Accessories

Wall Collage

Wall collages always make me stop and look. This one reminded me of this one and this one I posted last year which I still think about. I swear I will do this in my house one day.

(Photo: New York Social Diary)

Today’s Crush: Printed Pouches Advent Calendar

Right now I’m completely in love with this advent calendar! The numbers are printed on little pouches which are hung on a moss wire. How utterly charming!

from Terrain

Isn’t it such a cute idea? I plan on giving it as a gift but I really want it for myself! I bet some of you crafty people out there could make something like it.

If you need other gift ideas, I’ve rounded up some great things for the home over at Houzz.

P.S. If you haven’t already left a comment on my “Creating an Entertaining Space” Ideabook at Houzz, I would really appreciate it! Each comment is a vote for me and if I win, you could win a $250 gift certificate to any online retailer of your choice. Merci beaucoup!

On the Hunt: Gold Flatware

Thanks for the well wishes and emails yesterday. I’m feeling a little better overall but the sore throat persists. It’s been years since I’ve had one and it’s just killing me but let’s turn our attention to something more pleasant, shall we?

Like gold flatware. I’ve been thinking about it for at least a year now and I think it’s time to get a set.

They’re not limited to over the top tables anymore.

Look how nicely they work in all of these very different settings.

I want a very simple, streamlined set as opposed to something ornate (obviously). I’ve narrowed my search down to these so far:

from Canvas

from Barneys

from Gilt

from Gretel

from Bloomingdale’s

First, I’m filling my house up with brass accents and now I want gold flatware. What is this? The ’70′s? Stop me if I ever start on avocado green appliances and home perms! Scary!

P.S. If you haven’t already left a comment on my Ideabook at Houzz, I would really appreciate it! Each comment is a vote for me and if I win, you could win a $250 gift certificate to any online retailer of your choice. Merci beaucoup!

(Photos: 1.House & Garden 2.Unknown 3.House Beautiful 4.Canvas)

Projects Underway Chez FTRB

Hello! I feel like it’s been ages since we talked! How was your Thanksgiving?

I seem to have caught a bug over the weekend so just a short post for today …..

It has been nonstop around here ever since we got back from the farm and my mom arrived in town. Have I mentioned she has mad sewing skills? Yup, so that means lots of projects I’ve been mulling over are getting banged out at warp speed. In other words, the complete opposite of when I’m left to my own devices(!)

One of the things getting done is drapes for the master bedroom:

I’ve been sitting on this fabric forever and I wanted to warm up the bedroom so bam, drapes it is.

Then the Danish chairs I got recently are getting new covers made out of this blue fabric:

Depending on time, she may be doing a few other things too.

I’m useless when it comes to sewing so I’ll be starting on Christmas decorations as soon as I’m feeling a little better. Of course, Christmas candy is laid out already to help things along.

P.S. If you haven’t already left a comment on my Ideabook at Houzz, I would really appreciate it! Each comment is a vote for me and if I win, you could win a $250 gift certificate to any online retailer of your choice. Merci beaucoup!

(Photos: FROM THE RIGHT BANK)

New Dining Room Rug + Pillow + a Paris Hotel

So the Hicks rug ended up in the dining room. I decided it was too much pattern for the living room but it works well in here because there’s less going on.

This is truly one of my favorite patterns so I’m really glad I was finally able to use it somewhere in the house.

I also brought this pillow out to see how it would look in the room:

A little story about this pillow – with a laughable number of gaps due to my horrendous memory. I bought it in Paris this spring in a little shop in the Marais (I can’t remember the name) and my girlfriend who was with me bought a makeup bag (or it might have been a coin purse – I can’t remember) made out of the same fabric. The salesperson told us the pattern is based on a medieval map of Paris and indeed, it depicts some areas and streets that no longer exist. Not the Louvre which you see here. Obviously that still exists.

I had never seen this fabric before and just loved everything about it. Then, when I was back in Paris this summer, I was reading a magazine (Air France inflight I think) and saw this:

It’s an ad for Le Mathurin, a hotel in Paris, talking about its newly remodeled rooms. See the pattern on the moodboard? It looks like they used it in wallpaper form in that room in the back. Anyhoo, I thought it was an interesting connection.

While we’re talking about Le Mathruin, let me leave you with the video from their website. It’s nicely done and I quite enjoy this kind of music on a Monday morning. In fact, the hotel is so well presented, I’m going to keep it in mind for future trips. I’m also going to make it one of my Hotel Picks FROM THE RIGHT BANK.

