[ in honour of black friday ]

JUST SOME perfect black finds...

Have a great weekend everyone!

lisa

[emmasblog; 2, 4, 6 convoy; chanel; apunchofcolourdesign]

[ kaleidoscope ]

DO YOU suffer from pattern phobia? Like the thought of combining too many will make your head spin? Well, this should cure you...

A kaleidoscope of pattern! And yet for some reason, my eyes aren't scrambled looking at it. I wonder if I could do this in my own home... could you?

lisa

[via myblackbook.free.fr]

[ stairway to happy ]

SOMETIMES I really wish I had a staircase so I could do something fun like this...

Isn't it fun? I love how the colours pop against all the white. Hope you're having a lovely weekend!

lisa

[housetohome.co.uk]

[ reviving a door ]

THIS SIDE door to our kitchen has been crying out for a new life. Worn out flat paint, some sad looking hardware and cheap white plastic trim was not the welcome home I was after...

While I would have loved to install a new door like this...

it just wasn't in the budget right now. So time to give this old gal a new life...


I chose Behr Marquee paint in Peppery. This paint/primer-in-one is nice and thick and could have almost done the job in one coat but I put on two thin coats...

The thing I love about my inspiration door is that there is no white trim around the window. So I wanted to try to replicate that as much as possible. The window grills were encased inside the window so there wasn't anything I could do about that, but the surrounding plastic white trim was perfect for painting out...

Add some pretty new hardware and tadaaa! A "new" door! I kept the cream colour around the door frame since it matches all the trim around our windows...

I love that the plastic trim almost disappears now. I also like the contrast of the dark grey door inside the kitchen too. It helps to keep everything from looking too white. 

For the cost of some paint and some new hardware, I think this door is looking pretty good now and much more welcoming to come home to.

lisa

[inspiration door via timelesspaper.com]

[ charming white shelves ]

I LOVE A white kitchen and I especially love little white shelves displaying all kinds of pretty kitchen goodies. Even a tiny spot where you can squeeze in a little shelf can add some great personality - do you have a spot for a charming little display?

lisa

[via me and alice; hyllepraten; lantlif; kjerstislykke; bo; kjerstislykke]

[ black and white and pretty all over ]

i'M ALWAYS drawn to gorgeous white Scandinavian spaces. No one seems to do white walls and pale floors better and I'd love to have them in my next home...

Even though they're white, these rooms still feel so comfy and welcoming. I love that most of the accessories are white or silver and the only colour is from hits of black and the textiles so switching things up is easy. How do you feel about these spaces ~ too much white or just right?

lisa

[house of philia]

[ blue beauty ]

ISN'T THIS glossy blue front door so pretty?

I've always been a fan of glossy black doors ~ they look elegant and work on most styles of homes. But after seeing this lovely blue one, I think I have a new favourite. It seems a little less formal but just as striking. And now that Pantone has named Monaco Blue as the 2013 colour of the year, I guess it's right on trend.

What colour is your front door?

lisa

[suellengregory.com]

[ nook love ]

A KITCHEN nook is often one of the most-used spots in a home and I fell in love with this one. Rather than a large kitchen table, the space is divided into 2 functional areas...

a cozy spot for watching tv (or blogging!)...

{how fantastic is that fabric and the built-in shelving for cookbooks, a tv and serving dishes?}


and a little spot for brekkie...

{wouldn't that orange table make you smile every morning?}


Not only is this nook pretty, it's so practical too - high shelves over the windows carve out extra storage but keep the space feeling open.

Even if you only had space for one of these areas, how fab would that be? Do you have a kitchen nook?

lisa

[country living]

[ like turquoise waves ]

HAPPY MONDAY! Did you all have a fabulous weekend? Mine was nice and relaxing and I got to see some neighbourhoods I haven't seen before so it was fun. I seem to be having intermittent internet problems today (grrr) so I'm just going to leave you with a beautiful room to admire - a gorgeous colour to make you dream of brilliant turquoise oceans... I can almost feel my internet troubles slipping away with the waves....

lisa

[orange]

[ seeing in black and white ]

I'M A BIG FAN of white spaces and love how black & white marry so well together. These rooms are all about keeping it simple and while the colour scheme might be, each room has a lot to say with it's patterns, textures, finishes and details. Could you live with black and white simplicity?

lisa

[house of philia; caldwell flake; bodie and fou; bolig magasinet;

via emma's designblog; highway design]

[ painted pumpkins ]

I LOVE the idea of painting pumpkins ~ such a fun and easy way to put a funky spin on fall. How about these pretty pink pumpkins?

It's not a colour normally associated with fall and pumpkins but I love the modern spin on it. And the plaid is fun ~ so many pattern possibilities. Who says pumpkins need to be orange? 

Are you a painted pumpkin fan?

lisa

[chatelaine]

[ pumpkin: delicious and beautiful ]

NOT ONLY do I love eating all things pumpkin - pie, cookies, bread, cheesecake....it's a gorgeous colour in decor, particularly at this time of year. As the air outside cools, a hint of that warm pumpkin tone inside makes a space feel nice and cozy.

lisa

[1,6 elle decor; 2,4,5 house beautiful; 3,7,8 martha stewart]

[ green with envy ]

I CAME ACROSS this pic the other day and fell in love with this chair. Not only was I drawn to the green of the chair, but I love how it's been upholstered using burlap webbing done in a basket weave. Now all I need is to find an old chair!

lisa

[vintagerevivals]

[ tickled pink ]

TODAY I'm just smitten with these pink framed mirrors - what a great alternative to one large mirror and such an easy DIY {those pink glass knobs are pretty fab too}.

lisa

[better homes and gardens]