While there, I was struck by the emergence of the color gray – in wood tones, upholstery and textiles.

I wasn’t particularly surprised. Gray is hot everywhere right now.

But it was interesting to see how IKEA has incorporated the trend into its products and room displays.

As soon as you come up the store’s escalator and grab your pull cart or yellow bag, you’re struck by a gorgeous room setup that features a new color for many of the store’s wood products. It’s called gray-brown. You can see it in the dining chairs below.

It’s a fantastic, soft color. It’s fairly light but doesn’t seem as overly contemporary as maple. And it seemed to blend so well with other colors – neutrals and brights.

“It’s really been a favorite since we brought it out,” said West Chester store manager Heather Spatz.

You’ll see the color in so many other places as well, including the new woven gray cover for the popular KARLSTAD sofa at left.

The loveseat cover is $139.

I also loved the room below, which features an EKTORP sofa with a new gray cover as well as these EKTORP JENNYLUND chairs and covers in Samyra gray check.

These chair covers are $59 each.

The rug is ALVINE RAND and has a fantastic pattern. It’s also wonderfully affordable – $159 for one that is 7-foot 10-inches by 5-foot 7-inches.

The pieces in the room below aren’t that new. But I still think they’re fantastic.

The chest is the five-drawer EDLAND, which has sweet little white pulls and is $299. The larger wardrobe is the PAX in Birkeland gray. It’s $340.

I think the drapes are RITVA but I forgot to check and can’t be sure.

There are so many other fantastic gray products. So I thought I’d make a collage of my favorites.

Top row, from left: GISLEV rug, $19.99. VILMIE throw, $19.99. TOBIAS dining chair, $99.

Bottom row, from left: EXPEDIT door insert in high gloss gray, $35. OSTLIG pot, $14.99. ALVINE RÖR pillow covers, $10 for two.

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• Thrifty Thursday

That’s not a complaint. The kitchen is functional, my sister says.

But like many old houses, it lacks for counter space. So although she hasn’t officially moved yet from Wisconsin to the great Hoosier state, she’s already on the lookout for a good kitchen cart or small island to give her just a little more space for food prep.

So over at The Design File, I thought I’d help out a little, both with some affordable options and some fun DIY projects, including the colorful dresser-turned-island shown at right.

It’s a project from Better Homes and Gardens, which was also featured at the always-helpful Curbly blog.

I love this island because it would be so easy to replicate. Small dressers like this are really affordable at thrift stores and garage sales. Add some casters, a paint job and a counter top (you can probably pick up a remnant piece) and you’ve got extra storage and counter space in the kitchen.

The BHG photo below (which I first saw at Apartment Therapy) also features repurposed furniture – this time an old catalog cabinet used as an island. It’s gorgeous and I think those tall drawers could be used for lots of kitchen items.

Regular readers may remember the photo below from an earlier post about the Curbly book “Make It! Second Hand Chic.” It shows you how to turn a filing cabinet into a kitchen cart. It’s a much more modern, even industrial look.

I also found this great BHG photo that also uses dressers to create a really nice sized island. It would be great to find a matching pair of unfinished dressers to make this piece.

Of course, we all don’t have the time to make our own dresser. And because my sister is moving and running after 20-month old twins, I really don’t think she does! So I looked for some kitchen carts she could purchase for less than $200.

I love this little walnut-finish fold-up cart from QVC for $165.

It’s got two shelves, towel rack and wheels. And look how narrow it becomes when it’s folded.

You could slide it in next to the fridge or hang it on the inside pantry door so you could pull it out only when needed.

I’d get one for my kitchen, but I don’t even have a space to slip it into!

Here are some other options

1. Red mobile kitchen cart, $199, Overstock

2. Preston Hollow kitchen cart, $169, Walmart.com

3. Home Styles Prep & Serve, $156, Amazon

4. FÖRHÖJA kitchen cart, $99.99, IKEA

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Wood beams add warmth to a kitchen

Kitchen redo from local designer Nikki Sutton

Green kitchens – the color, not the eco trend

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That’s one of the reasons I love this bedroom by Studio M, home of some very talented folks in Tampa, Florida.

