My Room!

    My room is one of my favourite places in the whole world. It is fun and interesting, but feels warm and cozy too. My room is full of things that I love, it has my books, my clothes, my posters, my t.v. and everything else I love. The room isn't a large bedroom but it isn't a small one either, it is around average size.

    My furniture is from my favourite place...Ikea! My  bed, dresser and bedside table are all part of the MALM series that I featured in my previous blogs and my book case is in the BILLY collection which I also featured. It has glass on the bottom to keep the dust away from my books but recently I have run out of space on the lower shelves so the books are overflowing on to the upper shelves as well. All of my furniture is a medium brown which I quite like. I think that it adds warmth to the room, unlike black which wouldn't add warmth.

    I have 6 posters in my room all of my favourite things. One of my posters was one that came with one of my favourite book series, one things cool about this poster is that it glows in the dark! Another poster I have is of one of my favourite musicians and actors, Drake! Drake is an amazing signer and rapper and was on one of my favourite t.v. shows, called Degrassi. Two of my other posters are of the t.v. show, The Vampire Diaries. These are two really awesome posters because I love the show, the two male actors are really HOT and the actress on one of the posters was also in Degrassi, and she is Canadian! My last two posters are probably the most special to be because they are autographed and I got to meet the people who autographed them. One of the posters is of this t.v. show that airs on CBC, 18 to Life. It is a Canadian show about two 18 year olds who got married on a whim and it's about their lives after. I was already fans of both of the actors that signed the poster because they were also like many of the other people who grace my walls, on Degrassi. This poster means a lot to me because when I got to meet them at a meet and greet, they were really great people and loved meeting their fans. Every time I see this poster it brings me back to the feeling I got when I met them. My other favourite poster is only the size of a 8.5 by 11 piece of paper so i don't really know if you can consider it a poster but it is something that is on my walls. This "poster" is of the band Down With Webster! They are an amazing band from Toronto that came to Vancouver for a concert in February. I entered a contest, to win tickets for their concert, even though I didn't really like their songs. But I won tickets to the concert and I won a meet and greet with them, so when me and my best friend Brianna went to the meet and greet we got them to sign pictures for us. Like the other poster every time I see it I think of what an amazing time we had at the concert and how much I love their music!

  

    Another thing I love about my room is the wall colours, I painted my walls an Orchid Rose and Beach Towel. These colours are variations of pinks and blues. I painted half of the room Orchid Rose and the other half Beach Towel. The reason I painted my room both colours is because I couldn't decide. When I was at Home Depot, I was very drawn to both colours and I couldn't decide so when I was talking to the person who worked there they suggested painting it half and half. I think this really suits me because I am the type of person who can't make up their mind a lot of the time, so having both colours really represents my personality.

    Some of my other favourite features about my room are my t.v. and DVD player. Both of these are very handy if I am sick and I am just going to stay in bed all day, don't feel like getting out of bed or if I feel like watching t.v. before I go to sleep. Another thing in my room that I love is my iPod dock, it is a Sony dock and a couple of years old, but it works as good as new. It is a clock, alarm, radio, iPod dock and an iPod charger. Though I may like my t.v. and my iPod dock, my books are still my favourite thing in my whole room. they each tell a different story, that is beautiful in it's own way.

   My room is my favourite place in my whole house, it is the place I can go if I need a moment alone, to do my homework, to read, to sleep or just to be me. It is the place that I get to make feel like home, and I think I have accomplished that.

Orange

Today's blog is about the colour that I like the least and that colour is orange. I find that orange can be a very ugly colour depending on how it is used. I think that orange is a hard colour to use for interior design because if you pair it with certain colours it looks odd. For example if you pair orange with black it looks like Halloween and that could be disastrous. Another colour that I don't think goes well with orange is bright green. It definitely doesn't match if the orange and the green are both bright.

If I was remodeling a house and orange was my clients favourite colour I would try and find ways to work orange into the room that would make it work.

One way you can make orange work is by making it an accent wall. My making it an accent wall you aren't overpowering everything else in the room. This picture is a good example because though the orange wall is the where your eye is drawn to, you still notice the other furniture in the room.

