Pewter and Sage Mood Board Monday Dining Room

Today I'm excited to be taking part in my second Mood Board Monday over on Pewter + Sage.  If you're not familiar with the concept, Sarah provides one inspirational item or image and participants design a room - any room - around it.  Click here to see the first Mood Board Monday I participated in (and the first inspiration board I ever did on the blog!)

Today's challenge starts with some fabulous dinnerware so clearly a warm and inviting dining room was in order!  

Sarah gaves us a few choices but I picked the gorgeous Penumbral Doily Dinnerware from Anthropologie.  I was so inspired by the contrast in these plates.  They're an organic, imperfect terracotta form yet they're still so delicate with the impressed crocheted motif.   I decided to keep the play on contrasts going throughout the room with a casual yet refined dining room.  

This is the first non-kiddy room I've designed here on the blog so be kind!  Even though this is an inspiration board challenge and the sky is the limit on budgets, etc I tried really hard to only use items that I myself would have no issue buying.  I love Restoration Hardware furniture and Anthropologie lighting and all of that but I specifically challenged myself to design a room for under $3,500 (that didn't look like it!)  That's not chump change but if you've ever furnished and decorated a dining room you know it EATS money.  There are so many major furniture pieces to purchase (especially chairs!!) but I did it! 


I am not one for really fancy dining rooms with gobs of crystals and fancy, uncomfortable chairs. A room like this is much more my style - warm and inviting with a cozy, home-y feel.   I love the mix of woods and textures with just a hint of sparkle in the mercury glass lamps. I've swapped out two of the chairs (wishbone style knock offs from Overstock, WOOT!!) for a cushy and colorful armless settee. Instead of one big light, I've opted for two smaller iron orb pendants over a weathered harvest table.  A soft tone-on-tone chevron jute rug adds texture and just a hint of pattern to the room. Some green cotton curtain panels would be fancied up with Greek key trim and the burlap lamp shades would get just at touch of rusty orange with some velvet ribbon trim.  

Can you believe that sideboard is IKEA and just $199?  I love the gray finish!  I would add a single fun knob to bring out a little more of that rusty orange color from the settee.  $10 is a splurge for a knob but you only need one on this piece!  

And just in time for Thanksgiving, some adorable vintage brass wishbone charms are perfect for stringing up on twine and wrapping around napkins like this.

What do you guys think?  Can't you just imagine curling up on that sweet little settee with a slice of pumpkin pie after Thanksgiving dinner?  Head over to Pewter + Sage to see how everyone else interpreted their dinnerware.  I love seeing what everyone else comes up with!

GRAND TOTAL:  $3,383.81

SOURCES:
1.  Signature Burnished Cotton Silk Panels from Overstock

2.  2.5" Athena Trim in Leaf from Lewis & Sharon

3.  Petit Orb Chandelier from Ballard Designs

4.  Arcadia Extension Table from World Market

5.  Khandara Armless Settee from Amazon

6.  Wishbone Dark Wood Y Chair from Overstock

7.  Subway Art Family Rules from Etsy seller KariMachal

8.  Luna Antique Mercury Glass Lamp from Pottery Barn 
(with some luck, I bet you could find a similar style at Home Goods for much less!)

9.  Isala Gray Sideboard from Ikea

10.  Brilliant Blossom Knob from Anthropologie

11.  2" Velvet Ribbon in Rust from MJ Trim

12.  Chevron Jute & Hemp Rug from Serena & Lily

13.  Forest Photograph from Etsy Seller Eye Poetry Photography 

14.  Vintage Antique Brass Wishbone Charms from Etsy Seller EpochBeads

15.  Vintage Mustard Yellow Ceramic Horn Planter from Etsy Seller MelaniePeralto2

Pewter + Sage Mood Board Monday: A Modern Shabby Chic Nursery

I was really excited to see one of my favorite blogs Pewter + Sage post another Mood Board Monday challenge! I had a lot of fun working on the last one and am now totally hooked on these wonderful little make-believe exercises.

