Sounds like y’all are breathing a collective sigh of relief at avoiding yet another installment of Bob Ross’ moustair. I know, I know. I’ve been a little crazy of late. But rest your eyes and cleanse your metaphorical palettes with these samplings by design house Mushaboom.

I planned for this series to feature papers that I love but wouldn’t really use. These beauties, however, are strong powder room contenders. The patterns are large scale but dense enough not to feel monstrously overwhelming, the colors are juicy, and I love the psychedelic neotrad feel… maybe we should call it Acid Wasp?

My only hesitation is that these patterns are digitally printed, and I worry they may come off a little raster-rific rather than smooth and creamy dreamy. Anyone have experience with digitally printed wallpaper?

Hope you have a swell weekend… enjoy the calm before the holiday storm.

Let’s talk shelter mags for a minute here:  1. Architectural Digest used to be total crapola.  Like, really bad.  Then 2.  Margaret Russel left her post as Editor in Chief at Elle Decor for the same position at AD last fall and ever since 3.  Architectural Digest has been pretty awesome.  Simultaniously 4.  Elle Decor: not so good (as evidenced by this cover, hello zombi cox).  However, and this is what I really want to talk about today 5.  The September issue of Elle Decore Brought. It.  It killed.  Not only was it better than AD, it was easily one of the best issues of ED I’ve ever ever seen.

My very favorite article featured the San Antonio home of designer Gwynn Griffith and, wouldn’t you know it, my scanner doesn’t work and there are NO pictures of this home online save one crappy one:

No justice is done here and I encourage you to pick up the rag and check it out.  Meanwhile, I’ll show you pictures of another stunning home from the September Issue which probably has Erin panting and sweating with all it’s acid-waspy wonder:

Behold, the San Francisco home of Alexis and Trevor Traina. Exaggerated proportions plus 80′s symmetry plus ironic, expensive art = trippy good times.

Yes to all of this.  Even those upholstered dining chairs aren’t getting me down, which is unusual

Could you imagine growing up here?  We need to make this happen for Eero

There are, like, 12 elements here that Erin currently has in her home.  I think she might cry when she sees this

Another day another giant ball sculputure right in the middle of a million dollar gallery space.  yawn.

Ficus Figs on steroids: check.

Yes to that tarot card photo.  If I were Erin I could probably tell you who took it.  But I’m not.  I’m Karly, enjoying our all-time record breaking 70th day of triple digit, rain-free heat, not to be confused with Erin who is currently laying on the beaches of Hawaii.  Small difference, easy mix-up.

Also in this issue:  The San Francisco loft of designer Steven Volpe, which is pretty dang awesome.  Just go pick the dumb magazine up already.

We’re still (eternally) shopping for houses, and I need your savvy input. What do you think of Tudor home design?

Sure this sucker is wearing way too much eyeliner, but is there anything that could be done to save it — to modern it up while retaining its vintage English charm?

I mean, I really always imagined myself in something more like so, but Daddy Warbucks hasn’t adopted me yet. What if I did up that Tudor more like this?

And less like this?

Could it work?

[Elle Decor, AD, Living Etc]

We have discussed this before, but I have decided that Acid Wasp is like grandma chic if your grandmother were someone super cool and very trippy, like Keith Richards (not to be confused with Johnny Depp pretending to be Keith Richards, aka Pirate Wasp). Doesn’t Keith Richards kind of look like your grandma, even? Just kidding, that would be highly insulting to grandmas everywhere. Anyway, I am derailing myself with this bizarre KR fixation. This post is about swank, traditional rooms. On acid.

The ruffles make it waspy, the art and colorblocking make it trippy.

A bedroom in the same home, owned by perfumer Frederic Malle. The wallpaper/quilt combo is just so outrageous.

This gift came via email from one of my OG blog buds Molly, who informed me this New York townhouse is for sale. In real life. I mean, you could buy this sweet pad (if you were packing 6 million B’s). That couch is really changing the way I view craigslist… $100 chintz couches are more to scale with my budget.

Jason Nixon’s home came to me from the always lovely Anita, who knew I would be blown away by the insanity. This is like acid AND mushroom wasp, with a heaping helping of everysingleotherdrugknowntoman on top.

