Looking through my one of my favorite sites One Kings Lane, I found these great tips on 'How to fold napkins' . Designers John Dransfield and Geoffrey Ross, founders of the home accessories line Dransfield & Ross, reveal their favorite napkin-folding ideas.

Read on for step-by-step instructions to create four unique and stylish napkin looks. This is how the pro's do it.

Roll Fold

“Love the roll because it shows off a napkin's pretty edge; plus, it’s a snap to do”
—John Dransfield


How-To

1. Fold napkin into a square.
2. Roll napkin, starting from unadorned side.
3. Slip a napkin ring over the loose roll, exposing all four layers of trim.
4. Place napkin horizontally over the plate to give the setting a dynamic and unexpected look!

Box-Pleat How-To

1. Fold napkin into a rectangle, leaving a little space between the trimmed edges.
2. Repeat fold for an even skinnier rectangle (and what looks like the start of a paper fan).
3. Flip it over so that the smooth side is up, then grab the top edge and fold it toward you.
4. Line up your edges for a tailored look fit for any formal occasion.

Spade-Shape Fold

“The orange velvet double-D ring matches the napkin trim for a sporty, preppy look that would be great for a luncheon or casual dinner party.”
—Geoffrey Ross

How-To

1. Fold napkin with trim into a square.
2. Grab closed corner (the corner without trim) and pull a couple of inches of the fabric through the napkin ring.
3. Place the softly draped fold over the center of the plate for a sculptural spade shape.

Handkerchief Fold

“This architectural fold is so versatile! It could go with a traditionally formal table setting or work in a Mid-Century Modern environment that plays up the structured shape. Plus, the folds of the napkin also double as a place-card holder!”
—John Dransfield

 

1. Fold napkin into a square.
2. Starting at the most open and decorated corner, bring the top layer toward the closed corner.
3. Repeat with the subsequent napkin layers, bringing each corner slightly lower than the previous one so that none of the trim overlap.
4. Turn the triangle over, smooth side up. Take one of the narrow corners and fold it halfway over; repeat with the other corner.
5. Flip back over for an architectural fold.

Found Via One Kings Lane

Gorgeous living room of  Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi  featuring a pair of slip covered sofas and a cocktail table by Kathleen Clements Design . These items are mixed seamlessly with Louis XVI bergères;  Avalon blanket is by Hermès, and a fringed throw . A modern mixed-media sculpture by Catherine Willis takes center stage place over the modern fireplace with other sculptures and artwork that brings it all together.

I love the interior of this two-level apartment in Madrid.  With gorgeous colors and many small details this apartment has a bright, sophisticated and refreshing environment. The make over of this apartment was authored by architect Charlie Diaz, who opted for a loft that is both aesthetic and fun.

Full set of images found at homedecor-trends.com

Love this treasury by purepixie on Etsy inspired by Ampersand and featuring Comfyheaven's Ampersand pillow :

 I am expecting a little girl in a few months and am just trying to think of furnishing and decorating my baby's room. I really want the baby room to have a warm, light, airy feel . I don't necessarily want to have a theme but am partial to butterflies, birds and polka dots . I want the room to be practical too with items that could transition from baby to toddler and one day pre-teen and teen. I want most of the items to be hand made at least handcrafted . Rather than only pink I really love a mix colors like aqua blue, powder pink, mint green and yellow .

Some of the rooms below have give an idea of the color and look I am going for.

Color Inspiration:

Love the overall look of this nursery not a big fan of the chest of drawers though.

love the blue and green shades, the sofa is gorgeous!

Love the pink and yellow combination here.

From the heirloom range by Serena and Lily , gorgeous embroidery and very feminine.While I want to be gender neutral, this color combo and set just won me over.

Another set of  Serena and Lily , the powder blue here is perfect , I love the retro wren design so different to the usual butterflies etc people choose for girls.

Love this color combo from Serena and Lilly

I am going to start with getting the basic furniture first and then the bedding and build around it.

Yoyoi Kusama's Sculptures

I recently ran a poll on my face book profile asking my friends what they thought of Elle Decors recent trend alert - Polka dots.“We’re seeing spots everywhere – from the runway to the home,” Elle Décor  .  I got some great feed back that was just too good to waste.

