CasaSugar

Cool Idea: Living Wall Systems

CasaSugar — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 04:30:00 -0700

To kick off Earth Day here on Casa, I thought I'd show you a very cool way to bring a little green into a cramped-for-space home or garden. The ELT Easy Green Living Wall ($39 - $249) is a modular-living wall panel that you can buy pregrown or that you can plant on your own. Made of 100-percent recyclable plastic, it is environmentally friendly, not to mention aesthetically pleasing. A vertical garden of sorts, it's a great option for those lacking green space, but it also has a wonderful, modern visual quality that I've seen nowhere else. Each Living Wall looks unique, as its appearance all depends on which plants are used. There are numerous ways to use Living Walls; you can take a traditional route, using it as decor (like a planter), give it function, using it as a fence, or take a modern approach, livening up an exterior wall, as shown. What do you think? Would you buy one (or several)? I kind of want one . . .

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Before and After: CaraWilkerson's Master Bedroom

Casa Community — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:00:00 -0800

Here's a post from CasaSugar Community member CaraWilkerson from the Su Casa group:

When we closed on our house a month ago, we had a lot of work to do in the master bedroom. Before, the white walls and old carpeting were a drag. By warming up the space with paint, exposing the hardwood floors, and adding a little personality with décor, we were in business!

Want to see the latest incarnation of her bedroom?

Su Casa: Elynch's Living Room

Casa Community — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:00:00 -0800

Here's a post from CasaSugar Community member elynch from the Su Casa group:

Here's my re-redesigned living room, both during the day and at night. We just finished painting and decorating the space in November, but the wall color was too light and really bothered me. Over a weekend I repainted the room a darker shade, Studio Taupe by Behr, and I'm really happy with the way the space turned out. Trying to figure out something unique for over the fireplace. Maybe white square block shelves with votive candles . . . any ideas? I'm not a huge fan of the artwork that's up there now.

See a photo of her living room at night when you read more.

(My dogs were way too comfortable to be bothered to move out of the way for my picture.)

Have you redecorated a room in your home lately? Be sure to post photos and tales in our Su Casa group!

Nice and New: Fresh Finds at Ferm Living

CasaSugar — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:00:33 -0800

One of my favorite wallpaper retailers, Ferm Living, has a few new things in store that I'm really loving. First of all, I think the way this Sewing Kit Wall Sticker ($57.50) is staged is absolutely hilarious. I think it would be clever to use it around a window or doorway in your home, especially one that doesn't have a lot of molding. See a few other new things when you read more.

I'm really digging the graphic, prismatic pattern of the new Monroe Wallpaper ($126.50). The black and gold have a really midcentury vibe, so I'd like to see it in other colors. But I think this would look great in a man's home office or small powder room with a statement-making chandelier.

I also absolutely adore the pattern and the palette of the new Peacock Pillow ($110). I only wish it complemented the colors in my home.

And last but certainly not least, the Tree Bomb Thermo Mug ($33) is so glam and hip. I'd use it to store jewelry or knickknacks, or as a votive holder.

Assisted Living: Incorporating a Bold New Antique

CasaSugar — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 13:00:00 -0800

CasaSugar Community member LynniePop posted this design dilemma in the Assisted Living group:

We just purchased this new antique cabinet for our dining room. The problem is it's not really our style and really doesn't match any of the sleek, clean lined, contemporary furniture we have in our house. For some reason we fell in love with it in the antique store and decided to put it in our dining room, but I need help incorporating it with our other furniture. Are there other accents or decorations I could add to the room to make our contemporary dining room table and chairs mesh better with this new piece?

To see her dining room table and offer your ideas, read more.

Here's LynniePop's dining room table, the Round Dining Table with Cutout Legs ($449-$599) from West Elm.

First of all, LynniePop, I would definitely recommend painting your dining room walls. This will instantly give the space a more cohesive look. Mixing styles and eras of furniture is a smart move; it gives the room depth and shows that you have cultivated your own personal aesthetic.

Your antique cabinet has beautiful Chinoiserie motifs and hardware, so I'd celebrate that artistic style and bring more Chinoiserie elements to your tabletop and around the room. Here are a few products that might do the trick:

Does anyone else have suggestions and ideas for LynniePop? Please share below! Do you have any of your own decorating dilemmas to deal with? Be sure to post photos and tales in the Assisted Living group!

Before and After: A Humble Shutter Gets Its Due

CasaSugar — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 06:15:01 -0700

I found these cool, untreated, wood shutters at Urban Ore, an architectural salvage yard in Berkeley. While I didn't exactly know what I was going to do with them, I knew that I'd think of something, so I dragged a few of them home.

Curious as to what I came up with? Then read more.

