Saturday Special: The Ballard Design 2011 Look Book

I recently received the 2011 Look Book from Ballard Designs and was blown away by the fresh, clean, sophisticated look of their designs.  The pieces they offer are designer quality at an affordable and attainable cost.  As an Interior Designer, I am thankful enough to be apart of their Designer Program and get a sneak peak at what's to come!  

Here is the direction they are envisioning for 2011....

White rooms seem to glow.  When you layer in white's endless shades and textures, the look becomes sophisticated and simple, all in the same satisfying breath.  And as the light changes so does the color of your room, moving from crisp and bright to soft and light.  In 2011, look for materials of white twill, white-washed woods and bamboo, white glazed ceramic accents and plenty of white accessories to help freshen up and enhance any decor. - Ballard Designs

Do you enjoy the freshness of white colors?  Or do you prefer darker tones?

How do you incorporate white hues into your decor? 

Wintry White Wonderland: Inspiration for a Wondrous Decor

With the BIG BLIZZARD of 2010 (ya, right...we only got 4"), I've been dreaming of WHITE (and black with the possible new project of revamping my oak cabinets ~ see today's earlier post on I'm BACK & thinking BLACK) and thought it would be fun to inspire you with a little Wintry White for your Wondrous interior decor.  

I LOVE white...it's so fresh, calm, and clean.  

On the other side, it's majorly difficult to keep clean.  Anything and Everything shows (especially with 2 young kids)!  But you can always {DREAM}

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I'm BACK & thinking BLACK!

I hope you truly enjoyed your Christmas and had some enjoyable time with your family and friends! A little time-off for me was great...I feel revived and ready to start my projects for 2011 (even though we still have a week to go in 2010)!  

Since the one year anniversary of living in our home is coming up in February, I feel like I need to get movin' & groovin' on some of the projects that have been brewing in my head for the last 300+ days. Major projects on my mind are: the master bath, kids bath, and possibly the kitchen ....Can you say WOW!! (O, and the basement) ...am I setting myself up for doom?!?

Let's chat about the kitchen first....I'm thinking Black Cabinets.  

Did I really say, BLACK?

So these are my issues ~~ 

Is black too trendy? (I don't think so if done right)   

Should I undertake this project on my own? (2 kids + 2 businesses = UMMM...sure, why not?!) 

New countertops? (We have dark green laminate, so that's a YES if we decide on black cabs)   

New appliances? (Another definite if you have black cabs....stainless would be a must ~ white would be too much of a contrast) 

And the list of questions in my head continues......

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2011 Color of the Year: Honeysuckle

I love how Heidi Klum puts it best on Project Runway....

One day you're in, 

the next day you're out!

                                 Turquoise                                         Honeysuckle

 With the New Year just upon us, 

Pantone has announced it's 2011 Color of the Year....

drumroll, please...

{HONEYSUCKLE}

At first you may not be too fond of the color or ask yourself,  "how can I incorporate this color into my decor?"...well you can!  “In times of stress, we need something to lift our spirits. Honeysuckle is a captivating, stimulating color that gets the adrenaline going – perfect to ward off the blues,” explains Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “Honeysuckle derives its positive qualities from a powerful bond to its mother color red, the most physical, viscerally alive hue in the spectrum.”  When I first saw the color, I was a little taken back, especially with the complete color change from last year's color, turquoise.  But just like with turquoise, so many colors complement Honeysuckle....try it out ~ use browns, grays, taupes, and gorgeous greens to accompany Honeysuckle!

{Honeysuckle Interiors}

I actually feel a little ahead of the times (pat myself on the back)...just kidding.  This is my daughter's room, which was painted hot pink fuschia honeysuckle earlier this year.  Somehow I knew it was going to be the HOT color for next year ;)

Do you know how difficult it was to find window treatments to coordinate with the walls...after lots of searching, I found the perfect match (herringbone pattern in a honeysuckle color).  I'm sure if I were to look for something to coordinate now, it'd be easy. 

How will you introduce honeysuckle into your decor for 2011?

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Featured Sponsor

RED Hot!

I'm feeling a bit cheery this morning with Christmas just 2 weeks away.  How apropos for the season to share a little {RED}

Red: 
~ is eye catching 
~ makes a statement
~ is HOT
~ is empowering
~ invigorates your body

{POP your interior with a bit of RED}

 A little RED goes a long way!

 Hints of RED combined with white...STUNNING!

 A truly amazing space...HOT RED kitchen cabinets...a show stopper!

Incorporating a little RED into your Christmas decor!

{Add RED into your furnishings}

 Amazing RED as you enter your home...ENERGIZING!

{Red in Fashion}

This post is brought to you by one of our awesome sponsors that makes amazing furniture: Industry Manufacturing Co.

 Images courtesy of Design Sponge, Belle Maison, Country Living, Real Simple, Daily Mail

Mixin' it up with Warm + Cool Colors

Since being in our house less than a year, we're still in the 'settling in' period.  About 95% of our furnishings were from our previous home, and even though most of them 'fit', I'm still moving things around here and there in an attempt to make it perfect just right!  My favorite plum-colored lamp which was sitting on one nightstand in my bedroom, just wasn't working right, so it was on the move for a new home!  In the midst of thinking where it would work best, I started asking myself how the cool color of plum (purple) would mix with the warm colors of greens & burnt oranges..... 

The lamp landed and now sits in my living room, SO..... the question is ~

Can you combine warm colors of greens, oranges, & reds 

with cool colors of blues & purple?

Answer ={ABSOLUTELY}

This is the space where my perfectly plum-colored lamp now sits!  

(Unfortunately I didn't take a pic of its old home, sorry)

I got my fav plum-colored lamp @ Crate & Barrel years ago and this is their version available now...don't love it as much with the white shade and more petite size. 

Other Plum + Green spaces that may inspire you to MIX-IT-UP & blend 

warm and cool colors!

 SHHH....And I'll let you in on a little secret ~

I love the combo of plum + green...just look at my website colors.

Images Courtesy of Belle Maison, Decor Pad, The Decorologist