Earthy Neutrals: Vivaterra's Home Collection

If Vivaterra had a New York store front, my nose would be glued to the window right now. Their home goods are earthy, exotic and really sing out at a time like this, when cozy bedding is the order of the day. My small weakness for exotic mirrors would be well-sated by one of these:

moorish mirror: the perfect shape for my entry wall

Exotic Beds: Light, Bright & Darn-Near White

White bedding is not my friend. Historically, it has leeched color from colorfast blankets, the mattress and drawn the ink from uncapped pens with the gravitational pull of a black hole. But most annoyingly, my white bedding tends to get dingy. What in the world causes white cotton to take on a grayish cast? My incredibly handy mother suggests simply using something called "blueing" to put an end to this nonsense. 

Maybe when I'm 40 I will have finally matured enough to simply take Mom's advice without question. She is always right... Until then, here's to airy, exotic, white bedrooms...(with a pop of color).

embroidered paisley overhead, that gorgeous carved headboard and the cool, silky silver-gray quilt

Color Texture Pattern: Words to Live By

For sure, the same basic things attract me in home design as attract me in fashion. Color + Texture + Pattern. Then throw in Shape as the final criterion. Every item in a space should possess those three aspects. Particularly spaces that are Eclectic or Bohemian. And all of these things work best in some kind of balance that soothes the eye. Brights with neutrals, shiny with coarse, stripes with florals, large prints with small, and round with angular. 

Observe the various bedrooms from each Season of the series Secret Diary of a Call Girl:

Season 1:  the room features an ornate, carved bed with upholstery that has an earth tone smooth background and a bright velvety floral print. the wall is done in a floral brocade wallpaper. and the feature wall is accented in satin, brocade curtains in a rich deep purple. as an eclectic touch: the bedside table is a modern ghost, and the lamp is a retro mod in bright blue and red. and the round cocoa chairs add another opposing style.