We get asked pretty frequently about where we find inspiration. The short answer: everywhere. Other blogs, design mags, real life, family and friends, clothing, nature, even reality TV. Yup, I’ll admit it. Who takes pictures of the TV for inspiration slash fun? This girl (points to self with thumbs). And then they get uploaded with all of our other photos and John dumps them into an iPhoto folder that’s aptly named “TV pics.” And every once in a while I come across them and click through and say “oh yeah that was Law & Order, I loved that ceiling” or “that headboard makes me all clammy, in a good way” or “poor actors slash reality stars – I wonder if they hate the fact that they can be paused in such unfortunate and unflattering ways?” (Oprah used to give me the most hilarious faces when I paused her – miss you O!). So here are a few photos of the tube that were sitting in my folder (you know I’m an over-sharer).
The Modern Family house (someday we’d love to use their landscaping as inspiration for our own home):
Here’s another Modern Family shot from the Clive Bixby episode (where they meet at a hotel lobby – best ever). I snapped a photo because I thought the shape of the headboard could be fun for one of those DIYed from plywood and foam ones. Maybe for a kids room someday (in brighter colors/fabric).
This shot from Law & Order LA was taken back when we were still house hunting. And I snapped it (get ready to snort-laugh) because I was hoping to find a house with arches and tall ceilings like this. Yeah, that didn’t happen, but I still love our house (and this photo too, just for the how-deluded-was-I memories). And heck, we did end up with exposed beams (white in the kitchen, and darker in the living room). They even run in the same directions as this photo. So maybe we did buy this house… kind of.
Here we have a shot from America’s Next Top Model (and an example of unfortunate pause-faces). Guess what I was enamored with… yup it’s another headboard lust moment. Isn’t that brown and white fabric awesome?
Here’s a shot from a movie we Netflixed (The Kids Are All Right), which we watched right after moving. We loved the deep-ish blue on the walls and wondered if that was a good color for the guest room (and actually ended up going even deeper).
Here’s another shot from The Kids Are All Right. John and I both fell in love with the large stone paver walkway that sort of curved out from the house in a triangle-ish shape. Maybe someday when we transplant about five hundred bushes we can attempt this clean and open look…
Ah, here we have one of my favorite shows: Flipping Out. I really liked the dark wood doors with the giant pane of frosted glass. So many homes have those ornate oval-glassed double doors, and I loved the clean-lines and chunky frame of these – they just felt so different.
Here’s another Flipping Out picture, and I can’t remember if I loved the tangerine gourd lamps (which could be accomplished with a can o’ spray paint and a Goodwill score) or the cool wavy mirror in the back that looks kind of like faux oyster shells. Probably both.
Last Flipping Out shot. This time I loved the glass pendants and the dark cabinets with the white counters. Of course we don’t have white granite/marble/silestone in our kitchen so it’s nothing we’ll do (we want to work with the mid-toned granite that we have, and don’t want to create a sea of brown) but it was a nice look, so I worked my picture-taking finger to capture Jeff’s design. Who knows, maybe someday we’ll get to stain someone else’s cabinets to mimic the look.
Here we have a shot from The Celebrity Apprentice (did anyone else think that show got boring after crazy Nene left?). Can you tell what I was obsessed with? Yup, the floors. They actually inspired us when it came to building the console table. So yeah, we owe it all to the Celebrity Apprentice.
Here’s a shot from The Big C (does anyone else watch it- it’s so good, we got a free trial of Showtime and got hooked and watched the whole thing in record time). I really liked the board and batten on the wall behind her and still dream of DIYing something similar in our hallway (as recently mentioned here). So I thought you’d like a visual. Preferably with Laura Linney in it.
This shot is from Secrets From A Stylist, snapped because we still have plans to thrift or build a larger, chunkier media cabinet to balance out the giant wood console table that we built on the other side of the room. And we really liked the white frame with the wood fronted doors of this thing:
Oh and occasionally we just see something we don’t think we’re supposed to and it blows our mind. Like this rare angle that John noticed (he’s such a notice-er) on Bachelor Pad a few weeks back. Look how many lights are on the ceiling in that room behind Jake. Isn’t that crazy? The place looks so homey on TV but it must feel like such a set in real life (and probably gets pretty hot).