The combination of colors – the soft orange, spring green and hot pink – is perfect for a girl. I love the idea of the matching twin beds – great for a sleepover with a best friend.

Plus, there are so many fun elements: The pretty chandelier with just the right amount of crystal and glass. The pink wicker chair and bright green cushion. That magenta, fuzzy floor pillow and pink paper lantern. And of course those gorgeous painted wood beds with the little fish on the posts.

“My favorite room,” said Studio M’s Tom Wiebe. “It’s the ’surfer girl’ daughter’s room inside a 4,000 square foot luxury beach vacation residence on Reddington Beach, Florida.”

The wonderful beds are from Russell & Mackenna, where you can have pieces custom made with your choice of colors and finials. But you pay for it. These beds start at $2,160.

The dresser – with drawers, cubbies, glass knobs and a special paint finish – is also from Russell & Mackenna. The base cost of the dresser is also $2,600.

Studio M also found pieces for the room at the beautiful Maine Cottage.

Wouldn’t it be great to have a room like this for your kids? But not everyone can afford it!

Don’t fret. You don’t have to be a designer or spend a fortune to copy the idea – especially if you’re willing to do a little work yourself.

Here are some ways to try:

Start with some great wall colors.

I picked Hep Green and Tango from Sherwin-Williams but you can probably find something similar from almost any paint brand.

Pick up a simple, unfinished bed.

I found this FJELLSE bed at IKEA for just $39.99. It lacks the posts of the Studio M bed. But add some bright orange paint – spray it or roll it on – and you’ve got the base of a great room.

You could even add a couple little wooden fish from the craft store to the headboard. Leave them natural or paint in a contrasting color.

Find a bright pink quilt.

I picked this Tie Dye Bed In A Bag Comforter in Pink from Target because of its colors, particularly the touch of orange.

The Studio M room has floral spreads with green trim, but I think these also would look very young and hip. Also, the entire set – which includes the comforter, sheets and sham – is just $89.99. That’s hard to beat!

Look for an affordable wicker chair to paint.

My first suggestion would be to hit your favorite thrift store looking for a chair to paint. I think you could find something really close to the chair in the Studio M room and then hit it with some pink spray paint.

But if you’re going new and trying to save dollars, try this Wilson & Fisher Resin Wicker Stack Chair from Big Lots. It’s much simpler than the cute chair in the Studio M room but this one is $15!

I would paint mine with this Krylon Fusion for Plastic paint in watermelon. It’s a very different pink than the one in the Studio M room, but I think it would look good with the comforter I picked above and with my other paint colors.

Find a fun chandelier.

I love the Studio M chandelier. It doesn’t look like a piece made for a kids’ room. It looks like a foyer pendant and is really gorgeous.

I picked something a little less serious. This is the MINNEN chandelier from IKEA and is $19.99. It’s got some multi-colored beads and “crystals” and a single, simple light.

It’s not as glamorous as the one in our inspiration room but the price is right!

Pick the perfect floor pillow.

I’m really jealous of that fantastic, furry floor pillow in the Studio M bedroom. It’s so adorable and looks incredibly comfortable for hanging out on the floor.

I just couldn’t find anything like it.

So instead, I started looking at poufs on Etsy and found several that might look good in the room. There was a great, affordable one at the elevenEleven eE shop for $45.

But ultimately, I picked the bean bag chair at right from Paniolo’s shop on Etsy. It’s $130 but I think the beachy look and the flip-flop fabric would look cool with the rug I picked below.

Get a coordinating rug

The rug in the Studio M room is really cool and brings together all the fun colors in the room. I also love the shapes.

I found this Surfboard Rug in pink and green for $39.99 from Target. I think two of them would mimic the shapes on the Studio M rug while bringing an interesting element into the room.

Make/Buy a wall mirror.

This would be a great opportunity to buy a flea market mirror and paint it up to match the room. You could add some stars or buy some wood cutouts a the craft store to decorate your mirror.

If you don’t want to go that route, I found this cool BARNSLIG wall mirror at for $19.99 at IKEA. It’s a great color for the room…except that you might have to adjust which colors you paint which walls to make it pop. Fortunately, with all these colors going on, just about any adjustment will work!

Find a bargain on a paper lantern.

