My First Trip to West Elm

I’ve always been a big fan of the West Elm website, but it wasn’t until this week that I got a chance to go see one in person. There is a big store located down in Liberty Village that opened a few years ago, yet I’ve never made a point of going down there. I wish I hadn’t waited so long!

Right away I walked in and made a beeline for the couches. The sectionals were so inviting and full of pillows, just the way I like them.

As much as I love the look of a leather couch, I know that it would be scratched in no time by Whiskey’s nails. If I could pick a couch from this store, I’d have gone with this beautiful microsuede sectional. I gave it a little test run and I can vouch for its comfiness.

I think the key to a cozy and inviting couch is fun and functional pillows. There is nothing like burrowing into a pile of pillows and watching a great movie. Whiskey can agree.

One of my favourite pillows was this knit cover with wooden buttons. I’m hoping that I can recreate something like this using an old sweater, similar to what I did on my bed last Winter.

They had another similar pillow cover with smaller buttons on a vibrant fabric. I’m really digging this look!

Another popular trend I was loving were these sweet white owls. Remember the 243 Owls at my aunt’s house? Maybe she wants another one for Christmas this year 🙂

Although these mercury glass mushrooms weren’t really my thing, I did like the votive candle holders. Mercury glass creates a lovely lighting effect in the evenings, but still looks fantastic during the day. I have a few pieces already, but its one of those things that you can keep adding to the collection.

Although I’ve always liked the look I have in my bedroom, I’m been meaning to make some changes soon when I have some more time to brainstorm ideas (Hello Pinterest!). This look is something I would definitely pin. I love the vibrant fabrics they chose against the dark wooden frame.

For a much more cool and calm look, I’d go with a mixture of blues like in this layout. However I’m not a big fan of the super low bed. I would hate to have to “climb” out of bed every morning. I’m more of a swing my feet over the edge kinda gal 🙂

A trip to any decor store would not be complete without a gander at the kitchen section. If I were not limited by my kitchen storage, I would have sooooo many dishes. I spent the whole time in here oohhing and aahhing at the variety of pieces.

I have a soft spot for olive wood pieces and if it were not for the fact that I have quite a few right now, I would have been adding to the collection right then and there.

I also loved some of the pottery they had, especially the variety of textures and glazes. The little egg shaped vases reminded me of ones that I have from a Pottery Barn sale years ago. There are four in the set and they all have different finishes and textures. (You can see them on the nightstand in these photos from around the Holidays in 2009). Seeing these in the store reminded me that I should get my own out soon.

Another great find was this stainless steel drinking straw which reminded me of Tina‘s love of them. They look cool, but I have to wonder how easy they are to clean. Do you have to get one of those tube scrub brush thingys?

Garrett really wanted to get this squirrel nutcracker which is funny because I’m allergic to nuts. I took this pic when he was moving the squirrels mouth up and down to make it talk to me. Yup, I’m dating a 10 year old.

The last thing we spotted on our way out were these candles that had blackboard paint to make them into a writing surface. I loved the idea and I might try and make them myself with some blackboard paint I still have laying around from an old high school project. You never know when it will come in handy!

Overall, I really loved the vibe of West Elm and found some very interesting pieces. The only downside is that it is very expensive for what you’re getting and because of that I probably wouldn’t buy anything here. However, I did get plenty of ideas for things that I want to try and recreate at home!