Dream - Outdoor Spaces for Cat Naps, 1

An Indian Summer Blog

I don't know about you but daydreaming makes me sleepy.  Sometimes you have to close your eyes and take a cat nap to properly daydream.

This week - some dreamy outdoor spaces for great cat naps.

Dream - Outdoor Spaces for Daydreaming, 1

Desire to Inspire Blog

We are taking a break from blogging in earnest this August as we gear up for our September buying season.  August seems the perfect month for nothing but daydreaming so I'll be posting a dreamy inspiration instead of a full-length post to keep your imagination fueled.  We'll pick back up in September with a recap of last years trends and trends from this year's Casual Living show and sneak peaks of what you can expect from HomeInfatuation.com in 2012.

This week - great outdoor spaces for daydreaming.

Design 101 - Mixing and Matching Patterns

Walt Disney Terrene Outdoor Rug

In concept I love the idea of mixing and matching loads of patterns and colors.  In practice I never can seem to get over my pattern and color insecurities.  I longingly pour over magazine and blog photos of designer spaces that are a skillful explosion of pattern and color and promise myself that with each new design opportunity I will full-heartedly take up this design challenge.  I don't know about you but for me I need some rules for such an outside of the box design concept.  I figure if I'm following "the rules" I can't go wrong!

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Inspiration Board - Rugs

Rugs and pillows are the two accessories that I believe can change the look and feel of a space in the snap of a finger and without breaking the bank.  Rugs ground an outdoor space and add softness to your hardscape but they can add real drama to an outdoor space as well. One well thought out rug in a punchy color or pattern is enough to make a space sing or make a real statement with layers of rugs in a variety of colors and patterns.  All this week we will be talking about this versatile accessory - the rug.  To get the week started some inspiring uses of rugs in outdoor spaces.

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Get The Look - Layers of Outdoor Lighting

Photo Inspiration - Desire to Inspire

From oil lamps to torches to outdoor table lamps this photo inspiration has a lot of layers of a variety of types of lighting. The resulting look is an overall warm glow that encourages you to sit down and linger for a while.

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Design 101 - How to Light a Space

Beautiful Living Style

Like any room in your house your outdoor space will have similar lighting requirements for maximum enjoyment after dark.

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Get The Look - Outdoor Lighting

Outdoor lighting can extend the amount of time you spend in your outdoor space after dark but like indoor lighting it can also set the mood and make a statement.  This week we are going to talk about, what we think is, a grossly overlooked aspect of outdoor living - lighting.  To kick off the week, outdoor lighting that makes a statement.

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Get The Look - Accessories as Art

Interiors - Antlers as Art

If you aren't ready to start collecting art for your outdoor space but want the look of a collection, accessories are a great place to start to Get The Look.  From flea market finds, found objects to garden statuary there are plenty of opportunities to transition into your outdoor art collection.

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Design 101 - Think Outside the Box for Outdoor Entertaining

Style Me Pretty - Gia Canali Photography

Like other designers, event designers are great outside the box thinkers.  I get such a kick out of their creative use of furnishings, objects, landscapes and lighting to create events.  When planning your next outdoor event take a cue from event designers.  Look at your outdoor and indoor furnishings and landscaping through a new lens - the one where anything goes.  Don't just see planters - see gigantic candle holders!  Here is a selection of some of my favorite event designer creative solutions for outdoor entertaining.

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Inspiration Board - Outdoor Entertaining

With the official first day of summer tomorrow and the summer's biggest outdoor entertaining opportunity (Fourth of July) just around the corner I thought it would be fun to spend some time thinking about event design and outdoor entertaining.  My greatest resource for party planning is wedding blogs.  Event designers and couples are so wildly creative when it comes to designing receptions these days and with the popularity of wedding blogs there is a constant supply of inspiration.  To start the week off some  inspiration from three of my favorite wedding blogs - Once Wed, Style Me Pretty and Ruffled.

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