This room is also a great example of using orange as an accent wall. The room is very simple but it is still nice. The orange is a little softer than in the last photo but it is still eye-catching. I really like the bits of orange in the print on the walls. This room is a great example of using orange but not overdoing it.

Another great way of making orange work in a room is only using it in small doses. This picture only has orange for the cushions on the seat. Using a colour for only cushions is a great way of incorporating your favourite colour without overdoing it. The brown seat is a great colour to match with orange. It isn't like black that would be too bold but it isn't too light either. You still notice the brown and the orange.

This next picture is really cool because the way they use orange is something I never would have thought of doing. They used orange for some of the cupboards! They didn't go crazy by doing all of the cupboards in orange, the only ones that are orange are the upper ones. I really like this room it is very cool and original! The walls are a grayish black but aren't too harsh that they over power anything else in the room.

This next picture is an example of how NOT to use the colour orange. There is WAY too much orange in this room. The wall is orange, the bedspread is orange, the lamp is orange and the chair is orange. No room should have this much of one colour in it.

Orange can work in rooms you just have to do it in small doses. Too much can be overpowering and can look really ugly.

Turquoise!

For today's blog I am going to talk about turquoise. I really like the colour turquoise because it is such a bright and vibrant colour. I find that it is very relaxing and calming. I also like that it goes with many other different colours and neutrals. I think that turquoise is a colour that you can use anywhere, you can use it for walls, furniture, fabrics or as an accent. The only place I probably wouldn't use it is for a whole room carpet. I might use it as a accent rug but not a whole carpet.


Here is an example of a turquoise room. I think that it a very nice room. The turquoise on the wall really helps to open up the space. The simple, neutral furniture really helps to focus on the wall colour which is beautiful. The one thing I really don't like about this room is that the couch is the same colour as the wall, this makes the couch blend in with the walls. When I first looked at the picture I didn't really notice it until I took a closer look. The black and white really helps to make the room look elegant and classic. I think this is a great example of how to do turquoise walls.

Here is an example of turquoise furniture. The furniture is the main focal point of the room but it doesn't over power the room. I think this room is very pretty, the couch and chair are the main areas with turquoise but the rug and walls also have turquoise in them. I really like that they used a small amount of turquoise on the wall, it really ties in the room and completes it. This is a really great way to do a bright colour like turquoise because it is present in the room but not over powering.

This room is quite different than the previous two rooms I showed you, the main different is that turquoise is not the only bright colour in the room. The yellowish green is the main colour in the room and the turquoise is more of an accent. I think this room is very unique and different. The turquoise is only used in fabric and a container beside the bed. Personally I don't really like canopy beds with big pieces of fabric hanging down but this one is still quite nice. Fabric wouldn't be my favourite way to use turquoise but that is because I like it to be a more dominant colour, but for people who are too scared to use turquoise as a wall colour or for furniture fabric is a great way to do it.

One thing I really love about turquosie is that it goes great with black and white, especially zebra print! The turquoise really helps to lighten the effect of the black and white print, weather it is zebra or stripes or whatever you like. It makes the pattern softer and more friendly.

The colour turquoise can be used in so many cool and interesting ways! It is so fun and vibrant. It is a great main colour and a great accent colour. Even if you find turquoise intimidating in large doses but you like the colour there are different ways for you to use it without going crazy. You just have to experiment and try things out. Turquoise is a great colour and I hope you will consider using it!

Design Sponge Blog

 
The blog I chose to talk about it called Design Sponge Blog, http://www.designspongeonline.com/. I don't usually follow interior design blogs but I found this one online. It is rated as number one on http://padstyle.com/top-25-interior-design-furniture-blogs/810
so I thought I would check it out. When I looked at it I found many cool posts about interior design. But not all posts are about interior design, some are about other things but are still quite interesting.

Some things on the website aren't really my taste, for example there is a post called "Past & present: twig furniture history" and I really hate twig and wicker furniture.  I think it looks ugly and brittle. But I did really like that the post looked at Twig Furniture from the past and present and compared it. It is interesting to see new and old furniture even if it is not my taste. I also like how they show other options that stick with the twig theme. So if you like twig but you don't want to go crazy with twig furniture you can use twig on a smaller scale.