For this one, rather than work from a product, the challenge was to put together a mood board from an image. I was immediately drawn to the pink & green combination in this image (no surprise there, I've loved that color combo since our wedding!)


This image screams cozy with a vintage, shabby-chic vibe to me. After a little deliberation as to what room would best embody all of these things, I landed on a girly nursery where you don't have to worry as much about things being too "precious"...it is after all a little girl's nursery!

So here it is! My interpretation of a modern, shabby-chic nursery for a lucky little girl.

As with most things design related, I am most inspired by color and textiles. In addition to the pink and green in the image, I thought warm ivory (for its more vintage appeal than stark white) and a lovely robin's egg blue (which I'm currently obsessing over) would be perfect. And after seeing the picture, I immediately remembered some fun Amy Butler's fabrics that I'd recently been loving. I would outfit a classic white Jenny Lind crib with crib bumpers in a more modern, oversized floral bud pattern and keep a traditional ruffled crib skirt in a delicate eyelet fabric. Some festive and colorful fabric bunting swagged on the wall behind the crib would add some texture without any danger of something heavy falling on the baby. And I'd finish off this little area with an adorable non-traditional mobile from Etsy. (aside...what the heck did we all do before Etsy??)

Some floor length, pinched-pleat curtain panels in another Amy Butler pattern incorporate all our colors including the pretty blue I'd paint the walls. And I picked a delicate chandelier that I know would throw the most captivating shadows on the walls and ceiling when illuminated at night. Anything that intrigues and keeps a baby quiet, I am all for. Bonus when it's this beautiful!

Of course no nursery can be complete without a comfortable spot for feedings. In keeping with our shabby-chic vibe, I'd scour Craig's List for a glider and save on upholstery costs by just having a nice matelasse or twill slip covered created. A delicate side table in a pretty petal pink and an ottoman upholstered in Amy Butler's Happy Dots would round out this little corner.

Rather than go with a white changing table, I'd opt for a whitewashed beauty from Wisteria to add a little more texture and depth to the room (also I'm obsessed with Wisteria and will use any excuse to shop there, even if it's just pretend shop.) Over the changing table, I'd hang a pretty capiz faux chandelier. Baby's spend a lot of time on their backs on the changing table so why not have something pretty for them to look at right? Finally I'd frame some vintage alphabet art and another beautiful print for the walls and use wire baskets to corral odds & ends. These are actually clam baskets in a galvanized metal finish. But they're a great size and price and I wanted something with a little harder edge than the more predictable wicker baskets could provide. Anthropologie's Coqo floral rug in lime would ground the whole space and add a gorgeous pop of color.

Isn't this so fun!? Now someone please have a baby girl so we can make all this prettiness happen!

Complete resource list below. Head on over to Pewter + Sage to see how others interpreted this same image and 2 others. That's the best part of this whole exercise I think!

Crib: White Jenny Lind crib from Target
Fabric Bunting: Pink & Green via Etsy seller Textile Sandwich
Crib Bumper Fabric: Amy Butler Midwest Modern Floating Buds Ivory
Crib Skirt Fabric: White Eyelet from Serena & Lily
Fitted Sheet: Pointelle Petal Fitted Crib Sheet from Dwell Studio
Crib Mobile: Babyjives via Etsy
Ottoman: Lucille from Serena & Lily
Ottoman Fabric: Amy Butler Midwest Modern Happy Dots Grey
Slipcovered Rocker: Dorel Rocker from BabyGiftsOutlet
Chandelier: Lambent Sphere from Anthropologie
Curtain Fabric: Amy Butler Midwest Modern II Fresh Poppies Ivory
Wall Color: Benjamin Moore Antiguan Sky
Faux Chandelier (for over changing table): Capiz Pendant from Urban Outfitters
Toy Storage Baskets: Wire clam basket from Hamilton Marine
Side Table: Lucille end table from Maine Cottage (in Teaberry)
Changing Table: Whitewashed Directoire Chest from Wisteria
Rug: Coqo floral rug from Anthropologie in lime
Art: Vintage alphabet pages via Etsy seller leJeune & "Joy" print via Etsy seller thewheatfield

Pewter + Sage Mood Board Monday

While prowling the blogosphere this afternoon, I came across a new (to me) favorite - Pewter + Sage. Sarah is expecting a baby as well so I've been having a blast reading all about her nursery design and inspiration.

