Colors of the Year 2016

''Also, in the recent years due to a necessity of cancelling psychological labeling and standardization, a desire that urges us to see the world as a whole and not as a process of individual occurred. The trend is that pink and blue to no longer automatically be associated with masculine and feminine; thus this combination of the two.'' - Source here

While I'm not one to follow trends whether it be fashion or decorations, I still like to know what's ''in'' in order to inspire my own sense of style and to give myself ideas. 

Every year, Pantone comes up with a board of color trends for the following year. This is based on years and years of market research and trends. 

Many people like to base their artistic choices based on the new color trends Pantone gives out every year. For instance, mood boards for weddings usually covers a few if not all of the colors of the year. 

Now it's one thing knowing the colors of the year, but, knowing how to incorporate them into a decor without it looking too overwhelming ---­ that's a different story.

Here's a few inspiration I found on the Web...

Image source: here

This image includes mostly Rose Quartz and Lilac Gray colors. They really go beautifully together. Adding that pop of copper really suits the overall feel of the room. If you don't like the copper and you want to add a little bit more pop of color, Snorkel Blue would add that touch of drama while Peach Echo would make it feel more vibrant.

Image source: here

If you're not ready to commit to painting your walls using one of the colors from the 2016 palette, adding a touch of it with accessories may be your best bet. In the image above, the curtains adds that settle yet visible touch of Rose Quartz. It creates more of a classic-romantic feel. 

Images source: here

Now my personal favorite, the Shabby Chic style. Shabby Chic means calm, romantic, relaxation and reconciliation. For years, it has incorporated the pink and blue tones. Don't they just go so well together? When you mix them both with various shades of white or various shades of wood - you then get that country feel that I JUST LOVE.

Regardless of which colors your choose to decorate, I strongly recommend doing some research beforehand. Colors can evoke various parts of your brain and soul that can trigger different emotions. For instance, for bedroom colors, I always recommend using colors that makes you feel calm and relaxed. You will be surprised at how much it can help you have a good night sleep. 

Do your research. See what you like and what you dislike. Think of one main color you would like to use then use other colors that compliments that main color to help give a room a sense of continuity and that is pleasant for the eye.

Looking forward to adding my own little touch of styles to our house. YAY! Can't wait!

Thanks for reading.

- Jessica xo

Dreaming of Christmas

Source: here

December has always had that magical touch in my heart. Aside from having my birthday at the beginning of the month, December has always been filled with magical lights and special family reunions. From as long as I can remember, we used to get dressed up real nice, get our hair and makeup done and drive up to go visit some family members. On each side of my family, I had aunts that have always went out of their ways to decorated Christmas as if we were truly at the North Pole. As a little kid, it really felt magical.

Even now as an adult, Christmas still holds a special place in my heart. 

Unfortunately, we don't have much space in the apartment to put up a Christmas tree this year. (Imagine as mall space filled with boxes on top of boxes and a few other random things here and there - and there you have an idea of our apartment situation). I've been joking around saying I only have space to put up a car scent in the form of a tree. But hey - at least the apartment would smell extra good and it wouldn't be too much of a hassle to store afterwards. Haha! 

All jokes aside, this doesn't stop me from dreaming about decorating our house with Christmas decorations next year. So, I thought I would share some inspiration with you.

Source: here

LIVING ROOM

By now, you've probably noticed that I love a house with a rustic feel. The country girl in me can't help it. Therefore, I would simply keep the Christmas decorations in the living room as simple as possible. By that, I mean keep the overall look filled with greens (Christmas tree) and perhaps add a few green garlands on top of the fireplace, maybe a bit of burlap.

Source: here

XMAS TREE

I love how full this xmas tree looks but still not overwhelmed with colors. I'm not usually known as being ''matchy-matchy'' but I do like to see well coordinated colors. In this case, the burlap and the green works magic together. 

