Decor : Layering

I don't know about you, but I'm totally loving natural blonde/grey colored woods - especially in the dining room.  These neutral woods make for such a perfect background to display multiple textures and colors.

Layering a room is so important - curtains, rugs, chairs, wall colors, accent pieces, lighting - when all of these elements are well thought through and nicely assembled, a room can fully come to life.

These dining rooms are a perfect example of layering.  The largest pieces {the dining table} and the walls are neutral, while the fabrics and accessories are colorful and the lighting eye-catching.

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What do you think?  Are you a fan of layering, or do the rooms in your home just "happen"?  

I have a great line up of posts to share next week and a beautiful guest post from Arcadian Home, so be sure to check back soon.

Also, I would like to introduce you to my newest partner Amy from Amy Grace.  She likes to blog about her favorite makeup products and life events.

Happy Memorial Weekend Friends!  

Enjoy your time off ~

XOXO

Decor : Reese Witherspoon's Ojai Escape

My latest issue of Elle Decor has been sitting all lonely on my kitchen counter, just waiting to be adored.  I finally had a moment to show her some love and I found these beautiful photos of Reese Witherspoon's Ojai {just north of Los Angeles} home.  

So rustic, so elegant, so livable.  

I love all of the home's natural elements - from the wood beams, the abundance of natural light, and the beautiful attention paid to architectural detail.  What a special home!

Take a look...   

{The above room is my favorite - I love the archway, the cute little closed and the pink accents against various hues of white.}

{What a fabulous place for a family brunch!}

Head to ElleDecor to read more about the home's history, the story behind the decor elements and see the other beautiful photos.

xxoo -



- images via

Home : Change it up!

I've always love to decorate.  Growing up my mom decorated my room, usually giving it a theme of my choice.  As a little girl I went through a pink/kitten phase, so she painted the room pink and gave it a kitty cat wallpaper boarder.  As I matured, my favorite flower was the sunflower {middle school I think}, so I graduated to white furnishings, cheery yellow walls and a boarder of sunflowers, complete with {I think handmade} poofy, yellow and white checked window coverings.

Then came high school - my parents built a home and gave me free reign to design my quarters as I chose.  {I wish I had pics...but sadly, I couldn't find any.}  I went sea foam on the walls, painted a thick dark brown stripe that ran along the top of the walls and finished it off with a hot pink bathroom! In the bedroom, I had a beautiful west elm pendant light that hung in the corner above a little brown corner chair and floating shelves that graced my walls filled with tchotchkes and picture frames.  I loved that room.

As I've grown into my 20's, it's been fun developing my own sense of design style.  I struggled a little with it in our first home, as we didn't have much money for decorating, and what extra we did have went to buying essentials these newlyweds lacked {such as a couch and dining room table}.  But I made do with what we did have - hand-me-downs from friends and family, handmade wreaths and artwork, TJMaxx goodies and rare craigslist finds.  Moving across the country forced us to sell all that we had accumulated and start completely from ground zero.  While this was a little heartbreaking in the thick of the move, it actually gave me the opportunity to start fresh.  New apartment + ZERO furnishings = a blank canvas!

The second time around, setting up home has given me more insight into my own sense of style.  I used to think I was rustic meets girly {think anthropologie - don't get me wrong, I adore me some anthro, but I have a more glamorous side to me that I just can't resist}, then I thought it was cottage meets modern {think west elm & pottery barn....love these too} but now I've realized {as of late} that my heart beats to bold bright colors, shiny metallics, geometric patters, repetitive shapes, and crisp designs {think hollywood regency}.

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That's what's so fun about decor and design - as you change, your style and personal taste changes - a space can always be recreated.  Change is an important part of growth {in life and in decor}.  Make sure to allow yourself moments and opportunities to change it up every once in a while, as a well manicured space tailored to your specific style can bring about so many great things - inspiration & creativity, peace & rest, discipline & productivity, the list goes on.  I encourage you to take a look at your surroundings and ask yourself, "Does the space I live in inspire me? Calm me? Help me be productive?"  It is important to define what your space is supposed to evoke and then figure out what you need to get it there!  {Or ask a friend who has a good eye for design - sometimes we need a little help.}

Happy decorating!

Happy Birthday!

Today marks PinkPeonyStyle's FIRST birthday!  It's been ONE amazing year of blogging, discovering beautiful spaces, trying yummy new gfree recipes and sharing life adventures.  What fun it's been!  Thank you for joining me in the journey.  Here's to year two - new and exciting things are ahead & I can't wait to share.  

Celebrate with me today!

1. Become a PPS follower. --->

2. Become a PPS fb friend.

3. Follow PPS on twitter.

4. Share PPS with YOUR friends.  

  

- image via

Delightful Design

Hi Friends!

I have some beautiful spaces to share with you today.  I'm working on a design project that has several rustic elements in it and in my search for inspiration, I stumbled upon these beautiful rooms.

{I love the rustic, beach feel to this room.  The clean lines of the coffee table mixed with the rustic wood end tables is so simple, yet so natural.  I would love to crawl up on that couch with a good book.}

{I absolutely love the moroccan feel of this room.  The rustic chandelier and the character of the rounded door mixed with the white and straight edged coffee table is just lovely.}

{This room is much more eclectic.  I LOVE the bold pillows, the tear drop lamp base and the gold accent table.  This space is bright and cheery.}

{I love the french feel to this room.  The gorgeous gold and white sofa mixed with the rustic coffee table is just stunning.  I also love the big wicker chairs at the dining table.  Not your typical furniture arrangement.}

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Which room do you love and why?  I would love to hear your thoughts. Happy Tuesday!  

