Oddly, I don't even know the source for this bed.
The tearsheet is in an inspiration folder without a manufacturer tag. Anyone know it?
Sleep tight!
Cheers,
Whitney
Showing posts with label furniture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label furniture. Show all posts
Dec 1, 2011
Sleep Much?
I've been experiencing some bizarre sleep patterns of late. Some nights brutal insomnia, but some nights college-student sleepiness. Oh well, perhaps thinking about dreamy beds, like the one below, will send me back to the land of usual sleepers.
Sleep tight!
Cheers,
Whitney
Sleep tight!
Cheers,
Whitney
Nov 29, 2011
Brass and Glass
Just placed an order for a client for a lovely brass and glass coffee table. I'm so excited about it. She initially balked, thinking glass (or even mirror) would be too modern for her highly traditional living room. No way! I showed her choice photos of brass & glass in comparable settings, and she became a believer.
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| image via Decorpad |
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| Brass Mastercraft Doe Foot Cocktail Table via Nines |
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| image via Elle Decor |
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| Antique Maison Bagues Brass Two-Tier coffee Table via Jean-Marc Fray |
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| image via Decorpad |
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| Ginko Table by vanCollier Designs via Inspire.Me. blog |
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| Whitney Interior Design |
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| Worlds Away Robert G table via ElleDecor Marketplace
Using a glass table can be tricky for many reasons, foremost being safety. All-glass tables make homeowners nervous about breakage or injuries. Small children can be rough on furniture, and older adults can sometimes bang their legs on a hard-to-see glass table. But, glass encased in a strong, visually-obvious metal frame eases the mind a bit. The strong metal of brass is my favorite for furniture. It can go warm or cool, mod or trad. Obviously, glass allows for more visual circulation around the room, including a better sight line to stunning carpets or floors underneath.
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| Grant K. Gibson |
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| Rounded Corner Brass and Glass 1970s low table via 1stdibs |
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| image via Decorpad |
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| Dominique Coffee Table by Matthews & Parker for Brunschwig & Fils |
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| image via Elle Decor |
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| Brass Ram Heads Coffee Table. You might as well punch yourself in the face because this beaut is no longer available from 1stdibs. Argh! |
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| Bob Coscarelli |
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| Side Bracket Brass Cocktail Table via Horchow |
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| image via Decorpad |
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| Greek Key Brass Low Table via 1stdibs |
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| image via FigStreet blog |
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| Sabine coffee table by Jan Showers |
Cheers,
Whitney
Oct 21, 2011
The Only Question
The only question is... Where would you put it?
In the bedroom?
As a showstopper in the entry?
In the living room?
Across from your home office desk?
The possibilities are endless. I love this chair. LOVE this chair. It's a campaign-style armchair designed by Otto Parzinger for Maison Jansen. Brushed steel frame with black leather seat, back, and armrests. Finished with solid bronze paw feet and bronze finials on arm and back rests.
This thing is SO haute. If you're in the NYC area, see at Flessas Design on Madison Ave in the 90s. It is divine in person. Trust.
Cheers,
Whitney
Oct 20, 2011
Faux For It
It seems that everyone is blogging about Autumn in the past week, but I'm not complaining. It's my favorite season, and the imagery conjured up by the yummy keywords of Autumn put me in a happy place. Lauren of Pure Style Home blogged about sprucing up your home for fall here, and her post included adding some fur to your decor. Which got me thinking...
Fur is a touchy subject for people. According to Humane Society International, over 8 million wild animals are trapped yearly for fur, while more than 30 million are raised in fur farms. I don't want to be a bummer about this, but these are facts. I could get all existential and political about this, but my intentions are good, and since this post is about warming up your home with touches of [faux] fur as seasonal decor, I'll get back on track.
The bottom line is that faux fur is a divine alternative to real fur, and I'd suggest using faux fur in any of these lovely scenarios above to stay cozy and chic without any little chinchilla ghosts cramping your conscience.
Have a cozy day my friends.
