Here, the headboard is covered in a pale sheepskin and paired with the silky throw at the foot of the bed. It makes this room look serene and welcoming and adds softness to an otherwise cold, metal headboard.

This is a use that you may not have thought about before: using sheepskin as a chair cover or throw. It adds a visual element and it’s great for wrapping up in as you gaze at the fireplace. The only thing missing in this picture is some S’mores.

Again, the designer has draped the sheepskin covers over the chairs. This is cool for a few reasons. 1. You can change the look whenever you want. 2. Since the skins aren’t sewn to anything and they don’t match exactly, you can pick out the ones you want and have a unique look. 3. Warm bottom. 4. In this house, cat toy.

Sheepskins come in all different colors and you can even have them dyed to match your decor. This gray is a great pick for this room and adds some texture to the chair. 

Feel regal while working in your office. Remember the old caveman movies where the king caveman had a robe made of furs? (No? Maybe it’s just me.) This is a modern spin on being the king of your own castle.

This is a nice touch here. The chairs are metal and that’s generally a colder and harder feel but add some fluff and you’re ready to enjoy a 3-course meal!

This chair is actually covered and I guarantee it’s comfortable and soothing. No, I will not talk about the hardwood floors. (I need therapy for floor lust.) 

Now this is just a cool look. The warmth and the softness of the skins are a great combination with the concrete and metal of this space. Very minimalist. 

Make your favorite chair even better. See, these skins come in all sizes so you don’t have to entirely cover your chair with one.  

What a sweet idea here. Not only do the white skins add that ethereal quality to the baby room, but they’re comfy on the feet and super soft for playing with baby. 

Draping a sheepskin over this bare wood chair really stands out. This room uses several natural elements and it’s very relaxing. I would almost bet those endtables are made of cork or stone.

Your guests will never want to leave. Make sure you do a headcount on your skins before you go to bed. 

Here’s another baby room. I really like the darker color here. It isn’t overpowering at all but it does give the room dimension and a cool vibe. 

Another use of a sheepskin rug. These are actually low maintenance and the dark color ensures that you won’t have any stains showing. Nice contrast with the light wood floor and walls. 

An Alpine Chalet would not be complete without exposed beams and a snuggly throw. This is a great room. And if you didn’t look too hard, you’d never be able to tell that the throw is sheepskin. It blends well with the couch and pillows.

If you have any pictures or uses for sheepskin, we’d love to know what they are. Also, if you have any that are different colors or ones that you’ve dyed to match your decor or whim of the month, send in your pictures!

So, before we get started, ladies go powder your pretty little noses, and you gents might want to grab a cocktail and throw on your very best smoking jacket.

Variety is the spice of life! And nowhere is this truer than in the design of your home. You either love contemporary but wish it wasn’t quite so cold and austere; or perhaps you’ve always been drawn to more traditional rooms but are now at a point in your life where you’d like to pare down a bit or want to create a less cluttered and busy space. And anytime you’re able to take advantage of built-in bookcases, do it.

Modern Elegance is here to marry those apparent contradicting designs. It’s actually the contradictions that make the mix of contemporary and traditional so successful. The result is an elegant room that appeals to young and old alike. This room below is from Apartment Therapy and is worthy of a nice cup of tea.

A sofa with modern lines will blend seamlessly with a pair of traditional chairs. And you can get a little creative with fabrics, too. New fabrics work so well on antique pieces and it’s a fun way to add your own personality. Coco + Kelly have done a nice job with this room here.

The material palette for Modern Elegance is a wonderful mix as well. Wood tones add warmth to the more modern finishes such as metal and glass. The best part about colorful accessories is that you can easily reinvent the space by simply changing the throw pillows to highlight your new favorite color of the month.

It turns out that modern art looks even more exciting above a collection of traditional pieces. The room feels simple and sophisticated, elegant and hip.

If you’d like to add deeper color choosing one accent wall is a nice way to do so. Or add depth by bringing color in at the accessory level.