Today they are hosting a Mood Board challenge which I think is a really fun idea and one I haven't seen anywhere else. Basically Sarah picks 1 inspirational item (this week it's bedding) and you build a room around it. It can be any room/style/color palette you want - the only caveat is that it uses the challenge item. How fun! And what a great way to dream up a room around all those items I love but can't afford in this real world with budgets and other pesky details.

I immediately recognized one of the challenge bedding sets as the Poetical pattern by Barbara Barry. You see I've loved it since Jenny posted about it here. Little did I know it was offered in a bedding set at Macy's! (and guess who's in need of new bedding?)

With that as my inspiration, I started building a soft, feminine room full of airy white and serene gray, all accented with delicate lavender, gold accents and a punch of black here and there. This is the kind of room I would sleep in if hubby wouldn't throw a fit about it being super girly :)



1. The color palette: As mentioned, I'd paint the walls a light purple. It would have more hints of gray than pink to keep it sophisticated. Maybe Benjamin Moore's Piano Concerto seen here.

2. Accent pillows via Etsy here and here. Seriously the pillow situation on Etsy is out of control. I could spend years of my life on there just gawking at pillows. Make it stop.

3. I LOVE Wisteria. So if there's play money to be spent, that's where I'm spendin' it. Plus I love the femininity of this mirror and the burnished gold sparkle it adds to the otherwise white washed, Swedish-esque furnishings.

4. For accent lighting, I would go with this white bone lamp from Anthropologie topped with this shade which picks up my subtle purple perfectly. And I am loving the zinnia appliques for an added dimension on this.

5. Back to Wisteria for my dresser, a French country inspired piece in the perfect antiqued shade of gray. I'd place this beside the bed to double as 1 of my 2 nightstands.

6. To pick up the bone in the accent lamp, I decided on a mother of pearl rod for my window hardware. I like that it's in keeping with the more burnished metallic accents I have going on in the room too.

7. I love Circa Lighting and am dying for an excuse (and the cash!) to make a purchase there. These swing arm lamps in hand-rubbed antique brass would be perfect on either side of my bed and again are in keeping with the little bits of metallic I have going on.

8. To be honest, I wasn't sure how I felt about the Claudette headboard when I first saw it grace the pages of my Ballard Designs catalog. I'm still not totally sold on the little bird (note it is removable) but I love the weathered look of the white and the curves are killer. Add this to the list of things my husband would never allow in the house please. But it works in this design I think.

9. This super affordable little side table is from Target and would make up 1 of my 2 nightstands. I like the pop of black it adds to the room to breakup all that softness and I'm a fan of nightstands that don't perfectly match (though you wouldn't know it by looking at my bedroom!)

10. Anchoring the whole space would be platinum jute boucle rug from West Elm. Great durability and I like that it keeps the bedding pattern the star of the room.

11 & 12. At the foot of the bed would be this tufted storage ottoman from Ballard Designs which I'd have upholstered in this deep purple color from Calico Corners.

13. I toyed with the idea of using a pattern or a light purple silk for the window panels but ultimately decided I liked the color better on the walls. These airy smocked drapes from Pottery Barn are in keeping with the feminine room.

The only thing missing is some pretty art for the walls and I'm ready to move right in I think! Oh and the $4,400 I'm conservatively estimating I'd need for all these pieces (not including taxes and shipping charges). Not too shabby for an afternoon's work!

Check out the other Mood Board challenge entrants at Pewter + Sage. I love seeing how differently everyone's rooms come together.