amber

It is made up of simple lines, but layers of color. This bedroom is filled with warm, plain features with just enough detail to be lovely. Of course, the rug ties it all together-- and adds pretty pale blue to the burnt orange majority.

Image Source: from MarthaStewart.com

alcove

Even though I fall in love with every library I see, there are still those that really stand out. This one is a hallway-- not exactly what I would normally envision as the site of my personal literary collection. It would seem cumbersome, illogical, and scattered to arrange it this way. Except... well, I love it. The alcoves created are a perfect place to read in. There's something about a nook that is attractive that way. Yes, I could definitely embrace this plan.

Image Source: Soho Loft by Coffinier Ku Design, LTD.

smooth

This clean-cut kitchen is perfectly pitched, but stylish and classic.

Image Source: Central Park West, designed by Nancy Boszhardt Inc.

green apple

This is one to wake you up. I can just imagine stumbling in here first thing in the morning and having my eyes opened for me. I'm not sure how flattering the green paint would be for your skin tone, but it certainly does have a dramatic impression. I especially like how it's paired with the bold mirror, but I think the sink is a little much-- it muddles the strength of the other elements. Still, it's quite a bathroom.

Image Source: San Francisco interior by Katie Ridder

iridescent

I've seen lots of different examples of the newly re-popular chinoiserie wallpaper, but never one used like this. The unusually pearlescent design is only applied in the upper 2/5s of the room-- leaving the viewers with a perspective like the creatures the wallpaper displays. It adds much to the fantasy aspect of the room, and the extra moulding even heightens the elegance of the room. It's balanced out perfectly by the sharp angularity of the chairs and floor.

Image Source: Cottage Old America at AT Casa

glass half full

I think this Monday calls for something spirited, and this room has spirit to spare. This bright area is attractively modern. The elements are simple, but perfect in their way. Vivid, unembellished bursts of color stand out from the organized possessions of everyday life. Here, it looks easy to be optimistic.

Image Source: L'appartement. Uploaded by maxime clair on Flickr.

living walls

The best rooms aren't always indoors.

Image Source: unknown. If you happen to know, please tell me and I will credit it.

passage

This isn't so much a room as a pleasing arrangement of elements. I'm not quite sure if it's the light or the hue of the paint, but this lightly-tinted green is fresh and beautiful. With the gold of the painting frames and table, it's luminous. It's too easy to be heavy-handed with these traditional elements (paneled walls, french furnishings, and on), but this whole arrangement has been handled quite tastefully. It's refreshing, even as it recalls another era.

Image Source: photo by Kim Sayer

today, here

Another glorious library. Brightly polished wood, vaulting ceilings, and a circular stairwell- they combine beautifully.

Image Source: Photo by Andre Baranowski at This Old House

clarity

This serene bathroom has ghostly traces of Versailles. It's not overwhelming, just barely contrasting, but the impact is gorgeous. The gently gradated tones of lavender-gray are perfect for this room. Lush, light, snowy-white drapes add to an already ethereal atmosphere.

Image Source: bathroom interior by Solas Betancourt

summery

I couldn't have come up with a more pleasant alcove in which to play music. It would be blissful to be surrounded by sunlight and nature as you played. Softly, traditionally furnished, this beautiful room is completely winsome.

Image Source: photo by Phillip Ennis

ultramarine

I've always liked bathrooms that were mostly tiled, but I've never seen one done in such a bold color before. This violet-blue is especially attractive, delicately trimmed in ivory and navy blue. Inconspicuous, the dreamy seascape painting is high above the line of eyesight; it's almost like clouds. Even the furnishings are particularly pleasing, old-fashioned and classic.

Image Source: design by Timothy Corrigan

eggshell

Here's an interesting fusion: country, cottage-like cabinets and modern stainless steel appliances. Surprisingly, it works well, balancing out the rough edges of each, keeping the space from being stiflingly one way or the other. Very prettily designed, this kitchen looks like a happy place to bake. I especially like the soft blue. That color is hard to pull off without being harsh, cold, but this kitchen looks attractively warm.

Image Source: Country Kitchen interior by Noel Jeffrey

bricks and delicacy

My first reaction to this? Weird... cool!!
Who has a brick walled-bathroom? More importantly, who would think to finish it in delicate, robin's egg blue trim? The combination is so unexpectedly pretty. Finally, the bright pedestal sink is played up by the setting-- it gleams. This styling took some creativity, and I love the results.

Image Source: photo by Sean Myers

pale fancy

Today, I felt that a bit of tasteful glamour was appropriate. The moldings are chaste, not quite showy, but they still hold the pleasing promise Versailles. The marble fireplace is probably my favorite fature of the room, but the chandelier comes in a close second-- both define the room. I'm not too sure about the plaid pattern on the coffee table (/ottoman?)-- it seems to clash with the rest of the decor, but it's not very loud about it. Overall, definitely a place I'd love to spend an afternoon.

