Instagram Inspired

Instagram Inspired

These days, we’re all plugged in a bit more than we care to admit. From our laptops to our iPhones, we get a whole lot of screen time. It doesn’t all need to be a time suck though.  If you aren’t familiar, Instagram is a fun (and free) photo and video sharing app that allows you to share and see snapshots and short videos of those that you follow. For the most part, we’ve been using Instagram to share dog photos and check in on our baby niece, but we were recently turned on to a few public accounts that can inspire fresh ideas for interiors. Here are five of our favorites:

Instagram Handle: EddieRoss

 Quirky, well-known Interior designer Eddie Ross fills his feed with eye-catching decor, style, and interior shots, as well as personal snapshots of his daily life and travels. His favorite finds are elegant with a touch of whimsy.

Instagram Handle: CreatureComforts

Are you into fun DIY projects and just looking for a little inspiration? Ez Pudewa of Creature Comforts translates her lovely blog into a beautiful Instagram feed, where she gives brief looks at clever, colorful DIY projects.

                                          

Instagram Handle: AnthologyMag

This quarterly print magazine is so stunning it’s sold in Anthropologie stores. Not yet ready to commit to a pricey subscription? Get a taste of their good eye for design, fashion, culture and entertaining via their fabulous Instagram feed.

Instagram Handle: MrsLilien

Another great website turned photo feed, the aforementioned Mrs. Lilien fancies herself the ‘Bon Vivant of the Internet,’ and it shows through on her fanciful, free-wheeling Instagram edition. Think boldly patterned rugs, clothing and accessories.

Instagram Handle: JonathanAdler

In need of no introduction, this iconic potter and designer has made his way into many homes via his home store or appearances on Bravo TV. His Instagram feed gives a behind-the-scenes look at his busy life, complete with silly outtakes and plenty modern design inspiration.

                                     

What are some of your favorite Instagram feeds?

Nautical Miles

One of our favorite ways to enjoy the summer sunshine is out on the water. Not just at the neighborhood pool or country club, but out on the open water, preferably on a large sail boat or catamaran with our hair blowing the salt-filled air. Alas, the sailing excursion of our dreams isn’t likely to happen this summer, so we’ll have to make up for it in other ways. One of our favorite ideas is to inject a little nautical style into our homes. The theme relies on simple colors and motifs that are easy and affordable to acquire and add, and thus switch out with the changing seasons.

State the Obvious

Add maritime touches—particularly the most obvious—on coffee tables, desks, nightstands and shelves for an instant hint of beachy nostalgia. Sea shells, fish motifs and even pretty sea glass jars of white sand (with a pretty label marking where it’s from) are ideal, but beautiful photographs of boats, lakes, oceans and sea shores can accomplish the same thing.  (Photo credit: houzz.com)

Striped Explorations

A favorite of fashion enthusiasts and designers the whole world round, bold stripes are another great maritime motif. Try using them in unusual places. Avoid the same old striped throw pillows and blankets, and use the pattern on window treatments, shower curtains and even upholstery. (Photo credit: houzz.com)

Capture the Flag

Beautiful, bright and fun, nautical flags are a fun way to liven up a child’s bedroom or guestroom. Once upon a time, before radios and cell phones, the only form of communication between two vessels or the shore was through the use of nautical flags. There are actually 36 of them-- 26 different square flags each representing a particular letter of the alphabet plus 10 pendants representing the numbers 0 to 9. So you can have fun creating a banner that spells out a name, or a birth date, or a special word or phrase. Click here to get an idea.  (Photo credit: houzz.com)

All Aboard

Repurposing old canoes, rowboats or boat parts as home décor can be an authentic way to add nautical style to a living or guest room. Canoes can be refinished into creative shelving, while oars, sails and steering wheels are all interesting options for wall adornment. Keep an eye on eBay and local flea markets to see what crops up. (Photo credit: houzz.com)

Navy Blues

Navy blue and white is a classic color palette but in general, as it’s ideal for nearly any room in the home, but it also carries with it a heavy dose of nautical nostalgia. If you haven’t used navy in your home before, try it out first in a powder room with a pretty oil painting or photograph of the sea, and a few sea shells on the shelves. (Photo credit: meredith.com)

Are you spending any time out on the water this summer? Tell us about it, so we can live vicariously through you. 