Since we’re shopping IKEA anyway, I’d pick up a pendant HEMMA cord set for $3.99 and then get this Parallel Ribbed Fuchsia 12-Inch Round Paper Lantern from Amazon for $5. Then I’d hang it from the corner of the room.

It’s certainly not the fun shape of the one in the Studio M room but the idea is the same and the price is right! It’s less than $10 for the light and doesn’t need to be hardwired.

Get creative with a dresser.

The dresser in this room is incredibly special and custom designed. That means finding a replacement would be tough. Once again, I’d  head to the thrift store to find a chest of drawers you could repaint — either with a solid color or by trying a special paint treatment.

With all the white trim in the room, you could also get a white dresser – I love this KOPPANG three-drawer dresser from IKEA for only $99- and you could spice it up with some fancy knobs.

I might try something like these pretty prism knobs for $10 each from Anthropologie or the fun seashell knob for $5 each from Cool Knobs and Pulls.

Finally…

It may seem intimidating, but I really think you could do it – without emptying your bank account or hiring a designer.

But, of course, that’s because we’ve got the fun Studio M room to copy! Thanks to the folks there – Michelle Jennings Wiebe, Tom Wiebe and Lisa Clark – for letting The Design File post the photo of the room and use it as our inspiration!

Want some more kids’ room ideas? How about these…

Creating a shared bedroom for a brother & sister

More from IKEA: New stuff for your kids

DIY nursery: Color, creativity sets room apart

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So over at The Design File, we’ve been exploring other furnishings or objects you can use as place to set a drink or keep the alarm clock. And some of our ideas won’t cost you a cent because they’re already around the house!

I love the way the owner of this pretty, cottage-style bedroom (photo from Better Homes & Gardens) dispensed with tables all together and mounted a shelf next to the bed. It provides space for a clock and more and the baskets underneath add even more function.

In the photo below from MyHomeIdeas.com, a wooden stool flanks a gorgeous sofa. It’s a great spot for this colorful, glass lamp.

Or how about the photo below, also from BHG. The owner actually mounted a pair of drums to serve as bedside tables. Now that’s creative!

OK. I admit it. Most people don’t have drums sitting around. But I’ll bet you’ve got a spare chair – or you can pick one up at the thrift store. Again, there’s plenty of space for a clock and a lamp and you can hang your robe on the back.

In the photo at right, a set of old luggage is used as a great bedside table.

Old suitcases like this are perfect for so many things. Plus, they offer fantastic storage – for things you don’t need to access everyday, of course.

Look around your home for other options. You might even try a couple boxes with a piece of fabric or blanket over them.

When I wanted to try something new in my living room (see below), I stacked up some attractive hardback books to make a side table for a new chair. I love the look and it shows off some books that would otherwise be in storage. (Yep, I really need some bookcases!)

Finally, here are a couple more idea, although both involve table-like objects.

In the BHG photo at left, TV trays serve as side tables for a loveseat. The bright orange paint is perfect! In the photo at right, a desk is used as a bedside table. It’s so functional and makes a great decor statement.

Looking for some other creative design ideas? Check out these posts:

Inspiration from a modern Barcelona hotel

The right lighting for your bathroom mirror

Soothing rooms all in blue

Inspirations: Spaces I love as 2010 begins…

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So I’m excited to piggyback on a feature at MyHomeIdeas.com – the central website for great magazines like Sunset, Coastal Living and Real Simple. The site is featuring some great easy tips.

Here’s one: To lighten up a large piece of wood furniture, try painting a happy color on the inside.

The photo at right (from Cottage Living, image by Jason Bernhaut) is a great example. It looks beautiful.

The MyHomeIdeas slide show has a number of great tips.

One is to take a more intimate approach to a room. “Hang curtains in a doorway to close off a room or call attention to a small space with a big personality,” the site says.

The example below – photo by Roger Davies for Cottage Living – is a beautiful example.

I’ll share just one more tip from the feature: Look around your house for items that could make a collection – pitchers, silver frames, etc. – and bring them together on a tabletop or wall.

Check out the photo at right from Real Simple.

Remember as you arrange your collection that odd numbers are more pleasing to the eye.

Like these instant ideas?

Check out more at MyHomeIdeas.com.

