fancy sparkle shorts

That's what this photo is saved as on my computer.  Google reverse image search didn't turn up a source, so I have no idea where it came from, but I luuurve it.

I don't know if I could pull off an outfit like this, but I could definitely live in this room.  Duh, I am totally this glamourous.

The Deep Dream Velvet Sofa from Graham & Green is sleek and feminine, but still looks comfortable (difficult combination to find!) and is available in a million gorgeous colors.

These Waterfall Ruffle Curtains from Urban Outfitters also come in a blush pink that would be even prettier/girly-er in the room, but I wanted to stay with the photo's color scheme.  For a little girls room?  Totally...

My favorite sequined pillow from a random internet bedding store... Looked good here too.  (Funny story: at least 5 people a day come to this blog by searching "denim couch" and finding that post.)  This is a smaller touch of sparkle than the photo's shirt, but a big, glittering chandelier would have the same effect.

This Classic Glass Top Coffee Table from ABC Home (awesome online store that I can't afford anything from, but... whatev) is a little pricey, but Nate Berkus makes a similar one for a few less bucks.

Search "hanging lotus lamp" or "tulip lamp" on ebay or etsy and you'll find lots of gorgeous lamps like this brass one. The lamp and the table echo the brass buttons from the jacket and add some of the shine from that killer top.

Some deep red garden and cabbage roses give a little nod to the maroon lining of the jacket (and of course, every room needs flowers!)  Maybe an arrangement in a pretty cut glass bowl?  I love the color combination between the white, navy, gold and pinky-red.

I will never look this chic

My friend Loryn turned me on to a fantastic blog, Cupcakes and Cashmere.  It's written by Emily Schuman, from LA, and she's got killer style.  I always love her outfits, but this one slays me - especially with that necklace.  It's from J. Crew and comes in a bunch of colors.  (I like the multi-colored one.  Said in the voice of Sophia Grace.)

Emily Schuman at Cupcakes and Cashmere

I wanted to make a room that captured the bright white of the dress and the rustic/urban elements of the background with the gorgeous pops of orange and cognac leather.

1. The Cove Sofa from John Derian might be the perfect modern white couch.  It's got clean lines but still has a bit of character.  I love the small dip from the back of the couch down to the arms.

2. The Regina Andrew scalloped wood bead chandelier mixes wood beads and weathered metal that brings to mind the colors and textures of the photo's background and her vintage clutch.

3 & 4. This Serena and Lily tan Moroccan leather pouf and vintage cognac leather chair (from somewhere random on the internet and unavailable for purchase - I'm so helpful, aren't I?) are gorgeous, but there are actually lots of easily found beat up leather chairs and ottomans in this color.  While the sleekness of this chair and the patchwork of the pouf are fantastic, the contrast between the crisp white sofa and the worn caramel leather will still work with a thrift store purchase.  (Or regular store purchase... The thrift store is just always where I end up shopping.)

5. I layered this vintage orange Turkish rug and Anthropologie's floral fresco rug for some texture.  (The Anthro rug also brings in the coral tones from the necklace.)  You could also go with a lightly patterned rug in that orange color on top of a warm wooden floor; it'd look fantastic.

6. The pop of this bright orange pillow and the burlap coral pillow bring the colors of Emily's shoes and necklace to the room.  A color that bright might be scary to some, but if you keep the fabric luxurious and textured (like a velvet or nice linen) then it doesn't veer into cheap Halloween decoration territory.

7. The Ichibad round side table grounds the space (along with those sleek, dark couch legs) and has a those gorgeous turned legs that look ornate and ambiguously "ethnic" but are still chic and modern.

8. The vintage orange glass hanging lamp brings a little bit of glamour to the room (a la that killer necklace) but I'd also like to see a big grouping of cut glass amber candle holders on the coffee table.  You have to have a little bit of sparkle in every room.

