Sarah's Hallway: Leopard Rug Part 2

We first posted about our love for leopard rugs here.  We actually didn't end up getting the rug for Julie's dining room, as we've changed a few things around in that room and aren't sure leopard is the best choice.  BUT, we do have some changes in mind for Sarah's hallway and are planning on using a leopard runner.

Here's the hallway on move-in day.  Not much has changed since then, although Sarah has added a photo gallery to the large wall on the left:

Because it's a rental, the light fixtures have to stay, but we've got license to paint.

Option #1 for the hallway is:

The walls would be painted in one of our all-time favorite blues, DKC-29 by Donald Kaufman.  The runner is from Overstock and is a total steal-- we love that the spots aren't too literal.  Sarah has some baby/wedding pictures in her hallway that we'd put in red frames.  We think the white mats compliment the lighting.

Option #2 is:

The rug is the same that we wrote about in our previous leopard rug post (though the runner is only sold at Rugs USA) and the wall color is Coral Bells by Benjamin Moore.  Frames would stay neutral in gold, silver, or white.  This look might flow a bit better with the look of Sarah's living room.

We are also considering leaving the walls white and using chunky gold frames for Sarah's gallery, like in this photo:

So...we need your advice! Should we go with option 1, 2, or 3 (or do you have a better idea for option 4)?

Blue Chandeliers

Ivanka Trump's apartment was featured in In Style and House and Garden in 2007, and we still can't get enough of these pictures.  We were actually surprised by how much we love her home-- it feels comfortable, relaxed and not over-styled:

Yeah, we'd like to move in.  Our favorite room is definitely her bedroom-- we love how calm and serene it feels, but the (perfect) red laquered lamp shade on the dresser keeps the room from feeling one-note.

Another favorite in her home is the blue chandelier above her dining room table:

In such a traditional space, we love the unexpected pop of color that the chandelier provides.  We have to say, of all the colored chandeliers we've seen, there is something about blue that we absolutely love (full disclosure: Julie has a blue chandelier in her living room). Colored Murano glass chandeliers are our favorite-- there's something really light and whimsical about them:

If you're not in the mood to drop thousands on a blue chandelier, we're right there with you.  We think this chandelier from Z Gallerie is a great look-for-less option:

If you want to spend even less, Jenny from Little Green Notebook transformed a big, brass Craigslist chandelier with a can of spray paint.  This is probably the route we'd take...you can decide on whatever shape and shade of blue work best in your space:

So, what do you think? Is this look for you?  

Julie's Bedroom: DIY Silhouette Art

We've always loved the sweet, personal sentiment of silhouette art:

via Elle Decor

via Lonny Mag

via Lonny Mag

We thought about getting some custom silhouettes made for Julie's master bedroom, but figured this was something we could tackle on our own.  We looked at a few online tutorials, but most of them were really involved with tracing, shadows, etc.  Like most of our DIYs, we decided that we'd figure it out as we went.

We started out by taking profile shots of Julie and Clay.  Don't get too crazy with taking a really high quality photo-- it won't matter in the end.  You just want to make sure that the profile is clear and not blurry (and that you don't have a weak chin, according to Clay).  We then printed the photos on our home printer using photo paper:

Please ignore how creepy those look.  This is only step two and we promise it gets better.

Next, cut out the silhouette using an X-Acto knife or small scissors. We couldn't find our X-Acto knife, so used the smallest, sharpest scissors we could find (which ended up being hair trimming scissors).  We were careful to include all details, like Julie's eyelashes and her ponytail holder:

Next, paint the cut-out using black (or whatever color you prefer) acrylic paint.  We flipped ours over and painted on the white side, but we don't think it matters which side you choose:

When painting, be sure to make your strokes as smooth as possible.  A foam brush would probably be best for this.  We ended up doing a few coats to make sure the finish was smooth.

At this point, and we don't know why this was so shocking to us, but we couldn't stop laughing about how much these look like Julie and Clay.  We know this is the point of a silhouette, but still.  We weren't expecting this much DIY accuracy...

We let the silhouettes dry overnight.  The next day, we used double-stick tape (we were worried glue would bubble) to attach them to ecru card stock and then popped them into frames that we found at Target.  The picture isn't totally clear, but they're a distressed blue-gray and we LOVE them.

Right now, the silhouettes are on Julie's dresser in her master bedroom, but might end up in this nook, as we're making some changes to that space.

If you're looking to give meaningful Christmas gifts, we think this is a great idea for grandparents, parents, or a newly married couple.  Happy weekend!

Champagne Taste: Target+Neiman Marcus Collection

Have you seen the Target+Neiman Marcus Collection? As lovers of Neiman Marcus AND great deals, we couldn't be be more excited.  We've heard complaints about the collection being "boring," but we think the home decor pieces are just the right blend of traditional and modern and will easily fit into just about any space.  Below, we've gathered some of our favorite pieces.

We LOVE the hardware on this tray:

Wouldn't it look fabulous on a coffee table, an ottoman, or used as a bar tray like in Julie's dining room?

 Speaking of bar trays, these glasses and shaker are hitting all the right notes for us:

We wouldn't do the shaker and glasses together, as we're not huge fans of anything too matchy-matchy.    The glasses would look lovely paired with a stainless steel shaker.  Don't be afraid to mix metals!

We're eyeing this trinket box for a client's bedside table.  It's pretty and functional:

We've been helping our mom accessorize some open shelving in her kitchen, and think these dessert plates would be an unexpected addition in her more traditional home.  They'd also work great as catch-all dishes on bedside tables, bathroom vanities, etc:

So, what do you think? Boring or chic? If you love it as much as we do, hurry on over to Target to get this stuff while it lasts...in addition to all of the pieces above, we've both got our eye on these clutches from Marc Jacobs.  Happy Monday, everyone!