Playing with wallpaper

Earlier today, while allegedly waiting for a man to do something which I knew he would not do, I had an epiphany of sorts. I realized what would almost certainly make me happy, vis a vis living room decor.

This night (or this morning, since it is now after midnight) I found a place online where you can create your own wallpaper, which directly has to do with what I realized would make me happy. Funny thing is, for a 3' x 3' piece of designed wall paper, it would be $400.53, for this design:

This particular design is not an absolute want, but, it is the closest I got to what I was thinking about.  Which, basically, what I was thinking of is a white wallpaper that has black, grey and silver words all over it, in various sizes and fonts.

This would be in a room with a large white leather sectional and some "moroccan" hanging star lamps, long shiny silver and white curtains, and, in general, the whole room would be gray, white and black; with colors being brought in by pillows, books, throws, knick-knacks, etc.  Which, I think that means the floor would have to be black.

Now, I am not quite so sure, because, that sounds like too much white. I've never been a big fan of white; but, to make the walls black  would make the room too hot and probably make things kind of tacky, if I did the words that way.

Of course, I could have one wall black or midnight blue with silver, gold and copper pin stripes, and one wall white with the words. And, one wall (the one with the water heater doors) also white with the words but with a very large and colorful painting. And, blah and blah and blah ...

Having thought some more ...

.. and probably due to spending more time thinking of Jehovah and less time thinking of men ... a semi-plan has come to me, vis a vis the dining room area.

Basically, to the left of the smaller window, there would be a fold out desk with a set of shelves behind it. Around the top bottom and other side of the window, there would be more shelves. Along the main wall, there would be a couple of chairs and tables or a small love seat and in front of the big window, there would be a chair  which could also be used at the desk when it was folded out.

On the wall nearest the door, there would be a fold out Murphy bed, and around the top and bottom of the window, there'd be more shelves.

Of course, if the loveseat or one of the chairs was made to fold out, for sleeping, we wouldn't need a Murphy bed.

Rooms and such that I love

Okay, right now, I am still studying up on what I like and thinking of what to do and how to do it. So, here are some things that I do enjoy:


What I like about this room is the striped are unusual for that sort of furniture, and there is good contrast and complimentary colors, both, there.Nothing shocking, but, it is definitely different. I love the curves of the furniture and the straights of the stripes interplaying too. And, there is a bold mix of patterns and textures. Really, when it comes down to it, I don't like the room. Just the piece with the pillows, maybe the table and the lamp. What would make them even better? Hmm .. black velvet curtains  and black leather chairs. Maybe!



Love this weird little room, though I would probably find it unappetizing and too distracting to work in. This, actually, would serve nicely as inspiration for Roberta's living room as she was talking about some form of extreme whiteness with her purple. Again, a bold mix of color, shape, pattern and texture. Yaye!


And, here is where we veer immediately southward (no pun intended), as this is not beloved due to a bold mix of patterns and colors and shapes. It is earthy, comforting and comfortable. Make the bench a little wider and it would be great for sleeping outdoors, methinks.

Hmmm ... is this the living room that goes with that dining room? Looks like it! Don't know if Roberta would go for the yellow, but, again, I think this could serve as inspiration. I love this room! I'd want something a little less .. or more ..  hmm ...

Update: Here is how it would look (as best as I can do) with a black sectional, instead; and, then, blue - both just for the heck of it; and, then, of course, a purple sectional. Yaye!

Okay, it's not technically a room; but, it is listed under "Romantic Rooms" on HGTV.com, so nah! I'm wondering if I couldn't do a modified version of this, against one wall of the house, leading up toward the roof? It would give plenty of gardening space, and separate the garden into decent sized chunks that are easier to reach and maintain, and provide shade for the house, as well.


When thinking of practicality, I would not enjoy this "room" because bench seats tend to be terribly inconvenient and uncomfortable. I am not a great admirer of southwest patterns, either. But, I love the look of the wood and the tile and the dirt and the colors, together. And, I like being outside, when the sun is not attempting to kill me.



Here you go! I like the brick walls, which would be fairly simple and cheap to put together; and, I like the way the trees are planted. Very cute!  Combine the two things together, by making the more regular table and chairs out of wood and pad them well, put them on the tile/stone whatever the other table is on, drape some mosquito netting .. yes!


I like it, because it is pretty and weird!

Ditto! Though, it is more handsome than pretty.



Love the flowers and the color surrounding them. It looks like a cake decorator has been by and done a fine job on the living room wall.


It's a bit cluttered and I'm not sure how I feel about the placement of the chair, but, I like the paterns, colors, textures, wood and all.



Oh, my! Yes!



A great way to combine a table and plenty and plenty o' seating. Make those storage benches as well and hang a flat screen tv on the wall and suddenly I have room, in the back room, for a weight machine!

I wonder if I could fake that with my kitchen table and the love seat and chair? Hmmm ..

Things I'd LOVE to have in my home

Not to be confused with things I'd like or things that I need, though both those may be true as well; or, things that match each other. It is things I would LOVE.


