From House & Garden’s Complete Guide to Interior Decoration, Seventh Edition, by the Editors of House & Garden published by Simon and Shuster, New York, 1970.
Monthly Archives: February 2009
Blue Bargains
Filed under The Rear Endcap
No need to feel blue. The stimulus package is near passage. Bargains abound; would you believe you can update your bedroom and spend less than $120? Throw in a can of paint (try Sherwin Williams Upward SW6239) and you can begin to rest easy, whatever the economic future holds.
Begin to create this blue-ribbon bedroom by picking up the Chowpatty Print Limited Edition Print from CB2. It would be great over the bed, with or without a headboard. Get it fast. It is only $49.95 from $179.
Throw on the Plaza Bedding from Crate & Barrel in Azure, now $39.95 from $139.
Late night reading requires light, so you had better grab the Metro Flared Mini Pendant from Bellacore. Only $17.95 from $50.
You have enough saved to buy a throw pillow or two. The Indigo Stripe Pillow from Crate & Barrel is a measly $4.95. It was still cute at 26.95.
Wall o Words
Filed under Current Projects, Living Rooms, Rooms
JoDee and I are working hard on her new house. Walls are getting painted, furniture is being delivered.
I envision a wall of quotes in her Living Room. If you remember, we are creating an unconventional space by rejecting the normal sofa and two chairs. Televisionless and focused on the conversation circle, this space is for connections. A table of family photos and this mural will reinforce the theme.
The difficulty has been deciding if we are going to use readily available vinyl lettering or actual paint. I am leaning toward having the quotes hand painted for many reasons.
1) I like the organic look of paint. The variation in pressure and color will make the total image dynamic rather than static.
2) Overlapping the words will add dimension (a good thing) and I am unsure if vinyl can be layered (a bad thing).
3) Paint can be changed. How often can you move the vinyl before it looks bad?
4) I would love to support a local artist if I can find one.
I have begun to layout some of the quotes JoDee wants included.
It all started with this mural at the Starbucks on Hoadly in Woodbridge. The principal of the high school pointed it out to me. He wanted it in the Teacher’s Lounge. It still hasn’t been done, but it has not yet been deleted from the Windows Files of my brain. When JoDee mentioned a family quote mural, this file opened first. I really like the dimension and all the quotation marks.
She found this online. Nice, but too small and rather expensive.
Looking for inspiration, I found these on Flickr:
A tribute to Warhole from narcotic.glitter
Interesting and cleanly framed with Pink from Flumpster
Smalbloc gives us a wall from a vegan restaurant in Phoenix
Samuel Mann’s photo from the Queensland Museum
This photo appears to be one huge quote. Maybe a few pages from a favorite book?
I need to find an artist that is willing to work in Fredericksburg and is very good at lettering. (Which I am not. Have you seen my handwriting?!?!)
Black & Brown: The Fave of Frenemies
Filed under Color, Design Principles, Digging Others' Digs, Living Rooms, Rooms
I love black and brown together. Add a bit of white and it is the perfect combination for a dog.
I have always wanted a black and brown herringbone club chair. It’s been a fantasy of mine for about 20 years to have a room with a chair like this with a beat up leather sofa and a wall of books.
The room at the top of this post is from Ralph Lauren Home. It is a little more elegant than the one in my head, but if for some reason Ralph just had to give it to me, I wouldn’t complain.
One day last year I thought my 15 year-old’s outfit was especially cute so I told her so. She said I may want to repeat that to two of her frienemies. She said they told her that Black and Brown together was a Fashion Don’t. Well, Ms. Know -It-Alls, YOU may want to tell that to Ralph Lauren.
And to the tiny little fashion house known as Dolce & Gabbana.
Don’t forget to inform the lovely Orla Kiely. This Fashion Don’t will set you back $444!
Not the snuggly club-style I imagined, but I have included this chair from William Sonoma Home because it is named Sylvia, just like my mom. (She is in the hospital preparing for surgery today. If this post seems disjoined it is because as I write my sister has phoned me 4 times. She is with my mom today. I will join them in Ohio during the recovery period when I can be more effective.)
From the Classic Color Palette from Benjamin Moore:
Davenport Tan HC-76
Black
Toasted Almond 1098
Plymouth Brown HC-73
And to finish, how ’bout some nice fabric, again from Ralph?
Fireplaces
Filed under Friday Collage
Mist Drystack Ledgestone Fireplace from Cultured Stone, Image of Flying Turtle Cast Concrete from ConcreteNetwork.com, Casa California Glass Tile Fireplace, Image from Oceanside Glasstile,Graduated Tile Mosaic Fireplace Authors Own, Stone Fireplace Image from Better Homes and Gardents Decorating Gallery, Concrete Fireplace Surround Image from AbsoluteConcrete.com, Finished Isokern Fireplace Image from isokern.net
Lovely Linoleum
Filed under Design Principles, Flooring
Remember Betsy from Tuesday’s post? To catch you up, Betsy is remodeling the Kitchen in her 95 year old house. Yesterday her workers prepared the floor for her gorgeous green penny round tile. They had to scrape through 5 layers to get to the original wood floor. One layer was particularly fabulous.
Unfortunately, this linoleum beauty is too far gone to be restored. Betsy said it just peeled away like cardboard. What I would give for an original floor like this. It is hard to see from her photos, but Betsy said the floor has silver and gold flecks, and all sorts of funky mod colors. I can see my signature olive and teal in there. Excuse me while I swoon.