Fur is a touchy subject for people. According to Humane Society International, over 8 million wild animals are trapped yearly for fur, while more than 30 million are raised in fur farms. I don't want to be a bummer about this, but these are facts. I could get all existential and political about this, but my intentions are good, and since this post is about warming up your home with touches of [faux] fur as seasonal decor, I'll get back on track.
The bottom line is that faux fur is a divine alternative to real fur, and I'd suggest using faux fur in any of these lovely scenarios above to stay cozy and chic without any little chinchilla ghosts cramping your conscience.
Have a cozy day my friends.
Cheers,
Whitney
Oct 7, 2011
A Guest Bedroom Gets A Facelift
I had promised photos of this quick-n-cheap room makeover weeks ago, and am only posting now because, well, business picked up and life got hectic and something had to get sent to the back-burner. You know how that goes...
I spent a week in lovely Lexington, KY, visiting with people I love and cherish, and doing a fun little challenge: redecorating their guest bedroom on a modest budget and a quick deadline. The project started the day I arrived, so there was zero preparation, research, pre-shopping, sourcing, ordering, etc. The client has great art with a strong equestrian sense, which is fine by me since you know I love myself some horsey art. And, in Lexington, horse is king. When in Rome....
The room has two twin beds because many of this family's guests are 2 singles, not a couple. A pair of twin beds are practical for this reason, but be sure that they're high-comfort mattresses in your guest room. In fact, the first purchase for this room was new mattresses, box springs and frames. I did the sourcing for the mattresses, and it was rather funny to have many mattress salespeople tell me that they rarely sell high-end models in twin size. One guy even said he's never sold twin mattresses with a box spring. He explained that every twin mattress he ever sold were for kids' rooms, and high-quality comfortable models weren't a priority to the customers of those sales. But not for this project. These twin mattresses will be hosting grandparents, great-uncles & great-aunts and special guests who travel from far distances and should be sleeping on a cozy, pillow-top gem. Splurge. You'll have happier house guests who will want to return if only to sleep in your heavenly guest beds.
The mattress purchase ate up much of the budget, but it was totally worth the investment. The new beds ended up nearly 14 inches higher than the previous beds, which made the room perk up immediately; the walls seemed to stand a little higher. New bedding included extra-long bedskirts (which needed a better ironing job by yours truly, obvi). The extra space gained under the frames welcomed underbed bins for storing extra blankets, linens, etc.
The brass lamp was a Goodwill find, for $3. The shade was a Target clearance item, with happy little navy grosgrain ribbon trim. Only after plugging in the lamp during installation did we realize it was a touch-lamp which provides [the always-preferred] 3-way setting without the use of a 3-way bulb. Nifty! Thrift shopping frequently brings random little surprises like this.
I don't do killer styling, but I bought a handful of hardback books at Goodwill for 50-cents each in pretty colors with fun titles. Even if they're never read, the books are a nice prop. The delighful photo in the fabric frame is the client's, as is the seal figurine, a nostalgic heirloom. The small orchid was from Whole Foods for $12.
The new bedding is whiter and brighter than the original, which seems to wake up the space and juxtapose brilliantly with the new furnishings in dark, grounding colors. Ta Da!
Cheers,
I spent a week in lovely Lexington, KY, visiting with people I love and cherish, and doing a fun little challenge: redecorating their guest bedroom on a modest budget and a quick deadline. The project started the day I arrived, so there was zero preparation, research, pre-shopping, sourcing, ordering, etc. The client has great art with a strong equestrian sense, which is fine by me since you know I love myself some horsey art. And, in Lexington, horse is king. When in Rome....
