Fabrics For Your Monday

Kicking off a Monday by showcasing some fun fabrics sounds like a great idea to me. I think you'll notice a slight color scheme here.

Seemakrish

Dwell Studio

Michaelian & Kohlberg

Thomas Paul

Thom Filicia

Kravet

Duralee

Duralee

Schumacher

There's a little something for everyone I think. Which of these fabrics are you drawn to? 

Happy Halloween!

This Week's Round Up

It's been a heck of a week here at West Pear Avenue. I'm very glad to see Friday here again and even more excited for the weekend. But also still in shock that we're nearing the end of October (already??).

Here are a few fun things that have been swirling around in my head this month week...

*I've come across a bit of inspiration for Mood Board Monday. I saw this seating nook in Architectural Digest and went bug-eyed. Isn't the stone beautiful? I love the dark wood touches against the stone and backdrop of windows and natural light streaming in.

I had to show this one too...

This is just a small portion of the amazing Napa Valley home of Rela and Don Gleason, co-founders of  furniture company Summer Hill.

*I might be a little light on posting next week as we have our upcoming trip to New York and lots to do before we leave (outfits, hair, kid stuff, etc., etc.). My husband and I both love coffee (me more than him) but we always love checking out new coffee shops, and what better place than New York to explore. I remembered that I had Pinned this image some time ago...D'Espresso designed by nemaworkshop. The concept, turning a normal room literally sideways.

A-mazing. Anybody been here or heard of D'Espresso? There's a Midtown location and a Lower East Side location. If I go, I will take pictures.

I love coffee. I don't love coffee ice cream, but I think I could do a little coffee sprinkle on my ice cream.YUM.

Photo by Bonnie Tsang via Oh Joy

*I've been itching to do a project around the house. I've got a few things I want to do, but just haven't gotten around to doing them yet. Check out this statement piece created by Two Thirty-Five Designs that I found at Suzy's house party. I love it. Talk about patience.

Via Two Thirty-Five Designs

*One of my ultimate favorite posts are ones where I get to see actual projects that my design friends are working on with their clients. It's a huge learning experience and I am thankful that we have this blogosphere to be able to shares those types of experiences. Both Abby and Cathy celebrated their year blogaversary recently and it was so fun to read their reflection on the past year. I'm eager to see the final reveal of Cathy's timeless kitchen client project. And not only does Abby have some awesome client projects going on, she also has the opportunity to help her Mom with her condo makeover. You rock ladies and your projects rock - I look forward to reading about many, many more of your projects.

*Speaking of more projects, if you haven't been reading already, you've got to check out the progress that Carrie and her husband are making on their family room over at Hazardous Design. Check out this crown molding (but really you need to see the room before to appreciate how far it has come).

Hazardous Design

*Remember when I mentioned earlier that I love seeing projects and how blog friends tell us how it all went down and their thought process behind the plan? Sherry's blog Design Indulgence is just that...and I love it. Check out these fabrics she put together for a client. Not only does Sherry rock the designs but she is a hoot and a half.

Design Indulgence

So really this turned out to be a Friday brain dump, but also a thank you to all of you, my fellow bloggers, for continuing to inspire and for rocking all of the projects.

I hope you all have a great weekend! 

Effective Use of Color - It's a Wrap

My last color class was much better than the second class. We actually got to play around with paint and got to mix colors during our last class. The first activity we did was to choose a hue (blue, red, or yellow) and do a tint and a shade variation. I chose to do blue and here is my attempt at tinting it (adding white).

Not perfect but pretty good. 

We also got a small swatch of fabric and chose two paint colors to use with it. Then we had to try to match one of the colors which was a great challenge. I actually got pretty close to matching one of my colors (SW-Classical Gold). I can't believe I took a photo and now I can't find it. 

So that was a wrap for color class. Next up is fabrics which I think will be fun - I'm actually going to miss the field trip because we'll be up in New York, but I'm sure I could do my own fabric hunting up there too.

