Top 40 Posts Of 2012

A few weeks ago I was taking a look through the past year in posts and decided to put together a Top 40 collection for 2012. I had hoped to spread it out over a few days and organize everything a bit, but a family death and extended stay in Pennsylvania over the holidays set me back and I had to lump it all together. Thank you so much for continuing to help make this site such an amazing part of my daily life – here’s to 2013!

 

Best-Of-2012-1-Design-Crush

15 Chances to Find Your Ultimate Mac + Cheese // Day to Dinner to Party // New Addition //
Berry Lemonade Vodka + Homemade Blackberry Vodka

 

Best-Of-2012-2-Design-Crush

B-B-B-Buffalo // Best Word Ever // Campfire Cologne // Celebrated

 

Best-Of-2012-3-Design-Crush

Coriumi // Popsicles + Poptails – Take 2 // Little Corners // Courtney Martin

 

Best-Of-2012-4-Design-Crush

Electrolux Design Lab // Mojito Madness // Top Knot // Fluffy Raspberry Mousse

 

Best-Of-2012-5-Design-Crush

You Can Do It: Create a Gallery Wall // What I Learned: Alt 2012 // HP Designer Matchup //
Luxe Liquors

 

Best-Of-2012-6-Design-Crush

You Can Do It: Golden Glass Bottles // I Like Notebooks And I Cannot Lie //
Mixtape 17: Where All Your Girls Are Pretty // Mobile Foodie Survival Kit

 

Best-Of-2012-7-Design-Crush

Mosantimetre Turkish Coffee Pots // Peanut Butter Pumpkin Dog Treats // Pete //
Paper Sculptures

 

Best-Of-2012-8-Design-Crush

Pumpkin Marshmallow Pie // Magnetic Wallpaper // Sigils of the Houses of Westeros //
Wall Tape

 

Best-Of-2012-9-Design-Crush

Song Map // Dream Thanksgiving // Paper Flowers // Tiffin Lunch Kit

 

Best-Of-2012-10-Design-Crush

Tobias Tovera // Urban Geodes // Mighty Summit 2012 // Camp Brand

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Little Corners: Rags to Relics

Check out the little corners of Rags to Relics‘ (aka Aimee Daniels) house digs!

This is our master bedroom. We spend most of our time here because it feels the most like me. There are contrasting patterns on each surface but I find the room very soothing. I keep dried lavender and use lavender linen spray often to enhance our senses of home.

Pillows from Thomas Paul, gray Zigzag Duvet Cover and Kaleidoscope Patchwork Quilt from Urban Outfitters, British Flag from TJ MAXX, lamps from Pottery Barn, Onyx and Ivory Thermal Panels from Lowe’s, and prints from IKEA. Paint is ‘Artichoke’ by Valspar.

 

I bought this dining room table and base from a friend of a friend a couple years ago for $60!!! I practically kiss it as I walk by each time. Girls nights are spent around this table. My friends and I call girls night, “bridge night” so our significant others don’t know we’re just drink copious amounts of red wine or sake.

Pendant from One Stop Modern, Charley Harper and Todd Oldman plates from Fish’s Eddy, round rug from Urban Outfitters, and triangle banner made from wallpaper book. Paint is ‘Lemon Grass’ by Behr.

 

Our living room has changed so many times through the years but I think we have finally found the perfect cohesiveness. I love having this room filled with plants and pillows. This is the brightest room in the house and is a wonderful place to call home. I believe that when you come into your home, it should rise up to greet you and I feel this room does just that.

Danish Modern Coffee Table from Urban Outfitters, pillows from Missoni for Target, rug from TJ MAXX, cell light Pendant from One Stop Modern, and pink chair was spray painted and recovered. Paint is ‘Garden Spout’ and ‘Garlic Clove’ by Behr.

 

I am in love with my bathroom. We painted the walls a deep blue in February of this year and removed all the pre-made, matching pieces, excluding the sink and vanity. I love the contrast of finishes and old and new.

