Pepper Design Blog

Fabric of the Day: Amy Butler’s Lotus Design

Today was such a wonderful lazy Sunday… I had much-coveted free time to enjoy the sun, sort & organize a closet in dire need of attention (always fun) and an opportunity to catch up with good friends over a delicious meal. Days where you get to spend your time on what you need or want to do are so very few and far between that when they come along surely it is the marking of a good day!

I came across this beautiful {very classy & modern} pattern this weekend while searching for a fabric for the backdrop of a bookshelf. There’s something about the floral zinneas/lotus that are both retro and tribal at the same time, and the structure of the overall pattern is clean and straight forward — but seeps of that modern, urban loveliness (Anthropologie-esq?). While I have always adored Amy Butler’s incredible feminine designs, this particular cherry wallflower fabric has stuck with me all weekend! I’m opting for a cooler shade of blue that will match my room for the bookcase, but this could happily find a space else where in my home! Check out all of Amy Butler’s FABULOUS designs by visiting her website here.

Before & After: Ottoman Refashion

Here’s a great How-To from Apartment Therapy on a great ottoman makeover. While following the directions for this fantastic ottoman is a bit of work (and time), I’m imagining ways to simplify the process for an even quicker refashion as well!

Follow the link for instructions as well as another great ottoman makeover by Matters of Style blog! Read more »

Weekend Room Makeover: 3 {Easy!} Ideas to Try

We all know a well put together room when we see one – we might not know why it’s so pleasing to the eye, but there’s something about the movement, style and colors that draw us in.

In an effort to capture those little design elements that lie behind a well decorated room, I’m using today’s post to highlight three {quick!} fixes to offer ever so subtle modern updates. Perhaps this could turn into a full article on dressing a room top to bottom, but today’s purpose is get the mind whirling on what you might be able to fix this weekend, and not months in the future. So let’s dive right in!

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{Idea #1: Bring in Contrasting Colors}
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Take a look around your room and note the color theme. Perhaps it’s various shades of blue, tan or maybe red. To add an element of design that makes a pop, find an accessory in a contrasting color to add. If your living room is green, opt for fuchsia throw pillows, if it’s red, consider a plum or yellow rug, lamp or blanket draped over the couch.

Weekend mission: Throw pillows are easy-peasy, take your new search to your local design store or hit up eBay for some excellent contrasting finds.
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p{Idea #2: Reorganize Your Walls}

Well designed rooms incorporate well designed wall art. Pull all of your photos and paintings down from their current locations and reconsider your blank wall canvas. Now set up clusters of your favorite pictures at the base of your wall on the floor, and go about your daily business. Come back throughout the day and reorganize your photo/painting cluster until you finally have something that works well for your space and your photos. A simple rule that I like to follow is clustering in odd numbers and keeping larger photos towards the center. When your grouping looks appealing on the floor, mark out your new space with blank sheets of paper on the wall (one piece of paper represents one photo that is temporarily attached to your wall).

Weekend mission: Gather photos from all over the house and match frames that work well together for groupings (frames don’t actually need to match – I love the gold, ivory, brown frame combos, for instance – but you’ll know right away if one photo looks appropriate next to the other). If you don’t have wall art that includes brilliant black & whites of your family or brightly colored framed photos from travels, now’s the opportunity to hunt through drawers and order new, large prints from your favorite photo store – Costco photo, anyone?
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Follow the jump to learn more about patterns & texture, and for the rest of the article! Read more »