A friend and her husband have just moved into a new apartment, airy and bright and complete with a white brick fireplace.  Their last place came furnished, I should mention, so they are starting almost from scratch in their new home.  She has a great eye and loves a clean, Scandi sort of feel, with soothing neutrals and lots of plants.  Since I love pulling together a space, here are some of the ideas I’ve floated her way.

Mid-century and Scandinavian pieces in a mix of wood tones with neutral-colored textiles give a collected feel while still soothing the eye.  A variety of textures (caning, tufting, leather, jute) keep things just interesting enough.  Add a tonal rug that skews somewhere between traditional and beachy California cool, and you’ve got a layered space ready to relax in.  Maybe try stacking some beautiful design books on the coffee table?  With an equally beautiful candle?  (Here’s one to try.)  And don’t forget tons of planters and vases to bring in ALL the greenery.

Since they have so much to buy all at once, I tried to skew on the end of readily available and relatively inexpensive, without sacrificing beauty and function (looking at you, sofa and leather pouf — swoon).  Enjoy!

Leon sofa  Wyatt coffee table  faux fiddle-leaf fig  half-circle pillow  organic lamp  Skye rug  Austin arm chair  leather pouf  caned TV stand  jute pouf  floral print  dipped vases  triangle table  platform bed  textured planters  hanging planter  geo pillow  white nightstand

Springtime is here, and with it has come a craving for flowers, sunshine, and all things blooming and gorgeous.  Here are a few of my favorite vases right now, perfect for bringing springtime greenery into your home.  (The amber glass vase is on my dining table as we speak.)  Happy spring!

amber glass vase  variegated glaze vase  faces vase  sculptural white vase  terracotta vessels

New year, new update for our living room!  The overall vibe of CB2’s latest catalog had me dying with gorgeousness — perfectly shadowy, perfectly glamorous, perfectly eclectic and moody.  With a few tweaks I thought I could shift our casual style a bit more glam, and now I am over-the-moon excited with our living space.

I kept most of our larger pieces and swapped out smaller elements.  Our green velvet and tan leather sofas are still great foundation items that I love, for example.  Also my jelly bean coffee table in white stone is still perfection in my eyes.  Instead of two patterned rugs layered together, though, I opted for a beautiful wool rug in a creamy ivory with a tonal hexagon pattern.  Already this took our space in a less bohemian and more refined direction.  The large beach-y print we had over one sofa I replaced with Joshua Schicker’s No Turning Radius print, a black and white abstract.  Over the other sofa I replaced our “We’re Here and It’s Now” poster with a more linear black and white abstract I painted myself, and pillows in navy and grey velvet and an inky mural print replaced my pink velvet cushions.  A brass drum pendant over our dining table was a glam upgrade from the wood hoop pendant DIY I made a several years ago, and a navy lacquer credenza makes for a sleek and modern storage option over the open console table we had stashed baskets under previously.  And a silver and agate side table made for a less casual option than my ceramic garden stool.  Add a classical bust, a quirky/glam lamp, and my favorite ceramics pieces, and voila!  A moody, eclectic haven I can’t wait to come home to every night.

Below you’ll find some of the items I added or swapped into our home, followed by items I already had that I kept in the mix.  At the very bottom you’ll see a few of the decor items I swapped out to give you an idea of the before and after.  Enjoy!

New:

grey velvet pillow  ink mural pillow  feathered brass drum pendant  navy credenza  ivory rug  abstract wall art  agate table  bust statue

Had and kept:

emerald velvet sofa  oxford tan sofa  agate side table  leather safari chair  black floor lamp  jelly bean coffee table  Moroccan pouf  faux fiddle leaf fig

Swapped out:

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Pantone’s Color of the Year for 2019 has been announced as Living Coral, “an animating and life-affirming coral hue with a golden undertone that energizes and enlivens with a softer edge.”  I am 100% here for it.  It’s a fresh version of the millennial pink trend that never really went away, and I am happy to embrace it.

I’m particularly fond of corals and pinks when mixed with a bit of eclecticism.  Think earthy ceramics, warm woods, mid-century touches, and maybe an old world portrait or two.  Even better if there is a mix of textures: velvet, rattan, wood, lacquer, and leather, oh my!  The interiors below get it exactly right, in my opinion — fresh, quirky-fun, and easy to live with.

Break out the coral-colored glasses for 2019, guys.  It’s going to be the year of Living Coral.

photos via house&home, architectural digest france, my scandinavian home, wit&delight, my unfinished home