Pill cup from Fish’s Eddy, Roost Rustic Shelf from Hipster Home, Stripe Flower rug from Urban Outfitters, and Allen + Roth Brown Espresso Hagen vanity, Paint is ‘Shimmering Sea’ by Valspar.

 

I began the backyard project while awaiting a surgery. I wanted to have a place to go as I recovered. This porch has turned into more than we ever could have ever imagined.We spend a lot of nights out here sipping a beer and solving the world’s problems or hosting dinner parties. The color combination came from a small dish set I bought from Missoni for Target.

Chevron chair fabric from Spoonflower, plates from Missoni from Target. Paint is ‘Dark Gray’ concrete paint and ‘Street Market’ from Valspar exterior.

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Little Corners: welikewelove

This Thursday we’re visiting Little Corners in the home of Alyssa Yuhas of welikewelove!

I am so thankful for a good cup of coffee and beautiful morning light. It’s a pretty great way to start the day. When I’m not running around meeting clients at coffee shops, I love our at-home Nespresso machine and my striped Hudson Bay Company mug, recently given to me by a dear friend.

 

I love my desk, and being surrounded by inspiration and color. Plus, I like to keep close little reminders of special memories: like the pottery my sister painted and gave me for Christmas or my wedding vows typed out by my husband on our 1st anniversary.

 

I love the history of creativity that has been passed down in my family, my uncle (now an Architect in North Carolina) created the piece on top, and in college I made the lithograph below.

 

There is something about pets that calm the soul and I just love walking into a room and finding Abbey Road (a siamese ragdoll) sitting quietly in the window. Best!

 

My room is filled with history (bed frames, side tables and cabinets given by my grandparents and great-grandparents). I love the romance that it brings. And I love the little corner where I display some of my necklaces; the texture, sparkle and pop of color inspires me when I’m putting together outfits in the morning.

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Little Corners: For Me, For You

Opening the doors to her L.A. apartment is today’s Little Corners’ hostess, Kate Miss of For Me, For You blog and jewelry renown!

I’m a restless creature in many aspects of my life, and my home is no exception, if not the biggest victim/benefiter (depending on your point of view) of this side of my personality. Everything is in a constant state of flux and never quite finished. Therefore I love the idea of just showing you a few of my favorite corners of my apartment because that’s what I’m all about: perfecting little spots, rather than entirely decorating me home. Sure, I’d love for it to be entirely decorated, but that’s not the reality of the situation most of the time. Someday.

 

 

Living in LA means reaping the benefits of the sunshine, and I’m lucky enough to live in a classic old Hollywood apartment (owned by Clark Gable back in the day!) with tons of French windows, which means abundant light. Which means my love of plants has turned into a full-blown obsession. I can’t stop buying them and my boyfriend is no help as he loves them as well. It started with one plant table and has now grown to three different clusters in the apartment that get the best rays of sun. I like keeping it a little wild and full, it’s the first thing people comment on when they walk into my apartment: “Dang, plants!” Luckily our cat Wendy has zero interest in nibbling on them.

 

 

some details: kitchen posters by Reference Library, all furniture is vintage except the dining table, which is self made with hairpin legs, art above the cat + chair by William Steinman, prints on the white shelf are by Prismatic Print Shop and Carolin Loebbert, the tree poster peeking out in one of the plant photos was limited edition with Amelia’s magazine and not for sale anymore! My favorite places to buy plants in LA: on the east side – Sunset Nursery, on the west side – Lucky Plant.

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Little Corners: Pencil Shavings

Today Rachel Shingleton of Pencil Shavings is welcoming us into her colorful Oklahoma City home!

Color plays an enormous role in our home. When we first moved in, everything was in builder beige, and I felt myself cringing at how blah everything felt. Slowly I’ve painted room by room. I realized one day that I wanted my home to feel like an Easter egg: softly colored with eggshell texture. My favorite room in the house is our formal living room, painted in a Robin’s egg blue. My son’s artwork is framed in the corner, and I love the additional color it lends to the room.

