A yellow and gray day.

The color scheme of our home office is yellow and gray. (I'm painting it this week so it is in disarry - otherwise I would post pictures.) My yellow Tolix chair was scratched badly in our move, and I have always loved this Eames chair. I'd only seen images of it in white or black. Then I saw this photo over at decor8. Love the chair. It is going to the top of my wish list.

The cover-up.

My husband and I have been trying to choose a style of window covering for our two kitchen windows. The windows face out into our backyard which is relatively private. We've narrowed it down to roman blinds...

(tonic living)

...or cafe-style plantation shutters.

(thecaliforniacompany.co.uk)

(selectshutters.co.uk)

Both options are custom, which means they come with a higher price tag and no room for changing our minds. I'd love to hear your opinions!

Thursday's Things to Love:

flat-weave rugs

(west elm)

(macys)

(discontinued IKEA rug via door sixteen)

(madeline weinrib)

While I do enjoy a plush rug every now and again, there is something about flat-weaves that just gets me. I love how they add subtle texture and warmth to a room. I love that you can find great options with a reasonable price tag. What I love most of all are the amazing colors and patterns these rugs are available in.

While we're on the topic.

I had this pillow made (by Tiffany, of course) for our sunroom.
I ordered this pillow for our guest bedroom.And this fabric arrived for a pillow in our master bedroom.

A pretty pillow.

The pillows on our living room couch (with the exception of revolving accent pillows) have been the same since before we were married. They're great down filled forms with a removable cover from Thomas O'Brien's line for Target. However, one of my goals with our new home was to bring in more color, and new pillows seemed like an easy and fun option. Here are the pillows that have graced our couch since 2006:
And here are my fun new pillows:I had already purchased the fabric, which is Kelly Wearstler's Imperial Trellis pattern. Then I had the new pillow covers sewn by Tiffany of modernthread. I saw her work at the Bijou Market and she has excellent taste and craftsmanship. She takes custom orders, or you can check out her etsy shop.

Don't try this at home.

When we were at our Habitat for Humanity's ReStore last week, we noticed rolls and rolls of green painter's tape. Any of you out there that have recently been painting will know that green tape = Frog Tape = awesome edges. So I asked the lady at the counter if this was actually Frog Tape, and she told me it was a generic version of it. At a third the regular cost we thought to ourselves, "Great, let's do this thing." Let me save you some time here. The generic stuff does not work. I put it on our ceiling and the next morning it was peeling off, hanging down all over the place. Boo. Back the store it went, and off to Wal-Mart we went, to buy the cheapest Frog Tape we have found.

Thursday's Things to Love:

Anthropologie's latte bowls
I'm convinced that these are the perfect bowls. When we registered for our wedding, I skipped the bowls entirely because I already knew just what I wanted. Plus they come in a large variety of colors, and each year they bring out new ones. Not too wide, not too shallow, not too plain, and not too spendy... they're just right.

Nesting Newbies magazine.

Yesterday on Apartment Therapy I learned about another online magazine called Nesting Newbies. Currently in its third issue, this magazine is more about lifestyle than decorating, but there are some gorgeous images inside. I fell in love with this dining room, and now it has me completely re-thinking my white dining chair plan.

(nesting newbies)

Habitat for Humanity ReStore.

(armstrong)(no more mauve)

After hearing about Habitat for Humanity's ReStore from several people, my husband and I decided to check out the one just 30 minutes from our home. The store carries everything from furniture to cleaning supplies to toilets. They have an incredible amount of building supplies, which is awesome for new homeowners of old homes like us. We found Armstrong vinyl tiles for $0.33/sq. ft., which is a third of the price we found at retailers online. We were thrilled because we already had plans to replace the carpet in our sunroom with vinyl tile, as well as change out the linoleum in our kitchen for a checkerboard pattern of vinyl tile (a la the lovely image above). I love that we'll be making upgrades to our home while using materials from the era our home was built. The best part is that these stores are located all over the country, so chances are there is one near you!

My garden surprise.

It has been a long spring here in SLC, and after months of rain (and snow) the sun is out and everything is in bloom. It is especially fun watching our yard sprout with flowers planted by the previous owners. I love waking up each day to find beautiful new poppies, roses, irises, and peonies growing in our yard.

Utah state pride.

You may have noticed my awesome Utah art in this post. It was designed by Jenna of q.a. Design. She happens to reside right here in the Beehive State, but she does great prints of every state. She even customizes her work (at no extra charge), so you can place your heart over any city in the state and change up the colors. For my print the stripes match the color of my kitchen while the state matches the accents in my front room. Since the console it sits on is visible from both rooms it makes a great tie-in. I was very pleased with Jenna's work and get many compliments on my print. For more information or to order your own print, visit her etsy shop.

Lonny Mag: Issue 5.

As Kirsten over at 6th Street Design School pointed out, the 5th of issue of Lonny Mag is out today and it is full of inspiration. There are so many beautiful images that I chose just a few of my favorites.

Bedrooms

I simply cannot get enough of white bedrooms.

Cool Lonny feature: Click on an item in any image and a new window opens showing you how to purchase it. For example a click on that cool art above the desk sends you here.

Guest Bedrooms

My right brain loves the symmetry of these rooms.

Living Rooms

Love that Suzani Jewel fabric. You can find it all over the web.This issue has a really cool resource guide for the pieces in this room.

Bathroom

I love the moody, intimate look of dark or wallpapered bathrooms.

And a quote that I could not agree with more:

"There's no secret to finding great antiques: you simply have to buy what you like. By the time you build a collection, a common thread will appear since it's your own eye that's picked everything out, and you'll know how to use it." -interior designer Elizabeth Bauer

IKEA hacker stalker.

I have been stalking my local IKEA store for nearly a month now, trying to get my hands on a rug. Not long after my previous rug post I was able to purchase the gray and yellow rug, but not the black and white. So last Monday, after weeks of checking the stock online daily, I found that there were four rugs available at my store. Four. By the time I got to the store 30 minutes later there were just two on the shelf. Moral of the story: You want something you've got to work for it (and this rug is crazy popular). I'm just happy that one is now residing in our guest bedroom.

Blog world shout-out.

One blogger that I like to follow is Michelle from Three Men and a Lady. Her DIY projects require a patience and stamina that I will probably never possess. She recently visited Salt Lake City and was in search of vintage/secondhand stores to visit. I suggested a few of my favorites and found this shout-out on her blog today. Thanks, and glad you loved it Michelle!