Temptation City.

One of our friends recently purchased a high-end designer showroom complete with lots of eye-candy.  (Can you say jealous?)  Justin helped her set up her computers and get the network hooked up.  Of course, I was okay going with him because I knew I could spend the whole time drooling over all of the incredible goodies in the showroom.

I didn't bring my camera, but here are some of my favorite pieces that were there: 

(photos: LewisMittman)

How amazing are these chandeliers? 

(photos: marjorie skouras design)

You can see it in all its glory here:

(photo: the love list)

and here:

(photo: apartment therapy)

And one of my absolute favorite things, this amazing chandelier.  It was hanging over the desk area.  I kept wishing I had one of them over my desk.  I'm pretty sure it would totally increase my productivity!   

(photo: studio steel)

Office Inspiration.

I must have offices on the brain given my crazy work schedule recently. But how great is this office?  It seems very soothing.  Love the wallpaper, light green desk, and of course, the amazing chandelier! 

(photo: decorpad.com)

I am headed back to Dallas for the fifth time in 15 days . . . glad it's a quick flight!  

Sarah's House: Family Room, Living Room, and Kitchen & Dining Room.

I have got to get caught up on Sarah's House since a new series started this past weekend!

Up first, the family room.  I like the masculine feel, but it's not overwhelming manly (i.e. no super dark colors or an over-sized leather couch).  In my opinion, brown and blue will always be a classic color combo.

I love the simple light fixture and the blue chairs are amazing!

Next is the gorgeous living room.  I love the color palette and am glad Tommy convinced Sarah to incorporate pink.  How adorable are the striped ottomans? 

The kitchen also turned out great (of course).  Can you believe the cabinets and counters are from Ikea?  I love the idea to paint the upper cabinets white and leave the bottom ones the beige color.  It definitely breaks up the beige color (and I love white kitchen cabinets).

And last but not least, the dining room.  My absolute favorite thing is the chandelier.  Love it!  I would have never ever thought the table would work, but with the updated chairs, it does. 

(all photos hgtv.ca)

Dining Room Update.

I realized I hadn't posted a complete picture of the new and improved dining room with the chandelier, lamps, chairs, and new art work all together.

And for those who pay extra attention to the pictures on the right side of my blog, I have updated the picture of the dining room there too.

Dining Room Updates.

I recently snagged some new wall art for our dining room at High Fashion Home. I wasn't looking for anything in particular, but as soon as I saw these, I knew they had to come home with me. And, the decision was even easier since they were 50% off!


Here is a close up (click to enlarge to see the detail):


We also found some great new buffet lamps at Z Gallerie (they are the constaletti lamps). The other lamps I had were too much with the pearson chandelier and the other one was too short (see this post). These are just right. I wasn't crazy about the color of the lamp shades at first, but I like them now (and their shape is perfect). You can also see the new art in the mirror!

I heart Pure Design.

I am home from work today because I had to get a sacroiliac joint injection this morning (it is as fun as it sounds). (side vent: Why do they have you get to the hospital at 6:15 a.m, if they don't take you up to pre-op until close to 9:00?)

Any who, being home today has led me to one conclusion: daytime TV is terrible. Even HGTV and Food Network (my go-to channels) didn't have good shows on. Thankfully, I had some shows recorded, and today was a perfect opportunity to lounge around (and nap off the pain and sedation meds) and watch them.

I previously blogged about my obsession with Pure Design here. I was glad to see that a new season started recently. On the episode I watched today, Samantha redid a young couple's living room/kitchen.

How great are the Louis chairs, the ottoman, and the photo wall?


Love the kitchen chandelier and the pillows.


But my favorite part of the room is the trellis wallpaper behind the open shelving. Love it!

Google Image Search.

I did a Google image search tonight for "pearson chandelier." Unfortunately, my obsession with it has not subsided. I was surprised to see the following image in the lower left hand corner (see below and click to enlarge).

I also love the chair on the far right in the middle row (the Martine chair from RH). Guess you never know what an image search may turn up!

Bathroom Renovation.

I don't really mind our bathroom -- it could be better, but overall I am okay with it (which is saying a lot coming from me). However, it really bothers Justin because as he says "it has so much more potential." It didn't help that my mom (in a very nice way) agreed with him and said she noticed that it wasn't as nice as the rest of the house (or something to that effect).


I understand where they both are coming from, so we took advantage of Restoration Hardware's bath sale. Here is what we are thinking, as of right now:

Remove the massive mirror and replace with 3 framed mirrors (hence, the lovely blue painter's tape above). We purchased these beauties below from RH, but after seeing super cheap mirrors that we could frame out ourselves at Lowe's this weekend, I am motivated to save some money and see how they would turn out. We should be getting the RH mirrors later this week. So we will see. I am also slightly concerned it could look to "mirror-y." I don't want it to look odd with 3 mirrors, but our vanity is 10 feet long, so we really need something more than just 2 large mirrors. Any thoughts?

We also bought 4 scones to go on each end and in between the mirrors (where the painter's tape "hyphens" are). I always love the look of sconces in the bathroom -- very Divine Design-ish. And our bathroom is pretty terrible when it comes to lighting, so the sconces will be perfect.

My mom also sent the picture below as inspiration (thanks, mom!). I love it. They actually framed out a big wall mirror like we have with molding. We are looking into that option too, but could turn out to be just as expensive since it is something we would want a professional to do. But at least it gives me a good idea of the direction we are headed.

(photo: better homes and gardens)

While we are doing all of this in the bathroom, I have also had a change of heart about the paint color. I still like the blue, and it really helps make the bathroom not feel so massive, but I think I would rather have a more calming, spa-like feel. I love the gray color in the picture above (and have been thinking about Benjamin Moore's Silver Fox (gray) for the bedroom).

My special request in the bathroom is a chandelier over the bathtub, which isn't pictured above. I haven't found the perfect one yet. We need something smaller and in a silver/nickel finish with crystals. If you see anything that fits the bill, let me know.

It could be a while for the final product, especially since the sconces are on back order until June, but I will be sure to post pics of the progress and the spa-like after. And don't worry, we plan to leave my favorite part of the bathroom -- the mini-refrigerator.