Who else takes TV pics? I can’t be the only person who does this, right? Or do you try to find screen grabs on the computer instead? Some of my shots are admittedly quite wonky due to TV glare. I know I could mess around with the camera a bit to cut down on that stuff, but I mainly just use them as memory joggers, so it’s ok if they have a weird blue tint or there’s a person or two oddly frozen in the room. Maybe you guys all just watch TV and relax like a normal person? Probably that, huh?
Oh and did anyone else go Missoni crazy at Target? Sorry we’re late to that bandwagon/update. We actually didn’t make it there until Wednesday evening (the collection dropped on Tuesday morning) and of course it was hugely picked over/sold out by then, but I did spot these sweet rain boots (in an extra small) for Clara and couldn’t resist. She already tries to wear them (they’re a bit too big). Very cute.
I also grabbed this pretty geometric vase for the back of the living room console:
It’ll probably migrate around the house over time, but for now I’m loving the bold pattern and the metallic finish that references the chunky silver lamps nearby. Bah-dah-bling.
I also made off with these headbands for myself. They seem like a nice compromise for a ponytail obsessed gal like me. Now I can wear my hair down but still keep it out of my face. Oh who am I kidding, I’ll probably wear them with a ponytail. Update: already did here.
What did you guys buy? Was everything already gone? Was there someone in line buying 2K worth of Missoni stuff in front of you? Word on the street is that happened like crazy on Tuesday and Target’s website even crashed and folks are selling everything for $200 on ebay. Peeps be crazy for Missoni.
Amy K says
My Target in Upstate NY was totally over picked. I was kind of surprised that the demand would be so great here. They did have some cute girls clothing but I wasn’t too keen on spending $40 on a Target sweater. I did buy a cute candle.
I was definitely more interested in the Liberty of London line and Orla Kiely. I even called my mom in Ohio to buy items for me!
Emily@Decorchick says
I got those same boots for my daughter! They’re adorable. And I also got some of the tumblers and coffee cups. :)
Laura says
When you open the wall between the kitchen and dining room, maybe you could have it arch at the top like the L&A episode…and then maybe you really did buy that house!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- never thought about that! Hmm- something to ponder (and see if it’s in the budget, haha).
xo,
s
Lara says
I’ve never done the TV pic thing, but just last night I wondering if I could do the same thing with a library book. It showed a cool finish on an armoire that I wanted to remember for makeover I’m planning for ours.
Lara says
After I read through the other comments, I remembered that I had taken pictures of a haircut I wanted (the wife on According to Jim). (My pics weren’t great quality, & my stylist couldn’t really recreate it–boo.)
So funny that I didn’t think of this at first:)
Maky says
You know, I never used to pay attention to anything decorating-related anywhere but since I’ve started reading your blog, I suddenly see tons of stuff.
My latest ‘on the TV’ obsession is a living room on ‘General Hospital’. Not sure if you watch it, but the character Carly has the most amazingly decorated living room. It’s black and white with lots of yellow bits to highlight it. There’s even some art on one of the walls that I adore, all yellow, a simple staircase. Drives me nuts not to know where it came from!
I loved it so much that I’ve decided to decorate my hallway in a similar color scheme… let’s hope for the best!
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds so pretty! Send pics!
xo,
s
Kim says
I can’t look at any chevron patterns-they are just like the one I see when I get migraines-ruins the design appeal for me!
rhiannon says
everything sold out that morning at all the targets in the bay area. i bought a single plate (one of the only things left) to put a pot of succulents on. that’s it.
