Inspiration from a Shoe Box

April 18, 2016 Amber Guyton

Inspiration can come from anywhere. Your past. Your present. Your hometown. A vacation. A loved one. A stranger. It’s funny how memories can be triggered in the same way. You see something and suddenly an entire scene from your childhood flashes before your eyes. The sound, the smell, the visuals. Inspiration can come from anywhere or anything. Even a shoe box.

Due to limited storage, I used to tuck away shoe boxes under my bed as a child. I remember having this one striped Keds shoe box that I’d keep photos, friends’ notes passed in class and randomly scribbled Jay-Z and Aaliyah lyrics in. Hiding it under my bed seemed like the safest place to keep these beloved personal items. I viewed my bedroom in a similar fashion. It was an intimate place of comfort, warmth and protection. It was my place to retreat from arguments with my sister and a quiet spot to listen to music when I didn’t really want to listen to my mom. It was my one place of peace. My childhood bedroom was my getaway, and as an adult, I wanted my master bedroom to be just that.

I’ve always loved bright colors. Since I was young, the use of vivid color made me feel alive. I loved coloring with Crayola markers. My favorite box? The Bold Colors. :-)

Like these markers, my childhood bedrooms were always pretty colorful. I somehow convinced my Mom to let me paint my room lavender and a few years later, cyan blue adorned with freehanded white Mickey Mouse stencils in each top corner and around the frame of my window (which the left-handed artist in me freehanded, of course!). In college, my dorm room was lime green freshman year, then white with hot pink polka dots when I moved off campus my senior year. However, somehow as I stumbled into my adulthood, my bedroom turned to a soft celery, and like the taste, my colorful bedroom trend turned bland.

So what does any of this have to do with anything? LOL (Still longwinded, be patient with me.) Well, months ago I decided I wanted to return to my Bold Crayola marker ways and create an environment in my new master suite full of the rich magentas, teals and golds I so fondly remember. Then one weekend in the fall, I bought a pair of Tory Burch Reva ballet flats.

I’m no stranger to Tory Burch. Aside from being a phenomenal woman, entrepreneur and inspiration to model after, I have several items of hers in my wardrobe, shoe and accessory collection. But have you ever really looked at Tory’s packaging? The bags, the tissue paper, the shoe boxes? They are bursting with vibrant colors and patterns. Textured ribbons. Gold accents. Even the personal in-store shopping experience is outstanding, topped off with a handwritten thank you card with your cardstock receipt enclosed. Her merchandise boxes and bags simply stand out. They are original and CLASSIC. If you want to make an impression, be like Tory. The quality product packaging is everything. These boxes are by far the prettiest in my closet.

And then I thought, “THAT’S IT!” Those are the design elements I wanted to replicate in my new, bold and colorful master suite. But where to start?

One of my favorite online stores for budget-friendly furniture and home décor is Joss & Main. I’d been purchasing home décor items from them since 2013. One day I was perusing through some of their sales events on the Joss & Main app and spotted these Jennifer Taylor stool ottomans. I fell in love with the color and details immediately - a gorgeous navijo-patterned fabric and suede legs with nailheaded trim. It mimicked the Moroccan and Bohemian vibes I was going for.

“Quantity: 2”….”Add to Cart.”

Next, sunburst mirrors. I love them because they remind me of sunflowers, one of my favorite farmer’s market blooms. I knew I wanted to accent the entire space in gold, so why not begin with something that would serve as a stylish focal point for the room as soon as you glanced through the doorway. This Safavieh Woodland Sunburst Mirror is antique gold with tons of three-dimensional texture and character. I bought it through Joss & Main as well.

“Quantity: 1”….”Add to Cart.”

Next, the bed. Not just any bed, but THE bed. Do you follow fashion blogger, Wendy Nguyen of Wendy’s Look Book blog on Instagram? Well you should because she’s fabulous! Anywho, over a year ago she posted photos of her industrial, chic and elegant loft. In the master bedroom stood an oversized, tufted, velvet upholstered bed in navy blue. It was absolutely stunning, especially against the exposed crisp white bedding, brick walls and dark hardwood floors. I thought to myself, “Yep, that’ll be my bed one day,” (I even reposted it on Instagram!) and I remembered it as soon as I began bed shopping for my master. This one I found on Wayfair.com for a much cheaper price, I’m sure! The House of Hampton wingback bed was tufted in a smooth satin fabric in a beautiful dark teal with a contrasting silver nail finish around each end of the headboard. The upholstered bed sat in the entryway of my old apartment for over a month before assembling it with a friend around my Tempurpedic Cloud mattress once I moved into BLB. I could not be happier with the color.

“More color!” I thought. Still inspired by the Tory boxes and my new ottomans, the next purchase HAD to be pink! Luckily, I spotted a hot pink side chair at World Market around Christmas and had a gift card and coupon to use towards it. The icing on the cake? It was also 30% off! YES! Thank you World Market!

“Almost done…” Curtains. I wanted something of good quality and thick to block the sun for those sleep-in Saturdays. I also wanted something patterned, but nothing that would clash with the ottomans. I found these lovely cotton twill, rod-pocket drapes on Joss & Main too. The geometric pattern is unique, fun and not too busy for the room.

From there, all I needed was new white bedding (a white Calvin Klein comforter and sheets I later found at Marshalls), a few pillows and lamp (HomeGoods) and some artwork to adorn the walls (Etsy). All of the other items in my master were furniture and finds I already owned. I kept the photo collage below saved in my iPhone’s camera roll as I patiently waited for my online orders to begin rolling in, and I shopped for random odds and ends in my favorite local stores to complete the look.

Annnnnnnnnnnnnd finally, the FINAL product:

I absolutely LOVE how my master suite turned out. Beginning and ending my days in this room bring so much color into my life and joy to my heart. It fulfills the need of a solace place and comfortable getaway that I aimed to achieve from the very beginning. Lastly, it keeps me excited and smiling, and with every step down my hallway into this gorgeous room, I get butterflies…just as I do when opening a new Tory Burch shoe box.

Stay colorful. Stay inspired.

ACG

Design Deets:

Ottomans - Jennifer Taylor, Joss & Main

Upholstered Wingback Bed - House of Hampton, Wayfair

Sunburst Mirror - Safavieh, Joss & Main

Accent Chair - World Market

Curtains – Joss & Main

Side Table – Ross Dress for Less

Multi-Color Picture Frame – World Market

Lamp – HomeGoods

Gold Tray – West Elm Outlet