It's Great To Be Home

Snow White Spaces

Today I’m feeling very snowy, probably from the combination of all the fabulous snow and ice I’m seeing while watching the Olympics and the foot of snow that Dallas got on Thursday.

{This is what it looked like outside my front door}

Isn’t it just gorgeous? I know a lot of the country has been dealing with too much snow, but this snowiest day on record made our neighborhood glow and the sound of snow falling is so incredibly peaceful – in short, I loved it!

I thought I’d share with you a few beautiful spaces that make me feel like snuggling up in front of a crackling fire. Touches of sparkle through silver, glass and mirror add an icy glitter, while soft grays, snowy whites, and dreamy blues evoke the calm feeling that follows a snowfall. You’ll notice that all of the cool tones in the spaces are kept from feeling cold and unapproachable through the use of warm woods, dashes of bronze and gold, and soothing tans.

{source}

Do you have a favorite? And have you been as glued to the Olympics as I have? I can’t wait for some of the alpine events to start tonight . . .

For pictures of even more inspiring spaces, be sure to check out the Inspiration tab under the header.

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.