Let's!

lets play HOUSE_dining 1

1. graypants / 2. Anthropologie / 3. ZP Studio / 4. Connected Goods / 5. Bauer Los Angeles / 6. Porro / 7. School House Electric  / 8.. Capel Rugs

Last month I kicked off the new series Let's! with a weekend escape outfit but today it's all about the home - it's so fun to play house! I keep finding myself gravitating to clean and interesting lines and mixing them with organic elements and pops of unexpected art. The stacked cardboard lampshade and the playful PVC place settings that resemble blobs of paint (at least they do to me) couldn't be more different but I love them together. I'm so sad that I missed the place settings on sale via Presive.com but I'll find another way to get my hands on them, yes I will. And how cute is that little giraffe wine cork? It's made in South Africa which is extra special since that's where I really fell in love with them, the most majestic animals ever. Elephants and hippos more your thang? They've got you and your wine bottle covered, too.

like a pro

design-plan After nearly two months at sea, the three pieces of furniture that we shipped from London have arrived: our duck egg blue sofa, antique wood table, and bed frame + mattress (not pictured). They are home and we are now living more comfortably (yahooo!)

As soon as the movers left we began arranging, and then re-arranging, all of the pieces to see what worked best for our needs. If it weren't for the items that came with the apartment (dining table, chairs, white storage units, TV, table lamp, and lounge chair) then we'd be seriously furniture-poor in this space. And while the provided pieces wouldn't have been our first picks, they're at least simple and modern enough that they blend in nicely with our personal touches.

All that's left to buy are a few furnishings and accessories to make the living room really come together. I've been watching old episodes of the interior design show Candice Tells All on syndication and I love how she goes around with her drawing tablet, whipping up solutions to everyday design problems. Well, I have a drawing tablet, too, so I put that baby to work! We had written a list of what we'd like to buy but drawing everything onto the space was a really fun way to bring it all to life - I highly recommend it!

On our list:

• large area rug
• round coffee table to soften the straight edges of other items in the room
• tall plant next to the TV so that it's not the first thing we see when we walk through the
door
• canopy floor lamp for the corner reading/lounging nook with a round shade, again, to soften the hard edges already existing in the room
• cotton throw pillow covers. the ones from London are wool and don't work here for obvious reasons
• dining placemats - can't say that i love the sound of metal and ceramic hitting glass
• large canvas art - this might be the hardest part
• floor plant for the desk area
fun graphic print above the desk
and last but not least, a comfortable desk chair so that I can work and blog all the better :)

Now, if only Craigslist were popular here. That was the thing to do in LA...buried treasures I'll tell ya...

Either way, I can't wait to start shopping around!

Do you have any methods you use for organizing your home-decor plan of action? Or do you just go for it as you come across pieces?