Guest Post: Couture Inspired Interiors

When the team over at Design Shuffle contacted me about today's post "Couture Inspired Interiors", I was intrigued. After checking out there site I was sold, there website is sure to inspire anyone who loves decor. I always say fashion inspires all aspects of my life, especially decor. Today's post is all about couture inspired interiors. So without further adieu please check out today's featured post!

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Hi, I'm Mari, a blogger for Design Shuffle, a terrific online source of all things interior design. My job has me searching for the most beautiful spaces to share with blog readers like you. Some days, like today, are even more interesting when I get to focus on both room and the runway designs. Thanks to Carmen Vogue for allowing me share some of my favorite pairings of fashion and interior design. Today's offerings, though very different in style, have two things in commonócolor and pattern.



From Mary Katrantzou's Fall 2012 Collection, this swirl of lovely layers seems to float down the runway. I love the gorgeous patterns and the splash of green



From that runway show to this glamorous master suite is such an easy transition. With touches of gold, a sofa in lush green velvet and even the artwork, this space captures the feel of Mary Katrantzou's design.



Another Katrantzou creation, this intricately detailed design is all about colorful exuberance and an explosion of pattern.



The dress above just begs to be paired with a Designers Guild room. After all, no one does exuberant color in dÈcor better that Tricia Guild. So many decorating ideas abound in this stylish space.



Giorgio Armani used lots of tangerine and gray in his Fall 2012 runway showósuch sophisticated pattern and style.



More beautifully paired gray and tangerine can be seen in this Stockholm apartment's living room design ideas. Just as with the Armani designs, a mix of grays plays beautifully with the vibrant orange.



A closer view of one Armani design shows off interesting orange lined pants cuffs.



Obviously, this isn't an interior space, but I couldn't resist such a serendipitous find. Aren't the colors just so perfect on a Paris building that radiates gray and orange? Images 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8


Do you get inspired by fashion? You'll find more fashion-inspired designs at Design Shuffle. There is endless inspiration from the best Boston interior designers, San Francisco interior designers and a great deal of others!

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I absolutely love this post, I think the first room is my favorite! Also I was not compensated for this post, I just thought you would enjoy this as much as I did. Have a Happy Thursday!


Also Carmen Vogue is now on twitter follow here to stay updated!

Picture Perfect Wardrobes for your Holiday Cards

I feel like I just took down this year's Halloween decorations and suddenly it's already time to start thinking about Christmas!  Cookie baking, shopping and of course, holiday cards.  Last year, Knox was just two months old at Christmas and he was front and center on our cards. This year we're doing a family pictures which is great...but I don't think a cute knit hat is going to cut it for Mr. H+F and I.

 

Last Year's Holiday Card

Well who knows better what looks good in pictures than someone who's in the business of making pretty pictures?!  Today I'm super excited to welcome Raleigh photographer Lina Jarmond to the blog. If you're in the Raleigh area and considering maternity photos, newborn photos or photos of your adorable kids, Lina is your girl! She's here to help us all look our best in our holiday cards this year.  Y'know...as in NOT like this.

 

{I apologize in advance if you're in this photo...I get it...red stripes were in!}

Take it away Lina!

It's a  busy fall season for photographers, also known as "update your family portrait" time of the year.  Everyone is excited about their upcoming family sessions.  But then the dreaded question arises:

“What on earth are we going to wear?”

Flowing white shirts and khakis on the beach, navy polos and yet more khakis all around.  We’ve all seen those photos.  Heck, most of us have been in those photos!  But did you know that coordinated and not “uniform” looks for families create a much more pleasing photograph?

 

{Laci Davis Photography}

Today, my goal is to show you how select and coordinate your wardrobe for fresh, classic, yet distinctly modern portraits that will tell the story of your family.  The best part - it is not nearly as difficult as you think it is!

