Trending: Cheetah Print

image via Lonny

I know at first glance you might be thinking that cheetah print is so 90's style.. well, think again. I personally love the neutral yet fierce pattern that cheetah print brings to the table. But, it must be mixed together correctly and doing so might be a little tricky without making it seem too.... well, tacky. {we were all thinking it right?}

Here are a few trendy ideas on how to incorporate that glamorous dose of animal print into your home this Fall & Winter season. Tip: Find an accent or focal piece and mix it with blacks, browns, white and gold and you are guaranteed to achieve a chic look!

accent chair & a pop of color | via issuu

neutral living space with a neutral print pillow | via Domaine Home

throw pillow for the bedroom | via The Hunted Interior

another neutral accent chair | via Julia Ryan

cheetah accent ottomans | via Lonny

last but not least, the amazing office/closet space of Rach Parcell of Pink Peonies

Can we just take a minute and talk about how amazing Rach Parcell's dream closet/office is? I've been following her blog for a while now and I just about die every time she posts little sneak peaks into her new home, or the decor at her house. Her closet is nothing less than perfect, I highly recommend checking the entire post out here.

Hosting & Toasting: Part 4

via Style Me Pretty

There are numerous ways you can set a table for an event. No matter what you may be hosting, when there's a will there's a way, right? To finish out this wonderful little mini series with The Blush Label, why not give you some inspiration and shopping ideas so you can bring the party into your home and be prepared to host and toast with your friends and family!

via The Perfect Palette

via Design Love Fest {includes placemat tutorial}

image

Here's are ideas for setting your table depending on whether your event is formal or informal. It's a great cheat sheet if you ask me! You'll look like a pro if you follow this!

via Alexan Events

Shop Dinnerware:

Shop Glassware:

Shop Dinner Party Extras:

And don't forget to check out The Blush Label for all of the table linens you could need! Placemats, cocktail napkins, they've got some darling patterns and colors!

Look For Less

Bungalow Blue Interiors | Atlanta Homes Magazine

This week's look for less is so simple and sophisticated I can't even handle it. Mixing different shades of one color and layering textures with it is on trend right now! If you love the trend of doing just that but are afraid you won't be able to pull it off this Look for Less will show you just how to do it.  And I promise you there's no better color tone to do it with than Neutrals.

Neutrals are so easy to find in wooden accents, rattan furniture, rugs, decor, anything really! Mix in some added touches of gold and you are good to go - I was so inspired by this image from Bungalow Blue Interiors, I couldn't help but recreate it with my own little touch! Here is today's look for less with the perfect use of neutrals:

This is the perfect example of using Ikea products wisely and mixing pieces in with other brands to complete the look. This creates a high end feel within the space, rather than using all Ikea products which can often give off the look of a college apartment... You all know what I'm talking about.

I also saw the perfect opportunity to use this gold starburst mirror and I pounced on it without thinking twice. I've been swooning over for a month or so now... but seriously, it's been in my "shopping basket" for that long.

The Look:

Chairs: Ikea | $30 each

Coffee Table: CB2 | $349

Side Table: Target | $59

Table Lamp: Target | $25

Mirror: Target | $35

Pillow: H&M | $14 {cover only}

White Vase: Target | $20

Black Vase: Target | $15

Flowers: Target | $13

Paint: Benjamin Moore | Horizon Gray

Shop the Look:

Finding Organization

After packing up my entire life and moving into a new place recently, I think I've finally realized how much stuff I have.... A  L O T. Whew - I've been here for a little over a week now and I feel like I haven't even made a dent in my unpacking! I can't figure out where I'm going to put all this extra stuff I have whether it's crafting supplies {oh my lanta - The crafting supplies} or the mass amounts of paint I have collected, or even just design magazines or books I've saved. Why? Not a clue. Good thing I love painting cause I could open up my Hobby Lobby with all the paint I have!

As I sit here in my {unpacked} living room staring at the buckets and boxes of stuff just piled up in the corner of the room, I'm thinking I need to get something to help me organize my own personal Hobby Lobby. My criteria for this:

1. Appealing to the Eye - This is a must, being a designer I needed my space to look very well put together.

2. Easily Accessible - Hey, A girl can like to craft and paint right? I would love for my paints especially to be organized, hidden and easy to get to.

Just two simple requests and the more I think about it I know the perfect resolution to this. One word - IKEA. The Expedit shelving series would be perfect for this situation! The only question now... Which one? Check out some of the looks I love using the Expedit series:

Made by Girl | Pinterest

Bien.hu | Pinterest

lolalina | Pinterest

BloigPluss | Pinterest

Birch & Bird | Pinterest

Live Creating Yourself | Pinterest

Apartment Therapy | Pinterest

Flickr | Pinterest

Design Sponge | Pinterest

I love the thought of putting legs on the long, skinny Expedit shelving unit and filling it with pretty decorative baskets. What's your thought on this organization idea? How would you style this ikea product?

