29.7.10

A Style to Call My Own: Nature

Nature is something that is constantly a source of inspiration for me. On just about any given day you can find me, at some point, staring up into the sky in amazement. The stars, the moon, the clouds, the colors…all utterly fascinating. The sheer vastness of it is awe-inspiring. I can’t tell you how many pictures I’ve taken only to realize that the sky’s beauty simply can not be captured accurately in a photo. (But I’ll share some with you anyways.)

100_2401I took this one at World Showcase in Disney World…

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(not sure who the photographer is of most of these…)

357083120_f0b578a638_o[1] the sea under the red sky Germany-Danmark-flikr 

Germany…

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Sunset

(sample photo from my computer)

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Tornado over Atlanta…

And there’s almost nothing I enjoy more than taking a leisurely walk outside and enjoying every blade of grass, every wild flower, the colors, shapes, and the texture of the trees, the birds, the way water sparkles like diamonds when the sun hits it… I could go on and on. I am simply in love with all things in nature (well, except for spiders and bats and such, but that’s a different topic…). I think a lot of people take nature for granted, maybe because it’s always there so they’re just use to it, I don’t know, and they just don’t stop and take a moment to enjoy their surroundings.

5A field of sunflowers about twenty minutes from my house…

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Shell Island in Florida…

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I love the smoky grays and browns of the rocks with the white foam and the blues & greens of the sky and water. Gorgeous colors…

1229017845k73Qidm[1]lovers pixdausI mean seriously, could you create a more fantastic setting in your dreams? I doubt it… 

2198774174_3c6b50bb96_o[1] Lagoínha - Ceará, Brazil

Lagoinha- Ceara, Brazil

adansonia_grandidieri04-768x1024[1]An African baobab tree. Isn’t it majestic?…

beach,photography,traveling,borabora,impresionante,sea-fe23089f4cf47fa8e76f95aa56e39744_h[1]pixdaus.com Electric blue water in Bora Bora…

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Simple and pure…

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Little snake in Singapore…

 Peonies Market Aix-en-Provence

PLANTWERKZ-DRACENA TREE

Dracaena trees…

RANDOM PICTURE IN MAGIC KINGDOM  Another photo I took in WDW…

tree,beautiful,nature,usa,natureza,plantas-d2f51b382ccdf98952e1b13c22764c3c_h[1] Angel Oak, South Carolina, by MarkRegs 

(Mark Regs)

An Angel Oak in South Carolina. What can I say besides “WOW”?

Of course I know some people live in such big cities that they don’t have much nature around- that’s what’s so great about zoos, gardens, and parks. Even in big cities you have places where you can go and come down from all the hustle and bustle, traffic jams, honking horns, emails, and demands of everyday life. It’s important to do that I think. Ask anyone who works in their little gray cube in a high-rise what they wish they had at work and they will tell you “a spot near a window.” And they probably have a plant or flower at their desk and a beach screensaver. It’s healthy to stay connected with nature. 

100_2419100_2421  This is at Animal Kingdom in Disney World. Look how very different their markings are…

1224589703Pl3DnTu[1]pixdaus(Not sure who took this photo, but it is beautiful!)

animal,nature,tiger-bbc82432ba98595c14d9ebed871f6abf_h[1] Melati  pixelmasseuse  lurvely.comimagesCA28LQ5XimagesCASL9PR9

WINDLOST(windlost)

The creamy white of this little lamb and the graphite wool sweater are perfect inspiration for my master bedroom. A strong contrast in color, but the textures soften it dramatically… 

windlost_zebra (windlost)

I never grow tired of black and white. Simple, striking, and just plain beautiful…

100_0673 100_0660I took these at the Botanical Gardens on a date with my hubs a few years ago…

Anytime I design I always include nature, whether through texture, color, pattern, or all the above. Sometimes its literally bringing in natural items, other times its a more subtle introduction of say, a color palette inspired by stormy weather. Maybe I do it because, as a Virgo with Virgo rising, I am a strong earth sign. All I know is that incorporating nature into a home (or any space for that matter) helps it feel full of life and energy. For me, its a peaceful connection with something I already feel part of. Natural and organic things are an absolute must have. After all, nature has always been and always will be, it refreshes and renews itself beautifully, and it’s familiar to anyone and everyone. I mean, what is nature? It’s something untouched, untainted, natural/not man-made, and pure. Does it get any more perfect?

thesomedayblog.comnatural-beauty(thesomedayblog.com)

13962z   velvetmirror.blox.2jpg

(velvetmirror.blox)

comohodesign.comHouse-6-in-Sao-Paulo-Brazil-by-Marcio-Kogan2 Home in Sao Paolo by Marcio Kogan (my favorite architect). I love how he incorporated different natural stones and wood. I also love the smooth transition between inside and outside…

27.7.10

A Style to Call My Own: Love of Learning

One thing I am very passionate about is learning. I love to learn. Anything and everything, I love “collecting” information. I am interested in all kinds of studies besides design, art, and fashion, some of which are anatomy and physiology, theology, psychology, geography, history, physics, biology, cardiology, astronomy, astrology…basically, if it’s an –ology, I want to know about it. So as you can imagine, my home does and will continue to reflect my on-going quest for knowledge. You see, I am actually equally right-brain and left-brain, so I have a very creative, imaginative side, but I also have a very logical, analytical thinking side, so its fun to learn how to mix the two in my decor.  