"Polka dots have personality, from the quiet grace of dotted swiss lace, to the wild punch of the 60's patterns. Polka dots make a statement. And as always, the best examples can be found in nature, especially in polka dotted feathers! And like the natural forms, polka dots look best when used with restraint. Yoyoi Kusama's art work took polka dots to new levels! And who doesn't love a lady bug - lol! " Cathleen Davidson -
Color Consultant & Interior Designer


"Embroidered on a sheer linen curtain or as subtle and refined Swiss dotted cotton in crisp white; simple, timeless and classic..." Susan North - Senior Vice President, Creative Director at F. Schumacher & Co.

"They signify "repeat, repeat" to me and so I like the organized order of polka dots...actually I like them over sized as Country Swedish offers in charcoal gray or pink on cotton...great combo and great statement. Polka dots are too classic to ignore!", Sandra Oster - Decorator Tag Sale


"Rather than polka dots, I prefer to see dots of sparkle here or there on a pillow, a linear headboard detail, the leading edge of a drapery articulated through buttons, a nail head detail, or some other design element. Of course, they are still adorable in a children's bedroom!", Cathleen Prisco Gouveia -Principal Interior Designer at Cathleen Gouveia Design

"They are lovely when used sparingly as a perfect touch of whimsy.", Amy Gutierrez -Principal at Sanctuaries Interior Design, LLC

"They are lovely when used as an accent only...in an appropriate setting.", Irene Turner - Owner at Irene Turner at Home

Some gorgeous images to inspire you :

Polka dot bedding from Henny Cirkel found via Country Living

Add polka dots to your table decor

Mix of patterns from polka dots to checks found via The Design File

The polka-dot pattern on the plates and cups adds a dash of personality a formal dining setting found via BHG.com

Vintage chair that is upholstered in polka dot fabric that manages to look subtle.

The Winner for our May Giveaway is Claire Ryder . Comment no 11 on our giveaway. The winner was chosen with the help the random number generator at Random.org. Clair chose our Purple Humming Bird Throw pillow as her prize. 

Our next giveaway will be in July with another choice of 4 gorgeous cushion covers . So stay tuned !

mbartstudios on Etsy

Typography and monograms continue to be popular in the decor world. People love words and letters. So do I.Words inspire me, especially when things get difficult it only takes something I read to change my whole perspective. Like this ceramic plaque, I just love what says.
From a decor perspective typographic decor tends to span a variety of styles, from vintage letterpress or old correspondence imagery to clean modern graphics, often using bold text or individual symbols.There are so many ways to decorate with typography. Using it as a bold piece,collecting your favorite letters and placing them on central attraction on your wall, personalizing your living room or bed room with monogrammed pillows. Or find your own unique way to make a statement. Typographic decor is fun, a way to show off your personality and great a conversation starter.

Typographic wall decor found via Stylefiles

Creating a corner to suit your personality found via thisnext.com

black and white found via brabournefarm.blogspot.com

be insipred with this wall decor found via keltainentalorannalla.blogspot.com

bold use of the letter a found via pinterest.com

From top left
1)  Six personalized name eggs in nest, 8x10 print from inspiredartprints
2) Vintage metal pitcher vase from inbloomfinds
3) Grow recycled wood sign from WilliamDohman
4) Hand stamped "wish" bookend from JoshuaByOak
5) Vintage metal pitcher from inbloomfinds
6) Letterpress typography mugs from KitzieG
7) 4 typographic felt coasters from greenolivetextiles
8) Collective Animal Nouns Tea Towel from Xenotees
9) Hand Stamped Kitchen Towels from NestaHome
10) Embroidered monogram basket from jennilyons81
11) Extra large red letter "B" made of wood from Hindsvik
12) Retro modern wood letter "M" from EdiesLab
13) 'Jumbled Numbers' Working Wall Clock Kit from thyll
14) Think Positive Letter Press Print from happydeliveries

15) Shut the from Door wooden sign from WilliamDohman
16) Home 4 3D letters made from maps from littlewhitedog