I love it. I hope all the regulars will participate. I admire you on the dancing! My hips could never do that.

Love your room, Cawaps! Such great colors, and I'm a sucker for anything with that Moroccan feel. And the belly dancing is even cooler. That takes a lot of grace and confidence, and I definitely lack both :-)

I'm a klutzy introvert. It's all technique and years of practice.

cawaps, love the layered patterns.

Well, I started working on it. Miserable failure. I'm trying hard to step out of my usual rut and I'm struggling with it. That's why these threads are so good. Makes you think, question, observe, rethink...all for the good.

I am helping my mom decorate the lake cabin my parents bought recently. Our ancestry is mostly Norwegian, and we have some quilts and other inherited objects (photos, Royal Copenhagen plates) that we wanted to use.

We love the look of the brightly painted wood houses along the fjords in Norway, and I think my parents are going to paint the exterior of our cabin barn red with white and slate blue trim.

The interior of the cabin is all wood, and the bright Scandinavian colors look so good and really brighten it up. I have so enjoyed looking at and thinking about using these colors, rather than the usual neutral and muted colors that I have in my own house.

I'm not very good at this, but I find it to be so much fun in spite of my pitiful skills!

I went to the outskirts of London and just collected a roomful of lived-with treasures. True English style isn't our contrived, Americanized version at all; in fact, I've seen a lot of English rooms that have elements that are rather tacky on their own. All combined though, they seem to work, and even to tell a story. I don't think I'll ever get tired of all things English. (Or London Outskirts, as it were.)

Oh, and cawaps - I could drum while you dance! I've been playing djembe (my beautiful drum is from Mali) for several years now. :-)

jlc712, love the colors!

auntjen, interesting mix. Love the dog.

auntjen, could you really live with Ziggy Stardust hanging over your shoulder? :-)

That is definitely an eclectic mix. Love the wallpaper and beautiful big windows. I have to wonder if Union Jack pieces are popular in England, like they are here??

Ha! Well, that wouldn't be my artwork of choice ... I think that speaks to the "tackiness that somehow works" I spoke of though! And yes, the English do love their Union Jack, making it more popular there in decorative items than here -- at least that's been my observation after many trips across the pond. Particularly in areas that attract a strong tourist contingent (Cornwall or the Cotswolds for instance), the flag is often a prominent feature in cottage, pub, and shop décor. Maybe not quite so much in the council flats of Hounslow.

Well, another mid-eastern inspired room here. I've had a love of different cultures and history my entire life, and have done some travelling and living in other countries. It's hard for me to stick to one style since I like so many. However, having other family members whose tastes are not so eclectic as mine means the décor can't go too far in any one direction. This room echoes some of the elements of my own home.

Like cawaps, I'm a belly dancer, although I dance for myself at home these days. I was with a group that did a variety of performances, both improvisational and choreographed, using both live musicians and recorded music. The music ran the gamut of middle eastern ethnicities as well as pop, rock, new age, and some classical pieces. The best part was the creative and positive energy and pure joy of dancing.

auntjen, I'll bring along my darbuka (Arabic hand drum) and riq (Arabic tambourine) and we can both drum for cawaps :)

Uh, some of the regulars have not contributed. We lurkers want to see more rooms

annac54, love the coffee table particularly!

I'm finding this one challenging to wrap my head around. I think I just don't know enough about any country or region's decorating style to do it. If I think of something, I'll give it a try.

I decided to try for Scandinavian. I tried to avoid an ikea showroom look and tried for a spare, but not totally modern, look. Not sure it succeeds.

jlc712: I like the use of primary colors in your Norway design. Most of what I see described as Scandinavian design has so much white (read that as "too much white for my taste), and it is nice to see this interpretation. I like the mix of textures from the quilt, pillows, and rug.

Auntjen: Your English design is a nice mix of traditional with modern and a bit of kitsch. I could live with Ziggy as long as I got the tea service and the dog.

Anna54: I like your very different, and much more conservative, take on the Middle East. The rug is gorgeous and pairs beautifully with that very comfy looking sofa.

Anna and Auntjen, I would be thrilled to dance with you any time, or I can join on zils. I've actually been toying with the idea of taking up drumming as a way to get back into the belly dance scene peripherally (but haven't quite taken the step of finding out who offers lessons). I'm not terribly coordinated with my hands, and I know it would take a vast amount of practice to be able to maintain a tempo (based of my experience with zils, just because I can speak a rhythm in tempo doesn't mean I can make my hands do what my brain it telling them to do). Anna, what style(s) of belly dance did/do you do?