  • Must have for the home of knowledge seekers? Books, baby. And the more the merrier. You can find them in almost every room of my house (along with a basquillion design mags and my cherished collection of Domino, of course). 

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This is from America Ferrera’s home (not sure which one). Love that these books are wrapped. The black and white contrast is so chic and clean… 

Diane von Furstenberg _thumb[2] (habituallychic)

Diane von Furstenburg’s library at her Connecticut estate. Beauty meets brains…

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(Domino)

Elle Decor, Photography William Waldron, design Bruce Glickman and Wilson Teng_thumb[3] 

(Elle Decor)

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(not sure where this came from, sorry)

Doesn’t everybody want a rolling library ladder? God knows I do…

italian(not sure where this came from, sorry)

So simple…so sexy…

lofty(apartmenttherapy)

Omg, a gigantic wall of books in a loft space- yes, please…

poliform  (apartmentherapy)

Love the few shocks of orange, Caribbean blue, and book colors against all that white. Don’t those big fluffy pillows just beg for you to sink into them with a great book? 

TomScheerer[2] 

(patriciagrayinc)

I like how the bookcases are used partially as room dividers and not just pushed up against a wall, I like that they sort of create a little passageway. I can’t tell if he’s done this or not, but it would be neat if he put two back-to-back so there were books on both sides…

signaturejordan.wordpress (signaturejordan.wordpress)

This is a great idea, especially for people who are a bit “o.c.d.” about their decorating. These books are wrapped with linen paper to make them look a little more cohesive as a whole…

  • An obsession of mine- educational book plates, scientific and mathematical notes, diagrams and dissections- science in the form of art. 

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I just picked these up at an antique shop for $5 for the pair. Obviously I’ll be painting the frames and having the mat changed, but they were just too beautiful to pass up. They’re seashell studies, dissections, and cross-sections written in Latin…

vintageprintable.comEducational-plate-avocado  (vintageprintable.com)

An avocado study…

squidoo.com411px-Studies_of_the_Arm_showing_the_Movements_made_by_the_Biceps 

Da Vinci- one  of my all-time faves. This is a study of the arm and its movements…

world-mysteries.comvitruvian_man_sm 

(world-mysteries.com)

Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man- a truly fascinating pen and ink with notes on human proportion and the golden ratio… 

stylehive-etsyil_430xN_91934782 

(47thStreetSupplyCo at etsy)

etsy-headchangeil_430xN_116370215 (headchange at etsy)

Musical instruments…

etsy-headchange-optics and soundil_430xN_132668193 (headchange at etsy)

Optics and sound…

etsythecandyshoppe1921(thecandyshoppe at etsy)

From a 1921 architecture book…

vintageprintable.com001dr  (vintageprintable)

Basically a dissection of the English language…

etsy-headchange-1946frenchengdictil_430xN_154694684 (headchange at etsy)

Pages from an old French English dictionary…

  • Chemistry chic- for all my fellow nerdy decorators out there.

etsy-ethanollieil_430xN_153106922il_430xN_15557849etsy-etanollie0

Test tubes- handy dandy, let me tell you. You can fill the tubes with spices in your kitchen or you could pull double duty in the bathroom like me and use it to hold a flower and a couple of toothbrushes… 

etsy-ethanollieil_430xN_88792903 (all 3 above- ethan ollie at etsy)

Beakers for barware- great idea and it already has measurements on it!…

etsy-pyrexmadscientistbottles-vintageonthemakeil_430xN_100497689(vintageonthemake at etsy)

These are actually called Pyrex Mad Scientist bottles. I’d almost buy them just for the name, but then some poor scientist would be walking around all bottle-less…

mylittleclippings-anthropologie973411_100_b 

(mylittleclippings)

They use to sell these at Anthropologie. The three of them filled with a bunch of peonies or different wild flowers would be oh so pretty…

  • The school desk- full of charm and character (and possibly wads of petrified bubblegum). The best way to get these (unless you’re teeny tiny) is unattached so they’re not uncomfortable to sit at.

1910mainememory.net27107

lorimusil.comkindergarten%20desk(lorimusil.com)

This would be perfect in a mudroom or entry- a little catch-all table and a spot to sit and take your shoes off.

mission2modern.comHW1(mission2modern)

Great little writing desk, bill-pay station, or entry catch-all. Keys and sunglasses on top, mail inside, vice versa, or whatever suits you…