Pepper Design Blog

Vintage Details, Country Accents

Thank you everyone for your wonderful feedback on my fabric headboard project! I’m disappointed that I don’t have a *final* picture yet of it in place… the bedroom is still in it’s early stages.

When I found this wedding shoot via Made By Lex I knew I had to share it here. I love the vintage accents and the beautiful details, plus the scenery is from my hometown of Santa Cruz, California.

Alexis of Made By Lex designed the wedding dress (beautiful shoulder detail) and a friend from school looked over much of the styling. The soft colors of plum, peach and pale yellow offers an antique sweetness to the decor and I love love the cowboy boots and feather hair pieces.

I’m inspired by this photoshoot because of how well the different vintage elements come together. Makes me want to pull every mismatched plate and crystal vase out of my cupboards and decorate the dining table with wild flowers, peacock feathers and bunches of herbs.

So lovely! I’d love to use this theme for a baby or bridal shower, girlfriend’s birthday or maybe just a shabby chic tea party outside. How fun to ask everyone to arrive in vintage dresses and cowboy boots…

More beautiful photos at the full post here on Green Wedding Shoes.

TomKat’s {Fairy Garden} 3rd Birthday Party for Kate

I’ve been meaning to give a whole hearted shout-out to Kim over at TomKat Studios and her beautiful Fairy Garden birthday party forever… and just in case you need a recap of the amazing details, here are some of my favorite photos.

I love the bright pops of pink, yellow, orange and purple – and the handmade tutus and wings are my favorite. How stunning is this dessert table and each of the beautiful labels created by Kim?

For the sources for each of these treats/designs, and more wonderful pictures, check out TomKat’s post here.

Rooms Inspired by the Month of May

May has come and gone… and so quickly! One minute you’re enjoying your first truly warm weather days and the next Memorial Day is celebrated and over. But it’s too sweet of a month to be forgotten! Here’s a quick roundup of my favorite May inspired rooms.

There’s something about shades of coral, fuschia, magenta, pink, raspberry… these colors remind me of May.

Accent colors can be as overwhelming as painted walls or as subtle as a few throw pillows or a bowl of fresh flowers. I love how all of these rooms use various shades of pink in different and unexpected ways.

I love the wall collage and the pink striped ottomans in the above picture – and the soft burgundy accents in the below image keep the room a step above neutral. See the below occasional chair? Only the outside is upholstered in that fun, geometric pattern – what a great idea.

This room would be fun inspiration to modify into a parlor (we should bring those back again…) or dressing room or little girl’s room:

Here’s to May – we will see you again in twelve short months!

For more Rooms Inspired by the Month, check out this link. Images courtesy of Decorpad, Country Living and Full House blog.

Beautiful Inspiration… and Styling Tips from the Pros

When it comes to beautiful presentation few do it better than the bona fide Stylists, so I thought it might be fun to take a quick look at one of my favorites for a few ideas and inspirations for a future party. Lo Bjurulf is a prop and food stylist for Agent Bauer:

An earthy garden party complete with veggie centerpieces, beautiful blue glass bottle displays and enough casual draping and carefully placed silverware to create a realistic and stunning table. This would be so fun this summer and easy to pull together for an impromptu gathering – everything on the table could probably be found in your kitchen right now, from simple plates and glasses to veggies from the fridge!

This next one is one of my favorites – I think of it as a Moroccan Barnyard Dinner Party!

The images are whimsical and imaginative but offer great inspiration for thinking out of the box. What I love about the storyboard is how it highlights the understated importance of staging a party so that it’s as eye-catching for all of your guests as you’d hoped it would be.

Staging basics offer a few rules we often forget, like:
*decorating at all eye-levels (bright pillows on the floor, a show stopping centerpiece mid-height and a beautiful chandelier just above the head – or how about those billowy curtains in the backdrop?)
*choosing the proper setting (no need to find a barn…)
*incorporating colors that work well together (be it complimentary or contrasting)
*and don’t forget the finite details that makes everything come together (such as the flower blossoms scattered like confetti in the image below or the softly stacked afghans that leave guests appreciative of a considerate hostess on a chilly night – I actually attended a party where they were readily available and I couldn’t wait to start my own collection for guests).

So beautiful! I’m so inspired by these images and the creative possibilities…