So if you were around to read about our exciting redecorating project of our dining/living room here, you would know that things were well on their way and that we had learned a few things about what we would like to see in this room and also a lot about ourselves as well. A floor plan had been decided on, clippings had been dog-eared and budgets were being planned. We were happy and content with our decisions and were just about to start the process of actually heading out and scoping the local furniture shops.

For all of you home dwellers, you know where this is going. No sooner had we picked out the look and feel of this project did we have another more pressing issue creep up on us in another area of the house which needed our immediate attention. No, the roof wasn’t leaking, the basement wasn’t flooded and nothing had caught fire. The previous owners of our 1955 split-level home it seems had hid a few, let’s call them “issues” in our master bathroom, and no, these “issues” were not known of or mentioned when we bought this house in 2004. I won’t go into detail, all I am looking at now is a turn of events. I am no longer coveting Room & Board sofas or Eames inspired dining room chairs, I am now willingly collecting inspiration of a different type, and here they are.

So to bathroom coveting it is. It’s pretty easy to find yourself longing after a new one, especially if 80′s floral wallpaper and flowered tiles to match are not your thing. I know that once it’s completed I certainly won’t be complaining.

What are some of your house stories?

Images from, Kate Hume, decordir, Coco + Kelley, House and Home, HGTV, thisisglamourous, itsgreattobehome, decorology, Christina Murphy Interiors, itsgreattobehome, itsgreattobehome, desiretoinspire

I’m not sure what it is about herringbone that attracts me so much. Possibly the graphic and symmetrical nature of the pattern or simply how it reminds me so much of the city I admire from afar.

Regardless, whenever any interior or product displays such a pattern all I want to do is soak it all in. My designer brain seems to need those peeks and valleys as if it’s predictability soothes it. I know where I am with this pattern, I know what to expect from it and there are no surprises.

My favorite application of it is of course when it’s used as flooring. It seems to really be able to stand on it’s own in an almost bare room but is also so compatible with an array of decor styles. Dark or light, it never overpowers, the room still breathes.

What are your favorite patterns and where do you like to see them used on?

Images from, desiretoinspire, myscandinavianretreat, wool and wood stool, thisisglamourous, cookiemag, desiretoinspire, desiretoinspire

Many, many images run past me in a day, whether it be through Twitter, my Google Reader feed or flipping through a magazine. I end up running out of words to describe how these images make me feel. I often treat them as if they’re a type of food for the soul, eye-candy that inspires me to either create or redecorate.

I have a folder labeled “interiors” on every desktop I sit in front of where I stash these links and jpegs away, the ones that truly sing to me. Every once in a while, I’ll open them up and most of the time I acknowledge the reasons why they were set aside in the first place.

Stunning high ceiling living rooms, high-end modern kitchens with not one appliance or utensil in sight, bedrooms that would be fit for the most critical interior designer with views beyond dreams. I’ve kept them all. As much as I ogle over these rooms, this one has blow them all out of the water and still does to this day. I can’t precisely pinpoint what exactly it is about this shot. I know the fact that kids live there is a big clue and that the parents are somewhat in the same age-range as my husband and I are, but it comes from a deeper level than that. At this point I’m not even going to bother asking myself why as matters from the heart are usually best left alone.

It comes from the October 2007 edition of Dwell Magazine, and I’ve only just found that out. So, being curious and inquisitive as I am, I managed to find the rest of the house. I had a feeling it wouldn’t disappoint and to me, it’s a blend of trend, simplicity, family and a real sense of what a home should be.

There will always be more inspiration out there. Often some do come close, but for the last couple of years, it’s still been my number one.

What is your number one photo/clipping/setting that has hooked your heart? I know you know where it’s stashed. Pull it out, dust it off, and come and share it.

All images and more from their slideshow can be found here.