The Case For Black

Recently, I chose to paint the kitchen in a house that we are working on black. All of the guys that I work with thought that I was crazy. They asked over and over if I was lying about my color choice. That is, until I actually painted it. But once the paint was on the walls, they all loved it!

It seems odd that there are so many perfect examples of how beautiful and sophisticated black walls can be, yet there are still so many people who cringe at the idea. The very week that I painted the kitchen, my mom got a new House Beautiful magazine that was just crawling with gorgeous black walls.

Even painting only one wall black brings something special to a room. Don't you think? It just looks so black-tie and classy.

Do any of you have black walls in your home?


*photos from here, here, and here.

Jealousy

This, my dears, is an open-air backyard bathroom. I'm not even joking. The owners decided to convert the shed in the back of their house into a big, open, inviting bath retreat. They cleaned the place up, added terra cotta tiles and plumbing and, voila!, the most jealousy inducing bathroom in the west.

I know its in the west because I found it on the Sunset website. I swear, they make living in arid climates look so good.

I hope you have a relaxing weekend. Happy Easter!

Shine

Today the world outside my window is covered in a thick layer of ice. Last Friday brought snow, followed by just enough sun to start melting it, followed by a drizzle of rain, followed by freezing temperatures, which has resulted in the current ice storm we are experiencing now. It seems like this winter is never going to end.

I am, however, determined to stay optimistic! And what better way to do that than with massive doses of color? My inspiration comes from an interior makeover that I saw on Design Sponge a while back. I don't remember what the before shot looked like. I just know that this bright, airy space is full of happy colors, shapes and textures. And look at those dining chairs!

One of the colors that I love is the cool aqua blue, which sort of grounds the space and makes it feel peaceful instead of psychedelic. A touch of zen on your hand? Try this gorgeous ring from One Garnet Girl. I had seen this ring before and my mind just kept wanting to tie its image with the one above.

Then, of course, any time I am needing a color fix I head over to Pretty Lil Things. So vibrant! You can find a darling little doll face clutch to match just about any hue mood. Is that not the cutest thing ever?

Wherever you are; warm or cold, sunny or rainy, I hope you are safe and warm and smiling. Happy Tuesday all.

Bright and Beachy Thoughts

First of all, I would like to say thanks for all the great comments on my Mean Girls post. When you don't get quick feedback on a subject like that, you start to wonder if you offended someone. But you ladies came through with such beautiful thoughts on the matter. Of course, just another reason to love this blogging community so much. :)

Now, on to something sunny for your Friday musing. This cheery bright beach house is the 2009 Southern Living Idea House located in Texas. For those of us in the dead of winter right now, this house is fodder for many a mid afternoon daydream.

Notice the backsplash in this kitchen. It's made of antiqued mirror. It has a great reflective quality without being too perfect. Don't you think? Love it!

I have always adored the idea of a bunk room. There are lots of kids in my family and I guarantee that they would LOVE having a big open bunk room to play and sleep in together at the beach. (I also like how this one is open to the room below, so that you can keep an eye and an ear on those little boogers.)

How's this for a happy color? A bright goldenrod yellow in just the right dose. I'm loving everything about this place. I would be a very happy girl to be basking in the warm summer sun in a place like this. Ahhh. Summer. How I miss you.

Happy weekend darlings. I hope it's a good one.

~Jo~