Lately I have been obsessed with Emily Henderson’s show Secrets from a Stylist. Jack was out golfing Wednesday night so I finally got control of the TV. I watched back to back episodes for 2 hours (while pounding a Snickers ice cream bar) and loved every minute. She has awesome style, is sarcastic and weird, and I would kill for her wardrobe. One thing she is great at is mixing bright bold patterns in unexpected ways. She pairs crazy rugs, pillows and window panels and manages to make it look effortless and cohesive.

I decided to channel my inner Emily and put together a loud and crazy mood board. With this mix of colorful graphic pieces, I would keep everything else in the room pretty neutral. I highly recommend checking out Emily’s show (it’s on tonight!) for fun tips on how to mix and match.

Valentine Print, Fez Pouffe Grey, Hand Embroidery Hoop, Bronze, Aqua and Navy Striped Antler, Silk Ethos Rug, Rhys Chair, Carnaby Talitha Vase

Jack gets a kick out of it when I label women as “rough around the edges.” I’m usually referring to ladies that are a little grizzled… you know, the broads with course grey hair or a low raspy smoker’s voice or maybe they just cuss a lot. While this term may sound like a dis, I actually mean it in an endearing way. I don’t like things that are too pretty or too polished. I like imperfections and things that are slightly messed up (except when it’s a huge pile of SOMEONE’S dirty socks + undies next to the bed).

I had been debating replacing our old wood front door for quite a while. I was torn because while it definitely adds character to the room, it has scuffs and scratches all over it. After coming across some of these imperfectly perfect spaces, I’ve made up my mind to keep it in the mix for a bit longer.

(via mixr)

(via interiors porn)

(via indecor)

(via mixr)

(via brydie brown)

(via apartment 34)

Since we have decided to upgrade our current mattress from a queen to a king, we are going to be in need of a new headboard. I love our current white upholstered bed-frame from CB2, but it’s going to have to get demoted to the guest room. Since a new mattress and box spring (not to mention bedding) are costing us a pretty penny, I’ve decided to save money on the headboard and make it myself.

I have started digging around the inter-web in search of some inspiration. I’m finding that headboards can make an even bigger statement than the actual bedding. Below are some fabulous headboards that are so much more inviting and fun than just using the typical freebee metal frame from Slumberland.

Bonus! We already have the throw blanket in this first photo!

via House*Tweaking

via Apartment Therapy

via Stylizimo

via Apartment Therapy
(No, I am not going to attempt to make something like this, but it’s cute anyhow)

via Decor8

via Apartment Therapy

via Apartment Therapy
I’m including this one for Jack – not only because he is a sports freak and is in a basketball league, but because the date is (oddly) the exact day he was born.

Happy Easter! Regrettably, I have not had time to pull together an Easter themed post. Instead, we are here to talk about small spaces and space saving ideas. But hey, bunnies are small, so just imagine bunny families living in all of these homes (which I like to do anyway) and we’ve got an Easter themed post!

A friend of mine is moving into a small apartment and was wondering if I had any ideas on how to style the space. I think small spaces can be so cozy and charming if decorated properly. Our home has fairly small rooms, so I’ve been getting used to buying small scale furniture myself.

Anyhoo, below are some smallish rooms that I have come across recently. There are many ways to approach decorating a tiny room, so let’s take a looksie at all of the options!

(via Interiors Porn)

I LOVE THIS DESK! It works great in such a tiny nook because the legs are not thick and solid. This is a good example of paring down the clutter and just picking a few special pieces to keep out.

(via Style Files)

Here’s another example of a sparse space. Hanging the lights on the wall eliminates the need for a nightstand. If you were to want a little space for your alarm clock or glass of agua, try mounting a small shelf to the wall. Also, white walls and white bedding + lighting keep this space airy and make it feel bigger than it is.

(via Style Files)

Now here’s a big honking desk that somehow works in this small space. I think balancing it with not only white walls but white flooring as well does the trick.

(via Dress Design Decor)

CAYOOOOOOOOT. I like this little bedroom a lot. I love the dark molding/trim contrasted with the white shelving, walls and bedding. They’ve done a great job at organizing all the little trinkets in a way to not feel too cluttered.

(via Emma’s Blog)

I actually don’t know if this little set up is in a small space or not. But it would definitely work well in one. If you don’t have room for a large desktop, you can use the space above a small desk to keep your pencil cup, lamp, gold shoes (?), etc.

(via Apartment Therapy)

This must be the home of a garden gnome or something because I don’t know who else could sleep comfortably on that tiny bed. Regardless, it’s a small space and it’s cute, so I included it.

(via Apartment 34)

Floor to ceiling shelving is a great way to save space whether it’s in a kitchen, living room or bedroom. And having a little wheel-y ladder would make it fun as hell to climb up and retrieve your doo-dads.

I had been trying to find a pendant light to hang in our hallway for quite a while. Everything I came across was either too modern, too expensive or was on backorder for longer than I care to wait. I had my eye on a few fixtures by Roost, but my favorites did not come hardwired (who wants a long ass cord running down the wall so it can plug into an outlet??).

Anyway, I am glad I held out. Last weekend I came across an adorably rustic and wonderful shop on Etsy called Junkyard Lighting. The prices are totally reasonable, everything is one-of-a-kind and the items even ship within 24 hours of ordering. I purchased the Farmhouse Cage Light pictured on the far left but the others are still up for grabs!