Lisa P. says
Sadly, it’s never occurred to me to snap a pic of the TV. I usually turn it off and go looking for what I liked and NEVER find it. Now I know what to do! :)
Lacey says
I was counting down the days to Missoni, but I never anticipated the huge craze and everything selling out! I experienced the crashed website, but it wasn’t until I saw the lack of stock at the store later that night that I realized it was all due to Missoni! Sadly, I was unable to walk away with the luggage, the weekend tote, the vases or the adorable espresso set I was hoping to grab up :(
Brooke says
I LOVE The Big C! It is so good, and Laura Linney is wonderful! Also, I can’t get enough of Flipping Out. Love me some Jeff Lewis. Finally, I bought the rain boots for my 1 year old. Yep, super big on her, but I’ve got closet space. The Missoni stuff is almost sold out at our Target(s)!
Julie says
As a huge Modern Family fan, I have a really exciting connection – we know the people who own the real Modern Family house…and we’ve hung out there! My husband is a teacher/tennis coach in a suburb of LA, and one of his lovely tennis players lives in that house. They host the tennis team party every year so I’ll actually be gonig back soon. Their house has an agent and they book it out for TV and movie shoots – how cool is that! They used the actual house for the pilot of Modern Family, and then built the sound stage based on the house when the show got picked up.
They are a really lovely family, I believe the mom did most of the design work herself. She told me it looked completely different when they bought it because they did a huge remodel. Anyway, that’s my claim to fame of the day! They really are super super nice, and the house is just as stunning but lived-in as on the show – they have 3 kids and a dog. If you have any questions about the house or landscape I would gladly pass them along.
YoungHouseLove says
Wow- that’s so coooooool! I love it!
xo,
s
Kem Horton says
I was able to grab the barettes, a bra and a storage box, all for my daugther. My store was almost empty of it too! Love the vase, great score!
Nicole Hansen says
We have 2 stores near me (columbus, Ohio) and they were basically sold out in 2 hours. I got some cute storage boxes for all the toy madness and a pair of shoes for myself which I am still on the fence about. The lady in front of me had almost one of everything….total $950. If you have that much money to spend, I’d just go buy the real thing:)
Jane says
I loved Carrie’s room in the first SATC movie:
http://www.casasugar.com/Casa-Interview-Sex-Citys-Jeremy-Conway-1675967
Loved that blue color, so it’s now an accent wall (in BM Electric Blue) in my son’s nursery. We moved since my son was born, and I loved the color so much I painted his new room the same color too! I crack up at the thought that a little boy’s room color is inspired by Carrie Bradshaw :)
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh I love that blue too!
xo,
s
Betsy says
I’d never heard of Missoni until I heard it crashed the Target website. I checked it out today… the colors don’t really go with my house. Bummer. The sweaters that they are selling remind me of Bill Cosby’s sweaters on The Cosby Show back in the 80’s!!! It makes me snicker.
Lindsay says
Oh man, I LOVE that floor in the Celebrity Apprentice pic!!
And I kind of can’t believe you guys watched Law and Order LA. I figured I was the only one (and I’ve only seen 2 episodes, I think), but I only watched because they filmed one of them on my street (used my house for the craft services). Heh. My next door neighbor’s house was a terrorist’s house and a few more down was a meth lab that exploded (boy, my neighborhood has sure gone downhill – heheh!). But man, I just couldn’t stomach the awful acting on that show. Glad they at least provided some house inspiration!
YoungHouseLove says
Yeah, that was the first or second one I think. We watched it for about three or four shows and then slowly crept away. Haha.
xo,
s
Jaime says
I live in Minneapolis, the home of Target, and it was all gone by 9. Lame. That’s why Karl Lagerfeld said he would never collaborate with H&M again; too many disappointed people.
Ann says
Gosh, I am reallly glad I live in my own world with unicorns and such. I don’t know who/what Missoni is, but for a minute, I thought it was like a back-to-school sale at Target. Kind of like Wal-Mart at Christmas. I love the headbands and boots you snagged!
heather says
Those boots are adorable. I totally didn’t get the Target thing though, as in space case not paying attention, no idea who Missoni is. I’ve grown into a habit of never buying something I wouldn’t buy anyway (even if it’s discount, clearance, limited, etc.) Though, I always search for a deal on the things I do want. I’m glad the people who wanted it got it though. If it was a Carhartt deal at Tractor Supply I might be there. No lie.
