vintage rugs

Ever since losing out of an amazing vintage rug on Craigslist a few weeks ago, I have been obsessed with finding one. I don't even really have a room in mind I just want one - a lot. Vintage rugs are one of my new favorite design elements for a room. They add character, color and texture to any room and instantly make that space feel more unique. When searching for vintage rugs I generally use the following terms:

- Dhurrie - a thick, flat woven rug traditionally found in India.
- Kilim - a flat, woven tapestry produced from the Balkans to Pakistan.
- Soumak - a type of Oriental flat weave that often has fringe and unlike kilim is not reversible. 
- Flat weave 
- Persian, Turkish, Oriental, Anatolian 

I am still a relative beginner at this particular search so if any readers have other terms I should be using I would love to know! Have a good Monday everyone!

1. via Design Manifest  2. via High Street Market originally featured in Lonny  3. source unknown  4. via Local Milk  5. source unknown  6. source unknown  7. source unknown

zara home

Since living in Europe for a semester in college, ZARA has been one of my favorite places to shop. Whenever I go to Chicago or New York or any other big city that has a store I make sure not to miss it. So I was very excited a couple of years ago when they started selling online. What I didn't realize until quite recently is that ZARA HOME is also now online. The selection isn't huge but they have some really cute stuff that is reasonably priced. Plus I feel like its a sort of unknown place to shop which is nice because its unlikely your friends will have the same stuff. Here are a few of my favorites from their current collections. 

via ZARA HOME

rattan lights

Sorry for the delay but better late than never. This weekend, I was over at our friend's new house. It was long and tiring journey for them to find their first home but it definitely seems like it was worth the wait. Among the many projects/design decisions we talked over was a solution for her dining room light. Currently the chandelier is rather blah and she is anxious to get rid of it. A lot of elements are up in the air so I suggested doing a basket light which looks great, is easy to install and can be very cost effective. Since we have moved into our rented house (three years ago...) I have been wanting to implement this high impact, low cost solution. And while I haven't gotten it together to get one for our dining room maybe this will help motivate me! Here are a few images I pulled together to show our friends what I had in mind.

1. source unknown  2. via Home Beautiful  3. home of the creators of Day Birgen et Mikkelsen  4.via Mechant Design  5. source unknown  6. via House Beautiful design by Sally Markham  7. via m{pression  8. source unknown