Mood Board Monday

Today's Agenda:  One thing DEFINITELY on the agenda...flipping through this month's House Beautiful!  A highlight of the month!

Also on the agenda is coming up with a design for the Mood Board Monday party over at the awesome blog Pewter + Sage!  Basically, there's a theme/mood, a few photos to choose as your inspiration and...well, that's all!  Just a chance to see a lot of great designs.  No budget too which is fun :)  Although, I'm sort of obsessed with finding awesome deals...which I'm realizing is addictive...

Here are the three inspiration photos we could choose from:

 

 

I am working on a couple projects that involve a theme/mood similar to the first inspiration image so I decided to try something a little different...and it felt in line with the Thanksgiving mood and cold weather upon us...the third photo! 

I first fixated on the blanket and the chair in the photo.  I designed the mood of the room from those two pieces -- an arts and crafts inspired dining/sitting room.  I wanted this room to be able to do double duty.  Arts and crafts homes are usually on the smaller side so this room could be a reading room where by day you can cozy up with a good book and cup of coffee and a scone for hours or a dining room where by night you can have a fun dinner party with a lovely stew and a glass of bourbon. 

For the colors I wanted to incorporate a couple of brighter colors like in the picture -- maybe some red, some green, a little blue -- but really focus on neutral colors and different textures.  I just finished a design for a client's sitting room where we have lots of textures and neutral patterns layered and evenly spaced throughout around the room and I am having a lot of fun playing with neutrals.  (It really is playing...too much fun!) 

For a structural element in the room, I incorporated this wallpaper.  I would paint the room a neutral color -- something like Benjamin Moore's China White depending on the light in the room and the color of the wood floors -- and use panels of wallpaper with molding framing the panels that is painted the same color as the walls.  In between the panels would be a large bookcase filled with books of all sizes and colors (the photo in the picture is actually taken from the inspiration photo!).  This would add some more texture and life to the room. 

The other elements in the room would be layered neutrals -- ivory leather chairs, a woven bench, a light colored wood farm table, dark side chairs, leafy wreath, glass vase, pewter and glass lighting. 

Together this would create a cohesive design -- comfortable, stylish, functional!   Take a look!

Here's a summary of the design elements in the room!

Theme:  Arts and Crafts
Space:  Dining/Sitting Room
Colors:  Neutrals (ivory, white, beige, brown, green, orange, red)
Table:  Design Within Reach Farm Table
Wingback Chairs:  Mitchell Gold Gustave Leather Chair
Side Chairs: Design Within Reach Nakashima Straight-Backed Chair
Bench: Design Within Reach Moller Bench 
Rug: Custom Rug 
Accent Rug: Ikea Rens
Lighting: Pottery Barn Rustic Glass Pendant
Wallpaper: Morris & Co.
Wreath: Pottery Barn Live Magnolia Wreath
Vase: Pottery Barn Fleur de Lys Vase

Thanks to Sarah @ Pewter + Sage for giving me a reason to play a little bit today!