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Guess what this house used to be?

Any clue? It used to be a concrete factory in Barcelona. It is still in Barcelona, but now it is an amazing house. Architect Ricardo Bofill bought it in 1973 and performed one of the ultimate flips.

The house maintains some of the concrete equipment and juxtaposes hard industrial with natural materials. Two design elements things that I love.

Inspires me to just buy a historic "shell" and make it my own. When it comes time to buy of course... Which will be around 2050. Law school loans people.

Bringin' In The Happy.

Source: isnt-itlovely.tumblr.com via Lauren on Pinterest

Source: prepfection.tumblr.com via Lauren on Pinterest

What can I say? Palm trees make me happy. :)

So, I ordered this guy to bring a little happy to my steel grey couch. Can't wait for it to arrive!

Source: etsy.com via Lauren on Pinterest

p.s. We will return to some more normal posts (more fashion and witty/snarky comments) and the interior posts will probably become less frequent once I am done decorating. Key word: probably.

Normal?

One of the benefits to living by yourself is being able to decorate however you please. In my world, this means Ryan Matthews autographed cleats from his first pro bowl on the mantle. Totally normal, right?

A Punch Of Yellow.

After seeing this post on Apartment Therapy showing great pops of yellow...

... and this moose head on HGTV's Design Star...

I had an idea. I need a yellow moose head in my life. Totally normal need, right?

So I went on a quest to find one, and I found an amazing store called White Faux Taxidermy. This shop has great resin busts of animals in all different colors, some even with glitter. I love how the internet addresses every need you think you have. So here it is... my new need:

It is a need, right? (Just answer yes and help me justify it.) If you have the same need in your life then hopefully White Faux Taxidermy will help you fulfill it as well.

Rugs.

I love the old oak floors in my new apartment but hardwood floors are not the most "homey" feeling when you wake up in the morning. Hence, I have been looking for a rug for the living room and bedroom. After receiving some great advice from my friend Jen who had just moved into an all hardwood floor in San Fran (and whose lease required that she put rugs on at elast 75% of the floors), I saved over $200 on a great 8' x 11' rug. So of course, I am going to pay it forward.

Jen's advice for rug hunting:

1. Find a hand woven, wool rug that you like. She found a few on Target.com, as did I. Here were my Target finds:

For the living room (colors are dark gray, light gray, with teal, white, and black accents) -

Source: target.com via Lauren on Pinterest

This one wasn't hand woven or wool, but who are we joking, I am not stuck up when it comes to home brands. If I like it, I get it.

For the bedroom (colors are Manor Blue, birch wood, and white, gray, green and black accents) -

Source: target.com via Lauren on Pinterest

2. Note the maker of the rug.

3. Go to overstock.com and see if they have the same rug. In my case I found the first rug but not the second on overstock. Price on target.com: $429.99; price on overstock.com: $289.99.

4. Check retailmenot.com for discount codes. This is a trick I have picked over the past few years (aka being on a student budget). Whenever I am shopping online I google the store name + discount code (or promo code). More often than not, the first result is retailmenot.com. Retail Me Not is a forum for shoppers to post discount codes they know of or solo codes they aren't going to use before the code expires. I have saved hundreds using this site. I saved an extra 10% on top of the 15% Memorial Day Sale. That's right 23.5% (10% discount off the 15% discount) off the original overstock price and over $200 less than the target.com price!

5. Order your rug and Enjoy!

Any tips you guys have when shopping for home goods?

Manor Blue (aka Kristen).

My landlord allowed me to pick out the colors for my apartment because she said it needed to be painted. She told me that I could pick out some Benjamin Moore colors and she would have the walls painted by the time arrived. A landlord that doesn't require stark white walls? Heaven!!!!

So I went to town with my friend Amy picking colors and even adding an accent wall in the living room (to be covered later). When I arrived, they were perfectly painted and looking good!

That's when I noticed that my bedroom color matched my favorite nail color, exactly! (I know because my favorite nail color is one of the few things I brought with me and didn't pack for the moving truck.)

My favorite nail color right now is Zoya's "Kristen":

Zoya describes the color as "a gull gray nail polish with a mild bluish hue."

Well Benjnmin Moore calls the color "Manor Blue."



