Decorating Your Home: Textures Make Things Pretty

If there was rehab for pillow addiction, my husband would check me in tomorrow. Or more like yesterday.  Since we're putting our home on the market soon, I've been obsessively tweaking things to make everything as great as it can be.  This included getting some new pillows for the couch.  See, the thing is, I don't allow us to use the pretty satin pillows that we have on the couch---they are for display only.  For the longest time, the pillows we actually used were mismatched ones from our old couches.  I finally decided to get a few more that match the current set so it didn't look weird in photos with half of the pillows being pretty purples and the other half being black and white and black and brown zebra print. 

I got 3 new pillows---two from my beloved West Elm and one from Crate and Barrel.  I think when it comes to decorative pillows, mixing textures and prints in complimentary colors is the way to go. It gives your decor a little depth and interest versus getting just the same pillows in the same color and texture.  Ready to see the new additions? Me too!

You might remember our other pillows from previous posts: (all from West Elm):

Now, we won't necessarily leave them laid out like that for the Realtor's photos, but they are like that for now. I sit in that little corner with the new pillows. In fact, I'm sitting there right now with my legs up! We still LOVE our West Elm Tillary Sofa. It has been the best furniture investment ever. So comfy!

Oh, and someone else loves the new pillows too!

Lulu loves anything soft and fluffy, so he's pretty happy with these new additions. 

More house updates:  we had new carpet put in in the downstairs bedroom.  We have no idea what the heck happened, but the previous owners had stains all over it.  We paid twice to have it cleaned but they just wouldn't come out.  They were pretty bad and made the room look dingy.  We pretty much got the same carpet we had before, it's just shiny and new now!  Definitely worth it since it's the first room people see when they walk in---we don't want to turn people off right away!

Here's how it looks now:

Now, the pillows we have here are just leftovers from previous pillows we've used on our old couches, so it's not my ideal design, but sometimes, you've gotta work with what you've got!
It's incredible what a difference new carpet makes!

Are you as obsessed with pillows as I am? I can't help it---they are pretty, soft and fluffy! What's not to love? Plus, they can change the look of a room so easily!  New pillows can equal a completely new and refreshed look.

Hope everyone had a great Monday! I only worked out 3 days last week so I need to get my butt back on track this week! My goal is to do 5 days this week.

xoxo,

Veronika.

PS- I'm off to cook dinner for the H!  Yummy pasta primavera with pesto and shrimp! I'm working on my cooking skills!

Home & Design: Dear Marshalls, I Heart You <3

My bestie Candice and I went to our local Marshall's Home Store on Saturday "just to look." We both ended up leaving with so much stuff, we had to call a friend to bring a truck to haul it all home (oops.)

There were so many great items, I just couldn't resist. The damage:

One of my purchases ending up being uber-disappointing. You know when you find something and you think it is just the most perfect thing for your home, and then when you actually try it in that room, it's awful? Well, that's what happened to me.

There was this amazing comfotor and duvet cover set there that I immediately fell in love with. It was a bold, black and white large floral print and I thought it would be oh-so perfect for our bedroom. FAIL:

I mean, it's not horendous or anything (and in person, I promise it was much more shocking) but it just didn't work. It was too much, too bold, too busy. Our room lost its softness and calming feeling.
I returned the set the next day, but kept the lime green and white sheets of the same pattern. Those I actually like. Here's a close-up:

Now, I'm thinking I'll probably just get an off-white quilted blanket to use as a coverlet kind of thing on our bed. We only have a duvet right now, so it can look messy and unfinished without that final touch. I like the idea of a quilt because it's thin. The comfoter was too thick on top of everything else that was wrong with it.

Now, onto my most exciting purchases. These lovely boxes. They are purely for display at this point. I don't mind if they stay empty forever. I just like to look at their pretty-ness.

I have a similar jewelry box from West Elm. These were $14.99 and $19.99 for the larger white one. I love their modern elegance and smooth finish. Perfect for storage or just for show.

Then, there's this beauty:
This beautiful box has little legs it stands on. I just captured my attention right away. Right now, it just sits in the corner looking pretty, but it can also be used for storage (magazines, a blanket.) My husband always makes fun of me for "buying so many boxes" but there is something so lovely about pretty boxes everywhere (or as I like to call them "useful storage units.")

In more useful storage unit news, I also picked up this mirrored one in a previous shopping trip at Marshall's for $10- this one is on our bedroom:
In addition to my love for boxes, I also love pretty picture frames. I got a few at Z Gallerie this weekend. All were on sale, except for this first one, which reminds me of an awesome animal print:


I also picked up this 3-compartment serving tray on sale for $19.99 at Crate & Barrel. It was on our registry but we never got it, so I thought I might as well get it while it was on sale:

I tried one of the pillows from our bedding set on my couch and ended up liking it. I think I will keep it there for now. I'm laying back on it as I type this, and I likey.

I also got this awesome monogrammed rug from Marshall's for our downstairs entryway:

In keeping with the monogram theme, I got this candle, on sale from Pottery Barn for $11.50:

I love black and white. It's such a clean and modern look.

And for those wondering, yes, our tree is still up, in all of its Christmas-garden glory:

Do you ladies have any home improvement plans for 2010? Let me know in the comments below. Our home goals for the new year are to hardwood our entryway and to get a new couch and bed. We kind of just bought a cheap bed when we first moved in, but I'd love something more grand and lighter. I already have one I love in mind, but I'll do a seperate inspiriations post.

Also, let me know if you like these posts about home decor. I think it's a nice mix with all of the fashion and beauty stuff, and I enjoy writing about it.

xoxo,

Veronika.