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So it’s fun today to get to share this list of second-hand shopping tips put together by contributors to the book.

Remember, these folks are the experts…so pay attention!

Metal Furniture: Make sure metal pieces have no major dents and its hardware and drawers in working order. A little rust is fine; small spots can be sanded and treated.

Wood Furniture: Real wood is best, if you can find it. Less intricate detailing means less work when sanding and painting. Tight joinery is
preferred, but a bit of wood glue and some clamps can resolve most wobbly problems. Shelly nabbed the great mid-century styled coffee table at right.

Upholstered Furniture: Sit on it; check the seat, pad and springs to assess if they’re in good condition. Flip the piece over to examine its joints and frame. Mortised joints are better than glue and staples and a hardwood frame is better than pine. Above are some of the “before” chairs Shelly has found.

Paint is Your Friend: Look for things that are easily paintable. Metal, wood, MDF and even plastic—with the advent of special paint for plastics—means you have a lot to choose from!

Plan Ahead: When rummage saleing or thrifting, bring a tape measure with you. If you have a specific item in mind — like a dresser — you’ll want to know
your space’s measurements before hand so you know a piece will fit the spot
once you get it home. Also, most second-hand shops have half-price days; call ahead to see when they are.

Think ‘repurpose’: Just because something is in the ‘kitchen’ area doesn’t mean it can’t be used in the bathroom or bedroom. Being in a ‘repurpose’ frame of mind will open up a whole new aspect of your thrifting experience. Check out the great bench at right that Shelly made from an old, garage sale coffee table.

Don’t Dilly or Dally: Things sell fast at second-hand sales! If you fall in love with something at a rummage sale or thrift store, buy it, because most likely someone else will fall in love with it too, and it’ll be gone before you know it.

Fabrics Galore: Fabric, in the form of clothing, is plentiful at second-hand shops. Large shirts for men provide enough yardage for children’s items andjust about anything can provide quilt squares. If considering sweaters forfelting, make sure they contain at least 80% animal fibers such as wool or alpaca.

And Most Importantly: Keep an open mind and have fun!

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One of my favorite recent posts highlighted turquoise chandeliers, which got me thinking about how adding color to an otherwise traditional lighting fixture can really make it fun and modern.

Check out the space above, designed by Katie Ridder. The white and red glass chandelier really brings together the traditional and contemporary elements of this fantastic dining room. It’s beautiful.

But not every colored chandelier has to be so grand.

I love this sweet beaded chandelier from Pottery Barn Kids, which sells for $99. It’s a great addition to a girl’s room. What tween wouldn’t love to have this fixture hanging above her bed or dressing table?

The gorgeous chandelier and the room below are both designed by Marjorie Skouras and has been featured on the House of Turquoise blog many times.

I really thought you’d need a large, luxurious room to carry off this fixture, but it looks nice in this smaller more modest room as well.

Finally, the room at right features a chandelier that was previously sold by Anthropologie and featured on Apartment Therapy.

I think the bright blue looks so fun with the bright pink furnishings.

But I think you could actually pull off something similar as a DIY project.

Look for a great older chandelier at an antique store, garage sale or thrift shop — maybe even Goodwill — and take some spray paint to it in any color. Just make sure to take out the bulbs and protect the electrical sockets.

Or if you don’t want to go to the trouble, here are some options you can buy instead:

From left to right, top to bottom:

• Schonbek Vertex Two Tier Spectra Crystal Chandelier, $7,690, LampsPlus
• Gypsy Chandelier – large, $158, Urban Outfitters
• Pink Coral Chandelier, Marjorie Skouras
• Black Glass Swag Style 4-Light Chandelier, $130, LampsPlus
• Black Glass Amber Crystals Twelve Light Chandelier, $800, LampsPlus

Thanks to House of Turquoise for all the inspiration!

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I actually love the trend. It’s really sharp. Look at the photo above. This handsome living room was created by designer Phyllis Harbinger and featured on HGTV.com. The room includes just the look I’m talking about.

It’s absolutely everywhere. And now that I think back a little, it’s been that way for quite awhile.

Elle Decor has had matching chairs on its covers quite a few times, including on this February 2008 cover. So has Metropolitan Home. Look at right for a cover from March 2007.