Can I also say that I love Phil and Claire’s modern family house? And the fact that Phil and Claire remind me of a (comedy-tized) version of my husband and myself? It’s sad, but true.
Michelle K. says
OMG! It seems like I’m always taking design idea photos off the TV. My last one was just this week of Emily’s pillows in her office. You know, the 3 (2 blue, 1 red) that are stacked on top of each other on a shelf in her office. LOVE THEM!! And LOVE HER!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yeah, those are super cute!
xo,
s
Blair says
I have yet to make it to target but those boots are pretty darn cute! Personally, I love watching RH of Beverly hills for decorating, those women have the most swoon worthy closets. I drool almost every episode, its quite sad!
~Blair
YoungHouseLove says
Oh my gosh yes. Lisa’s closet is insaaaaaane!
xo,
s
Lanie says
I don’t take pictures of the TV, but when my husband and I were watching The Kids Are Alright, we rewound a couple of times and paused so I could show him the board and batten as you call it on the walls. So I get inspiration from TV, and the same shows you do too I guess! I loved that house. I love all shingled houses with bright white or color around the windows and doors.
Jenna says
My iPhone photos definitely act as a to-do list for all the DIY projects I want to get done. Oh, and I cannot get enough of Jeff Lewis–he is so hilarious! But were you as devastated as I was when Trace left?
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, very sad about Trace’s departure. I loved his Prada shorts.
xo,
s
Jadie says
I love Modern Family. I love the comedy and I love the sets! Although I don’t think I ever have my camera quite as handy as you do, so I don’t ever snap any pictures…I am a Target junkie. I was super excited for the Missoni line, but had family and friends in from out of town when it launched and I totally forgot. Didn’t make it until this AM, Fri. I was so bummed. I made off with a pair of socks and a skirt for my daughter.
Rosalie says
the large stone paver walkway that sort of curved out from the house in a triangle-ish shape from The Kids are All Right is the PERFECT solution to my front lawn. Im so glad you take pictures of paused TV. It’ll most likely be something I start doing.
Kristi W. says
Taking inspirational pics of things you see on TV? Great idea!! I often see things and wish I could find them online to save a pic. Duh – why didn’t I think of this.
p.s. You are not an over-sharer. You’re a blogger! And you do your job well.
Lady Goats (Gina) says
Oh my gosh, I take pictures of the TV all the time! My favorite one is of some slipper chairs in a swiffer commercial. *drool* I love the CLEAN houses in the cleaning products commercials (and how everything’s normally white/neutral with pops of color that match the product!).
And I am drooling over my Target EMAIL! Haven’t gone yet, but I TOTALLY plan on it!
Abby says
Ok, now that you have fessed up to loving Flipping Out (my FAVE!) I have a question for you! Anyone know about the chandelier that was featured in the house that Jeff did the redesign on last season, they had a newborn baby? The chandelier was in their dining room and had this “sputnik-like” air to it…I think John’s sister has something similar in her new house…I have found similar ones, but it seems like the one in the episode of Flipping Out has more prongy (that’s a technical term) things from it with more actual bulbs. I have been lusting after that chandelier for months!! Geez, I miss cable…and Jeff Lewis.
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, I was going to suggest searching “sputnik” on ebay to see what comes up but since you know the name for that kind of chandelier that tip might not help. Anyone know anything for Abby?
xo,
s
Melissa @ HOUSEography says
I went to Target today… WAY too late. One purple patterned comforter set left. Didn’t get it! My guess is there will be loads more next week or the week after. Target be crazy not to restock since people flooded the stores and certainly picked up other “necessities”!
dana828 says
There were signs up at my Target today stating that there is no more inventory left so they will not be re-stocking at all. Everything that was left fit into one little corner in the women’s department–not a single home good to be seen!