If all of your choices were somehow on one person, would the result be pleasing colorwise? Think coordinated, not monochromatic.  An easy way to do this is to choose one patterned item (for example a print dress for your daughter or a skirt for mom) and then select the rest of the family’s clothing from colors within that pattern.

 

{Girl's Floral Cowl Neck Dress from Old Navy}

A tried and true formula for a boy/girl sibling duo includes a patterned dress or skirt for the girl, with the boy in a solid shirt.  The color of that shirt would be pulled from the pattern of the little girls' dress. If the little girl is wearing a solid shirt with a patterned skirt, have the boy’s top match a different color in her skirt, so that their shirts don’t match precisely.  Trust me, it works!  While many parents have the urge to put their boys or girls in the exact same outfit, mixing it up a bit - while still creating a pleasing overall combination - creates a considerably more interesting color palette and image.

Layering simple pieces - long sleeve tees, a hooded knit sweater and jean jacket - gives your pictures depth and texture without overwhelming the image. Plus, you can take one piece off and have a whole different look! And don't forget about accessories. Hats, gloves, scarves, vests, fun necklaces and bracelets, funky boots, tights, umbrellas can really make a photograph more interesting and more YOU!

 

 {Laci Davis Photography}

For your session, everyone should be in the same style - all dressy or all casual - but Mom should stand out!  Dresses/skirts or fashionable jeans and yes...heels!

Now that you have some basic tips, how do you put it all together?  A good place to start is by defining the style sensibility you want your session to reflect. Do you want to capture your typical style, or perhaps a more formal or casual or trendy version of that?

Here is a quick example - it all started with a plaid scarf. Dad and son has layers, while mom is sporting a stylish double buckle belt and booties. It can easily be swapped for deep brown colors as those are in the scarf as well.And since shoes are the most important accessory for a woman's outfit, little girl spiced up her outfit with orange-brown flats.

Happy Preparations!

Man's Outfit:

Mosaic Wool Scarf

Cashmere Cardigan in Navy

Heathered Utility Shirt in Navy

Stanton Pant in Blue Harbour

Woman's Outfit:

Oscar de la Renta Double Strap Leather Belt

Jules Dress in Fresh Strawberry
Plenty by Tracy Reese 'Jacoby' Boot in Navy

Boy's Outfit:

Velvet Blazer in Navy

Cotton Cashmere Sweatshirt in Spicy Russet

Bowery Chino in Navy

Girls' Outfit:

Jeweled Epaulet Tee in Deep Baltic

Bouncing Bubble Skirt in Navy

Flower Necklace in Neon Peach

Patent Two tone Ballet Flats in Spicy Cinnamon

Guest Post: Arcadian Home

The lovely folks at Arcadian Home Decor contacted me about doing a guest post and I was happy to oblige.  Arcadian Home is one of my go-to sites for home accessories.  Check out their selection of wall mirrors!  Today, one of their writers Jenn is sharing some inspirational images for a terribly neglected room in my house (and probably most people's homes).  Enjoy!

Hello there! My name is Jenn and I am a writer for Arcadian Home Decor, which is an e-commerce website that specializes in top home decor ideas around the world. In addition to blogging about my own design attempts, recipes, and craft projects, I love perusing great home decor blog like Honey + Fitz because, like the stylish owner of this site, I love where I live. I'm excited to be writing a guest post today about another thing I adore: organized (and stylish) laundry rooms.

Once relegated to the depths of basements, laundry rooms have become functional and chic main-level spaces that include built-ins, organizational units, and fashionable home accessories. While they may be the place to wash and dry clothes, they can also include an ironing station, storage, a sink for other home chores, and even nooks for other household activities. Here are eight organized (and stylish) laundry rooms.

Compact and contemporary

Home-Designing via

Top-and-bottom machines are stacked in customized cupboards, while bold fuchsia damask wallpaper pretties up the walls. Different accoutrements, like pegs, racks, and cubbies, provide ample storage.

Orange crush

KISSandTELL via

Why not choose a more daring colour for a mundane utilitarian space like a laundry room? A bold orange makes this space brighter and cheerier.

