Category Archives: Interior Design

Guest Post – Design Resource – Arcadian Home

Hi all! I’m Susi and a writer for Arcadian Home, a great place to find interior and exterior design inspirations, and home decor and lighting fixtures at terrific prices. I work as a guest blogger focusing on interior design, home furnishings and wall decor accessories for Arcadian Home. I get to look at gorgeous things all day long and write about them. I found Girl and the Abode’s blog and have been hooked ever since. I love how Lauren gives us a unique perspective of interiors and inspiring images to enjoy.

I loved searching for pretty spaces for this guest edition. From a sleeping nook to a Southern porch, these are some of the spaces that caught my eye with their lovely designs. Take a look and let me know what you think.

Pretty Spaces

Elle Decor (via)

This sunroom designed by Steven Gambrel in a Tudor style home in upstate New York has a lovely balance of formal and rustic elements. I especially like the rustic coffee table in the mix.

Pretty Spaces

Houzz (via)

This porch, designed by Castro Design Studio in Atlanta, feels like a living room with the fireplace focal point. Great skylights, along with a ceiling fan light kit, give the impression of the room being outside.

Pretty Spaces

Elle Decor (via)

Designed by Gwen Driscoll, this library in a Kentucky home reminds me of the recent Jane Eyre movie. Love the dark, dramatic palette, velvet covered walls, and antique-looking chandelier.

Pretty Spaces

Houzz (via)

The Letter Cottage designed this tiny nook of a room. It shows that even the small rooms in a home can be pretty spaces.

Pretty Spaces

Elle Decor (via)

This lovely living room belongs to Ali Wentworth and George Stephanopoulous. Ali was on the Nate Berkus show recently and talked about how she created this gorgeous area rug using Rit Dye! I love it!

Pretty Spaces

Houzz (via)

What a pretty open concept living space designed by Brian Watford ID. Love the layers of neutrals mixed with soft blue accents. The area rug and the matching floor lamps are gorgeous!

Pretty Spaces

Elle Decor (via)

This library in a New York City apartment, designed by Cathy Triant Buxton, has gorgeous feminine soft pink walls that don’t feel overly girly. Paired with antiques, whimsical table decor, and interesting textiles, this is a lovely space.

Pretty Spaces

Whimages (via)

This bedroom with gorgeous grey silk headboard is so serene and dreamy. Yellow and grey is a favorite color combination of mine and I like the muted version used in this bedroom.

Which room is your favorite? Make sure to comment below to let us know, and stop by our website for more home decor inspirations each day!

Hawaiian Inspired- Decor

To continue on in our week of Hawaiian inspired home decor, I wanted to show you some lovely interiors I discovered while searching homes for sale in Kauai. I love tropical hawaiian style combined with touches of Japanese style. It makes for a really gorgeous combo.

It is hard not to miss that incredible view, however, I think the lovely japanese art work is just stunning in this room. It really does well to complement the bamboo floors and wicker style furniture. I also love how the black lamps pull the darker colors out of that gorgeous art work. This is a very nice inviting, comfortable looking room.

Here they went really tropical. Wicker, palm trees, and large marble tiles all scream Hawaii! I am really digging the striped cushions on the two occasional chairs. It brings a nautical feel to the room that I really enjoy.

If you can’t have a full ocean view, this open style patio would be just fine, in my opinion. What do you think?

Wherever you go in Hawaii, you fill always find gorgeous lava rock walls. Everyday we walked past a dozen homes that had these as there fences. Just stunning!

Tropical style decor is definitely not what I would choose for my homes interiors. But, I can appreciate the beauty in this style within its setting. To me if you go to Hawaii, you want to be in surroundings such as these. If I was in Los Angles or London or Chicago, I might think it a little out of its element. This is what I love most about interior design, you can love it all!! Its all beautiful ( when done right) in it’s own way.

What are the elements in these rooms that you enjoy? Have a great day! Always love to hear your comments!

Aloha! xoxo

{images used from Kauai Heritage Properties}

Design Ed – Symmetrical Balance

Balance occurs when parts of a composition ( in our case, a room) are arranged with the goal of equality. Equality occurs when you have achieved equal visual weight within a space. This is one building block of interior design. The cool part about balance, it does not have to have equal visual weight on either side of the room. The visual weight of the objects, and their arrangements can give you the balance you need. There are three types of balance within the principles of design. Symmetrical, asymmetrical and radial. Today, as you see in the photo above, we are touching on symmetrical balance. This is definitely a more formal, traditional approach to room design. The furniture pieces here are all placed around a common axis, the coffee table, as a mirror image of each other.

This room has lovely visual weight, do you see the placement of the photos on the wall with the fireplace? As well as the decoration pieces? I really like that this room is accessorized with a bit of asymmetrical balance. Do you see how the visual weight of the statue, along with the larger art work and fuller house plant compliment the smaller items to the right? The height of where the art is hung and the visual weight of the shorter stone pieces do well to achieve equality within this room. I also love the mass of the large white piece of art over the fireplace. It’s scale compliments the placement of the furnishings perfectly, don’t you think? Oh, and I am dying over those chairs!

