Hello and welcome to a new week on decor8! I am so glad that you’ve joined me because I have a lot of nice things to share with you this week! First on my list is this fun contest over at Norske Interior, you can vote for your favorite blogger bedroom. I voted for my favorite, now it’s your turn – you can vote here. I thought I’d include five of my favorites from their entries.

Livs Lyst

Hannes Dagbok

A tiny bit of heaven

Loppe Leah

Fryd + Design

These are all so simple and pure, aren’t they? As much as I love a well designed bedroom I find myself going back time and time again to the simple and pure bedrooms in my design files – the casual, laid back, somewhat neutral and very cozy spaces. Because I battle between thought out and carefully edited rooms and the carefree, romantic spaces I see, I am starting to develop for myself a happy medium and finding yet a new look for my future bedroom.

So often we think we can be boxed into certain looks but our tastes are constantly being influenced — always evolving — and lately I can see mine evolving faster than ever before! I feel like I’m seeing so much living here in Europe now that I’m able to take everything from my life in the states, combine it with what I love here and POOF! I’m eventually going to churn out a very authentic and personal decorating sense that will be much like the former Holly style with a twist. The twist coming from my new experiences living abroad. I’m really loving this process! I wonder if others who relocated to another part of the world went through something similar about a year after they arrived — noticing the “big merge” — everything from their past combining with everything in their present….

This year has been such a life changing experience for me and as I enter my second year abroad I can’t wait to see where I am in another year. For me, my vision just keeps getting clearer and clearer because trends and lifestyle experts don’t influence life so much so you start to tap in more to what YOU yourself love and not what those on the outside, in ads, on television, are telling you to love. There is also the language barrier. I was talking to a new artist friend in Amsterdam this summer when I visited her home and she admitted to not knowing Dutch yet (she is American) yet how she almost likes not knowing is because she is able to clearly see herself more without all of the influence from the outside. I can read a great deal of German, but so much is still fuzzy to me that in many ways I’m still experiencing this period when there is very little outside noise to influence me so I’m able to really hear my own voice and it’s really, really nice.

And so, these bedrooms inspired me today. I can’t wait to see how my new bedroom will look once I move soon. I wonder how this past year of my life spent abroad will shape my choices? It’s so interesting to see these changes — just when you think you know so much about yourself I guess you either have to have a child or move to another country because then you are suddenly asking yourself a million questions and thinking in so many new ways!

(images: linked to their sources above)

What girl doesn’t dream of owning D. Porthault linens? It seems like a very city girl thing to have, especially in New York and London, where I seem to see them in bedrooms the most. In fact, one of my dear friends just spent over $1,000 on linens for her bed and I must say, I was a bit green because I could never imagine spending that much on sheets but then again, I was raised differently than she was — my parents were not into luxury brands so I never gave them much of a thought.

To me, luxury goods were part of someone else’s world, not mine, and I was okay with that. But after seeing her amazing sheets and spending the night in her flat (she dressed my bed in them as well), I began thinking that perhaps the luxury world does not have to belong to the rich and fabulous, perhaps I could hit a D. Porthault tag sale in London or New York in the near future or maybe buy one or two nice things vs. an entire collection, just to have some of the luxx in my life. Though I must admit, I’ve never spent $200 on a bath towel so I think I’d need a very strong cocktail to get the courage!

D. Porthault is a luxury brand made in France using the finest materials, designed by the D. Porthault team in Paris. It’s a very exclusive brand, the Rolls Royce of linens. That makes them very expensive, you can expect to pay around $200 for a 56″ x 48″ bath towel or $150 for a slightly smaller one measuring around 31″ x 51″. Not for the budget minded shopper. But there is a place for luxury items, we need them in the world, and so I support the luxury market because a little Chanel, Tiffany and D. Porthault goes a very long way!

Are you a D. Porthault fan? Do you own or are you like me, a secret admirer? I would love to own the Bouquet Eclate towels for my new guest bathroom or the lovely pink Coeurs towels OR (I know, right?) the yellow Mimosa pattern. For the bed, I adore nearly all of the patterns shown here, they are so feminine and the sheets themselves feel like heaven to slip between.

So tell me, do you buy luxury goods? If so, what do you buy and why? How much money would you spend on luxury items for yourself or for your home?

(images: D. Porthault)

Good morning and happy Monday + new week to you! Let’s jump right in – head first – and get inspired by some decorating ideas shall we? What do you see when you try to imagine a vinyl wall decal of a headboard? Do you see something as cool as these from Blik? I personally love this idea but I may change things up though because it’s fun to customize and get creative! After checking out these images together I’ll give you some creative ideas on how to use them, below.

Decorating idea: Okay so I’m thinking that it would be really fun to buy one, install it, and then with a pencil trace around it and then remove it. Now you can handpaint, apply fabric or wallpaper or do whatever you would like now — you can use the vinyl as a giant stencil of sorts. You could also use Nessa in a pretty cool way — trace the outline very lightly (the inner edges not the outer) and remove the decal. Paint only the inner section of the silhouette in your favorite color or even wallpaper it in a fun pattern. Once everything is all set and dry, put the decal back up. Viola! Wouldn’t that be sweet?

All of the above photos show vinyl decals but you must know that all decals are available in a range of colors so if those shown down appeal to you then click here to see more. The Nessa in yellow is my favorite. What design appeals to you?

(images: blik)

Ah… a lovely bed greeting you as you enter your sleeping quarters. Bliss! One that is dressed simply but beautifully making it a gorgeous focal point but also a cozy spot to curl up in and leave your cares behind. Would you like to see a beautiful bed? This is Danielle’s bedroom in her gorgeous country home outside of Amsterdam, she shot a photo of it because she just received a limited supply of vintage bedspreads in white — no two are the same — and she offered me one and this is what I selected…

It just arrived today and I scooped it up out of its box like a newborn baby  — holding it up into the air smiling like a total dork from some cheesy fabric softener commercial. But when you find something so lovely you cannot help but feel a sense of pride overly a newly acquired gem.

If you like this one, Danielle has about 8 more in different sizes and patterns that she will list on Ebay this weekend. You may want watch this page (currently there is nothing in stock but that will change!) to make sure that you do not miss your chance because trust me — you really will love one of these on your bed!

(image: danielle delange)