It’s going to be another busy week around here. For all you locals, if you’re free this Thursday, come talk blogging with me at Digital Atlanta’s Design Day at ADAC. You can RSVP here or with ADAC. I also have a great book giveaway and other fun stuff coming up later in the week. But today, I’m on my way to the dentist for a new crown. Hope your week is off to a better start than mine!

(Photos: FROM THE RIGHT BANK)

On My Radar: Gray Gotland Pelts/Sheepskin

I love sheepskin as rugs and seat cushions in the colder months and have had some of those Ikea ones that everyone has for a few years now. Ever since last winter though, I’ve been dying for some of these gorgeous gray Gotland pelts.

As luck would have it, Monika is carrying these in her shop, Splendid Willow Avenue ($340 each). Here’s what she has to say about them:

Considered by many to be the most desirable sheep skins, are the smooth silky, gray curly and gorgeous skins from the old viking sheep on Gotland (a small, Swedish viking island in the Baltic sea). Gotland pelts are world-renowned for their superior quality. They are strong, durable and very high luster with an array of rich gray shades.

I’m going to place an order as soon as I decide on how many. I would love six for the chairs in my kitchen like in the first photo but that seems extravagant since we only use two of the chairs most of the time. So I may opt for just a couple for the couch in the family room.

It seems they are also on Ikea’s radar. When I was there last week, I spotted a gray version of their popular Ludde sheepskin ($39):

Keep in mind these are not Gotland pelts and you definitely get what you pay for but if the real thing isn’t in your budget, it’s not a bad alternative.

So what do you think? How would you use these pelts in your home?

(Photos: 1-3.Skona Hem 4.via Niceroom.tumblr 5-6.Splendid Willow Avenue 7.Ikea)

***Don’t miss the Hygge & West wallpaper giveaway open to readers worldwide!***

A Slightly Different Art Wall Post

Thank you all so much for the nice comments/tweets/emails about the InStyle mention yesterday! And thank you for all the compliments on my living room too. You all are the nicest bunch, I swear.

Okay, so I usually do roundups of art walls but when an art wall (and the space it’s in) is this outstanding, it deserves its own post.

This is the newly opened Woodsman Tavern in Portland, Oregon and as soon as I saw the photos, I knew I had to post about it.

All manners of landscapes in a variety of frames. It must have been so much fun to hunt for all of these pieces and put this wall together!

What’s really cool about the place is that it was created from scratch.

It looks like it’s been there for ages due to their choices in vintage industrial furnishings, fixtures …..

lighting …..

and furniture:

Total PNW hipster vibe, right?

Now I just need to know how the food is. Any Portlandians (Portlanders?) reading this, if you try it out, let me know!

(Photos: the Woodsman Tavern)

***Don’t miss the Elce Stockholm Pillows Giveaway open to readers worldwide!***

Some Hicks Hexagon Has Finally Made It Into the House

I have been trying and trying to find a spot for some Hicks hexagon wallpaper in the house because it’s one of my favorite patterns. I’ve talked about it a lot (like here and here). But I had to come to terms with the fact that there’s just no place for it. Then what do I see on One Kings Lane but a Hicks hexagon rug! Right then and there, my only-inexpensive-rugs-because-of-the-dogs rule went straight out the window. I ordered it in the lighter colorway and it just arrived:

I haven’t had time to put it in place yet so it’s just hanging out in the hall right now. I bought it for the living room but it could also work in the dining room so I may have to try it out in both to see where it looks best. Meanwhile, I looked around to see if anyone else had the rug and here’s what I found. I don’t know if they’re all Hicks but they’re all hexagon patterns.

I’m crossing my fingers the dogs don’t spit up on it like they do on everything else! I’ll show you where it ends up as soon as I decide. And if you’ve seen it in any other space, I’d love to know!

(Photos: 1.FROM THE RIGHT BANK 2.Can’t remember. Please let me know if you know. 3.House Beautiful 4.Eric Cohler 5.Wall Street Journal)

Art Walls, Part 13

If you’re working on any art walls in your homes, here’s another idea for you: a wall by theme. How awesome is this wall of paint-by-numbers?! So kitschy and fun!

Here’s a cute one using all maps:

What an impressive wall of portraits:

If you’re into vintage floral paintings, there are a lot of them around so it would be easy to do something like this:

This is a nice collection of portraits (and just an all around lovely room):

And remember this one from good old Domino:

You could do the same with any topic that interests you. I guess this is sort of what I have going on in my kitchen office which has a travel theme:


This space looks a little different now than it did here. I guess it’s time for another update on that too!