Hope you enjoyed our little discussion on the principle of balance. I would love to hear your thoughts on this space. What elements do you think make this room stand out? Do you prefer symmetrical balance or asymmetrical balance in your personal space?

Have a lovely weekend! xoxo

Guest Post – Looking at Colour Psychology for Home Happiness

Decorating can sometimes be a bit of a daunting task, if only it was as simple as choosing your favourite colour then we would be set. Although some people do go by this strategy, I have been thinking a little more about colors in my decorating. Not only what colors to choose but something that has sparked my interest is the psychology of color. Many people are aware that colors can affect moods and emotions and so I wanted to find out a little more about color choices that will lead to harmony with your space and solve subconscious tensions you may not have even realized you had.
I know this may sound a little far-fetched at first, but if you really stop to think about it colors have a huge impact on the mood and atmosphere of a space. One odd fact I found when doing a little research was that back in the 18th century the color green was used in dining rooms because it was thought to aid digestion. I am not saying that this has any truth to it but does make me think that there may be something to choosing the right color for each room.

This dining room is nice and cheery with all the warm tones in the wood and golden yellow blinds.
Colours really do affect our mood, whether or not we are aware of it. This is why paying attention to some basic colour psychology can be helpful in decorating your home. Color consultants say that the first step should be to decide on the primary function of a room and then work out which color will work best in aiding this function. Sounds like a bit of unnecessary work but I think it is worth taking into account.
The Living Room
Choose colors that stimulate conversation like warm reds, oranges and yellows. It is thought warm colors inspire activity and increase the feeling of warmth and coziness. However it is thought that if these colors are overdone it can constrict the flow so perhaps keep to strong accents rather than painting the whole room. Similarly dark navy blues has been linked to stifling conversation, so avoid in social rooms.
The Kitchen and Dining Room
Similar to the living room, it is suggested that you choose warm colors that aid conversation and activity. As one of the most social rooms in your house the kitchen and dining room would make the perfect warm space. One disadvantage which I have uncovered is that red can actually make you eat more and faster. This is based on research around fast food restaurants that apparently use this subconscious trick to get you in and out quickly. Alternatively grey is shown to reduce your appetite.
The Bedroom
The best colors for a bedroom are the more cooling ones; go for blues and greens which create a relaxing space. Cool colours are naturally more calming and are less distracting in mood. Blues, greens, and purples are excellent in bedrooms where they are peaceful and help you to rest, relax and concentrate. Green is supposed to be the most peaceful colour because it is in the middle of the colour spectrum and is therefore associated with both balance and nature.

These bold red accents are super lively and will match the energy of a busy kitchen. This office uses cool lavender to give it a calming atmosphere.

The bedroom to the right is predominantly decorated in cool colours that give it a soothing effect while the warmer toned plush toys make it cheerful and comforting at the same time. To the left, this neutral yet warm space is light enough to make the space seem large, yet the yellow undertones and the reds in the wood make it feel cozy and inviting at the same time.

In my opinion color psychology should not be solely focussed upon. After all most decorating choices will depend on a rooms qualities and the majority of time it will come down to personal taste. However have a think of how these colors make you feel it may just increase your homes aesthetics and even your own wellbeing.
This a guest post written by Charlotte Critchley on behalf of Gallery Blinds. Charlotte is a psychology graduate who has recently found a love for home improvement since making the recent move in to a new house.

Hotel Interior Inspiration – Palihouse West Hollywood

The PaliHouse’s design is perfection. From the moment you walk up and pass under the awesome black and white awning, you enter a land of urban french style.

The mix of textures and patterns they chose for the lobby design are wonderful. I think one of the worst things about hotels are it’s uninteresting surroundings and stiffness you feel from the decor. This is why most boutique hotels work. They have personality. I mean, just look at the design of The Palihouse, there are so many things to inspire you in your personal style and decorating. Having the different areas for lounging make this space very inviting. Also, I love the tile the chose, it adds an interesting element to this open room. I feel like it grounds this space. What do you think?

I love that they have termed themselves an urban lodge. Like you are escaping to a hip and mellow place in the midst of a bustling city. They also call there rooms, residences. I think this is also a great term to use in a hotel. Why not make your guests feel as if it is their apartment for the time being?

I love the design of these suites or residences. The picture ledge above the beds was a really good touch. Great idea for your bedroom, huh? Perfect for us who get bored with our designs. This would be a great way to change up the art work with out all the holes in the wall. Oh, and that kitchen marble, I’m loving it! If I was designing a private studio, I would definitely take inspiration from these rooms.

Are you as obsessed with Instagram as I am? Why not take those awesome photos of yours and do something similar to this above? Forget having boring old fames with family pictures. Show off your loved ones using a more artistic approach. You can do this through Printstagram. They come back to you like little mini Polaroids! Its pretty cool!

So, what do you see here that you love? How about that rocking horse in the lobby? Amazing, right?

Have a great day! xoxo

{Images used from palihousewesthollywood}