CATEGORY: HOUSE

Room Love

(Something weird happened with this post which should have been for next week but somehow got published so I’m making it a bonus post for today.) 

I rarely post just a single room but sometimes, it’s so good it deserves to stand alone. Like here:

Let’s break it down:

  • Great mix of chairs that’s a perfect balance of colors, materials, finishes, high and low price points.
  • Some kind of furry rug.
  • Black drum shade pendant.
  • That fabulous standing lamp.
  • All neutral against white walls and stripped wooden floors.

So good.

(Photo: Bo Bedre)

Hot Pink Coffee Table & More Changes in the Family Room

There have been a whole bunch of little changes happening in the family room.

First, on Friday I went to do some painting with my friend Angela (from the Painted House) and she had this coffee table at her loft that wasn’t working in the space. You know how we bloggers like to trade and borrow things (it allows us to get new stuff without feeling too guilty!) so it came home with me to see how it might look in my family room:

I had been wanting something wider than the white coffee table we had in there to take up some more of the space. She found it at an antique mall and had it powder coated in hot pink which I just love. At night it can look a little too neon but in daylight, it looks pretty good. What do you all think? I think it’s so funky!

I also changed up this spot:

Yup, the Danish chairs finally got stained. They turned out a little darker than I had planned but I like them enough. The photos are my own which used to hang in the kitchen office and behind the chair is a lucite table which holds a mountain of magazines to read:

Remember how this spot used to look? The mirror has gone up to the master bedroom and the chest is now in the guest room. Those rooms are up next once I finish in here. We’re getting close, folks …..

(Photos: FROM THE RIGHT BANK)

Another Family Room Sneak Peek

If you’re following along on my 2012 Decorating To Do List, you know that finishing our family room is near the top of the list. It’s where we spend most of our time in the house and I think that’s why I’ve probably redecorated that room more than any other. I’m not done yet but here’s a little peek at what I’ve been doing in there:

Remember the Danish chairs I bought in the fall? They got nice new blue covers thanks to my mom. (You know how I’m loving blue these days.) Now I just need to do my part of the project which is to stain the wood a darker color. Notice how my part hasn’t been done yet and my mom’s part was finished ages ago!

And check this out, the same chair on 1stdibs for $1200:

This makes me feel better about what I spent on them! I also just spotted the same chair at the Tenbosch House Hotel in Brussels:

That’s exactly the color of wood I want for my chairs. The whole hotel has great design by the way.

As you can probably tell I wanted to bring some color into the room so I brought in this painting (which is a very old one of mine) and that became the jumping off point.

I’m also trying out the orange Pop chair (from the living room) in here right now but we’ll see how long it lasts. I’ll have some more peeks as I get closer to crossing this room off of my list!

(Photos: FROM THE RIGHT BANK)

To Paint or Not to Paint the Iron Bed

Thank you all for your feedback on the new blog design. I made a few more changes and additions yesterday and think it’s finally done! If you’re seeing any glitches though please let me know. Thanks again!

Alright so on to today’s post. I’m in love with this room – and this bed. I’ve had this in my files for the longest time because I have a similar antique bed in the guest room and I’ve been wanting to paint it.

Here’s the bed in the guest room of our last house:

I liked the color of it in that room but in our current house I’m not so sure.

Gray or blue would look nice and there’s also always white:

But I think the white would be just a little too shabby chic. I also really like the patina on the bed right now and it would be kind of a shame to cover that up. It reminds me a little of this bed:

So I could just leave it and use a with a warmer color palette for the room which would work well with it. Would you like to weigh in?

(Photos: 1.Unknown 2.FTRB 3.via Brabourne Farms 4.Sarah Kaye)

More of the Living Room + a Holiday Contest With a $250 Prize For You

Okay, it’s finally time to tell you about the project I’ve been working on and it includes a chance for you to win $250 from any online retailer!

The reason I reshot the living room is that the lovely peeps over at Houzz invited me to participate in a contest called “Full Houzz for the Holidays.” They asked “How do you transform your entertaining area to accommodate family and friends at the holidays while still maintaining a well-designed space?”

I shared my answer in this Ideabook and I would love your support! All you have to do is click over to my Ideabook and leave a comment at the bottom. One comment = one vote. (Your comment can be anything and as short as you want.)

The three ideabooks with the most comments/votes by December 2, 2011 will win and everyone who commented on the winning books will be entered into a drawing to win $250, $100 and $50 gift certificates from any online retailer. Just in time for the holidays!

Thanks so much for your support!

(Photos: FROM THE RIGHT BANK with an SLR this time!)

 

A Higher and Wider Look at My Living Room

I think I got a little ahead of myself yesterday when I said I’d be telling you about a new project today. It’s going to have to wait until tomorrow but I can tell you it involves my living room which I’ve been reshooting since the big reveal last month. I especially like how this first photo turned out so I wanted to share it you.

This one also gives you a better idea of the entire space:

Would you believe I shot these with my iphone?! It’s wider than the wide angle lens on my SLR so I was able to fit more of the room into the frame. Incredible.

Okay, more tomorrow. I swear.

(Photos: FROM THE RIGHT BANK)

Weekend Loot + Family Room Progress

I decided to pop down to Scott’s this weekend and within 5 minutes of arriving, I found a pair of Danish modern chairs that I couldn’t resist. I plan on darkening the wood and recovering the cushions. You know, the usual.

Here they are in the family room for now. They may stay there or I may sell them in my shop (which is getting a facelift soon).

By the way, that’s a new rug in the room too. It’s gray sisal and I can’t adequately express how much I love it. I had tried so many different rugs in there and nothing looked or felt right until this one. (I got it at the Westside Foundry.)

I’ve also been meaning to show you this Josef Frank fabric I got a while ago on ebay.  It’s one of my favorite of his patterns:

It’s kind of perfect for these chairs but you know me and patterns. But since they’re removable cushions, it’s less scary than upholstering something with it. My goal is to get this room done before the holidays so I’m motivated to make a decision. (Famous last words.)

So, did you pick up anything fun this weekend?

(Photos: FROM THE RIGHT BANK)