Beautiful Abodes: January 2013

The vintage wall-clock for less

Often times I'll see an object of desire, they often happen to be vintage items and unfortunately these vintage items are more than just out of my price-range or simply priced at more than what I'm willing to spend on said item.

This particular situation just happened to be when I saw a vintage schoolroom-style clock at West Elm Market called the Newgate Wall Clock - Brixton, priced at a whopping $135.00 (pictured right below). Boy it would be nice if I could get myself to spend over a $100 on a wall clock! The simplicity and retro feel of the clock had me hooked though, so it only meant one thing... it was time to hunt for a similar style wall clock at a more affordable price and fortunately for us, there's always a more affordable version to be found somewhere.

West Elm Market
NEWGATE WALL CLOCK - BRIXTON
$135.00

Material: Metal base, glass face, in Chrome
Measurement: 15.75" diam x 4"h
Detail: Tapered hands, gloss-finished casing eliminates potential glare

The two options I've found for a similar-styled wall clock were both found at Ikea. The first and most similar to the WE Market Newgate Wall Clock - Brixton was the Ikea Pugg wall clock which is priced at $14.99!

Ikea
PUGG Wall Clock
$14.99

Material: Stainless steel
Measurements: 12.5"diam

And while hunting for a similar clock at Ikea I came across another affordable gem that I thought worthy of mention, the Ikea Bravur Wall Clock which is priced at $49.99. Whilst the style of the Bravur has the same retro feel the key difference of this particular clock is the size, at 23.25" in diameter the Bravur is rather large giving the style of the wall clock a little bit of a twist to smile about. (You can also check out the dimension of the Bravur wall clock in image at the very top of this post).

Ikea
BRAVUR Wall Clock
$49.99

Material: Stainless Steel, Anti-corrosive phosphate coating, Epoxy/polyester powder coating, glass
Measurements: 23.25"dia

Using Green

I find the color green to be an eccentric color. A color that can be used for only a few rooms in the home, a color that must be well thought out in terms of interior planning when being used. I find that when using the color green things can go horribly wrong in one swift turn and because of this green is a rather hard color to stand firmly by. But for those who know what they're doing with their greens the overall look comes out astonishingly fresh and unique.

My hunt to find beautiful green-colored and/or hued rooms was not easy and in the end I found that the color green was best reserved for living-rooms and kitchens.

LIVING ROOMS

The room (Pictured above) plays off the eccentricity of the color green and so accessorizes the color with an eclectic mix of decor and furnishing.

Green-yellow can be refreshing and light and is made even more so (pictured above) with the abundance of natural light and spring colored furnishings.

The key-lime green below is also refreshing and light, however in this room (pictured below) the fresh and lightness of the key-lime green is taken down a few notches for a more earthy take by pairing it with darker olive greens. A smart play in different hued greens.

An olive green is used in the room (pictured above) to give color to a minimal modern home. The olive green adds color but the muted characteristic of the olive-hue does well to keep to the minimalism of the home.

A bright green is awakening, honest and full of happiness, paired with a large green-friendly yellow mural only makes it more-so.

And of course we can't forget the importance and the impact of using green hues via accent color. The largely neutral room accented with green allows the green to be the center of attention.

KITCHENS

I found that the green utilized in the kitchen was much more fun than looking at any other green-hued rooms. The green kitchens exuded fun, excitement and adventure, which is exactly what cooking is, in this way green is the perfect color for the kitchen.

The light olive-hued cabinetry of the kitchen (pictured above) is accented by the yellow and white dinner and serving-ware. A homeliness and fun atmosphere is created with an overall chic-vibe lent by the carefully planned paring of the cabinets and all other yellow and white wares.

The true green (as pictured above) is hard to use in most rooms, but this kitchen has done well utilizing the true green with egg-shell colored walls and wood countertops.

A more rustic use of green (as pictured above) uses olive green accented with woods trim and olive green tiles on the wall. The open shelving only adds to the rustic theme of the kitchen while the olive green, a largely toned-down green is the perfect green hue for a rustic kitchen, you can practically smell a bunch of sage lying around while a rabbit stew is cooking on the stove!

And for a rustic country theme add a lighter-toned green along with the olive green. Adding touches of distressed marks can only drive the theme home.

A more contemporary use of the color green is the green yellow-hue paired with dark wood floors and stainless silver appliances.

Another example of using green in a contemporary kitchen (as seen below)? A kitchen accent wall compiled of green tiles, and to take that green to the next level? Add green accent colors throughout the kitchen.