I suspect some of the reason for low participation is that August is prime vacation season.

I want in! Any tips for how to create these mood boards from a software perspective?

I use an iPad app called moodboard. I just save photos to my iPad and then open them in the app. I can manipulate them there to some extent--crop, size, place. Others use more sophisticated methods that allow them to strip backgrounds out and so on.

Crl_, I love how the colors of the artwork tie into the colors of the sideboard and rug. Would you pair these with the classic white Scandinavian walls, or something else?

Here's another from me. I know the description of the theme said other country, but this one is inspired by a corner of the U.S. with its own distinct culture, climate, crafts, and language: Hawaii.

The quilt shown is the Orchid Splendor Bedspread #2 from moanagifts.com

Braided rug from www.margesbraidedrugs.com/

Side table is by Stephen Hynson (www.finewoodartists.com)

The dresser, nightstand, and bed (love the Koa tree motif headboard) are all from www.martinandmacarthur.com, a Hawaiian furniture company.

The chair is rattan and is actually a 1960s Scandinavian modern design (indulgy.com)

Cooper Classics Voltaire 32" round wall mirror from Lamps Plus has a coconut stick frame

Butterfly Rockfish sculpture from http://rocknfish.com/, because fish amuse me and because I so enjoyed snorkeling in Hawaii.

Raku pottery lamp from Thistle Pottery (found on Amazon), because on my honeymoon on Kauai, we visited a studio and glazed a pot that they fired for us.

The artwork is a limited edition giclee print by "The Player" by Tim Nguyen, available at martinandmacarthur.com

AireRyder Palm Beach traditional ceiling fan from Noya decor because in Hawaii pretty much no one has air conditioning.

The view out the window is McBryde Garden, Kauai, Hawaii--stream view, photo by Daderot (found on Wikipedia.org)

Yes, I was thinking just plain white walls and no window treatments for my spare scandavian room. I kind of like how it came together. The colors seem to work. And I managed to almost accidentally repeat the diamond shape. But I still feel uncertain that what I have put together is genuine, if that makes sense.

Love the Hawaiian room. I think I ran into raku pottery in Okinawa. I didn't realize it was also a Hawaiian tradition.

Thank you, crl!

My attempt is so amateurish on all levels but this was really fun. It doesn't have all the elements I would like, by any means! Theme is sort of centered around India-- but more of the idea of the Silk Road. Inspired because I am in love with hand block print and the fact that it can fit in with so many styles. And, if I were to visit any one place, it would be India!

Well here's my stab at French style. You guys can tell me how bad it is. The best I can say is I need a lot more practice! The fact that I need to say what style it is at all speaks volumes. I'm open to suggestions for improvement.

anele, I especially like the curved love seat in your room.

annie, it looks french to me. And like a room I'd like to have.

Cuba:

I've had visitors
all this week so probably will not get a chance to make a contribution but I
did want to comment. This kind of a
challenge is tricky because it is easy to fall into clichés that have very
little to do with the design traditions of the actual country, but generally I
don't think people fell into that trap.

Cawaps: like the
colors and patterns a lot. The
combination of upholstery, tiled patterns, exposed wood and the carpet remind
me a lot of Turkish interiors. I backpacked there for 7 weeks in my youth
and remember a lot of intricately carved woodwork and metal work(like your
screen and wall tiles?) in addition to the more famous carpets, kilims, and
tiles.

Jlc712: Your room
easily lets me transport myself to a summerhouse. It's interesting how difficult to date the
room is, as the pieces and fabrics have a kind of timeless appeal.

Auntjen: very well put together. Looks like it could be a set design that
clearly indicates the British setting even without the union jack. Looks comfortable too.

Annac54: I think the
layering of textures and patterns is very good in this room. Is that the stock floor from the app you use
or did you choose it?

Crl_: I think Ikea makes it hard to do modern scandinavian. But I think the Gustavian referenceson the
sideboard and chair help to place the room to me. Love the rug.

Cawaps: This is a
room where research or familiarity pay off.
I knew nothing about Hawaiian quilting and am happy to have learned
something. I think this is a great
example of a room that is inspired by a place but isn't obsessed with capturing
it exactly. Your personal connections
make it more human too.

Anele_gw: Welcome
aboard! I love hand block prints
too. I think the colors in your room
work well together. Do those particular pillows have significance?

