The Cultivated Home » Inspiration

Bring the Seashore to your Home

Nina — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 19:47:03 +0000

Nautical ropes are amazingly chic and are popping up as a popular design theme everywhere. Great for a summer home or to add a bit of the seashore to an urban setting, here are our favorite rope pieces:

Forever Twined Lamp – This nautical inspired lamp from Anthropologie is made out of thin coils of rope braided to give just enough of a sea shore touch to any side table.

Dock Glow Chandelier – Coils of rope at different thicknesses wrap this whimsical chandelier to create both a nautical and natural feel. Also from Anthrolopgie, you can hang it over a dining table or in an entrance way for a great eye-catching piece.

Rope Towel Rail – Bring the seashore to your bathroom with this great towel rail by Stock Knots. While browsing their site, check out their other rope mats and light pulls that we love!

Rope Stair Rail – Both chic and functional, we can’t get enough of these amazing rope stair rails by StairRopes.com. This bespoke company offers a number of different style rails with hardware to coordinate with any scheme.

Haus Rope – We are not the only ones who can’t get enough of the amazing rope mirror and door stop that are available at Haus Interior. These two items are just a few of the pieces we are obsessing over.

Hotel Habita

Nina — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 03:17:32 +0000

Our two favorite things today are Monterrey Mexico and its amazing Hotel Habita. After spending a weekend there ourselves, we insist you take a trip yourself! Located amongst the beautiful green mountains of the Sierra Madre Oriental, Hotel Habita has both the ideal 360 degree view of the exciting city and the modern touch of a talented designer…

This addition of Hotel Habita is the brain child of Parisian designer Joseph Dirand. His style is a gorgeous mix of black and white colors playing with each other and classic modern furniture creates both a visual and architectural intrigue. We love the graphic black and white hallways, chic rooms, and mixture of natural element that can be found in all common areas. Rooms range from $165-$975 a night and the perfect place to spend your Mexican getaway.

Can’t make it all the way to Mexico? Hotel Habita is opening a NYC versions of its already popular hotel in Chelsea at the end of this year. We cannot wait to check in.

The Darkroom

Nina — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 18:05:10 +0000

Never before has a retail store made us want to jump on the first flight to London—then we came across Darkroom. This amazing concept store is located on Lamb’s Conduit Street and is more then just a retail store for fashion, interior, and lifestyle accessories, as it also features bi-monthly art exhibitions. Their focus is on the connection between fashion and interior spaces. They love to mix scale, medium, color, style, and form to create an interesting contrast and beauty. They fill their store with items for both men and woman showcasing their “personal obsession with primitive art, textiles, and jewelry and presenting them in new contexts.”

If you can’t make it to London to check them out yourself, you must visit their online site. A few of our favorite pieces are their glassware by DMK, the graphic and geometric ceramics by Solomia, and the chunky knit pillows by Darkroom themselves. We are in love with everything they do and know you will be too!

The Birds of Spring

Nina — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 20:36:14 +0000

Spring has sprung, and everywhere we look birds are flying and chirping their way back into our life. Not only do we see them in our outdoor environment, but some of our favorite retailers are jumping on the bird trend and pulling them out for their latest products. Check out some of our favorite bird inspired pieces, but hurry up because they might fly away!

Chinoiserie Duvet Set: This simple duvet and pillow set from Dwell Studio gives you just a taste of the bird theme with a touch of old world charm. Pair it with a bright, solid colored sheet set, and you have an eye-catching spring time bed.

Eleanor Wallpaper: Two toned and straight to the point, this graphic wallpaper from Walnut Wallpaper is great for an accent wall or to cover a powder room and create a fun, animal inspired escape.

Embroidered Bird Pillows: Add a touch of color and life to your sofa or living room chair with one of these amazing embroidered pillows from Anthropologie by the talented artist, Shelley Hesse.

Spring Sparrow Door Mat: Welcome everyone into your home with a little spring time sparrow. Priced at only $29, this is a perfect way to get into the swing of spring at any budget.

Bits and Pieces

Nina — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 19:20:46 +0000

We are more than a bit excited over this amazing Atlanta based design store called Pieces Inc. and, within the first few minutes of exploring their website, we knew you would be too! It was started in 2004 by the talented Lee Kleinhelter who set out to bridge the “gap between the high-end antiques and mass produced items offered in Atlanta”, and she could not have been more successful. Using her interior design background, inherent style, and good taste, she has put together a collection of home furnishing and accessories that can fit in on both the East and West Coast.

We also love how her site is organized by “color”, “material”, and “item category”, making it fun and easy to see her inventory. A few of our favorite pieces are her Ceramic Animal Tea Light Candles, White Resin Deer Antlers, and Glossy Glass Glasses—just to name a few.

