COLOR CRAVE: CORAL.

Pretty pops of color don't have to be overly-feminine or trendy.  When played right, punchy hues can add just the right eye-pleasing twist to a design scheme, especially one that's built on monochromatic layers.  Electric accents seem to be the momentary rage, but I'm finding myself especially drawn to the more understated (and therefore less tiring) addition of the color coral:

[ photos sourced on my pinterest ]

Pretty, punchy, and inspiring: coral draws the eye in, adds a layer of warmth and depth, and, when done well, remains totally understated and elegant.

HAPPY MONDAY.

Design idea: Vintage National Geographic

Hello, hello, my loyal blog readers! I must first send a big thank-you your way for being ever-so-patient with my lack of posting. I hate to say it, but it's tough to make blogging a priority when life gets busy and there's the potential for an income to be generated doing actual work. I love posting inspiration, and showing you what I'm up to, and I so very appreciate your reading support!

Anyhow, pinterest is glorious--is it not?! I find myself perpetually pinning design ideas and inspiration...and products and resources I intend to use for ongoing projects. And somehow, someway...in the midst of all of that...I stumbled across these: scans of vintage National Geographic material.

Totally awesome.

{okay, I couldn't resist. But just look how teenie they seem! in the words of Liz Lemon, 'I want to go to there.'}

Amazing, are they not? Yes, it's so cool that photography has advanced to capturing stunningly clear pictures with crazy megapixel technology, but don't you sort of wish photographs still came out looking like incredible paintings, without the aid of photoshop? I'm truly smitten by the vintage aesthetic.

In fact, so smitten, that I can totally see these images lining a bare wall in a gallery-style fashion. Of course this sent my mind reeling, and one little ebay search unveiled a lot of 1960's National Geographics for ten measly bucks. TEN dollars.  From there you could frame them as-is, in simple/modern frames from Ikea (to create a bold contrast with the vintage subject matter), or...you could scour thrift stores and ebay for neglected vintage frames. Hang them in two rows with at least four photos in each row, and there you have it: an inexpensive, statement-making fix for a lonely, neglected wall! Hmm...thinking this might be the perfect addition to our wood panelling-clad TV room, where I'm wanting to create a dark, inviting, cozy library environment.

Anyway, there you have it: a simple, cheap, and totally awesome design idea!