Fabrics are usually neutral and focus more on texture rather than pattern or color. Because you are mixing two very different styles, simplicity is key. Here, they’ve used a woven jute rug for texture. Very subtle.  I like it, Cote de Texas.

Carpets are often Berber in natural tones, though area rugs can bring in color much like a modern piece of art would. Whites and creams are popular and grays, taupes, and tans are darker versions of neutrals that work very well. The simplicity in the color helps keep the space feeling light, airy and fresh.

Window treatments, when used, are simple in style as well as color and many times you will see natural roman shades or wood blinds used. Personally, there’s something about the glow of the sun coming through a fabric shade that just can’t be topped by plain old plastic or even wood shades.

Satin nickel, chrome and stainless are very popular and can modernize an otherwise traditional space. The chrome fireplace and sconces add that modern touch here.

On the flip side, when the room feels more contemporary, vintage golds and wrought iron will tame and add warmth to the space. This room has neither of those elements but the chandelier adds a modern look to the room.

For color think simple. Remember that you have set out to create an eclectic mix of two styles and the best way to avoid making the room overbearing is to stay subtle on the walls and ceiling. Let the color come out in your accessories and art pieces and you can’t go wrong.

So sit back, imagine the warmth of the sun on your skin, the smell of the surf, and the sound of the gentle waves crashing against the sand. Ah…if only you had a pool boy to feed you grapes and refill your margaritas. Here are two lovely rooms by Absolutely Beautiful Things and Apartment Therapy.

Oh, how you love the beach! Who doesn’t, right? If you are lucky, your dream home is perched in your favorite beach town. Or if you are the creative type, you’ve brought that favorite beach town into your house. James Radin designed this first room and I just love these beautiful wood ceilings. (Yes, wood fetish again…I can’t help it, I tell you!)

Your art and accessories speak directly to the activities that are found at the beach. Pieces of driftwood you found here, pictures or paintings of the amazing views there. And flowers are always a beautiful addition.

You select items that remind you of the coast. Surf boards or fishing boats are found throughout the house. The feeling of the seaside is both abstract and literal in the design of your space. You might notice that in many of these rooms, there are plenty of warm throws to curl up in. Details such as these are not only functional, but also create more of a relaxed atmosphere.

The fabrics are natural like cottons and linens and are light in color and touch. Much of the furniture is wood or wood framed (the lighter the better, think driftwood!) and wicker, when done right, is a must. This first room by Desire to Inspire gets extra points for a fluffy couch pup. The second room is off limits as I am currently stalking the owners to see if they’ll let me move in.

And since your true inspiration is the sea, the colors and textures in your home are the same that you would find at your favorite beach: light beiges and grays of the sand and driftwood, a variety of blues for the ocean and sky, and greens and vibrant blues of the sea glass…but the key is to have a lot of white! I love the nautical flags and the beautiful blue walls. Great color!

Your space should feel light and airy and give off the mood one has when at the beach: laid back, relaxed, comfortable, and welcoming. Your furniture is comfortable and the layout is cozy. The more it reminds you of actually sitting on the warm sand the better! Nice touch with the orchids. They are romantic, delicate, exotic, and pretty low maintenance. Hmm…I should aspire to be more like an orchid.

Think about some of your favorite times at the beach. Most likely you were hanging out with family and friends. Nantucket Style makes your home an extension of this play place.

Though the space is filled with large white and neutral furniture, it somehow manages to feel both durable and casual. While it’s certainly not cluttered, it’s obviously lived in.

So, although we’re not quite halfway through our “Design Your Style” segments, we want your feedback. Send us an email or take our 10-second survey, we’d love to hear what you think.

Do you have these styles in your own home? Are you learning anything? Any suggestions? Rants? Good recipes?

Today we have a ton of pictures to show you and we hope you enjoy. So, grab a martini, slip into something a little more comfortable, and scroll on down.

For you history buffs, Hollywood Couture style originated in high-end lifestyles that made up the years between the roaring 20s and the swinging 40s where it was important to bring a feeling of glamour to the home when the world outside may have lacked it. Thanks to Living Etc.  for this great room.

