Get the Look: Tulip Chair as Desk Seating

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Our little beauty of a tulip chair for sale at Claremont Finders Keepers on Etsy.

The Look:  Tulip chair as versatile desk chair for the eclectic interior.

Look Alikes XI

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Here are a few more unrelated things:

This camera arrived in the mail today.  My birthday isn't for a few weeks, but my sweet and thoughtful husband wanted to make sure I got it before we go on vacation.  SOOOOO excited.  He spoils me.  Now I've got my fancy-schmancy camera.   I plan to take this class from Shoot Fly Shoot, which I hear is really good. 

 This recently published book arrived in the mail via Steve from an Urban Cottage, whose home is featured.  I got lucky and won it in a giveaway.  Thanks, Steve!  So fun to see more pictures of your beautiful home.

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I've been thinking about putting upholstered panels of fabric behind the vintage wooden headboards of the twin girls' room I'm working on.  Then I chanced upon this photo and can't decide if  hanging fabric is a better/easier solution.

Either way, I love the way it looks and how it brings the eye up.  What a great way to add pattern and color to a room when you want to forgo curtains.  Which I think I want to do.  I want something a lot less serious looking though since the girls are five years old.  I'm thinking navy polka dots on a white background.  Anyone know of a good source for that? 


Last, I am blown away by the recent work of the super talented Leah from Moss Eclectic.   She turned this

into this.

I bet no one wants to leave work anymore.   Which begs the question:  Why don't more businesses give thought to the design of their work spaces?  They really should. 

Click over to see more incredible befores and afters of this job.

Orange Sofa

A client recently sent me a picture of this Jonathan Adler sofa for her family room remodel.

It's a pretty bold choice, and I love this about Monika.  She is willing to take risks and has really cool and eclectic taste in interior design.

And actually, it made me take a second look at a sofa I purchased together with my business partner Wendy, and Lane which I haven't shown yet. 

Pretty lines, no?  The plan is to reupholster this well-made piece.  It is quite comfortable with its down filled cushions. We're seeing it in an oatmeal linen like fabric.

We want to sell the sofa a our first-time booth at the huge Alameda Point Antique Faire in August, which we are really looking forward to!

In the meantime, I found a ton of interior photos with orange sofas, and it made me appreciate our orange sofa even more. 

I could keep going, but you get the point. 

Tell me what you know about tile.

About a year ago, my aunt and I finished painting my rental kitchen cabinets from ugly yellow 80s oak to this.

Oh, but the floor...

the horrible, horrible floor.

It's about to get ripped up!  Today we got the first of three quotes to replace this vinyl.  Looks like we're going to tile the kitchen, laundry room, and kitchen nook while we're gone on vacation in a few weeks. 

Here are some images I've been collecting while I waited for this day to come.

Love the way this tile is laid, but I think the black is a bit dark for our cabinet colors.  And frankly, I can't imagine trying to maintain white grout on a kitchen floor.

 I love the vintage feel of these floors and they'd go great with our painted cabinets, but tell me the truth, do you think they'd be hard to keep looking clean?

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Here is a similar look in Bryn Alexandra's laundry room.  The plus is that it is  inexpensive.  Don't you think I'd need some kind of a simple black (or grey?) border like above if I did this in the kitchen?

 I could also go with classic black and white like in Janet's kitchen.

 I also really love the way this looks and feels.   Any guesses what kind of tile this might be and whether it's on the affordable side?

Again a similar look and pattern, but I'm pretty sure this is slate and 

that's not going to happen in our rental.

I know NOTHING about floor tile.  So tell me everything you know!  I want to hear it all before I step foot in a tile store. 

Take it Low

Michael Penney's Store

Look how he's resting his arm on the back of a chair for a steadier shot.

Tastemaker Tag Sale Photoshoot for Brittany Stiles


Happy Monday, Everyone!

Here's a little visual reminder from two professional photo shoots to take those photos low to the ground. 

Get the Look: Victorian/Rustic/Mid-Century

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1950's Rustic Wood and Metal Tubular Table for sale at Claremont Finders Keepers on Etsy

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Black metal and Crystal Lamps for sale at Claremont Finders Keepers on Etsy

The Look:  Victorian meets masculine rustic meets mid century modern.  

Well, I bit off more than I could chew starting a new blog and an Etsy shop at the same time.

Have you noticed?  

My posting and commenting has decreased a ton.

I'm going to start a weekend series where I match pictures of interiors to the new vintique objects my business partner, Wendy, and I are selling on our Etsy site.  I don't want to you all to feel that I'm hawking our wares to you, but I do want to share the projects we've been working on!  So how about a bit of eye candy to add to it?

You all know I like to match, so this should a fun addition to my regular weekday posts. 

Preaching to the Choir

Newly Made vs.Vintique (Vintage/Antique)

They don't make things like they used to.

quick iphone pic

I've been charged with replacing this stacking twin bed combo in the twin girls' bedroom I'm working on.

Because the painter has been there (see the pretty blue ceiling?) they had to stack the beds, but normally those beds would be separated because they've become unsafe to sleep in.  

Here's why:

quick iphone pic

Under that wood-looking exterior is paper!!!  I was tempted to dig into this smashed corner a bit to see what I could find under there, but held myself back. 

Here is my problem with buying newly made furniture:  Unless you want to pay through the nose, you are not going to get solid wood and you are not going to get quality joinery.  What you will get with your hard earned money is something that will last a few years, tops.  My client probably paid a decent amount of money for these.  They look like real wood.  Why would you think otherwise?

Here's where I'm preaching to the choir, because I know you readers already know that furniture made in the past, before everything was manufactured in China, was typically made well.  Built to last.  Out of real hard wood.  Not paper.  

So, with the help of Lane,  I found  the "new" beds.  And I will tell you I didn't take one peak into a furniture store. Nor did I peruse a catalog.  

They look something like this one:

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Two matching, real wood, built-to-last vintage twin beds.  For $15 each, which I bet is way less money than my client spent on the stacking twin beds.  It pays to buy vintique. 

I'd show you a picture of the actual beds, but they're an unsightly electric blue color right now. (And I don't want the color to scare my client!) Which brings me to my next point.  When your furniture is made of real wood, it's easy to sand it down and repaint it, or even strip it if you like.  

Now I've got to decide how I'm going to paint the beds.  I'm looking for a color with longevity, because these beds are going to be around for awhile.   

Unlike these cheap, particle board and laminate cubbies I got for my daughters' room.

 

 See?  I'm guilty too. 

Sermon over.

 

Color Pallete: Navy, Turquoise, and Sherbet

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I'm in the beginning stages of designing a bedroom for a set of five year-old twin girls and I think I'll use this color palette of navy and turquoise with hits of sherbets and pinks.  i want to do something both fresh and serene at the same time and am trying to create a room that will grow with the girls.

Notice that each picture above includes a dose of something in natural and neutral tones, be it wood, linen, burlap, or bamboo.  I'll be sure to use that kind of element too, though not sure how yet. 

Tomorrow I meet with the painter, who will be taking down the dated wallpaper before giving the whole room a fresh coat of paint.  I think I'm going to do soft white walls with a light blue ceiling. 

Maybe this color?

Benjamin Moore's Wythe Blue as seen on Rene from Cottage and Vine's front door.  I've been dying to try this gorgeous color and think it would be perfect on the ceiling. 

Thoughts?

I also really want to get some combination of these sheets from Garnet Hill.

Notice the navy, turquoise, and sherbet colors here again.  So pretty.  And affordable too. 

Look Alikes X

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How many similarities can you find?