Interior Design: Industrial Work Space with Soft Touches

I love creative work spaces, especially if you work in the creative field. I don't think any type of artistic person can work at their best capacity in little grey cubicles with fluorescent lighting. Maybe that's just me, or maybe it stems from the highly visual world we live in, but it's obvious that modern offices are striving to attain style, not just function.

Let's face it, in today's fast-paced world, we all basically live in our offices. Even if you're not putting in any overtime, it sometimes feels like you spend more time at your desk than anywhere else. If you're spending so much time in one place, it's only naturally that you would want it to be visually appealing and tranquil. This office space for Bitium manages to do just that. It obviously has sectioned off areas for desks and a conference room, but each room flow into each other and the industrial elements are combined with soft touches to make the entire space feel more homey.

Interior Design: A European Style, New York Castle

Holy opulence, Batman. This triplex in the meat packing district of New York is mind blowing. It's a picture of antique grandeur. The building was originally built in 1847 as a townhouse and converted into a general store in the late 1800s. From there it became a sausage factory until 1992, then a mother and daughter fell in love with the abandoned space and bought it to turn into their dream home. They tried to preserve the original, vintage elements wherever possible. Old floorboards were cleaned, treated, and reused and they even rubbed coloring into the re-done fireplace to make it look time-worn. And what a project of love, huh?

Monday Design: The Makers

I love studio tours. Seeing how creative people have crafted the space that they work in give me odd amounts of joy. I think mostly because it give me the opportunity to dream up what my ideal work space will look like one day. That's why I was so happy to discover The Makers. I really can't believe in all my internet hunting I didn't discover this site before, but it's sole purpose is to showcase (beautifully) the work spaces of creative people! There is so much studio envy happening in me right now.

Monday Design: OMG That Courtyard!

I adore spaces that have were once created from something else turned into homes like church renovations and warehouse renovations, so this home would have caught my eye either way. BUT, what totally stood out to me was that courtyard. I mean holy entrance!

Monday Design: Vintage Touches

I don't normally post businesses when I'm pulling interior design inspiration, but Emerald City Eyebrows is almost directly pulled from my dreams. I would live here if I could. It's located in Denver, Colorado, so if you're local check it out and tell me if it's everything I thought it would be.

Monday Design: Free Form Castle

Have you ever wished you lived in a castle? I think a lot of children always imagine what it would be like to live in a castle, I know I did. But a lot of times, even now, I think of castels as big stone buildings with large tapestries on the walls and fireplaces in every room because they don't have any other systems of heating installed. In most cases, every time I've been to visit a "castle" it have been like this because they've all be the ancient leftovers of some royal family that hasn't existed in hundreds of years. So when I saw this home of Prince Emanuele Filiberto di Savoia I realized that it was the perfect modern day castle.

Monday Design: Lovely London Loft

Oh holy brown. This lovely London loft is definitely not lacking in the brown category, but I love every bit of it. Of course, it's constructed with exposed brick walls and extremely high ceilings complete with wood beams. Basically, everything I love.

Monday Design: No Straight Lines Here

First things first, who else got the new Ikea catalogue over the weekend? Although I'm sometimes skeptical of Ikea furniture, I do love browsing it for inspiration because they are fantastic at organizing tiny spaces like mine. Oh, and inspiration I found. My next big splurge is going to be a trip to Ikea so I'm going to start saving my pennies. Besides, I think a little re-design after the roommate moved out is just what this place needs to get me back on my feet and feeling comfortable again.

Anyway, daydreaming about re-decorating sent my imagination flying and I was in kind of a silly mood today when real estate stalking, so what better to satisfy a silly mood than a silly house?

Monday Design: A Dream Come True

I often talk about my versions of a dream home on this blog, in fact I also have a whole Pinterest board dedicated to finding drool worthy homes, so I spend a lot of free time looking at gorgeous homes. However, this one takes the cake for me. Open rolling hills and lots of outdoor sitting areas, a warmth within the interior design of the home cluttered with rustic elements, but lacking no modern amenities. Perfection.

Monday Design: Rustic Mill in Southern France

Will I ever get tired of these rustic homes in Southern France? I think not. This one is a 15th century  mill house converted into a million dollar modern property. Yea, it's pricey. As much as I love real estate stalking, it is also kind of heart breaking sometimes. Anyway, back to oogling this gorgeous villa. The rich warm color scheme and heavily ornate wall paper throughout the house are the perfect design touches for this rustic abode. And would you believe you can rent this lovely villa in Southern France for only $15,700 to $31,400 per week (insert heart breaking eye-roll here).

Monday Design: Honore Loft Chicago

I have gushed before about how much I adore exposed brick walls. I've always wanted to live in an apartment that had at least one exposed brick wall and when I was little growing up in Chicago, my dream apartment was a loft with high wood beam ceilings and exposed brick walls (yes, I dreamed about apartments at 11, believe it). When I saw this pretty Wicker Park loft, it was like it had been pulled from my fantasies. It's cozy and intimate, yet raw and exposed at the same time. I just adore juxtapositions like that. Probably because my sense of style is pretty eclectic all the time too. This loft is definitely laid out and designed how I always dreamed all lofts should look. The wood beams and vintage frosted glass doors are a perfect touch too. The designer took reclaimed and found pieces to build the aesthetic in this place, which fits perfectly with the design elements of the space itself. There are also some absolutely breathtaking details, like the hand painted headboard below. But I could stop blabbering and you could see it for yourself! First seen on More Design Please.

