Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween everyone!

Hope you had fun attending Halloween parties this past weekend and dressing up as your favorite characters!

(Boyfriend and I as Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe from the weekend)

And to all those trick or treaters tonight...

Wishing you lots and lots of sugar induced bliss!

Home Tour: Country Cottage.

I had to share this Home Tour I found on The Martha Stewart site. What I really love about this house: the color palette. It strikes the perfect balance between sophisticated neutrals and cheerful pops of color. The place has personality but maintains a classy edge. It's beautiful yet fun and cozy, just the way a house should be!

The furniture is well tailored (read: slightly elegant) yet overstuffed (read: comfy) creating the perfect balance.

Red trim adds energy and works well as it can really stand out against other neutral elements in the space.

Beautiful hardware steals the show in this small galley kitchen.

I love the timeless teak finish of the dresser while the recessed circular knobs lend a sense of playfulness to the piece.

So effortless and natural!

This house really speaks to me and acts as a great reminder for all of us to have fun with our homes. Somewhere along the line people started taking the task of furnishing a home far too seriously. As this house evidences so perfectly, it's possible to have a beautiful and elegant home while remembering to keep it comfortable and true to your personal style. Well done!

See the full tour here

Wouldn't You Just Love To...

have been the lucky person who stumbled upon this light flooded real estate listing?

have been the smart person who purchased this place in all its industrial glory?

have been the brave person who then made the bold (and completely appropriate) decision to drench the walls in the richest shade of inky jade?

have been the brilliant person who scoured flea markets until finding the rustic, worn-to-perfection butcher block island and stools?

Check all the above!

Happy weekend! Anything fun planned? I'll be scouring Kraftmaid's warehouse for a steal on some bathroom vanities. Wish me luck! You definitely need it at this place!

Image via My Pinterest

The Difference A Day Can Make: The Staircase.

Remember yesterday when my stairway looked like this?

Those days are gone! My paper hangers are my new favorite ladies, thanks to the grasscloth they installed that completed transformed the space. I couldn't even wait three minutes after they left to get two coats of white paint on the wood paneling. The difference is drastic and beautiful!

Today I'm off to get new treads for the stairs, more paint, and a fresh piece of wood to cap off the small wood paneled ledge.

Here are the front runners for stair color combinations: medium blue with a deeper blue stripe, hunter green with a kelly green stripe, or navy blue with a medium gray stripe. I want to keep the paint dark so it doesn't show dirt or scuffs. The stripe (similar to this) will add visual interest and inject a bit of energy into what could become a dark corner of the house.

Isn't it just amazing what paper and fresh paint alone can do!

Email me at heidi.atlsdesign@gmail.com if you want help making some easy changes in your home that will make a big difference! I'd love to work with you to create the home of your dreams.

Staircase Inspiration.

In honor of Halloween, I thought I'd share a creepy corner of the house...

This is the stairway down to the basement and it's one of the first things you see when you enter through the garage. No joke, it looks like something out of a scary movie. Luckily it won't look like this for much longer.

It is being papered in this (see more grass cloth here)...

And then I want to install new treads

and paint paint paint until they look a little more like this...

or this...

or this.

And to top it off, I've decided this is going to be one big gallery wall/ stairway. My plan is to display travel pictures from all of our adventures and let the gallery grow over the years, the more exotic it becomes, the better! Love what's happening on this staircase.

Slightly ambitious given the current state of the stairs, but why not dream big if I'm going to be dreaming, right? And fresh paint cures a world of worries so I should have those stairs looking much better in no time. I'll keep you updated on the progress.

Until then, do you have any fun/inexpensive ideas for hopeless stairs? I'd love to hear! I'm kind of desperate!

On The Subject Of Wallpaper: Grass Cloth.

I'm using a lot of wallpaper at the house. Read: more rooms are being papered than painted. It's not loud, in your face paper, but it's paper none the less. And I've had many odd looks from workers and friends alike when I explain the decor plan of the house.

I get it. Most people not immersed in the world of design hear wallpaper and go running with nightmare-ish flashbacks of bad 90's paisley avec border or grandma's floral from who knows when. I'm not saying all wallpaper is created equal, certainly not. And much of the paper you find at big box stores is plain B.A.D. But don't hate it all! Some options are down right beautiful.

One of my favorite types of paper is grasscloth. I'm using grasscloth in the master bath, walk-in closet, and back hallway and I'm very excited with the results so far (it's being hung while we speak). I love grasscloth because it reads as a solid but has more depth than paint. It's a really nice backdrop for art work and textiles alike, and it has a way of making a room feel a bit more expensive.

