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Pink Rugs: The Choice of Design Bloggers

April
8 36
comments

Wood Coffee Table in the Living Room

Can I make that sweeping generalization in the title? Probably not, but I do love having a pink rug in my living room. (Although those chevrons have been done to death. It was not so when I bought my rug in 2008!)

I love this space from Holly Becker of Decor8, with its pink overdye rug. The photo appeared in her book, Decorate Workshop.

Holly Becker's Home

And Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan of Apartment Therapy has a hot pink rug, too. This was his living room, featured in Apartment Therapy’s Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces.

Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan's Home

You see what I mean about design bloggers and pink rugs? Maybe we’re an odd bunch, but I love the look.

I just wish I’d known better than to choose cotton for a busy living room in a house with two young kids, a dog, and three cats — though in my defense, we didn’t have children at the time. I’ve been looking at wool rugs for a possible replacement (maybe?), and I keep coming back to pink. Here are some of my favorites.

Pink Rugs

  1. Madeline Weinrib Zigzag Rug
    cotton, available at ABC Carpet & Home
    This is my rug. It can be ordered in custom colors, but when I came across it in shades of pink, I had to buy it. I would still recommend it, but for a room with less foot traffic.

  2. Dippy Pink Rug by Susan Sharp
    wool, from The Rug Company
    Gorgeous, and less in-your-face ombré as it appears on screen (as seen in Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan’s home, above, and repurposed in his apartment). It’s expensive though.

  3. Preppy Pastel Pink Rug
    wool, from The Land of Nod
    The color looks more vibrant than pastel to me. The price is right, but the solid color is a bit plain.

  4. Overdye Magenta Rug
    wool, from Rugs USA
    I like that the underlying pattern is less obvious than in some overdyed rugs. Less trendy. I would love this rug in my living room. Think it would work with my floral chair?

link    'R' for Rugs, Living Room  •  36 Comments  •  April 8, 2013

Fab March

March
12 13
comments

Fab March Guide

Fab always has fun finds from big design names along with independent designers, so I like working with them to highlight some of my favorites. Here’s what I’ve got my eye on right now.

  1. Ciao Travel Tags
    All the easier to spot your luggage by.

  2. Decorative Ampersand
    Because I have a thing for decorative ampersands.

  3. Walnut and Leather Wall Shelves
    These are gorgeous. Pricey, but gorgeous.

  4. Lilac Pantone Business Card Holder
    I may pick this one up to hold a few of my pink and gold business cards.

  5. Hello Foil Card Set
    Rifle Paper can pretty much do no wrong.

  6. Red Medicine Cabinet
    I have this in white, in my basement bathroom.

  7. Flower in a Can: Impatiens
    The cute container will decorate a sunny spot while you wait for the flowers to bloom.

  8. Gold Stripe Thank You Cards
    Simple and pretty, and the shiny gold makes them special.

  9. Mother and Child Tray
    I’ve always liked the illustrations on these Vitra trays.

  10. Lilac Pantone Mug
    Hot chocolate would be extra nice in this mug, and it would be cute as a vase, too.

  11. Pinch and Pair Set
    Four little containers that can store and stack.

  12. Amazing Pink Tea Towel
    Why not treat the care details as a design element?

link    'D' for Decorating  •  13 Comments  •  March 12, 2013

Kitchen Lighting Options

March
5 65
comments

The ceiling in the kitchen is 7’10″ high. The light that’s in the room now has three fluorescent bulbs, hangs down 10″, and has a 15″ diameter. It’s the right size and has the right light output, but I never did like it all that much. Now that the kitchen has been updated a bit, I want to replace the semi-flush mount fixture with something prettier, but not lose too much light or headroom. Argh, I feel like I’ve been here before.

Lighting I Really Really Want to Work in the Kitchen

Kitchen Lighting Options from Making it Lovely (Love these!)

  1. Factory Satellite 3
    I don’t know if it would look funny hugging the ceiling, and I worry that the shades will block too much of the ambient light that we currently have bouncing off of the ceiling. Also, Edison bulbs look great but I would replace them with fluorescent bulbs for practicality, and even the round ones may throw the look off a little.

