A Literal Cork Board

It's probably not the first time I've seen this nor the first time you've seen this but for some reason I always get wowed when I see it. It's a cork board, literally. A board full of corks, wine corks. I have to admit that after having seen one done so beautifully it makes me want to create my own, but that would be a lot of wine to drink. But if you've got a collection of corks already saved here's a fun project you can seriously think about doing.

Small Kitchen - Loads of Character

I have lived with more than my share of small kitchens, while as a food enthusiasts I would of course prefer to have a large kitchen with room to spare small kitchens really aren't all that bad. It can keep one imaginative on ways to add extra storage and on how to dupe the senses that the kitchen is larger than it actually is. Another plus to small kitchens (or small anywheres!) they are much easier to decorate due to their lack of space.

Below are a few choice pictures I was able to pick-out of small kitchens with loads of character to help inspire you transform your own small kitchen, should you have one, into something fun and/or beautiful!

New shelves in my pantry

Originally, I had an old bulky stand alone shelf in the corner, it was a real eye sore but it did the trick in terms of storage for the time. I had always planned to put up wall shelving in its place it just took a great long while, but it's finally up! Thanks to my awesome handy husband. 

We were able to buy all the wood items to create the shelf from Ikea, even the wood island is a purchase from Ikea that we made a couple of years ago, it makes a convenient table right next to our washer and dryer. I'm so blown away by how much more beautiful the change made the mudroom/pantry that I just had to share it!

Below are some inspirational pictures of really great looking pantries that boast open shelving.

Nurseries to draw inspiration from

In 3 months my husband and I will be welcoming a new addition to our 2-person and 1 four-legged family, we are to say the least, very excited. I find that I am humbled a little more everyday by the experience and the anticipation of carrying a child and bringing him home this coming July. 

So, 3 months and counting, and there is still much to do in terms of getting the nursery ready. I already have most of the furnishings but the ambience/mood of the room isn't quite there yet and this I find to be the most important aspect, for me anyway. I know I love the color yellow, the happiness of the color draws me to it when thinking of the nursery. I know I want the nursery to be comfortable, lived-in yet organized and tidy. I want the nursery to exude happiness, love and fun.

Time to gather samples for ideas and of course there's no better way to do that than hitting the web! Here are a few choice images I chose from the many that I gathered.

THE MOOD

The range of ambience or mood that can be created for your nursery is much wider than you can imagine. These days new parents are creating nurseries for their pint-sized selves that you wouldn't even be able to imagine. I found this to be quite inspiring and it made me realize how much fun it's going to be to create an atmosphere for my child to grow up in. I ran into many images of the 'traditional' nursery settings, but then there were romantic settings full of chandeliers and canopied cribs in white and pastel pinks, there were more contemporary settings (as seen pictured above) where the room exudes comfort and a lived-in quality. There were clearly unique nurseries filled with wood accents that screamed modern country and even hipster styles. There were plain modern nurseries and simple chic nurseries, they were all beautiful and of course inspiring to look at.

Hipster!

Modern country

Modern

So chic

FOR COLOR

A really popular pairing for nursery colors was a hue of blue or teal paired with hues of yellow. I found the pairing to be quite please (as you can see by the images above and below). Using pastels or not the two colors bring out airiness, happiness and a fun little spunk that can be used for either boys' or girls' nurseries.

The more 'now' or contemporary colors used for nurseries were darker colors paired with white and accented with a fun pop of color (yellow or orange is used in the images above and below). While most at some point in time way back when, would have said "no no not for a  nursery" to these darker  'moodier' colors: black and dark gray, I actually found them to be yes, untraditional, but unique and still fun and completely color appropriate for a nursery. Just goes to show that with the proper decor and accent colors you really can make any color work for a nursery.

WALL ART

Popular amongst many of the nurseries I came across were stenciled trees around the crib, and there is quite a variety of tree stencils to pick from. However, not only do you have a variety of stencil trees to pick from but it is also probably one of the most economical ways to go in terms of wall art.

The ABC wall

Then of course there were other wall art/decors that I found worthy of posting, all of them unique, interesting, fun, smart and exuding a particular style not all that traditional of nurseries and yet inspiring to push us to think beyond traditional nursery settings.

The folky frames and pictures

The UNpainted tree wall art

THE CRIB

The crib is probably the most important furnishing in the nursery, for obvious reasons, and there are, like with everything else, so many to choose from. But regardless of whether you opt for a vintage crib, a metal crib, a wood crib, a contemporary crib, a traditional crib &tc the decor that surrounds it will ultimately give it the final say. I found a couple of crib images that I found worth talking about, 1. The canopied crib. A smart way to keep out the light when your baby is taking a nap, and of course, it looks absolutely darling. And, 2. The vintage crib. I found that the vintage-styled cribs exudes the most character by itself without even the help of surrounding decor, which means that going for a minimal styled nursery is easily possible, and also, the vintage crib is simply adorable.

