Feeling Blue: A La Recherche de Bedroom Blues

Cool blue stuff by Elephant Ceramics

I've been feeling a little blue recently. I've been sidelined by a bizarre foot injury (avascular necrosis of the sesamoid, if you're curious) since April, and last Monday, against all odds (or not?), I managed to break my pinky toe on the leg of a chair in my living room after jumping up from the sofa. I had been barefoot and dutifully elevating my dead-boned foot when the phone rang. I hastily decided that I didn't have enough time to put on my only doctor-approved indoor shoes (the ever-stylish Crocs) before taking the first step from the sofa, and... crack: it was over in an instant. Chair leg, 1; pinky toe, 0. My baby toe didn't stand a chance. 

At first I screamed. Then I answered the phone I'd been rushing to answer. Then (after huffing my way through the call and hanging up said phone), I surveyed the damage, saw that my toe was angled precariously to the side, angrily hobbled to get an ice pack, and plopped back down on the sofa where I'd started... and promptly burst into tears.

The doctor that I saw the next day was a very friendly fellow, and after setting my toe and buddy taping it, he reminded me that it was at least "great news" that the injury occurred on my already injured foot and that I was already in a walking boot - so, you know, my already inactive-by-design lifestyle wouldn't have to change much. (By the way, isn't "buddy taping" just the happiest way to deal with a broken bone? Aw, my little, broken baby toe has a buddy to hang out with as it heals!) And so, despite that "great news" and my happily buddied up toe, I've been feeling a little blue.

But a little blueness isn't going to get in the way of my inspiration - in fact, at times I think it can help spur creativity. Which brings me to my next project: our white and blue bedroom!

New Project: White & Blue Bedroom!
Outfitting a home can be an exciting, but daunting and expensive endeavor. I love the long-term nature of it. Interiors shouldn't be born in a day - they take years of work, of adding and subtracting and adjusting so the room has the right feel and utility and expression. I have spent the majority of the past 2.5 years that we have lived in our apartment focusing on the "social" areas - entryway, living/dining area, etc., and while those areas are by no means finished (Before & Afters of some of these areas are coming soon!), my mandatory bed rest has reminded me that the bedroom deserves a little TLC too. Your cocoon should be comforting, not stress-inducing. And while parts of our bedroom are comforting, the majority of it is stress-inducing: We don't have anything on the walls yet, and we have a mishmash of furniture acquired via Craigslist or donated by our parents that has moved with us multiple times and is showing some serious signs of wear. In short? It's time for a cohesive upgrade, and for our cocoon to become
comforting.

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Starting Point
I am showing you a little glimpse of what we have going on right now (the parts I don't hate!) so you can see the starting point. You know we're in trouble if I'm only willing to show you a sliver of the bed! My mother-in-law gave me some extra drapes that she had, which inspired the blue-and-white of the whole room. I put the drapes up and used the extra to have two euro shams made (this is the blue floral sham you see). From there, we got Pottery Barn pearl bedding, which we had registered for when we got married. The navy and white ikat pillow is by Kim Salmela and is one of my favorite items in the whole apartment. I got it last year from Joss & Main, where she often has sales. She also sells via One Kings Lane and A VERSION OF IT HAPPENS TO BE ON SALE THERE RIGHT NOW. She has started to  sell a few pieces via her own website too. The little silk bird pillow is from West Elm (also from last year and unfortunately no longer available). The rug is an ikat rug I found on Joss & Main. More details on finding items like the ones listed above to come...

What's Next:
I am in the "a la recherche" portion of the design process (truly one of my favorite parts!), where I just try to find inspirational photos of texture and color to start to inform the direction I will go with the design. I thought I would share with you a few of the blues (and whites!) that have me feeling not-so-blue and getting excited to get designing and decorating:

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Erdem SS14, London Fashion Week

Ming Xi for Vogue China

Indigo painted onto bamboo.

Grace Kelly and Cary Grant, "To Catch A Thief"

Elie Saab Haute Couture... obsessed with the color, textures and depth.

Ball Point Pen Art, Il Lee... ideas for art.

Big sky, starry night... I want to capture this stillness and calm.

Blue textile

Getting into bed should feel like this looks!

Les Indiennes fabric - love the mix of patterns

Lovely white flowers

I just love it all... the patterns, the mix with jeans, that necklace...

Obsessed with the layers of colors and textures, the richness and the ethnic/boho vibe.

Navy blue rose petals

Happy Samoyed... always smiling. This is how I want to feel in the space! Hugging this guy!

How does this jumble of inspiration become a fabulous bedroom? You'll have to wait and see!

Happy Monday and Happy Blues!
KK