Living Room Design Ideas from Design Shuffle

Today, we have a special guest post from Design Shuffle. I hope you enjoy their living room 

design ideas as much as I have. 

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Hi, Joanna here! I’m a writer for Design Shuffle, a decorating site which offers interior designers a platform for sharing their work and design enthusiasts a chance to find decorating ideas and images. I am passionate about my work. I enjoy creating posts such as this to share on blogs like My Berried Life. Today, I bring you some of my favorite living room interior design ideas. Enjoy!   

 

A gallery wall creates a focal point in this eclectic living room. The vintage poster theme pulls the room’s style and colors together.  

Creating multiple seating areas divides the space and makes it look more spacious. Be sure the colors are balanced from one area to the next.  

In living room designs, a stunning light fixture, like this ship-shaped chandelier, can also be used a focal point and to draw the eye upward.  

Mixing black and white with a third color makes a room pop like the pink does in this lovely living/dining area.  

A brilliant accent wall adds personality and character to any space. A bright blue in this living room makes the white elements appear crisp and pristine.  

Go pink in the living room for a sassy and vibrant feel. This hot pink and white beauty is energetic and inviting. Would you dare go pink in your own space?  

Like the zebra rug pictured here, an animal print element gives any room a sophisticated vibe. Use these prints on furniture in moderation for an equally chic effect.  

Add pillows, pillows and more pillows to any space for an additional touch of comfort. The pillows here are used as seating and decoratively. Inspire any decorating ideas? 

Images 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 

Which living room ideas was your favorite? Don't forget to head on over to Design Shuffle to find a great deal of inspiration from top Los Angeles interior designers and many others! Check it out here!

Friday Inspiration

It's the end of the first full week of June. Here's what's inspiring me so far for the month of June:

Source: ohsuzeq.tumblr.com

Source: kelly-wettgen.polyvore.com

Source: fashionworship.com

Source: hearst.co.jp  

Source: ladylimoges.tumblr.com 

Source: beautiful-skies.tumblr.com 

The Bedroom - Inspiration

When I think of the bedroom I want, I think of something cozy, comfy, soft, and calm, yet 

elegant and classy. 

When I think of colors I want in a bedroom, I usually think of soft and neutral tones. 

 Since we have this "new" apartment, it's the perfect time to decorate/re-decorate. 

 

As I've mentioned before, I enjoy dark woods, mixing dark and light colors, and adding pops of color to things. When thinking of the bedroom I want, I usually imagine a dark wood or iron bed frame, with a light colored bedspread (think cream, grey, or blue). Of course, there will be pops of color in the room. I'm not afraid of color in the bedroom, I just want it to be a calm and restful place, and listen, red and pink aren't really that restful to me. But, don't get me wrong, I'd love to use them as my pop of color...they just can't be the main color. 

The photos below are some that are inspiring me on how our bedroom should look/feel.

Source: potterybarn.com 

Source: houseofturquoise.com

 

Source: macys.com

 

                     Source: decorpad.com

Source: houzz.com

                                                              Source: 6thstreetdesignschool.blogspot.com.au

                                                                                                                    Source: macys.com

                                                                     Source: bhg.com                            

What do you think? Do any of these inspire you? Which are your favorites?

Home Creations

Happy Friday Friends! So, I updated the couch a bit:

 What do you think? I think it help to bring in that MUCH needed color. We still need to  hang more things on the wall, but it's a work in progress. 

The floral pillow came in a pack of two from Homegoods. Oh, Homegoods...how I love you.It was such a great find! It's the pillows, plus the cover, AND they're machine washable! Even better.

 

The yellow and white stripped pillows are from a store in Germany called Moemaxx. It was on our couch in German, and since then, they have been on our bed. I decided since it's the spring, it's time to bring on the color! Plus, they look great with the other pillows on the couch.

Tyler and I are having a housewarming/his birthday party on Saturday. We're so excited to host our first party in our new place!

 For this grand occasion, I decided to make some wine charms: 

I just used some black eye pins and a bag of multicolored craft beads. Simple huh? Not as cute as I may have liked, but I think they'll be useful. :)

Well, that's all I have for you guys today. Look forward to a post later this weekend about our big party (I'm making boysenberry cheesecake, regular cheesecake with a sour cream topping, pineapple 

wrapped with bacon, and much more! ) 

What are your plans for the weekend? Anything fun?
Have a great day friends :)

Vision isn't Always Reality

I love dark and white woods, mixing light with dark, blues, creams, whites, greys, black, and pops of color (like red, yellow, and sometimes pink).  My vision of what our living room should be is something that's timeless/classic, yet comfy...I want it to look great, but I want you to still be able to feel at home. 

Maybe something like these photos:

1. Source: bargainhoot.com

   2.  Source:bhg.com 

Source: homegoods.com 

Source: madebygirl.blogspot.com

Source: paloma81.blogspot.com

What my husband's vision, well, I'm not entirely sure, because he doesn't really plan these things out. He's more of a see it and like it type of guy. He is very picky though. Ugh. He did know that he wanted all dark furniture, including the couch. He tends to be drawn towards earth tones, neutral color, and red. He loves red.