The other day I promised to show you a few photographs of some art books I had gotten at consignment. The books were $1.50 and then discounted off of that. I found a bunch of auction books, and I thought they would be good to have on hand for inspiration or just to get some ideas - especially since they were so cheap and in great condition.

A Christie's auction book in great condition - very fun to flip through...

Color...caught my eye.

Love the colors in this one...(photos are dark, sorry - someday I will take good photos)

Another art book below, a work by Andrew Wyeth, a fellow Pennsylvanian. Really cool and done in true Wyeth style.

This was another art book of works by Regina Saura. Are you familiar with this artist? She's got some interesting pieces that caught my eye too.

I liked this one. Coffee, yum. This is a really pretty blue but you can't really tell by the photograph.

What's funny is I never even realized this consignment store had a huge book section - at least now I know for next time.

Have you ever bought any bargain art or home decor books?

Get Ready for Mood Board Monday

Sarah from Pewter + Sage has organized another Mood Board Monday. This time we are taking inspiration from dinnerware in the spirit of the upcoming holiday season, and I'm very excited about it!

Here are the options for inspiration...

David Stark's Wood-Slices from West Elm

Penumbral Doily dinnerware from Anthropologie

Lenox Simply Fine Dinnerware; Chirp Collection found at Macy's

And last but certainly not least this gorgeous pattern...Phillipe Deshoulieres "Dhara"fine china found at Bloomingdale's.

November 14th is the date for this one where we'll party and ooh and ahh over everyone's boards and original creations. Even if you've never created a mood board before, now is your chance to have some fun with it and give it a try - there is no wrong way to do this - and it's a TON of fun.

Which of these dinnerware collections are you drawn to? And just for fun, what dinnerware is sitting in your cabinets right now for everyday use? And fancy schmancy use when the time comes? We have the Mikasa Cocoa Blossom (that I love) dinnerware for all the time use - it can be casual or fancy schmancy. And then some blue and white Target brand that we use as well from my husband's bachelor days.

Hope to see you at Mood Board Monday!

Treasures

I wanted to share some treasures I found recently while thrifting on my lunch break. I like to try to get out at least once a week on a thrifting adventure. I work in business (life insurance to be exact) so I need to get out and feed my creative spirit if you know what I mean (no more business talk I don't want to bore you to tears).

My thrift shop of choice these days has been Impact in Montgomeryville. It's huge and organized - both big pluses in my book.

So without further ado...

3 cut-glass pears - perfect for the holidays or for that mantel that I'll have someday - you know I like pears. (these were actually from Impact in Norristown - different trips, swear)

I think this is supposed to be a soup bowl, but I loved it. Great lines and a classy gold/black/cream colored. $1.50

This is going on my gallery wall in the living room that's been in the works forever. The colors were perfect and how can you beat handmade? And $2.50 - do you like how I kept the price tags on? (just call me Tacky McTack)

Two plates, 35 cents each - these will also be on the gallery wall but I plan on fixing them up a bit. I'll be getting my DIY on at some point when I have free time.

I'll be back tomorrow to share some art and auction books that I found at the same thrift shop. It was inspiration central when I came across these books.

Have you found any treasures recently for your home? What are some of your favorite thrift stores or markets?

BFFs?

A wonderful weekend come and gone. I actually got a chance to catch up on my shows this weekend. After viewing one of my favorite shows I got inspired for this quick post.

One of my favorite design TV personalities is Genevieve Gorder. Love her love her love her. Not only is she a fabulous designer but she's got the warm personality to boot - I want to be her BFF and her apprentice or maybe just one of the assistants that helps her on Dear Genevieve.

Do you watch Dear Genevieve? I wish I could find some photos from this past weekends episode. She worked to update a couple's dining room and helped them part with a dining room set that they'd had since they first married. Did you see this one? She had built-ins installed that were AMAZING, and painted the walls a deep purple-grey with the ceiling in a brilliant gold (the gold on the ceiling was the added WOW for the room). It was really a great transformation and the couple was thrilled which is always so fun to see.