I also really like how there is multiple pictures for every blog post, so if you are really interested in one post you can look through more pictures that aren't as large as the other pictures. It is also really cool how they have pictures from random people's homes, the people aren't designers but it shows what you can do with a small, old or different style home. This is a photo from the blog.

Another cool thing I saw on their blog is that they took a scene out of a movie and found the furniture from it. The movie they chose was Chinatown. They picked an office scene, found all the furniture and included the prices. My favourite thing about their website is that with most of the blog posts they include a quote usually about interior design or homes from the people they interview about their homes. I think it is a really fun and original idea!

 I really like the way the website is set up. It is really easy to use and find the blog. I also like how they have everything archived by year on the left side of the web page. If you are looking from something from 2006 you can find it by clicking on the link 2006. I also like how often they blog, they create multiple posts just about everyday. I really like this blog and hope you do too.

Dressers

Since I want to continue with the bedroom theme this blog is going to be about dressers. All of these will be from Ikea since they have a wide variety.

The first dresser is the ENGAN, it is designed by Henrik Preutz. It is a brown dresser with dark coloured semi-circle handles. Personally I think that this dresser quite ugly, I don't like the colour of brown, the semi-circle handles and the height of the dresser. The brown is a very boring colour. The handles on the drawers are placed in odd places, who reaches to the top of one drawer to open it and to the bottom on another drawer on the same dresser? I also prefer shorter dressers in most cases, when you have a shorter dresser you can use the top of it so put pictures, jewelery or anything else you desire on it. But if you like this dresser it is $149.00.

The next dresser is the BRIMNES, it is designed by K Hagberg and M Hagberg. It is all white and does not come in any other colour. I also do not like this dresser, it reminds me of a filing cabinet. I think that the handles look like something that belong in the office not in the bedroom. It is said to have deep drawers with a lot of space, so if you have a lot of clothes you may have to deal with this dresser. The one thing I do like about this dresser is that it is short! This dresser costs $99.99.

The third chest of drawers is the HEMNES which is also designed by K Hagberg and M Hagberg. I like this dresser much more than their last one. This one also comes in four different colours, black-brown, blue, grey-brown and white. I quite like this one because it has eight drawers instead of six. Having the four small drawers on the top is  nice for people who have many small items or items that they would like to keep separate from everything else. I do not like the knobs on the drawers though. I think they look old and not nice and clean. This dresser costs $299.00.

 The last dresser is the MALM, it is deigned by IKEA of Sweden. It is a very versatile dresser and is great for people of any age or gender. This dresser is very simple but still sleek and sophisticated. This chest of drawers comes in four different colours, white-stained oak, birch veneer, medium brown and black-brown. It also comes with three drawers or six depending on what you chose. The three drawer dresser costs $99.99.

Duvet Covers

Once again, I am going to stick to the bedroom theme. So this post is going to be all about duvet covers.

The first one is from Ikea and it is called EMELINA ROS, designed by Inga Leo. It is pink and white with beautiful roses all over it. It has matching pillow cases that also have pink roses all over with a white background. It has a 308 thread count and is 100% cotton.

 

Key features of the product are:

- Combed cotton; gives the bedlinen a soft feel and an extra smooth and even surface.

- Satin-woven cotton; gives the bedlinen extra luster and softness.

- Bedlinen densely woven from fine yarn; soft and durable quality.

- Duvet cover with decorative ribbons and a concealed pocket to keep the comforter in place.

 

 

This duvet cover comes in sizes: twin, full/queen and king, comes with matching pillow cases and is $69.00.

The next duvet is Urban Studio 3B™Mackenzie Duvet Cover Mini Set from Bed Bath And Beyond. This black, white and green duvet mixes a little bit of classic and a little bit of contemporary style to make something fun and original. It is made of 100% cotton and comes in twin, full/queen and king sizes. But beware if you purchase the twin duvet it only comes with one pillow case, NOT TWO. Both the king and queen duvet come with two pillow cases. For this item prices vary depending on which size you purchase. The twin is $59.99, the full/queen is 7$79.99 and the king is $99.99.