Image Source: photo by Alexandra Rowley

his and hers

This angular bedroom is unexpectedly feminine and romantic. I'm sure the flowers have something to do with it, but so too do the soft, diffused lighting, chromatically layered bed linens, and the plush carpeting and headboard. The clever combination of masculine and feminine makes this subtle room stand out.

Image Source: photo by Alexandra Rowley

serene and warm

This calming, simple interior makes wonderful use of a very basic palette. The kicker, clearly, is the lighting-- the warm candlelight and the classic lamp give the lavender-greys a richness that feels like coming home. While such an arrangement is unpractical (especially for the less graceful of us), it would make quite an impression for an occasion you wanted to be striking or intimate.

Image Source: Martha Stewart Living Editorial. Interior by Anthony Cochran Design.

plush and polish

Like an English country clubhouse, this living room is both comfortable and grand. The details are rich, but not stifling; there's room to breathe, with earthy colors and hardwood paneled walls. Of course, there's an impressive library (pretty much any den I'm drawn to has books; they're like magnets). A perfect setting in which to sit by the fire with hot tea and read or have a long conversation.

Image Source: Diamond Ranch, Lincoln County, New Mexico. Interior Design by Thomas Jayne Studio.

symmetry

The combination of Colonial American structure with Roman details is intricate, yet the results are refreshingly austere. I like the strong defined shapes and flat surfaces-- broken only by the lightly patterned wallpaper and the hydrangeas. The light fixture's style is so antiquated, it's modern. All together, the effects are impressive.

Image Source: photo by Evan Sklar

obsidian

I've never even imagined a kitchen like this-- it's stunning. Definitely not for the faint of heart, this would be an amazing setting for entertaining the avant-garde set.

Image Source: Black Kitchen, designed by Miles Redd. Photo by Tim Street-Porter. Featured at HGTV.com

gloss

There's nothing about this that I don't like. This setup is actually similar to the breakfast area at my grandmother's house, which worked quite pleasantly. This looks upscale and comfortable all at once, like a place you could really live in and enjoy at the same time. I'm particularly drawn to the cabinets--glass! dishes!-- and the marble with the cast iron. Good elements.
And, of course the pug. Perfect.

Image Source: Katie Lee Joel's Home

hideaway

How cool is this? This would have been my ultimate bedroom as a kid, except I would probably have had a more secluded/difficult-to-get-to bed. It's like being inside a storybook, and the ones that I liked were usually about running away and living in the forest. I would've been right at home.

Image Source: photo by David A. Land

sunny

The widespread infatuation with the goldenrod hue has finally won me over. I love the range of the color here, it's inspirational. I'm not entirely sure if you could really swing it in real life, but I'd welcome the challenge. A room this cheerful is hard to resist.

Image Source: Posted by decorology.

stop. breathe. sleep.

Ever since I clumsily hauled myself out of bed (which is always an adventure, since I'm on the top bunk in my dorm room) at 6:00 am this morning to study for two tests, it's been my foremost goal to get right back into that comforting place. Better than a dorm bunk, though, is this. I don't really need to point out how attractive the simple lines are, with calming tan colors and fresh-looking linens-- I should just say that if there was any place I could crash right now, at this moment, it would be here. And it would be silent.

Image Source: High Rise New York Apartment, designed by Michael S. Smith

an ideal

I've been a fan of this library for some time now. It comes the closest to the ideal I have in my head of any other library I've seen; I wanted sweeping, tall windows to contrast with the rich darkness of the interior. Dark hardwood shelving that overflows with volumes of literature, poetry, history, and art books. Flooring could be hardwood as well, but certainly some sort of exotic carpet. Multiple stories were optional to me, but definitely shelves that reached high enough to need a ladder. This-- this is just gorgeous.

Image Source: Cottage on the New England Coast by Allan Greenberg

it's... toasted

After all of that spaciousness, something cozy appealed to me. This chocolaty color is incredible-- I wonder how you would get the paint to interact with the light like that. Is it just the photography? It's delicious, the warmth and depth of it. This whole setting is enveloping, somewhere you'd want to just curl up and snuggle or read.

Image Source: Park Avenue Apartment, designed by Tom Scheerer

air to breathe

It's kind of odd how cozy can be what we need some days, and at other times, soaring open spaces can have the same calming effect. I love the drama of this setting (isn't that a common theme of the interiors I'm drawn to?), with the almost cathedral-like windows and inky black furnishings. Most of all, though, I just like the expanse of cool space.

Image Source: Casa Vignelli

tinsel

I think this wallpaper is just a passing trend, but I am really enjoying the prevalence of it lately. It's silvery, magical. It's light-handed and classy. I particularly like the way it has been used here-- the pattern is allowed to glow with the rest of the furnishings tastefully subtle. The chandelier choice is inspired-- flowing thematically and attractive in hue.

Image Source: Connecticut House design by Healing Barsanti