So what do you think? Any other ideas for an art wall theme?

(Photos: 1-2.Country Living 3.Skona Hem 4.Better Homes & Gardens 5.via Decorati 6.Domino 7.FROM THE RIGHT BANK)

Art Walls, Part 12

As you all know by now, my favorite type of art wall is usually the mixed frames/mixed media variety. But I do love a good monochromatic one every now and then. It actually makes a lot of sense considering how much I love  black and white photography.

This one has a tiny bit of color but let’s just overlook that for purposes of this post:

Do you have a favorite style of art wall?

You can find all of my prior art wall posts here.

(Photos: 1.New York Times 2.James Tse 3.Skona Hem 4.via Frankly Esoteric 5&6.via Decorati)

Today’s Crush: Furlicious Beanbag + Hi-Light Task Lamp

There are so many reasons I should not want this.  First of all, the name. I mean really. Second, it’s from PBteen. As someone who is old enough to have teenagers (but doesn’t) it just seems wrong for me to be shopping at PBteen. Third, it’s a beanbag. I have no business owning a beanbag.

But it looks so comfortable. What beanbag isn’t? And it’s so damn cute. I bet the Frenchies would love it too …..

Well, I’ll promise you one thing. If I do end up getting one, I promise not to wear matching furlicious boots. Or ever use the word “furlicious” in a sentence ever again.

There’s one other thing at PBteen that I have my eye on and I’m actually not embarrassed about this one:

These knock-off Jieldé lamps are only $69 and even though in general I hate knock-offs, these are not made to try and fool anyone. They’re different enough that I guess you could say they’re more inspired by Jieldé than full-blown copies.

I’m thinking about a pair in coral for the nightstands in the guest room …..

So is there anything embarrassing on your shopping list or am I the only one?

(You can find the beanbag here and the lamp here.)

A Little Josef Frank In My House. Finally.

My house is an utter disaster at the moment which is the norm around here after a trip: piles of laundry, half emptied suitcases, stacks of mail, etc. etc. I’ll deal with all that and also put some design notes together from my trip when I’m slightly less jetlagged and bleary-eyed. For now though, let me show you these two pretties that were delivered while I was away.

Yes, Josef Frank! Finally! As you know, I’m completely obsessed with his patterns so it’s hard to believe I waited this long. I was about to place an order with Svenskt Tenn in Sweden when I came across these pillows on etsy. They are a little smaller and have plain backs but including the shipping, I paid about $55 for each whereas the ones from Sveskt Tenn would have been about three times that with the shipping.

I’ve been having fun trying them out in different rooms and I like them everywhere I put them. This pattern is “Vegetable Tree” (in linen) and it’s one of my favorites. The etsy shop has a few more pillows in this pattern as well as a couple of his other patterns. If you’re interested, here’s the link to the shop.

I’m not done with Josef Frank yet so stay tuned!

(Photos: FROM THE RIGHT BANK)

Art Walls, Part 11

It’s that time again ….. today’s roundup of art walls is of the hodgepodge variety – a mix of media, styles, frames, everything. If I had to choose, I think this is my favorite type because even if they can get kind of chaotic, they are the most interesting.

Rita Koenig does this style better than anyone:

Yup, still not tired of looking at her apartment.

And last but not least:

I actually gasped when I turned to this page in Elle Decor a few months back. Did anyone else? I love how the art  covers the entire wall and follows the slope of the roof. That Jeré sculpture and the Barcelona chairs don’t hurt either!

You can find all of my prior art wall posts here.

(Photos: 1.Atelier Abigail Ahern 2.Hamilton Design Assoc. 3-4.Style at Home 5.Elle Decor)

***If you haven’t entered yet, the very stylish Ilse Jacobsen rain boots giveaway is still open!***

Today’s Crush: Ikea Alvine Rand Rug

I’ve been playing musical rugs. I have more rugs in storage in the basement than any reasonable person should but in my defense, I got most of them before we got two messy dogs. Since they’ve entered my life, I’m all for inexpensive rugs and who does that better than Ikea? My favorite has to be the Ikea Rand. You’ve all seen it in my old house:

Everyone and their brother has it but that’s because it just works and you can’t beat the price. I still love it but now I’m lusting after the Ikea Alvine Rand:

I think the slightly Navajo-like pattern is beyond fabulous and the gray, white and black would be perfect in my house.

So if I run into you at Ikea, you’ll know why I’m there!