Nowadays it’s scratching a similar itch in that it’s bringing a sense of opulence to a world that seems to have forgotten just how much fun it can be to be…well, Fabulous! Here’s a great room from Apartment Therapy.

The great thing about the updated version of the style is how versatile it is. You can really take it in any direction and add almost any style into the mix, say perhaps a contemporary leather sofa paired with lacquered Louis XIV chairs that have been upholstered in lush velvet. This is a great Greg Natale room.

The key is that each item feels as rich and over-the-top as possible and yet everything still seems livable. It’s not a space that screams “do not touch,” rather it almost dares you to experience its luxury. (More like, please touch me!) here’s some black and white goodness from Desire to Inspire.

The material palette you are drawn to is wonderfully extravagant. And you love the contrast between something as cold and sleek as glass or acrylic to something as lush as faux fur (note the emphasis on the faux here! It’s easier to be guilt free about your lavish decorations if you don’t have to mentally block the fact that your throw was once a gaggle of cute bunnies or a swarm of minks). We love this room by Jeff Andrews.

Striking textures are found throughout the rooms, from leather (and don’t forget the patent!), silk, mohair, velvet, and satin. Each of these materials in another style could seem subtle or boring, but not in your home. However, please note that we here at Sproost discourage the use of a Velvet Elvis, even if it fits the color palate. We DO approve of anything Marilyn. So does Apartment Therapy where we found this fab room.

And oh how you love mirrored furniture, ceilings, sculptures, and walls! The lighting is key for both its mood (think sexy…grrrr) and its sculptural beauty. You love chandeliers with glass crystals or high gloss lacquered finishes on table lamps. This room is in Dallas and to see more pictures of the house, click on the photo.

For colors, the sky is the limit but drama is essential. If you prefer a lighter palette, think silver and grays with white accents, or go white on white, with only the gloss to separate surfaces. I can’t pronounce the designer’s name or the site this picture came from, but it’s cool.

Warmer tones work well in light colors too, only this time, envision gold (talk about opulent!) and warm pinks, yellows, and greens. The yellow room is another by Jeff Andrews and the green is Greg Natale.

Or go bold! Try a high contrast of bright white against dark blues, grays, purples, magentas, and even black. The great thing about Hollywood Couture is you can take it anywhere! Blue room and cozy feeling, compliments of Andrew Suvalsky Design.

When it comes to arranging your rooms, think martini party. Rooms should encourage both lounging (I see a chaise in the corner, you with a martini glass, and the lights turned low) and socializing. Perhaps a little slap and tickle if you’re lucky. This Desire to Inspire room by Kwinter & Company is fit for a princess.

Above all, Hollywood Couture wants people to come in, pour a drink, take a seat, and spend the night chatting away. It should encourage conversation as much as it highlights the amazing pieces in the room. The first is from Design Sponge and the second is Made By Girl.

Decorology found this room and it’s a wonderful example of what an open and welcoming space should look like.

You like your spaces to feel inviting from the moment you (or your guest) open the front door and this feeling should continue even after you’ve entered your most formal room. This room from Decorno feels so comfortable. Maybe they will let me move in.

Even though there are French antiques here and gold details there, the rustic elements provide a balance and warmth that seems to say, “come in, relax, and stay a while.” Your love of antiques leads you to flea markets, garage sales and hours of Craigslist and eBay hunting. It can also lead to an unhealthy obsession to dig through people’s yard sale leftovers, so be prepared to run. (It’s so worth it!) This pretty room also from Decorology is perfect for intimate conversation. And look at the floors! Yes, I have a hardwood floor fetish. Deal with it.

The materials and pieces you are drawn to play on the mix of formal and casual. Many of the pieces look like they were passed down from your great-great-aunt (even if they are brand new!) and you managed to upholster them in a way that made the piece both then and now. I don’t care what anyone says, animal prints are still in and are perfect for this style. Vive le Revolution! Thanks, Cote de Texas.