If you can’t make it to Atlanta to see her inventory in person, then check out her online store today!

Easter Gathering

Nina — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 19:02:45 +0000

Easter weekend is approaching, and we are all putting together our favorite spring and Easter baskets, but what to do with those amazing baskets when the weekend is over? Here are a few basket elements that you can use again for the rest of spring.

Gathering and Canoe Wire Baskets: These great baskets from Haus Interior are a perfect Easter basket for any age. Priced at $26 and $35, they can be reused as a bread basket or a carry all basket for the rest of the season!

Bungalow Kitchen and Bath Towels: These wafer textured kitchen and bath towels are available in six festive spring colors and are terrific to line your Easter basket—or even to use in the park for a fun Easter picnic. Reuse these great towels for the rest of spring and even into summer, adding punches of color everywhere you see.

Pastel Heart Shaped Ramekins: Bake some holiday treats with this pastel-colored, heart shaped, stone ramekin set from Le Cresset. These pastel colors are perfect for the spring season and will show your loved ones that you are thinking of them. The pop of color at the end of their treat will also get your guests excited for spring.

The Luck of the Irish

Nina — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 18:42:07 +0000

In honor of the Irish on this lovely St. Patrick’s Day, here are a few of our favorite green inspired finds!

Dream Quilt and Sham – This amazing set from Garnet Hill is soft and lightweight. It is available in more colors other than this lovely green and is a perfect addition to your bed no matter what the holiday.

Pucker Folding Lounge Chair – This lime green folding chair from CB2 is great for the pool, beach, or patio. It’s easy to fold and store and is ideal for any size home or even beach house!

Zanetti Wallpaper – Even if you don’t have any Irish in your blood, you can still love this amazing zigzag wallpaper from Osborn and Little! Bold and graphic—and available in a number of other colors—we love it for an entryway, bathroom, or even as a great accent wall.

Fleur De Lys Glasses – Delicate, feminine, affordable, and green! These beautiful glasses from Anthropologie are $32 for a set of four and are great for serving Irish inspired cocktails. Check out the other amazing green glasses that are also available at Anthropologie!

Snow Day

Nina — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 19:29:21 +0000

It’s a snow day here in NYC, so in celebration we wanted to share with you a few of our winter inspired pieces.

Birch Bark Cups – We love these handmade Porcelain Birch Bark Cups by Bobed Farm. They are great delicate cups, measuring about 8.5″ tall and 2″ wide, and are food safe. Use them on a winter themed table scape or even to place a single lily.

Wolli Snow Mountain Toy Box – I know that when I was a kid, I would have jumped with joy if I had my own Snow Mountain Toy Box! This great hand made piece by Babies Breath brings the outdoors inside. Priced at $175, this is perfect for any winter baby.

West Elm Poufs – Just looking at these poufs made me wish for snow. They’re great to sit on with a cup of cocoa and watch the flakes gently fall. Priced from $199 to $349, grab one for a single seat or a collection of these great poufs for a winter inspired bohemian seating area.

Star Burst Low Ball Glasses – Haus Interior is a little winter haven, and these great snow inspired etched low ball glasses make us want to cozy up at home and pour ourselves a nice cocktail at the end of a snowy day. Priced at $165 for a set of two, these glasses are a must!

Back to School for your Table Top

Nina — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 19:21:28 +0000

Whether you are a teacher, have kids still in school, or just long for the nostalgia of your childhood math classes, you will love this amazing collection of Memo Dinnerware from Fishs Eddy! This graphic collection is made up of mugs, trays, and glasses decorated to resemble a notebook, graph paper, and even a composition book. Priced from $2 to $24, you will find something to fit in every budget.

While checking out this old school collection, why not see what else Fishs Eddy has too offer. This site is an amazing resource for table top and dishware. Whether it is basic white plates, vintage finds, or their own collections, we could spend hours sorting through their inventory and know you will too!

Bemz – IKEA Slipcover Heaven

Nina — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 20:13:24 +0000

We love IKEA sofas—from the Ektop to the Klippan and their arm chair counter parts too! However, with most IKEA furniture, each piece arrives dressed in a basic stock colored slipcover, with only a few additional options to choose from. This is fine for the people who don’t like having choices or want their living room to look just like their neighbors, but the majority of us enjoy having options and want to make our space our own. Also, the idea of having a custom slipcover made that will end up costing as much as the couch itself seems pretty impractical.

Luckily, we have stumbled upon Bemz, a company based in Sweden, which sells slipcovers for all our favorite IKEA sofas and chairs! With tons of different fabric options to choose from, you will find something that will fit perfectly in your design scheme. Even if you just want to explore their library of inspiration images they have on file, we suggest you check them out today!

Updating your living room has never been easier!