Opaline

How To: A Romantic Vanity

2010-04-20T11:18:00.010-06:00

A vanity is the one place where it's fun to be as girly and feminine as it gets. Even if the rest of your house is stark, modern or just generally chaotic, a romantic vanity is your own corner of the world. Here are a few ways to create the look: Start with something a tall jewelry holders to add height and structure. I liked this mannequin holder, made with wood and french linens.

Pair it with a unique faded turquoise resin hand covered with wild flowers and Parisian scripts to hold bracelets and rings. Etched glass dishes, decorative soap dishes and lovely trays are also a simple way to catch jewelry.

Add decorative glass bottles and decanters filled with lotions and potions, fragrant votive candles and decorative tins to hold soap or treasures.

Add a gorgeous antique mirror and fresh flowers and a few well-placed scarves, and your vanity will look like a Parisian boudoir.

Timothy Gray Clock

2010-04-13T11:01:00.000-06:00

I love this clock-hanging-a-chain look. It's both functional and pendant-like. The sepia-toned face is surrounded in a tarnished silver frame and strung from a chain. link hanger for texture and dimension. It's a welcome relief from LED clocks and glowing numbers.
@ Ballard Designs, $75.

Hanging Mango Wood Trays

2010-04-13T04:51:00.001-06:00

These hanging trays are meant to hang in a patio and evoke tropic isles, while keeping things within reach. I think they'd be pretty handy hanging in a bathroom, entry way and maybe even a bedside table in cramped quarters. Great idea if you need floor space. The large is 13"x18" and the small runs 12"x15"
@ Pottery Barn, $89/set of 2. Internet only.

Copenhagen Style

2010-04-12T11:47:00.007-06:00

This home in an 18th century Copenhagen apartment building was designed by Danish design team Alfieri & Grand, who run a studio/antique store called Indenfor & Udenfor (Interior & Exterior). I love the controlled explosions of bright, cheerful color -- on pillows, textiles, dishes and doors throughout the house. Seems especially appropriate for this time of year, when we're finally starting to see color explosions outside as well.

Spring Garden Knobs

2010-04-04T11:29:00.000-06:00

If you're craving a spring makeover, here's a simple, cheerful solution.
Ten bucks + five minutes and a screwdriver = blooming flowers, indoors and out.
@ Anthropologie, from $8

Birds on Branches

2010-04-01T01:19:00.000-06:00

Got spring fever? These birdies are a quick, affordable way to brighten a room and, in the right setting, they'd offer a lot of visual interest. I'd like to see them against a flowery wallpaper print.
@ Modern Dose, $29/set of 4

Outdoor Room Ideas

2010-03-31T11:46:00.004-06:00

House Beautiful has a nice slideshow on outdoor rooms. Since, My patio needs an update, I've been deconstructing pix to find affordable, easy-to-duplicate ideas that could work in an average garden.
* Pair bright, eye-catchy pillows with rustic furniture.

* Hang a simple candle lantern in a covered patio or porch.

* Emphasize prominent garden foliage, such as an ivy-covered wall and if the house has clean lines, choose furniture with the same.
* Hang an overscale sign or thrift-store piece, especially if a garden lacks color or a strong focal point.

German Silver Etched Tables

2010-03-31T11:12:00.003-06:00

It's fair to say that these are German, by way of India. A classic Indian paisley motif is lightly etched on the surface of these gleaming tables. The effect is both contemporary and lovely. Very pretty, indeed.
@ Wisteria, from $279

Ceramics by Vika Mitrichenka

2010-03-25T18:18:00.004-06:00

I love these pieces done by Minsk artist Vika Mitrichenka, who seems to specialize in Franken-tea sets. I can't find many details on her work, but suspect we'll see more from this young talent in the years to come.

Big Jars by Elizabeth Lyons

2010-03-23T11:35:00.002-06:00

The playful scale -- the oversized stopper and organic shapes -- of these Big Jars creates such a unique, modern shape. But the knockout factor comes colors -- from opaline (yay!) to deeply saturated clear glass and that ceramics. The jars are handblown by artist Elizabeth Lyons at her Rochester, N.Y. studio and each dazzling piece is one-of-a-kind.
@ Elizabeth Lyons

Upholstered Cubes + Stools

2010-03-19T01:27:00.000-06:00

Love the prints and panache of this room, especially the way it's punctuated with these tufted metallic cubes and lovely upholstered stools. Nice way to add some texture and impact to a room.
@ Brocade Home, $179-$249

Anthropologie Wallpapers

2010-03-18T13:14:00.003-06:00

These new wallpaper patterns at Anthropologie are such eye-catchers. The Blooming Filagree pattern features a super-feminine scrollwork design and Lofty Lark has a flurry of cages and coral birds against a sky-colored background. On the bottom, Teacup Alley showcases hand-drawn mugs in blues and navy and, my personal favorite, is C'est Magnifique, which is such an adorable print of la vie Parisenne. There are also dozens other patterns worth a look.
@ Anthropologie, from $88

Donna Wilson Designs

2010-03-14T22:39:00.003-06:00

Donna Wilson, a Scottish ceramicist and textile designer, is well known for fabrics used on chairs, ottomans and other furnishings. But her own collection is adorable, and she has a new spring collection with a number of charming new new pieces. I especially love the Staffordshire dogs and the house blanket. Check out her website to see the full collection.

