Pepper Design Blog

How ‘Bout Orange? Rooms Inspired by the Month

With Halloween just around the corner, and orange on the mind, I couldn’t help but seek out some excellent home inspiration surrounding the color. Orange is contemporary, bright (certainly a mood lifter!) and yet it evokes feelings of warmth and coziness in any room — what a perfect (long forgotten & under appreciated by the best of us) color.

Whether you approach it with a bold, this-is-my-color spirit and paint the walls or add a bit of orange glow just for the fall season, you can’t go wrong. How great are these orange-inspired living rooms {above} and bedrooms {below}?

A burnt orange is reminscent of fall leaves… it echos a warm, fire-y coziness and makes you want to curl up all day on a Sunday, newspaper and OJ by your side, in bed. The brighter, pastel shade screams modern and airy — walking into this bright pink and orange bedroom after a long day would wipe all worries away with one big smile.

Working with orange involves a bit of risk… we don’t see it often incorporated in traditional homes. What do you think of orange?

Follow the jump for orange-inspired dining rooms! Read more »

Textiles as Wall Art: Adding Patterns to Your Space

If you’ve been following this blog for a bit now, you’ve noticed that incorporating patterns into a room is a design essential that I love, and love finding creative ways to achieve. It’s that secret edge that makes a room feel pulled together — and for me, there is nothing more inviting & appealing than a print that provides a focal interest point for a room.

Framing textiles from exotic vacations (think saris and brightly colored tablecloths), scrap remnants (reusing old curtains or salvaging a beautiful cut from a sweater with bleach stains) or flea market finds (silk scarves, lace doilies and upholstery scraps) are excellent ways to incorporate prints into your space.

A simple wood or metal frame elevates the item — molding is another great way to border a print (see below). Applying a hem to unfinished fabric and hanging from a curtain rod behind a bed or sofa is another tried-and-true method of showing off finds that otherwise might be gathering dust at the bottom of a linen closet.

Images above: Framed ikat from The Style Files, pink vintage fabric on Country Living, a bold tribal print found at Sara Says Awesome, framed scarves with wall photos from Apartment Therapy, fabric art from Apartment Therapy, and finally a print from House to Home featured at Apartment Therapy.

Follow the jump for a quick How-To on canvasing fabric and for more great ways to frame your prints (quilting circles, anyone?). Read more »

Before & After: Day Bed Makeover

Here’s a neat little Before & After project that I love. Design*Sponge reader, Kate Pollmann, salvaged a vintage 50s day bed {a gift from her Grandmother} by giving it a beautiful face lift. She repainted the frame white, reupholstered the cushions and added fabric inserts to the lattice back and sides. It’s beautiful!

Love the colors? Me too! Here are a few more throw pillow finds that fit right in line with this makeover:

Clockwise from top: Pink, sage, brown striped throw pillow from Wrapables; Lambert Burnt Orange pillow from Crate & Barrel; Terracotta, blue, yellow striped from Pillow Decor; Thomas Paul Chrysanthemums Cotton Twill Pillow from DecorPad.