75% of Our Stuff Comes From Here

Happy happy Friday! Yay for the long (and much needed!) weekend! We hope you have some exciting plans! We are still on the fence about what to do this weekend, but I know we have some kitchen work to get to.

Whenever someone new comes over our home, it's inevitable they ask us where we bought something. We almost exclusively shop at two places for our large furniture. If you live in or around New York, you are bound to know one of them. I bring you.....

Otherwise known as - my personal DisneyLand. Our dear friend Todd was on a search for a couch, so of course we brought him to ABC. But not just ABC, the ABC Warehouse in the Bronx. The place where dreams really do come true. So myself and the boys (Joey, Gregory, and Todd) were treated to an extra 60% off sale, and it was golden.

I really want this flower fountain. Even with the super discounts, it was too much of a splurge.

 The lighting section gave me so many DIY ideas!

 

Every time we go we see this little red racecar chair. We want it, but the $2,800 price tag is a bit much. So for now, we sit in it and take silly pictures.

Hardcode thoughts of this kitchen island have been lurking in my head.

The other major provider we turn to is Restoration Hardware. I can't believe how much good stuff we have gotten there. Our diningroom set is from there! We got the friends and family 20% coupon, and finally caved in and bought our first dining room set.

We got this awesome (and huge!) coffee table, floor sample style. It saved us 50%!

Our "not-on-sale" spend were these curtains we love, but still don't look quite right yet...

The other 25% of our stuff comes from building it ourselves or flea markets. Inspired by beds we saw at restoration hardware and ABC, we buillt our own.

And Joey and I brainstormed this table which was super cheap. I think it's our favorite piece in the house. Well, no. Maybe the bed.

Just felt like sharing today! It's been a very sharing week. We hope you have a happy and safe fourth of July! See ya next week!

Oh yea, I forgot to mention....

I got a new car a few weeks back. Say hello! She a pretty 528i BMW, and I love her very much. We have already ventured hundres of miles together, and I can't wait to take her to Canada soon!

...now I just need a new driveway!

Never-Ending Inspiration: My Sources are No Secret

 Happy Wednesday! I have been feeling very inspired lately. Perhaps it's due to our multiple failed attempts at DIY projects around the home. It's just a much fun to search for things that inspire us as it is to dream up our own projects. If you haven't been to pinterest yet, let me introduce your new addiction. I commit at least 5 minutes of break a day to zone out and get inspired there no matter what. Another great place is dwellinggawker. The pictures are all styled so perfectly. 

The pictures you see are from my "private" collection of inspiration. Each photo has something in it which provided an "ah ha!" moment and sparked my inner DIYer. We have A LOT of work to do around our home, and we strive to make every moment interesting and exactly "us". We battle with "what style" are we are quite often. 

As you see in our "agreed upon" inspiration, we contradict ourselves. The battle is craving a relaxing beach cottage, but living in a 1930's English Tutor - in a place where we conquer Winter half the year. Maybe we need a vacation house to get this out of our system. Im very much thinking a cottage by the sea. But I think I am ahead of myself. After all, we have a lot to finish in our main home. 

All of the photos you see here have been saved in a file in my computer for, I can only imagine, how long. Feel free to comment sources, as I believe in giving credit where credit is due. 

 

I thought it would be fun to share "where I go" when I need a little kick in the bum to get my creative juices flowing. 

 Emily Henderson's Portfolio: It's where I go when I am looking for that homey lived-in look. 

 Nate Burkus and Associates: It's such a great place to find insanely inspiring room compositions. 

 Anthropologie: They carry the best mix and match stuff, and the photos are always to die for. 

 The Selby: I could waste an entire day looking inside other peoples homes. 

 Dwelling Gawker: It's such a simple concept, but I am addicted to seeing the high end photos of both  beautiful and out of reach homes/rooms. 

 Jonathan Adler Interior Designs: He just seems like so much fun. I love to look there when I want to  add humor to a room. 

 Martyn Lawrence Bullard: He's off the wall streamlined and pish-posh. I love what he does so much. 

 Mary McDonald: She can do no wrong. She's bold and clean, and in the top three of my favorite  designers.

 Pinterest: Yep. Go. Sign up. Obsess. It's so loaded with awesomeness, you will squeal. 

 So there you have it! A complete list of non-blog inspirations. Do you have a place you feel is "secret"  you love to find inspiration? Please share!