Wednesday, November 30, 2011

decorating with Audubon style prints

I don't ever think I've seen a bird print I didn't like! I recently listed several prints for sale in my Etsy Shop. Here's a few of the bird prints now available. Some are large and would make a wonderful, dramatic statement matted and framed.

Designer, Katie Ridder's use of Audubon style prints in this dining room is just artful. It's an unusual placement of framed art over the sideboard and around the wall sconces. The neutral coloration of the bird prints look amazing against the strong chartreuse wall color.

(photo credit: Katie Ridder's book Rooms.)

A great mix of modern and vintage. The scale of these bird prints are amazing.

(photo credit: Chicago Home and Garden)

Below is a collection of Swedish bird prints from the home of designer, Bunny Williams. Bird prints make for a wonderful, classic framed art collection, a great way to fill a large wall.

(photo credit: Cotedetexas blog)

More lovely ways to decorate with Audubon style prints...

(photo credit: Elle Decor)

(photo credit: House Beautiful)

Master Bedroom - half canopy thoughts

I mentioned my master bedroom/bathroom re-do a while back, I think it was last spring. Most of the bedroom is finished, it's the long bed wall that I had been wavering on.

I keep coming back to the idea of a half canopy.

So far, this picture is my all time favorite. I love the double lamps; tiny lamps for reading in bed and large lamps for overall lighting.

(Southern Living)

Below is my current state of affairs on the long bed wall in my master bedroom. You don't normally see a half canopy on a shorter 4 poster bed. My husband and I have had this bed for almost 20 years. I still love it as much as I did the day we found it down at Greenfront Furniture. So, it's staying. I love the wood headboard in the Southern Living picture above. I'll add a bedskirt too.

(photo credit: Muraca Design, Inc.)

I had played around with a series of prints closely hung above the bed. But, really want to hang pictures behind the tall lamps I found at the Design House at Old Lucketts a few months back. Plus, as you tour around my master bedroom pictures, I already have enough framed pieces.

(photo credit: Muraca Design, Inc.)

Yes, a ceiling fan. When we had the house built, I was hands down no ceiling fan. I love the lantern in the first inspiration picture, thought I would do something like the lantern. But.. for those of you who just love a fan year around... gotta have it. We had it installed after we moved in. So much for the lantern.

(photo credit: Muraca Design, Inc.)

Yes, it's time for a half canopy, it will balance out the window treatments and give the bed more weight on the long wall.

Another inspiration room with similar balance:

(photo credit: eclecticrevisited.wordpress.com)

Just so lovely, cozy, and relaxing...

(photo credit: Elle Decor)

The sitting area still needs some attention too. I'll need to cover the 2 pillows on my grandmother's sofa. Floor lamp needs up dating as well. You can see through to my master bathroom, to the master bath. I had designed the bathroom before the house was built. My goal was to have a pocket door to the bathroom, that when looking through the master bedroom, it would look just like another room. More on the bathroom to come... still finishing up those final details.

(photo credit: Muraca Design, Inc.)

(photo credit: Muraca Design, Inc.)

So, now onto additional fabrics to pull in. I bought this bird and vine fabric by Kravat (don't have the name of it) when I started the bedroom design. Maybe a plaid on the inside and birds on the outside of the half canopy.

(photo credit: Muraca Design, Inc)

More fabric sampling, pillows to cover, bedding to figure out, and bits here and there. Soon to be a finished space, hopefully sooner rather than later....

A few more half canopies:

(photo credit: Elle Decor)

(photo credit: Shannon Berrey.com)

(photo credit: Southern Accents)

(photo credit: Interior Design Home)

(photo credit: Kelley Proximire)

(photo credit: eclecticrevisited.wordpress.com)

If you're interested in trying your DIY skills, here's a link to a tutorial on how to make this half canopy here.

birds

(Muraca Design photo)

I have a thing for birds. This fall, I have a thing for turkey vultures who arrive early in the morning and gather at a particular location in my neighborhood. They arrive in silence, until they come in for a landing, loudly flapping their wings. They come two or three at a time, about every minute, until the surrounding trees and one particular roof hold maybe 20 or more. When circling the sky, they cast large silhouettes on the ground. These large creatures have such a commanding presence about them, especially as they move from their hunched over posture to standing straight up, expanding their wings (up to 72' inches!) in the morning sun, perfectly balanced on a single branch. My family reminds me every time I mention my buzzard friends that I have a fatal attraction.

(Muraca Design photo)

I suppose I should do my bird watching on my back deck where it's safer. I haven't seen any turkey vultures wanting to hang out at my feeder with the other little fellow birds. It probably has to do with the lack of a dead carcase lying around.

If you were to look around my house, you'd find birds there too. I try not to display my love of decorating with birds too loudly for fear of being tagged as a collector and we know what happens then. One becomes the recipient of too many themed objects. No one wants to see what that results in.

(Muraca Design photo)

But, I do long for what the design world serves up every time I open a decorating magazine or flip through a catalog. Birds are everywhere.

Below is a selection of birds with the product links below. Enjoy!