No wonder she is such a hit on TV - the camera loves her and she's the type of person that can really draw you in and make you feel like you're in the same room with her. She did an episode not too long ago where she was making over a couple's kitchen. The tile they had proposed for the backsplash was no where to be found. She had to have a difficult conversation with the couple, and break the news to them that the tile wouldn't be making it to the kitchen. Not only did she deliver the bad news with finesse and sincerity, but she was honest. I think that's what sold me even more on Gen being a favorite of mine.

I've been following Genevieve on Twitter as well, and she posted a few sneak peeks of her rugs that are debuting at High Point Market. They look really incredible. She is teaming up with Capel Rugs to launch a line of flat weave, global inspired rugs. I can't wait to see them all!

Capel Rugs

If this yellow patterned rug above is part of the collection, well then sign me up!

On an unrelated note, when I posted about my tour of the Chestnut Hill Design Show House, I didn't have many photos to share with you unfortunately. But I did come across this image below of the library that was so beautiful. This is only one side of the room, but it does give you an idea of some of the wonderful fabrics and window treatments used in the space. This was designed by William Grey-Bellis Interiors.

William Grey-Bellis Interiors

I wish one or all of you could have seen this house with me. It was really beautiful. This room especially had me all ga-ga.

So back to my original reason for posting, are you a Dear Genevieve watcher and have you been watching recently? I really feel like this season has been great. Do you remember Trading Spaces? 

Hope you had a great fall weekend!

Weekend Brain Dump

I've got a weekend brain dump for you today...so grab your coffee and hold on for the ride...

This past week was my second color class. It was a little disappointing to say the least. Actually I'll go as far as to say BOR-ING. We talked about each color on the wheel, and then viewed badly scanned examples of each color in a room. I know I shouldn't complain, but I'm paying money for this class and I think it could be conducted a lot differently and be more beneficial. I think it would be more productive to meet in small groups and discuss various images of different rooms and colors being used in a room and discuss the way the room makes you feel. This class was very unproductive to say the least. I try not to be so negative and try to find the positive in things, but there wasn't much positive to go around. We don't even have any homework in this class (I know, big nerd alert), but the homework from the layout class was such a learning experience and great to work through on my own. I've created my own homework each week, but I really think this class should be conducted differently and that homework should be given. Here's a quick homework assignment idea: tear out some pages from a magazine of rooms that inspire you and write down a description of the colors, type of color scheme, and why it appeals to you. Then we'll come back in class next week and discuss a few.  (I'll have to remember all of this when I'm writing my class evaluation form)

Ok, enough with the kicking and screaming.

Just as I was thinking of my frustrations voiced above, I read an ironic post from Carol at The Design Pages. Carol wrote a post about how wonderful her workshop is going this week. Carol is taking the True Color Expert workshop conducted by Maria Killam. Maria is a color whiz and I would love to be able to take her workshop sometime.

Speaking of color, did you know the Guggenheim Museum is teaming up with Fine Paints of Europe to produce a total of 200 paint colors available to the consumer?

I might have to add the FLOR showroom to my New York City agenda. The FLOR catalog arrived the other day and it never disappoints. Filled with tons and tons of color inspiration. (And thanks to all of you for your great NYC suggestions)

This is my favorite...

All three images via FLOR

I'm in the process of cooking up a guest post series, so hopefully I'll have news for you on that soon.

That's all she wrote for today...we're off to the pumpkin patch.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Help Me Decide

We had a rainy day yesterday at lunch, so I decided to start playing around with some fabrics online. I know that the fabrics come across much differently online than they do in person, but it's a starting point and a good point of reference when you're just sort of going through ideas in your head.

Now is where you come into play. I'd like you to weigh in and help me decide which route to go with these groupings of fabrics. I thought it would be fun to get your opinions.

These boards aren't for anyone in particular, but I did start brainstorming with the intent on building a nursery design board, so keep that in mind when looking at the fabrics below.

Here is what I came up with so far...

Board #1 on the left started with the Lee Jofa/Lilly Pulitzer collection Happy Plaid. Next I found the petite polka dot. I knew I wanted a floral in the scheme, so that's when I added the yellow floral on the bottom left. When I was browsing Fabric.com, I came across the print on the top right which I thought was perfect to top off this group.

