Paper the Walls

I can vividly remember when my parents moved our family into the home that I grew up in most of my life. My parents tell the story that they were in our old house and they were discussing all of these home improvement projects and suddenly it clicked "Why don't we move?". I think my parents just went on a whim to an open house and my mother fell in love instantly with the house on the quiet street with the park at the end of the road, the perfect house to raise a family. The only "problem" the house was dated with it's interior decor but had a great layout and plenty of space for the four of us.

We used to joke about the "Where is Waldo" wallpaper that was in the dining room, foyer and ran all the way up the stairs into the hallway. It was hideous, I almost wish I had a picture of it to share but luckily it was taken down almost immediately and replaced with beautifully painted walls. The wallpaper was so dated because my parents had bought the house from the original owner who had been there since the 60s.

I think a lot of people have this negative connotation when it comes to wallpaper because they think of nightmares like the one that was in our house but not all wallpaper is like that. In fact, today in design there are so many fun options for all kinds of spaces. 

For example, this Thibaut wallpaper below is such a fun trendy animal print but because this zebra print is so neutral it would make a lovely addition to a space and can be updated with different pieces added to the room throughout time.

One of my other favorite ways to use wallpaper is a fun pattern in a kid's room. There are so many great wallpapers out there that fit this bill but some of my favorite collections for kids come from Harlequin. The main reason I love this company so much is because Europeans are not afraid of color and neither am I. These kid friendly patterns can add that extra special something to any little prince or princess' room. 

There is nothing like a beautiful natural material that envelops a room quite like grasscloth. It instantly adds comfort to a room that wasn't there before. Back in May of this year, the design firm that I work for, Creative Wallcoverings & Interiors, was part of the Mansion in May Designer Showhouse in New Jersey. We got assigned Space 10, it was a real lemon of a room with no architectural details or any character. Below is the before picture.

Our design team decided to take this lemon and make lemonade by adding a silk lemon colored grasscloth on the walls. My favorite application of the grasscloth though was the unexpected application of the metallic one on the ceiling. It was such a nice touch. Below is the after picture so you can see the real transformation of this space.

So don't be afraid to paper some walls in your own home.

Until next time, make sure everyday you do something kreative!

Kristina

U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A!

I am proud to be an American but more so when the Olympic Games come around. I have been into sports my entire life and the Games are the best of the best in the worlds coming together and competing, it doesn't get any better than that! It gets even better when they start winning those medals especially ones that come in gold. Because of all the patriotism rushing through my veins right now I thought I would find some things that would reflect the pride I feel for my country.

These nails that I found on Pinterest just scream U-S-A, they in fact are so cute I am thinking about trying to do this to my nails around Labor Day at the end of this summer.

When I am looking for inspirational color palettes for interior design, I sometimes look at Design Seeds. You can pick a color or a theme you are trying to find and then this database comes up at your finger tips with so many different color combinations that can really get your kreative groove going. Today, I came across the above color scheme and had to share because it just fit in so well with the Olympic Games because this is called Grecian Brights and that is where the Olympics originated.

Patriotism can even be shown in fashion. To me nothing is more American than Ralph Lauren, so it was fitting when it was announced that once again he would be designing the outfits that our Olympic athletes would wear as they processed in to the opening ceremonies. Slightly disappointing that there was the problem with them being made in China, but that is besides the point. You too can create a look that shows your stars an stripes like The Pink Peonies blog post above. With the combination of the large stripe shirt and the small nautical navy blue print top, this outfit is as American as apple pie. 

While the above isn't an apple pie, this American flag cake would be a great way to celebrate any summer patriotic holiday. The step by step instructions make this cake look a lot easier to make and just about anyone can handle it and would be the perfect dessert to make for one of those backyard picnics at the end of the summer.  Thank you Glorious Treats for this amazing recipe.

Again, good job Olympians and thank you for representing our country on the world's stage.