Vintage Industrial Egg Crate Farmhouse Chandelier, Simply Modern Vintage Farmhouse Pendant Light, Vintage Flower Planter Pendant Light, Vintage Simply Modern Ideal Canning Mason Jar Pendant Light,Antique Emergency Drinking Water Can Pendant Light

My favorite color is blue. 95% of my wardrobe is blue. Three rooms in our home are painted blue. And when picking my pawn-piece-thingy in Parcheesi, you can bet your bottom dollar I pick blue.

Now if I HAD to branch out and pick a new color for once, I thought a good place to start would be one notch over on the color wheel. Meet my new friend, Green! While perusing the internet lately, I’ve forced myself to look not only at the blue pretties but the green ones as well. I was delighted to find the items below. I can imagine a totally neutral room with the only pop of color being the funky chair below and it looks prettaaay, prettaaay, prettaaay good.

Tree Tea Towel, Miller Harris Candle, Missoni Home Humbert Throw, Madeline Weinrib Pillow, Squirrel Needlepoint Pillow, Stretch Chair, Godis Mix Glass, Apple Green Glass

Gah. These spaces seriously get my heartbeat going. Who needs exercise when you can stare at interiors like this and get yourself worked up into a raging, jealous tizzy?

These photographs are all part of the talented Melanie Acevedo’s portfolio. I came across them while doing a photographer search at work. Needless to say, my productivity level went way down when I started poking around the “interiors” section of her site.

Here are my faves:

Well, where do I start? I would frickin’ love to have a fireplace. Whenever we are at my parents’ cabin, I park my fanny smackdad in front of the roaring fire and I don’t move for the entire weekend. I love the high ceilings, the abundant amount of rustic wood and I’m a sucker for fuzzy plush rugs. Oh, and hey, little doggie? You’re coming with me.

I have had my eye on this bedding for as long as it has existed. The floor-to-ceiling drapery makes this space feel so cozy and private. Mix in a flood of natural light and you’ve got yourself perfection.

Wheeeeere is that pendant light from!? I love it! I love how sloppy and lived-in this little space is. Even the little rope tie on the windows is cute.

I am trying to figure out what the material is on the wall… it almost looks like a burlap-type canvas which, mixed with the wooden headboard, is a brilliant combo. I like how this room feels feminine yet burly and rustic at the same time.

Remember my imaginary lake-house?That’s where this photo was taken.

We are really loving this warm weather here at the Fahden household. Fern’s out frolicking in the back yard, Jack’s off being athletic and playing tennis, and I’m… um… sitting on the computer looking at $4,000 lamps.

Summer is quickly approaching, which means we will be visiting friends and family at their cabins pretty much every other weekend. This got me thinking about the quaint little lake home that Jack and I own in my imagination. The cute combo below would be perfect for a guest room overlooking the lake. The rug is nautical and bold, the bookends feel rustic yet polished and the revolver pillow would help protect visitors from any creepy wilderness critters…bang bang!

Westport Rug in Navy White, Circle Blooms Framed Art, Pimento French Ring Bedding Set, Wood Bottle Bookends, Murano Glass Table Lamps, Organic Cotton Pintuck Duvet Cover, Revolver Cotton Throw Pillow

Today is … spring cleaning day! Yawn. This was my first week at my new job and really the last thing I feel like doing today is cleaning the house. But if you could see our den right now, you’d agree that this sucker needs to get cleaned out (I’m currently perched on a swivel chair amidst random picture frames, breakable vases, stacks and stacks of magazines + books and at my feet is a broken alarm clock). This, my friends, is where I’ve been throwing all of the random junk in our house for the past few months (while the basement cellar woulda been a more logical choice, for some reason it got spared).

For the most part I am an OCD neat freak. I’ve usually got chaos going on in this brain of mine, so a clean space helps keep me sane (that’s what all of the creative geniuses say, right?). So it’s time to gut this room and have a fresh start. My plan is to turn this junk yard into an awesome workspace decked out with loads of shelving, a light box, my big honking iMac and of course a cute rug, fancy desk, loads of wall art, lamps, etc.

So in spirit of all the random junk I will be going through today, I put together a random mood board. No real rhyme or reason to this one other than I have had all of these goodies saved in my Evernote for some time. I actually purchased the cute little vintage painting a couple weeks back and it’s hanging in our living room.

Happy Saturday!

Felis Pendant with Copper Shade, French Vintage Original Acrylic Painting, Remix Blanket, Clock (no longer available – oops), Thomas Paul Imperial Horse Linen Pillow, Frank Pouffe, Pronghorn Wall Art (sold out – oops again)

Incase you just crawled out from under a rock, I have a fixation with rustic spaces. My parents live in a (renovated) cabin built in the late 1800s with the original logs still exposed – so maybe that’s where my soft spot for the unrefined look comes from. I have this pipe dream where Jack and I move into the country (and eat a lot of peaches) and live in an old (un-haunted) farmhouse. I would spend my days sinking loads of money into fixing the joint up, Fern would run around with the bunnies and deer and Jack would just hang out and be his cute rugged self.

Aaaaaanyway, like I said, I am naturally drawn to this kind of look. The architecture and flooring in our house don’t really lend themselves to the whole rustic-chic esthetic… so to get my fix I’ll just keep ogling beautiful spaces like the ones below.

All images via Milk