Dream Home: Live Creating Yourself

Today, Alaina of Live Creating Yourself is sharing her beautiful and inspired dream home with us. Alaina is such a doll- a truly positive person with infectious energy and she is super stylish to boot. Enjoy!

 

When Paloma asked me to contribute my dream home to her series, I knew the task would be exciting but also a challenge. You see, my taste in interiors changes daily; I love bright color as much I love an all-white room. I daydream of living in a cozy Cape Cod beach house, a city loft, and a spacious ranch in California. So instead choosing a single room to represent what I'd want my dream house to look like, I considered trends and characteristics I'd like it to have.

So here it is! A mashed-up version of the following:

LIVING ROOM

My dream living room would include:

• insanely high ceilings

• natural wood accents - support beams are preferable

• oversized windows so the space is bright on the dreariest of days

• an abundance of seating and end tables for game night with friends

• a George Smith rolled-arm couch in yellow

• extra-large art littered about the walls

• plants (hoping I've figured out how to keep them alive by then)

KITCHEN

My ideal kitchen would include:

• jaw-dropping pendant lights

• an antique farmhouse table

• white cabinets and open shelving

• carrera marble countertops - red wine spills be damned!

• a fully-equipped espresso station

• a vast collection of Mauviel copper pots hanging on display

WORK SPACE

My dream office would include:

• oversized work tables

• shelves overflowing with art supplies and books

• a combination of sleek contemporary pieces and vintage finds

• like all of the other rooms in the house, my ideal home office would include a view and plenty of natural light

MASTER BEDROOM

My perfect master bedroom would include:

• a king-size bed with upholstered headboard

• fresh flowers on the bedside table

• a fireplace

• a private screened-in porch

• the perfect writing desk with a view

• Jenna Lyons' shoe collection

GUEST ROOMS

And for my guests:

• a room with two twin beds

• crisp white linens and overstuffed pillows offer guests the perfect night's sleep

BATHROOMS

The bathrooms in my dream home would include:

• tiled walls

• a collection of vintage art

• claw-foot tubs

• rain head showers

• my favorite bath products and candles

OUTDOORS

The outside of my dream home would include:

• a wrap-around porch

• an oversized chess board

• hydrangeas galore

• a screened-in porch for summer nights uninterrupted by mosquitos

• a pool surrounded by grass

• and if the porch overlooked the ocean (any ocean), that would be the cherry on top

(but I'd also settle for panoramic views of the vineyards in Northern California)

So that's that. A girl can dream, right?

My Latest Obsession…

I am completely obsessed with Pinterest! My addiction is still fairly new. It’s only been a few weeks since I got hooked, but I find myself wandering over to Pinterest whenever I have a couple of free minutes on the computer. I love that you get to see a visual representation of different people’s style and I like that it keeps me from saving a ton of inspiration photos to my hard drive as I’ve done in the past. I have been able to draw so much inspiration from the most random photos that I’ve found through Pinterest. If you’re a blogger, then you most likely know what it’s like to get into a blogging rut every now and then and this is just the cure that I needed! Are you hooked yet?

{A Few Images I’m Currently Loving:}

{Chevron Painting by Joanna Goss}

{Check out the fab floor! The styling on the bookshelves is spot on for summer.}

{A Glamorous Bathroom Dripping in Marble}

{Gorgeous Flowers and Calligraphy}

{Fashion Inspiration}

{Fierce Accessories- Hello, McQueen Clutch!}

{A Little Somethin’, Somethin’ for My Case of Wanderlust}

{Some Wise Words- We all know that I love a good quote!}

 

Are you on Pinterest yet? You can follow La Dolce Vita here. Happy Pinning!

Sponsor Spotlight: Mattie Luxe

Mattie Luxe is a fabulous online shop offering chic, customizable place mats. Andi Hrncir, a design-obsessed mother of three noticed that she was always using place mats in her home for her young children and longed for practical, but super stylish options and thus, Mattie Luxe was born! Mattie Luxe believes that “your table should always look hip and stylish. Place mats should not be boring…they should be bold, beautiful, colorful and something that you want to leave out everyday.”

Mattie Luxe offers over 35 designs with many fonts, colors and nameplates to choose from for a completely customized look. They make an excellent gift as well! Think bridal shower, birthday or graduation. The place mats would also be great for entertaining outdoors and there are plenty of designs for everyone from babies to adults and even pets (I think Tate would love one for his bowls!). The place mats could also be a fantastic favor at a dinner party. You could personalize one with every guest’s name instead of using a traditional place card and they could take it home at the end of the evening. The possibilities are endless!

 Mattie Luxe is currently offering 25% off all orders, so be sure to take advantage of the generous discount!

This Week’s Quote

{Image via Pinterest}

Fabulous Room Friday 05.20.11

When I first saw the above image of this fabulous nursery designed by the incredibly talented duo of Joe Lucas and Parrish Chilcoat of the Los Angeles-base design firm, Lucas Studio and store, Harbinger, my jaw hit the floor. The nursery is part of the Stately Homes by the Sea Showcase from last summer, but I just saw it for the first time yesterday. There are so many amazing details in this lucky baby’s room! Above, there are sconces by Circa Lighting, starburst mirrors and a statement-making pelican painting from Mecox Gardens and some lovely furniture that would work just as well in an adult space.

I would venture to say that what I love most about this nursery is that it isn’t overtly “babyish”. There are beautiful details, like Martyn Lawrence Bullard designed fabrics and Christopher Spitzmiller lamps. There is a seating area that probably doubles into a sleeping space for mom (or judging by the size of the space, for the baby nurse). However, the color palette, framed alphabet above the daybed (available through Harbinger), rocking horse and crib remind us that this space was indeed meant for a baby.

The bamboo crib from Kalon Studio features a unique design and Sferra linens, for good measure. I’d like to give a special thank you to Marisa of Style Beat, whose blog post I came across while searching for more information on this beautiful space. She featured a lot of the sources for the nursery as well as other rooms from the show house in her post.

{Images by John Bessler via Lucas Studio}