Board #2 started with the chevon fabric from Tonic Living - I loved this as soon as I saw it and it comes in a few different colorways. I thought it was so much fun and so many fun colors to pull from. Since I went the female route with the board on the left, I figured I'd try to go boy route with this fabric board. After I had the chevron fabric, I found the green damask fabric on Joann Fabrics. I added in the Subway pillow from CB2, and finished off this fabric idea board with the small black patterned fabric.

Here are the sources...

Board #1

Happy plaid fabric - Lee Jofa/Lilly Pultizer

Yellow floral fabric - Because in Yellow by Suburban Home found at Fabric.com

Polka dot fabric - Bingo in coral found at Calico Corners

Wheels N Motion in spring - Waverly Modern Essentials found at Fabric.com

Board #2

Chevron fabric - Tonic Living

Teatro tonic in black - Calico Corners/Robert Allen

Green damask fabric - Waverly Modern Essentials Luminary in emerald found at Joann.com  

Subway pillow in white - CB2

Which group are you drawn to? Would you use these in a nursery or do you have ideas on other rooms these could work in?

Guest Posting

Today I'm excited to report that I'm guest posting for Amber over at Simple Dwellings!



I'm participating in Amber's series If My Blog Were a Room. It was so much fun putting this guest post together and envisioning my blog coming to life - a really interesting concept that makes you think about the set-up of your blog, why you blog, who your readers are, etc., etc.

Amber also does a weekly Why This Works series, where she breaks down a room and describes why the room works for her. I think it's a great exercise for anyone interested in learning about design and figuring out why a particular room appeals to them - or maybe even one or two elements in the room that have appeal (because you know you don't have to love every room).

Stop over and take a read if you have a chance. Then go out and treat yourself to a nice coffee or snack that makes you smile! 

Catching Up

I'm taking some time to catch up on my magazine reading and R&R. The newest issue of House Beautiful arrived in the mailbox today and I was like a kid on Christmas - although I still haven't finished reading through October I'm still excited to start browsing through November's issue.

One quick question for you...have you noticed plaids popping on the scene? In last month's House Beautiful, I counted at least four instances of plaids used in spaces. I also came across this post on Apartment Therapy that poses the question, classic or fad?

These are some fun plaids from the Lilly Pulitzer line for Lee Jofa:

Lee Jofa

Lee Jofa

Lee Jofa

You could do some fun things with these fabrics - no wonder the fabric is called Happy Plaid!

My vote is...classic all the way.

What are your thoughts on plaid?

The Big Apple

Welcome back to Monday! We had such a beautiful fall weekend here in Pennsylvania. It really felt like fall has arrived. A nice breeze in the air, the need for a light jacket or sweater, and lots of fall stuff going on all over the area. My favorite time of year! And really these next few months are all of my favorites too, so much going on and so much to be thankful for.

My husband and I decided to celebrate our anniversary earlier than usual this year, and we are going up to Manhattan in November. We wanted to go somewhere that we could drive but that really felt like a getaway - it was between Washington, D.C. and New York and we chose New York. Hooray! I love New York and always have.

Neither of us have been to Central Park, so we'll be visiting there.

Source: s3.amazonaws.com via Holly on Pinterest

I've never been to the Met so we'll also be going there as well. I'd love to take a stroll across the Brooklyn Bridge (thanks for the suggestion Suzy). Frommer's recommends taking the subway into Brooklyn and then walking from Brooklyn into Manhattan to get the best views and scenery.

Source: wirednewyork.com via Holly on Pinterest

And of course lots of shopping and wining and dining...which is where you come into play!

If you live or have visited New York, what are your top recommendations for dining and shopping? (I know there is so much to offer in New York so tons and tons of options available). We are pretty much open to anything dining-wise. I know my husband would love to do a steak house, but I'd rather try something a little different and more romantic. Any hands-down best dinner ever picks?

We're both really into checking out new coffee shops and cafes, so would be open to any suggestions for must stop coffee shops.