  2. Bluff City Pendant, Large, Mint/Red
    It’s supposed to be a pendant, not a flush-mount fixture. It’s slightly too tall (13″), and I’m not sure it would provide enough light. But I love it. I would happily save up for this one.

Somebody please tell me that one of those two will suit my needs perfectly and we will be happy forever and ever. Except don’t if it isn’t true. I mustn’t allow my infatuation to get the best of me.

Here, we have some more options.

Lights I Like a Lot but Know Won’t Work and are Therefore Easier to Resist

Kitchen Lighting Options

  1. Artimede Nur Mini Ceiling Light
    The “mini” version is still fairly large, and it’s a good size for our kitchen, but it focuses light downward and wouldn’t provide enough general illumination.

  2. IKEA 365+ Brasa Black Pendant Lamp
    This looks much more expensive than it is, but again, it directs light downward. And it’s another pendant that I’m trying to force into a semi-flush mount, and that’s probably silly.

  3. FLOS Glo-Ball C Ceiling Light
    If you haven’t seen this one in person, you’re probably thinking this is a really simple light with a really high price tag. I assure you it is organic and special and beautiful, and yes, the price tag is still high. I don’t love it enough to spend that much, and it only holds one bulb anyway.

  4. FLOS Smithfield Ceiling Lamp
    I adore the shape, and there is even a 3-bulb option. Alas, it is directional, downward light.

I used a fancy-ish html trick to continuously label those bullet points with a break between the ordered lists, so hopefully the numbers correspond. If not, may the powers of deduction and common sense be your friend.

Moving on! This next collection has another catchy name.

Lighting That Will Work Just Fine but That I am Less Excited About Overall

Flush-Mount Kitchen Lighting Options

  1. Robert Abbey Antique Nickel Ceiling Light
    Cute. But is it too cute? Also, the shade is fabric and I wish it wasn’t.

  2. Black Horizontal Stripe Nickel Wide Ceiling Light
    Black and white stripes would look good in the kitchen! But on the light? Dunno. And it’s fabric again.

  3. 3-Bulb Semi-Flush Light
    This is the stupid light we already have. It is passable. It’s biggest selling point is that it’s already in the room (no work, no money spent).

Can you tell I don’t have as much enthusiasm for this last set? There’s also this collection of flush mount lighting to look at from when I did my big ceiling light guide last year, and my whole lighting board on Pinterest.

What do you think? I’m tempted to try one of the first two out, and then Swiss cheese my ceiling to bits with recessed lighting. Kidding (sort of).

link    'L' for Lighting, Kitchen  •  65 Comments  •  March 5, 2013

A Striped Rug for August’s Room

February
27 29
comments

So, I bought this striped rug for August’s room. It was on sale, 50% off (still is), and I was blinded by a sense of urgency. Must buy now, before it sells out! (It’s still available.)

Striped Rug in August's Room

It arrived, and I like the scale of the stripes. I like the color (the darker stripes are more charcoal than black). Here’s what I’m not liking so much: it’s not very soft. I knew it wouldn’t be plush — it’s a dhurrie — but it’s a smidge scratchy. And when I vacuum it, it gets all caught up and bunches like crazy. Annoying.

Dwell Studio Draper Ink Striped Rug

Also, how did I forget that I bought a twin-sized blanket with brown and white stripes for his room? August and I have snuggled under it in the rocking chair together as we read bedtime stories for the past six months! Brown can often be paired with black, but not in this case.

Striped Rug Vs. Striped Blanket: Who Will Win?

So I’m not sure I’m feeling the striped rug in there. I put it down without a rug pad, but I’ve since purchased one, so I’ll see if that helps with the vacuum slippage issue. The rug isn’t terribly rough underfoot and August isn’t a newborn so it’s less of a problem now, but I wish it were a little softer. And then there’s the clashing! Rug vs. Blanket! Stripes vs. Stripes! Who will win?

p.s. Prepare thyselves for striped rug overload right this way! I’m considering this runner for the kitchen (such a good price).

link    'R' for Rugs, August's Room  •  29 Comments  •  February 27, 2013

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