Wendi Dunlap Design Blog

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This week's random photo of random things is  "Old Wooden House Decoration," by Dejan Krsmanovic, via Creative Commons/Flickr. Let's see what inspiration I can get from this image of aged wood next to bright, cheerful textiles!

I think, this time, I'll furnish a bedroom. 
​This picture has such wonderful textures and color! I think this bedroom will be kind of boho, and I'll include reclaimed wood, kilim patterns, and sunflowers, to reflect the content of the photo. Here goes!
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(I may receive an affiliate commission from these links.) It's so easy to fall in love with a decor item we find on Pinterest or while browsing a catalog or website, but then to look at the price and feel our hearts break because it's just not gonna be in the budget anytime soon. Sometimes, though, we can get that look just a li'l bit cheaper. Today, let's look for a Swiss Cross rug, the iconic white and black pattern that fits so well in a Scandinavian Modern interior. For example, this Swiss Cross rug by Anthropologie:
It's perfect for a Scandinavian or Boho interior, and $800 is actually not that high compared to many 8x10 rugs, but it's not cheap, either. And believe me, I know that sometimes the choice is cheap or nothing. I have been there and probably still am. :/

So, how about this one at Amazon instead?
This one has a background that is a bit more gray, and the spacing of the crosses are different, but that may or may not be a problem for you. Of course, there is a reason why people say "You get what you pay for," but sometimes that's a trade-off worth making. 

However, if even $125 is beyond your budget right now, there is the DIY option! And it looks pretty good, all things considered!
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Really, how can you not love this? It's Mineheart's Black King Edison pendant lamp, designed by Young & Battaglia. You aren't imagining things -- that's a tiny LED chandelier inside a large Edison light bulb. The bulb is 8.27" tall x 5.9" wide, and the fixture comes with a 6-foot cable and a ceiling medallion. If your style leans toward the whimsical and quirky, the King Edison is calling your name!

Black King Edison Pendant Lamp, $681 at Fy! (affiliate link)
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As I described last week, I like to find a photo and try to come up with furnishings and decor inspired by the image. Spring is drawing near -- the daffodils are already up in my yard in Georgia! So this week's random photo of random things is  "Crocus," by Franklin Hunter, via Creative Commons/Flickr. Let's see what inspiration I can get from this one!

This time, I'm furnishing a dining room. The resulting items are a bit glam, a bit 70s, a bit mid-century... and a lot of spring color!
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(Disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links.)

​I stumbled on this Juku Small Pendant lamp by Tov at Modtempo last night, and I must say I am a big fan, particularly if your style is Scandinavian Modern. This is a great example of "blush as a neutral," because it would honestly fit in a ton of color schemes. Modtempo's website shows it in a Glam context, with its larger cousin, the Juku Large Pendant, which is pretty cool itself. I like the smaller one better, though, with the majority of the shade being blush and not grey.
The two of the pendants hanging side-by-side like that is a great look. I approve -- and they aren't even outrageously expensive, at $65 (small) and $95 (large).
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 Design inspiration can come from many places. I like to use photos, sometimes. I don't mean photos of great interior design, though of course, that's inspiring too. No, I mean random photos of random things. I find a photo and try to come up with furnishings and decor inspired by the image. Here's one: "Vespa s50," by dawarwickphotography, via Creative Commons/Flickr.
I liked the colors -- blue, cream, orange, and black -- and thought they'd make a fun design exercise. The blue is basically Classic Blue (Pantone's 2020 color of the year). Here's the resulting concept board, with sources following:
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Following up on yesterday's moodboard post -- if you're looking for art in that mood, I can help! I went to Minted and looked for prints to match. At least one fits a Valentine's theme, as well! (The Let's Grow Old Together print.) The prices shown are for one specific size; you can choose other sizes for other prices. (By the way, I will get an affiliate payment if you buy anything through these links.)
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 (This is cross-posted from my personal blog at slumberland.org.)

Recently I acquired a mid-century tension pole lamp. The kind that looks sorta like this:


But mine was free, because it looked like this:
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The sellers dropped it while removing it from the house, so they gave it to me free, and then I had to search for replacement shades and find out how to rewire the thing. The wiring was truly scary and that pole had large sections of rotting electrical tape inside it. Ebay came to the rescue for the shades, and YouTube for the rewiring.
So here’s the result! I rewired it one evening and was actually shocked (pun unintended) to find that it worked! The shades aren’t colored — they are white, but putting colored light bulbs in them gives the colored shade effect — when the lights are on, at least.
I’m really happy with the way this came out. It ended up not being free since I had to buy shades and wiring supplies, but it was a lot cheaper than buying one of these already in good working condition! I am NOT a person who goes around rewiring things and if I can do it, so can you — try it!
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Perhaps it's obvious to use pink and red in a February mood board, but how about that green? Here in Georgia, we've had unseasonably warm weather recently, and this green is to show how close we are to spring. Green is a great foil to pink (and to purple!)

Here are a few links to where you can buy some of the items from the mood board, so you can put some of this February mood into your life! (I may receive affiliate payments from these links.)

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Wendi doesn't just write about new furniture and window treatments and such. Watch this space for interesting vintage finds, DIY projects, and more!

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Posts in this blog may include affiliate links.