I find inspiration all around me, and quite often I imitate it. The Tyler Florence Store in Mill Valley had a huge influence on my remodel. The dark gray exterior of this wonderful store stopped me in my tracks. I fell in love with it immediately and as luck would have it, when I compared a swatch of my Hardiplank pre-painted siding ("Iron Gray" color) to the store's exterior, it was a match...or close enough to deliver the same feeling in my exterior.

Outside of The Tyler Florence Store in Mill Valley

Then, I searched high and low for the perfect powder blue color of those entry doors to the store and finally figured that out-- Benjamin Moore "Sheer Romance" (837).

After obsessing over this color for weeks, my painter talked me out of painting the doors to my deck altogether. Since my doors are a pre-painted composite material, he was afraid the paint wouldn't stick. I'm still searching for a place in my home to apply Sheer Romance (no pun intended :). Even the name is wonderful.

The back of our house.

Next on my list is finding black and white striped Sunbrella fabric to hang on the wires at the top of these posts. The fabric will gather in the corners and when we want to create an outdoor "room" we can draw them out. Interestingly, I didn't even realize until now that my choice in fabric also coincides with the Tyler Florence Store decor with their black and white awnings covering the windows. Hmmm...

Sunbrella® Awning Stripe Outdoor Drape, 50 x 84"

Pottery Barn Sunbrella Awning Stripe Outdoor Grommet Drape

I found these Pottery Barn drapes online, but they are sold out of this sophisticated and stylish drape. The name is interesting-- "awning stripe"-- Could I be any more of a copy cat here?

The other big influence the Tyler Florence Shop had on me was the bathroom. I had finished the tile selections for our kid's bath, choosing an oversized but very traditional looking handmade subway tile from the UK as the field tile. I was happy with it, but when I saw the tile in the store, I immediately snapped a photo and ran to Galleria Tile to ask my girl, Joy, where I could find it!

Tyler Florence Shop bathroom

As you can see, this field tile is a little more modern than what I describe above. I am drawn to mixing modern elements with traditional ones and these field tiles felt more like me than the ones I had picked. Lucky me, Joy knew exactly what I wanted and told me that they were significantly less expensive than the handmade ones I originally chose. It's not often that I favor the least expensive option so this was even more reason to celebrate.

The tile shown here is from Heath Ceramics

There are so many fabulous vignettes in this lovely store. I can't possibly imitate them all but I certainly admire them when I'm shopping there.

Love the chalky black backsplash

...And so does Mick!

So many cute displays

In addition to the fab decor, I also love the ever changing assortment of lovelies for the home. I always pick up something when I come in-- a little burlap bag, a new glass bottle for my olive oil, a dish towel, some teeny spoons. My favorite old fashioned timer is from here and I love that I can place it on my magnetic board with my spices. I never lose it!

My kitchen with the best spice rack

Lipper International Soho 20-Piece Stainless Steel Container and Large Board Set 6520

Lipper International Soho 20-Piece Stainless Steel Container & Large Board Set 6520

There's always something new in store, and on occasion there's Tyler. (Our last siting was when my mom was in town visiting. She cackled when she saw him. Icing on the cake).