-d

Spring into Lonny!

And today just got a little brighter!  The March/April issue of Lonny has arrived and it's available {free!} for your viewing pleasure at LonnyMag.  If you haven't already discovered the beautiful photos of well decorated spaces, great new products and articles of women making a difference in the design world, you've been missing out!  {I'll spare you the "thank you". You're very welcome.}

Go ahead.  Make yourself a nice cup of tea, head over to Lonnymag.com and indulge.

xoxo

Rustic + Modern Mix {Guest Post from Design Shuffle}

Hi, all! It's Mari here from Design Shuffle, a fabulous online place for interior designers and design enthusiasts to upload their work and receive lots of exposure. One of the best things about writing guest posts for Design Shuffle is getting to visit great design and decorating blogs like The Pink Peony (love the name and the gorgeous flower) to share some of my favorite decorating ideas. Today, our topic at hand is blending modern style with rustic elements to create a lovely mix. There's something so appealing about the contrast between the clean sleek lines of modern style and rustic architecture or furnishings. We're excited to bring you these eight "modern + rustic" rooms. Enjoy!

   

 What a great blend of modern and rustic in this contemporary living room. I love the contrast of wire, reclaimed wood cubes and comfy upholstered pieces.

   

 This rustic bathroom setting seems to be the perfect environment for a large sleek soaking tub. How amazing are the tub's plumbing fixtures? 

   

 The architecture is rustic, the furnishings distinctly modernóthis is indeed a lovely mix. I am fascinated by the sculptural chairsóform, color and material. Are you getting any living room design ideas?

   

 Who would guess this rustic and modern interior design is the stunning result of a Manhattan brownstone renovation? Rustic beams, Panton chairs, reclaimed wood dining table, modern sculpture above the ornate fireplaceóall contribute to this lovely mix.

   

 Reclaimed wide wood boards are used to create this rustic table surrounded by slim modern seating. The lighted cabinets are beautiful against pale green tileóthe perfect backdrop for an informal dinner.

   

 Modern chairs, contemporary lighting and rustic table are a lovely mix in this inviting eat-in kitchen. I adore the unexpected cotton boll decorative element.

   

 In a nursery or child's bedroom design modern and rustic can create a happy space for sleeping and playing. Rustic woods and modern furnishings seem to be made for each other.

   

 Lastly, here's a lovely mix of modern neutrals with rustic wooden elements. This one might be described as understated eleganceóso appealing. Images 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 Don't you just love rustic and modern designs? Visit Design Shuffle where you can explore both! While you are there, you can learn about the history of interior design and browse through the portfolios of Boston interior designers and more!

Help!

Good news.  We got the apartment!  {hands up & little booty shake}  So now that the "house" hunting has come to an end, let the decor fun begin!

This is my expertise {well, I'm not an expert but I do totally enjoy decorating}, however.  I'm at a standstill & I need your HELP.  You see, my last home was warm - hardwood floors throughout most of the place, warm colors on the walls, neutral textiles and dark wood furniture.  Several people who walked through my home said it had an "Anthropologie" feel, and to me, that was a compliment.  While I LOVE me some Anthro, it was never my intention to have that feel, it just sorta happened.  Hubby and I got married, acquired a few furnishings from my family, found a few craigslist gems and voila - we had a furnished home!  But this time I actually have an opportunity to decorate the place with purpose.  I have a chance to give it a real sense of my style.  And that's where my dilemma lies - I love two very different styles and yes, I can mix them and make it work, but I want to go all out - one way or the other.  I love modern - mostly white with a pop of bright color here and there, straight lines, clean, simplistic, chic.  While I also love Rustic/Eclectic - warm, woodsy, bright textiles with mixed colors, comfortable.  Like I said, I could totally mix the two styles and come up with my own unique blend of things, but for once I'd like to just go all out modern or all out rustic....what to do, what to do???

The apartment is SMALL - 1,000 sq ft smaller than what we're used to, so I don't want it to be cluttered.  {Not to mention, we just did a major overhaul of our belongings and shipped only the essentials.}  One thing I loved about the place when we did our first walk through is that it has lots of natural light, so despite it's size it actually feels quite roomy.  Another thing to consider is it's very tan {and can't be painted} - not a color I love, but one I'm willing to deal with.  I can see tan walls and tan carpet accompanied by warm furnishings - but just as easily I can see it accompanied by lots of white and bright colors here and there.  Starting to get my drift???  What do you think??  Any suggestions?  I need to decide fast - we move in Sat and we have NO furniture.  Help!

Here's a peek of our Florida home:  {this is for you Nicole}

{& the quality isn't so great - they were snapped on my phone before we began packing everything up}

{Entry Room}

{Living Room}

{Kitchen - and I thought this was small :}

{Master Bedroom}

And here's our new apartment:  {Lots of tan...}

{Bedroom}

{Bedroom}

And what I can't decide between:

{Clean. White. Light & Airy.}

{vs}

{Rustic. Eclectic. Anthropologie-esc.}

{but not so cluttered}

{Eclectic.}

What's the verdict?????