PBteen Comes to Durham!

What a whirlwind of a week! Back and forth to Arizona from North Carolina twice, two days at market, and at the end of it all I was honored to be invited for a sneak peek at the new Pottery Barn Teen store opening this Saturday October 20th at 10am at The Streets of Southpoint in Durham, NC! This store will feature a fabulous Design Lab allowing the tech-savvy generation to have complete creative control over their own spaces! PBteen will complete the triad of Pottery Barn brands (including Kids) at Southpoint and accessing the "in between" generation with fabulous pieces that provide versatility customization, space saving ideas, and quality to carry on to the first apartment! I have two nephews, 12 and almost 17, so the idea of a PB Teen hits close to home!
Just in time for holiday shopping, PBteen will offer the new holiday line and some fabulous gift and stocking stuffer ideas for the teens you are never quite sure what to buy for! In a age where everything parents say seems to be "so not cool!", PBteen hits home with teams, sports, colors, and personal details teens will love (with bundle discount incentives parents will love too!)

The fabulous animal print (in MANY different prints) collection featuring boots, hats, throws, beanbags and more! Headphones for your tech savvy teen with fun patterns. The perfect desk accessory - a mini fridge for late night studying...or talking on the phone! All of the fabulous colorful prints in travel bags, makeup cases, and more!

My favorite gift idea - given that I'm always writing something somewhere - was the journals!

The highlights for the boys include a fabulous new collaboration with Burton. With extreme sports in full swing, partnering with a snowboard company and including details like patterns that mimic the snowboarding jackets, and even a snowboard chandelier (yes please!), teens can enjoy this line in a way that allows them something a bit more than posters in $20 frames!

Bedding made from Burton T-Shirt Designs!

Of course, if you want to speak to teen boys you have to have something for baseball, hockey, and football! When I saw the featured multi-team line separated by American/National, Eastern/Western, and AFC/NFC divide my inner Boston Sports Fan flared just a bit! Would I want my someday son to have to sport the Yankees on his sheets just to have the Red Sox?! Don't worry! They have individual team patches for pillow cases and duvet covers to showcase your favorite team! Want to make it even more personal? Add a monogram!

I had an instant flashback when I stepped past the Burton, NFL, and MLB budding testosterone space into a world of patterns, bold colors, and none other than sleepovers! The Sleepover Shop from PBteen must have had a teenage girl (at least one at heart) spearheading the design. I saw interpretation of the pattern play and color selection I saw all over High Point Market this week, but with the feel of gabbing girls doing pedicures and talking about what accessories they would wear on their dream date. Don't worry, PBteen had that covered! Of course in the spirit of equal opportunity there is a Sleepover Shop for the dudes too!

When I was pregnant I was overwhelmed by the amount of "stuff" I was going to have along with my newborn. It seems that teens have just as much "stuff", and if you want to have a shot in the dark at getting them to keep it clean and organized you will have to have plenty of STORAGE!!

Outside of their bedrooms, teens spend the majority of their time just hanging out! If you are able to have a separate teen hideaway, or even a room for a "hangout section" you will love the Cushy Lounge Collection

Pick the number you want and their orientation! Have a love seat, or a full sectional.

Need even more storage? Check out this awesome base!

What I loved about how they show the Cushy in-store is the "coffee table" trunk they show with it! Have you noticed the trunk trend?! I am a big fan of trunks, and this one come in 13 colors...yes 13!!!!!! This piece comes from the PBdorm collection, yet another fabulous addition to a brand! Check out the OlioHop Dorm Decor post for more ideas!

Southpoint is turning into a prime place to shop for home and decor with the recent additions of Crate & Barrel and West Elm (preview post here) to the existing Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, Restoration Hardware, Urban Outfitters, Anthropoligie, and now Pottery Barn Teen! If you have a chance to swing by tomorrow there's an extra incentive! PBteen will be giving away bags to the first 250 guests, along with 5 golden tickets worth a $250 gift card! Go ahead and drag your teenagers out of bed, tame the pre-teens, and put them in charge of their own spaces! They'll thank you for it!

**In case you missed the "clicky" links in the post go ahead and click on through here to PBteen online to get some of your holiday shopping out of the way!**

Fierce Friday

Happy Friday everyone!
Some of you may have already started your long weekend (good for you!!), and some are eagerly counting down the hours til you can escape!
Kyle and I are packing up Dablet and running away for about 30 hours to Lake Gaston to a friend's lake house, and I am SO excited. We've had a couple of vacations this summer, but for any vacation that involves car rides over 10 hours, or super particular packing to ferry across your items there tends to be just as much stress as relaxation.
This week I've been very inspired (and busy) with a potential new client project, mini pinning rampages, the OlioHop for Dorm Decor, baby shower planning (not mine!), and I am loving every second of it! In the spirit of shared inspiration I want to share some of my favorite looks of the week with all of you. Maybe you'll love them, maybe not, but hopefully they will help you define your own sense of style in the process!

