Colorful Mats

The apartment of Ingrid Bergman in the 1958 film Indiscreet has become a design favorite.  I've never seen anyone else frame their art so colorfully until yesterday when I came across two examples. 

David Hicks also used colorful mats or "picture mounts" as they are called in David Hicks: A Life of Design.  This London apartment from 1954 was also featured in House & Garden so I wonder if the set designer from Indiscreet happened to see it.

While looking through Tales of Endearment, the blog by Natalie Joos yesterday, I came across a photo of Fabiola Beracasa's apartment.  I love how cheerful the bright colors look on the dark wall. 

Kate and Andy Spade also hung artwork with colorful mats in their daughter's room.  The craziest color I've used for a mat is pale blue so I might have to add this idea to my list of things to try this year!

Add A Rustic Element - Barn Doors

THIS POST IS FROM ROOM REMIX - THE BLOG .

I love the idea of adding a rustic element in a more modern space...

HGTV Dream Home 2011



In the 2011 HGTV Dream Home the designer  used a vintage barn door as a piece of art (and a conversation piece!).  Even though she designed a more modern space, she knew this piece would work in it -  "It's an antique but has a very modern graphic feel about it," says interior designer Linda Woodrum.

I also like the way designer Sherry Hart used this rustic barn door in this nursery.   It looks awesome and adds so much character and interest, don't you think? To see the rest of this nursery transformation, click here.

Have you or are you considering adding a rustic element to your space? If so, what?

Hope your year is starting out fabulously!

Unrelated posts that you might like:
- Decorating With Maps
- Creative Window Treatment
- Accessorizing Shelves/Bookcases

Unique Wall Art

THIS POST IS FROM ROOM REMIX - THE BLOG .

If you've followed this blog for more than 5 minutes, you're probably aware that I really like numbers and letters in decorating.  Which is why this interesting PEACE arrangement (above) from Lori at the Round Barn Potting Company (a fellow Minnesota blogger - yea, Minnesota! :-)) immediately caught my eye.  I love the way she used different sized letters and put the letters in and outside of the frame.

I also like the creativity in this wall grouping behind her sofa.  Not only do the various items she used make it interesting, but I like the added dimension created by the empty frames over the clocks!

Related Posts:
1. Decorating With Letters and Numbers
2. Decorating With Letters, Words and Numbers

Have a great day!

xx

DIY Frame Within A Frame

THIS POST IS FROM ROOM REMIX - THE BLOG .

Monica at Craftynest posted a tutorial for making this frame within a frame. Don't you love the idea? It gives the art great dimension and it's unique (and you know I like that!) Click here to see what she started with as well as her complete tutorial.

Make today a great day!

Inexpensive Wall Art - HomeGoods

THIS POST IS FROM ROOM REMIX - THE BLOG .

I was in HomeGoods the other day and saw what I thought was a great option for inexpensive wall art!

These are peel and stick, but I thought if you wanted a little more custom look they would look great matted and framed, or just framed. They had other options there as well, but the geometrics were my favorites and one of the few styles that I felt would be suitable for framing because each pattern is on an individual sheet. (also they look rather shiny in these photos because I was taking a picture of the package, but they actually have a fairly matte finish.)

Don't know if your local HomeGoods has them or not, but at $14.99 for a pack of 9 (that was the price on the geometrics) it's certainly worth checking out!

11/10/10 - Linking to Maria's art party!

A Candy Corn Tree and a Winner!

I like this candy corn tree from Family Circle. Cute, but not too much so...

Photo: © Antonis Achilleos/Woman's Day

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The winner of the $60 Tupperware Gift Certificate is Laurie from Scene of the Grime. Congratulations, Laurie! Melea will be contacting you soon!

Doors in Unexpected Places

THIS POST IS FROM ROOM REMIX - THE BLOG .

At Home Arkansas Photo Rett Peek

I always love seeing things used in ways that they weren't originally intended to be used, and the doors in this post are a great example of that.

What makes this particular image even better is that the beautiful color on this barn door is original...

House Beautiful photo David Tsay

I think these are probably actually shutters, not doors, but...

Those of you who have been in blogland for any amount of time probably have this concept down, but just a reminder to always keep your mind open when looking at anything. You know what it is, but what could it become?

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Another reminder that the Pattern Inspiration Linky Party is this Wednesday, October 13th! I took some photos of a room makeover this weekend that I'll be sharing at some point in the next few weeks, and it got me thinking about circles and dots. I think that's what my pattern inspiration post will be about on Wednesday. I'm looking forward to seeing what patterns/shapes inspire you!

The Fantastic Work of Jeremiah Goodman

One of my dreams is to meet artist Jeremiah Goodman and watch him work.  Since that hasn't happened in person yet, I'm glad I can see photos of him sketching and painting.  Usually his work is on the smaller scale but the Swedish retailer Acne commissioned him to create three large canvas murals for their London boutique.  I don't usually like to mention age but Mr. Goodman is 88 and his fantastic work is clearly keeping him young!

Photos by Dean Rhys Morgan

The Big Bambú

The best part about the roof garden at The Metropolitan Museum of Art is that it's open to the sky. So imagine my surprise when I stepped off the elevator and was faced with a 100 foot long bamboo structure that blocked the sun! It looked like a cross between Kon-Tiki and a hippie Swiss Family Robinson habitat. My visit was at the end of May when I was at the Met to see the Picasso exhibit so I hadn't read yet anything about the summer installation which officially entitled Big Bambú: You Can't, You Don't, and You Won't Stop. At first, I wasn't sure whether I liked it or not but once I had a chance to walk through it and read more about it, I definitely came to appreciate this amazing art exhibition.

Twin brothers Doug and Mike Starn and a team of rock climbers will be constructing Big Bambú until October and you can watch them build it before your eyes. I witnessed one worker strip the bamboo poles of leaves and cut them for the other members tied them together with nylon rope. You can see in my photos that the team climb very high off the ground and dotted throughout the installation. If you are also dressed properly, meaning sneakers and shorts or pants, you can schedule a guided tour that takes you along the footpaths and bridges that weave through the structure. I, of course, was wearing sandals and a dress so I didn't not take advantage of this opportunity which quite frankly looked scary! I am sure it would be very exciting for children though. It will interesting to check in periodically throughout the summer and see how Big Bambú has evolved and even more so to see how it ends. And more importantly, I wonder how many months it will take them to clean up!

Photos by Heather Clawson for Habitually Chic

Living in LA

Since I'm off to LaLa Land, I thought I'd take this time to post some great Los Angeles homes. This one belongs to the chic married couple Michael Govan and Katherine Ross and family. He's the Director of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and she has worked in public relations for LVMH. Not sure if she's still with them but regardless, this is one fashionable family! When they moved to LA, they wanted a Richard Neutra house but has clearly made due with this lovely home filled with their art collection as well as pieces borrowed from the museum. When I think of California design, I often think of mid-century modern furniture and I love all the bright colors they used for their pieces. It's a pop art paradise! Enjoy!

Photos by Francois Halard for May 2008 issue of Vogue