Savoring Summer

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Don't go putting away those bright colors just yet! I know fall is right around the corner but let's talk about how to get the most out of those spring/ summer brights & bolds.

A great way to get the most of that bright decor is by changing up the placement of it all. Take some time this weekend and stage up your coffee table with all those pieces. The great thing about spring and summer is that you can get away with mixing bright colors and bold accents - a little thing we like to call color blocking.  Come fall and winter, you don't need to put all those decor items you love so much away for the season per say... You could very easily separate all of the colors and add neutrals and mixed metals to bring the  feel of the decor right into the next season. More details on how to transition to come! As for now, what's your take on squeezing the most out of the last few days of summer?

Chartreuse

Have you ever wondered what that perfect shade of citrus green was called?  We all know the exact shade I'm talking about - its not too aggressive, but not too dark that it has an awful brown undertone.. Just the perfect shade of lime green. Well, if you never knew the name but loved the color, let me enlighten you.

Chartreuse. {shar-troos} Yes, I took that one from Dictionary.com

One of my all time favorite colors. I understand that it might take a lot to get used to, and some of you might not like the look of it, but I promise it'll grow on you. For those of you on the fence, let me convince you:

Desire to Inspire

I also really love this pop of chartreuse in the sofa - it's such a bold furniture choice. Visit my Citrus Pinterest board here to see more! What are your thoughts on this bold color crush?

A Look Inside: Abby Larson

Everyday I pick up inspiration from everything and anything I can get my hands on. Like most people, I'm a very visual person and really like to see things put together different ways to get an idea as to something's potential. This partially is why I started my "Look for Less" posts. You never thought about doing that with an ikea bench... did you? Visual items don't have to be staring right at you with stores and price tags though - It's definitely nice, but Pinterest images do a good job also! Today's design inspiration isn't from Pinterest, however it is from one of my favorite websites & online design references. If you have never heard of or browsed through Domino before, I highly suggest you do - It will change your life!

One of this Spring's features on Domino is the home tour of Abby Larson.  You might know her from another one of my go to sites, Style Me Pretty. Abby is the founder of Style Me Pretty and if you're like me and are constantly swooning over the beautiful content on these two sites, why wouldn't you want to see what the inside of her home looks like?

Now, if you love neutrals and tend to chose them over anything else - But you also love color, this is some inspiration for you! Here's a look inside Abby Larson's Home:

[All images are from Domino]

Shop the Look on Domino

Shop the Look on Domino

Shop the Look on Domino

Shop the Look on Domino

Thoughts? Comments? Isn't this home to die for? If you would like to know more and see more on this feature, you can read the whole story here.

Kitchenwares

Today I have a long list of shopping items to make your table tops and cabinets the talk of your home! Ready to get rid of those hand-me-down Walmart plates & bowls you had in college? Want to buy a small set of kitchenwares to set up your table to look picture perfect for when you have company over? These wish list wednesday kitchenware picks will send you to the stores filling your shopping cart before you can say "Winter Olympics"!

I haven't provided kitchenware sets for a reason; don't be afraid to change it up. Mix and Match patterns with solids and bold colors with neutrals. Gold and Silver with Black and White. Orange chevron with Navy Stripes? Why not! Challenge yourself!

Shop the items below for more details on on each!

Color Blocking: Not just for your #ootd

Happy Tuesday! As you might be able to notice from my past few posts, I've fallen in love with the challenge of turning a hot new fashion trend into a design style or theme. Well, today's post covers just that. One of the most recent trends I'm hooked on is color blocking - But it's not just fit for your closet.

And while you may be familiar with color blocking like this:

Have you ever thought of designing with the color blocking trend? Don't feel ashamed if you haven't because I wasn't even sure about it until I really thought it through. I Love the idea of the fashion trend but I thought it might be a little scary to commit to it with an entire room in mind. Have you ever had the issue where you can't decide on a color or theme to bring together a room? This, is the perfect reason to choose color blocking for design.

Take this teen girl's bedroom for example.  This isn't anything too extreme, but the mixture of bright, bold colors mix surprisingly well with the variety of patterns matched with them. I love how the two different sized stripes are brought together with the white bedding.

Hint: If you're nervous to mix patterns, try finding patterns with common colors to bring them together, the striped quilt and decorative pouf both have a dominant white base color.

If you want to try something a little more simplistic, try painting blocks of color on a wall to create an accent wall like in this girl's bedroom.

Hint: Use painter's tape to mark out your shapes before you paint!

And for anyone who's really feeling the trend and wants to take a risk with color, here is my challenge to you.  This is also a great opportunity for the DIY-ers out there!  Find a set of dining chairs and re vamp them by upholstering each one in a different color fabric.  I love this fun color blocked dining room, and the cabinet door hardware on each chair gives it an added hint of flair!

Hint: Use the same type of fabric in different colors to make this color blocking idea easier!

Add some bold stripes on the wall and you've tackled the trend!