fab bike storage for small spaces




When I got my sweet orange beach cruiser last year, I wasn't quite sure where to store it. Super fun to ride but kind of big and clunky for my small space. To be honest, I am still looking for a bike storage in the home idea (click here to see my bike just hanging out in the background in the main room

I've read a few ideas for bike storage but I've been looking for a more functional idea and think I may have found it. Loving this bike shelf by talented designer, Chris, of Knife & Saw. A super clever way to use your wall (go vertical, yes!) cool and stylin, I think this bike shelf could be a very cool addition to my small space. It's a bit pricey but looks well-made so more to come on this one. What do you think of this bike storage idea? Have a good one to share?

:: Images via Knife & Saw :: 

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small space accents
stamped silver






I hope you all had an awesome holiday! I had a great time with my family and new puppy. While I was at my parents home, we made some time to do some window shopping - one of my favorite things. Yes, I enjoy purchasing home goodies but often enjoy the inspiration I get from walking around the shops and boutiques. One of the accents I spotted throughout the different stores were stamped silver pieces. Love these! Sophisticated, pretty with tons of style edge, stamped silver accents are a great idea for small spaces because of their sweet shine. Hey, a mirrored surface is a mirrored surface, right? :) You don't have to go crazy with mirrors but adding small accents here and there adds dimension to your square footage. 


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design time
design sponge, d.i.y. or die, i want to be her, shopping is my cardio, pinterest, covet and the ruby press blog


If you are like me then, oh, well, you get completely sucked into design blog after design blog until you realize a few hours have passed and you now want to completely redecorate your home. hmm? Yes this happens to me. a lot. I call this living on DESIGN TIME. I find so many fantastic blogs that I want to talk about so I have decided to start a little series where I capture my *lost in time* moments.

My most recent DESIGN TIME was spent going to a few fashion, interior, lifestyle blogs. I am planning a trip to Portland soon so I went to design* to check out Grace's city guide. Love this resource - all of the cities listed are so full of places to shop, eat and visit that my travel list has grown quite substantially. I love that Grace has often asked local bloggers to review and profile the city. The designsponge city guide is the place to check out before traveling to one of these many cities listed.



Once there, I found Shopping is my Cardio (the cute blogger, Becki, that covered Portland shopping for the post) and spent tons of time checking out her picks for best shopping, dining and all around gems in Portland. She often shares local Portland artists on her site (like the painting below) as well as shopping deals and sales - like one on that very cool and shiny necklace.I love that she also consults with shops on their look and feel - great gig, right?





Next I found a link to Covet, a cool and chic shop in Portland that is full of classic and indie fashion designers. I love the look and feel of the site and the building that it's located in - don't you love a brick building? I definitely do - reminds my of New York. Plus their shop is gorgeous!




I was inspired by fashion after seeing their shop and clicked on my Pinterest page to see what gems my community that I follow had uploaded. Seriously, this is my daily inspiration place. Everyday. There is SO much style and design right here - I can definitely dedicate a design time post to this site alone. many of them, in fact. Part of my pinterest page is shown below - you definitely should go and check out all of the great pins. Fair warning - hours can be easily lost getting drawn into the beautiful imagery.




I found a great Lonny image that then led me to Melissa of Ruby Press PR's blog. I had met Melissa this past summer at the Nesting Newbies shoot. She is *very* sweet and her PR company rocks. While I was spending, oh, an hour or so going through her lovely blog, I discovered a very cool and new blog called I Want To Be Her!





I want to be her! is the brainchild of Lucky magazine contributor, Andrea Linnet (ya know, the page she edited of her fave finds and an illustration of her?) She now has a new blog that takes this idea further, showcasing stylish ladies. And, yes, I want to be many of them :)




From there I linked back to Pinterest and checked out their blog. Like my a small chat interview series, they have one called Pinterviews, showcasing members of the community. There I discovered Tiger, a design blogger covering all things Scandanvia. Of course, I was hooked and more design time spent later, I found her blog for Elle Interiors called D.I.Y. or DIE (clever, right?!) Such great ideas in here - *love* this one where you color the inside of a glass.





Then I looked at the clock and - wowza - had time gone by. I am excited to share these mini blogging adventures with you guys and I'd love to hear about yours. Check back soon for my next DESIGN TIME, I am sure it won't be long until I get sucked back in. :)


:: All images via the blog owner, hyperlinked in this post ::



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best small space accent
wallpaper touches





I absolutely love wallpaper touches and think they add such style and design love in a small space. Best use - wallpapering the back of a bookcase or a wall of shelves. Great dimension that makes a space feel bigger, wallpapering a little bit of your small space is a best small space accent. I spotted this pretty look at the Viceroy in Palm Springs and wanted to share it with you. Another great look, Viv of Ish and Chi's home - love her kitchen cabinets. And this look is affordable and a great small space d.i.y. - fun!

Check out more BEST SMALL SPACE ACCENTS:


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Design spotting recap

design spotting | palm springs
part 5. affordable & personal terraiums







design spotting | palm springs | terraiums

I am wrapping up my week of design spotting in Palm Springs and enjoyed sharing some of the cool designs that I spotted during my night away. I am loving my last post and was happy to find tons and tons of sweet terraium displays. I have a soft place in my heart for these little guys since I grew up with one in my house in Maryland. I love the mix and match style of the glass with the rocks, stones and style. And the cool thing is these displays are super easy and super affordable to make as a small space d.i.y. - yes! Grab your favorite glass piece and fill it with your fave finds. And you can be creative, I am loving this very modern terrarium. 

Check out this week's design spotting in Palm Springs
:: All photos by me ::


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design spotting | palm springs
part 4. stripes in small spots














design spotting | palm springs | stripes

It's been fun sharing some of my fave design finds from my little mini-trip to Palm Springs last week. We are doing a big 180 today from my post yesterday about navajo style. I spotted tons and tons of stripes in Palm Springs and, why not?? They are fun, whimsical and provide retro design style to modern layouts.

I personally love love love stripes (see here and here) and think they add texture and style. Go more bold with orange and yellow or keep it as a neutral chic palette in gray, let's say? When we stopped off at the Blue Pear for lunch (that margarita was divine :) , I enjoyed seeing the black and white striped decor, a nice element against the desert landscape. I spotted their fun bathroom and wanted to share it with you. This is a great example of going BIG in small spaces - like a bathroom or closet. The entire room was striped and worked. It did not feel overwhelming but rather cohesive.

What do you think about stripes? Have you tried using this design element in your small space?


Check out this week's design spotting in Palm Springs
*AFFORDABLE and PERSONAL TERRARIUMS

:: All photos by me ::

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design spotting | palm springs
part 3. navajo patterns.










 design spotting | palm springs | navajo patterns

I've been posting about design inspiration from my mini-trip to Palm Springs last week. Spotted so far - gorgeous and clever conversation areas as well as tons of citrus style in decor and design. Today I wanted to share another style, of course, inspired by the pretty desert landscape - navajo patterns. Boho chic meets lo-fi love, this style is such a great accent in a small space. I do love this rug, a common accent seen in navajo weave. I do also love the couch in the coffee shop that showcased the look. (doesn't it look great against that rock wall and with the turquoise lamps? love this!) It's funny, I don't really regard these looks as trends but rather a style that you can use in your home. 

Have you enjoyed this style in your own space? Share your story.