Long and spacious

DECODIR via

Expansive countertops and a wall of open and closed closets allow this spacious laundry room to have an abundance of space for clothes that are both clean and dirty.

It's all in the details

The Granite Gurus via

The matte grey machines may be top-of-the-line models, but it's the little things in this space that really give it character - stylish table decor items like apothecary jars hold laundry soap and clothespins, and the stately marble tabletop on which to fold clothing is very smart.

A wood haven

Normandy Builders via

A laundry room should integrate with the rest of the home decor seamlessly - in this space, the wood accents of the kitchen and den are also used in the laundry room.

Beautiful built-in home decor

Frog Hill Designs via

Custom cabinets can turn a functional room into something classy - here, machines and various wardrobes with hanging clothes are hidden behind traditional wood doors.

The multi-tasker

Stylish Touch via

Many homeowners don't have extra rooms to spare, so the laundry room is a perfect place to also set up other activities, like this laundry room that doubles as a sewing space and informal sitting area.

Classic country with a twist

The Old White Cottage via

This creamy space has a distinctly traditional country feel, however the exposed cement wall also makes it decidedly modern.

Laundry rooms do not have to be boring and can be just as glamorous as your living room or dining room space. With the right home decor items such as wall decor, wall hangings and even an oval mirror, any laundry room can be chic and functional!

Guest Post: Sarah from Pewter and Sage

Thanks to everyone who stopped by yesterday for the ScotchBlue Painting Party and checked out my striped room!  If this is your first time visiting my little corner of the Internet, WELCOME!  Please take a second to follow me on Twitter and "like" Honey & Fitz on Facebook where I regularly post bargain finds and sneak peaks into upcoming posts and projects.

I'm still away enjoying some family beach time so today I have another great guest post from my blog buddy Sarah of Pewter + Sage.  Sarah's blog was a huge inspiration for me when I was starting Honey + Fitz.  I participated in one of her Mood Board Monday link parties with this inspiration board and that's it - I was hooked!  Today's she got a great post about a topic I think we all struggle with - how to redesign a room to work with our ever changing life needs.  Welcome Sarah!

Hi, everyone! I can't tell you how honored I feel to be over here at Honey & Fitz chatting with you guys today. Thank you so much for having me, Dina!!

One of the things I love most about Dina's blog is her nursery posts...those about the amazing room she (and her husband and Nicole) put together for Knox, the beautiful nursery eye candy she's so great at finding, and the wonderfully creative inspiration boards she makes. My little one, Maura, is just like a month older than Knox. (Too bad you're not still up in Boston, Dina, or we could have play dates!) We spend a lot of time in her room together...it used to be nursing, now its bottles (she just turned one, I gotta get going on the sippy cups!) and play time and rocking before a nap...and often when I'm looking around at it I start to wonder. Like, when Maura's a bit older, what stuff from her nursery can we reuse or repurpose for her big girl room?! Sometimes I wonder if it would be ok to completely leave the room as is if my husband and I were to ever have another child and if we were blessed with a girl again. Or does a new baby deserve a new room, even though the old one was awesome (ha, I'm biased!) and they wouldn't know the difference anyways? (Thoughts?) Every once and a while I try and think about how I could convert Maura's room over to a boy nursery if we are to ever be so lucky as to have one. So, let's do it, shall we? Let's see what could stay, what would need to go and what cool stuff I could add to this room to make it work for a little baby boy. It's always nice to dream! Plus, it'll be a good challenge. And I needed something to write about:)


So, just to keep this organized, here's a list of what I think we have in the room that can stay (most of the large, key pieces...which is great - I tried to go gender neutral when we got them, just for this reason):

• the floor plan/layout
• the paint color
• the crib
• the dresser
• the frames above the dresser
• the glider
• the ledge shelves
• the bookshelf

Here's what I think I would need new for a boy:

• bedding
• art in frames
• lamp
• window treatments
• rug
• stuff on shelves
• critter chair

As I started looking around for boy stuff that I liked, I came across this Vintage map and starry night bunting from etsy seller moonandlion and was immediately smitten. Would look so cool hanging from the high ceilings in this room. It pretty much set the tone for everything else - a slight adventure/explorer/travel "theme" in a palette of blues, greens, and a bit of yellow.

