Monday, January 16, 2012
I woke up to this the other morning. Deconstruction of my living room. I had spent the evening before un-decorating. Saying good-bye to my old living room. It has served us well, but time has moved on and it's time to bring it up to date.
There are a few pieces of furniture that have stood the test of time and will stay. There are my bergere chairs, still covered in its original pheasant toile fabric. I'm adding the red stripe ticking to the kidney pillows. I had sworn off red for this room, but just love this change to the chairs.
The sheild back chair will stay at the table behind the sofa. I love the silhouette of this chair. It was originally a chair to a dining room set we had purchased at an antique mall many years ago. The seat will be re-upholstered.
The new rug has been delivered and awaits the walls, ceiling, and trim painting to be completed. You're seeing the backside of the rug. It's a wool rug, nubby in texture, and in a deep caramel color. Still thinking of putting a cowhide on top of it. We'll see...
The Room and Board sofa will definitely remain. The pillows will be covered. The coffee table to the left stays too. I've had this coffee table for almost 10 years. I'm a bit fussy about coffee tables. While I've seen many of them over the years that I've ooh-ed and ahhh-ed over, I've never wanted to replace this one.
Lastly, I'll be keeping the black sideboard and mirror. The height on this sideboard is unusual. It originally had doors across the entire front. Since the inside was painted / finished as well, I took the doors off the center and created a bookcase.
It's true, I can't paint a room without Etta (one of our two cats.. Henry and Etta). She loves all ladders! And the minute they are opened - she's ready to perch. She's actually half owl.
Etta will stay, too. She's definitely a classic.
(although seeming a bit stand-off-ish here...)
The mirror will stay, but is getting painted to move away from its heaviness.
The plan is to paint the woody - bronze sections in this Benjamin Moore - silver fox.
What's new?
Fabrics. The plain linen will be the window treatments in the living room. Inverted box pleat valances, mounted just below the crown molding, banded with the plain ink blue linen.. will go on the small fireplace windows. The rest of the linen will be flat panels on the large window and French doors.
The medallion patterned linen will cover the cornice boards in the breakfast nook and kitchen window.
I love the mix with my collection of Polish Pottery.
I've added this dresser, picked up a few days ago at Covesville Antiques. I love how it relates to the kitchen. It has great hardware and wonderful, warm patina.
And, there's my middle son - Walt, getting his morning coffee - on his 16th birthday. I told him I was re-decorating the living room for him.. he didn't buy it. Smart.
And today, I woke up to this... a bit of paint progress and new rug unrolled.
The lamps will probably be moved to the foyer and get burlap shades. I've ordered these wall mount lamps from Pottery Barn to go on either side of the mirror.
Now to paint the rest of the foyer, kitchen, and breakfast nook...
Can't you see a cowhide under the coffee table??
Lots more to do...
Today, we're off to Greenfront Furniture. My husband needs to try on chairs. Actually, it's my husband and daughter who need to try on chairs (and ottomans). They are known to sit together, squished in our old red chair (now in the basement) and watch Chopped on the Food Network.
So, this will be a very important purchase.
Leather for the new chair?
Posted in:
Gray,
Living room
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Wednesday, January 11, 2012
My husband had given me this amazing terrarium for Christmas. It's just beautiful and from one of my very favorite local shops, Ivy Nursery. I must say, though.. that I feel a sense of pressure about keeping this gift going! I've had orchids before. Still do. But, not inside a glass box. We'll see how this goes.
I love every thing about this ensemble of metal, glass, and flora. I mean look at this little latch.
It's a bit of Spring right in the middle of January. How lovely....
Look how the orchid stems are kept upright. Instead of those little plastic clips... how about some vine and moss.
I hope I can keep this going.. thanks to Google, I'll be searching for "how to be a caretaker" of this boxed environment.
To my amazement, I found this while googling terrariums....
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I have one very similar listed on my Etsy Shop! I thought it was a glass container of some sort.. had no idea it is probably a terrarium.
Here's my glass pear.... I've added "terrarium" to my listing on Etsy.
Read Kate Elliot's post (of KateElliot.com blog) on how to make a terrarium here.
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Love this little terrarium. The roof line is so charming. Click onto the source link below this picture to find more "how to".
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Posted in:
house plants
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Thursday, January 5, 2012
It's a New Year and I've started a new project: Operation Uncolor. I've talked about it, blogged about it.. and now it's time to make the move. My current living room (really a family room) was designed in 2004. I had the opportunity to design, purchase, and install before moving into our newly built house in 2005. My green, yellow and shots of red just don't move me like they did in the beginning of 2000.