 

Undoubtedly one of my favorite corners is my side of the bed in our pistachio green master bedroom. The ginger jar lamps were a find – a pair for $10 – at a local antique shop. Paired with new shades, they instantly pulled our room together. And, occasionally, it also works as a necklace display for those pieces too large to put in my jewelry box. On the wall hangs a mirror and two vintage Chinoiserie-inspired plates from my parents’ house.

 

Does this count as a corner? I was absolutely thrilled when we moved here 4 years ago to have a genuine entry. I think an entryway can be so crazy versatile. Right now, my vintage campaign desk (an eBay find!) lives here along with a lamp my husband gave me right before we got married. I love to switch up the items displayed – and of course, my subtly striped walls make me happier than a bird with a french fry!

 

Upstairs in my office, piles of colorful Alexander Girard pillows compete with the equally-bright Amy Butler patterns on this vintage French chair, another antique store find. Eventually I’d like to  recover this chair to go with the pink-and-grey/blue colorscheme I’ve got going in here, as seen by the pink lamp in the corner. 

 

Finally, another corner in our living room. Inspired by blogger Jenny Komenda at Little Green Notebook, I decided to make a skirted table. I love that it’s form and function – it hides a multitude of crafts/sins underneath it!  The plates on the wall are gifts from my husband over the years. The Chinoiserie-inspired pillow is Thomas Paul and the chair was from a Saks Fifth Avenue that went out of business. It was painted Pepto-Bismol pink and I spray painted it cream.

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Little Corners: Crow and Canary

Say hello to Carina Murray of Crow and Canary, then check out her pitch perfect ephemera-packed home!

I’ve always been a sucker for “stuff” – family ephemera, vintage trinkets, and other tiny oddities often seem to find their way into my home. When my husband and I first met during college, he marveled at my apartment decor and said in complete earnestness: “It’s like your personality threw up all over the walls, but in the best possible way.” That’s still a running joke in our house and I’d like to think that my current taste reflects a slightly more grown up version of that early 20’s look. Printer’s boxes and other interesting small shelving units have helped me contain my burgeoning collection of misfit knick knacks. And if you’re wondering about all of the eyeglasses, I was an optician before starting Crow and Canary. I still adjust and repair glasses for family and friends.

 

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Little Corners: Turntable Kitchen

Say hello to the sweet space of Kasey and Matthew from Turntable Kitchen!

Unintentionally, one wall in our house has become what we call ‘the wine wall.’ It’s where we store our everyday drinking bottles, which are suspended in a wooden wine rack. It’s also home to a photo I took on our honeymoon in Argentina (of a wine cellar in Mendoza), as well as a wine-themed National poster (one of Matt’s favorite bands). The nearby bookshelf houses many of my favorite cookbooks, so they’re within reach – along with my aprons – when I’m in the kitchen.

 

We just recently got a new kitchen table, and it’s already a favorite. It’s made from reclaimed wood from the nearby Marin Tunnel, and it’s where we eat all of our meals, drink afternoon coffee, and where I thumb through cookbooks.

 

We do most of our work from our couch area, so we wanted it to feel really cozy. We have a selection of photos and paintings behind the couch, which we’ve collected over the course of our travels, and air plants that hang from little ceramic sculptural vases. Nearby, we also have our record player and sizeable record collection.

 

The wooden bookcase that holds our record player and record collection was one of the first pieces of furniture we ever bought together. We thought we’d never run out of space on it, but, already, our records have started to spill over into a nearby ‘overflow’ bin. Whenever we have parties and get-togethers with friends, this is an area where people often like to congregate, browse and chat music. It’s my husband’s happy place.

 

This was our first ‘investment’ piece and it’s the most centrally-located place in our apartment. If you’re sitting in the leather chair, you’re right next to the record collection, the couch, and the dining room table. It’s also a great place to curl up and watch a movie.

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Little Corners: Style + Pepper

Say hello to Jessie Artigue of Style & Pepper, then have a peek at her eclectic space!