Caitlin Wilson Design

Pinned Here

Photo from Centsational Girl

Pinned Here

Metropolitan Home

Pinned Here

I feel like this last photo conquers something people struggle with all of the time: How to mix patterns in the same color family and make it work. This is probably the most daring of the three photos, but the principle behind it is "do not be afraid to be daring!" 

All of these photos are from my "Room Hue: Black and White" board on Pinterest that I started during yesterday's #DesignPinThurs. If you're on twitter, follow the hashtag every Thursday to see some fabulous design ideas you can use for inspiration yourself (or find the designer behind them!) So why Black and White?! My friend Lynda (whom I haven't actually met yet!) has given me the inspiration to embrace black! Black on walls, clothes, furniture, decor, whatever it may be. I've always worn a lot of black, not to be gloomy, but fierce! Check out her blog, Focal Point, and get some more inspiration! 

Just to give you a little extra incentive to come back, I will be teaming up with Lynda from Focal Point and Julie from Simply Savvy next Wednesday to do the "Big Three Before the Tree": Fall Decor, Tablescapes for Thanksgiving, and Halloween!

Have a great long weekend!!

OlioHop Dorm Decor

"Back to school, back to school, to prove to dad I'm not a fool"

Happy OlioHop Monday everyone! We're talking dorm room decor today, and this is something that hits close to home. It was just eight short years ago that I was packing up my bags and heading South from Massachusetts to Greensboro, NC to move into my first dorm room! Personally, I HATED living on campus, but looking back on it much of those feelings were in my own control. I never made my space my own or feel anything like home until I got into an apartment. There are SO many things I wish I had done differently! Honestly, dorm rooms should be treated like first apartments (some are) and less like an awkward first experience. College will provide plenty of awkward first experiences!
Sometimes schools provide bed frames, desks, chairs, etc. Note to past self, this DOES NOT mean you HAVE to use them!!! Sometimes you're lucky enough to have a single all to yourself (lucky from my raised as an only child used to my own space point of view!), and sometimes you have an actual apartment feel with two or four bedrooms, a common space living room, and even a small kitchen. If you, your child, or family member you are joining us on behalf of are gifted with this, do a happy dance NOW! You have so much space to express your style! Most often, you'll have one room that you share with other people and still need a way to make your space your own; both physically and with personal style.
Here are the most important things to think about when talking about Dorm Decor:

• Storage - so many things, so little space, and you must be able to be productive!
• Organization - where did you put that paper? How about your ID card? 
• Functionality - if it's hard to use, it won't be fun to live in!
• Communication - this is VERY important when you have roommates to pass along messages!
• Personality - make it your own with things from home! 
• BUDGET - let's face it, college is expensive! Dorm room decor doesn't have to be!

First, you're going to have to plan and pack up to get there, and I found a great packing list on Pinterest so be sure to repin and take a closer look when you have the time!

This past weekend we made the drive to Charlotte, NC to IKEA for the finishing items for Dablet's playroom! I was inspired beyond belief for things I wish I had done in my dorm room in college! So, I created an Olioboard for today's hop using all IKEA items...yes ALL!

To see this board and shop the look click here

So, I'm sure you're wondering...how much does that room cost? $1,078.74 thanks to Olioboard's handy budget tool in their pro plan! That's for the following:
Twin bed with storage, dresser, desk, chair, sofa bed (yes that folds down!), coffee table, side table, rug, table lamp, floor lamp, two overhead lamps, double laundry basket, two square ottomans, mirror, wall clock, filing, blankets, and all decor elements!
Yes, I know $1,000 is a chunk, but you don't need all of this, and for everything that I included in this design you must admit that's a fabulous price! IKEA is perfect for college because it's trendy, functional, easy to pack (ships flat!), and will give design savvy students more bang for their buck! Chances are you have some of these elements already and can bring them with you, or could find something similar at your local thrift stores! As a side note, I added all of these elements from IKEA into Olioboard myself with the "one click add" tool!
Let's knock out three bullets in one: Storage, Organization, and Functionality, after all college (and the rest of life) is about effective multitasking! Items that can serve duel purposes, think storage ottomans and room dividers with built in shelving, will save you time, money, and space in the long run.