These are the rooms that move the earth beneath my feet.
Or course the architecture in this room doesn't hurt.. but really it's the tones and composition. I feel myself moving away from pattern and color ~ to layers of pale, cool tones of grays and whites and textures of wicker, linen, marble, wood grains, and gilt. (I can hear some of you now.. this is the palette that has been around for the past 5 years at least!) It has seduced me over and over.
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A little modern, a little vintage, a little industrial, a little traditional. And... a little urban. My husband and I have just recently been having a few "empty nest" conversations. Our third and youngest will be in high school next year. We can see it coming. We seem to lean toward an urban dwelling in our future. Less yard, more walking. Less square footage, more editing. Less driving, more cooking. This photo seems like a nice size kitchen for our empty nest plans, small and intimate. (Of course, I say this.. and know I'd need a large something space for family and friend gatherings!) While we are not thinking of moving any time soon, I always think of changes I'd make in our next house.. like dark wood floors!
I could make some serious soup in this kitchen. So cozy!
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I love these layers. I believe just about every room needs a bit of black. These tones are so livable.
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For those of you who read For the Love of a House blog, I love Joan's living room. I, too have been thinking about cowhide ever since I put a sheepskin rug in my daughter's bedroom.
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These curtain panels and accent pillow give the room a modern, geometric direction.. always pairs so beautifully with the classical. That really sums it up for me.
(House Beautiful via Beautiful Living Style Blog)
I remember reading Joni's post from her blog Cote de Texas about finding personal inspiration. She talks about an issue of House Beautiful and how these designers spoke to her sense of what feels like home. Mixing the classics with a bit of modern. That's the direction I'm headed. And, I already have this exact basket (picked up at the Old Lucketts Design House) holding my wood next to the fireplace.. I'm well on my way!
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Enough dreaming.. off to work!
Yesterday, I picked up this amazing starburst mirror at The Factory Antique Mall. I had almost made a very grave error. My daughter and I went antiquing here a few weeks before Christmas. I was picking up inventory for my Etsy Shop. I came across this mirror and thought about it for my family room, but was focused on other things. I had actually meant to go pick it up when we were finished, but drove away with out it. I had been thinking about it every day since. Thinking and thinking about it over my fireplace mantel. Yesterday, I finally went back, with a panic of "what if it's not there" feeling. Now, let me just say... this antique mall is h-u-g-e! I'm not kidding.. they say they are one of the largest antique malls on the east coast and I believe them! But, after a frantic search.. there it was, waiting for me. It was meant to be.
It's my spring forth object.
I won't be clearing the room completely. New paint, new rug, replacing our kids' beloved "red chair" and re-working all the wall art. The curtain panels will be re-made and I'll also be painting the breakfast nook and re-upholstering the cornice boards.
I'm thinking about this chair for the red chair replacement. Haven't worked out the ottoman yet.
And, I'd love to put this wall light next to the chair.. although not sure if it's too mod. Maybe it's my inspiration fixture.
The before ....
I've actually made changes from when I took this picture. I have different lamps. But.. the wall color's days are numbered. I've been working on paint selections and have narrowed it down. The Ethan Allen Roma chairs will stay.. as will the black cabinet and mirror. The sofa will stay as well. It's a favorite of mine, by Room and Board. Room and Board use to have a traditional line along with their contemporary. They don't make this sofa now. The coffee table.. not sure yet. The rug is going to a new home. I've loved this wool rug for over 10 years, but alas.. time is moving on and so am I.
Here you can see the new lamps on the black cabinet. Those will stay. The birds over the mantel will find a new home upstairs in the hall. The curtains will most likely be re-made with a neutral and I'm seeing a box pleat valance for over the built in cabinets. The console/table will stay, but the shield back chair will get an upholstery update. The rug is going under the breakfast nook table.
And.. here's where I say goodbye to the red. The red chair has seen better days. It will go to the basement. (Isn't that where all "seen better days" furniture goes and why we have basements?) And.. this time next year, I'll be kitchen focused. The microwave on the far wall will be replaced with a hood and open shelves on either side. But, we'll save all the kitchen changes for another time.
The breakfast nook will get new paint and re-upholstered cornice boards. My sweet rooster was sold on Etsy. The framed art will go to 2 on each side, but larger frames with large mats and small art. I think I'll hang onto the chandelier and think about lanterns with the kitchen project. I love my Nichols and Stone table and chairs. Those will stay forever...
Maybe the after photos by the end of February... that's the goal.
Happy decorating in 2012... because there's always a project!
Posted in:
Inspirations,
Living room
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