I made an earrings display. Using Ferm Living's Family Tree pattern wallpaper, I covered the edges of the shutter, essentially making a piece of wall décor out of a humble shutter. Want to make your own? Stay tuned for the DIY directions.

Assisted Living: Exotic Indian Bedroom Ideas

Casa Community — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:00:16 -0800

CasaSugar Community member annajeb recently contributed this post in the Assisted Living group:

"I just bought this bedding from Anthropologie to redecorate my room. I'm looking for an Indian exotic influenced flair without being too literal and I want to keep the color palette spicy and exotic.

I'm afraid if I choose one of the colors from the quilt, though, it will be a bit overpowering. I was also thinking of draping my canopy bed with saris or sari-like fabric. I need suggestions for the walls and furniture as well as any other ideas or input."

To leave a suggestion for annajeb, and to see my suggestion, read more.

I love that bedding, annajeb. Since it's such a busy pattern, you might want to consider decorating with solid-colored fabrics if you decide to do a canopy. You should definitely work within the color palette established by the bedding, but stick to a solid color, or try a few solid colors that pick up the colors in the bedding.

For wall color, you could either keep it crisp and white, or use a more spicy color, as you indicated you were interested in doing. You might want to use an accent color for the wall behind the bed, and then paint the rest of the walls white.

As far as furniture, I can see darker, heavier wood working well for accent furniture. Look for mango wood or sheesham wood.

Does anyone else have any suggestions for annajeb's bedroom? Please comment below! And be sure to join the Assisted Living group!

Assisted Living: A Light Fixture Made From Colanders

CasaSugar — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 05:00:00 -0800

CasaSugar Community member Zyada posted this query in our new group Assisted Living:

I'm looking for ideas for lighting my kitchen. My kitchen is long and narrow. The style is Medieval-ish; this site shows what I'd like my kitchen to look like. I aready have the brickwork and dark wood going on. I was thinking of using copper colanders in some way, but I'd like some examples to get a feel for how I want to place: lights, colanders, etc.

Zyada, I love your idea of using light fixtures made from colanders! It's perfect for a kitchen. Copperware would also work really well with your Medieval theme. If you want to make your own hanging colander light fixture, like the one shown at left, here is a tutorial to make one. You can also make a table lamp with a colander shade - here are instructions. You could also try hanging light spheres using two colanders enclosing the bulb - learn how here. Or, you could make a sconce, installing the colander directly to the wall.

Another way to integrate copper colanders is to use them as vases, or even simply as bowls for your fruits and veggies.

Does anyone else have ideas for Zyada as to how she can use copper colanders in her kitchen, be it a light fixture or something else? Please comment below!

Lovely Little Vignettes: Our New Dining Room

Casa Community — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 05:30:54 -0800

Here's a post from CasaSugar Community member Elynch from the Lovely Little Vignettes group:

My husband and I recently purchased this 1950 Center Hall Colonial in October just before my husband deployed overseas for the year. We finished our formal dining room in time to have our family over for the holidays. The walls were originally a Big Bird Yellow with heavy brown drapes and oversized chandelier in the center of the room. I'm still working on the living room, which I'll post soon.

See more photos of Elynch's new dining room when you read more.

Have you done any redecorating of your own lately? Be sure to post photos and tales in our Su Casa or Lovely Little Vignettes groups!

House Tour: Maya's New York Farmhouse

CasaSugar — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 09:00:14 -0800

For those of us who dream about leaving the city and living a more rural lifestyle, crafter, DIYer, and mom, Maya, may just be living out our country life fantasy. Maya writes, "After living in many different apartments and flats for most of my life (mostly in San Francisco), I always yearned for a home in the country. I now live with my family in my dream home, an old farmhouse in rural upstate New York. Most of it was built in the 1850s, the addition was 1910. All of the floors are the original wide planks. There's so much unique, dark woodwork in the downstairs that we've gone for a very natural palette with a lot of white to brighten the space and accentuate the woodsy feeling."

Maya notes that nearly all of the furniture in her home has been found via Craigslist, auctions, and garage sales, which was at first a necessity, and now a conscious choice, since she says that she loves to fill her home with objects and pieces with a history.

She says, "Since I design sustainable home wares, many of my prototypes and seconds end up being honored on our couch or holding our books and magazines. I have a lot of artists in my family, including my children, so the walls are covered predominantly with family art. The rest of the pieces vary from my favorite indie artists to some vintage prints. I believe our homes should be a unique reflection of those who reside there and if you're lucky be in a location that inspires. I'm quite grateful for everyday I wake up to the birds calling, and the neighbors' cows lowing." Take a peek at Maya's inspirational country home, and then head over to her Etsy shop to pick up a few of her handmade goods.

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