Hawaiian Influence

In honor of a recent family to Hawaii, I was inspired to share with you my idea of a perfect Hawaiian Home.

First of all, it would be a one story open-air home (right on the beach of course). High ceilings, a neutral color palette with salmon/coral accents, lots of teak and bamboo, and white linen drapery. Furniture and decor accents would be a mixture of modern, simple lines and asian influences. My old job at Hillsdale Home specializes in selling chinese, indian, and indonesian antiques such as buddah heads, carved wood panels, and other asian casegoods and artifacts.

Trying to find inspiring images of what I am talking about is really difficult! So here's what I've been able to round up. Enjoy!

The key to the house: a wall that opens up either entirely or via large doors/shutters

not quite my vision (imagine dark floors, dark furniture, and a low-to-the-ground bed)...but you get the picture of the yummy white linen drapes and airy bedding!

photo via desiretoinspire

Your own Swiss Family Robinson!

Ways to display your kids' artwork

As a mother of a toddler, and another on its way, I hate throwing away my child's artwork so I end up saving it in a folder. I also try to think of creative ways to display it (besides the old adage of taping it to the refrigerator). Here are two things I've come up with:

framing the art

(2 frames for $1 at ikea!)

Scored these giant paperclips from Homegoods and just added picture hooks on the back

Here's a few more for inspiration.

Great for more than one kid, or large wall space to spare.

I personally think the book is a great idea someday, once he's older and I can pick a few favorites from each year of childhood.

The scanned artwork rearranged onto one page allows for lots of pictures taking up little space.

East Coast Charm meets CA coll

In the latest issue of Traditional Home, there is a feature on a beautiful Redondo Beach, CA home. To me, especially from the outside, it is a perfect blend of the East Coast charm (which I miss terribly here in Southern CA) with the California beach climate. Classic elegance meets easy living with linen fabric, simple decorating, and a neutral color palette.

Mix-matching paints and woods keeps it casual: love the white kitchen cabinets with pale blue island and black table. And of course the Circa Lighting industrial pendant lamp is a fave!

Nice open spaces and square dining table allows for a casual feel and easy conversation.

Round Up: Laundry Rooms

While blog hopping on vacation in Hawaii (inspiration from that to come....) I came across this laundry room photo on 6th Street Design School. I love everything about it- the sand color, the laundry definition (and font to match websters dictionary) and the industrial light hanging from the ceiling. The room itself is a serene getaway from the eclectic mix of styles and prints throughout the rest of the house.

Here are a few other great laundry rooms to inspire you:

from furnishisms.com

from House to Home

from birdhouseinteriors

Dreaming in Lucite

I have loved lucite since the introduction of the Ghost Chair by the brilliant Phillipe Starke back in 2002. Since then, the craze has only gotten bigger. You can find more variety and price points now more than ever in that amazing material. Whether it's large furniture items or table accessories, lucite is a great decorating tool, especially in modern or smaller spaces.

Serge de Troyer (found at Tonic Home) has crafted extremely creative uses for lucite furniture: a chest, bench, and lounge chair.

photo courtesy Apartment Therapy

Lucite Console from CB2 looks great in the entryway

Lucite Picture Frames

Lucite Tray from Target