Looking for Great Whites

Who else loves the wonderfully pungent smell of a freshly painted room? As luck would have it, my apartment has two rooms that are begging for a wall color makeover: the kitchen, which is currently a pale yellow (just not my color) and the bathroom, a really, really bright sky blue (better than the yellow but still not my color).  Some may call it boring, but I love a room that's painted a bright white, serving as the perfect backdrop for bold and bright artwork, furniture and accessories that can be easily switched out if tastes change. That and the fact that I'm renting in grey-skied Portland have led me to the conclusion that a crisp shade of white is the way to go.

Of course I need to make a trip to the paint store, get some samples and throw them up on the wall to see how they actually look in real life, but in the mean time I thought I'd do a roundup of some of my favorite white (or shades of white) rooms with paint colors included. If you're looking to do some painting in your own home, I hope you get some inspiration. Enjoy!

Atrium White by Benjamin Moore via

Natural Linen by Glidden via

White Dove by Benjamin Moore via

Witch Hazel by Olympic via

Soft White by Benjamin Moore via

Super White by Benjamin Moore via

Cream Fleece by Benjamin Moore via

Do you have a go-to shade of white in your design skills arsenal?

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Design Trends 2013

I'm typically not one to follow trends; the only ones I can recall following from 2012 were the high-low skirt trend and the turban trend - the latter of which I never wore outside of my house, thank god. I put it on and spent a good 10 minutes trying to make it look like I had envisioned, when it dawned on me: I live in Portland, not LA, and I am not trendy. Free People's online marketing campaign had hypnotized me into believing I was though, for the five minutes it took to add the turban to my shopping cart then charge it to my credit card. Maybe I'll incorporate it into some weird Halloween costume this year and it won't go completely to waste.

So, when it comes to trends I end up either chickening out and the item just stays in my closet or I'll wear the thing a few times then feel like it's way past its prime (even if it technically isn't). But interior design trends are different, and that's why I wanted to do this post. Unless it's something that has rarely been done before and then EVERYONE and their hairstylist is behind the trend (chevron, Keep Calm and Carry On), interior design trends seem to be a little more subtle and therefore have more staying power. I perused blogs, magazines, and other interior design inspiration hot spots to come up with a short list of design trends that will be big in 2013. I hope you enjoy and get some kind of inspiration for the year ahead.

High-gloss / Lacquer

I love this trend because it can be done on a variety of scales: from accessories to walls, furniture to floors. For example, if you have a nightstand or dresser that needs a fresh coat of paint, you can just buy a high-gloss color at Home Depot and call yourself the Rachel Bilson of interiors. I accidentally followed this trend a few years back when I needed to repaint some furniture I'd picked up at a flea market (and lived with as-is for far too long) and for some reason or another went with high-gloss for my dresser and kitchen table. There have been absolutely no regrets since.

a glossy turquoise cabinet via Pinterest

balls to the lacquered orange walls via Odi et Amo

a pretty high-gloss nightstand via Decor Pad

Brass/Gold

Get the heck out of here silver because brass and gold are IN. This trend makes me especially happy because I usually answer with "gold" when someone asks me my favorite color. The color combos are endless: cream, slate blue and gold; pink, white and gold; navy, chartreuse and gold... I could go on forever. This is another trend that can be followed on a budget, just collect a few brass accessories or search for a brass lamp at garage and estate sales - trust me you will find one!

brass fixtures via The New York Times

brass lighting via Design Crisis

brass in the bathroom via Thunder In Our Heart

Grass Cloth Walls

If only I didn't live in an apartment and if only I had crossed "buy a sofa" off my to-do list. This trend is a bit of a splurge for most of it, but doesn't the beauty of this luxe wall covering make it worth it sometimes? Often done in pale blues, greens and greys, I love this in an unexpected color like pink or navy.

a warm shade of grass cloth La Dolce Vita

a serene green grass cloth (and notice the desk?) via La Maison Boheme

my favorite grass cloth of the bunch via Elle Decor

Emerald Green

As Pantone's "Color of the Year," you're going to be seeing green everywhere in 2013. Hopefully in more ways than one! Be bold and paint a wall or four in this bright jewel tone or simply bring some new green and white decorative pillows into your living room. Even though the trend is a particular shade of green, I can guarantee you this hue will have a pretty lax interpretation.