Much of the furniture is wood-framed and the wood is either left natural (hey there rustic!), painted white (hi country!), or even gold (hello refinement!). And many times there is a strong mixture of all of these. Here’s another great room from Decorology.

If you find yourself leaning much more towards the “country” side of things and away from the Parisian side, drop the gold details and replace them with wrought iron. Here, they paired a great wooden bookshelf with an outdoor table to bring a detailed iron element to the room.

When it comes to color, you are drawn to bright and airy options. Thoughts of the French countryside are key—warm colors such as yellows, reds, and oranges hinting at fields of gold. In this room from Habitually Chic they’ve used neutral colors with a touch of yellows and browns with the picture frames.

But the nice thing about French Eclectic is you can just as easily go in the opposite direction: pale blues and greens remind you of acres of lavender fields and expansive blue skies. Purplearea found this room. What cat wouldn’t love to take a nap in that sunbeam on the couch?

When you think about laying out your French Eclectic room, the key is to invite people in and encourage them to stay. So furniture should be grouped nicely to encourage intimate conversation and the main pieces should be comfortable in both look and feel. This big couch gives you a ton of room for entertaining and it looks like you will just sink into its velvety cushions and pillows.

There should be plenty of places to set drinks, prop up feet, and lean back. And yet the functionality of these pieces doesn’t necessarily mean that they aren’t beautiful antiques or replicas. In fact, with a little skill and a little time, you can make pieces look antique. I love the wall stencils here.

So fresh and so clean! Antiques? No thanks! Vintage collections and clutter of any type? Not for you! You like your space new and sleek like this room by Christopher Dezille.

Each piece is chosen carefully as if it was a piece of art, and your love of minimalism is expressed throughout each room. This one is Matt Eastwood’s Pad in Sydney.

Now, since each piece of furniture is like a piece of art, you can expect to pay a pretty penny for some of your pieces. Contemporary ain’t cheap, my pretties. However there are some great manufacturers out there these days that have found a way to bring you cool pieces for less (think cb2, west elm, eurway, chiasso…).

Your furniture has clean lines and geometric shapes are preferred. You may also accent your furniture with any small white fluffy breed of dog, imported from Europe. Here’s another great room from The Contemporist blog.

Even though your room appears to be mostly neutrals, you’re not afraid of color. In fact bold color options only highlight the minimal items you choose for your home. But, the key is keeping it clean! This room by Roche Bobois is amazing.

To master the minimalist interior you not only have to be selective in the few furniture items you bring into the space, but you must also find a way to hide all of the real life items as well. This means you need hidden storage for things like toys, food, and the pool boy. This room is by Italian manufacturer Poliform.

With contemporary design, the material of the object is nearly as important as the object itself. Manmade materials such as acrylic, steel and plastic are often found in your spaces and chrome and glass can also fill prominent roles. These materials can often be cold to the touch, so adding plush carpets and soft accessories helps balance the space. Too bad your Contemporary style forbids you from owning a Snuggie. Another Roche Bobois room. (Does anyone else think that sounds like a French version of Ricky Bobby?)

Wood is also used, though the nature of the wood is rarely highlighted. Stains tend to be either very dark or very light so that the grains of the wood are minimized and only the color remains like these nifty shelves from Mobileffe.

Colors range dramatically from subtle neutrals to bright colors, though the one consistent element is the lack of clashing patterns and busy color palates. Good lord, it’s pretty.

Bright colors are used sparingly and intended to create drama and highlight a wall or piece of furniture. Many times the entire space will be neutral in palate and it is only the art and accessories that bring in color and drama. Ooh. Ahh. (That’s my drama face, folks.)

In this sense, the space literally acts as an art gallery intended to highlight only the items of utmost importance. I love the bold black and white. Very cool.

The feeling your rooms evoke should always be one of “less is more,” and your furniture tends to appear more as works of art than simply as a sofa or a chair. I could use a nap on that comfy leather couch now and I bet that rug would feel awesome on the naked toes. Actually, I’m all for running around the house completely nude at all times. Spectators be damned.

