Someday...

I *will* have a kitchen just like this one (minus the chairs). You're gonna want to click to enlarge. The details are spectacular.

image via Kristen Buckinham Interiors

Love at First Sight

I need a room that looks just like this one, designed by David Jimenez.


via

The day my life will be complete...

...is the day when we have a home big enough for a library ladder.
I think ladders in open spaces are functional and oh so beautiful.

Top Design Revisited

It rains a lot in Brussels. When we can't get out and all my kid creativity has been exhausted, I put on a Seseme Street DVD for the girls and I watch an old episode of Top Design on my laptop. {Or I watch So You Think You Can Dance? on YouTube, but that's another story.}

Remember how great this loft was? My favorite element was the grouping of photos by the front door. I tried to confirm this online to no avail, but I seem to remember reading somewhere that Matt used some photos that his Dad or Grandfather took in Rome and had them printed in an orangey-red ink. Genius. Plays perfectly with those killer Andre Arbus dining chairs. love them.


The orange accents in Matt's top design room remind me of my favorite Tia Zoldan bedroom. Just beautiful. I think I have an orange accented room in my future.

Spray Paint

Our neighbors in Cambridge think I'm crazy (and single-handedly destroying the ozone) because I'm outside spray-painting a lot. It's amazing what a little spray paint can do to transform a piece of furniture, a picture frame, or, in this case, ceramic figures.


I can't remember which magazine I saw this in (I think it was Cottage Living), but the owners of this home sprayed random, mis-matched ceramic bird figurines (from thrift stores and eBay) all white to make the grouping look and feel more like a curated collection. I love this idea!! Your new collection would look great on a mantle, or on shelves against a painted wall, similar to this idea...
A couple quick spray painting tips from me to you:
1. Invest in a canvas drop cloth from a home improvement store. They are cheap (less than $10), prevent runaway paint particles from permanently coloring your driveway or sidewalk, and the canvas material dries quicker than the plastic drop cloths.
2. Make sure the surface of whatever you're painting is squeaky clean. A clean surface takes paint SO much better. Grime under the paint causes premature peeling.
3. Save your big cardboard boxes! When I'm spraying something smaller (like a lamp base or a ceramic figure) I like to leave the item in a box during the painting and drying phases, especially if it's a windy day. To me, there is nothing worse than dust particles stuck in your glossy new paint finish. What an eye-sore!

Mexican Embroidery Pattern a la Lena Corwin

Lena Corwin's new book, Printing by Hand, is available today on Amazon.


As you can imagine, I am in love with this project:


Also, I'm totally intrigued by the stencil idea. Wallpaper is so expensive! If you have nice and smooth walls, stenciling is a great alternative to paper, which can be such a commitment ($$$$).


And how perfect is this lamp shade? I love the clouds (especially for a nursery!), but the design possibilities here are endless.


I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of this book.

More pictures and an interview with Lena here

My Dream Kitchen

Yes, Please.


via

Dutch Doors

Belgium is smack dab in between France and the Netherlands. Most of the cultural influences seem to lean toward the French side, but one of the more obvious Flemish influences I've noticed on the street are the Dutch doors here in Brussels. I think they are absolutely charming and totally practical, especially when the weather is nice.


My idea of perfection would be a giant, bright kitchen with lots of white (subway tiles, carrera marble counters, white cabs), lots of windows facing the back yard (so I could watch my girls playing outside), and a great antique dutch door painted in a bright unexpected color to pop against all the white. Like a robin's egg blue. Or even a persimmon.

Speaking of Domino and Cheap Beds...

Did you notice that the headboards used in this adorable room featured in Domino (I can't get over this color combination!) are from Target?


I think $249 each is a pretty great price point and if I was in a pinch to get a guest room decorated, I would totally buy these headboards. If I had some time though (not to mention, another room to decorate), I would make my own headboards using the following:

Plywood, cut to fit by my friendly neighborhood Home Depot dudes:
Upholstery grade batting (available at most fabric stores):


Red linen or twill fabric. Since I am on a budget, I would probably use my 40% off coupon at JoAnn's or check what's available on eBay. No need to pre-wash my fabric, since I'm upholstering (not making a washable slip cover):

Trusty PowerShot staple gun... a girl's best friend (well, along with her hot glue gun):Upholstery nail strips (these make for very straight lines when you only have to put in one stud for every five nail heads):


I'm definitely putting this room in my book for later. I think it's a great, expensive look, but a really cheap and easy project.

Vintage Maps as Art

The May issue of Traditional Home magazine focused a lot on accessories for the home. They featured several famous designer's favorites. I love Thomas O'Brien's suggestion: frame vintage and antique regional maps. He collects antique maps of New York that were published around the time his home was built in the mid 1800's.

I really love decorating with beautiful and personalized objects and art. If we have a big open wall in our next house, I'd love to frame antique maps of all the places we've lived since Michael and I have been married.

Our journey together began in Arizona, where we grew up only a few short miles from each other, although we didn't meet until January 2003.


We moved to Cambridge, MA in 2006 for Michael's law school.

We lived in Washington D.C. during the summer of 2007.


Then back to the Boston area for another year of school.


This summer we're living in New York and

Brussels.

Next year we'll move back to New York after Michael graduates.


All of the photos and maps from this post were found on eBay using the search words "antique map" plus a city name. Many of these are really inexpensive and all are originals (make sure the one you bid on is not a reproduction, if you want a quality look).

Do you have any favorite ideas for unique, personalized (and inexpensive) art or accessories? Share with us!