I’m still on the fence as to whether Daphne Guinness’ fabulous apartment fits into this mix. Maybe a little too fashion forward?

This Trad Home room is kind of the penultimate Acid Wasp design. Classy (not klassy) sofa in fancy Quadrille fabric: check. Amphora on the wall: check. A million mixed prints: check. I kind of find myself wishing the coffee table were something a bit more woody and traditional, though. Wtf is happening to me?

Notice I said penultimate, because this parlor in Robert Couturier’s Soho loft is the ultimate Acid Wasp design. English rococo painting floating above a 50s zebra sofa? Genius. The red rug knocks me out, too.

So, what do you dudes think about all this wacky do stuff I’ve been posting? Do you yearn for the days of mid mod and 70s brass? Is it all a bit too too much?

I think that may be the point, though.

First of all, we must come up with a new name for “moodboard,” because that word has jazz hands. Utterly unacceptable. And since I have now spent so much time making virtual dioramas on the cracky addictive program Olioboard that dust has settled on my shoulders and my hair has grown Rapunzel long, the matter has become pressing and urgent. Internet, please be my Prince Charming and rescue me from this tower of dorkiness.

So, let me just tell you that making moodboards IS ridiculous. It’s like playing with a dollhouse on your computer. Wait — that’s AWESOME. Want to play, too? I thought so. Let me introduce you to the cast of characters and their zany spaces, which combine blue blooded traditional elements with a dose of magic mushroom tea.

This room is for the Estelle barbie. Estelle enjoys playing with her King Charles Cavalier spaniels, long walks in Central park, and drinking her martinis sans underwear a la Julienne Moore (be very sure you want to click that link…). She doesn’t give a rat’s ass what you think about that, either. Room highlights include a vintage sofa upholstered in psychedelic Jack Lenor Larsen fabric, Anthropologie rug, Ikea curtains, Soane lighting and chairs, 1st Dibs table.

This room is for Bunny. She dropped out of Wesleyan to start her own “merchandising firm” — at least that’s what she told Daddy. At night she smokes pot and eats a box of pastel macarons while watching Craig and Smokey attempt to outwit Big Worm in Friday. Room highlights include art by Eileen Quinlan, Overstock Aubusson rug, Ikea curtains, Soane lighting and chairs, 1st Dibs coffee table.

This room is for Lila. She loves to host key parties for her neighbors in Aspen. It’s kind of an Eyes Wide Shut situation, so I probably shouldn’t say any more, except that the trunk provides excellent storage. Room highlights include a Marimekko tapestry, Anthropologie rug, Ikea curtains, wallpaper by Manuel Canovas, chairs and pillows by Layla Grace, lighting by Soane, and a leather 1st Dibs coffee table.

Ok playas, I’m really busy today with a laundry list of things to do (some of which may or may not include moodboardzing) so that’s it for today. Hope you enjoyed play time with me.

Check ya later.

I get so bored with picture after picture of beautifully styled, perfectly inhabitable, regular old rooms. That’s why lately I’ve found myself branching out little by little, creeping at the fringes of bizarre traditional decor. Am I rushing to cover my walls in acres of toile? Not yet… although if I had a paying client you can bet I might try to convince them to do it. Just look how cozy this David Netto room is (my fave part is the tripod and camera in the mirror… is that a Hassy?).

But honestly, I like toile when it gets weirder.

This room swathed in Manuel Canovas fabrics is totally the neotrad version of the nutty Danish modern camouflage room I posted Friday. John Boehner and his orange fauxtan are probably hiding in there somewhere.

Ok, so maybe this is a little too weird, like grandma stopped taking her meds again. But there are some amazing details in here. Hello, swan bed!

Now this is good. For the moment let’s gloss over the fact that if I found myself in this room, I might be afraid to touch anything lest I besmirch those very expensive fabrics with my proletarian fingers. Would I change a few details about the decor? Mos def. For starters I’d add this:

Hendrik Kerstens knows it’s better to take tradition with a dose of humor.

I promise to bring you a few visual nuggets from this season’s Round Top trip soon, but today I am coasting on fumes. Why is Texas so hot? In “spring”??? By the time we finished walking the outdoor grounds at the flea market I felt like a burned out, dessicated husk (but a dessicated husk with a bag of burnished loot). Tomorrow I’ll share our bountiful booty, but for now I’m working on recharging my copper tops.