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?

Mother's Day Gift Guide

Mother's Day is right around the corner! If you left picking out this years gift to the last minute and you've found yourself in a scramble to find the perfect gift, have no fear! Here is my little gift guide to the perfect mother's day gift with a little help from one of my go-to stores, West Elm.

all images courtesy of West Elm

1. For the Reader {Agate Bookends | $32 Set of 2}

2. For the Chef {Wooden Cookbook Stand | $30 ON SALE!}

3. For the Entertainer {Tile Print Glassware | $32}

4. For the Collector {Glass Shadow Box | $69 ON SALE!}

5. For the Organizer {Stacked Apothecary Jars | $34-$49 MONOGRAMMED!}

6. For the Lounger {Chain Lock Throw | $69 ON SALE!}

7. For the Coffee Lover {Potter's Workshop Mug | $8}

8. For the Gardener {Brass Base Terrarium | $ 29-$59 prices vary with size}

9. For the Foodie {Serving Platter | $80 ON SALE!}

Which gift would best fit your mom for Mother's Day?

Crushing on Coral

Happy Monday! Like always, High Point Furniture Market was filled with so many bright pops of color. Every showroom showcased different colors whether it was their own furniture or accent pieces to bring people in to look at what they had, nothing was bland or boring. One of the colors that I saw at High Point Market that I can't stop thinking about is coral. I'm loving anything and everything coral for this spring - and maybe even this summer too!

Today, I'm bringing back mood board monday because I'm crushing on coral. What bold spring colors are you crushing on?

All photos via Pinterest

Love coral but don't know what colors to pair with it? Here are two of my favorite color schemes including coral:

Pairing: Coral & Navy

Pairing: Coral & Teal/Turquoise

Market Predictions

It's that time of year again! The infamous High Point furniture market is almost in full swing. The freight elevators are running non stop, the showrooms are getting the finishing touches of paint and the beautiful furniture is getting it's last minute rearranging. Everything is perfect, the lights are on and Friday is when the madness begins. For those of you who don't know much about furniture market, it's basically fashion week for the interior design and home furnishings industry.

While I was attending school at High Point University I had the amazing opportunity to work furniture market for a wonderful company. I made so many unforgettable and life long connections with so many people within the industry I will forever be grateful for that experience.  This year I will be going back on the "other side" from a buyers perspective I will be able to browse, take pictures, and see everything I can manage to fit into a weekend.

Much like NY fashion week - Market is the chance for designers to debut their latest styles and trends for the upcoming year. Here are my predictions for Spring Market 2014:

Oh! Oak Cliff!

Mixing Metallics Gold, Bronze, Silver... They're all over the home decor world right now.

Wisteria

Statement Mirrors Like statement necklaces in fashion, these are a must have in your home in today's trends

Pinterest

Radiant Orchid The 2014 Pantone Color of the year will be debuting this market I just know it!

Williams Sonoma

Ginger Jars These popular and trendy blue and white patterned ceramic jars are everywhere today. I can't wait to see these things gracing the vignettes and showrooms through market.

Serena & Lilly

Bold & Bright Colors Mixed that is.. Who said color blocking was only for fashion? Bold and Bright colors are always going to be shown at market but this time around I think they will be mixed and matched more than usual.

Wisteria

Heavy Geometric Patterns Thick lattice work, Chevron, and Quatrefoils are not going out of style any time soon. Mix these bold geometrics with bold colors and black and white and they'll be flying off the shelves!

Ellie Cashman Design

Oversized Florals This trend might be tricky to spot in market because I'm thinking that the oversized floral is more of a wallpaper trend, but I'm sure that it will find it's way into the showrooms.  Pillows or Wall Art maybe?

Society Social

Lacquered Accent Furniture This trend has surfaced market before and it was such a hit. 

Open Concept

As a post grad living and working in a city, the apartment hunt is a big ordeal. Every year you have to decide where you will live - will you stay in your current apartment, move to a new one, rent a house? Maybe even buy one when you're at that point in your life.  There's so many options and I don't know about you [maybe it's the designer in me] but I have such a hard time with deciding where to live.  All of the apartments in Charlotte are so nice and each one of them have their own pros and cons.

The one thing I've noticed a lot of is the open concept shelving in kitchens.  For me, the jury is still out on whether I'm a fan or not but of course I did my research and there's definitely some technique that comes with styling them.

Here are some of my favorite open shelving looks:

[via frolic]

[via Pinterest]

[via houzz]

[via Singapore Home & Decor]

[via Pinterest]

[via decor pad]

What are your thoughts on open shelving? Do you have them in your home or apartment? Would you mind them, or run away at the thought?