Please don’t confuse linoleum with vinyl. I have heard many people refer to the vinyl flooring that rolls out in sheets as linoleum, but the two are as different as chocolate and carob coating. Both are categorized as Resilient, but genuine linoleum, while still available, was popular from 1900-1950. Linoleum is a natural product made from linseed oil, pine resins, ground wood and ground limestone. Strong, healthy, vibrant and colorfast, linoleum combines durability with style. It is naturally antimicrobic and outgases very little VOCs.
Vintage floors were often stylized, bold, graphic, detailed and colorful. I found these on flickr, from JAVA1888, a world and 50 years from today’s beige tile.
I wish I knew why in the United States linoleum was replaced by vinyl. The last US factory closed in 1975. The manufactures that still carry it obtain it from Europe. Here are some photos from Marmoleum.
The linoleum floor was a work of art. And later, the linoleum floor again becomes a work of art. Bill Miller uses salvaged pieces of former floors to create incredible collage paintings.
The Rear Endcap 2/4/09
Filed under The Rear Endcap
Because I have been talking so much about Target lately I must mention that The Home Design Event is 50% off. Better hurry if you want something because it is getting very picked over. I really liked this year’s Design Event. The mix of styles was current and yet still broad. And as always, spot on the current trends. Did you notice in the photo above the Branch Side Table? It is now only $45.
Our deep discount today comes from Pier 1. The Nirobi Settee is 60% off, marked down from $249 to $99. Get this great deal now, while the weather is still cold. It would look great positioned in a large foyer with the above mentioned Branch table next and a big bold banana leaf wallpaper behind.
Our under $10 item comes from ZGallerie. You have to call the 800 number to get it, but for $9.89 it is worth the effort. The Hollyhock Sconce holds three tealights. Four of these above our Settee in our Fantasy Foyer fantasized above would be smashing.
Ikea Cabinets
Ikea Kitchens have contributed to the increased accessibility of design for all. Like Target, Ikea expects its customers to be savvy. There website proclaims, “Kitchens for Everyone. One for You.” With Allen Wrench in hand, a credit card in the wallet and determination within, the only thing between you and a beautiful home is a paltry instruction manual. The best part is you don’t even have to be able to read to use it! Anyone can do it, right?
As a child, I never remember anyone remodeling a Kitchen. You just moved. And I still think it would be like this, to some extent, if it were not for Ikea.
The beauty of Ikea cabinetry is that the box -the structure -the base cabinet is the same regardless of choice. The process begins with size. You simply chose the Akurum you need. The components (called Rationell) and doors are secondary.
If it sounds like I know what I am talking about…Yes, I did it. Almost 7 years ago we moved to Ohio for 8 months. My husband, his best friend and I remodeled a Kitchen in a 60 year old house. By using Ikea and installing the cabinetry ourselves, we saved 15K. As some readers know, my sister lives there now.
Currently, I have two Ikea Kitchens in process. I consulted with a couple last Saturday who are trying to decide which cabinets to use. Mike and Suzanne are young and modern, and a contemporary styling suits them. We discussed at length whether they should choose a door style more transitional, like Adel, to appeal to more people. I hope I convinced them to use Nexus, their first choice. They have the perfect midcentury home and Nexus will be wonderful there.
Betsy has been my friend for as long as I can remember. She lives in Charlottesville in an 85 year old house. Her choice, Stat, is more suited to her style of home. I am so proud of her choices. (Do you think being friends with me for 35 years has anything to do with it? …I didn’t think so.) She chose green penny round tiles for the floor and butcher block counters and a milk chocolate wall paint. It’s going to be perfect!
I hope Betsy doesn’t mind. I stole the photo from her Facebook page. She tagged me on it! Maybe we can get more photos as the process continues…hint hint.
London Fog
Filed under Color, Look What I Found!, Trend Spotting
Have you had the London Fog Tea Latte at Starbucks? I am smitten. No, more like addicted. As I sit here and type, a whisper can be heard. “Go to Starbucks. Go to Starbucks. Go to Starbucks. ” Can you hear it?
I know this tiny, tinny sound can be heard by others besides me. What else explains the frequent importuning I get from my children? “Mom, can we stop at Starbucks on the way?”
I am usually immune to the lure. I prefer my coffee straight. Black, Strong. Singularly early in the morning. But now all that has changed. My attempts to avoid such conspicuous consumption foiled by a deceptively simple latte.
And not any old Latte. The London Fog is perfect. Sweet and creamy, but balanced with an earthy bitterness. Warm and cozy and full of fat, a sip can chase away the torment of winter. I can’t get enough of it.
Starbucks creates the London Fog from Tazo Earl Grey, Vanilla flavoring (I ask for sugar free) and foam (I ask for breve, which is Barista Lingo for made with half and half. Sorry. For this drink, the fat is essential to the experience.) It is perfect. Here is how the Tazo website describes the tea:
Aroma of citrus, lavender and light smoke harmoniously blended, the tea flavor and astringency of Tazo Earl Grey are perfectly balanced with the slightly spicy, lavender-and-lemon taste of the bergamot.
Last week I was introduced to Kris’s Color Stripes. Kris pulls rectangles of color out of photos and art work. I commented that it could be interesting for decorators to do this, only more specifically by pulling out actual hues that correspond more usefully to popular paint palettes. Fortunately for me, the Tazo box of my obsession wears the BIG TREND of purple and gray.
From the Classic Color Palette from Benjamin Moore:
Moon Shadow 1516
Ashley Gray HC-87
French Violet 1427
Gargoyle 1546