Organizing for Two

When I set out to organize my husband it came with many, many, many changes along the way.  He wants everything out in the open, easy to grab and easy to see.  I am the complete opposite.  I want everything put away that isn't pretty to look at.  I love to stuff things in drawers, closets and our basement!  Do you have a basement? They are awesome!

 Below you'll find the ways we conquered this design organization dilemma so that we are both happy. 

First, I used a nightstand as the end table between the sofa and the man chair.  This one was perfect because it has a drawer and a shelf.  The shelf holds his computer when it's not in use and it's easy for him to grab when he sits down to watch TV.

The drawer is perfect for all the nick knacks this man has.  Cords to this device and that.  A USB storage device, pens, notepads, matches, you name it it's in there.

The magazine holder, a fantastic find from Target that holds books, magazines and papers he is currently reading.
 

The fun colorful tray from West Elm holds all FOUR remotes that are essential to a happy man and his television. It also holds a box of tissue (another requirement) and a pretty vase (that's for me).  I've yet to get the white lacquer tissue box so I left it out completely. I want one like this. 
West Elm carries the best lacquer trays, my favorite size are the square ones.  Check them out here.

So there you have it.  Remotes, magazines, papers, books, computer and miscellaneous stuff all contained AND easy to grab.  No easy feat.  The beautiful part is that when you slide the chair over, you can't see the shelf or the magazine holder. And that my friends, makes for a happy wife.

Do you and your partner have any design disagreements?

A Bright Day

Winter blues have come to the Pacific Northwest.  And nothing quite beats winter like color. Color is so much a part of our every day lives, we don't even pay attention to it most of the time. Color is how we see. The more contrast the better we "see" something.  And during the winter months, the outside world provides us with little more than shades of grey and green.  Some of us can't live with color, we get too much stimulation from the people, cars, signs, houses and television around us that when we return home, neutrals are our comfy retreat.  But, some people enjoy the color that can be found inside the house. And now is the best time of the year to appreciate it!

Designer Angela Adams lives in Portland, Maine and this is her house featured in Coastal Living Magazine. Angela makes me feel like I want to paint.  She makes me want to live in a coastal town.  Angela inspires me to live with color.

 Angela Adams makes me want to add more turquoise to my house. She makes the ocean and the forest floor look like things I want to roll around on. She makes them soft, plush and abstract. She makes me want to stare at the ocean until I see what she sees.

 This room inspired me to put a vintage needlepoint owl on top of a floor pillow.  Our cats now call it home.  

 Angela's bedroom all dressed in hot pink, magenta. It's simple and wonderfully colorful.

 Blue and green make for a comforting dining room. And finally, a guest room dressed in shades of turquoise, green and yellow, grounded in chocolate. Does it get any closer to nature than that?

And what about you, do you like living with color?