To see this board and shop the look click here

Etsy is great for prints and you can shop these directly from this Olioboard. Also, I'm seriously loving Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, and West Elm for the pops of color in shower curtains and dishes!

Shower curtains pack a lot of punch in a small package. Sometimes when you get to your dorm room, your closet space is more like a "large" cubby without a door and you'd like to cover it for privacy! Chose something that reflects your style and brings some color into your room. Those same shower curtains can add dimension to your room if you beat the "you can't paint your walls" battle by hanging command hooks and draping fabric on your walls! Color, texture, and even the look of a hidden (but nonexistent) window! You'll likely notice (whether this is your first dorm or your third) that the thing you have the most of is walls! Put them to use with fun and funky shelves, organizers, and hooks and get your clutter off of the floor.

Trust me, this is another thing your family will appreciate when they come to visit!
I think futons are the ultimate one, two, (sometimes three) punch. You can sit, sleep, and store using them! The ones in this board (from Target) come in about eight different colors and are less than $200!! OK, so maybe your mom won't be crashing here, but I'm sure your friends from high school and maybe a few newbies might appreciate something other than floor space!

I mentioned communication right? There are a few easy ways to be the good roommate and make this an easy practice. Even if you have a single, your parents will appreciate coming to visit you when they know you're leaving yourself notes, staying organized, and maybe even have "call home" written on your schedule!

Pinned here

The chalkboard calendar! We've seen it, loved it, and it works! This is just another use!

Pinned here

I've shared this before, and I'll share it again! Calendar, hooks, chalkboard, and organization! 

For my next look, I wanted to recreate a photo I found on Pinterest that I added to my Dorm Room Decor board. Here's the photo:

This look is pinned here

Why does this work? The biggest reason is the storage room divider between bed/personal space and common/living space! 

To see this board and shop the look click here

I used some finds from Target, West Elm, and Lamps Plus to recreate the elements in the pin. Most importantly I wanted to show you how easy it can be to create a shopping list from Olioboard of something you fall in love with on Pinterest! Also, you can make it your own by adding fun pops of color like the wall hooks and art panels! College is the first time many people are "on their own" and your living space should reflect your personal style. What if your style changes? Choose pieces that you can grow up into, recover, change the bedding, or use different accents!

One final piece of Pinspiration is this "bookcase" created by stacking different colored and length benches! This is a fabulous way to use something in an non-ordinary way that brings color, dimension, and use of vertical space into your room!

Pinned here

If you need some more ideas for effective organization, check out our recent OlioHop ALL about organizing! Head over to Olioboard and come up with your own ideas for your dream dorm room and share them with me! You can always find budget friendly ways to make your biggest one room dreams come true, and I'd love to see what you're dreaming about!

There are 10 other fabulous designers blogging with me today, so go check them out for more dorm room inspiration, and of course, don't forget Pinterest! I'm going to be pinning on my Dorm Decor board all day so be sure to stop over!

- CMC Design Studio - Fashion House Interiors - Frugal Finds - Simply Savvy -

 - HLM Interior Design - Homestyling 101 - Focal Point - Push Interiors -

- Selma Hammer Designs - White Linen Interiors

Week's Preview: West Elm

Happy Sunday everyone! I hope you have all had a fabulous weekend and have something amazing planned for your week this week! I have been missing the blog, but SO much has been going on. I am up to my ears in home makeover projects, helping my mom come up with ideas to makeover her new place, and have been brainstorming for a new client who has just moved into a large home with very little furniture! To top things off, I will be doing another OlioHop August 27th with the theme of Dorm Decor, and West Elm (one of my favorite brands) has invited me to a preview party for their new store opening! Oh, but did I mention that I also received the sweetest email when I was invited to the party also asking me to come in for a private tour of the new store and to meet their staff because they know I'm a fan of West Elm and they're fans of my blog! West Elm featured my blog on their blog when I posted my ideas for an Outdoor Celebration!
I was honored, and of course said yes! With all the square footage I'm working with between the three current projects, and their fabulous trade program, I'm pretty sure we'll be doing lots of business together!
In celebration of their invite, I wanted to pull together some of my favorite pieces to share with all of you. I (of course) headed over to Olioboard because West Elm is one of their brand partners (I'm telling you good taste is all around!), used some Benjamin Moore paint colors for inspiration, and started pulling!
Enjoy!

I have always been a HUGE fan of industrial looking lighting, geometric side tables, and fun textured decor pieces! Check out this board and shop the look here!

I will be snapping plenty of pictures of the new store, and sharing my favorite picks during the opening! Do you love West Elm too? Head over to Olioboard and make your own room design to share with me! I'm sure West Elm would love to see it too!

Have a great week!!