I Stand Behind: Annie, my rescued pet

I dedicate this "I Stand Behind"-post to Annie, who my husband and I rescued only 4 months ago. You're probably thinking this has nothing to do with beautiful abodes and interior design for that matter unless you're speaking of stuffed dogs (which by the way, ew~ no offense to those who actually have stuffed pets, and I don't mean toys).

I've grown up with dogs for most of my life, granted I never did any of the leg work (Sorry Mom and Dad!) and was too young to know what joy pets can bring. This post isn't so much about Annie but about pets in general and how having them, whether a turtle, bird, dog, cat and/or etc. can bring you such joy everyday. This everyday joy that they bring is very much a part of living, especially at home, and this is how it pertains to beautiful abodes, for me anyways. I truly believe that having a beautiful home can be external as well as internal and when there are happy people living in a home, any kind of home, that home becomes beautiful.

We brought Annie home not long after my husband and I moved into our first new house, and while we fretted about what kind of blinds and drapes to hang, whether an area rug here or there was necessary there was no denying that Annie really was the perfect accessory (it just so happened to be that way fortunately). Annie could do what no other furnishing or decor could which was to look absolutely adorable, AND, be an accompaniment to any area of the home to make it look homely, comfortable and loved. Here's what I mean...

Annie can sit on the sofa and make it look like it has absolute purpose although quite truthfully we barely use it.

Annie can make use of any empty space, giving it purpose.

Annie makes a nice accompaniment with our sheepskin rug, they were meant for eachother, and she loves it so which gives the sheep-skin rug all the more meaning.

She can give that one furnishing in your household that you despise above all else and wish you can throw away but don't have the heart to, a good reason to keep.

She often tells us where a rug is needed.

And really... who wouldn't smile and feel joy even in the darkest hour looking at this face. One of the secrets to having a beautiful home is to have happy people living in it... and she makes us very happy every day.

And another article on the joys of pets

from Apartment Therapy

Happiness is a Warm Puppy: Canine Comforts

Rustically Charming Kitchens

My husband and I moved into our very first home last year, it'll soon be exactly a year since we've moved in. Being the procrastinators we are (for some things more than others) we have yet to complete a couple of rooms, budget has much to do with this too of course- sometimes, you just need to prioritize, sadly. On a happier note, I think we're finally bearing down and have come to the conclusion that yes, the kitchen has to be done soon, real soon. While most things are situated and the general style (rustic & charming) is coming through from the cabinetry, counter-tops and our choice to have open shelving, we have yet to put in a couple of other vital decor and wall-storage items that will be... room-changing.

So as my husband and I pass the lull of "taking a break" from our kitchen duties/fixes, we are now amped and ready to start again our kitchen project. Hence a few pictures I would like to share that I've been staring at as of late, these pictures help to stir up some of my kitchen-tied emotions (I find cooking and eating emotional, amongst other things) and they also help me to remember what it is that I am looking for in my own kitchen.

The Pick on Pillows

As a person who recognizes that simple things can pack the most punch sometimes I find it hard to stray from what I usually tend to do, hence my life has followed a path (interiorly speaking) and has thus lacked, in a way, a bit of adventure. I'm sure there are many that can understand this.

The best way to make any changes, especially when you're hesitant is to introduce this thing (your hesitant to do) slowly into your life, some like to call it baby-steps, I call it... taking it easy. And with this 'hesitation' in mind I bring you pillows that I find to be top-picks when it comes to introducing a bit of adventure into your home, whether that adventure be a slight modern take, a splash of color, a bit of spice or... perhaps, something just a little bit different.

The beauty with the pillows featured in today's post is that the base hue of the pillow (or the primary color) is as neutral as it can get, but added to this neutral color is a splash of color and a splash of texture. And while you may think pillow cannot make too much of a difference... let me just say one more time, "sometimes it's the simple things that can pack the most punch"or as another saying goes, "big things come in little packages".

CB2 Boucle Swoon 20" Pillows

It can accessorize a modern home or a retro home. The Boucle Swoon Pillow by CB2 is knit in soft acrylic and features flecks of color. Available in blue or orange.

West Elm Cotton Velvet Duo Pillow Covers

Perfect for the contemporary home, West Elm's Cotton Velvet Duo Pillow features a textured natural-colored cotton with velvet colorful piping along the borders. Stay in your comfort zone while still adding color by sticking to one color or add a bit more fun by opting to buy a set of different colors. Available in blue, red, green, orange and yellow.