Benjamin Moore describes the color as "a hint of violet distinguishes this elegant mid-tone blue-gray. Muted and well-mannered, it adds a touch of sophistication to any setting."

Tomato - tomatoh. Who cares? All I know is that I love this color and can't get enough of it if I picked it out twice.

I think they call this a signature color?

Score!

Now that I get to move into my own place (for the first time), I am planning the placement of everything to a T. I have always lived with roomies who had the living room and kitchen stuff. The plus side is that I now get to pick it all out and make sure that it all comes together. The negative is that I now have to buy it all.

When deciding on a coffee table, I looked to craigslist for an old steamer trunk and found this beauty: 

Which used to be advertised here:

Awesome, right? Want to know what's even more awesome? I was playing phone tag with the seller (who was selling it for $100) when my mother told me that she had a trunk just like that. It was my great-grandmother's and was sitting in the corner of her bedroom. When I asked if I could use it, she said go ahead. So now here is my new heirloom coffee table:

I will put a piece of glass on the top of it to protect it, of course, but I was going to do that regardless of the trunk I used. Yay for my score! I save $100 and I get a heirloom piece from my great-grandmother :)

Thanks Madre!

A New Mint.

Just in time for my new move...
So the newest ____Mint collaboration has arrived and with it brings the first male collaboration. Welcome HomeMint from Justin Timberlake. When I think of Justin Timberlake, I don't really think of home design, and vice versa. However, I really like some of the pieces. I thought they would be too modern for my taste but I think Justin went more with his southern roots, and I am glad he did. What do you think?



One of my faves is this rug, which would perfect in my new living room!

And these dishes....

Can you tell I like blue? For those of you who aren't tied to ocean colors there are a few other beauties...

If you want early access to HomeMint you can click here to sign up.

Every. Single. Thing.

Source: designsponge.com via Lauren on Pinterest

Every time I look at this picture I see something new and I fall in love all over again. The walls originally caught my eye - Have you ever seen walls like that?!?! Is it petrified wood? Marble? I don't care - just give it to me.

Then I saw the rug. Then the chandelier. Then the peonies (one of my ultimate faves). Then the black walls of the far room. Then gold/wood candlesticks. Then the chairs. Then the bubble lamp in the far room.... It just does not stop. I want every single thing in this room!

Craftsman Library.

Source: apartmenttherapy.com via Lauren on Pinterest

I want to come home to this. Craftsman library = heaven!

Therapy.

Why is it that I always find amazing stores when I travel? But then again, maybe it is a good thing. It could be trouble if they were closer.

My new find was a great recommendation from Sariah while I was visiting San Fran for NYE and it was a GREAT one!

Meet Therapy. A group of shops with various locations around the Bay Area. They have a great collection of gifts, books, shoes, Nixon watches, home furnishings, men's and women's clothing...

...And with a collection of Hobo wallets and Bags that puts Bloomie's to shame. How could you not fall in love with this place?

They also carry such brands as Obey, Jeffrey Campbell, Toms, San Diego Hat Company, and Volcom. When we were there they were having their annual 40% off sale. At one location (yes, we went to two locations back-to-back) there was security because people have been known to fight over couches, shoes, lamps, etc. Crazy, but understandable.

I saw a million things I wanted and am now searching the www for because we hit the 40% off sale too late...

Jeffrey Campbell Sawyer Pumps

Jeffrey Campbell Dunsmore Flats

So if you find either of these in a size 7 please let me know :)

Until then I guess I will have to wait for Therapy's online store to go live...

Teepees.

I used to go to summer camp when I was little and I loved it when I got to stay in the teepees all week. This room reminded me of a grown up version of that... I realized that I want to have a room in my house like this (or have a playhouse like this for my kids one day). Now I just need to have my dad build it for me :)

Source: apartmenttherapy.com via Lauren on Pinterest

It's Ok.

From the moment I saw this banner I loved it. To me it's a little bit quirky, a little bit summer camp, and a little bit Tony Robbins. Since I purchased it I have seen it on multiple blogs and this excites me. The more it is published on blogs and shared on pinterest the more success it brings a small business with handmade items. Yay!

"IT'S OK" Banner from Secret Holiday. 

What do you think? Do you like it? Would you hang it in your house? 

p.s. There is also a "YES" version available.