SO WRONG, IT'S RIGHT

Mismatching your cushions with your sofa. On first look, I thought, "Ew, that's not right." But as I let my eyes soak up the entire image, I began to change my mind. Because the room already has a lot going on, it just adds one more unexpected, interesting twist. The important part in making it work is keeping the fabric solid (no patterns) and within a complementary color palette.

So, what do you guys think? Wrong or right?

*image via Canadian House and Home

MEET THE RUE BLOGGERS!

On Monday we launched our regular schedule over on the Rue Blog as a way to bring you more inspiration on a daily basis. We've rounded up a talented bunch of bloggers - who I'm sure you'll recognize - to share with you their style tips, ideas, muses, and more! So hop on over and let us know what you think...we hope you like it!

I hope your first work week of the New Year was an invigorating one! Cheers to new beginnings, kicking the winter blues, and Fridays!

See you back here with a fun giveaway on Monday!

xo,

Crystal

SOFT ROMANCE ON THE UPPER WEST SIDE

There's something so sweet about Katie Ermilio's Manhattan apartment that it keeps me coming back for more. You may recognize it as the Rue Issue Two cover story (pg. 93); I know it as one of my all time favorite shoots for the mag.

When you first walk into Katie's place, you're met with floor to ceiling white brick walls and gorgeous wood beams. It's cozy, it's feminine, and subtlely romantic.

I'm going to venture to say, this very image is my favorite to date. There's something about the white books and the way the center line continues up through the line of the antique hanger that does it for me. A beautifully styled moment and a well composed photo. I gives me that heart jump!

Katie's butterscotch leather sofa - weathered in all the right places - has become a favorite with Rue readers. We were so thrilled with the cover shot we got of Katie (in her blue shoes!) cozied up on it.

More books and more reasons for me to love this shoot. They are my favorite object to collect and have become my go-to styling prop. Luckily Katie had a wealth of beautiful, hard covered ones at her place, so we stacked them up on her coffee table to capture this shot - another all time favorite of mine.

*images: Jamie Beck for Rue Magazine

OLYMPIA LE-TAN: HANDMADE WITH LOVE IN FRANCE

I love literature and I love fashion, so the two together make perfect sense ;)

How clever are these Olympia Le-Tan evening clutches conceptualized around the literary classics, like Lolita, Moby Dick, and more? What do you think? Would you don one of these to your next gala or ball?

GUEST BLOGGING FOR VICENTE WOLF

As many of you already know, Vicente Wolf is one of my all time favorite designers. We were thrilled to feature him in the premiere issue of Rue and even more so because it meant spending a day getting to know him.

The globetrotter that he is, Vicente is away traveling right now and has asked me to be a guest blogger on his site, where I'm sharing some tips for getting published in a digital magazine...I hope you'll find them helpful. Check it out and let us know what you thought!

P.S. Extra points for anyone who can name his cat ;)

*photography by Jamie Beck

I FELL IN LOVE

With the simplicity of this kitchen. Lots of clean lines. A muted seafoam color for the cabinetry. A free standing shelf. Lots of white dishes. And a no-fuss look make this irresistibly attainable.

It's the little things that make me happy. Like the blue ticking dish towels and industrial style flight fixture just barely visible above the plant. But my absolute favorite thing about this kitchen is all that open space above the shelf of bottles. It would have been so tempting to stick some photographs or even a painting there. The restrict to withhold speaks volumes to me.

*image via From Scandinavia with Love

OUR DEEPEST FEAR

One of my favorite quotes begins like this: "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us." While I ended 2010 with my non-goals, I'd like to start 2011 with my intentions for the new year, all of which I hope will focus me on the continued quest to embrace my "light."

*open up to others more often: though I'm a rather private and protective person by nature, I'd like to try talking to strangers more often and letting down my guard a little more this year. I bet I'll discover there's much to be gained from opening up more than I'm used to.

*embrace the process, don't hurry to the end: this year is going to be one filled with challenges and change. I'm moving to a new city, I'm growing a start-up, and I'm stepping into new levels of responsibility. I hope I remember that this time of personal growth and challenge is all part of a beautiful process and bigger picture. I'd like to enjoy the ride more often and stress about the end a bit less.

*launch a new personal site: I think 2011 calls for a little update to the ol' blog. I'd love to create a personal site that more accurately reflects who I am, and include things like an "about me" section, my design portfolio, and more. It's time to take things to the next level.

*prioritize my workouts: I'm a bit of a workaholic so I'm pretty much on my laptop working from the time I wake up till the time I go to bed. I have the tendency to push my trips to the gym off in the urgency of getting "just a few more emails" out the door until it's too late to go at all. An hour at the gym to clear my mind and move my body is more important than any email, and I need to remember that. Health comes first.

*do something unrelated to design: Design is my passion so I am grateful that I get eat, breath, and live it every day as I've built my career and hobbies around it. But I'd like to be a more well-rounded person and build friendships in new circles and stretch myself to go outside my comfort level.

Here's to having an intentional new year! I hope your 2011 is off to a great start!

*image via From Scandinavia with Love