Source: here

WRAPPING

This is where I usually have the most fun but not much talent. Growing up, whenever I would wrap someone's gift - it would end up looking h-o-r-r-i-b-l-e. To the point where you couldn't even guess the shape of the gift because it was all over the place. And no, it wasn't on purpose. But, over the years, I have become more and more patient when it comes to wrapping and have appreciated taking the time to do a great job. In the image above, I love how they all look original yet simple.

Thanks for letting me share my xmas inspiration. Hopefully, next year, you will get to see the real deal and not just pictures I found on the net. :-)

Happy Monday!

- Jessica

Master bedroom - Inspiration (And Before Pictures)

To give you a sense of my style and inspiration for each room, I thought I would share some pictures that hopefully gives you an idea of where I'm heading in terms of style and decoration. 

MASTER BEDROOM

I've had lots of fun coming up with ideas for the master bedroom given that even if it's not the main focus of the house, it's definitely an area of the house where we are going to spend almost half of our time. My first ideas were ALL white with various shades of blue (i.e. bedspread, etc.). I even thought about a nice bedspread with flowers but - that idea was quickly turned down when I shared it with Stephane.

BEFORE

(Pictures of our 'model home').

GREY

Therefore, I switched my focus to various shades of greys. Greys are not gender specific yet they bring a sense of calm and relaxation. Also, greys being neutral, they provide plenty of opportunity for different pops of colors. I knew I wanted to have the ability to change a few colors in the bedroom depending on the season therefore - grey it is.

RUSTIC

I also loved the idea of waking up in the morning feeling like I've spent the night at a cottage. The wood wall really makes the difference in helping the room feel very rustic. I'm not quite sure how I will make it happen yet but I've already found plenty of cheap DIY options on Pinterest. Can't wait to see the outcome!

Wooden furniture? Love it! Why not re-purpose a wooden ladder into a mini book display. Although, I would probably use it to display some pictures frames and perhaps lay a few wooden sticks just for decoration purposes. 

Given that our house will not actually be a cottage, I also don't want to over do it in terms of adding wood to every single piece of decoration. Therefore, I'm also thinking about mixing the wooden objects with metal objects. In the picture above, they used dark metal for their ceiling lamp, their bedside lamps as well as the curtain rod. I love how it adds balance to the overall texture of the room.

ACCESSORIES

I'm also thinking about mix-matching various styles by adding various patterns such as polka-dots and/or tribal patterns. Adding lighter pillows to an otherwise darker bedroom would help counter-balance the overall feel to the bedroom.

I hope this helps you get a sense of the direction I'm going to take in terms of decoration each room of the house. It definitely helps me figuring it all out went it comes to writing down my thoughts and ideas on this blog.

- Jessica 

Dinning Room Area - Inspiration (And Before Pictures)

FRENCH-RUSTIC DECOR

When you walk into the house, the first room you see is the dinning area. Given that it will be the main focus of the first floor, I've spent A LOT OF TIME thinking about the space. 

BEFORE

(Picture of our ''model home'').

DINNING AREA

Originally, I had intended to sell our dinning room table and simply buy a new one. You can see it here. But, after feeling so inspired by various wooden dinning room tables, I've decided to keep our current table in order to add to the overall rustic style of the house. I may paint it a different colors (maybe white or light blue) but I've decided to wait until we move into the house before making that decision.

DINNING CHAIRS

One thing I'm almost 100% sure (okay, maybe more like 99.9%), is that I want to paint my dinning chairs. Over the years, we've accumulated a total of 6 various wooden chairs that are just begging to be painted. Perhaps I should paint them all a different colors? I'm currently leaning towards painting half of them off-white, the other half baby-pink-beige. I may also change my mind completely... no surprises there.

DISPLAY

While I'm a big fan of variety, there is something I find quite appealing in the way these pictures are displayed. The simplicity of these picture frames is quite timeless yet very romantic. I'm thinking of displaying similar pictures frames on the wall just behind the dinning table.

Overall, my plan for this room is for the decorations to be simple, rustic and unique to make it welcoming for guests to feel comfortable as soon as they walk in the house. An overall french-rustic atmosphere.

- Jessica