Curtain Heaven

Watch out people!  The first part of this post is about to get totally psychedelic on your behinds.  I just wanted to share real quick with you that the universe just seems to know everything.  And I mean everything.

Why do I think this?  It's quite simple actually.  First, my roommate and I have a few fortune cookies left over from a couple weeks ago when we got Chinese food.  Totally normal.  I have seen them every day since and never had the urge for one, until yesterday.  Again, totally normal.  I didn't want the cookie, I didn't even really seek out the fortune... It was like something took me over and before I knew it I had eaten a cookie and held a tiny paper fortune in my hand.  Not totally normal, but not too crazy either... except the fortune was literally exactly what I needed to hear.  I'm a logical person, and as much as I'd like to, I haven't ever been a huge believer in horoscopes or fortunes and things like that (though my sister is).  But sometimes it's just so dead obvious.  Unfortunately I can't get into the details of the fortune quite yet (next week, I promise so stay tuned!), but I have had to make a very big life decision this week which caused insane amounts of stress and several sleepless nights, but this fortune cookie just seemed to know what I needed to see. 

The second reason I believe in an omniscient universe is again, a weird coincidence.  I usually try to write my blog posts ahead of time and then have them scheduled throughout the week.  This helps me during times when I have a hectic schedule, plus I've noticed I seem to get into patterns of really good, inspired writing spells and then very sad, dry writing spells.  I've had two posts this week ready to go only to scroll through my Google Reader and see a post with the same topic or photo.  And this has actually happened a few times before.  Bizarre.  Bloggers don't share a gigantic universal office; there's no way we could have known each other was planning on covering those topics.  I reiterate, the universe knows everything!  It's like the Santa Clause for grown-ups, except it doesn't come in fancy wrapping paper and bows you can cover yourself with at the end of the day.

And now that I've sufficiently convinced you of my craziness (and given you two paragraphs of proof), we can continue on to our regularly scheduled programming... 

{full frontal in all their glory}

Look at these beauties.  They go by the name of Ninni Rund and I am smitten.  As if I didn't love Ikea enough, they had to go ahead and make these lovely curtains that I just had to have in my apartment.   They were actually one of the few things my roommate and I both agreed on which meant that they were obviously meant to be.

Nice and lengthy (98") they would fit almost any window and allow you to place the rod above the window or make a nice shimmering pool at the bottom (we did both).  Another thing I love about them is that the panels provide the perfect balance of blocking the sun's rays but still allow light into the living room.  Not to mention polka dots seem to be in their height of glory lately.  And do I even need to mention the feminine, chic goodness that is the cream mixed with shiny silver?  I didn't think so...

{back}

Do you love these curtains as much as I do?
Where have you gotten window panels that you love?

After all my rambling I bet you're wondering who else posted about curtains this week, huh?  Yesterday, Tiffany Leigh mentioned seeking out some striped curtains for her new apartment, which you can read about here.

Inspiration Pitstop: IKEA Home & Garden Show

This picture was so inspiring I just couldn't wait to blog about it!  There are so many elements that make this room fantastic I don't even know where to begin...

via Apartment Therapy

I had just finished reading a post at Honey & Fitz about having headboards against windows when I came across this photo.  To be honest with you, if I hadn't just read that post this bedroom may not have stood out to me much.  But I did, and it did, so as I looked at it further I realized there weren't actually windows behind those curtains.  I later discovered it's because this was part of the IKEA Home & Garden Show, but regardless I thought, Brilliant! Who says you actually have to have windows to hang curtains?  Maybe this isn't much of a ground-breaking moment to you, but for me it seemed like a radical revelation that opened up so many possibilities.  The ceiling to floor draperies make the space seem so grand and warm, while being more flexible and budget-friendly than regular wall treatments like wallpaper.  You can change the curtains out by season to give your space a whole new look in less than 5 minutes!

The dramatic curtains led me to notice to the bedsides, which were also so wonderfully chosen.  I am a big advocate of symmetrical balance with asymmetrical elements sprinkled in.  The matching tables and lamps create a sense of unity while other items bring in individual personalities, making the space seem real.  Add in the layered colors and textures in the bedding and the gallery style wall and this room hits all the high notes! 

What is your favorite thing about this room?  Have you ever been so inspired by a single room or image?  Comment and share!