Today marks the second visit of the cleaning lady, and I’m pretty sure she’s going to mutiny when she sees how dirty this place has gotten in two weeks. Little does she know that my cat attracts leaves like velcro and paint in the sink is a state of being over here. But she might also notice that since the last time she was here, new curtains were boughten and the bedroom has been painted and my shelves for the front room are back, sporting a fresh coat of glossy paint.

Good things. Things that will appear in pictures soon. I promise.

Some bad things might have happened, too. Things like our fancy marble dining table arrived cracked down the middle. And I didn’t order enough wallpaper for the baby’s room. And I’m 99% sure I didn’t order enough wallpaper for the powder room, either… did someone say wallpaper calculator? Who? Wha?

I don’t know — maybe it’s the fact that I’m dead tired and HUGE, but I just don’t care anymore.

That’s why they call me mellow yellow…

today.

Tomorrow I will assuredly have a nervous breakdown since I’ve been with Ike all day all summer with no school, plus his birthday party is this Saturday and I haven’t prepped AT ALL.

Oh and the baby will be here in a month.

Mellow yellow, dudes.

Mellow.

[pinterest]

I can’t lie — I don’t have any time for the blog today. Between hosting out of town family, designing kitchens, braving the wilds of Ikea, consulting for a client (what? what?), and buying MORE RUGS (to be revealed shortly), I haven’t really combed the interwebs for any earth shattering design news. What I can tell you is this: yellow is pretty. It is summery. It’s a blowsy good time dressed in an itsy bitsy teeny weeny polka dot bikini. And I like it best when grounded with neutrals and unexpected color combinations. Behold the bold and the beautiful:

I think I just talked myself into eating a lemon bar for breakfast.

Going to design a kitchen at Ikea. If I’m not back by noon, send in the National Guard.

[The Interiorist, Thomas Loof, World of Interiors, you have been here sometime, Nicolas Matheus]

I was hoping to bring you guys some pics of my new office today but I’m STILL not done.  It’s not for lack of trying, I’ve worked on it every weekend for a month and a half.  I’m pretty sure it has a lot to do with the 14 million boxes of “heirlooms” my mother sent when she gutted her house that have been stored in my office for the past several months.  I finished sorting through them this weekend, but unpacking and finding a  home for yet another porcelain miniature tea set has been challenging, to say the least.  Man I’m rambling.  Anyway, office: not done.

Another reason it took so dang long is that I painted it, hated it, tried to live with it then painted again.  I settled on white, which I actually LOVE.  Accents are yellow and black with lots and lots of art (still waiting to be hung).  Since I can’t show you my room, I thought I’d share some other spaces with pops of yellow in honor of my never to be completed work space.

Unfortunately, that chair is not in my office, but I’m not ruling it out if perchance I happen upon it one day at the thrift store.  It could happen.

Hi yellow lamp!  Are you sure that desk is sturdy enough to hold you up?  

Love.

The K-dawg doesn’t allow colorful walls in her house, but this one isn’t making me mad.

yes.

I really like this kitchen but I HATE the way they styled it.  clock: gross, stools: gross.  2 coffee mugs, fruit bowl and plants in triplicate: gross gross gross.  Yellow beam, yes, yes I like you.

If anyone who owns this sideboard is willing to accept a first born in trade please let me know.  My babies will be really tall and probably, like, way smart, so it’s a really sound investment.

yellow couch, you’re awesome!

Do I spy a yellow glow behind the bed?

Ok, so this one isn’t so much of a yellow accent it’s more, as Erin would say, full-frontal-yellow, but I just love it to pieces.

For more yellow accents, check out this guest post Jen did for us a couple of months ago

Ok, so I think I got all of the dutch nonsense out of my system yesterday and now I can get back to the task at hand:  waxing poetic about my newest most favoritest shade of yellow: clean, crisp, neon lemony-ish!  (NOT warm murky school bus macaroni).  

clockwise from top left: chair by jens fager;  Kevätjuhla mug by Miina Äkkijyrkkä for Marimekko;  Astor Ceramic Canister by Wandrlust;  Trollsta sideboard by Ikea

I just hung a fantastic vintage door on a barn-door track in my living room, I thought I wanted to paint it lime, yet every swatch I looked at just looked so, um, tired.  Then I realized, ah ha!!  I don’t want lime, I want lemon.  How could I have been so silly?  I’m obsessed now.  I had a bit of a hard time finding the perfect shade for this post, I had to sift through LOTS of macaroni yellows.  yuck.  But here are more good ones:

The world’s dreamiest fridge from Smeg;   Fishnet wallpaper available at Walnut;  Mod Square Porcelain Dish from Etsy seller Shoshonasnow

Actually, those Etsy kids were all over the lemon yellow:

Chair Yellow Watercolor by midcenturyjo; 6oz tea cup by circaceramics;  Lemon Rings Linen Coasters by Megan Burch;  Specimins table napkin by skinnylaminx

One of the reasons I want to paint my door yellow is because it’s going to open to my black, white and lemon bedroom.  I REALLY REALLY want a bold, graphic lemon bedspread.  Here are some textiles I found with my color mixed in:

Mauste duvet by Pia Holm for Marimekko, Blossom Velvet Box pillow at Urban Outfitters; Warbler Green Pillow by Salvor Fauna available at wandrlust; Toile Lemon Rug by Madeline Weinrib Atelier

As a general rule, I can not afford Madeline Weinrib, here are some other possible textiles for my bedroom:

Flower Mess bedspread by Ferm Living;  Rainbow Jungle Tapestry available at Urban Outfitters;  Pine Dish Towel also by Ferm Living

I am almost in love with the flower mess bedspread, I’m a little worried that it might end up being the wrong shade of yellow in person.  The Rainbow Jungle Tapestry bedspread is cute but I almost can’t order it by default… seriously, it has the 3 worst words ever in the title.  And, I know, I know, that is a dish towel, not a bed linen, perhaps I could use it to make a throw or something?

And to see the yellow in a room:

first 2 images courtesy of Desire to Inspire

bottom image courtesy of Lazzarini Pickering Architecture

So, after all this fuss I bet you’re thinking that this door of mine better be pretty special.  Well, here it is:

I know, I know, the cream looks perfect in this picture, and, why would I want to paint it yellow?  I’m going to be moving things around and adding new stuff.  It’s going to look great when it’s done.  promise.  I’ll share pictures.  On another note, how do you like my stencil wall?  I’ll give you a how to on that as soon as I muster the strength to type it all out.

So, what does everyone say?  Are we loving the yellow?