Styling White Bookshelves

I feel like I’ve been organizing and styling the built-in’s in our family room forever. That’s probably because I have. They look like this one, only smaller:

Here are the photos of white shelves I’ve been using for inspiration. I’ve always loved how this one is styled:

This one is also beautifully styled:

But my favorite shelves are the ones with lots of books and just a few interesting objects thrown into the mix like these:

This is also the most practical since I have a ton of books.

What’s your bookshelf style? All books? Lots of tchotchkes? A mix?

(Photos: 1-3.Lonny 4.Emily Henderson 5.Martha Stewart 6.via Desire to Inspire)

Today’s Crush: Christian Lacroix Forum Throw Pillow

It seems I can only go a few months without mentioning Christian Lacroix. I really do love everything he does. Most recently, I came across his Forum Throw Pillow (referring to the Forum in Arles, France) and now I can’t stop thinking about it. (Heather: this post is for you!)

I think I love the striped reverse as much as the front:

It’s available from Designers Guild.

P.S. I included this pillow in a roundup of “Finds for the Travel Addict” for Houzz. They have asked me to share some of my favorite finds so I’ll be doing that monthly over there if you’d like to check it out.

Feeling a Little Avante Garde

Hi, everyone! Remember me? I just saw the new Maison Martin Margiela home accessories by L’Atelier d’Exercises so I had to pop in to share them with you. Remember I recently posted about the new hotel in Paris that Martin Margiela just designed? I didn’t actually make it there when I was in Paris – it’s a long story – so I may console myself with one or two of these new accessories.

Ostrich feather pen:


Goose feather pen:


Mirrored stainless steel champagne bucket:


Half-spectacle acetate magnifying glass:


Oversized snow globe:


Melted wax candle holder:

Anonymous Matriochkas wooden Russian dolls:


Trompe l’oeil door adhesive print:

I really do worship the man. Everything here is available through net-a-porter .

Just for fun, check out this video too:

And as a reminder: if you haven’t entered yet, there’s one more day to enter the custom enamel house sign giveaway. For all of you readers outside the US, it’s open to you too!

The Crown Collection Is Growing

Since I first came up with the idea of collecting crowns, I’ve picked up pieces here and there so I thought you might like to see how my little collection has grown.

They’re from all over the place and all different prices. The one on the left came from One Kings Lane, the two small gold ones are from a hobby store, I found the large one in the back on my recent trip on St. Simon’s Island and I picked up the small gray one in Zurich.

 

Continuing on to the other shelf, the one on the left and the large gray one are from local antique malls and the small one is from a hobby store. (The gray one is the one that started it all. You may notice that it’s also the basis of the FTRB logo.) The one on the right is from Home Goods and has a funny story. Right after I bought it, the crown I had ordered from One Kings Lane a few weeks earlier was delivered and it turned out to be the exact same crown! The finish is a little different and being the lazy shopper that I am, I just kept both. Am I the only one who’s ever done that?

The lesson here is try to remember what you ordered(!) Or maybe it’s One Kings Lane and Home Goods sometimes have the same stuff …..

I’ll be taking Monday off for the holiday so see you all Tuesday. Happy Independence Day!

(Photos: FROM THE RIGHT BANK)

 

 

Art Walls, Part 10

It’s time for another art wall roundup! This first one is definitely one of the most interesting so far. Look how it starts above the fireplace and is carried over to above the windows. A very clever use of that empty space, don’t you think?

If you missed any of my prior art wall posts, you can find them here.

(Photos: 1.via Tumblr (sorry I lost the exact source) 2.Elle Decor 3.Architectural Digest 4.Atlanta Home & Lifestyles 5.Skona Hem 6.Martha Stewart)

Spoils from my Vacation

I’ve concluded that the best thing about vacationing in a place that you reach by car is you can pick up anything interesting you find without worrying about how to get it home. Case in point: here are some things I found while antiquing on vacation last week. I wouldn’t have gotten any of it if we didn’t have the car with us.

First, this mirror:

Where will it go? Who knows? Who cares? It was love at first sight.

A pair of adorable little candlesticks:

and a lovely Dutch oil landscape (my weakness):

I found all of these on St. Simon’s Island in one afternoon so it was probably a good thing I didn’t have any more time to shop!

(Photos: FTRB)

 

Greenery Around the House

I thought you might want to see how my fiddle leaf figs are doing. By some miracle both are not only still alive but doing really well. Look how much they’ve grown! I’ve been keeping them in a very sunny corner, watering them 1-2 times a week and telling them how lovely they are in my sweetest voice and by golly, it’s doing the trick (even after leaving them unattended for a week).