Monday Design: Skull Home Decor

I have an affinity for all things skull shaped. I can't explain why or how it started, I just know that I am always drawn to that shape. In high school I thought it was just part of my "punk rock" phase, but last summer when I was walking around all the craft fairs I realized that I kept being drawn to all the skull sculptures that were painted in different colors - neon, pastel, chalkboard black. Now I know I can't escape it. I think I love the way a skull sitting in a room next to a bowl of fruit reminds me of a still life painting - always reminding you to enjoy every minute. Of course, I'm not talking about real skulls here, that's kind of creepy even for me, but plastic and wax molds I'm ok with. Although, adding skulls to your home decor doesn't always have to be morbid. Just check out these adorable mini skull speakers below! They are sort of cartoon-y but still add a modern feel to the room.

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You could also just do a bowl of skulls like in this picture. This is more on the extreme end of displaying skulls in your living space since they are so bare and exposed. I prefer nestling one in your bookshelf or on your mantle, somewhere prominent yet unexpected.

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This skull rug is another example I love of turning something that can be kind of morbid into a fun center piece.

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It took me a second to notice the skull candle in this picture since it's such a bright white against white, but it's an interesting arrangement of objects.

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Now I know this last one isn't a human skull and it's not really a skull either, but I just thought it looked cool and was an interesting take on the mounted deer head trend. I believe this one is just carved wood. Still pretty intimidating huh? It looks gorgeous against the brick background. 

Would you ever add a skull to your home decor?

Monday Design: Michigan Lake House

Oh boy, what a month guys. What a month. It's been crazy here for me in April. So much so that I am entirely glad the month is coming to a close. In between work being crazy and getting robbed I've also been studying for the GRE's non-stop. I'm finally taking the test this Saturday and I couldn't be more nervous. For those of you that may not know, the GRE is the standardized test most college graduate programs require you to take to get into grad school. Kind of like you have to take either the ACTs or SATs to get into college. It's totally stupid, but if I want to get into grad school I have to do it. Wish me luck!

Anyway, in all this craziness the roommate and I have also been planning a getaway to my parents' cabin in Wisconsin in August and I am starting to wish it was coming a lot sooner. I could definitely use a break, but I'm sure we all could right? Of course the cabin in Wisconsin looks nothing like this amazing getaway home in Michigan I found, but it's helping me daydream so who cares! I actually found this home on a Chicago design firm's site. Alan Design Studio has done a lot of work in and around Chicago, but this was one of my favorites. I love how the wood in the kitchen and livening room really brings in that rustic cabin feel, but it's still completely sleek and modern. Perfect for those of us that like the idea of getting away to the woods, but would rather not fight off spiders and mosquitoes all day.

I love this bedroom! Big bright windows, a cozy bed, and a fireplace? How perfect for a winter getaway. I hate snow and cold, but I think I could survive it if I were holed up here for the winter. Don't you agree?

I actually really love the design of the bedrooms. They're simple and easy. Perfect for a summer home because there's no clutter so you can make it your own for the summer. Like playing with a blank slate. 

I can't wait to take a small weekend vacation. I know Wisconsin and Michigan do not sound exciting, but it's where us Chicago folk go for weekend breaks. Anything to get out of the city for a bit, you know?

Where's your favorite weekend getaway?

Monday Design: 8 Dreamy Bedroom Designs

Coming off of a very lazy and relaxing weekend at home, I've realized that as much as I love laying around in bed, my bedroom needs a few design touches. We've lived in our apartment for about a year now and it still needs some home-y touches. I just got a little rug for the living room this weekend and just that small addition has made all the difference. So in looking to perk up the bedroom I found 8 amazing bedroom designs to steal some inspiration from. All images via Pinterest.

 I love the wallpaper and headboard in this bedroom. The ruffled blanket and butterfly mirror make this bedroom feels super girly and whimsical. I love the fluttering butterfly mirror, but I have butterflies so if I could find a bird version it would look great above my bed.

 The wall paper actually caught me eye first, but this regal bed frame is what I would love to take away from this bedroom design. Who doesn't want to feel like a queen when they're in bed? I love the very antique bed frame and wallpaper mixed in with the modern comforter and night stand. Chic. The roommate would never go for this.

 This one is the farmhouse bedroom of my dreams. I'm imagining a fireplace across from the bed. Doesn't that sound dreamy?

 The simple design of this bedroom mixed with the bold colors is absolutely perfect. It's simple, but extremely cozy and cheery.

Everything about this bedroom screams shabby chic. Wouldn't you love to fall into that pile of pretty pillows?

This bedroom design would definitely make anyone feel like they were richer than they actually are. Might have something to do with that fur throw. Maybe.

 The light and the white furniture against the brick wall make this bedroom perfectly sweet.

This should come as no surprise, but I love mixing very ornamental pieces with very simple design like this bed on the floor with the crystal chandelier hanging above. It's the little things that make this room perfect.

Wouldn't you love to be back in bed on this Monday morning?

Monday Design: 70s Love

I found this amazing house located in Melbourne that is a 70s design dream! Do any of you remember the set design for Anchor Man? Well I see this as a classier version of Ron's house. Seventies styling is dripping from every inch of this place. You can see it in the exposed large brick walls, the wood accent furniture, and the fun pops of color in the decorative details. It was apparently designed by a stone mason in 1979 which completely explains the gorgeous stone walls. All images via The Design Files.

 The large windows let in plenty of light to beautifully accent the different colors and grains in the stone. It's also amazing how light it seems inside even with the dark walls and deep colors in the furniture.

 The antique record player fits perfectly with the style of the house.

This is definitely a dream home for a lover of the 70s. Even if you are not a fan of 70s design, you have to admit the stone walls and the simple shapes of the furniture make this home seem absolutely down to earth and luxurious at the same time.


Thumbs up from me! Would you live here?