Crista says
So I think you should get your archways afterall…. put in an arch instead of a rectangular doorway between the kitchen/diningroom.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, you’re the second to suggest that! We’ll have to see how the budget goes (and iif it looks weird next to a rectangular doorway to the hallway in the same room- might need to keep things consistent… not sure).
xo,
s
Aron says
I was not dying for the Missoni line but I loved the black & white rainboots and knew they would sell out so I went online at 4 am and bought them, a satin scarf and a candle for my Mom and my assistant. The website crashed right after I checked out at 4:25. Crazy.
There are still a ton of the colored rainboots at my local target….
Kate says
Okay I DROOL over Flipping Out. My BF doesn’t get it; he’ll walk into the living room and say, “How can you watch this? With all the yelling and complaining!” I’m like, “Babe, shh, look at those countertops.” I could watch that show on mute.
I also love all the houses (even the boat house) on Parenthood. They spotlight their set designer in cheesy cross-promotions during the commercials which is irritating, but the homes are so charming. I never thought about snapping photos of the TV but I’m gonna start!
Carrie says
Speaking of Bachelor Pad…I really, really want the upholstery fabric on much of the exterior furniture and drapes: bold pattern with white, teal, lime & chocolate. Can’t figure out how to find out the name/manufacturer.
YoungHouseLove says
Anyone know the fabric name/manufacturer?!
xo,
s
Donna says
Love the kitchen in the movie ” Knocked Up ” ( really the whole house ), and got a crazy cute sweater shell from the Missoni collection. It is so mean of Target to only have it for a month. :(
debbie c says
I did my Missoni shopping online the day it opened, I had a feeling the store would be picked clean! Thankfully I scored a scarf before the site crashed, looking forward to getting it in the mail. But the bike….oh, such a beautiful bike! I wish.
Brettany says
This is totally unrelated to your post but I have a question for you…Sherry, did you paint while you were pregnant? I’m 14 weeks now and we just bought a house. I really don’t want to sit back and do nothing, that’s no fun! But totally will if I need to. Also – is it true that when you get low/no VOC paint color tinted it really doesn’t even matter that you bought the low VOC stuff?? HELP!
YoungHouseLove says
I only painted with Olympic No-VOC paint because not only is the base VOC free but the colorant/additives are also no-VOC. At that time (and still now I believe) they were the only Home Depot/Lowe’s company doing that (while others added VOCs as you mentioned with the colorants). Oh and I was still crazy though! All the windows were open, the fans were going, and I was wearing a gas mask. Can’t be too careful!
xo,
s
Molly says
I love how inspiration came come in all shapes and forms~
I live in MN…I strolled (literally!) into my Target on Tuesday. I was there around 11:30am…no lines, no fighting/screaming customers, no hoarders. I think I was the only one in Target even interested in Missoni. I was able to get all the “hot” items. *** FOR THE NEXT TARGET DESIGNER COLLABORATION…GO TO THE SUBURBIA TARGETS…TRUST ME, NO ONE IS EVEN INTERESTED IN THE STUFF THERE, AND YOU’LL HAVE THE PICK OF THE LITTER!
Mikal says
I had never even heard of Missoni until this blog. LOL! I am soooo out-of-the-loop!
ashlee says
thank you thank you THANK YOU for that picture of those orange bulbous lamps (i don’t know if bulbous is a word…but it is now). i bought a bright blue lamp today (99 cents) and i’m attempting to spray it. it didn’t come with a shade. i went shopping for one, and found shades that were either a) too big, b) to small, or c) just plain ugly. i couldn’t picture in my mind just how big a shade should be on a lamp like this. you can see a picture of it on my blog. it’s a fat dumpy looking thing that needs a decent sized shade to balance out the fat midsection, i think.
dana828 says
OK, I’ve never taken pics off the TV for inspiration, but great idea! If I see something I like on a show (mostly HGTV), I see if I can find a shot online, like on Emily’s blog or something. Then onto Pinterest it goes! :)
And…damn Missoni! I messed up my dates and thought it was dropping Wednesday, and when I stopped into my Target on Tuesday around noon it was of course all picked over. I did manage to pick up one of the totes, and a melamine plate. But it appeared my store never did have any bath stuff, and the one thing I really wanted was the crazy black-n-white shower curtain. I ended up ordering it online once the site finally came back up. Can’t wait to get it! The cashier did say there was some woman who bought about $1,000 of the stuff, which I assume is now listed on ebay. There really should be a law against that sort of thing! I mean, ticket scalping is illegal, right? So why not Missoni scalping??