I definitely wouldn't need to repaint. We did the walls (and the angled parts you see here of the sloped high ceiling) in Benjamin Moore's Heaven on Earth (Natura) for Maura and I still looove this blue.



The crib (a hand-me-down...gasp!...from our friends when their daughter moved into her toddler bed) is white and even though it has an arch, I don't think its too girlie. So that can stay.



The imaginary new little guy is obviously going to need new bedding though, so let's splurge on these Nursery Basics in Chambray with Sprout Star Crib Sheet from Serena and Lily. I love how the all white linen is simple and crisp. The blue trim detail looks just a shade darker than my wall color, so that will add some nice depth without too much contrast. The green star crib sheet sort of echoes the whole nature lover, get-out-there-and-explore-stuff vibe I'm going for while bringing some green to this part of the room.





I'm really into the alphabet flash cards I hung above Maura's crib so at first I contemplated keeping them (I mean, boys need to learn how to read and stuff, too, right?), but after more careful study, maybe they're a bit too feminine (pastel colors, script font)? What do you think? Plus, I found these really awesome Star Charts of the Equatorial Sky by George Cram (1892) on Past Present Gallery. I think they would look great matted and framed hanging side by side above the crib.

Cool. So, we've reworked the crib corner of the room. And its so nerdy, I mean masculine now:) Let's move on to the wall with the dresser/changing table. Our Ikea Hemnes 8 drawer dresser in white is a definite keeper. (I looove this dresser, I'm thinking I'll get another one for Maura when she moves into her big girl room and I might even get one for me in our master!)

The 19th century hand-colored botanicals that I scored at the Brimfield Antique Show, not so much. However, these black frames (coordinating nicely with the black in the starry bunting) with mats can stay, I would just need new art. Enter this sweet Vintage international code flag art from etsy seller bexpert. Used as a way to communicate between ships, each print features a letter, flag and what its specific code means. I love that these are graphic and bold, adventure/travel related (we're a sailing family, so that makes even more sense) and the right colors for the space.

Though these prints are 8 x 10 and the botanicals I have are 5 x 7, its ok because these frames feature two mats. If you take out the inner mat, you're left with an 8 x 10 opening. Perfect. Here's a little mock up I did to show you what the new art would look like. I've chosen here to use the letters "C,D, E, and F", but you could spell out your little guy's name or another word, or use "A, B, C, D" if you don't mind the fact that the "B" flag means "I am taking in or discharging or carrying dangerous goods"!

As for on the dresser, I'd swap out the sea foam lamp I bought at Home Goods with a gift card (send it off with big sis Maura to her new room down the hall) for something in yellow, a fun pop of color, like this Alexis Ceramic Table Lamp in Sundrop Yellow from Pottery Barn.





Over in the other corner of the room is our glider, the Pottery Barn Kids Comfort Swivel Glider with Stone Twill slipcover - totally bought with gift cards converted over from my husband's American Express Corporate points, so completely free! I made sure to get this in a neutral fabric for future kiddos or just to use later in another room in the house, so we're all set there (minus the polka dot quilt that goes with her bedding).



Obviously, the watermelon pink floral drapes (from Land of Nod) are out. Instead, let's use something classic and slightly more subtle, these Green Gingham Panels from Pottery Barn Kids . I like that they bring pattern into the room without being too crazy, and the green will balance out the green tones from the Star Charts on the opposite wall of the room.



