Do you remember those movies where a child or even an adult gets locked in a store for the night and they do a full takeover of every department blissfully rummaging through everything from toys to bedding?  In my fantasy I would take up residence in a Restoration Hardware shop.  I would select one of their insanely gorgeous flagship stores in Boston, Atlanta or Denver...dream big=;)  

I recently stumbled onto a real estate article that profiled two properties that RH CEO Gary Friedman was selling.  The properties, of which Gary has many, are located in Beverly Hills and Napa Valley.  Well...needless to say that are stunners!!!  This man had the good fortune to have a team from RH furniture.  The designers tackled every last inch of each house.  HEAVEN!  I selected some of the most stunning images to share.  I guess this is really "Home(s) of the Week".
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The St. Helena Napa Valley dining room offers a wonderful view of a gorgeous wine fault. 
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For the Beverly Hills property the walls are limited with each room capitalizing on the beautiful views of Southern California.  The lighting above the dining table is stunning! 
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This lovely bedroom offers views of the Napa Valley property. The modern take on the four post bed with embedded artwork is perfection. the side table lighting is an interesting alternative to swing arm sconces. 
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His and hers sinks never looked so good. The lighting, vanity and art work perfectly together. 
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Well...not sure it gets better than this...  The view of Downtown LA must come alive at night.  The outdoor furniture and the view of the master bedroom is beyond inviting. 
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Yes honey...grab a bag and pack for the weekend.  We are going to head up to Napa this weekend.  I will light a fire when we arrive and we can have a glass of wine and sleep in and doing nothing this weekend... again I am dreaming out loud. 
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​I hope you enjoyed the tour!  For more lovely inspiration images, visit the attached links.

​I tend to routinely get lost on the "design" web.  It is so easy to fall down the rabbit hole. You view one design blog and you will no doubt discover an array of interesting interior designers, architects, trade resources, new products, etc.  Again...that is with ONE blog post.

As a result of the endless hours I spend viewing home interiors, I have a pretty healthy list of abodes that I absolutely love. I have decided to start profiling a "Home of the Month" that highlights some of my favorite finds.  

For the inaugural "Home of the Week" blog I am sharing a lovely NYC townhouse that anyone can rent while in the Big Apple.  Now mind you...that would take a few shekels but hey when I win the lottery, I plan on staying at this venue.  The property is referred to as "Washington Place" and is listed on One Fine Stay.  
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This Greenwich Village beauty has five bedrooms, six bathrooms and has recently undergone a restoration that has transformed this 175 year old home.  It is stunning! The exposed brick that runs through the home is an absolute thing of beauty. In this image, you can see the steps that are surrounded by glass.  The glass allows the eye to view every ounce of these gorgeous walls.

I suspect this outdoor space is simply enchanting at night with a cocktail and a perfectly lit city.  

​The serenity of the bedrooms rival a high end hotel. The bold, steel sliding doors draw your eye to the charming view that reminds you that you are in the heart of the village.

There are actually two outdoor spaces in the home.  The outdoor grill area on the main level allows for easy access to that insanely inviting main living area.

​Light the candles, grab your friends and enjoy a lovely night!  Cheers! For more beautiful rental destinations check out One Fine Stay. 
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Who doesn't love a well designed gallery wall?  This design trend falls under the category of "big impact"!  Gallery walls are dramatic yet affordable. Often times you can pull these installations off with a limited budget using existing pictures, unframed artwork and inexpensive frames. 

The image above is one of my favorite gallery walls.  It was put together by Sarah Richardson. To achieve this look, Sarah spent one afternoon with her digital camera and took everyone of those images.  She then used off-the-shelf frames.  There was a need to have a few mat boards cut to size.  That is easy enough to do at a local craft store.