So, with all of this in mind, here is what our living room is turning out to look like:

bookshelf with printer. (The bookshelf itself is a mess! Need to work on that...)

Couch and Coffee table!

Couch again! Can you believe it's from Big Lots?!

Recliner from Tyler's grandparents.

TV, TV stand (which we got for free!), and a side table. That's not the tables permanent home, but that wall was empty.

What do you think? I think the couch needs more color haha.  We also need to finish deciding where to put things like pictures. The walls are looking bare! Ah well. It's slowly but surely coming together! 

I'm Back!

Good Morning everyone! Happy Monday to ya! 

I apologize for the impromptu hiatus, but you know, sometimes we all need a little break from things.

Something you may or may not have known about me, I love lists. When I email people, sometimes I email in bullet point. So, what better way to update you on what's been going on than with a list :p 

The Job Hunt...

• After the phone interview and testing for the one company, I got a call to come in for an in-person interview. I had a whole schedule that included interview times with four different people! AH! I hear back this week.
• That interview I had with the shelving company (it's the one where I would be doing temporary customer service calling) well, the interview went well, but they said they would pass. They didn't really say why, but the staffing agency thinks it's because they thought I was overqualified or too experienced or something. Sigh. Probably better this way.
• I had an interview to be an insurance salesman (ahhh!). Boy, did they love me! I told them no. Honestly, I can't see myself going in to companies and being like, hey, buy this policy. It's not me, and I know I wouldn't be happy. 
• Tyler got a job at Magginos being a server! Hooray! He starts training next week :) 

Life...

• We're finally getting the apartment together. Slowly, but surely. I really do love our new place, but in the future, I would like to have a dining area and a guest room/office. 
•  We're trying to plan when to have a house-warming party. I really don't know why this has been so difficult, but it is. Trying to find a good weekend is next to impossible it seems. That, and Tyler's birthday is coming up, so we thought, why not combine them! Well, now the problem is, we don't know when he'll be scheduled for his new job. Ugh. Any ideas? I really want this to happen. I love throwing parties. 
• When decorating the apartment, sometimes what I have in mind, and what Tyler has in mind, are two totally different things. We try to compromise, and usually do, but sometimes, one person just has to win. Haha.
• Still trying to stain our wine rack. There were some hiccups (it was finished wood and we thought it wasn't, ran out of sand paper, there was a huge rain storm...), but we should be getting back on track :) 
• We saw the film, Friends With Kids. I really enjoyed that movie, but it's a lot darker than I thought it would be. 
• On St. Patrick's Day, we didn't do much, but we did go to the mall to get Tyler's work clothes. Then, we made dinner and watched a movie. What was our dinner? Saurbraten, Spaetzle, and salad. Yay for German food! hehe. So good.

Well friends, I think that about does it! I promise I will have pictures up of our place/how decorating is going soon. :) Have a great day!

Trying to Find my Style

When decorating, most people have a certain style or direction. Me? Well, I'm trying to find my style. For some people, this is an easy task, for me, well, it's been interesting and somewhat difficult. Why you may ask? Well, for one thing, I have an opinionated husband. I guess I should be thankful he has an opinion, because some people would kill for their spouse to have such a big opinion about decorating and helping organize the house. Granted, I do enjoy that he helps me out, but sometimes I just want to do things my way.

Another reason that this has been such an interesting and difficult task is the fact that I can be indecisive. So, I've been trying to be proactive and read articles, take quizzes, and find inspiration for our new place in order to find my style.

My style according to some quizzes online is: French eclectic, French country, vintage, and classic. Seems about right if ya ask me. I like to entertain, in fact, we both like to entertain and have people over. I want our apartment to have a homey, yet sophisticated and classy feel to it. I feel with the results of these style quizzes that that feel could work out nicely.

I recently have found inspiration in some of the things that I love/are meaningful to me: 

damask patterns, french stuff (European things in general), things from the places I've traveled, floral, pillows, colorful things, dark wood, white wood,...Sigh, I like a lot of things, haha.  

I have also found inspiration in our apartment and some of the furniture we already own. Our apartment is very beige, tan, and white, and most of our furniture is dark...I'm talking black/brown and cherry woods. 

Master bedroom with our wardrobe. (Our German Apartment didn't have closets)

I really like the dark and light combination with pops of colors. 

 

I may have too much to choose from. I want new stuff, but I still have cool old(er) stuff. Tyler and I already have four huge trash bags for goodwill, throw away, given away, and recycled many things. It will all come together soon, I hope. 

How do you guys find inspiration for decorating?

How did you/do you find your style? 

Oh Times They are a Changin'

    In my last post, I discussed all the changes coming up in our lives...finding a car, finding a job, finding an apartment, Tyler starting school again...so much is happening. I kind of just want to sit and enjoy my time a bit more. Money, a car, and our own place would be great though. Haha.
 
    I did have a job interview today, and I think it went well! Here's hoping!!