Imaginary little man is also going to need a new area rug. (We have wall to wall carpet in this room, but I love having an area rug in there now...it makes a great play spot and adds a bunch of personality to the space.) I immediately went to the Dash & Albert site for one of their striped rugs and after considering a bunch, decided on this Otis Navy one...the dark tone might help ground the room and will work nicely with the navy in our international code flag art:)



On the wall in between the crib and the glider, we have 2 of these Ribba ledge shelves in white.





Some of this stuff could stay, some should go, mostly it would just be fun to redo for a change. One new thing that would look great leaning here is this Pirate love retro letterpress poster from etsy seller handz. Awesome, right?!



One last thing that I must get for a little guy, if we hopefully ever have one, is his own PB Kids Critter Chair...probably the Hippo in this case because I think we need some more blue in the room. We had such a great time photographing Maura in her Bunny chair every week (for her first year, we just finished!) and I'd love to continue this tradition with our other babies.




So, with a few other accessories (like this yellow ikat throw pillow from milk and cookies) and personal things, I think this room would be pretty killer for a little dude. Just to make sure it all feels good together, here's a mood board of the new space, with both old and new things.



Thanks so much for letting me play pretend! Baby girl clothes are way more fun, but its nice to enter the world of boy for just a bit. Thank you so much, Dina, for letting me hang out!!

Guest Post: Danika from Gorgeous Shiny Things and a GIVEAWAY!

I am SO EXCITED to welcome Danika of Gorgeous Shiny Things to the blog today.  Danika's blog is a daily must-read for me.  Every time it loads in my browser I find my mouth dropping open and me going "seriously?!"  She has CRAZY painting skills (hello enormous dragon?!) and has recently channeled her brilliance into a new venture - O'verlays.  Decorative fretwork panels that let you elevate standard IKEA pieces to a whole other level.  BRILLIANT!  I was so excited to see what she'd come up with for a guest post and I think you'll love it!

 

 

 

I am so happy to be guest posting on Honey + Fitz! Dina never ceases to inspire me, and after seeing her pantry again on The Nate Show I was re-invigorated to get my own sorry state of affairs organized.

As a self-proclaimed hoarder of vintage jewelry, I have it everywhere. When its not being used as a "human embellishment" you can find it being displayed in pretty bowls all over my house. I find it to be an easy way to add color or tie together a color scheme.

Example, my coffee table...

 

Besides the pretty little bowls of jewelry, there lay a big mess in my bedroom. Boxes and drawers with random necklaces, piles here and there, it had gotten ugly. I needed to some how organize it. I had racked my brain, but really didn't have the space for it.

Enter a happy accident.

My two 20" square IKEA RIBBA frames. They had fallen off the wall for the last time, and the repair job with duck tape to hold the backs on was getting old...

 

I took them apart, took out the glass and glued the inside frame in place with some Elmer's...

 

 

I had realized after these fell off the wall that they were the same size as my 20" O'verlay squares, so I got to hot gluing, stuck a nail in the wall and BOOM...

 

 

they had a new life: to hold my bling...

 

 

And the perfect place to hang them came to mind.

 

 

The side of the cabinet in my bathroom next to my vanity...

 

 

Which has since spurred another idea... (Its actually one I have been wanting to do FOREVER, got to love when a project triggers another project) PAINT all the "lovely" 1960 laminate in my bathroom. So as I write this the primer is going on the cabinets and the walls are getting a paint job.

 

 

Hopefully by the time this gets posted I will have it done and something much prettier than "fake laminate marble" for a backdrop.

Thank you so much Dina for having me and helping me get one more project off my list!

xo

Danika

 

Ok...do you LOVE that?  I think those look SOOO good and what a chic storage solution!  Now here's the best part - Danika has generously offered to giveaway 2 of the 20" O'verlay panels used in her DIY!  Paired with 2 of these IKEA frames and you're halfway to creating this smart storage solution yourself!  

All you have to do is leave a comment on this post with which pattern you'd like.  For an extra entry, you can like O'verlays on Facebook.  The winner will be announced next week!

Pattern:  Harper

Pattern:  Gigi

Pattern:  Danika