The end result was gorgeous!  This room was in a small, new build condominium. The gallery wall gave the space a much larger look and drew your eye directly to the balcony that featured a great view of Toronto. 
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Love this sweet breakfast nook.  I tend to fill my home with images of family portraits, vacations, etc.  It is always nice to catch a glimpse of a treasured memory.  This wall is a lovely reminder of special moments.  To create a more inviting setting the owners even ran electrical and installed petite library sconces.  I bet this is lovely at night.  
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The above shows a more modern gallery wall.  Bold black and white abounds on the walls, frames, and lighting.  The shiplap and large sconces definitely give this wall a more modern vibe. 
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​Again...I love that the above pictures are covering a dining area that I suspect is used daily.  Drink in family and warm moments.  The day-to-day stress of life can sometimes make us forget all the good stuff.  This is a BOLD reminder. 

​I am a big fan of what I refer to as the haphazard gallery wall.  These walls are pretty easy to create.  You don't have to deal with exact dimensions or placement.  You aren't confined to a single color frame.  Go crazy with your creativity.  You can weave in a clock, mirror, and/or oversized letters, etc.  Get all those items out of your attic and go to it.  

The above image is yet another option for an easy, yet sophisticated wall.  Shelves are an awesome way of creating organization.  They also allow for an incredible amount of flexibility.  You can shift frames, add, edit, delete all day long.  This is a somewhat noncommittal way to tackle the task of creating a gallery wall.  I currently use two shelves for my images but, truth be told, I prefer a third shelf.  The constant traffic of children forced me to settle on two shelves as I am certain that shelf number three would constantly be under siege from little hands.  
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I have also done the above look.  Ikea carries these sleek frames.  I cropped a number of my family pictures and had 12x12 square photos made for the frames.  WARNING: They are not fun to hang and do take some time!  The frames were somewhat of pain to put together, I wasn't able to use Shutterfly or Walgreens, etc. to make the photos.  I had to find a special photography shop online to do the 12x12 images.  This is not a quick project.  Still I am happy with the outcome.
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​What self respecting parent doesn't have a home littered with their children's artwork?  It seems like it starts in preschool and I am pretty sure I am going to be looking at artwork until their senior year of high school (big eye roll).  Why not embrace the creativity and free your refrigerator. I love the above wall.  This wall has all sorts of frame sizes that you allow to swap out art with some frequency. I find that kids get very excited when their creations are on display. 

​Crystal chandelier, patterned carpet, stairway gallery wall...there is nothing bland about
​this hallway! Great way to be reminded of sweet memories as you conquer another day.  

​This wall works because of image placement.  The largest frames anchor the space on the left, right and top of the wall. Other smaller frames then fill the space.  Black and white always works!
 

​This is the latest iteration of the Ikea gallery wall.  I actually want to try this one.  It is far easier than the square frames.  It looks as though you could put a standard 8x10 into this frame.  I also think the elongated frame has a more updated look than the square box frame.  

This image is where it all began for me.  The OH...SO...talented India Hicks curated this wall ages ago. This image has lingered for the past decade in shelter magazines, Pinterest boards, and, of course, Hicks own lifestyle book.  I just fell in love with this style of taking every possible opportunity to share a photograph's story.  Under the "no man left behind" category...I thought it was so sweet that she stacked frame on top of frame...as if to say "Join the party". 
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There are TONS of gallery wall options and layout design patterns.  For more ideas visit my GALLERY WALL PINTEREST BOARD.
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Do you believe in love at first sight? When it comes to design I tend to fall hard for an image that catches my eye.  Before Pinterest I used to catalog my favorite images in sketch books.  Oh the endless hours I spent gluing pictures plucked from shelter magazines. I still treasure those books and look through them for inspiration.  Some designs are classic and transcend a passing fancy (80's design floral...yuck!). 

The above living room is one of those "grab you and won't let you go" images for me.  It incorporates many of my favorite elements.  Black, white and cream are done to utter perfection.  The lighting, custom bookcases and insanely gorgeous accessories make me want to date this room=;)  I absolutely love a well crafted bookcase.  Here are some that inspire me.  

