When you can't find it, build it yourself!

We are tying up a few decorative loose ends at the Ales house, which is crazy because I don't really have any critical pieces left to shop for when I go out! My husband and I have this blank wall in our Living Room that at the very least needs art. This room also lacks lighting and the primary overhead fixture in this room is a fan with a small light that doesn't really do the job. This is ok because I don't like overhead lights anyways- I'm more about the "mood" lighting, which is provided by lamps. I thought it could be a good idea to do something a little more with the blank wall that just stick a picture on it, although we are doing that in addition to some other things. What we'll have is a console table that is open underneath with 2, x-base benches (that can be pulled out for extra seating), a pair of vintage lamps for extra lighting, and a large picture of my husband's photography. I felt like our Living Room already had enough wood and dark wood going on, so I wanted the console table to be a different material, lighter in color, as to not add too much weight to that side of the room. I also wanted the benches and lamps (which are darker in color) to stand out against the console table. I was inspired by some of Jan Shower's end tables that are wrapped in grasscloth paper and trimmed out on the edges with nail heads. I decided to go in this direction for the design of the console. Thankfully, my husband is pretty talented when it comes to carpentry, so he was able to make the table with the help of our builder friend Greg Brooks who has all the tools and the know how! Here are some pictures in progress...

What we did:
-Bought one large sheet of 3/4" MDF- I think it was 4' x 8'.
-Cut sheet down to pieces to construct the 60"w x 18"d x 31"h table. We glued/screwed 3 pieces of the 3/4" MDF together to create the 2 1/4" thickness.
-Next up: wrapping with the grasscloth wallpaper and adding the nail head trim...

STAY TUNED! I also will have a before and after on the benches which are still in progress.

Neutral-NOW!

I really love the calming vibe that neutral interiors give off. Some of you may think they are boring, and that's ok! If we all liked the same things, THAT would be boring! For those of you that like neutrals-this post is for YOU! I like the juxtaposition of calming neutrals with a little texture brought in through natural or ethnic elements and a little bit of modern. It's clean, but kind of rustic. Modern, but kind of earthy. Personally, I'd have to inject a pop of color somewhere for some more warmth, but I like the combination of materials and styles from these inspiration pics...

PAUSE FOR A SEC- I want these pants!

Orange Crush

As you've probably read or seen me post on my blog before, I have a crush on Orange. It's kinda of a selective crush though because I like it most when it's in small doses! A pop of Orange here and there mixed in with modern lines and neutral colors adds such a warm, energetic vibe to a space. I've definitely incorporated some of this into my own home, so I can't wait to share when I get it all finished. I have some other DIY projects to share as well, so stay tuned for that... Ok-so back to crushing on Orange. Here are some of my favorite examples of modern, neutral colored spaces with small pops of orange. Are you crushing yet??

Funkdafied Tiles

It's not often that you see tiles really being taken to the limit in colors and patterns in residences. I find that most people, even when doing a multi-million dollar home want to stay classic with the tile selections, which I can totally understand for resale value. I go back and forth between super classic, clean looking materials like Carrera and Calcutta marbles and travertines to more unique designed tiles or funky patterns created by the tiles- I honestly love both! Maybe you can get the best of both worlds by taking classic materials/colors and combining them in an unexpected pattern. Some tiles are available in the sizes you need to create your pattern, while others can be cut down from stock sizes to create your pattern. I would love the opportunity to do a more "outside-the-box" installation of tiles for a project! Who's got the guts?!

Check out some of these inspiration pics for unusual tile patterns!

OR...

Take a classic white subway tile and do black or grey grout for contrast instead of your classic white!

Laser Cuts are Cool

This is a little off beat for me, as I usually post pictures of pretty rooms, but I came across Molly McGrath, a jewelry designer/artist at the Renegade Craft Fair here in Austin a couple of months ago. After I left the fair and took the time to read the brochure I picked up, I discovered that she is actually a trained architect, which made me like her even more! I can totally see the architectural lines in her designs. Apparently her laser cut jewelry designs came about from cutting architectural model pieces! Here are some of my personal favorites from her collections:

 Coasters-

 Prints-

And if you live in Austin, you can find her product at Downstairs on S. Lamar!

Art inspiration

I think this painting is going to be the new inspiration for my Master Bedroom.

I've definitely been planning to paint my own large scale painting for a feature wall. I'm wanting to keep the colors in the room fairly neutral with creams and black, but add a pop of Jade Green, kinda similar to this picture-

So maybe color in the art, a green throw on the bed (where do I get this?), or maybe Euro shams, and maybe some cool ceramic or glass accessories? Originally I wanted the green Mad Men style head board, but I think I'm chickening out on this! Walls I'm thinking a warm shade of grey.Window treatments like below with a tape trim-

This is actually my exact dresser-look waaaay in the back... You can't tell, but it has a black, Asian style legged base and rectangular brass pulls that probably need to be polished.

Nightstands-something custom and modern with an open bottom and drawer, painted black with a light stained wood drawer front for contrast. My Dad's friend builds furniture as a hobby, so I'm thinking I may call on his services...

What do you think? Do you have any art pieces inspiring you lately?

Another brilliant idea from Eddie Ross

When I stumbled across this super easy, super affordable, super good looking project the other day on Eddie Ross's blog, I couldn't wait to share! I  mean how awesome is this? 1. You take a bookcase- could be the Billy from Ikea, or any old bookcase you want to refurbish 2. Cut pieces of foam core the same size as the back of the shelves-maybe a little tiny bit smaller so you can get them back there 3. Find an awesome fabric and wrap around the foam core 4. Insert in the backs of the bookcase 5. Voila! To top it off, the foam core pieces are removable so you can change the fabric out with your decor!

BEFORE

AFTER

AWESOMENESS