(OK, I think I know what you might be thinking. Matching chairs have been around forever. Some people go into a furniture store and just buy an entire suite of furniture so everything matches. Well, that’s not really what I mean. I’m talking about what I’ll call the “designer match.”)

I’m particularly fond of this look when the chairs are modern, like the ones shown below right in a living room photo from BHG, or when they are a sort of updated traditional, like the eclectic space below left, also from BHG.

Here are a few more rooms with side-by-side matching chairs:

This living room by Vastu, an interior design firm in Washington DC, uses a pair of sleek, modern chairs as part of a grouping around a fireplace. Photo by Tim Bell.

The room below by Jaymes Richardson has a pair of fun modern chairs of wood and leather. I love the low profile.

The fantastic modern HGTV space below has twin floor cushions and matching modern chairs. I love the light upholstery on the dark wood floors.

The very formal living room below by Baylor Anne Bone, which was featured on HGTV.com, has a beautiful pair of striped, upholstered chairs that bring some nice pattern to this room.

Finally, this living room is from a home tour I featured on The Design File earlier this year. The home was owned and decorated by Jeffrey Cufaude of Idea Architects and I thought this beautiful room was perfect to include this post.

So what do you think? Do you like the trend? Or are you ready for this to go the way of avocado appliances!

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But today, rather than focusing on a particular condo, I want to use the beautiful bedrooms to highlight what I think is a fun design idea: A feature wall of wallpaper.

Designers Shannon Roark of Interior Life and Matty Bennett of Sequences Design used this technique throughout these fantastic condos to bring some drama to beds that were otherwise rather ordinary. It worked wonders.

Check out the room at right. This bedroom had a very simple headboard. But with the addition of the white and silver wallpaper behind it, the simplicity becomes intentional and the wall becomes a focal point.

Plus, using paper on just one wall is an easy way to get a big bang for little money and work. And when you’re using wallpaper in a small space, you can try something a little wild, bold or unusual.

Check out the bedroom below. It would be tough to use this bold print throughout an entire room. But on wall behind the bed, it pulls this black, white and pink room together.

But you don’t have to be quite so bold to create a feature wall. In the photo below, the gray papered wall is in a similar tone as the blue paint so the overall effect is much more subtle.

Finally, the photos below show a great compromise between bold and subtle. The gray pattern on the chocolate brown background is nearly a match for the painted walls. But the pattern is so bold that it still makes a big statement in the room.

Are you willing to try some wallpaper? If so, how do you plan to use it?

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There’s something I find incredibly comforting about a guest room with matching twin beds.

I think it might be the symmetry. It appeals to my desire for balance. Just look at the gorgeous matching beds in this bright, fun room from Better Homes and Gardens.

Or it could be nostalgia. When my sister and I stayed at my grandma’s house as kids, it was always in a room with two twin beds sitting parallel. We would giggle until we went to sleep but there was no kicking or fighting over the covers in the middle of the night.

But mostly, I think I’m drawn to the practicality of a guest room with two beds, even though it’s not what I have in my own home.

A room with two twins is perfect for kids. A couple can use the room but so can a couple of friends — without the uneasiness of a shared bed.

I think rooms like this look best when the beds are matching as they are above and in most of the photos below.

Check out these other twin bedrooms:

Above is a room created by John Willey Interior Design and photographed by David Jacquot. I love the beautiful butterfly duvet covers, the gorgeous shams and shades, and the custom-ordered Moorish-inspired carpet on the floor.

Thanks to John Willey for permission to use this photo.

The pretty room above in lavenders is from Better Homes and Gardens. The simple bedding is such a great compliment to the floral wallpaper. This is too country for my own home but so sweet that I’d love to be a guest here.

The room above is from the 2006 HGTV Dream Home. I love these iron, antique-looking bed and the cornice boards and drapes behind the headboards, creating a subtle but dramatic focal point in the room. The piece of contemporary art between the headboards is a great contrast to the cottage feel.

This room above is from Pottery Barn. The color scheme is just fantastic.

HGTV used a similar approach in its 2007 Dream Home, which had a rustic theme. Again, this is not a look that would fit in my house but I’d be happy to return from a hike in the woods to sleep here.

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