Flowers to Inspire

Flowers aren’t just for gardens!

Floral prints and patterns have grown to be popular in fashion, but also in interior décor. Ranging from small details in soft goods such as pillows, window treatments and wall art to bolder choices like furniture upholstery and wallpaper, it’s not uncommon to find flowers in a room outside of the typical vase arrangement.

Last night’s season premier of the White Room Challenge was anything but typical. Designers were pushed to use 1500 flowers in a 10x10 white space. The outcome…..proof that anything is possible.

Carissa’s Bistro

Saadia’s Artsy Loft

Matthew’s Keeping Room

David’s Sitting Nook

If you like the literal translations of bringing the outside in through flowers, there are tons of unique products that can help you do just that....some of which the HGTV designers were trying to achieve.

Saadia's Sofa Inspiration

Flower Chairs by Moroso

David's Coffee Table Translation

Floral staircase designed by Cast

Although the challenge results are not something you'd like to incorporate in an everyday space, they can serve as a spring board of inspiration to think outside of the box. Here are a few ways to brighten any space with nature's petals.

Floral Print Wallpaper....far from your Granny's version

If you are living in a rented space or do not wish to make permanent changes, vinyl decals are a great alternative!

Decals can also be used to make large wall murals along with printed canvas, or the good ole paint.

Speaking of wall installations, check out this bathroom 3-D ceramic tile! Talk about adding dimension to a small space!

This same affect can be achieved with something as simple as paper.

On a smaller scale, framed fabric or paper is always a refreshing addition

And lastly we have to mention the obvious....pillows and upholstered furniture. The options are endless which lends the opportunity to rotate in and out with the seasons.

Handmade pillows by Bed Buggs on Etsy

Chairs and Settees found online at Target

So much flower power....I can go on and on. Can't wait to see next week's challenge!

What You Looking at Miles!?

Selecting art or an interest point for a large wall over a sofa can be expensive and discouraging. After sourcing for a recent guest bedroom / office project with 11ft ceilings, I was stumped on what to put over the sofa. I knew I did not want to just purchase art, and needed to add a personal touch, so I set out to creatively incorporate a graphic or image of the client’s iconic figure, Miles Davis.

I originally wanted a photo of Miles Davis printed on a 60x72 canvas, similar to the following image, but it got to be too pricey for the allotted budget.

The next idea was to have the imaged printed as a sign/poster, and have it framed to resemble this black and white pop art.

Unfortunately, the specialist at the print shop advised me the image would be not be good quality when blown up. So, back to the drawing board, again!

I entertained the thought of doing a collage of Miles Davis images in different sizes and make a frame “cloud" over the sofa.

This is a pretty common concept, so it did not satisfy the “wow” factor I was going for. I was strongly considering this option when a light went off….multiple frames to make up the one image…..DUH!

I quickly Googled the idea, and how to break up an image across several pages. I came across a life saver website, www.blockposters.com, that allows you to upload an image, and it does all the work for you!  I downloaded the file, had it printed on photo quality paper and framed each page. The rest is history!

Miles Davis certainly made an appearance in the space. Mission accomplished!