Holly over at the wonderful blog Decor8 has been running a series of guest posts this month in which artists and designers share their favorite things from their own homes. As it happens, two of our favorite local San Francisco artists, Lisa Congdon and Mati Rose McDonough, have been featured this week. Not surprisingly, their entries are full of inspiring color and well-designed displays of beloved objects...

We've really been enjoying perusing the "Favorite Things" posts, because overall what they demonstrate is that if you display only the things you love, and also infuse with love the displays of things you need (like the bulk food jars in Lisa Congdon's kitchen, first photo above), then you might just conquer clutter without even trying.

We also love the way Lisa and Mati's vignettes show a willingness to play around with contrasting color. When you're designing a display of objects in your home, think about grouping colors together that will provide contrast with the background, be it a painted wall or a curtain or what have you. The reds and oranges on Lisa's shelves in the second photo really pop beautifully against the blue wall.

The first two photos above show Lisa Congdon's favorite things, and the second two are from Mati Rose McDonough.

Click over to Decor8 to see more of these two artists' favorite things, and to see more picks from other artists' homes.

(Images: Lisa Congdon, Mati Rose McDonough, Decor8)