    Since we're apartment hunting, I've been looking for decorating ideas on Pinterest. Oh man, they have some really cute ideas! be I mean, they're more ideas for future houses, but maybe, just maybe some of these could work for an apartment. :)

Source: simplyseductive.blogspot.com via Beth on Pinterest

Source: google.com via Beth on Pinterest

Source: daisypies.tumblr.com via Beth on Pinterest

Source: stampinconnection.com via Beth on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Beth on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Beth on Pinterest

Source: ana-white.com via Beth on Pinterest

Source: indigenousdialogues.tumblr.com via Beth on Pinterest

Doable, yes?

Oktoberfest and Fall!

    Last I left you, I was preparing for Tyler's parents arrival. Well, they're here! In fact, they got here on Thursday night. Friday, we went to Munich to visit their friends who live there and go to Oktoberfest. After terrible traffic and getting re-routing by the gps...meaning, we went a crazy and long way...we finally arrived in Munich. We had a lovely evening with one of their friends, drinking beer (ugh already), catching up, etc. Saturday, we got up bright and early to go to Oktoberfest. We were all dressed in our dirndls and lederhosen and had tickets to a tent. That's right friends...we had a reserved table in a tent. In fact, we were in the one where the beer was tapped! It was really cool to see. Beer was served right after the tapping at 12 (not allowed to serve before that on the first day) and thus the festivities begun! It was INSANE, fun, but INSANE...side note, Tyler drank a bit too much, haha, happens to the best of us. So, we left earlier then planned. I was a little upset because I wanted to walk around more to see all the different tents and festivities. Ah well. Guess that just means I need to go back yeah? haha.
    Sunday, we had a relaxing day walking around Munich, watching tv, eating...ya know. Today, we had a relaxing morning, then drove back to our apartment. We've just been watching TV, made a wonderful steak dinner, then had some wine and ice cream. Now, we're just relaxing and watching a movie. Sounds like a good night to me!

    In other news, who's excited about fall!? This girl. I LOVE fall. Especially all the pumpkins and boots! LOVE THEM! I've already started to decorate the apartment with pumpkins, falls candles, other fall things and even some Halloween things. I can't wait to get more boots and fall clothes. :) hehe. Is anyone else as excited about fall as me?? :p

    As always, the pictures are coming...happy Monday friends!

Oh Germany, how you amaze, er, I mean, confuse me.

   So, Tyler and I went to IKEA this past weekend to buy some more furniture and stuff for our place. I love IKEA so much. Words cannot truly express how much I love this store. Moving on,  surprisingly IKEA is generally cheaper here than in the states, even with the exchange rate. Weird huh? Not that either of us minded of course.
   Once we got all our furniture on to the carts, we went up to the cashier, she rang everything up and then said the total. Tyler hands her a credit card and she's like, I can't accept this, only bank cards. So he tries a debit card...she's like no, that's the same. And Tyler was like, well, then we can't pay. How embarrassing. Then she's like, well, there's an ATM around the corner. We move everything to the side and I stand with it while he gets cash, which took awhile. Ugh. Then we can finally pay. See, lots of stores in Germany don't take visa/mastercard credit or debit cards, they only take bank cards (which is some German thing) and cash. I mean, we figured it out, but man, do people just pay cash at IKEA!? It was the weirdest thing. After that we waited in the transportation line to get these things shipped. They're coming Thursday wooo. Needless to say, we were at Ikea almost 4 hours, which normally I wouldn't mind, but we were in lines for a decent portion. Ah well. At least we got our stuff! :)
   Now, I totally understand the no debut card thing. I know ours are made differently than ones in Europe, but no credit cards? I mean, H&M and most restaurants even take credit cards. What's the deal IKEA? Maybe Germans just don't over spend? ha. Who knows. Anyway, I'm excited that our apartment is finally coming together and starting to look and feel like home. We're going to some other stores this weekend to get rugs and more decorative items. I can't wait! I love decorating. After we get everything up I'll start taking pictures of our place, and then we can finally have people over!
   Next week I have my SNAPS (----------- Newcomer Awareness Program for Spouses) class. It's the whole week and we go over stuff like what base has to offer, employment opportunities, how to take the bus, where things are located in our city, and the final day we have a day trip to some nearby city. Not sure which city yet, but I hear it's fun. I'm actually looking forward to this class, my only wish is that it's not to boring. haha. I also wish I could've done the one in January, but alas, it was full before I found out about these. Also, I would've still been in Rome for the first two days of it. I will be sure to let you guys know how it goes! Hopefully it will be fun and I'll learn a lot.
   And finally, I'll leave you with this...this is the longest I've ever kept writing somewhere. I'm being serious, and I'm glad I'm actually physically writing stuff down. Usually I just "write" in my head. I know, I know, I sound crazy, but it's true. I always "write" stuff in my head. Whether it be stories, my life, a blog/diary type entry...it usually all goes in my head and nowhere tangible. I tried to keep a diary in middle school, that lasted like a month. Then I found it a few months later and tried again, ha. I had a Xanga in high school. Again, didn't update it or did those stupid quizzes. Then, I tried to write while Tyler was deployed. Failed at that as well. I really wish I would've been better at writing while he was deployed. I think that could've really helped someone in the future. Oh well. Maybe I'll try and recall those memories. We'll see.
  Thus, I digress. Have a good day everyone :)