Petite Pads

Many of us, especially those in urban centers, often find ourselves dwelling in small spaces, where we find life a bit too cramped at times. Fortunately, making the most of a small space is one of our favorite design challenges, and here are a few suggestions that might help you get more mileage of little square footage.

Double Duty

We love furnishings that serve more than purpose, and we actually make a lot of them at Hillsdale. Ottomans and beds with built in storage sections are great for keeping pillows, blankets and linens out of the way.

Shelf Help

Add shelves above doorways or windows, whether a single shelf or a whole bookcase to keep books, media and miscellaneous items in check, and ensure even everything has its own place. Also consider vertically stacking shelves as high as possible, putting items that won’t be needed very item on top, in order to maximize storage space. 

Diet Regime

Clutter is the #1 enemy for small spaces. Take a rigid approach and only add things if you’re subtracting them. This is easy with closets—donate or toss one item for every one you add—and can be just as easily applied to home furnishings. Don’t keep the old lamp when you buy a new one if it’s just going to sit in a closet.

Clean Lines

Eliminate visual obstructions, whether they are entire walls, large entertainment centers or superfluous book cases. Allow yourself to see as much of your space as possible (including keeping the floor free from clutter), and it will seem much larger and open than it actually is.

Consider Stripes

…on the ceiling. Painting stripes on the ceiling of a small room or studio apartment can have the same lengthening and widening affect that exposed beams give to a space. Try it out as another way to visually open your space.

Closet Case

Have a half full closet? Consider converting it into an office or nursery space. Book cases, desks and even cribs (when children are infants and toddlers) can often fit into modern closets when they aren’t overflowing with closing items, and it will free up office and corner space in the more important living areas. 

How do you maximize small spaces? Whether square footage is at a premium in your kitchen, bedroom or entire home, what strategies do you use get the most out of it?

(Photography from apartmenttherapy.com)

Chevron Sass

Summer is the season of the picnic blankets, beach bags and long, flowy dresses. When was the last time you were able to walk down the street without seeing one of those in a bright, festive chevron pattern? While chevrons have been appearing as decoration as far back as the ages of ancient Hindu temples, old Hopi pottery, and Art Déco design, they have been re-surging in popularity since last year. Now we see them on everything from iPhone covers to clutch purses.

The trend is equally at home in modern interior design, and can be a fun way to add a burst of color or pattern to an otherwise muted palette.  We like it best on bathroom shower curtains, accent chairs and in throw pillows and blankets, but it can be especially
intriguing as wall paper on a single wall or in a small room, like a half bath.

(All photos courtesy of Apartment Therapy.)

Have you hopped on the chevron bandwagon? What are your favorite ways to tap into the trend?

Birthday Suits

This Thursday is the Fourth of July—our nation’s birthday—and thus, one all Americans get to celebrate as our own. Many of us might hang the Stars and Stripes from our front doors in honor of the day, but there are many different ways to add a dose of Americana to your home, most of which will feel appropriate all year long.

Photo: apartmenttherapy.com

The Stars and Bars Forever

Although literal, flags have a lot of beauty all their own. Collections and groupings of vintage flags are both patriotic and design-conscious, and make a great substitution for a traditional gallery wall in halls, foyers and staircases. 

Photo: designsponge.com

Alternatively, you can complement a gallery wall by subbing a single flag in for just a few of the photos, making for a unique and thematic display, especially if the photos are easygoing snapshots of American life, like family road trips, baseball games and picnics.

Photo: apartmenttherapy.com

Artistic Interpretations

Flags tend to come with their own rules of etiquette, so to avoid a faux-pas and enjoy a more modern interpretation, consider a painting inspired by (or prominently featuring) the red, white and blue. We like the understated look the small study painting brings to the office in this home sneak peek. 

Photo: apartmenttherapy.com

Sporting Style

The stars and stripes certainly don’t need to be limited to the two-dimensional. Try finding vintage objects (or create your own) that utilize the classic motifs as decoration. Antique sporting equipment can be great for this. Old rackets, vests, canoes and oars (seen here) can become elements of design long past retirement when they sport a little American style.

Photo: apartmenttherapy.com

Star Pupil

Isolated pops of American flag style can be just as impactful as the whole thing. Here vintage wood stars painted in contrasting hues of red and blue bring a dose of old school Americana to a guest room in a chic and surprising way. Red and blue stripes painted onto a single wall of a powder room would have a similar effect.

How do you show off the Stars and Stripes in your home? Canadian friends, did you decorate for Canada Day on July 1?