My Dream Home: Dining Room

A couple of posts ago I created a mood board of my very own dream living room and I have to say it made me pretty darn happy seeing so many things I love in one space. When designing any space, especially residential, I think it's important to create a consistent flow throughout -- going from room to room and can tell the same person lives there no matter what room it is but is different in it's own way. As far as my design style goes, I love the boho chic, eclectic look -- but for me, there really is no one or even two design styles I stick to. I love to throw a little mid-century, rustic and coastal in as well -- so you can say I have pretty versatile taste. Check out my post on my dream living space so you can see how it just works with this dining room. I'm pretty much in love. Links to all items below :) 

rug // striped edge flatweave rug // anthropologie

captain chairs // tucker chair - black // serena & lily

side chairs // john vogel chairs // west elm 

dining table // porto dining table // bungalow 5

dresser // melony 3-drawer dresser // bungalow 5

sconces // perforated metal sconce // west elm 

abstract art // muted menogerie // rachel reinert studio 

chandelier // viola chandelier // arteriors 

mirror // malina mirror // z gallerie

table lamp // marble pillar table lamp // west elm 

frame // artfully cubed frame // lulu & georgia 

vases // carla peters chulucana vases // west elm 

paint color // high reflective sw-7757 // sherwin williams



Did you fall in love with any of these items like I did? It's okay, I can share ;) Stay tuned for a post on my dream bedroom coming soon. Follow me on instagram @laurenmaiorana for even more design, art and DIY inspiration!





Xo, 

Black & White Lovin'

Black and white has never looked better. I have always been drawn to black and white decor because it can really go with just about anything and can have an edgy feel to it that I just love. I've come across a handful of black and white pieces that I'm dying to share with you -- if I can't have it all then I might as well share the wealth! No shades of gray here.

elliptic dining chair // $298 // anthropologie

framed print - abstract script // $79 //  west elm

kate spade saturday globe table lamp // $199 // west elm

kate space saturday dhurrie area rug // starting at $149 // west elm

black and white moroccan pouf // $495 //  serena & lily

nate berkus black triangle pillow // $24.99 // target

chloe armchair // bungalow 5

bridgeport dresser // $599 // home decorators 

hand stamped vases // $24 // west elm 

nixon alpaca throw // $295 //  jonathan adler

bone inlay side table // $598 // anthropologie

I can picture designing with these pieces in many different spaces. Sometimes designing a whole space with a black and white palette can look effortlessly sophisticated but you can't go wrong using black and white accents with splashes of color either. Which piece (and if you're like me, pieces) can you picture in your home? :)

Xo, 

My Dream Home: Living Room

It's been a while since I've created a mood board for the fun of it so when I started to find a ton of items on my favorite sites I figured I had to pull some of these items together. I've been in love with the Hamilton Sofa from west elm since they came out with it last summer -- the tan, aniline leather is gorgeous and soooo soft -- you really have to go check it out if there's a west elm store by you. I've been dying to get my hands on some pillows from Lulu & Georgia -- if you haven't seen their selection of textiles you need to do that. right. now. Okay, maybe after reading this post. I'm also a sucker for navy, turquoise and anything black and white so that led me to create the color scheme you're about to see. My heart also aches for items made of natural materials such as marble, reclaimed wood, jute, rattan...as you can see. So I decided to create a living space that just screams me. Antique brass accents make me pretty darn happy, too. Here's a mood board that displays this look with the links to the items below. You're welcome :) 

rug // caterina rug // anthropologie

side table // two tone side table // west elm 

coffee table // boxed frame narrow coffee table, marble top // west elm

sofa // hamilton leather sofa in tan //  west elm

left pillow // crewel lattice pillow cover - blue lagoon // west elm 

lumbar pillow // nate berkus woven cotton printed pillow // target

right pillow // one of a kind pillow, sophia // lulu & georgia

sconce // reed sconce in old brass // rejuvenation 

art // framed print abstract script // west elm

floor lamp // magical thinking geo floor lamp // urban outfitters

console // emmerson reclaimed wood console // west elm

mirrors // hinged hanging mirrors // anthropologie

stools // elsa stool - black // serena & lily

There it is. Did you fall in love with any of these items like I did? There were too many online to choose from so next up I'll be putting together my dream dining room. I didn't follow a budget when picking these items -- I normally wouldn't spend $400 on a wall sconce but it's all about the look. Depending on what else is going on in your space I really do believe it's worth splurging on an item or two that you love and then be frugal with the rest in order to stay on budget. Like the wall art in this space -- you can definitely DIY and get the same look. You really should love everything you have in your home so to me it's totally worth it to mix the high and the DIY (that's a pretty clever saying, actually). Stay tuned for more dream spaces of mine! 

