Bright, eclectic and colorful

The top five photos are of stylist Anna Richardson's Victorian home in East Sussex. (photos: Paul Raeside/ styled by Mary Weaver)





I enjoyed these two homes featured in Living Etc. recently (January 2010). Maybe it's just therapy to gaze at lots of bright color on this gray, dark winter afternoon. The lower five photos are from Anya Hoffman's Cologne period flat. The Scandinavian colors and fabrics and the bright tile are so happy. Love those over-the-door bookshelves too! (lower five photos by Christian Schaulin; styled by Kersten Rose)

A restored Belgian farmhouse

An artistic director and a graphic designer (with 4 children) restored this former farmhouse in Brussells to its current charming state. I'm always attracted to black & white tile floors and tall bookcases! And I love that pearlescent tile shown partially on the wall in the kitchen/dining area- an unusual touch. A few modern elements are mixed in with traditional ones, and it's quite different from typical Belgian-style interiors. (photos from Claudio Tajoli/ Francesca Berte; from Hachette Home Oct. 2009)

New Orleans Style- Angele Parlange

Lately I'm loving a mix of New Orleans/ French decor everywhere I can find it! I found one dose of this style via this creative NOLA designer, Angele Parlange. Her colorful fabric choices and the way she's interjected not-too-serious things into her antebellum home make it personal and unique. It's a bit more relaxed the way she mixes things up, which is a more acheivable style in the real world (for me, at least). I also think that's just the perfect room of books, don't you? I mean, with so many books at arms' reach from the bed, well, it could be tempting to just not leave.

These images come from her book, Creole Thrift. I loved looking through this book at the bookstore when it came out, though to my regret, I didn't buy it. I should have gotten it while I had the chance, because I can't find it in London! It is full of of personal memoirs and stories collected along with snapshots of her family's life.

Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves

Lately I've been admiring floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. Here are some I've found particularly pretty. I have found, though, that bookshelves can look so disheveled without serious attention. Why is it in interior shots, bookshelves never seem to look as hodge-podge as mine? (photos: Gianni Botsford architects; Elle Decor; Mary Ruffle)


These aren't floor to ceiling, but I love the clean, white background they provide, and in the first photo of this set, I really like the way the shelves are used as display. Maybe they could be a room divider used in this way? (photos: black white yellow)