where am i?

can you figure out where i am?

look carefully at the pictures, and let me know when you figure it out:

a close up of the above wall covering.

hand scraped wood floors.

textured plexiglass panel separation.

wall tile.

 closeup of one of the three different countertops.

detail of regular height chair.

still having trouble?

let go inside the restrooms. maybe that will help...

hmmmm.

fireplace. complete with a cozy ottoman.

ceiling details....

bar stool.

chandelier.

still trying to figure it out?

how about a bigger hint....

du-------wha?

are you are shocked as i was?

(and yes, behind the etched golden arches on that glass is a water feature!)

can you believe the finishes in this joint??

i just HAD to post this!

hey, i know all the hoopla surrounding mcdonalds....i agree that most of their food is not very healthy, and that we, as amercians eat way too much it, BUT, as a designer, i was totally impressed with this new mcdonlads that opened near my home. honestly, when my family and i first walked in, i felt like i was in an upscale cafe. i really appreciate all of those little and not so little details and layers that go into making a space feel cozy and interesting...and the design team behind these new restaurants did a great job accomplishing that!

what did you think?

did you figure it out? and if so, when?

have you been in similar mcdonalds?

do you like that the interiors of some fast food restaurants have been "super sized"?

does if effect how many times you will or will not eat there?

let me know...i am so interested in this!

plan b: table lamp for grady's room

so, i ordered this lamp for grady's nightstand from the foundary right before christmas:

i loved the industrial look, the large metal shade, and the articulating arm.
it was just what i was looking for!
well, imagine my surprise when this lamp showed up at my doorstep:

hmm. yeah, it took me about 10 seconds to realize that this was NOT the lamp i ordered.
plus, the arm of the lamp was totally bent.
can you see how bent it is on the picture?!
(i was beginning to feel like a chump. did they not think i would notice? gheesh.)

i called the foundary to see if i could swap the bent/wrong lamp for the lamp i ordered, but they didn't have any more left. (insert a very sad face from me and some begging to see if they knew who made it and where i could find it. they didn't. and then i proceeded to spend the next hour on the internet looking for an alternative that wasn't $400 with no luck.)
customer service was really nice, and refunded my money, but i still don't have a lamp for his night stand.
i recently won a $50 gift card from west elm from jean's great blog (flower hill designs), so i think i might use it to cover part of the cost of a new lamp.

here are some that i am considering:

morten table lamp.
the matte finish is nice, the shape is great, and i like that this lamp would add another dose
of black to the room.

i also really like these lamps:

industrial task lamp

stephen antonson table lamp

cast metal horse lamp

i have had a crush on the barometer lamp from ikea forever, and it is very affordable.

i am leaning toward the morten table lamp, but will probably wait for a few more weeks before i commit.
there is a home goods about 3 miles form my house, and i am going to make a few trips there to see if
anything that catches my eye. i will keep you posted!

my dream foyer

layla grace is having a "pin it to win it" challenge, and i thought i would give it a try!
the challenge is to create a pinterest board of your dream foyer, using items from layla grace's
store. they have a pretty amazing selection, so it was pretty easy for me to come up with
my "dream foyer". apparently, my "dreams" are very expensive (i think this foyer would cost more
than the combined value of the last four cars i have driven!)....but, this is just for fun,
so i wasn't counting pennies...
you can click here to see my pinterest board, but just for fun, i threw them on a board for y'all:
(oh, and you have to picture this space with herringbone hardwood floors, a 10' coffered ceiling, and
wainscoting. cuz if yer gonna dream, dream BIG!)

entries are due this evening.
go here to read the rules, and start pinning your own dream foyer!

schumacher look-alike fabrics

when it comes to decorating a home, i am solidly in the camp of "save some, splurge some".

 i love finding a great looking affordable find that is similar to a higher end piece. however, there are also times when paying a little bit more can get you an item that can really elevate and transform a room....and often, that item is a fabric.

it's no secret that a lot of designers (including myself) are big fans of high-end fabrics like the ones from schumacher. here are some less expensive dupes for some of my favorite schumacher fabrics:

schumachers camberwell vase in citrine is a fabulous, large scale print with various shades of greys and yellows on an ivory background. it retails for over $130 a yard.

isham indienne in lemongrass by waverly is very similar, and less than $20 a yard.

schumachers zanzibar in space retails for over $200 a yard, although you can buy it here 

for around $155 a yard. this is the fabric i just used for pillows in my living room.