a bold green wall via Andie Johnson Sews

Pantone emerald green chairs via Chic & Deco

green all over the place via My Luscious Life

Natural Elements

A nod to nature will continue to be big in 2013, demonstrated with the use of raw materials in remodels, rustic furniture, vignettes of shells, bones, rocks, feathers and art depicting wild animals, vegetation, and interesting natural landscapes. My goal this year is to create a collection of potted succulents in front of my kitchen window and up the number of indoor plants in the rest of my apartment (because Mr. Staghorn is lonely).

dried wildflowers via Design Sponge

a driftwood wall via Design Sponge

a collection of bird prints via BHG

And to wrap it up, one trend I saw pop up but just can't get behind? Camo. Sorry folks, I will not be upholstering my couch in red, yellow and pink camouflage and I hope you won't be either. ;)

What 2013 design trend are you most excited about?

Neat freaks, I envy you.

Cleaning. Bleh.

I am not a fan, I'll be honest. My mom can attest to that. Every since I was a little kid, my bedroom has been on the messy side more often than not. And even now, it's a good day if my room has a clear path from the bed to the door. And an even better night. Getting up at 3am in the dark and tripping over a giant exercise ball or stepping on the pointy heel of a boot is not fun at all.

I don't know why I don't stay on top of this better, because when it comes down to it, there are few things as satisfying as having a clean room when you go to sleep at night. Ahh the feng shui of it all. My main problem is too many clothes. I know I'm not alone in this (girls). Clean, dirty, still in the yellow plastic Forever 21 bag, on the floor, on the bed, hanging to dry on drawer knobs and chair backs... it takes over. Ugh. Even the Jersey Shore kids have it under control better than I do.

A made-up bed without piles of clothes on top: straight up dreamy

Well, I've made the decision to try really, really hard to improve. I'm 26, I should have this. So, like most things people are bad at and want to get better at - I need practice. I need to practice every night with a plan of action. Well, thank god for Google... because I found one: the "15 Minute Bedroom Cleanup" from About.com's Housekeeping section. My goal is to get my time down to 12 minutes and 15 seconds. And the best part is that it tells me that the difficulty level is "easy." Phew. (Which reminds me of one of my guy friend's favorite quotes and now one of my favorite quotes: "How good it feels to do nothing and then rest afterward." In the same line of thought, this friend and I have an ongoing sleep competition - so far I hold the record - 17 hours without waking up for more than a rollover. What can I say, I have a comfy bed. Which is much comfier in a clean room ... back on track!)

This 15 Minute Bedroom Cleanup proposes some simple steps to a clean room and I'm going to condense it into something even simpler:

1) Grab all dirty clothing and put it in a hamper or laundry bag. Okay, easy and kind of fun. I'll be showin off my Ray Allen skillz.

2) Grab all clean clothes and re-hang or fold and put away. Here's the doozy.

3) Grab all trash and put in the trash can. Easy. Like a cool down after dealing with all of those clothes.

4) Make the bed. I totally agree with this. It makes a huge difference because it will look like a pretty cloud in the middle of your room. At least mine does. (down comforter...)

5) Straighten surfaces. Okay, this one needs a little more direction. "If it has been a long time since you have cleaned in here, you may have large accumulations of your stuff that belongs in your room but is not in its proper place. Take a brief survey of this "stuff". If in a minute or less you can put it all away, do so. If not place it all in a container so that you can go through it and organize it later." Ahh okay. Sounds good to me.

6) Sweep/Vacuum. This sounds a little ambitious for a daily clean up aka this part probably won't happen, but whatever.

And.... dunzo! I'll let you guys know how this works out.... starting tomorrow. I'm tired and diving for the bed!

**** After seeing this post my darling Aunt Bongie (that's pronounced Bon-jee, short for Bondurant, it's French... my family's cool like that) emailed me some more ideas to make the cleaning process a little more fun. And she's so right...cleaning should be as fun as it can possibly be, cuz like I said, by itself it's Bleh. Here are her suggestions:

"Before work make up your bed, it only takes a few seconds then when you come home your room looks great and you're in a good mood just entering. Also, buy yourself some flowers that always makes me happier, just having them in the room. Another thing to try is when really having to clean the place put on your fav music even if on your ipod so you don't bother the roomies and light your fav candle. It makes cleaning much more fun and I actually like cleaning now, well except maybe the toilets.... you just can't make that good!!!"

Thanks Bonj! :)