It's Great To Be Home

The MADI

Everybody loves a great party, and the engagement party that I went to last weekend was certainly no exception. Not only was the party for one of my favorite couples (love ya, Jen & Kyle!!), but the location for the bash was a fabulous art museum. Gorgeous eye candy while I celebrate my friends? Sign me up!!

Here are a few of us frolicking amongst the art – and yes, we always stand according to height. Always.

This awesome event was held at The MADI Museum in the trendy Uptown area of Dallas. MADI (pronounced mah-dee) is an avart-garde movement founded in Argentina in the 1940s – the art is reminiscent of Cubism with oodles of geometric shapes in bright colors (my fave!). You’ll notice that much of the art is whimsical and modern, which is especially interesting since a law firm shares space with this unique museum – and the firm’s founder, Bill Masterson, actually created the museum.

The facade of the museum currently boasts the famed Arcadia sign, salvaged from the Arcadia Theater on Lower Greenville when it burned in June of 2006 by the Belmont Neighborhood Association.

Kilgore & Kilgore, the law firm that offices in the same building as The MADI, purchased and installed the Arcadia sign on the facade of the building and had it rededicated in March of 2007. Prior to that time, the building looked like this:

Isn’t it magnificent? Take a peek inside this totally unique museum:

This piece is my favorite, and I think it’s actually something that you could duplicate at home by drilling tiny holes in wooden blocks and hanging them from fishing line. Wouldn’t this be an amazing mobile in a child’s room, or in a recessed niche? The shadows it creates are phenomenal.

These paintings below are just stunning – to me, they almost look like textiles.

And random, I know, but I had to point out the eco-friendly (and stylish!) plates used by the lovely hostess – love’em! You can check out the full line here.

So there’s your sneak peek inside a fabulous museum (and an equally fab engagement party!). I love that this party was in a completely unique setting, one that totally reflects my friend’s personality and love of all things bold and graphic. Cheers to the happy couple!!

Come On Get Happy

In honor of this bright and shiny Friday, I thought I’d share with you some gorgeous, happy interiors that never fail to make me smile and feel inspired – and I hope they have the same effect on you!

Are you happy now?!?

The common themes among these interiors that give them their cheerful, inspirational quality are themes that you can certainly incorporate into your own home to add a little zip and glamour:

1. Use white liberally. Who said white is boring? You’ll notice that bright white plays a huge factor in each of these interiors. Using white provides a gallery-like effect in your home, showcasing any color that you choose to highlight. White also gives your eye a break from bold colors, which allows you to be daring and play with a variety of colors and patterns.

2. Be bold with color. Since you have a base of white, go for some really saturated, exciting colors like turquoise, sunshine yellow or lime green. These fun punches of color can be brought into your room through artwork, painted furniture, throw pillows, or accessories like vases and flowers. You’ll notice that most of the bold colors used in these interiors aren’t your basic primary colors – each color is a tint of one of the primary colors, which gives it a little more edge and keeps things from looking harsh or cartoony. Think magenta instead of red, lemon instead of yellow, teal instead of blue.

3. Take chances. Now that you have a base of white with colorful accents, it’s time to take it up a notch. Patterns and textures allow you to really give a room personality and make it feel alive. Don’t be afraid to mix floral and animal prints with stripes, leather and silk and chenille, or raw wood against shiny chrome. And be sure to throw in a little bling – glass, mirrors and a touch of sparkle add depth and interest to a room. If mixing patterns and textures makes you nervous, start slow – buy a few inexpensive throw pillows in a funky and fresh pattern and build from there.

4. Go with what you like. The whole point of this approach to decorating is to let your personality shine through, and to have a little fun. Mix and match and experiment with color, patterns and textures until it feels right to you. Does it matter if the end result would never make it into a decorating magazine? Nope. All that matters is that it makes you happy.

What decorating tips and tricks do you have up your sleeve? Which interior is your favorite? And, most importantly, did these gorgeous interiors make you happy??

This post is shared with Hooked on Houses.

Images courtesy of Design*Sponge, desiretoinspire, Canadian House & Home, Apartment Therapy, PointClickHome, decor8 and Domino.