giverny spice by rich loom is a dead ringer for zanzibar, but only 12.98 a yard.

chinois fret is an expensive, textural geometric print that would look great on a large upholstered piece.


this geometric print is similar, and much less pricey.

i really love the energy and color that chiang mai dragon print in lacquer brings to a space, but at 

over $150 a yard, it is not cheap.

formosa compari has a similar look at a fraction of the price.

ellis floral vine in indigo is another great schumacher fabric that sells for over $115 per yard.


although a little bit brighter, gadabout blueberry by stout is a great look-a-like, for substantially less.

soleil l.a. print  would look great on some outdoor pillows.

asha pewter  is more subdued, but has a similar look to the schumacher print.

coconut grove in aqua and tan  is a fabric that i would love to use in my own home someday.
the soft blues and browns are so pretty.


aviary toile in robin has a very similar look. maybe i will just use it instead!

happy shopping!

messin' with mother nature

yesterday i ran to the grocery store to pick up a few things, when i spotted these babies:

 

i let out an audible "eeewwwww" as i walked over to investigate. they are actually white orchids,
"magically" created by dying them with blue water.
i don't know why, but something about seeing a blue orchid really chapped my hide.
i mean, what wrong with NORMALLY colored orchids?

(via style me pretty)

(via beck design blog)

(via google)


i walked out of the store muttering to myself like a crazy lady.
what do you think about blue orchids?
are you as bothered as me?
or do you think the blue is a refreshing change?
do you like smurfs?
would you buy one?
use one in your home?
tell me.....please.

ikea rug into a window seat cushion

about a year and a half ago, i bought an orange, tan and black throw rug at ikea (the no longer available jyllinge rug).
 it was on sale for $3.99, and at the time i  had NO idea what i was going to do with it...i just knew i LOVED the colors and i HAD to have it.

as i was pulling together gradys room, i used the rug as color inspiration, but i still wasn't sure exactly what to do with it. when i decided to use an expedit bookcase as a window
seat, i decided that i would use the rug to have some new cushions made for the top of the window seat.


here is the result!
as you can see, i rehung his old curtains, and added a few pillows.
(the one on the right is made from thom filicia's lawrence fabric in taupe)
the wood stool is from home goods.
the wall color is benjamin moore's blue springs 1592.


the fabric for the curtains was purchased on clearance for $1 a yard at walmart. (yes, walmart!)
the brown herringbone fabric on the larger pillow is by ralph lauren, which i purchased on ebay.
the banded leather and cowhide pillow was purchased at joss and main.


the rug wasn't quite big enough to have all two 36" cushions made, so i opted to cover the bottom of the cushions with a faux leather, purchased at my local joanns.



i really love the way the cushions turned out!

there are still quite a few projects left to do in his room, and i have yet to hang anything on the wall, but i am hoping to have his room totally finished in the next two weeks.
notice that i said "hoping"....
:)

a touch of houndstooth

it was loud at my house last night.

very loud.

my husband is a huge alabama crimson tide fan, and they were playing lsu in the

 bcs championship game last night. there was a lot of cheering and clapping, and yelling at the referees, and....

celebrating! yep-in the first shut-out in a bcs championship game since ever, alabama beat lsu  21-0. 

which is s BIG deal if you're into football. (which i am not, but i AM into my husband!)

one of the past coaches, bear bryant, used to wear a houndstooth hat, and it has become a 

signature print for the team.

SO, in honor of the win (and for my very excited husband), here are a few pretty rooms with a touch of houndstooth.

 a gorgeous room with just the right amount of print from the very talented caitlin creer.

i adore this room, designed by jonathan adler via house + home. kinda wishing the image was bigger so i could bask in it's loveliness without my eyes going buggy...

this is a preppy chic room by marshall watson, featured in  house beautiful.

that striped rug and two acrylic tables are perfect!

houndstooth double-duty.

love the trim on the drapes too.

via bhg.

i really like how this green geometric pillow perks up the brown houndstooth on this chair.

via design stiles

it's hard to look at this room without being happy. there is a lot going on here, but it all works so well.
apartment therapy

thèse matching chairs are a nice pop of pattern in this pretty neutral room.

maison petite

i really like these black built-ins, and the touches of houndstooth on the back of the chairs and in the  throw.

traditional home, scanned by me

i love my husband, but i know i am NOT alone in saying that i am GLAD that there are 8 more months until college football starts up again!
:)