It always surprises me when I go crazy for a room that is nowhere near my personal style.

Like Timothy Corrigan’s Los Angeles living room. I can’t get enough of this room although, in a way, I don’t even like it. It’s much too aristocratic for me, with all its neoclassical styling and expensive antiques.

And yet, as has happened before, I can’t tear my eyes away. Why do I love it so much, even though I don’t even like it? (Click to enlarge.)

For the same reason I love this room: a super-cozy seating area. This space isn’t designed for walking all around—it’s designed for sitting, and sitting some more. It’s designed for conversation and connecting.

So even though the naked people scattered around the room aren’t exactly my thing, the purpose of this room totally is. I’m getting closer and closer to understanding my taste, and this—this concept, this aim—is definitely it.

Oh, and it also helps that I love the proportions and dominant colors.

*Image from Architectural Digest.

I’ve been carrying around sketches of my dream house for, oh, I don’t know, eight years or so. Every now and then I pull them out to make improvements—at one point it went from two bedrooms to three (once we had children); at another point it went from one bathroom to two (at the sensible advice of my father), and, more recently, I realized I’ll never find such a long lot and will probably have to make it more square.

One feature that hasn’t changed in eight years is the arched windows. Ideally they’d go down the entire length of one side of the house, like in Alfredo Paredes and Brad Goldfarb’s New York apartment below. But what’s even better about theirs is the depth of the arches, which reflect light brilliantly. Thanks for the inspiration, guys! Time to pull out my sketches again.

*Images from Architectural Digest.

In my first Modern Family house interiors post, I mentioned that the Dunphys use blue accents; in the second, Cameron and Mitchell use green. So naturally, Gloria and Jay Pritchett’s home is accented with red. It makes sense that Gloria’s vivacious personality shines through in their accent color, doesn’t it?

I really like this house. It’s a little extravagant, of course, but if you were to shrink it down to small-size (we’re a family of four currently living in 700 square-feet and I honestly wouldn’t want it any bigger!), this style could work for me. I like clean, low, parallel lines; I could probably make out with that dining room. I also like small hints of crazy, so the random zebra chair, odd chandelier, and bizarre painting are right up my alley.

The only thing I can’t quite figure out is the kitchen. I’m seeing different art and furniture (and even red vs. taupe) and can’t figure out if it’s a different part of the room or if the set was redesigned at some point. Insights?

*Jay and Gloria’s red walls are painted Currant Red from Benjamin Moore.

Yesterday I posted a compilation of images of Claire and Phil Dunphy’s house from Modern Family, and today I’m posting images of Cameron and Mitchell’s. Their house is accented with green tones and Asian-style furnishings. It’s decidedly more masculine than the Dunphy’s (with the exception of Lily’s room), and with a more world-traveled elegance.

I’m attracted to their wall art, particularly all the black-and-white pieces!

*Cameron and Mitchell’s green walls are painted Louisburg Green from Benjamin Moore.

We love Modern Family. It’s one of the few shows that consistently makes both my husband and I laugh out loud. And though I never mention it while we’re watching, I also love what’s happening in the background. You know, the inanimate objects, the paint colors—everything related to the house sets.

All of the interiors are distinctive, because, as production designer Richard Berg put it, “You need to be able to tell whose house you are in at a glance” (Los Angeles Times). So Claire and Phil Dunphy’s house is accented with blue tones, stripes, and florals and is the most “catalog” of the three, with furnishings actually purchased from Crate&Barrel and Pottery Barn, as well as budget-friendly stores like HomeGoods and Pier 1 Imports.

So here it is, the home of Claire and Phil Dunphy, with images from Architectural Digest, L.A. Times, and HookedOnHouses.Net.

*The Dunphy foyer walls are painted Labrador Blue from Benjamin Moore.

Seriously? Seriously??!

Yes, seriously. Thank you to Anthropologie for making my Friday. (Or breaking it, if you consider the fact that I’m crying over this thing of beauty.)

Also, this confirms for me that photographic prints are one of the best trends of 2012.

As of today I’ve officially made it through five months of my shopping diet. Hard to believe, not because it’s such a great accomplishment but because I still have seven months left. Are you kidding me? SEVEN more months? I feel like this has been going on for an eternity already!

Although I admit I feel like I cheated. A friend of mine hosted a clothing sale last week, and another friend noticed that I was coveting a pair of jeans and bought them for me. Isn’t that just too generous?! And then another friend sold me one of her brand-new Victoria’s Secret bras (buying undergarments and socks are acceptable if necessary) and then she threw in a dress for free (which is the item I really wanted). So now I have a new pair of jeans and a new dress and I’m feeling a bit guilty about it. Guilty, and giddy. Ha… ha?

Anyway, I may not be shopping, but I’m still gleaning plenty of late-winter style inspiration from my favorite retailers, like Kate Spade:

And J.Crew:

And Anthropologie:

There’s plenty of drooling happening over here.

Icy, pale blue is my absolute favorite color (probably because it’s so clean), and my absolute favorite way to use it is with a hot pop of color in the red or orange family. Just like Leslie Klotz did in her bedroom:

Hellooo, heaven.

Oh, and besides the color pop, Klotz was smart to use woven shades and a walnut nightstand—they warm up a very cool color on the walls.

*Image from House Beautiful.

This is the one instance I can think of, at least in recent years, when a trend began in home décor and then infiltrated fashion. Zebra print may be coming up in fashion, but it’s been staying up in home.

I’ve been compiling images of zebra print décor over the past several months, from Adore Home, High Gloss, and Lonny, as well as retailers Horchow and West Elm. It’s amazing how widespread this trend is! And how incredibly versatile. See for yourself.

Zebra print wall-to-wall carpeting:

Zebra print pillows:

Zebra print furnishings:

And last but not least, zebra print rugs—some real, some fake, some cartoony:

So if you’re trying to figure out how to add a dose of retro glamour to your room without sacrificing edginess, I hope these photos inspire you to consider zebra!

Hm. I’ve seen this color combination before. First here, then here, and now right here:

I think I might really like this color palette.

*Image from Lonny magazine.