Annie: I don't think it is a bad room at all. I think this challenge is hard when you are
more familiar with a country and you know how many different design directions
you could go in. Your room could very
well be in France, it has the kind of
patination and appreciation for sculpted forms that I, at least, think is kind
of French.

Palimpset: I wonder
if you were inspired by the famous vintage cars of Cuba, perhaps one with a
Virgin Mary statue on the dash? The
colors are great, the encaustic tile is fabulous and the pieces look like they
would have been cutting edge just before the embargo began.

It's great how much
color and pattern were in these rooms!

Patrick-- re: do the pillows have significance-- well-- I love Hmong embroidery, the blue/white one is Japanese (I wanted to find some way to bring in the indigo from Japan, though-- would love to see something slipcovered or upholstered with the dyed fabric), and the other is another hand block in a color I like, from India. Not too deep a meaning, unfortunately!

India style....a meditation room perhaps.

Palimpsest, I like it. And I think patrickthedestroyer's car question is both funny and apt.

Annie, lots of pattern, but almost no color. Lovely.

Nice work, everyone.

Crl, I love the spare, calm feeling of your room. I could live there.

Cawaps, great interpretation of Hawaiian style. I see it in an awesome beachfront suite, opening to the ocean... and I love purple and green together!

Anele, welcome! Love it. Beautiful block print and color scheme. It's very fresh, which I don't usually think of in relation to India/Far East.

Pal, gorgeous colors and great Central American vintage feeling. Those tiles!! Love them. You just need a dictator smoking a cigar.

Patrick, loved your comments. Hope you'll have time next week.

Annie, that is a beautiful jewel box room. All the textures and metallics make it very lush and interesting, with very restrained color.

What do you all want to do in the next few weeks? I'm leaning toward focusing on some specific eras of design, but not sure if that's where everyone's interest lies? I'd welcome suggestions so that participation will continue.

Eras would be fun. One really eccentric item that everyone has to use might also be fun. Thank you for doing these for us!

So many things we could design around....how about a car for inspiration. An animal. A bird. A vacation picture. Weather. An outfit...either a favorite or a designer outfit. How about if you give us the same empty room and we each have to fill it with our own inspiration. Or design around an environment be it beach, woods, mountains, desert, tundra, plains. Maybe a movie. Or give us a description of the "client" like a 7 yr old girl or a 16 yr old boy or a newlywed couple with no money. Or give a pic of the exterior of the house and we have to design an interior room. I think eras could be fun too. I'd love to play with doing 2 rooms in the same colors only changing the balance of the colors in each so one may be green with blue and the other blue with green...IYKWIM.

Pal I love your room as it is understated. First thing I thought of upon seeing it was this picture of Castro.

I like challenges based on problem situations, like the Golden oak kitchen or even the tuscan kitchen. Something along those lines could be fun.

Catching up on comments...

Anele, so glad you took the plunge to do a board for us. Hand-block prints weren't on my radar before, but they sure are now. Beautiful! Compared to my Silk Road-inspired room, I think yours is much more livable.

Annie, I'm hardly an expert on French style, but to my eye your bedroom works. What is the wall color? On my monitor, it looks gray with violet undertones, and I quite like it.

Palimpsest, me gusta Cuba mucho. I used those tiles in a long-ago kitchen DAT and have a particular fondness for them (and the Villa Lagoon tiles in general). The black lower walls really anchor the color palette and bump up the sophistication of the room. The Mary images are perfect for a Latin-inspired interior.

Annie, your India design is exotic and inviting. The layers of patterns and texture really make the design.

New topics: Along the lines of a couple of Annie's suggestions, we could each pull a home from our local real estate listings and do a room for it. We did this for the kitchen DAT, and it was interesting to see the different vintages/styles of homes available in different areas.

cawaps, I have no idea of the wall color...looks like a taupe to me. Some of the designs seem to be driven by what I can find on line that I think will suit my needs. I wanted the white sheer curtains that puddle and when I came across the pic, I used it. Rather than try to fix the background color in the pic (no photoshop here) I copied it onto the wall for the rest of the room and went with it. It seemed to work.

How do you eliminate the white around your web copied images on the iPad moodboard app?

I use keynote and my mac book...select the image, then on the right where you edit, under the image tab is something called "Instant Alpha". Click that and then you can highlight a color on the image, like white, and eliminate it. Don' know if there's any equivalent on the ipad....

Thanks, Annie! I will see if my tablet has that option.