When planning a space, the focus is placed on finding the right pieces to give you enough seating for entertaining but never so much that the room feels cluttered. Who wouldn’t want to come home to this gorgeous sight every day?

If you like the Arts & Crafts style, you tend to prefer simple over ornate and natural materials over man-made ones.

Warm tones found in wood and brass make you feel comfortable, and good craftsmanship excites you like nothing else (except maybe a good bargain).

You enjoy patterns that highlight our natural surroundings such as plants and trees. You prefer rectilinear forms and straight lines, however you love to find intricate details (like stained glass!) where you least expect it.

The furniture that you are drawn to usually features exposed wood framing in rectilinear (Yes, it’s a word. Go look it up.) shapes with upholstery in natural materials like leather or simple fabrics that highlight function and comfort.

What is most important is showing off the natural beauty of the wood and exposing the amazing craftsmanship.

Accent pieces and rugs bring in ornamentation and color and stained glass lampshades are often found sprinkled throughout.

The light fixtures that speak to you most are framed in hammered copper or burnished brass.

They combine simple geometric designs with elements of nature such as trees, flowers, and the occasional dragonfly.

Color also plays an important role in completing the look for you Arts & Crafts enthusiasts.

If you live in an Arts & Crafts style home, you will most likely see a good deal of wood paneling as well as dramatic, linear moldings around the doors and the windows.

For those of you who prefer a lighter, almost airy atmosphere, you will paint these elements white and the walls around them in tones of beiges, greens or blues.

Alternatively, those of you who prefer a darker, cozier feeling will leave the wood natural and paint the walls in darker versions of those popular colors found in nature (think Bob Ross and his happy trees…dab, dab, dab).

Another way that you can bring in color is through the use of stencils or wallpaper (see our previous post) that are reminiscent of the beautiful forms and colors you find in natural settings.

When it comes to arranging rooms, you prefer it when the interior mimics the environment (minus the dirt and bird poop).

The transition between rooms, as well as between indoors and outdoors, should be almost seamless. However, the contrast between the heaviness of the wood and the lightness of glass will be key in your layouts.

And…if you were wondering how much is too much wallpaper in your home, our designer had this to say about it: “I definitely think that you can do wallpaper in more than one room, especially if you are creative with where you put the wallpaper. You can wallpaper so many different things (door panels, the inside of closets, and even furniture) and with busy patterns you can wallpaper just one wall and still make an impact. As long as you are consistent with the styles, you can combine some really great patterns in different rooms of the same house.” So there. The pro has spoken.

These below would go well together in the same house because they are all graphic and have a nature theme:

This one is a temporary wallpaper, which is a pretty cool concept for renters:

You can find wallpaper to fit your goth fascination:

Or if you have blind friends, you can hang this and ask them what it says. I bet it’s like people who get random Asian characters tattooed on their backs. They probably say crap like, “Stupid American” or “I like to cuddle with pigs who wear bikinis.”

Some more patterns we are loving:

And if you’re feeling crafty, you can make wallpaper out of old books:

You can even use a single roll as a piece of art - these would look great in a kitchen or dining room:

You don’t even have to use it on your walls. Use it to accent your closet:

Or put it on the ceiling:

Or use it on furniture:

Or place it on just one wall:

Or make your own designs. Check this one out…you tear the shapes out (it’s already perforated) to make any design you’d like. Very cool.

Here are some of our faves:

These people have no children.

I know we’re talking about the awesome fireplace but I also love the dark hardwood floors. Yum.

I especially like the nude sitting on a stump on top of the rough wood mantel. These people have no fear of splinters.

This reminds me of a hibachi grill. Now I want Japanese.

We found quite a few menorahs for Hanukkah—some traditional, and some not so much.

If you celebrate Kwanzaa, decorate your home in red, green, and black. Masks, candles, and handcrafted art are great ways to celebrate your heritage. This handcrafted Kwanzaa Mask Set is a candle holder and perfect for your Kwanzaa home décor.

and if you swap out the white candles with green ones, this could be a really great Kwanzaa set:

And if you don’t celebrate anything, here’s your festivus pole.