Here are a few of my favorite spaces with grasscloth. You don't know how hard it was to edit this collection down.

Images via My Pinterest

A quick shout out to the lovely bloggers Bryn (glasscloth is even the background of her blog!!) and Bri for including grasscloth in their powder room and closet respectively (included above)! Well done ladies, well done!

Obviously I'm in love. What about you?

Do you like the look of grasscloth? Or does paper terrify you?

Would you be more open to it in your own home after seeing some of these beauties?

And The Lucky Winner Is...

Yay! So happy to announce the winner of the Missoni/ Starbucks/ Designer Road Map Giveaway is Caterine from 7:30Design! Caterine said her favorite feature on ATLS is Outfit To Room posts. Kindred spirits, I tell ya! She finds inspiration in clothing too, as evidenced here and here.

Thanks so much for participating, and find out more about Designer Road Maps and other ATLS design services here incase you didn't win but want one anyway!

DIY Bar Cart.

After yesterday's post, I was alerted of a great DIY. Look at this amazing transformation Kendall performed to turn an old AV cart (hello 4th grade flashback!!) into a stylish and trendy bar cart.

Before

Old, gunky, and rusty

And the big reveal...

I know! I'm thinking the same thing!

That used to be an AV cart that looked like it was on its last leg?!

The girl's good.

The styling is impeccable and the designer in me cannot resist commenting on the yummy curtains and dark stained floors in the background.

Check out Kendall's blog here and see the process from start to finish.

Happy Friday everyone!

Kendall, with a bar cart that beautiful, I'm just waiting for my invite for drinks!

I'm In Love With Society Social.

Oh. My. Gosh. I feel silly admitting I just learned about the fabulousness that is Society Social. I am dying over each and every last piece they have for sale on their site and want to own everything! Not only are their products insanely stylish, but the site contains the most adorable renderings. I seriously would frame them as office artwork.

See what I mean?!

Anyway, aside from the perfect styling and cheerful color options, SS's founder Roxy might just be the cutest thing I've ever seen. I obviously have a design crush on all things Society Social, but here are a few of my favorite offerings.

The Piper (super customizable and only $249 with free shipping- a no brainer)

The Marilyn Sofa (sold after the name alone!)

The Madison Mixer (bar carts are Roxy's specialty- a girl after my own heart)

The Stanton (classic yet fresh)

Cheetah Pillow and Society Soiree Pillow (they speak for themselves)

I'm off to do a happy dance! Thanks Society Social for making my heart skip a beat.

Color Combo: Navy and Green.

I'm helping one of my dearest friends put together a color scheme for her wedding. She's leaning toward navy blue or dark royal blue bridesmaid dresses, which I think would be beautiful for a labor day wedding. After scouring the interweb for bridal navy and green, I couldn't get the color combo out of my head. It's classic and timeless, preppy and stylish, fresh yet rich. I just love it!

Here are some of my favorite rooms, parties, vignettes, and even outfits that utilize a navy and green combo.

I die over every. last. element. in that last image! But I obviously really love the house/ flower combo goin' on in the background.

What do you think? Is blue and green for you?

I think it's just lovely!

And don't forget to enter the giveaway here!

All images via My Pinterest

ATLS Giveaway!!

Just because I love you sweet readers (oh so much!!), I decided to do a reader appreciation giveaway. The giveaway includes a free Designer Road Map from ATLS Design (learn more about it here), a Starbucks Gift Card ($25 value), and a pair of the coveted Missoni for Target Pajama Pants (size medium).

To enter: become a follower (over on the right) and leave a comment on this post telling me something you love about the blog or something you'd like to see more of. You can get an additional vote if you blog or tweet about the giveaway! One lucky winner will be chosen Monday, 24 October 2011, so hurry up and enter! Good luck!

This blog wouldn't be the same without you!

Thanks so much for the continued support and for stopping by everyday!

You're the best!

P.S. Your comments kind of make me feel like this!

Keep them coming!

image via My Pinterest

Built-in Beauties.

Today I've got built-ins on my mind. I'm finalizing design plans for a few little nooks in the house that will be getting the extra special treat of receiving a built-in. Built-in shelves by the tub in the master bath, a sweet little window seat nook for my office, and a set of substantial bookshelves for the living room.

Here are some of the images I'm crushing on and using as inspiration for the built-ins in my space.

images via My Pinterest

There's something about a good built-in that seems so classic yet fresh at the same time.

And let's be honest, I can't wait to have built-ins to decorate!

The perfect place to display odds and ends collected from a well-lived life.

Happy Monday!