Mix N Chic Designer Challenge
So, you guys may have picked up on this already, but I love design, in all its forms! That's what originally made me fall so hard for modern quilting, after all. But "design" doesn't end when you finish the quilt. Modern quilts are amazing design pieces in and of themselves, and can be fabulous additions to your home décor. In fact, that's something I've been thinking about more and more as my quilting career has progressed—designing quilts that work in modern homes.
Sofa: Pottery Barn. Icicle blue credenza: Chairish. Chandelier: Overstock. Yellow geometric pillow: West Elm. Wooden mirror: Chairish. Arrow bookends: West Elm. 1940s carved wood corbel columns: Chairish.
So, when the folks at Chairish contacted me about doing their Blogger Mix N Chic Style Challenge, at first I thought, "Nah, that's not really my thing." But then I realized, this was my chance to actually reverse that process—why not design a room around one of my quilts, instead of the other way around? : ) And so, my first-ever style board was born! I used my Chandelier Quilt as the inspiration and the starting point for my "room."
The Mix N Chic Style Challenge is all about mixing different elements and décor styles into one fabulous room. Chairish—which is a unique curated marketplace for vintage and used furniture, decor, and jewelry—asked me to mix some of their Shabby Chic pieces with other décor styles. I thought my Chandelier quilt was perfect for a challenge like this, with its elegant but unique color palette and modern-meets-vintage aesthetic.
I think I found some really fun pieces, and I'm starting to wish this room actually exists in my real-life house! If you're thinking of using one of your quilts as inspiration to design a room, here's what I learned:
1. Use your quilt's color palette, but don't go overboard. I chose mostly neutral items, accented with a few colorful key pieces. I love tons of color in my quilts, but too much color in the furniture and accessories not only competed with the quilt, it all just started to seem chaotic.
2. Modern quilts are the perfect starting point when you're looking to mix different furniture styles! My style board includes elements of shabby chic, traditional, Victorian, mid-century modern, and much more. I feel like the quilt helps tie them all together and makes the whole room more cohesive. Don't ever feel tied down to just one decorating style.
3. Use your quilt's style to guide you. I called my quilt "Chandelier" because the design literally reminded me of a crystal chandelier. So obviously there had to be one of those on my style board! I also echoed the shape of the blocks in the shape of the mirror, and looked to the fabric in the quilt to guide my selection of the print on the pillow.
4. If this were a real room, the quilt could be hung up as a wall-hanging, draped over the back of the couch, or even displayed on a vintage ladder. There are lots of options for showing it off.
5. Did you know you can easily make style boards just like this on Polyvore? (Because I didn't until last week!) Adding items to Polyvore from anywhere on the web is as easy as pinning to Pinterest with Polyvore's Clipper tool browser add-on. Then just click "Create" to make a Set with your items (or choose from items already on Polyvore). It's a great way to try things out together before you buy or just kill a couple of hours. Because I know you needed another internet rabbit hole to get lost down, right? 😂
If you liked this post, check out my "Decorating with Quilts" Pinterest board to see examples of beautiful quilts used in fabulous rooms. And thank you to Chairish for inviting me to participate in the Mix N Chic Style Challenge!