Mexican Textiles

I'm still crazy about these Mexican embroidered textiles and had another wave of the "I must have that" emotion washed over me when I saw this post from Design Mom.


I guess there is a newer company that sells these fabrics in some different shades than the ones I have seen before. Part of the fun of these textiles is the bright color. But I am head over heels for the grayand especially for the creamy white.

I love the headboard idea (in orangey-red above) but I think these more soothing colors would be perfect made into a special duvet cover.

Sarah Richardson and Design Inc.

Back in the day (before I stopped watching HGTV), my favorite shows were Room Service and Design, Inc. Both featured the work of the incredibly talented design super-star, Sarah Richardson.

Sarah is famous for using horizontal stripes. I love the subtle blush and cream stripe in the inset of this great suite.

I wish they would show more pictures of this bathroom. I saw this episode and it was truly stunning. That is an antique sideboard they converted to a double sink (totally want to do that some day). The fixtures and finishes in this bathroom were to die for.

HGTV stopped airing both Room Service and Design, Inc. a while ago (however, they're still on HGTV Canada and Design Inc is starting to show on Fine Living, a channel I don't get). Regardless, I still find myself checking Sarah's website to see if her portfolio has been updated. And I'm usually not disappointed.

Sarah's own child's nursery. I love the pops of color and the unexpected furniture. Nothing kitsch or cutesy here - all chic.

I love this room. The mirror. The fireplace. The soft color palette. But I LOVE that ottoman.
Side story:
Last summer, when we lived in Washington D.C., I stopped by a Restoration Hardware outlet and saw a gorgeous, green, tufted ottoman very similar to the one in this picture. Price? Just $150 (for Restoration Hardware!!) I stepped out of the store for a minute to call Michael to convince him that we needed it and that there *would* be a way to make it fit in the car when we moved back to Boston. He finally succeeded to my persuasive powers (poor guy, the things he puts up with!), and I walked back into the store to buy that gorgeous ottoman. My heart sank when I saw an empty spot on the floor where it had been. Someone had purchased it in the 2.3 minutes it was out of my sight. The salesperson said it had only been on the floor for sale for about 5 minutes total. Lesson learned: Never (NEVER!) let a good deal out of your sights. I haven't stopped thinking about that ottoman. It was so beautiful.
Other side story:
Did you know that if there is a Restoration Hardware item or piece of furniture that you love, you can call your closest RH outlet and they will put you on a waiting list for your specified item? I read about it on this great blog. For example, if you love these dining chairs, dial up your outlet, tell them you want 6 or whatever, and they'll call you as soon as they come in.
Now back to Sarah Richardson. Sorry for the digression.

This is a great bathroom. And I think that is one of the William Sonoma Home chairs that I have been lusting over.

I can't even handle those drapes. GORGEOUS. And I love the soft colors of the furniture and pillows (which my kids would destroy in about 3 seconds flat).

For some serious eye candy, head over here and be sure to open the links for more pictures of the rooms. I love that they include the sources of all items used in each of the rooms. Not that I cold afford any of it...

Hope you enjoy her work as much as I do.

My Kind of Chalkboard

I am a design magazine junkie. I love pulling out my favorite articles and pictures, and then organizing and storing them in my design binders. Someday, I'll use them as a reference when we have our own house to decorate.

One of my favorites is really great article from O at Home that featured Kirsten Hollister's Minnesota home. She lived with her little family in Switzerland for a few years and collected antiques during her time in Europe. Her whole house is great (you can see it here). But my absolute favorite idea is this chalkboard.


She bought an antique mirror, broke out the glass and painted the backer board with chalkboard paint. LOVE it. Seriously, this picture has haunted me ever since I saw it first, flipping through magazines in the Home Depot checkout line. Each time I'm at an antique shop, flea market or thrift store, I'm secretly thinking of this chalkboard.

The Perfect Kitchen

Michael can tell you that when I am worked up (either really mad or really happy), I bounce/shake one or both of my legs involuntarily.

Today, with my face about three inches from the computer screen, my legs were bouncing so much that I knocked the water glass off of my desk.

I know that it's weird that I get so excited over houses and interiors. But honestly, this kitchen is perfection.
I wouldn't change a thing. In fact, the next house we own, I want to buy a fixer upper so that I could do something just like this San Francisco kitchen (obviously scaled down). This particular range shown here costs an obscene amount of money, I'm sure. Williams Sonoma sells this brand of ranges, but those are about half the size of this one. The small ranges from WS cost $10,000 - so this one is easily double that. Yikes!


You should really check out the article from House Beautiful. A lot of the elements in this kitchen are vintage or antiques that the designer has been collecting over the years: the glass cabinet knobs, the vintage apothecary jars used for storing spices, the tea towels, the glassware and other dishes. She said it all started with that incredibly huge, beautiful antique shelving shown in the first picture that she found at a Paris flea market.

sigh...I think this is my favorite shot below. First off, I can't even tell you how much I love those (two!!) farmhouse sinks (she also has two dishwashers because "they entertain a lot." Wow.). And don't even talk to me about those perfect faucets. I can't even handle it. But look how absolutely stunning those counter tops are. If you look closely, you can see that she has double slabs of marble and goes to triple thickness for that higher tier behind the sink. For some reason, this makes me crazy. I. must. have. this.

If we ever have money to redo a house, I pretty sure that most of our budget will be dedicated to the kitchen. Beautiful kitchens (obviously) make me really happy.

props.