With the figs doing so well, I decided to give herbs another go too. I saw this one-pot herb garden with rosemary, oregano and thyme at Trader Joe’s a couple of weeks ago and it just looked so pretty I brought one home. (The pot is just an old one I had lying around.) Only one sprig of thyme is still hanging on but the rest of it is doing fine. On another visit (I’m there a lot), they also had all these basil plants and it smelled so good I just had to get one. What’s better than a caprese salad for lunch in the summer, right?

I love having fresh herbs on hand and I’m planning on adding flat leaf parsely, cilantro and mint next. I saw some nice looking ones at Whole Foods right before I went on vacation so I need to go see if they still have them.

At this rate, I think I may muster up the courage to get a few more plants for the house like these.

Don’t you just love how much greenery can enhance a space?

(Photos: 1-2.FTRB 3.Martha Steweart 4.House Beautiful)

 

Art Walls, Part 9

Today I have another art wall roundup but this one is a little different than all of my previous roundups. If you’re a regular reader, you know that I tend to favor art walls that mix different media, frames, sizes, colors …… but there’s no denying the impact of a wall made up of a singular type of art.

The one above really sends me into a tizzy because I collect landscape oils. Mine are all in gold gilt frames but I love, love, love the look of these unframed.

Black and white drawings in white frames, on white walls above and below. There’s no need to say more.

This approach works for monochromatic art:

as well as more colorful art:

How pretty are these paintings?

For all of my prior art wall posts, click here.

(Photos: 1.via French by Design 2.via Emmas Designblogg 3&4.via Remodelista 5.via the Diversion Project 6.Marie Claire)

Today’s Crush: Hbc Blanket

When I saw this room in the current issue of Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles, it reminded me I had other rooms in my files with the Hbc blanket.

These highly prized, heirloom quality blankets were traded in Canada and the US during the 18th century and 19th century by the Hudson’s Bay Company (hence the name Hbc). I think they still look amazing today.

I especially love it in this room because it is so unexpected:

How great is this entire room? I wish I had guts to paint a whole room lavender!

Have a great weekend, everyone! As we’re celebrating Memorial Day here in the US on Monday, I’ll see you all Tuesday…..

(Photos: 1.Atlanta Homes 2&3.Pinterest 4.Marie Claire Maison)

What I Learned Buying Art on eBay + Living Room In Progress

So I told you that I have a new eBay addiction, right? Well, I got so caught up in all the excitement of bidding that I ended up buying 4 paintings in one week. (I know. I’m out of control. But that’s another topic.) Now that the paintings have arrived, I thought I’d share my experience with any other eBay newbies looking to buy art.


(This is one corner of our living room. The painting on the top is from an antique mall and the one on the bottom is from eBay.)

The four paintings came from two different galleries in Europe. Both sellers were fantastic in terms of service and communication and while I like two of the paintings a lot, the quality of the other two are not that great. I don’t hate them but let’s just say had I seen them in person, I would not have bought them. I went back and really scrutinized the seller’s photos after I received the paintings and I have to say they were accurate so this is totally on me, not the seller. So the lesson I learned is this: Study the photos of the art very, very carefully, especially the details. I thought I had but I obviously didn’t study them closely enough.

This is even more important when you’re buying from a foreign seller. Many of the sellers will accept returns but you’re responsible for shipping costs which are pretty high if it’s from overseas so it may not be worthwhile. That’s the case with me. Like I said, I don’t hate them so I’m just going to hang those two in a less prominent space.

You eBay veterans are probably thinking “duh” at this point but for the rest of you, I hope this is helpful!

As for the living room, it’s coming along. One of the things I need, as you can see, is a side table for this orange chair. Why is the right side table so hard to find?

Dining Room Light Found!

My year-long search for a dining room chandelier is finally over! When I went to Circa to get the sconces for the family room I saw this Barbara Barry Bowmont chandelier (on sale) and that was that. The size, color and clean lines are just perfect for the room.

I was *this* close to going for the Jean de Merry light I posted about last month but in the end I was too chicken to make such a big commitment. Specifically, I was worried that 1) someone would knock it off and 2) it would start turning up everywhere. We all have those things that just drive us bonkers. For me, it’s those two things. The second thing can’t always be avoided, especially these days when everything is transmitted at warp speed but it still drives me insane.

Do you care if things in your home are seen in a lot of other homes? And how do you feel about knockoffs? Have you ever stopped yourself from getting a high priced item because you were afraid it was going to get knocked off? I’d love to know what you think so please share!