simplicity

pinterest link goes to http://www.frolic-blog.com/frolic/2012/04/friday-flowers.html

 "simplicity is the ultimate sophistication"

{leonardo da vinci}

my new motto, in case you were wondering.

laura faith

repurpose

found on pinterest, redirects to ninbra.tumblr.com

this used to be a barn. A BARN. the design scheme here isn't necessarily my favorite {just look at that orange lamp in the foreground- quite ugly}, but i am just stunned by the fact that this used to be a barn, but was turned into something very liveable and pretty.

i love love love high ceilings, and exposed wood beams always make me happy. i love seeing some rawness in design, and signs of real life. instead of looking like everything was covered up or painted over, the natural beauty shines through.

the stone walls are okayyy, but i honestly think i would have gone with something else. i'm just not sure i like it. maybe it's just this particular style of stone: to me, it just doesn't seem to match well.

the windows at the end of the room are... interesting. i don't think i'll ever truly complain about a window, because, as you've seen through past posts, i just can't get enough natural light. but this brings me around to my actual complaint about the windows: they just aren't big enough!!! they're too narrow. i think i would have just combined the three into one huge window. those french doors on the side are perfect, though. and i adore the skylight.

the wooden floors are perfect, although i might have used a darker stain. it's a little too pale for my taste. i typically like a very pale room with pops of color, but with the darker ceiling beams already there, i think you should go with darker flooring too, and in an even darker stain than the beams. you don't want it all to be the same shade, though, because that's boring. so if there's going to be contrast with the ceiling beams, continue the contrast a little bit more with the flooring.

i must say i DO like those couches, but i think i'd probably scrap everything else and start over. even though i criticized the windows and the flooring a bit, i could definitely live with it, and if i owned this lovely place, i'd probably just leave them and try to work them into a design.

but the main purpose of this post: how i LOVE the idea of re-purposing. i really, really like old houses {or in this case old barns}, and i love to see them turned into something really beautiful. i get a little tired of all the "country-chic/vintage/diy" interior design projects i see around, but i love when you can turn something truly "country-chic" or "vintage" into something clean, bright, modern, and beautiful. {i'm a big fan of modern design. clean lines, people, clean lines!} so i look around for stuff like this. an old barn, given a touch of clean white paint inside, big beautiful windows installed, and turned into a really beautiful home. it's all very "hipster" to re-purpose, but i really enjoy it. i'm not trying to be "in", or go with the crowd, i just really, honestly do enjoy it. recycling is great.

laura faith

brightness

image via jonathan lo: http://www.happymundane.com/

so. been a little while since i last posted, but i thought that today i'd add a little color to this so-far-rather-colorless blog.

i absolutely love yellow and orange. especially together. bright colors make my day. it makes everything seem happier and more positive somehow. they're just so cheerful.

jonathan lo has a very bright, clean, and happy style, and it's one that i'd like to imitate. he's a pretty big inspiration of mine. check out his blog sometime- http://www.happymundane.com/!

laura faith

bedrooms to love

once again this is from pinterest, and it links back to http://emmas.blogg.se/.

i love gray, white and black together. basic, such a simple design, but comfortable.

the pictures above the bed are so well placed. above the symmetry of the bed and lamps, it's absolutely perfect.

the mirror is amazing. i'm a big fan of large, stand alone mirrors leaning against walls. it gives a sense of accidental design, if that makes sense. it's like someone didn't have time to do anything besides prop it up against the wall, but decided to leave it there because it just worked.

THE WINDOW... natural light. need i say more?

walk-in closets are the best. the more space, the better. and, you can actually design a walk-in closet like it's another room.

the lamps are a brilliant way to add in another color to what could be a drab room. the room is trying to stay neutral, but you need a little variation. light wood stains are pretty much an ideal way to do that, and tying the desk area in with the wooden decor helps pull some of the extra color variation farther out into the room.

the chair/desk/tabletop arrangement is perfect. it's simple, but practical, and like i said, it really just pulls the wooden tones further into the room.

last point, the rug. it's almost invisible, but it really just works. it pulls together all the colors so well.

like i said before, simple is my favorite.

laura faith

just a quick one

i just love this.

beautiful.

or i should say,
 beauty full.

laura faith

{pinterest link goes to http://www.jossandmain.com/Southern-Hospitality-Beauty-Pillow~YA24111~E3801.html?referrerid=664253&medium=HardPin&source=Pinterest&campaign=type102}

pinterest post of the day

i want to try and get in the habit of posting about a photo a day from my pinterest design board... and since i have nearly 400 and am constantly adding more every day... that shouldn't be a problem. :)

 this is one of my favorite recent pinterest posts. i took it from the amazing mrs. french's pinterest design board, but this is the original blog this photo links back to: http://www.cococozy.com/

i love this one because it pretty much sums up everything i love about design in one picture, and i'll start off by mentioning the glaringly obvious {literally} favorite point- all that beautiful whiteness. i absolutely adore white rooms. this one might actually be a bit much. maybe i'd use a darker rug, some dark photos on the walls. anything with contrast. it's great for a striking picture in a magazine, i just wouldn't want to live in it every day. i might get snow blindness.

 speaking of contrast, my next two favorite points are the little table and those amazing tulips on top of it. a pop of red and green is exactly what this room needs. personally, i might have actually used more, but i really think the tiny bits of contrast just add to the beauty here.

next, the fantastic french doors and those windows! so much lovely natural light. i love love love natural lighting. i daydream of big windows in small rooms. it brightens them up and makes them look bigger and just more beautiful.

finally, the wall art. i absolutely love the child's drawings on the left wall. it adds a feeling that this actually can be a room to live in, despite the somewhat-overwhelming brightness. it's a hint of a beautiful, simple life, full of happiness and children's laughter.

and simple is my favorite.

laura faith

by the way

just to let you know... i'm no blog hipster. i'm something of a copycat, actually. i get most of my inspiration from others. so if you come to this blog expecting something new, refreshing, and original... it probably won't be here. i'll be sharing beauty found by others, and maybe little pieces of my own. but it won't be old fashioned. it will be bright, modern, and dazzling. because that's how i love life. when it's so bright you have to squint just to see the forest for the absolutely gorgeous trees, the hidden beauty in the apparent.

"good design is obvious. great design is transparent."
-joe sparano

laura faith

 

image via jonathan lo: http://www.happymundane.com/