Here’s today’s example:   When eating in Franklin with my mother and sister back in January,  I spotted this grouping of hanging lights in Merridee’s Bakery.  It’s simply a grouping of 1970′s amber glass lights, hung at different levels.   I not only liked this specific grouping, I like the idea of it.  However, I didn’t have 3 vintage amber glass hanging lights, and my husband wouldn’t be thrilled to have to run electricity to 3 new fixtures in the ceiling.  So, now what?  I tucked this one away in my little brain, of course.

While in London back in February,  I spotted lots of shell chandeliers in the Anthropologie store there.  It got me thinking . . .

I had three hanging shell things down in my basement.  They are not chandeliers – just cheap shell hangings (that remind you of 1970′s macrame plant hangers) you can by at those crappy beach stores in places like Gulf Shores or Panama City.  I had picked up one at a yard sale a few years ago, and bought two others the last couple of times we had gone to the beach.  I had one of  them hanging on my screened porch a few years back, but the three of them have been languishing in my basement for quite some time.

Last week, I went to Home Depot and picked up white screw hooks to hang these on and grouped them in the corner of our enclosed sleeping porch.  I think they look fabulous, mainly because they are a grouping.  More impact and more interesting than if I had hung just one of them.  I made it work by by taking the ideas of a few other talented people and morphing them into my own funky (and cheap) version.

So that’s my way of “creative copying.”  Elements of the amber light grouping + elements of the on-trend shell chandeliers + a little frugal creativity = my “unique” spin on a design inspiration.

Photo Credits:  Kristie Barnett.

I admit it.  I love Hot Pink.  Not (just) the color, but the store in Brentwood, TN.  It’s an unapologetically girly-girl kind of place.

It’s right next door to the popular Puffy Muffin restaurant, where my sisters and mom get together for lunch when each of our birthdays come around.  I popped in recently following such a lunch and was excited by all the new spring vignettes throughout the store.

Of course, there is lots of pink in the store – but not as much as you might think.    It’s an incredibly colorful place,  and you’ll find both pastel and jewel tones. 

And lots of sparkle.  Don’t forget to look up to see their assortment of chandeliers and hanging light fixtures.  I bought the light in my entry (see here) from Hot Pink – it looks kinda like an underwater sea creature.

I was so happy to see lots of birds, birdcages, nests, and eggs – some of my favorite things to decorate my home with.  It’s starting to feel like spring, isn’t it?

They always have a fun selection of vintage-look aprons.  I could so wear one of these around town with a tank top and jeans.  You have no idea how badly I’d like to be that brave.  But I’d have NO problem using them as a Christmas tree skirt like I did here.

I love these collapsable storage bins.  Wouldn’t these totally make organizing fun?

But these little cuties were my favorite items of the day:  themed cupcake decorations!  There was a fairy theme set, a circus theme set, and a few other cute themes that made me want to go plan a party for my girls!

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On one of my rainy days in London last month, I had become rather lost in a part of the city I had not yet become familiar.  It was pouring cats and dogs.  I had been walking for miles of city blocks, making random turns at corners until I had no clue where I was.  Then suddenly, I saw it.  Anthropologie!  So what if I was lost?!

As I perused the store, I noticed several obvious trends emerging.  There was a tropical vibe with exotic birds and plants -  it was really more a jungle thing.  Like a really on-trend Robinson Crusoe-type lived there.

There was also lots of rustic, handcrafted wood stuff going on.  This mirror was pretty cool.  Again, a little fantasy-Robinson Crusoe thing.  Or maybe Gilligan’s Island

And quite a bit of retro-nautical items.  Light-blue denim, not navy.  With ropes and boat-related things.

I LOVED this broken-bottle art installation.  The green glass was gorgeous!

There were also lots of hanging shell chandeliers.  I’ve got 3 of those in my basement that are gonna have to be hung somewhere in my house now!

I heart the compact black one in the background here:

This cabinet was so beautiful, so faded-glory.  The finish was a kind of bleached-out and white-washed.  What I really like is the artful interest they added by lining the back haphazardly with botanical pages from a vintage foreign book.  Then they nailed up a few thin wooden frames to make it a little more 3-dimensional.