OTHER IDEAS TO BE CONSIDERED

Other smart and fun ideas to be considered are the DIY mobiles. I've personally really been wanting to make my own moible but found the idea of doing it myself (which of course will be ideal in terms of budget and making it personalized) a little scary, however after seeing a few simple mobile designs I've realized that it will be much easier than I imagined (more on this DIY mobile in a later post!).

A second idea that I really loved in a couple of nurseries that I came across was the kiddie bookshelf, where the books are leaned up against the wall for easy picking... and a smart, colorful way to fill a large blank wall. As I am an avid reader and hope that my child too will love to read, I think yes, I'm definitely doing this one!

Using Black

When I wanted to paint the doors of our house black my husband strongly urged me not to do so, so when I tried Plan B: to paint the moldings black, my husband once again urged me strongly not to do so.  When I asked him his reason for this definitive acrimony for the color black he simply stated that he felt black was a depressing color, a color of death and so on.  Black may be linked to many negative connotations and in many ways this link is very true but that doesn't mean black can't be a wonderful color for the home, in truth, using black in the home can be quite chic and even charming.

THE DOORS

Painting the door(s) glossy black can be quite the way to make a chic statement and also a wonderful way to incorporate black with standing power without having to have black walls (which for many can be a bit over-whelming, especially if it's the first time your using this color).  With black doors a simple black accent here and there in forms of pictures frames, shelving and even a wall full of black and white photos can really tie the room into a black-color theme that is exciting and smart.

THE LIVING AREA

Using black as an accent to one large space is not only a great way to incorporate the color with the lease amount of work but it's also quite chic.  Try an accent wall or even better (as pictured below) accent flooring!  One of the great aspects of taking the route of accenting with the color is that you'll find that you have more options when figuring out the decor style of the room (ie modern, rustic, etc.) and it will also give you more free reign on incorporating a variety of other colors if you wish to do so.

FAVORITE!

The pairing of mahogany and black is glamourous and exquisite, pairing the two can cover a wide spectrum from rustic (pictured above) to eclectic high-end living (pictured below).

THE KITCHEN

Although it's no favorite of mine modern minimalism is probably one of the most popular ways to use black in the kitchen.

Using reflective black (or better known as glossy black) in the kitchen can be quite exciting in that the reflective black can really amp up the look of the kitchen creating an almost futuristic vibe even in contemporary kitchens (as seen above).

When comparing the picture above and below one can compare and contrast the similarities and differences of the kitchen.  Both kitchens which have reflective black surfaces are switched in floor colors and ceiling colors; the kitchen pictured above has matte white ceilings and a reflective dark gray floor while the kitchen pictured below has a reflective black ceiling and matte white flooring.  The matte of the white ceiling creates a more closed-in atmosphere while the reflective black ceiling make the space feel more open and grand.  I find this comparison to be quite interesting since it is normally the darker colors that create the illusion of a smaller space, just goes to show the power of gloss.

FAVORITE!

My favorite use of black in the kitchen is pictured above, the rustic-styled kitchen.  I honestly didn't think using black to create a rustic kitchen was possible, but it is!  The two tones of black: the black walls and dark gray shelving and cabinets creates depth and a feeling of space, the black and white kitchen floor tiling are in a couple different styles, but the combination of different tiles being used creates the feeling of a fun, creative space.

TEEN ROOMS

Not all teens with black walled rooms are going through teen-angst.  There are plenty of youthful prints and materials out there to scream teen-chic rather than "I lock myself in my room and play tearful hate music on my free time" for example, the checkered print, a vintage yet youthful print that is fantastic for teen rooms. Silver or anything close to is a great material that is youthful and goes well black in teen rooms.  Pops of bright color is another great way to incorporate fun and teen rooms can totally get away with most colors that are simply strewn about.

KID ROOMS

And while some parents are debating with their teens about their black rooms these same mas and pas won't think twice about saying "NO" to their baby's nursery being black.  Who would want their little mini-me to be influenced by the negative nature of the dark color?!  Well, there are ways to brighten up black.  And there probably is no better way to make a statement than taking black and turning it around.  A few adorable, smart and chic ways to use black in the nursery are pictured here.

When using an accent color for the black nursery, yellow is always a great color; so bright that even black loses it's dull negativity, when paired together yellow is more robust and popping and black seems to be the accent.

Leaving the white ceiling is another common trick to keeping the space looking a little less black and more open.  Of course, fun prints and bright colors help a lot too.

USING PRINT

And by golly don't forget about wall paper, stencils and other fun ways to use black.  Wall paper is a great way to incorporate print over a large space. 

The black and silver floral wall paper can catch people unawares but it is never-the-less quite beautiful in its non-traditional way.  Contemporary wall papers (such as the one pictured below) of the alphabet is fun and can easily transform a rather plain space.