​This image comes from the Home Bunch blog, one of my favorites!  When you break it down this is such a basic bookcase, but the color makes it sing.  The accessories could all be sourced from your current reads, Home Goods and/or Michael's.  This look is a fairly easy one to recreate.
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​The key to this look is custom built-ins married with the MOST AMAZING swing arm sconces, brass cabinet pulls and grasscloth wallpaper on the wall.  Admittedly this one would require some dollars to achieve.  Ahhh...such lovely inspiration.  If you have an option to go with custom millwork and want grasscloth, size the bookcase openings to match the width of the grasscloth rolls. The look will be more seamless and far easier for an installer. 

So let's face it, built-ins can get pricey.  There are a number of "IKEA hacks" on Pinterest that let you get the look for less.  The key is starting with relatively inexpensive core elements and dressing them up with trim/millwork.  There is even an opportunity to create this IKEA hack as a standalone piece of furniture that could travel with you should you rent of move frequently. 
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It there anything more alluring than smoked glass?  Charming, feminine, inviting....gah....love it! The glass also brings in more light and makes the room look larger.  This is such a simple add on to a built-in project.  The glass is probably less expensive than some wallpaper options. 
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​This room is the "after" shot.  Carla Aston did a fabulous job of updating a dated great room with new stone, floating shelves, painted cabinets and updated flooring. Those shelves are perfection! Check out the image link to see the "before" shots. 

Again, this is a basic bookcase that was dressed up with moldings and a beautiful smokey gray paint.  The furniture, lighting, antique books and rug set an elegant tone.  You can find and buy vintage books on the web.  Sites like eBay and Books by the Foot offer some nice options. 
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​My final thought is to share the idea of a floating shelf.  If space, money, etc. prevent you from having a bookcase, my alternate is a picture ledge.  Get one with enough depth to let you overlap two frames if needed. The depth also allows you to sneak in an accessory or two.  Use your existing images and simply update your frames for a more tailored look.  

You can go for a bold "black and white" look or do a mix of frames with dark and light wood tones.  Michael's, Target, IKEA and Home Goods (all the usual suspects) all have inexpensive options for frames.  I bought my shelves at Home Depot.  This Home Depot shelf cost under $40.00.  You can stack two to three shelves and create a dramatic wall. Again you need depth to make this look work.  There are a number of shelf options on the web.  

​Still in need of more tips?  This Elle Decor "How To" is one of my favorites! 

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High gloss lacquer has become a very hot design trend.  I have been amassing photos of this gorgeous application on my Pinterest site for months.  

I have been doing some research on this painting process as I would like to do a ceiling application in my dining room.  Well...while beautiful, it is not for the faint of heart. The process requires a pristine surface, a talented painter and a few benjamins.  Still one can't deny that the effect is stunning!  It absolutely changes the feel of a room.  A basic room becomes a thing of beauty.  Here is a look at some of my favorite uses of high gloss lacquer. 
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Even with traditional furniture elements in the above space the high gloss blue creates a "WOW" factor.  Let's not overlook the GORGEOUS fireplace surround! 
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Some of the most stunning applications of high glass paint have been done on kitchen cabinetry.  The above shows how a midnight blue lacquer elevated the look of a butler's pantry/ bar area.  

Ready for happy hour=;) 
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As Rachel Zoe says...."This ceiling is EVERYTHING!"  Dare to dream.  If I could execute this look I would in a heartbeat.  Alas...I live in Texas which is apparently is the land of textured walls.  
​Sigh...  I am still trying to work through if I could do a high gloss paint on a textured surface.  

In truth, even if you don't have textured walls...chances are you will need to have a painter sand and/or resurface your desired area to achieve the above look.  WORTH IT! 
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​I have seen a blogger/interior designer who successfully executed a high gloss finish on her front door. After  one failed attempted she relented and used an auto shop to get just the right application.  The hot Texas sun is a monster.  If your door is an area that is hit by the sun and/or if you deal with extreme temperatures, a DIY job on your front door isn't advisable. 
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After doing some research on lacquer, my biggest takeaway is that this application does require a true artist.  I stumbled onto the website listed above.  It shows high gloss lacquer images and  also shows a number of other paint applications for additional inspiration. 

One other website that caught my eye was Jason Bertoniere Painters / Painting by Jason.  He gives a wonderful overview of the process.  You can see more at the attached LINK.  Enjoy!