Colorful bedding for my alter ego

This is my sister's puppy. His name is Tommy. If you hang out with him enough, you will come to realize that he is perfect. He never misbehaves, and knows "sit," "lie down," and "roll over" exceptionally well for a four-month old pup.

But, Tommy has an alter ego name Roger. Roger is very, very naughty. He occasionally forgets to ask to go outside, and finds an inside corner instead. His teeth are as shop as staples -- in a heartbeat, they will tear through pajama pants you've had since 1993.

As you can see, Roger and Tommy are the identical kind of cute.

Tommy and his alter ego are slightly related my post today. You see, for a couple of years now, I have been all about crisp, white sheets. I still am.

(Hudson Park)

But for some reason, on the first evening of 2010, I found myself staring lovingly into my screen. At these sheets:

(Drowsy Vine sheets by Plover Organic)

And these:

(Azure Vine sheets by Plover Organic)

And even this colorful quilt:

(Lilac Crescent/Gold Waves by Plover Organic)

Tommy the puppy has an alter ego. It appears I do, too, and she loves colorful patterns.

You know what else my alter ego loves? The guest room in Amanda Peet's apartment. I know this because these pictures have been filed for later for a long time now.

I love the varying shades of blue and silver, and the occasional pop of red or yellow.

Color, color, everywhere. It's so refreshing! Perfect for the new year.

Coming to terms with a brown couch

Our couch is brown. I'm not crazy about it, but it's too new to replace. I've been looking for examples of rooms that I like that happen to have a lot of brown in them, and here's what I've come up with so far.

I actually have a fabric that is very similar to the blue flowers on the chairs above. I like the color palate above, but the browns in my family room are a little deeper toned.

I'm pretty sure the next couch is gray, but I think an espresso-colored sofa in that place would have the same effect.

In the picture above, I like the light blue and the hints of pink and lavender in the artwork and flowers. There's a brown couch in the next picture, but look at all that white! It's way too stark with the brown.

I wish the pillow on the chair in front of the fireplace was covered with a brightly colored fabric. Something like the back of the chair in the room below:

I love the pink. Not the black zebra pattern.

This one's good, too:

Varying shades of brown, with soft white accents. And more purple flowers! I guess I like purple and brown together.

Purple and blue, here's my message to you: thanks for helping me come to terms with a brown couch. I think we can make it work.

Inspired by Soap: The bathroom! (Part 1)

The very first entry I ever posted on Filed for Later (waaaaaay back in November '09) was based around this picture:

I just love it. The muted color pallate is so soothing and calm and pretty. I had a great time combing my galleries of saved images for rooms that incorporate these colors. This was my favorite of the bunch:

My friend Sarah told me she was equally smitten with the colors. She asked for some images that she could use as inspiration for her master bathroom. She wrote:

"I'm redecorating (wish I could be remodeling) our master bathroom over the next couple of weeks. While a very light blue and white will be the main colors, I hope to be able to also use the palette in your soap post from a while back... Pretty sure that we're going to use brushed nickel for the new light fixtures and hardware. I am going for a coastal look without getting too into the theme since we're not exactly in a beach house."

Sarah's cabinets are a light/medium oak (she plans to replace the vanity eventually, and will likely choose either white or a very dark wood). The current counter is a "fabulous" white laminate.

She's already chosen the color - Benjamin Moore's glass slipper.

Isn't it pretty? It seems this color is most blogged about for its use in a bedroom that appeared in House Beautiful.

Here it is again, in Wes and Kayla's Brookline apartment on Apartment Therapy. (Side note: Yay, Boston!)

The interesting thing about Glass Slipper is, while there's actually very little (if any at all) blue in the soap photo ...

(see?) ... the color still works for the overall look. It is the right intensity, and maintains that washed pastel feel that makes up the "soap palette."

I'm not sure if Sarah is into painting the cupboards, particularly since she plans to replace them soon. But if she is, I think a soft ivory would be beautiful. Something along the lines of the bed in this picture. (Pasted again - no scrolling up needed.)

Another option is to go dark on the cupboards. This bedroom has dark, dark blue/gray walls that look very pretty against the blue bed.

I love the peach stool at the foot of the bed!

Finally, a third option is to pick a medium shade of grayish blue (a few shades darker than Glass Slipper, and with more gray in it). The effect would be along the lines of this

or this

One thing that is particularly eye-catching with the soap photo is that there are so many colors used together. I say this calls for a stack of colorfully folded towels!

If there's room in the bathroom, wouldn't the towels look so pretty folded on this?

I have many more pictures to share with Sarah, but I'm going to save them for Part 2. Stay tuned for accessories and the question of brushed vs. polished nickel ...

Patterns of blue and white

I love blue and white patterns in spaces with otherwise neutral colors.

