Jon's Boston Retreat

My cousin Jon just got his teaching degree (YIPPEE!) and is onto a bigger and better rental house!  I'm so jealous that he lives in Boston :D

He wanted help designing his room and who did he call on?  ME!!!  It's been a little slow and more challenging since we're doing everything virtually - but he's been amazing even with his insane schedule! He says, "Overall, I don’t want something too modern and sterile. I want something that’s very homey with a lot of warm colors that will be relaxing to be in."  Add in some dark furniture and no painting, and we got ourselves started!

Here's what I sent him before I left for Hawaii.  It's been about 4 weeks now and I need to check back in with him to see how its coming along!  The first couple are his inspiration "moodboard" (i kinda hate that word; need to find a new term) and the rest are layout options.  Can you tell which one I like best? haha!

 I am loooving google sketchup!  Sometimes, it's very difficult to use as I know nothing about CAD drawings and axes and uploading (which it isn't), but I made it work for me :).  I ESPECIALLY love the ability to rotate to any angle - amazing.  Nice little touch to add the person in for scale, huh?

Well, first design project part 1 done!  Now it's time to make him some pillows and make it homey after a long day of outrageous 15 year old physicists.

Much thanks, Jon!
xoxo, isabel

Where to Begin?!

Rickshaw Design by Catherine Fitzsimmons.

I want all three to be my color palette for my house!  I really adore all of them, but I think the last one is too pink for interiors, so I'll go with the first!  This is when I wish our couch was white, light, or gray instead of dark tan - bleh.

After reading Julie's post on where to begin when designing, let's talk about why I like them!
* COLORFUL but not overwhelming
* classy, a bit of that country/coastal/beachy but can easily be glamourized
* graphic prints and patterns that are refreshing yet somewhat timeless
* breezy, effortless, comfortable but packed with style
* lots of white!
* it screams happy to me too :)
* playful, modern, bright, grounded
* alright...the more I look at it, the more country it's getting and I'm not liking that look for my interiors...

2. figure out your foundation colors and your pops

3. find pieces that have one adjective and one color.  So I'm thinking lots of white - it really shouldn't be a pop, it should be a foundation color so maybe white sheer curtains with one of the tops as a window shade or side stripe on the curtain.  definitely patterned pillows in these colors, and a navy tufted ottoman that will serve as a coffee table. 

Rickshaw by hydrangea on Polyvore.com

what do you think?  too much? too childish?  not elegant enough?