@ Donna Wilson

Wine Glass Lamp Shades

2010-03-10T21:29:00.002-07:00

These clever shades let you create an impromptu lighting on the fly. They are made from vellum and just add a tealight and wine glass, and voila! I think they'd look especially festive lined up down a dining table.
@ MoMA, $15/set of 3

Bye Bye Birdie Hooks

2010-03-09T02:35:00.001-07:00

This little hook -- especially used as a letter holder -- is so adorable that I might have to add one or two to my entryway ASAP. They are magnetic, and designed so the beaks have a little clip for letters and what not. Love it.
@ Delight, $14

Made Good Mirrors

2010-03-08T04:00:00.000-07:00

Made Goods has a pretty amazing range of mirrors in different styles -- from graphic shapes to gilded edges to shells and mother-of-pearl overlay. Clearly designed to be show-stoppers, Made Goods has obviously decided that mirrors might as well double as works of art.
@ Made Goods

[via Material Girls]

Dwell Studio for Target

2010-03-07T14:17:00.002-07:00

Dwell Studio for Target has already created lot of great bedding designs, and I'm loving their spring collection. The colors and prints for these quilted-style coverlets are perfect for warmer weather. The Bird in a Vine and the Mandela (below) are my favorite designs, but there are dozens of others. Best of all, the affordable price tag makes it feasible think about updating the bedroom, even if you're on a tight budget.

@ Target, $70-$80 for quilts, $25 for shams

VIntage Mirrored Doors

2010-03-02T11:32:00.002-07:00

Antique doors have an incredible presence and instantly define a room. They are pricey, but lean one vintage French door against a wall, and most of your design decision-making is done.

@ The Paris Apartment, around $3,400.

French Shop Keepers' Shelves

2010-02-26T11:05:00.002-07:00

Seriously loving these spacious display shelves. They're rustic, with a bit of detailing on the iron rods to keep things interesting. They look like they once held hats, bolts of lace or equally fanciful things, and then were discovered at a dusty French flea market.

@ Wisteria, $399

Ceramic Stools

2010-02-26T06:20:00.000-07:00

Perfect in a bedroom, a sunroom, a bathroom, a family room and maybe just about any other room in the house. The ceramic stools come in several styles and colors, to add a pop of color, a bit of character or a flash of metal. Oh, and of course, they're perfect in a garden too.

@ Belongings, from $195

Galvanized Nichos

2010-02-25T04:24:00.000-07:00

Adobe homes almost always come nichos, the wall pockets that are perfect to display treasured goodies or collections. These galvanized metal nichos -- with a lovely, copper patina -- are a perfect way to show off your own treasures, without carving holes in the wall.

@ Aero Home, $156/set of 3

Moody Blues

2010-02-24T05:00:00.000-07:00

Using subdued, antique blues gives a room a sense of tranquility and composure, but it also promises some excitement. Unlike most blues, these colors don't try as hard to please. They harbor secrets and mystery, evoking overcast days, deep waters and uncharted territories.

These pix are from House Beautiful slideshow on decorating with moody blues. It doesn't take much -- silky drapes, a wash of paint -- to do the trick in an otherwise neutral space.

Maiolica Hand-Painted Ceramics

2010-02-23T13:16:00.003-07:00

These hand-painted ceramics are the work of an Etsy artist who learned classic techniques from the Italian Renaissance style and studied her craft in Holland, Belgium and Germany. It's a find for anyone who loves She specializes in tiles, platters and bowls done with an Old World flourish.

@ Etsy, $35-$115

Vintage Colletions at Barn House Marketplace

2010-02-18T12:12:00.002-07:00

Give us your spattered and dusty, your blemished and bumpy. That way, we can group the most underwhelming of household objects together and create great looking collections. These are from Barn House Marketplace, and honestly, I'll never see my paintbrushes the same way again.

@Barnhouse Marketplace, from $40

Benoa Daybed

2010-02-16T04:43:00.001-07:00

Don't you hate it when you fall hard for a piece of furniture, only to discover that it's too cost-prohibitive to actually ever own. That's the case with this daybed, which was hand-carved from mango wood. It features two love birds, amid jungle fronds and foliage. The cushion, a leaf print in kiwi and marine blue, adds to the rainforest effect. Ah well, I suppose I can dream about this daybed, even if I can't actually dream on it.

@ Anthropologie, $3298