Nestled in the midst of what are pretty much our only windows (besides a sliver in our bedroom), this corner is definitely my favorite in the house. The lounger is where I sit to work on writing projects when I need to step away from my desk, and I especially love it in the mornings when the ripples on the Hudson River turn the sunlight into glitter. My little assistant loves to rest her little nose on the sill while she watches her friends play at the dog park until we go in the afternoon. The framed pieces are by our dear friend Jeremy Collins and were our first original artwork purchases, the pillows were both handmade by me, and everything else is either thrifted or found on Craigslist. The little tree is a Dwarf Meyer Lemon, and was a present from Gerard two Christmases ago.

Our bookshelves hold a random collection of things that are precious to us; trinkets and gifts from the different cities we’ve lived in and friends we love. The large blue painted silk piece was a thrift store gem from Kansas City, the print is by Leigh Viner, and the photograph is one of our engagement photos and shows us chasing after a trolley in downtown San Diego. Gerard bought me the teak “infinity” sculpture while we were dating, the Jonathan Adler pottery holds the ashes of our kitty (Zoe) that we lost two years ago, and the turquoise jar holds pennies that my Grandpa sends me from Heaven.

My little “office nook”, as I like to call it, is the hub of my workdays. I love this old metal desk that was salvaged from the barracks of a Naval ship, and the vintage metal bookshelf we placed on top makes for the perfect storage hutch. DIY supplies, magazines, and photos fill most of the shelves, and the extras are an always rotating mix of inspiring images, quotes and ideas. A thrifted ceramic hand holds my iPhone while it charges, my tray full of favorite nail polish shades stands-by for when I’m in need of a quick break, and I always keep pads of paper and little sticky notes nearby for writing reminders and the occasional love-note.

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Little Corners: Mackin Ink

Welcome to the well-curated corners of Mackin Ink (aka Karey Mackin)!

i spend a lot of time in this room. i write here, i watch my husband cook from here, i marvel with my girlies three here about everything from the size and beauty of their muscles {grae-rose} to how fast they can run from the back of the house to the front and back again {esmé. and her record is twelve seconds.} to their dead-on accuracy with the latest eminem or karmin rap {lillie kate. and yes, i am worried about this.}, i tell everyone who shockingly does not care that our chairs are hans wegner when they are actually tell city, i allow esmé to add anything she wants to the inspiration wall for as long as the turquoise tape lasts {it usually looks like this}, i slide off into wonderful memories inside all our photos instead of writing, and lose chunks of time dreaming of the ones we haven’t even made yet. i just realized that i only keep things in here that make me smile. totally unlike my laundry room.

 

 

 

 

 

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Little Corners: Pattern Pulp

At home with Shayla Kulik of Pattern Pulp.

Okay. We all have that troublesome spot above the TV. What do you do with it? Will art compete, will it be asymmetrical in a bad way, what on earth will complement, won’t break the bank and be fairly easy to install? I figured my best bet was to order mini canvases, paint and arrange on the wall. I did them in two phases and I’ll say I’m quite pleased with the results. The hardest part was hanging the grid. Here’s how they went up.

 

When my husband and I eloped, we actually considered making this our announcement art. Everything about the way our toothbrushes fall, tilt and slink (they’re rarely upright) reflects the nature of our relationship – quirky, fun and perfectly suited!

 

This is my favorite DIY piece. I travel quite a bit for Pattern Pulp and am forever snapping photos of print and texture inspiration. At the suggestion of a friend, I started desaturating my photos and printing them on matte card stock for the living room wall. Lately the mini canvases have served as inspiration for the painting class I’m taking at SVA.

 

This is my special little nook in the bedroom, and yes, that’s Pooh and I’ve had him since 8th grade. In lieu of babies and pets, he gets more than his fair share of attention. The mirror was a steal for $15 at Housing Works and after a fresh coat of white glossy paint, it actually looks brand new. That said, I’m waiting for it to crash in the middle of the night, it’s literally hanging on a wire thread.

 

Count me in as a plant lover. Unfortunately I’m without a green thumb and post all of my sad plant stories to Instagram. That said, this little guy’s been growing Little Shop of Horrors style for the past few months. The SCAD pencils are a handy addition to the desk for when I need to do a quick and colorful sketch.

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