The room has two twin beds because many of this family's guests are 2 singles, not a couple. A pair of twin beds are practical for this reason, but be sure that they're high-comfort mattresses in your guest room. In fact, the first purchase for this room was new mattresses, box springs and frames. I did the sourcing for the mattresses, and it was rather funny to have many mattress salespeople tell me that they rarely sell high-end models in twin size. One guy even said he's never sold twin mattresses with a box spring. He explained that every twin mattress he ever sold were for kids' rooms, and high-quality comfortable models weren't a priority to the customers of those sales. But not for this project. These twin mattresses will be hosting grandparents, great-uncles & great-aunts and special guests who travel from far distances and should be sleeping on a cozy, pillow-top gem. Splurge. You'll have happier house guests who will want to return if only to sleep in your heavenly guest beds.
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| BEFORE: Looking into the room from the door. Note the Claifornia pillow. Home-state pride! |
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| AFTER: Looking into the room from the door |
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| BEFORE. The TV is small enough to work with on any surface, and this pretty navy urn-shaped lamp was a winner. But the small scale of this bookshelf wasn't doing the room any favors. |
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| AFTER: I searched high & low for an affordable chest or dresser for this space. The small white bookshelf moved into the closet. |
If possible, offer your guests closet space in the room, and drawer space too. I knew that the small white melamine bookshelf would be great moved into the closet, for placing shoes and toiletry bags beneath the hanging clothes rod. But, the piece to replace it had to be just right in size, scale and style.
My vintage & thrift shopping around Lexington brought me to this baby, a perfectly petite 6-drawer dresser with basic proportion, good height to bring that TV up to better viewing level for the higher beds, and those fantastic campaign-esque brass drawer pulls. I loved that it was on high legs -- furniture with legs allows the eye to go under the piece, behind it, allowing one to see more of the perimeter of the room. In turn, the room seems larger. This dresser was almost exactly what I had in mind. And at less than $90, the price was beyond right. Sold.
I don't do killer styling, but I bought a handful of hardback books at Goodwill for 50-cents each in pretty colors with fun titles. Even if they're never read, the books are a nice prop. The delighful photo in the fabric frame is the client's, as is the seal figurine, a nostalgic heirloom. The small orchid was from Whole Foods for $12.
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| BEFORE: The huge window and surrounding area. |
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| AFTER: Swapping out gauzy white sheer panels with heavy navy blue canvas panels and makeshift tiebacks provided a strong foundation for the room, and called attention to that wonderfully-large window. |
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This tieback solution cost $4.39 total. I bought 4 swivel-eye snap hooks [at the charming Chevy Chase Hardware shop], and 18" of white rope. I used a tiny nail behind the curtain to hold the rope, and made casual knots of the rope to each hook. Sort of reminiscent of a horse halter, I think.
Client says this is her favorite element of the entire redecoration.
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BEFORE: The far corner of room, where window meets the closet.
When I found this magazine rack at the thrift store Another Man's Treasure, I almost screamed. The bamboo shape of the brass frame is so chic, and the piece is lifted off the floor just enough; the perfect height. My client has a fantastic collection of Kentucky Monthly magazine, which I knew would live so happily in this rack. It was my first purchase for this room after I bought the mattresses.
A guest room should have a perch, a place to sit to put on shoes, chat on the phone, or gaze out the window, a place other than the bed. There is always room for a chair, even in front of a rarely-opened closet door. I really wanted to find a petite leather armchair for this corner, but I never found it - and if I did it would have busted the budget. But when I saw this 1918 metal chair at the antique center in Georgetown, KY for $8, I had to buy. It's a versatile little piece that adds a strong texture to the room. It was painted green, but I spruced it up with another coat of hunter green spray paint and a strong coating of glossy shellac. Total cost: $11. Even if, one day down the road, the ideal leather armchair is ever found, this chair could happily move into another area of the home. For now, it works.
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| Yup, the curtains are a little short for my usual preference. Had I more time, I would have let out the machine-made hem and let them touch the floor. Perhaps I'll tackle this the next time I visit. |
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| I replaced the small white table and tiny white lamp in between the beds with a heftier piece from Pier 1, a floor model from their Elliott Collection (a great little knock off, imho). I put the client's navy urn-shaped lamp here, with a new shade from Target. I accessorized with a unique brass basket from Goodwill for $1, and a few more 50-cent hardback books. A vintage clock that belonged to the client and a small brass tray serve as nightstand utility pieces for this surface. |
All in all it was a fun challenge. I love, love, LOVE this family, and giving their guest bedroom a makeover was almost as enjoyable as watching them see it & smile on installation day.