Xo,

Pantone Color of 2015: Marsala

Being in the design field as both a home stylist and an artist I am always inspired by colors. Marsala and its deep rich hue is a color I would normally stray away from -- until 2015. Don't get me wrong, I love designing and painting with rich, colorful, deep hues but anything in the "maroon" family would remind me of being really traditional and formal and that just isn't my style. BUT you can create spaces that are pretty darn amazing -- trendy, bohemian, classy, chic, you name it. Here are some of my favorite items and inspiration that include Pantone's new color of the year! I think I've changed my mind...

caye rug in berry / lulu & georgia

cobble hill hudson velvet chair / abc home

stencil art by flower art place / etsy 

rivulets bedding / anthropologie

stitched silk pillow / anthropologie

What are your thoughts on Marsala? Until next year ;)

Xo,

DIY Valentine's Day Garland

With the help of Michael's and Pinterest I was able to create my very own and very easy Valentine's Day garland under $7! If you'd like to know how to DIY then this is what you will need:

- Hemp string

- Mini V-Day clothespins (I used a set of 8)

- Small wooden hearts painted with chalk (came in a set of 12)

(or plain ones and you can paint them yourself but you 

can get them already painted at Michael's)

- Chalk (white or any color you'd like)

- Tape or hooks to hang your garland

1) I already had hemp string so I decided to go ahead and tape the string under my display

shelf the length I wanted it -- we don't have a mantle otherwise you can hang it on there with hooks (or tape, too).

2)  I only had 8 clothespins in the set I purchased so I needed to spell out something with 8 letters -- very conveniently I Love You just fit. I then spread out the hearts and wrote 

a letter with the chalk on each one.

3) My hearts came with a little hole already in it on top but because I was using the clips 

there was no need to put the string through the hearts -- I just clipped each one

to the string with the clothespins (and I did every other one red and pink). You can 

adjust the hearts to where you want them on the string making sure it is centered. DONE!

Michael's always has coupons going on so that's how I was able to create mine for under $7 which was quite a score. There's many cute ways to decorate for Valentine's Day without going crazy -- this garland and my heart bowl planter from my last post are just a couple of them. Happy DIYing!

Xo,

Heart Bowl Turned V-Day Planter

Since stores decided to put out Valentine's decor even before Christmas, I've had my eye on a few things I wanted to decorate with for a while now. One of them being a simple yet super cute heart bowl from west elm that I envisioned using as a planter. After I created my terrarium and had leftover pot soil I knew I could use it for this little project. Since I already had succulents in my terrarium, I chose to plant an orchid in the heart bowl and now it's a perfect little piece on my coffee table. Such an easy thing to do and it adds a little festiveness for Valentine's Day! Next on the blog is my DIY Valentine's Day garland so stay tuned :) 

And if you don't already follow me on instagram @laurenmaiorana

where I also post my DIY projects, inspiration + day to day picture worthy moments :) 

Xo,

DIY Terrarium: Before & After

A couple of months ago at west elm I fell in love with their new wood and glass terrariums -- I had to get one! The base is natural wood and the top is handblown recycled glass melted against the base -- each one is completely one-of-a-kind so when I saw one that I loved I knew I had to scoop it up because who knows if I could of found another just like it.

I've never created my own terrarium before but I new I wanted to include unique succulents, rocks and sand. Succulents are great because they retain their moisture so they don't need to be watered as frequently as other house plants -- when the soil is dry to the touch you can water them which is about every 7-10 days. You really can do many different things with a terrarium but this is what I purchased to create the look I wanted:

- 1 small succulent 

- 1 medium size succulent

- 1 bag of potting soil 

- 1 small bag of white sand

- 1 small bag of small rocks

I was able to find my succulents at west elm, sand and rocks at Michael's, and potting soil at Home Depot. Click the links above for actual product.

1) To start, I filled the glass (just the bottom layer) with the rocks. 

2) I then added the sand (I ended up using the whole bag of rocks and sand but you don't have to use it all. I wanted my terrarium to fill up the inside so I used all of it.

3) Then I added just enough soil to plant the succulents on top. I pressed the soil down and made sure soil was all around each succulent to hold them in place. 

4) I added some water and DONE....

If you have made your own terrarium I'd love to see how it came out! It really is super easy and inexpensive. I splurged on my terrarium which ended up being around $50 but all of the materials came to around $25. Plus, Michael's always has coupons, too. 

Happy Terrarium Making :)

Xo,

Cheers to 2015!

Well hello January! It feels like a year since I've last posted :) I've had some time to reflect on this past year and although I have accomplished a lot -- moving to CA from NY and now living here over a year, working at a company that inspires me and encourages me to do what I love, and creating and selling more custom art pieces -- I still have SO much more yet to do for ME. Also, I was home visiting my family for the Holidays which is why I have not posted much in the last month. It was an amazing trip and I hope all of you had a wonderful time with family and friends this Holiday as well. One of my goals for this year is to do more home projects, photography and art which will give me a lot more to post about. Right now I am working on a DIY terrarium so stay tuned! In the meantime here are some pics of my new years with family!

Oh yea -- I'm going to be an Aunt again this May! 2015 is going to be a good one :) 

Xo,