Let's move from the kitchen on to the living room now...
The entryway chandelier and red bookcase are both from Ikea. The green vase in the nook is from Home Goods, one of my favorite places of all time.
This is the first home I've purchased, so I was really excited to be able to wallpaper. This yellow and cream print is Cow Parsley by Cole and Son, and it's more beautiful than I could've imagined. It gives the room a contemporary, vibrant feel. All throughout the room are things that are beautiful and meaningful to me, as well as lots of photos of family. Above the mantel are two red and gold Peruvian mirrors I bought at the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach's gift shop many years ago when I worked there, a spiky vase by Leah Nobilette from Tilde in Portland, a gorgeous wooden I'm-not-sure-what from the San Diego Zoo, a framed luna moth and praying mantis encased in resin that I gave to my husband and some golden crow's feet from Rare Device in San Francisco.
The main wall color is Coir, by Eddie Bauer paints. I got all my paint at Lowe's. It's a great non-boring neutral with green undertones and I love the way the other colors in the room pop against it.
I don't get to search for treasures at boutiques or flea markets nearly enough since I work full time and have a very energetic 3 year old, so I found much of the furniture at retailers like Ikea, Pier 1 and Crate and Barrel. Mixed all together I think they sort of cancel out the "I'm from such and such store!" feel you get when you have a room of stuff from the same store. I fell in love with the green floral chair from Crate and Barrel. I love that the pattern will hide stains and wear, and the fabric's really durable. I picked up on the reds and yellows in the chair and splashed them about the room, like in the pagoda shelves, table lamp and pillows from Pier One and Target.
I did artwork on the cheap, with frames from Ikea and Aaron Brother's and some creepy prints by Marcel Dzama and images of birds and snakes from the Cabinet of Natural Curiosities book.
This A-frame bookcase is from Cost Plus World Market, and the cream iron chairs are from Home Goods, topped by pillows from Ikea.
I'm definitely a 'more is more' person, and I'm an equal opportunity shopper: I'll look anywhere because you never know where you'll find something great. My idea for the room was based on a naturalist's study. I wanted an elegant room that was masculine enough for my husband and that also had lots of great things to catch the eye. At the same time it had to be a very durable room; I've got two boys, ages 15 and 3. I included a tasteful little basket for my 3 year old Max's toys at the fireplace. I think it's really important to integrate your kids into your design scheme whenever possible so they're not always banished to their bedroom or a playroom (my 3 year old actually calls this room the playroom!).
My favorite color is green, so there's green somewhere in every room. It was really hard not to do every room in green from floor to ceiling. I'm glad I restrained myself though, it might have been a little crazy (Or totally awesome, you never really know till you see it, after all). Everything was bought on a budget, but I love the way it all turned out and think it looks like a million bucks!
