Monday Inspiration: Ikea Kitchens

It's time to start (seriously) thinking about a kitchen remodel--but, spending money always pains me. I'm thinking that Ikea might be the solution--nice cabinets at affordable prices...assembly required of course. Here's a great collection of real-life Ikea kitchens for inspiration.

Monday Inspiration: Steampunk

There's something glorious about steampunk--the elegant Victorian clutter coupled with the emergence of darker, industrial pieces just works. My leanings are decidedly mid century modern, but the hubby is looking into a steampunk office for himself--so I'm looking for ideas. Here's a den in the steampunk style--love the cluttered order of it.

Great Site: The CSI Project

Here's a great site for the craft-loving, but unfocused, like myself: The CSI Project. CSI stands for craft, share, inspire--and it does just that, with crafting challenges and nifty, inexpensive ideas for the home--you can even win prizes!

Great Site: OlioBoard

Moodboard from bmoreguy

Here's another great site for pulling your ideas together. OlioBoard is a mood board tool that has a library of items from a variety of stores (from Ikea to West Elm), even including accent items like pillows and art. Just drag and drop and you're good to go!

DI-Wednesday: Discover Your Style

Style quizzes abound lately, and they can be a great way to find out exactly what your style is, if you find that like myself, you are drawn to any number of things that don't quite go together. According to the variety of quizzes, I am Modern Original, Vintage Modern, Metro and Country Classic. You can find these quizzes here, here, here and here.

Monday Inspiration: Before and After

I'm loving the before and afters on My Domicile Style--it's always inspirational to see before and after pictures that have been accomplished by folks like me. Okay, folks with a bit more style than me.

Monday Inspiration: Dining in Color

This great combo from design*sponge is a cheery and fresh combination of vintage modern elements--the teak chairs and the white table, coupled with the tree stencils in the background, are a perfect vignette for dining.

Monday Inspiration: Well-Curated Shelf

Nothing is quite like a well-curated shelf--something that combines items that makes one stop and observe, and wonder what the collector had in mind when they put it together.

Great Tool: AutoDesk

I am in love with this new, free tool from the makers of AutoCad: AutoDesk! This tool allows you to create 3D models of your design plans, and you can include samples and brands from companies like DuPont and FLOR--genius!

Monday Inspiration: Art off the Walls

This caught my eye because of the overall masculine comfort of this living room, but I also love the large scale painting leaning against the wall. I love to see art used in less than conventional ways--there's no reason to exclude a lovely painting like this just because you don't have the wall space!

DI-Wednesday: Fun Wire Treatment

I love this idea for using an unsightly cord to add a nice design element to the home. Electrical wires and cords are a part of our lives, so why not make it something all your own?

Great Resource: Design in a Bag

from Apartment Therapy

This is a great idea for the indecisive amongst us, like myself. Design in a Bag will send you material samples, resource lists and renderings of your complete kitchen or bath project. At only $109 for a bag, it's certainly cheaper than hiring a full-time designer, and the site itself is a source for inspiration.

Great Tool: Polyvore

Polyvore is a great new tool for putting together an outfit, or a room! See how colors and patterns work together, drag and drop, and grab pictures from other websites to create your own mood boards. Now you can see what the furniture will look like with a plethora of throw pillows!

Design Help--Online!

This is a great idea for the design-challenged, like myself (I get it eventually, but moving the furniture 50 times first isn't the best method). Designs For Do-It-Yourselfers is a great way to work with a professional to get your house just right, either for a spruce or a renovation. The best part is you can use all of your existing furniture and art--saves money, and keeps the pieces you love!

Another option would certainly be to check out local designers looking for freelance opportunities--with the lull in the housing market, now's a good time to get a deal on their services.

Monday Inspiration: Cozy Kitchen

I love the element of the large table and comfortable chairs in this kitchen--too often we separate the cooking and eating areas, and require a separate dining space--but this kitchen's cozy feel emanates from the feeling that you can sit a spell, and have anything from a cup of coffee to a full meal.

Friday Finds: Time for Love!

Valentines, Loveheart Ninja from Lilley

It's time for some love!

From top to bottom:

Tiny Wee Hoot Owl - Redwood Lovers from buttercupbloom

Vintage Science Anatomy Heart Print from Unique Art Pendants

Removable Wall Stickers - Branches and Doves from ContemporaryDreams

Bunny with a Heart from wry & ginger

Kiss Me Valentine Card from corella illustration

Monday Inspiration: Turquoise!

Turquoise has always been one of my favorite colors, especially the way it's being used to tie together the modern and classical lines of this room (oh, and love the chandelier--if only my ceilings could be a few feet higher...). The rounded couch is right at home with the styled chairs and modern glass table.

Monday Inspiration: Clutter Control

Brilliant in its simplicity! We're working on a more functional coat rack area for our house, and adding a clipboard for notes and reminders would help save us from the flood of paper that ends up getting lost in the shuffle.

Monday Inspiration: Bathroom Hopes

Well, after almost six days, we have finally managed to complete our rock odyssey, and have successfully spread out 15 tons of rock lawn, extended our irrigation system, and added landscape lighting. No small feat, but we are gluttons for punishment, so today we grabbed the supplies we needed to put up our bathroom fan/light combo. This will involve a lot of crawling in the attic and running some flexible duct, as the current bathroom has no fan. So, I'm thinking happy bathroom thoughts, and that one day my bathroom will look as calming and organized as this one.

Vintage Color Inspiration

If you're looking for inspiration, there's no need to look further than the past. For instance, thedesigncubicle demonstrates how classic posters can inspire current design--he's referring to graphic design, but there's no reason this can't extend into the look of our home.

Check out his long list of vintage (and vintage style) posters, and see where you land--the one above blends muted colors and shapes that remind me of an old textbook I had in elementary school. The yellow could be my wall color, the maroon a major accent, and the dark aqua could show up in pops around the room--this would make a great den!