This will either sound crazy to those of you that dislike cities or awesome to those that live or love being in big cities, but I love the hustle and bustle of New York. There's just a feeling you get when you're in this city that it seems almost magical - so much energy and personality!

Source: google.com via Holly on Pinterest

I told my hubby that I'd try to limit the shopping to places that he might be interested in as well, but he's a good sport so let me know of any good home decor, markets, anything that I might like to check out too.

I'm excited and the countdown is on! Need to start buying planning outfits!

Have a great day - I look forward to any and all of your recommendations.

A Someday Office

We don't have a room dedicated to an office right now. We have a desk set-up in our basement that serves the purpose, but someday I'd love to have a room dedicated to an office. I've seen so many great offices out on the web recently and it got me thinking about what our home office might look like someday. Here's what I came up with for the time being.

I'm usually one that gravitates toward vibrant colors, but I've decided to take a neutral approach to this office and would throw in some splashes of coral or orange. I've really been admiring neutral spaces lately so that was the inspiration behind this board. The Annie Selke fabric at the bottom left corner is what started it all and I knew I wanted to pair it with a soft floral, which is when I chose the Schumacher floral next to it. I also love the piece of driftwood art by Etsy seller paintsquare. They have so many great pieces in their shop and this one was perfect for this space. Here are my sources:

Artwork - Etsy seller paintsquare

Amazing Things print - Etsy seller MaryKateMcDevitt

Expedit storage - Ikea

Herringbone rug - Rugs USA

Storage ottoman - Target

Magazine file - See Jane Work

Chair - Home Decorators

Tan fabric - Annie Selke

Floral fabric - Schumacher

Pillow - Pottery Barn

Metal Parsons desk - West Elm

Floor lamp - Circa

Do you like any of the elements on this board? What is your office set-up at home?

I'm ready for the weekend! Who's with me? Have a great one!

100

Today marks the 100th post for West Pear Avenue - holy cow!!

Etsy seller lucileskitchen

A huge thank you to my readers, friends, and supporters. I've "met" some of the most incredible people through this adventure and I'm so happy I decided to start writing West Pear Avenue.

I had no idea I would learn as much as I have in this short amount of time. I continue to be inspired by all of you. Your projects, your enthusiasm, and your support are top notch.

Etsy seller steliedesigns

Keep doing what you love and enjoy it. I look forward to the next 100!

Color Color Color

I had my first color theory class last night and I'm now officially obsessed with color and analyzing magazines and images on the web to see what colors were used. After we went through a bunch of examples in class of rooms using different color concepts, I made a comment along the lines of "now I'm going to be analyzing and obsessing over colors this week!!" - the instructor said "YES! that's what I want" and I think everyone else sort of just stared at me (or maybe that was just in my head - I really hope).

But really though, it got me thinking about different color schemes I've seen lately and different colors that we've used around the house (and analyzing what I would want to change if I had the time).  Emerald green, lavender, neutrals, blues...all of these colors have been swirling through my head.

We did a "Name the type of color scheme" exercise in class and I thought it would be fun to go through a few on my own...take a guess at a few of these (and there maybe more than one answer too).

Color scheme: Analogous (colors next to each other on the color wheel)

Blues, greens, and yellows throughout make this analogous. Neutral sofas, neutral walls.

We also started to talk about how color makes you feel when used in a space and what kind of mood/tone it sets for the room. 

Color scheme:  Neutrals

You're really only seeing one side of the room here, but lots of neutrals being used. The walls, the pillows, the chairs...all neutral and very soothing.

Take a look at this bedroom before and after from Better Homes and Gardens:

Before:  Achromatic - all whites with some touches of blue on the valance

And the after...gorgeous, eclectic...

I'm thinking complimentary on the color scheme...blue and orangey/pink. I know I love this after - how pretty and effortless it looks. That headboard and sconce - love them.

This next image is also neutral with splashes of pink...

Source: the decorista

And while we're talking about color, how about the Lee Jofa ads? Are they not one of the most eye catching ads out there right now? 

And from eye-catching we go to neutral and equally fabulous...

Lee Jofa

What colors or color schemes have caught your eye recently?