The last one is the Bahamas Duvet Cover from Bed Bath and Beyond. It is a white duvet with green blue and brown leaves all over the duvet. Your bedroom will feel like a tropical paradise with this beautiful duvet cover. Its leaf motif, luster and shine create a striking setting for your bedroom decor. The pattern is very calming and beautiful. The only bad thing about this duvet is that it only comes in full/queen, there are no other sizes available, it also doesn't mention if pillow cases are included or not. It is made out of 100% cotton and costs $79.99.

Beds

Everyone needs a bed to sleep in so I thought that I would make this post about beds. And due to the other websites I was looking at, not working, all of the beds will also be from Ikea.

The first bed I would like to show you is the HEMENS bed. It is my least favourite out of the ones that I will show you but it is still a pretty nice bed. My least favourite part about the HEMENS bed is the bottom foot board. Personally I don't like having a bottom foot board, I think that they make the bed look smaller than without a tall foot board. This bed comes in two colours, black-brown and white. One thing I like about this bed is that you can adjust the height depending on the height of the mattress and how far you want to be off the ground. It costs $349.00.

My next choice is the OPPDAL  bed. It is a little boring look wise but is very functional. It has three drawers that fit under the bed which is great for people who have a lot of stuff. It comes in a medium brown as well as black-brown. I would like this bed better if it had a back head board because without it I think that the bed looks a little plain. Due to the drawers on this bed you can't change the height of the bed frame. This bed costs $289.00.

The final bed I am going to talk about is the MALM. It is a very simple yet modern bed. I has a meduim height head board and a short foot board which is nice. It also comes in five different colours, birch veneer, white stained oak, white, medium brown, white and black-brown. Another thing I like about this bed is that you can adjust the height depending on the height of the mattress and how far you want to be off the ground. This bed costs $279.00.

Bookcases!

Since I love to read, I thought that my second post should be about bookcases! Taking care of my books is very important to me and so is the bookcase I keep them on. Once again all of the bookcases I talk about in this blog post will be from Ikea. For this post I am going to rank them in order of my preference starting with the 4th and working my way to the 1st.

My 4th choice is the GREVBÄCK, it is my least favourite out of all of the bookcases. It isn't the most modern style of bookcases but it is still quite nice. The only colour it comes in is a Birch colour. Though personally I prefer a more modern style and darker wood it is still a very nice bookcase. I don't think that personally I would purchase this bookcase but people with a less contemporary sense of style may enjoy it more. This bookcase costs $129.99.

My 3rd pick is the EXPEDIT bookcase. It is a more modern style of bookcase but it just isn't good enough to be my number 1 pick. I'll start with what I like about the bookcase. I really like that there are so many different accessories that you can purchase that would work well with it. You can purchase boxes, wheels, baskets, shelves, inserts with doors and shelf inserts. I also like that it comes in white, birch effect and
black-brown so you have options for the colour. What I really don't like about this bookcase is that it can't hold that many books. The squares are quite small. I also don't like that the outside frame is very thick and that the inner squares are quite thin. In my opinion it looks a little weird but I know people who think it looks nice. This bookcase is a little cheaper then the last for only $79.99

My 2nd choice is the LAVIA bookcase. It is quite modern and original. I really like all the cutouts, they help to make it a little different from everything else you usually see. I also like that the open sides they are just something different. I like that the side frame is a little thicker than the shelves but they aren't overly thick that the shelves look too thin. My favourite thing about this bookcase though is the price, for only $29.99 how can you go wrong?

My 1st place pick is the BILLY bookcase. Though it is very plain, it is still my favourite. One thing I really love about this bookcase is that it has so many accessories, my favourite accessory is doors, they are always making new doors that fit this bookcase. Some are glass with a frame around it, some are frosted glass with different prints and some are just wooden and the same colour of the bookcase. Doors are a really good thing to have on a bookcase because they help to keep the dust away from the books. Other accessories are other attachment pieces to expand the bookcase, a height extension, cabinet lighting, bookends and extra shelves. I also like that it comes in four different colours, Beech Veneer, Birch Veneer, Medium-Brown and Black-Brown. I actually can't find anything I don't like about this bookcase, but I may be a little bit biased because this is the bookcase I have in my room right now! This bookcase is also very affordable at only $99.99.