Nailhead Trunk Cocktail Table   Originally $499.00


Nailhead  Trunk End Table  Originally $399.00

Ellissa 18" Square Button-Tufted Accent Pillow 



Ellissa 23x14" Oblong Accent Pillow 



Palacio 18" Square Brown Accent Pillow 



Pomona Accent Pillows





Bedskirt, Linden Street Plush Stripe



Cordova Bedspread Set, also pillows 
Bronze and Gold (separate colors)


Again, never mind.
There is not enough of what I love, but, I shall continue with some likes, such as this:

A lovely rug full of blues, creams and greens. Can get it in rectangular and runner. Not sure how it would go with the wood on the ceiling and floor, though. Of course, the wood on the ceiling and floor could be stained a different shade.

A Starry Night Bedroom

I'm calling it that, because the painting Starry Night will be the main inspiration, since I do love and have always loved it, since I can remember. I read, somewhere, that looking at great art soothes pain and that this is the most pain-soothing painting in existence, which explains why I like it so much, I guess.

But, I am thinking that elements from other Van Gogh paintings must be present, as well; and, probably a print of the paintings, too. Which ones? Let's look at all of them:


Starry Night


Starry Night over the Rhone

The Café Terrace on the Place du Forum, Arles, at Night, c.1888

Almond Branches in Bloom


Pretty, yes?


Hmmm .. it's been hours, not that I've been working on this the entire time, but, I have not found much to inspire me for bedrooms, but, I found these rugs for a living room situation:

Hand-knotted Gabbeh Rustic Wool Rug (5' x 8')

Hand-knotted Wool Gabbeh Sunrise Wool Rug (5' x 8')

Handmade Soho Burst Rust New Zealand Wool Rug (5' x 8')

Now that I am back here, in the living room

I can see that the 3 D mock up was wrong, in some fundamental fashion. Maybe it was just that it looked so much like a box that it made me feel things were impossible. I don't know. But, here I am, sitting with the loveseat and my big black chair, so there is obviously enough room, and, now, armed with more information and a better viewpoint, I consider things again.

Unfortunately, everything I can think of to do with this room is Asian or Modern, and, most of what I could afford is Mexican (Adobe) or thrift store chic. lol

Taking an HGTV "What's your bedroom style?" Quiz

Find it here

It's not going well. The first question is more related to what my sister and brother-in-law's style is and, quite frankly, none of us would be too bloody likely to put flowers in someone else's bedroom. The second question involves me having to go research several catalogs that I have either never seen or only seen very rarely. Where's Pier1? Eh? 

Truthfully, I mainly thumb through (virtually speaking) the store sites where I am ever likely to be able to afford a thing. IE: Walmart, because thrift stores you have to go to. Pier 1 and Cost Plus are my dream sites as they have interesting things that are too expensive for me, but, oodles cheaper than other places. I used to dream at Target, but, I've gotten so much rudeness and low-quality, too expensive stuff there that I mostly have given up on them. I am happy with my cast iron, enameled spoon rest, though. That hasn't fallen apart, yet, unlike the clothing, microwave cart, etc.

Okay, having looked up the catalogs, I find I am really in trouble, as the answer is "No."  I don't find any of them any more, or any less, inspirational than the others. They all have "moments" as the designers say, but, none of them have exactly "my style" beyond this stool here, that chair there, that bedspread, etc. To me, they all look like expensive, utzy, generic goods in the main, that could be enhanced by adding personal style, such as one of my paintings, or something I found in a thrift shop, or etc.

Uh oh, now there is a question about fashion icons and I can truly say "No."  None of them inspire me. Where is David Bowie? Janis Joplin? Alice Cooper? Cheech Marin? Even Betsy Ross or whatever her name is will do. She does fashion. She does very interesting, sturdy, colorful, well patterned shoes, too. They don't fit me, so I hate he for that, but, at least they have some personality.

For your edification, I chose mason jars and wild flowers, Pottery Barn and quirky Marc Jacobs, so far. I'll probably end up with an old, busted rubber tire for a bed. 

Shan't tell you the rest of my answers, though, unless I come to another truly difficult point. I can tell you that, so far, none of the answers reflect my lifestyle, or, in some cases, the answer would be "yes" across the board. Which means I am Eclectic, but, let's see if they can figure that out, shall we?

And, why yes, yes they can:

Your Bedroom Design Style Is: Eclectic

• 

Design by Erinn Valencich

"The beauty of this style," says Rebecca Tier Soskin (www.rebeccasoskin.com), "is that you can bring just about anything into your room that makes you happy." A shag rug, Lucite table, weathered side chair and a floral duvet? "Go for it!" she encourages. "The more you mix it up, the better." The idea behind eclectic decor, she says, is blending materials and finishes for an unexpected and very individualized result.

"It's about mixing all different types of furnishings and decor from all different eras to achieve an unorthodox and collected look," says Layla Palmer of The Lettered Cottage (www.theletteredcottage.net). With no rules, the sky's the limit when choosing your design elements. Incorporate statement pieces you love and look to repurpose items (that funky vase can become your new favorite bedside lamp!) to fit your needs.

Good thing they sorted that out, too I was in the bedroom, not so long ago, pulling underwear out of the hanging shoe holder, putting them in a hat box (bra), an old purse in matching tones but different pattern and shape than the hatbox for panties, and an old,  green print, oval shaped carry-on for the pajama type tops. 

Eclectic? Me? No, never!