Whitney
Sep 15, 2011
Hunting for Vintage
Been having a great time in Lexington, shopping the amazing vintage stores in town, and finding some amazing antique resources off the beaten path, too.
I've been redecorating a Guest Bedroom on a slim budget and blink-and-its-here deadline, so thrift stores have been my No. 1 source for unique furnishings and accessories for this room. I've had a blast meeting many of the shop owners and salespeople at Lexington's thrift and secondhand shops, among them are the staff at Uncle Ray Jay's Furniture ReSellers, Room Service, Scout, Feather My Nest, Another Man's Treasure, and about 5 different Goodwill shops.
But my absolute favorite shop discovery has been Street Scene, a fabulously put-together vintage boutique. I walked in the store (which is so unassuming from the exterior), and nearly fainted at the girlie retro wonder of it all. The store is arranged in half a dozen themed vignettes, with clothing, fashion accessories, furniture and home accessories staged to retro perfection. It was as if Etsy morphed into a storefront and enveloped me into its well-curated quirkiness. I whipped out my iPhone and used my favorite app, Camera+, to capture some of the goodness and share here.
If you're in the Lexington area, you must check out Street Scene. There's a treasure at every step in this shop, and the ladies on staff were so sweet and super stylish. They recommended some of the other vintage shops that I visited this week (and mentioned above), and were so gracious while I gushed about their fab shop. I didn't buy anything for the Guest Room makeover, but I managed to buy a purse for myself. How does that always seem to happen?!? I was there with only 20 minutes before I had a meeting, so I couldn't shop for too long, but I'm going back before I leave town!
Cheers,
Whitney
I've been redecorating a Guest Bedroom on a slim budget and blink-and-its-here deadline, so thrift stores have been my No. 1 source for unique furnishings and accessories for this room. I've had a blast meeting many of the shop owners and salespeople at Lexington's thrift and secondhand shops, among them are the staff at Uncle Ray Jay's Furniture ReSellers, Room Service, Scout, Feather My Nest, Another Man's Treasure, and about 5 different Goodwill shops.
But my absolute favorite shop discovery has been Street Scene, a fabulously put-together vintage boutique. I walked in the store (which is so unassuming from the exterior), and nearly fainted at the girlie retro wonder of it all. The store is arranged in half a dozen themed vignettes, with clothing, fashion accessories, furniture and home accessories staged to retro perfection. It was as if Etsy morphed into a storefront and enveloped me into its well-curated quirkiness. I whipped out my iPhone and used my favorite app, Camera+, to capture some of the goodness and share here.
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| Cute little kitchenette vignette! And, are you kidding me with that chair? It was meticulously recovered in soft red gingham. YES! |
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| A Halloween-themed vignette with 70s furniture and tons of gilded frames on the wall. |
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| Another Halloween-y vignette near the men's clothing section. Lots of vintage cool men's hats, btw. |
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| The back of the shop, which is huge and so pristine, you'd think all the items were brand spanking new. |
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| You know I almost convulsed at the sight of all this glassware. Too bad I didn't bring an extra suitcase on my trip to fill with these goodies.. I love cocktail glassware!!! |
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| A dressmaker's form was recovered in peacock blue satin and is used to display an insane amount of brooches and pins. Steal this idea for your boudoir! |
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| I really, REALLY loved this campaign-style bamboo tray table. Wouldn't it make a fabulous nightstand? And how rad are those plaid pillows?! |
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| This table lamp is so haute. |
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| Bins filled with decorative handles, pulls, knobs and finials. And with prices much cheaper than that store that rhymes with Quanthropologie. |
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| I die. This patio furniture set would be so cute in a kitchen. And all those tabletop goodies are totally Mrs. Roper cool. |
Cheers,
Whitney
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