Displaying posts from February, 2011

Got a problem? Need some help? Just stand there shaking your head? Don’t know what to do? You’re not alone. Send us a link to photos of your design quandary and let the Desire to Inspire design crew help you…. that’s you lot… the readers…. get to it! I have a Saturday to enjoy.

“I have a bit of an issue. I’ve just found the perfect apartment, except for one detail. My new bedroom features only one wall for my bed to go. And not only does that wall have an off centered window, but that window is very low. About a foot off the ground. I’m really hesitant to but my bed up against it when my mattress will cover part of the glass. Is there a rule about this? How can I make design sense of an off center window cut off at the bottom by a centered bed?” – Kayla

Behold the bits of Kayla’s new apartment she is not having problems with….

And now the horror that is Kayla’s bedroom….the listing photo….

And the truth….

“Here are the new pictures of the room. I apologize for the blurriness.  Also, the window is weird. It opens on a hinge, and its close to the ground. I put the mattresses in there just for size illustration purposes.” – Kayla

Come on readers. Let’s help Kayla out. We know you are a super talented and opinionated bunch. Don’t prove me wrong! (If you have a problem contact me with a link to your photos here.)

I have received several requests lately for photos of dining table centerpieces (or centrepieces, however you want to spell it) so I thought I’d finally take the plunge and post some for your viewing pleasure. I think I’ve been avoiding this request because often times in photos of dining spaces the tables are either left bare or are too over-styled for every day use. I managed to find some photos of centerpieces that are conducive to every day dining and while MANY of the photos in my stash featured a vase of flowers, I tried to find some that were a bit more creative. I currently have a large Ikea tray in the center of my table piled with my current favourite things (see here), which makes it very easy to remove if I need to set the entire table for a meal. So if you prefer a collection of items on your table, place them on a tray to make your life easier. Otherwise, your favourite large bowl would be perfect (stuffed with apples/oranges/lemons is cute), or include a cute table runner (I love my new one), or perhaps a tray of grass….

AT Casa

Kelly McGuill

Bolig Magasinet

Edina van der Wyck

Hus & Hem

Apartment Therapy

Lonny

Lucyina Moodie

Hus & Hem

Magnus Selander

Petra Bindel

Living Etc.

Decor Demon	Mixr
Bolig Magasinet	Frank Features
design*sponge	Loft Life Magazine
Hus & Hem	rue magazine

There was a time on DTI that week after week I slavishly copied images from my extensive retro interior design book collection. One day I just couldn’t scan anymore. I had come to the last one. It was a sad day. Today is a good day for lovers of the retrolicious. Thanks to the wonderful Lia we get to crave and cringe again for one more day. Images from “Schoner Wohnen” from 1976. This has reignited my retro design book addiction. I’m on the hunt for more! If you need more retro too head to my (extensive) collection of past posts here.

Jessica from my previous post took on the design of her friends’ home almost 2 years ago and the result is a warm, contemporary vibe that is classic and will stand the test of time. Talk about gorgeous colours! Thanks for sharing Jessica!

** I closed the comments on this post because they were no longer about Jessica’s designs but became an excuse for a b*tchfest. Sorry folks, but it seems some just can’t play nice, and that ruins it for everyone else.

Jessica wrote us regarding 2 of her interior design projects. She works for a large design firm in LA (but is hoping to go out on her own), is a fellow blogger, and has an Etsy shop. She is quite talented, as you can see by this redo of her former home – a 600 sq. ft. co-op in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. They put alot of hard work into this place and the result is amazing (I love the blue trimmed windows)!

Some before photos:

And AFTER!!!

Stay tuned later for another of Jessica’s projects!