(Coast Magazine)

It's amazing how two vivid patterns together can still look so calm. The wood tones and light filtering through the sheer white curtains probably help.

This is one of my all-time favorite pictures:

The ruffled edges on the pillows combined with the tailored headboards and the white night table is just right. I want to know more about what's on the ceiling. Also, I've searched far and wide for similar pillowcases, but to no avail. Do you know of any?

This rug has a similar blue to white ratio, but in a less traditional pattern:

(Coqo Rug from Anthropologie)

And this wallpaper is equally lovely:

Vacation means never having to make the bed

My week-long vacation begins today! I'm in the mood to lounge around in pretty places and not do much of anything besides look at pictures of other pretty places.

Sheets that are slightly rumpled is one of my favorite looks for a bed, especially when I have lounging on my mind. The picture below is probably a little bit too girly to ever pass in our bedroom. Something about the pink hearts, I guess. But I love it, especially the sheets paired with the brown plaid wool blanket. It keeps it from being too frou-frou, and instead makes it casual and warm.

Don't you want to be sitting in the spot right where the sun is hitting the bed?

Here are the heart sheets again, paired with the same warm gold tones. This time the hearts are blue. Manly, even. I love the mix of blue patterns in the pillows and on the headboard, and how the blue is carried over into the wallpaper and the flowers on the night table.

I'm playing a little game here. Each picture has something in common with the previous picture. Can you spot the common link in the next photo?

That's right, it's the casually folded mustard-colored wool blanket at the foot of the bed. I love the drab color next to the red wool on the chair. And, red happens to be the next common link, though the red blanket in the next photo is a little brighter than the one above.

And once again, there's a drab-colored blanket folded at the foot of the bed. The browns and greens are so perfect for these otherwise feminine spaces.

The next picture has layer upon layer in what happen to be my current favorite colors -- pale pinks and blues and mushroom-toned grays and browns. I love how the layers of blankets are cozy, yet there's not a down blanket in sight. It's slightly reminiscent of another one of my favorite layered beds.

And now, for the big reveal. This is where I will be doing my actual "lounging" today:

Buzz-kill :(

Dedicated to the Tin Can Alleys

Here are the mugs we have. They're Tin Can Alley by Lenox, and are one of my favorite things in our kitchen -- especially when paired with blueberries and milk. See? I love white and light blue in any form!

In fact, if the mug were an entryway, it might just look like this:

Here are more pops of light blue in a picture of kitchen shelves that are filled with white dishes and golden-toned picture frames, along with silvery accents on the counter.

Something about the metal chairs in the dining room below is reminiscent of the whole Tin Can Alley line.

I don't think the next picture is from the same house, but they have similar color palates. I could picture a row of Tin Can Alleys hanging on something like this.

Maybe mixed with something like this?

And definitely hanging over something like this:

Raj Teapot from Sundance

Hot chocolate decorating

When it comes to winter, I like my rooms like I like my hot chocolate: Warm, cozy and in various shades of brown and cream.

Hot chocolate with cinnamon sticks:

Hot chocolate with freeze-dried marshmallows:

Steamed milk with vanilla flavoring. Not technically hot chocolate, but they're related:

And the grand finale - hot chocolate made with ghirardelli and topped with whipped cream:

While we're on the topic, would you believe that I drank hot chocolate from a mug just like this for my entire childhood and never even knew what was going on?

I think my parents' version was bears, though. I had friends whose parents had mugs from the same "collection," and I was always sure to point out the coincidence.

Inspired by soap

I found this picture on Velvet and Linen (I think) and stashed it away so I could look at it whenever I want.

If I were going to start a room from scratch, these pretty soaps would be one of my first picks for a color palette. But, I live in a four-room home and will not be starting anything from scratch anytime soon. So instead I've picked some rooms that go nicely with the pretty row of soaps.

In the picture above, the blue-gray chairs and the warm stones and wood tones remind me of the soap labels. The green accents on the tables pull in some more colors.

The rustic beams in the ceiling above are reminiscent of the grainy soap texture, as is the weathered blue trunk at the foot of the bed. I think a pretty cashmere throw (in pink?) would bring this bedroom even closer to the soap palette.

The room above comes pretty close and might be my favorite. Those shoes are not my size, though. Should I take this picture as a sign that I have the taste of a three year old?

This room is lacking some of the pastel colors it needs to be a true match to the soap palette. But it does have the muted grays and browns, and overall looks fresh and clean ... like soap!

This room is pretty close, too, but the color of the walls isn't quite right. The walls have a little too much green in them to match the pretty labels. I could definitely see the soaps looking right at home on the lovely grey dresser, though.

This kitchen is charming and has all the right bright colors, but I'd add some weathered blues, browns or grays if I could.

This is another one that's pretty darn close. Do you agree? Look at the chairs!