Inspirational Styling & Ideas

Looking through the pages of VTWonen is always a beautiful adventure for me. When I came back from the states, a fresh new issue awaited me in the mailbox and it filled me with pleasure as I examined its contents - so fresh and inspiring! I think the stuff coming out of the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden are super interesting and fresh -- VTWonen is a Dutch magazine -- and I delight whenever I see the styling work coming out of these countries... their take on interiors and objects is very creative don't you think? Here are some examples of what I am referring to... I'll take you through each photo with some of my own notes and ideas for you today.

If you carefully cut floral patterns out of your favorite wallpaper, you can adhere them to a cabinet like this one. Lovely! You can do the same with fabric.

You don't always need a proper coffee table, why not use a stool instead?

Try using buttons as hooks - this is a sweet idea, isn't it?

Do you knit? Why not knit up some socks for your tables, chairs or stools?

Try making (or shopping for) a quilt made out of wool squares? It's tactile and adds warmth to your home and to you during cold weather. While you're at it, why not be inspired by the wool squares and build a palette for your room? You can pick up the colors in the throw also on your shelves and throw pillows. Another tip: You do not need to place objects on ALL of your shelves... a little breathing room goes a long way as you can see above.

I'm not sure what is on this wall, but upon closer inspection it almost appears to be squares of plywood white-washed. If so, what a lovely idea! But that is not what attracted me to this arrangement -- it's the patchwork throw rug on the floor. I am dying to either make one or buy something similar this winter. I love the idea of using a bunch of vintage kilim rugs in this way.

I guess you can call this photo the ultimate chair shot. I mean, c'mon -- isn't this shabby-terrific chair to die for? I love it in all of its raggedy charm.

Hello pretty decor idea. Jars on a shelf with little sprigs of lavender, a walnut, some ribbon inside? I mean, this is so sweet, affordable and easy. I use jars for vintage photos of my family (see mine here) but this is a pretty idea, too.

A. Love how simple paper is collaged on a wall with a deer head sitting on top of the arrangement. The wall color is gorgeous, too. B. I love this piece of furniture, if you don't have something like it you can try the idea of simply painting a dresser gray and your drawer fronts in cream for a similar look. C. A branch painted white and used to display your kitchen utensils? BRILLIANT. D. I love the idea of using metal glass cabinets on top of tables to display certain precious things that you don't want little hands to grab at (or big curious hands to pick up!).

E. I really like the whiteness of this dresser with the hardware in white, too. Something about it is soothing... Though I'd have to add some pattern so perhaps I'd line the drawers with colorful wallpaper and paint the exteriors of the drawers in bright yellow so there is a little surprise when you open them. F. What a pretty idea for displaying your cherished jewelry! Put a jewelry tree and a pretty stem in a display box on top of your dresser. Lovely! G. Painting a wall a super electric color like this, then wallpapering a thick border around it like this one in a patchwork style takes a lot of guts, doesn't it? But with results like this, courage really pays off! H. This sofa almost looks like something a kid would have in a collage, almost futon-like, right? But with a beautiful patchwork wool throw spread across it, and simple surroundings that are quite neutral, it went from collage dorm to casual and chic. There is hope for a futon!

I. It can be a lot of fun to play around with scale as this example shows. What makes this arrangement work though is that no single item is the main star, they are all equals, so your eye just follows the arrangement with ease. J. I have come across a ton of these rattan chairs, in natural wood, before but the idea of spray painting one black never crossed my mind until I saw this photo. It really made the lines of this chair so much more pronounced and interesting. The massive rug is lovely too, the pattern is gorgeous in black and white. To create this look on a budget, I saw a round maize rug like this in Los Angeles at the World Market store on Fairfax in green/white, chocolate/white and red/white for only $19.99 and wish I could have fit it in my luggage -- gorgeous! K. The massive pleated drum pendant steals the show but it's the table cover that attracted my attention the most with it's almost tie-dyed border and uneven hem. Fab. L. Plaid pizza restaurant wallpaper in blue and white? In a bedroom? Why not! This works, doesn't it?

1. I like the idea of displaying only white objects like this - it is very attractive and makes for a interesting, soft focal point. And if you happen to have a lot of white ceramic pieces like I do, it can control the clutter of having them spread all over the home by grouping them in a single space. 2. You barely notice a sofa with an outstanding throw laid on the sofa like this one. So if your sofa is a bit blah, try placing a gorgeous throw, scarf, or blanket on it neatly to draw the eye away from the couch and onto the bright, happy fabric that you love. 3. Show of hands, how many of you own this shelf/ledge from IKEA? I do! Most people tend to keep it white but this one is the hottest pink in the world and well, it's fun and interesting. So why not paint your shelf in a complementary color that will add a little spark to your space? 4. I really love it when people adhere their favorite fabric to those boring white pull-down plastic shades. It is so pretty to have pattern on the windows like this, especially for those who rent and cannot add color to the walls. It's a good way to bring pattern to eye level.

5. While finding a fabulous drum pendant like this one may be a chore, you can easily duplicate the look of this table by simply painting your tabletop in a rad color that makes you happy. 6. Do you have pillows and blankets that you could fold neatly and stack near your sofa or fireplace? If you never thought about it before, this pile of pretty things may inspire you. 7. If you want to add storage to your workspace, try arranging boxes and bins on a wall in a similar fashion as shown above. It's interesting to look at and will help you to enjoy work a lot more when you know where everything is! 8. A bright bowl with some favorite photos and postcards inside against a lovely tablecloth is sometimes all it takes to give a kitchen a boost!

I hope that you have enjoyed some of my decorating and styling ideas today as I was quite inspired by VTWonen and wanted to share some of my own thoughts with their gorgeous photography. Now I'm curious though, out of all of the ideas above, what stands out the most to you? What would you try at home? What have you already tried?

(images: vtwonen)