Every room.

jeans, leopard and sparkles

I've been reading What I Wore for a while and I've always loved her effortless, chic style.  (Plus, her last name is Quirk!  How great is that?)

She recently posted a simple Friday night outfit that I was instantly drawn to.  I love the combination of the faded denim, the leopard heels and super sparkly gold clutch.

photo by Jessica Quirk, What I Wore

Being me, I instantly wondered how I could bring that feeling into a room.  What's the equivalent to a worn-in old pair of jeans?  A comfy couch!  Now you could be really literal in translating those jeans into furniture and end up with this:

Haha!  Just joking.  But... that overstuffed, curl up with book, oh-so-comfy shape of the couch is what I'm thinking of, as un-chic as it might seem.   At first I thought about a plain white couch, like this one from Crate and Barrel.  Simple, easy to find and pretty ubiquitous (like a pair of jeans...)

1. The Lounge Slipcovered Sofa from Crate and Barrel.

2. My favorite of the pillows (from the randomest of weird internet shopping places) is the Bouganvillea Sequin Pillow from Horchow.

3. Etsy was a great resource.  This snow leopard pillow is from MiCasaBella - her etsy shop is a great resource for graphic pillows in any color.

4. More gold sequins.  RaineStyleHome's etsy shop is full of cute pillows and bags.  Look at this flying pig makeup bag!

5.  More Etsy! This leopard pillow is from AriannaBelle's shop and I'm loving the colors of this Adras Ikat pillow cover.

Now I like this, but, it doesn't have enough character.  That's something you need to think about when you're trying to copy something for your own home.  You might find a chair that has the same characteristics as the one in your "dream living room" inspiration photo (cognac brown, turned wood legs, high back)... But does it have the same feeling? If the chair in the picture looks like someone found it in their grandfather's library and yours looks like you got it in a living room furniture set on sale at JC Penny's, then you might want to look for something else.  The perfect chair for you might be a lighter brown and have a tufted back with short rustic legs; but if it would look at home surrounded by giant bookshelves, it'll still work!

So.  Jeans (and shirt) in the top photo.  What are they like?  They're certainly not Old Navy Jeans and a brand new chambray shirt.  They're worn in, have some character (that word again!) but still have a chic and current shape.  Where does this leave me with my couch?

I'm thinking leather.

Leather couches are hard.  As Emily Henderson so brilliantly put it, you want the James Dean and Paul Newman of leather couches, not the New Jersey and bachelor pad ones.  (Click on that link and read the first few paragraphs of the post.  Awesome!)  You can, of course, imagine my favorite of her tips: "When in doubt, buy a chesterfield." Right!  So, I'm gonna go to the grandaddy of all fake vintage/so expensive/but gorgeous all the same furniture: Restoration Hardware.  I think that "worn" leather chesterfield will have the same feeling as an old pair of jeans and faded chambray shirt.

Same pillows, a couch with a lot more character.  Of course, now, it's a totally different color scheme than our picture.  Sometimes, that's totally fine; don't get caught up in having to exactly match your inspiration pictures.  

But... I have an inkling that there has to be an un-hideous denim couch out there.  (Actually that first Crate and Barrel couch came in a denim fabric that would have been cute if not for the bright yellow stitching...)  Since we're already going crazy expensive with the Restoration Hardware couch (the big one was on sale from $12k to $10k!), let's ignore how expensive this couch from 1st dibs is.  (The kind of expensive that doesn't have prices)

Here, you get denim with the clean, chic lines of the skinny jeans in our original outfit.  The couch is from the 60's, so it has some character to it.  (Crikeys, I need to find another word besides "character!"  It's just such a good word!)  Though I said that it didn't matter just a few paragraphs ago, it has the same colors and textures of Jessica's outfit.

I think this is kind of fun, turning an outfit into a room.  I might try this again.  I can pretend I'm Domino.

ETA: I didn't realized that last picture was so blurry.  Sorry!/Too lazy to fix it...