i first heard about these adorable custom-made stools on decor8, and i fell in love! the contrast of the recycled distressed wood and brightly colored crochet definitely reminds me of something i’d see in my grandparent’s house. the best part is, you get to pick your colors and creator ingrid jansen will custom make your stool – so it is unique, personal and special. in going through her flickr stream i found myself saving photo after photo as the inspiration was endless…
before woodstock became known worldwide for the most famous music festival of all time, it was a quiet town in rural new york that artisans, painters, musicians and freethinkers called home. they lived off the land and made things by hand- even their homes. they used local stone, wood and scavenged materials to create shelters that are as unique as they are impressive- ranging from the cave-like dens and teepees to cabins and stone structures. these homes are documented in the book “woodstock handmade houses” and turning the pages is like stepping into one hidden world after another, imagining all the stories each sanctuary holds. it is a constant source of inspiration that will never age.
this might be one of the coolest things i’ve ever seen.
inspired by a painting they found on ebay and paint by numbers artwork, scott and cheryl white turned their blank wall into mural art. to do this they made a color transparency of the painting, and using a projector, traced the image onto the wall with pencil. they then created a chart of all the colors and assigned them numbers, and got to work painting! it took them eight months to complete this masterpiece but imagine how much fun you’d have doing it! read more to see some awesome photos of the white’s wall before and after.
i just saw these fabric-covered pots on creature comforts today and i thought they would make a perfect follow-up to my post about plants. instead of splurging on nice flower pots, buy a bunch of standard cheap ones and cover them with pretty patterned fabric!
this is one of those projects you can be really creative with- if you have scraps of fabric lying around at home you can combine different colors and textures to make a really unique looking flower pot. or you could take an approach like the tutorial on lavender and limes and use soft vintage looking floral fabrics you can find at an arts & crafts or fabric store. OR this is another great use for old free people shopping bags! either way the results are one-of-a-kind and add a little touch of unexpected cheer to your potted plants.
all you need are some terracotta pots, fabric, mod podge (to coat the fabric with so it stays on the pot), and a brush (for applying the mod podge)! for more detailed instructions check out lavender and limes.
plants are really pretty to look at but they’re also good to have around the home because they improve air quality. they’re literally a breath of fresh air, and a way to bring a little bit of the spring that’s blooming outside into your home.
similar to the paper whites we posted about a little while back, amaryllis flowers are really easy to plant inside. plus they come in bright shades of pink and red that are a welcome burst of spring color after the brutal winter we’ve had!
you can follow the same instructions as the paperwhites to do this yourself (see here) – the only difference is you’ll need a larger vase because these bulbs are much bigger, as you can see! the flowers grow pretty tall too so it’s a good idea to use a stake to keep them standing upright as they grow.
left image: terrain; right image: apartment therapy.
i never would have thought succulents could be so beautiful but they come in a huge variety of colors and textures you can combine to make a really beautiful plant… and you can be creative with the potting and arrangement to create something really unique.
instructions for planting your own succulents can be found here.
and just because… this wall of succulents is amazing:
images: apartment therapy; re-nest.
warmer weather makes me long for a house with a room that’s partially…or mostly…outdoors. sunlight streaming in, curtains blowing in the breeze, birds chirping.
…just a little inspiration from a uk company called toast. so beautiful.
i love these creative uses of lights by interior designer jan eleni!
i’m just a fan of string and rope lights in general- i like leaving them up all year round, because they add such a nice soft, warm light. now i’m tempted to put a big cluster of them on my wall or ceiling…
yes it’s another dresser idea but i wanted to share this today too because i think its such a unique, cool idea.
if you happen to have a really old beat up dresser that you don’t use, take out the drawers and paint them a a bright color, line them with some cool wallpaper and turn it into a sweet-looking shelf!
i think this would look awesome if you used some old vintage wallpaper like these…
so what do you guys think, would you try one of these ideas on your dresser?
project source; wallpaper images.
this is such an amazing idea – i saw it on design*sponge a while ago and i’ve always thought about doing it, except i don’t have a dresser like that :) the flowers remind me so much of our one of a kind vintage flower necklace!
for their tutorial, they used some vintage brooches found on ebay, removed the backs and glued screws on. check out the full tutorial here!
such a great way to give your dresser a little free people touch :)
you may recognize these images from our first episode of home sweet home that was on the blog a little while back. i came back to them recently and wanted to draw out a great decorating tip that might inspire your own efforts at home!
in case you didn’t see it, another fp girl and I went to the home of our director of design and image and took a little tour of her home. one thing that really stood out to me about how her house was decorated was the use of pink tape all over! it is such a cute idea and definitely adds that free people touch to a wall of photos that might otherwise look a little bit plain.
i love how it looks against that blue paint!
if any of you have fun, free people inspired decorating ideas, please do share :)
check out our new santa barbara store! it looks so pretty and summery!
dan martensen is the photographer who shot our new february catalog, and his home in upstate new york was recently photographed for the selby – words can not express how much i love his home! i want a place like this one day…lots of wood and oriental carpts, and a fireplace that i can fill with candles…
check out more photos of his and model shannan click’s amazing home here.
and stay tuned for a post later today about our new february catalog and the inspiration behind it!
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