So without further ado, here are three posters by graphic designer Hyejung Bae that are designed to — as Karly would say — rock your face off. 18th century style.

Created for a concert of classical music played by contemporary electronic artists, these images represent the clash — and aesthetic resolution — of the analog and digital worlds. I’m thinking these would be perfect for an Acid Wasp room.

Happy Monday! Back fresher than ever tomorrow.

I’ve kind of always wanted a crazy, patterned couch in colors that would make grandma blush. But would today’s favored pattern become tomorrow’s mauve and teal flamestitch? Oh wait… that’s coming back, right?

Hot damn, not bad. I think I’d even like it in teal.

Anyway, what do we think? Balls out, all over upholstery, like only Miles Redd can bring it:

Or could we cheat a bit and maybe just tuck a blanket into the seat cushion to create some interest:

Can I tell you how much I love everything in this picture? Love. This is my Acid Wasp wet dream.

I may or may not be obsessed with contrasting patterns. Am I? Do you feel the need to save me from myself, or to egg me on?

So is the blanket thing too messy? Or is it ever worth the splurge to just upholster the whole couch in a pattern? I’m a little scared things could veer into Buatta territory. And expensive, I-redecorate-every-five-minutes territory. Still, wouldn’t it be fun to do it up righteous?

Can you tell I’m super sick of having leather couches???

Happy Monday, folks. It’s going to be a good week. Or else.

[1st Dibs, House Beautiful via, AD, Lonny]

Continuing on yesterday’s theme, I finally registered for Olio and started moodboarding away. For some reason, Olio is getting glitchy on me, so I only finished got to a stopping point on one of the umpteen boards I started. This is probably for the best since I need to focus (like, bad). I’ve already been wrasslin’ with the computer for hours this morning and I have a mountain of paying work to do. Sadly, I can’t sit around shopping the netz all day long, so this is what you dudes get for today. Maybe I’ll finish the other ones I started… maybe not. You tell me.

It’s not the most fully fleshed out space and it’s definitely the most subdued room I worked on, but you get the drift. Sofa is Mitchell Gold, rug is an antique Persian from 1st Dibs (I am now totally obsessed with bleached out Persians), coffee table is from 1st Dibs (also obsessed with anything Egyptian), chair is by Soane, art is by Andy Gilmore, the chandelier is Anthropologie, and I stole the pillow from Olio.

Time to work for real. Le sigh.

Later, pals.

Whip out your empire shades, rolled arm sofas and deco breakfronts, because neo trad is all the rage. I saw this coming a while ago and had no problem embracing the equestrian chic aspect of Waspy decor — mile high hundred year old paintings of daddy’s hunting dogs? check. Tobacco stained chesterfields lodged deep within hazy, dark paneled libraries? check. And then there is the toile… times a zillion.

However, I suppose I’ve generally maintained a sense of irony regarding traditional decor — if done it must be done to the maxxxxxx. I mean, I’m young… ish. I even used to have a nose ring (it was the late 90s… ok, maybe I’m not so young anymore). Anyway, I don’t do stuffy. But I do see a new path for me in the neo trad world. It’s still crackers, but far more achievable than adopting an overblown, waspy ritalin chic aesthetic.

I shall dub this Acid Wasp.

This is the gist: furnishings are pretty and traditional/transitional. Candelabras are welcome. But if the furnishings are safe, the art must be risky. Crazy. Downright psychedelic. More like this:

Yes.

Andy Gilmore, you have obviously indulged in the wide world of psychotropic drugs and I think your Vasarely-ish art would be supah floss with a poufy skirted sofa and a fringed lamp. Throw in an antique curved burlwood coffee table and I am in love.

As much as I would love to make this moodboard (can you dig it?), I have to put away my acid dreams and do some real work right now. Also, today is Ike’s first day at daycare preschool, and I need to pull myself away from the hypnotrance inducing insanity of these pictures.

It would not do for mommy to arrive at the center with swirly eyes and drool caked at the corners of her mouth. That would not be traditional at all.