Nat says
I went to Target last night and all that was left there were awesome pink flowerly trench coats, poncho and cardigan for … toddler girls. I was dying to get something fun missoni for the dining room table but I lucked out. I was upset and I bought the girl stuff anyways in hopes I can think of a neece I dont know about, but really.. there are only little boys in our families presently. if you want the pink trech coat, poncho and a cool cardigan for Clara I can ship it to you for Traget listed price. Otherwise I will just return it to Target.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw that’s sweet of you! We saw those at ours (they weren’t gone yet) but we stopped at the cute boots. Didn’t wanna go crazy. Haha.
xo,
s
amy says
I went last night to Target to see what was left, and it was lost of little girl shoes/galoshes and some of their clothing. Very few home items – a few trays and some drinking glasses and 4 or 5 comforter sets.
I did pick up the headbands for myself as well, and a sleeping mask! I’ve been wanting one for months and it might as well be a Missoni one!
Allie Bygott says
Ha ha! I love it! I have been loving the renovation projects shown on the show Property Brothers. I recently found out that they don’t post pictures of the projects from their show online! So, I may be resorting to camera clips of their show shortly!
Thanks for your blog! I LOVE all the things that you talk about. The “new” lighting fixture for your office is brilliant!
Mel Heth says
I think you’ve stumbled onto the next big thing: Tivo with Pinterest! Seriously how could would it be if we could pin stuff with one pause?!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man, that would be awesommmme.
xo,
s
Maky says
Ha!!! Now that you’ve asked to provide a link I thought of Googling it and voila!
http://www.preciousstyleonline.com/2011/06/soap-opera-digest.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5TM3Eq3jRI&feature=player_profilepage#t=196s (to get the full impact)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwILZ5MH6H8&feature=player_profilepage#t=231s (to see the staircase picture on the very right that I adore!)
Enjoy :)
YoungHouseLove says
So pretttttty!
xo,
s
katie says
I love finding ideas from the tube…but I find myself having to rewind a lot, I see something, my mind wanders to what I could do with that idea or where I could use it…and bam I’ve missed 5 minutes of the show. Happen to you guys? Have a great weekend!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, yes. I’m never paying attention to what I’m supposed to be paying attention to.
xo,
s
Tara says
Did you see “You, Me & Dupree?” Not a great movie, but I LOVE the house!
YoungHouseLove says
I still have that on the list to see from others who said that. Can’t wait!
xo,
s
Andrea Ross says
I got a few things but had the day wrong that it came out so went through the leftovers too. I got the zigzag sweater box and 2 other cute bins, some hair bobby pin type things and some notebooks. I hear more is coming out over the next few weeks!
Gwenalyn says
I take pictures of the TV, too! My husband asks every time, “What’s wrong with you?” My go to answer now: “They don’t have a name for it yet.” :D I have a picture of a bathroom that has knotty pine walls down both sides and the end of the room is a glass wall. Right in the middle of the bathroom at the back by the window wall is a big, white, claw-foot tub. When that came on the screen I just sat and drolled for a good five minutes before I thought to rewind and take a picture. Thank goodness for DVR! So, to sum up; No you are not alone!
Gwenalyn says
I meant to write “drooled,” clearly the thought of that bathroom still makes me goofy!
jenny says
am i so out of the loop? I’ve never even heard of Missoni.
Also, that ANTM headboard fabric totally looks like skeleton pelvises to me. Dunno if that’s good or bad, depends how you feel about skeletons :P
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, this is true. Someone who loves skeletons might adore sleeping next to it. Haha.
xo,
s