I had to take a picture of this vignette, because I personally love vintage oil portraits!  More hints of faded glory.

This wall art is made up of frame fragments.  It just reminds you that any found objects grouped together make the most interesting displays.

When I took these pictures, I thought I was seeing a few different trends going on in the store.  But now that I gather all these pictures together and think through them all,  it’s pretty obvious that the whole store had a pretty cohesive theme going on.  Shipwrecked, faded glory, desert island, Robinson Crusoe/Swiss Family Robinson.  The entire store was a story, and if I hadn’t snapped these pictures I would have totally missed the big picture!  And being an incredibly devoted fan of the television show, LOST, I am totally overboard for this look.   Now, to go dig out those shell chandeliers in the basement .  .  .

Photo Credits:  Kristie Barnett 

I was in Pottery Barn Kids recently and really loved the Valentine’s Day merchandise they’re hocking this year.  Not surprising that I was drawn to these items – they are mainly retro-inspired!

These melamine plates look like nostalgic valentines, don’t they?  I heart vintage valentines.

My favorite was this Valentine’s banner!  Now this is something you could use year after year.  Maybe I’ll try to hit the after-Valentine’s Day sale . . .

Couldn’t help but notice the super-cute stuffed fabric owl.  I have a weakness for owls, you know.

I remember making my own version of a dried flower-covered lampshade about 15 years ago.  It didn’t turn out quite as cute as Pottery Barn Kids’ version.

I love this polka-dotted old-style phone!  Would that look silly in my living room?

Photo Credits:  Me

Well, I’m sure most of you are familiar with inspiration boards.  Some people use them for gathering memories, for planning a wedding, or for motivation to achieve goals.  Creating inspiration boards is a common practice in the interior decorating world, as well as many other fields of artistry.  Making your own inspiration board gives you a special place just for you to remember the things that inspire you.   You can use anything that can be tacked – photographs, color swatches, fabric, objects from nature, words or phrases – anything that inspires you.  

Below is the first inspiration board I ever did, from the first paying decorating gig I ever did.  This lady wanted her bathroom ripped out and completely redone.  And she actually did everything I suggested!  I think the inspiration board helped her to visualize what I had in mind. 

This is my inspiration board in my office – it’s mainly about my career and design goals, but it touches on other themes that are important to me.

Maybe it’s time you start your own inspiration board.  And let me know if you do – I’d love to hear about it!

Photo Credits:  TravelingOx via SimpleMom, Barbara Barry via DesignMuse,  Flickr, Me.

I stumbled upon some lovely inspiration over the weekend.  Lace Beauty Lab is a high-end salon in Miami Beach, Florida.  It’s interiors are bold retro, and deliciously confectionary.   Designed by Doug Meyer, Lace Beauty Lab is old-school 1950′s Miami glamor with Mediterranean and Moroccan accents.

I love the turquoise blue walls shamelessly paired with the kelly green ceiling.   These colors look fabulous with the white and silver accents.  And check out the fabulous star-and-ball ornament light fixtures.  Meyer describes it as “Miami Beach,1968, meets Dorothy Draper meets Tangier of the 1970s.”

Lace Nail Lab is all about pink, with patent-leather stools and chairs surrounding white tables in the manicure area, and elegant white Barcelona chairs for pedicures.  According to the salon owner, Anna Elizabeth, “People always say it’s like a cyber Barbie Dream House. It’s very slick and very modern, even though it’s girly.”

The whole place is like a jewel box.  Wouldn’t you like to have a pedicure in one of these white Barcelona chairs?

Each area – be it for facials, massage, makeup, or blowouts - has its own color scheme and lighting goal.

Photo credits:  Stir

She lives in the most amazing home I have ever seen.  Annie lives in Jacksonville, Illinois.   Doesn’t sound like a terribly exciting place, but check out this unbelievable Beau Arts home!!!  She lives here with her 3 perfect children, 2 perfect dogs, and presumably, her perfect husband.  She certainly has a perfect lawn care guy.

She is a huge inspiration for me in the way that she chooses to decorate and live.  Annie calls her style Euro Trash.  It’s kinda like European Shabby Chic, but with more color.  It’s fabulous, glamorous, and magical.

