Feature Friday: A Compact Home Office

Houzz

Today's featured space is this compact mid-century home office.  I love this space because it is efficient, well-organized, functional, and most of all... space-saving!  It is streamlined and uncluttered, which is ideal for an office environment.  If you don't have an actual room to dedicate to a home office, this is a great space-saving design to take ideas from!

This office may be small, but it is extremely functional.  Storage is the key to this well-organized space.  It has three large drawers and an overhead storage compartment.  There are also two work surfaces - one that rolls out when needed, and the actual desktop.  This provides plenty of surface area to spread out your papers.  This space has inspired me to tackle my own home office, which is in desperate need of my attention!

Have a great weekend everyone!  You can keep up with CAD INTERIORS on:
Instagram (new)

Boys' Bedroom Makeover Update

Hi everyone!  Today, I wanted to share the slight progress we've made on my boys' bedroom renovation.  Work has begun, although the design board isn't quite put together!  Gotta love forward progress regardless...

To give you some background, my two boys (currently ages 5 1/2 and 9) share a bedroom. They choose to share a room... they have always shared a room... they don't like sleeping apart... ever... and I think it's wonderful!!!  They have their many spats, but at the end of the day, they want to be together.

Because their bedroom isn't large, maximizing every nook and cranny is a must.  As a result, one of the first things that is getting a much-needed revamp is their shared closet.  The space is inefficiently utilized in its current state.  It holds two mismatched dressers, a single closet rod for both their hanging clothes, and one long upper shelf.  If you follow me on Instagram, you know that we have begun "Operation Closet Renovation".

Here are some "before" photos of the kids' closet after we ripped out the closet rod and shelf (you can see the outline of where the shelf was):



Here is what it looks like in progress:


Sorry for the glare, but as you can see, it is now a bold, dark color!  Check back soon for more updates on the boys' bedroom makeover...

Peacock Inspiration

I live in an area where peacocks happen to roam just a few blocks away...  It was an interesting thing to get used to, but what a beautiful sight!  I can sometimes hear them in the early morning hours - they are loud!

You know how design inspiration can come from anywhere and at anytime?!  Well, peacocks randomly triggered today's post and this design board:




I wanted to create a starting point for a peacock-inspired sitting nook for under $500.00.  It's an attainable and budget-friendly design that can be incorporated into any interior space!  You can easily add more color, pattern, and texture by layering accessories into the base design above. 

Remember this FEATURE FRIDAY sitting nook?  I love this nook, but that "peacock pillow" alone was $250.00!



Contact CAD INTERIORS today if you would like an affordable, functional, and stylish interior space designed uniquely for you!

Found It!: Design Within Reach Tolix Arm Chair

This week's look for less:


Design Within Reach Tolix Marais Armchair $275.00
Similar version here - $199.99 for a SET OF 4!

Contact CAD INTERIORS if you would like assistance in finding an item at a more affordable price point, or to obtain sourcing information on previous FOUND IT! items.

Roundup of previous FOUND IT! items:
  • Macy's Nesting Tables here
  • Z Gallerie Jett Desk here
  • Pottery Barn Tripod Table Lamp here
  • Restoration Hardware Trestle Dining Table here
  • Crate and Barrel Mid-Century Sofa here

Happy Memorial Day!

Happy Memorial Day Monday!  Today, we remember and thank all the families of the men and women who died while serving our country in the armed forces.  Thank you.  Today also marks the official start of the summer season!


When I think of summer, I think of...

The Beach


Swimming


No School


Which means...


Barbecues


Refreshing Lemonade


Sweet Watermelon


And my very favorite "food"...

I can eat ICE CREAM all day long!

Make some great memories this summer!!!


Feature Friday: Sitting Nook


What a beautiful spot to sit, relax, or read in!  The decor is quite feminine with all the pink and gold touches, which is probably why I'm drawn to it.  Love me a little "girl cave". :)

This cozy sitting nook incorporates several of the elements and principles of design.  It has color, pattern, texture, balance, proportion, scale, depth, dimension, and repetition.  The color contrast and the use of metallic elements make the space more interesting.  It may be a little nook, but it carries some big design impact!!!

Have a great Memorial Day weekend!

Designs Galore

Hi everyone!  It's been a fun, busy, and exciting week around here.  I wanted to share some new designs that I recently completed for a few design challenges.  If you'd like to see the designs on the actual contest site, you can click on the links under each image - and please feel free to vote! :)

Mid-Century Challenge
10 Items or Less Challenge
And, in case you missed it, this was the e-design I pulled together for an outdoor room challenge:


Hayneedle-Sponsored Contest

Found It!: Macy's Nesting Tables

This week's Found It! item:

Macy's Tristan Nesting Tables Reg: $379.00 Sale: $265.00

Similar here $148.49

If you find something that you like that may be too expensive for your budget, we can help you find it at a more affordable price point!  Contact CAD INTERIORS for assistance.

Design Trend: Black & White Stripes

Black and white... not exactly a "trend", but rather a classic!  The color combo has been around forever, and it's a huge staple in fashion and interior design.


I know that stripes are not a favorite of everyone.  But let's take a look at how black and white stripes, in particular, can inject great impact into a space.



I personally love the use of black and white stripes in interior design, but only if used properly.  Always keep scale, balance, and proportion in mind.  I consider it to be a neutral element in design.  It can be accented with any color, as you see above.  I incorporated three different accent colors - turquoise, pink, yellow/green.  The black and white area rug grounds the space, and pulls all the "floating" elements (like the different colors) together.





(Photos are from various sources via Google)

See how the stripes elevated the look and feel of each of the spaces above?!  It took it from "flat" to "dimensional".  The boldness of the black doesn't overpower any of the rooms because it is visually tempered by "white space". Black and white stripes provide instant pattern, depth, dimension, and interest to any room.

You can also try smaller doses of the pattern/color combo through accessories.  It will still provide some major design impact.




Tips:  If you feel that black is too "harsh", try navy and white instead.  You can also try the stripe pattern in varying widths, or use black/navy and white in different geometric patterns (diamonds, zig zag, etc.).

Inspirational Quotes


Happy Monday, everyone!  Hope you had a great weekend  Today, I thought I'd share some favorite quotes to help you get your week off to an inspirational start.  Some are lighthearted, while others are more thought-provoking.



“If you can dream it, you can do it.” – Walt Disney

“Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better.” – S. Beckett


"Positive thinking sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and can achieve the impossible." - Anonymous


"Friendship with oneself is all important, because without it, one cannot be friends with anybody else in the world." - Eleanor Roosevelt

"It is very important to generate a good attitude, a good heart, as much as possible. From this, happiness in both the short term and the long term for both yourself and others will come." - Dalai Lama


"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." - Winston Churchill

"Be better than who you were yesterday." - Anonymous



And because it's Monday...