Who knew?

Am I the last one on earth to see this fabulous studio apartment that Nate Berkus designed for his sister Marni? This small space is jam-packed with serious style from it's layered neutral palette to it's classic details, bright pops of color and well thought-out floor plan. I've always been a fan of Nate's effortless style and he does not disappoint with his sister's home. How cool would it be to have Nate as your brother, also known as your personal decorator for life? Who even knew he had a sister? What else might he be hiding from us?

It looks like cute runs in the family. Love the peacock blue on the back of the bookshelves.

Interesting furniture plan, I'm liking the chaise lounge

Beautiful!

Many items in Marni's apartment are from Nate's collection at the HSN. Here are some of my faves from his line:

All items can be found here. Pics from here.

And yes...

...although they weren't excited about it, the boys did dress up for Halloween.

Happy Halloween

How about a little 'happy' Halloween color inspiration for the big weekend ahead? This whimsical table setting may not scream Halloween, but this color combo is working for me with the hot pink thrown in with the traditional orange and black (or charcoal). I don't really get into the typical dark & scary Halloween decor, so this set-up would suit me just fine. And I LOVE the balloons, every party should have balloons this gi-normous!

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Blissful Bedroom

Marianne over at Haven & Home posted photos of this gorgeous (& eco friendly designed) bedroom from Traditional Home yesterday. I loved this room so much that I had to go out and buy the magazine last night just so I could study it in more detail. I love the accessibility of viewing images on the web, but there's nothing like having a real magazine that you can flip through and revisit time and time again. I LOVE magazines, and as my husband knows, I am very particular about them. I have to be the first one to flip through them and give them their first crease. I never purchase the magazine sitting in front on the news stand, I've always got dig back a few to find the "perfect" one. So you can imagine my displeasure last night when the overly pierced girl with a mohawk ringing me up at Target started flipping through my new purchase AND making fun of the "overly done" photos inside...I about had a coronary. I digress.

There are so many beautiful details in this bedroom, it's hard to take it all in at once. You can view the rest of the photos here.

The thing that stood out most to me was the gorgeous bedside table lamp. My mom and I just chose this exact lamp for her living room last week (although they changed the shade for this room).

This lamp by George Kovacs is pure gorgeousness, and now I'm seriously considering it for my bedroom:

As we were out searching for lamps, we realized that many of the ones we liked were by George Kovacs. Here are some other great lamps from his line:

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This last photo does not do the lamp justice at all, it's absolutely stunning in person. It's hard to tell, but the base has a clear acrylic center band with chrome on the top and bottom of it. It's killer.

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Traditional Home seems to be upping their game lately, or maybe I just never noticed it because I was scared off by the "traditional" part of the title. Lately I'm being drawn to more traditional rooms (with a twist of course). I'm afraid I'm going to have to add this title to my subscription list now. Are there any magazines that have surprised you lately? Do you freak out if someone "messes up" your magazine before you get to read it, or is it just me?

Hue

It seems like there are so many great design books coming out this season, but the one that I'm most excited about this one due out November 15th:

Here's a glimpse at what you'll find inside:

It looks like Hue is filled with LOTS of color and over the top design, and while I'm not sure how livable some of these spaces are, the images are certainly inspiring and can be viewed as works of art themselves. This book is sure to be adorning coffee tables and bookshelves everywhere (including mine).

Happy weekend

Today I'm loving the simplicity and calmness of this room...

The muted tones are perfect for the changing season and give a sense of fall without being over the top. With just the change of a few throw pillows and accessories, this room could easily transition from season to season by adding fresh punches of color here and there. I especially love the light fixture, it would look fantastic over a dining room table (ahem, my dining table). Have a great weekend!

Downtown Des Moines

Located in downtown Des Moines, West End Architectural Salvage is 4 floors of architectural & design bliss. They carry everything from antique furniture to vintage lights, hardware & building materials, architectural moldings, and stained glass. They also have a coffee shop on the main floor with plenty of seating where they host parties and other special events. I could have spent days looking through everything!

Also located downtown is the new John and Mary Pappajohn sculpture garden, which features 16 sculptures that were previously located in the Pappajohn's yard!

During my visit, my mom surprised my sister and I with tickets to the musical Wicked, which we absolutely loved. Iowa often gets stereotyped as being nothing but farmland, but as you can see, Des Moines is a very culturally diverse city that has an appreciation for the arts and a great sense of community. Design*Sponge recently posted a very comprehensive city guide to Des Moines which I definitely recommend checking out if you're wondering about the best shopping, eating, and entertainment in the city. Des Moines has all of the amenities of a larger city without the traffic and is a great place to raise a family. And although I'm partial, I think people from the midwest are some of the nicest people around.