unintentional mirror in the dining area, I have fallen in love with it, and it is staying in place. It is very convenient how the dining room table, chairs, and stools are all the same color as the mirror. 😮
Hindsight can be good or bad. In this case, hindsight is magic. I bought the mirror as a placeholder, got lucky the island swivel stools matched, and when I found the dining room table, it all just came together.
It was not exactly a smooth transition. The Dining Table Dilemma post shares the ugliness around what type of luck.
#2 Favorite ~ All Time Favorite
The unique tile I found for the girl’s bathroom is my all-time favorite. Talk about things that inspire! I used this Pinterest image as my inspiration to decorate an entire bathroom and bedroom.
The tile for the girl’s bathroom came from a Pinterest find. I could not stop thinking about the look of that bathroom, so I went to work to recreate it. The planned bathroom was complete, and I used it to pull the color palette into Girl’s Bedroom #2. The link to the Pinterest inspiration is here.
After my dig, dig, digging; I finally located the tile above. Below is a sneak peek of the Girl’s Bathroom Remodel.
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# 3 Favorite ~ Pottery Barn Hadley Lamp
Pottery Barn Hadley lamp. My daughter found this lamp, called me because she loved it, and I told her to buy it immediately. My youngest daughter has excellent taste, is an incredible artist, and worked at Pottery Barn Outlet for a summer.
There is an image of her bedroom below, and she had a big hand in helping design it. The lamp is perfect because I used it to draw from the girl’s bathroom colors shown above.
Oh, and the painting above her bed, she painted it for me. How about that?!
I wanted to create a cohesive look from the bathroom to Girl’s Bedroom #2.
#4 Favorite ~ Butcher Block Shelf in Laundry Room
While seeking inspiration for the laundry room, almost every picture of a laundry room included a butcher block shelf. It seemed to be the floating shelf for the laundry room. I knew I wanted one and thought I would have to be the one to find it and have it installed. Our laundry room cabinet contractor indicated they could add one easily. Again, I cannot stress enough to please select the contractors that make it happen. Our closet contractor created the look I sought for the laundry room makeover.
Once I added a few of my accessories, BOOM, Pinterest-worthy.
A butcher block shelf may not seem like a big deal, but it added the texture I wanted for the laundry room. This room is my favorite place in my home because it is always clean. As it turns out, I love, love, love my compact laundry room.
A larger laundry room was in the dream, but I changed my mind. The best part of our laundry room is it is off the kitchen. I live in the kitchen and can easily change loads and fold clothes all day because I hear the chiming when a cycle is complete.
#5 Favorite ~ The Desk
Do you ever have those items you want to buy but don’t want to pay retail? You decide to wait it out and jump on the sale when it happens, and it never happens. Once you pull the trigger, the product is no longer available. Torture!
I can name every single item that haunts me. One item is the Alexandria desk from Pottery Barn. After years of waiting, I realized a sale would not happen, and the desk was no longer available. Heartbreak.
A lucky option surfaced when I found a similar desk from Wayfair. In this case, I waited for Way Day and snagged it on sale. Thank goodness because it inspired my entire office, and I love it!
I forfeited my office in the basement, so I needed to create a new space for myself and my work. I relinquished my lake view and office set up to give that area to my husband.
Can we have a chat? I am sorry, but this will be a one-way chat.
I mentioned above that I gave up my office lake view in the basement to give that workspace to my husband. The desk in the basement has a large surface, and I added a writing desk next to the window for the perfect office.
Since I gave up my lake-view office with the enormous desk surface, the desk is now covered with piles of papers, binders, files, sheet protector boxes, and maybe some windshield wiper fluid?!?!?
And now? I keep finding my husband in my new office shown here, seriously?
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Conclusion
As this blog evolves, I will listen to my subscribers to understand if they want more examples of using favorites to decorate a room. I have used this trick multiple times in my home, and it helps the psyche while eliminating the overwhelm.
Given my experience, because of my age 🙄, it makes it easy to share these quick tips. I hope this helps, and if nothing else, it may save you some time. Trial and error is a great starting point, and begin with your favorites!