This is Annie’s dining room!  Soak it up.  Nothing else I can say.  European glam at it’s best.  Is she a princess, or what???

Check out Annie’s website to find out about all the fabulous antiques she ships over to sell from Belgium and the Netherlands.  http://www.euro-trash.us/

On her website, Annie Brahler shares the following decorating advice:

“Look To Nature for Embellishments -  When you want to add some interest to a room, just take a quick walk outside.  Candles are held in place with leaves picked fresh and left to dry to a beautiful color that only nature can offer.  A gnarled dried branch becomes a tactical sculpture in a winter kitchen along with artichokes left to dry and enjoy for the beautiful floral shape they have to offer”.

“Always Welcome the Unexpected – A bit of indulgent elegance in a strictly functional space can lift the spirits. I love fresh flowers on a shelf inside my closet, a dramatic chandelier in the bathroom and silk draperies that puddle on the floor in my daughter’s bedroom”.

“Open Up – Open shelving is a wonderful way to enjoy the things you love everyday…display things you need in close reach right along with the bits you enjoy just for the color, shape, or texture that they possess.   Books in the same tones as your display are a great way to elevate your special things to present them. The shelves themselves can be given interest by giving them soft curves, or arranging them in a series of vertical and horizontal lines rather than the traditional stacked shelving….we also like to paint, stain, or upholster the interior of cabinets to give them a bit of an unexpected touch of special attention…it is always a ittle uplifting to reach for a sweater inside an armoire with a softly padded silk interior…”

Annie says that her Dutch heritage is an inspiration in the way she raises her children and lives in her home.  Children (and dogs) are very much welcome and appreciated everywhere in the Netherlands and she feels that way, too.

THIS is the kind of thing I get excited about!  Rachel Ashwell has a new book coming out September 1st: Rachel Ashwell’s Shabby Chic Interiors – My Rooms, Treasures, and Trinkets.  Rachel Ashwell is a self-made businesswoman who founded the iconic brand known as Shabby Chic in 1989 when, as a single mother of two young children, she looked to open a small shop where she could sell “pretty things” without spending much time or distance from her children. Rachel opened her first store on trendy Montana Avenue in Santa Monica, California and now has a brand that is known worldwide.

For those of you who are not familiar (!), Shabby Chic is a laid-back take on traditional decorating.  Rachel Ashwell’s signature style is known for its faded color palette, generous doses of white and creams, heavy use fabrics such as cotton, linen, and muslin, feminine details such as ruffles, and  loosely-slipcovered sofas and chairs.   Now, I don’t go “all in” for her design style, but she has had a major influence on my design choices over the last 2 decades.  She really brought together a new look and philosophy about decorating that is amazing.  Her previous books are beautiful and inspirational – I’ve read them all dozens of times.

Her new book, Shabby Chic Interiors–My Rooms, Treasures, and Trinkets, is said to be an eclectic book of quirky decorating inspiration.   It falls into chapters according to location, beginning with Rachel’s breathtaking Los Angeles residence and continuing with a photographer’s minimalist mountain-top home in the Hollywood hills, a beautiful Malibu beach cottage, a bohemian hideout in southern California, and a peek at a number of celebrity homes.  With rooms combining flea-market finds and objects of pure functionality–an elegant French mirror reflecting a painting, a bejeweled metallic candle holder sitting by a cluster of willow-patterned china, a single faded velvet pillow lounging under the twinkle of a vintage chandelier–this book celebrates all that is wonderfully Shabby Chic.

Here’s the good news!  If you click on the Amazon link here, you can pre-order Rachel Ashwell’s Shabby Chic Interiors for 34% off the list price.  I’ve already heavily suggested to my husband that he would be wise to order it for my birthday .

Rachel Ashwell also has a few DVDs on Amazon that I have not seen, but am very interested in.  Apparently, Rachel had a short-lived series on the Style channel.  It appears that while the production values were lacking, the content is very good.  I am officially putting the Festive Details and Entertaining DVD on my Christmas wishlist!

If you are interested in any of Rachel Ashwell’s books and DVDs, I have links to all the good ones on the left side of the screen.

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