When the new Ikea catalog came this month, I knew I’d have to have this bowl designed by Ehlen Johansson. Get what you love and it’ll always work.
. . . when you do them yourself. I just have to wait now for the end result – the grass to grow. I will post a lovely autumn scene of someone sipping something out there soon! By that time we will have forgotten about the sweat of the 100-degree days selected for the work. Thanks to my awesome sister-in-law and landscape maven who gets credit for all the real labor.
This is the “Before.” It took a whole day to dig out these Yuccas which are so sharp it’s scary. We did this part of the work a couple of months ago.
They’re almost gone now.
The 24″ x 24″ pavers we used here are SO heavy. Your back will thank you if you are precise with the level the first time.
All done and waiting for grass.
I felt brave enough to post progress shots thanks in part to Anna at Door Sixteen who’s working on a similar project. The fact is that it takes time and energy for stuff like this that we can’t always carve out of our daily lives. I love summer!
I spent the whole day at the Tate Modern and it wasn’t enough time. The building was originally the Bankside Power Station before it was converted so it has a really cool, heavy, industrial feel. The lawn is lovely and is surrounded by rows of birches planted around the square perimeter. This river view from the Tate shows the Millenium Bridge and the Gherkin Building in the background designed by Norman Foster. Visually pleasing day to say the least.
I could spend all day at The Conran Shop. This is the one on Marylebone High St. in central London. Loved the painted green Thonet chairs paired with the farmhouse table and all of these fun wall clocks. Who could choose?
Remember the Portobello Road Market from the movie “Notting Hill?” OK, Hugh Grant did not make an appearance on Saturday but there were loads of other people, antiques, food, you name it. It has been around every Saturday since the 1800’s.
I found this great Danish Modern chair at an antique mall, recovered the original cushions, and had this cool striped pillow made to top it off. I think the green striped fabric gives the perfect nod to the era and brings some color in as well. Thank you Design Upholstery for another great job.
OK, seriously, this is the kinda thing that’s been occupying me lately. It’s all part of the process, but not the pretty part that’s fun to blog about. Check back for the good stuff. Can’t wait to show you everything that’s been going on.
When I saw this new Amy Lau fabric in a magazine, I knew I had to have a yard, at least. Thank goodness I didn’t need more (ch-ching) to do these great pillows. DSC did a fab job on them.
I sort of fell for these woven panels at last month’s flea market. They were made in the Congo and would make great wall hangings, framed art or pillows, I think.
Great outdoor table, huh? This one’s from the Phillips Collection. It’s fun to think of all the possibilities for that built-in bowl.
This cool reclaimed-wood coffee table is from Zentique. Love the re-bar base!
Barstools by Zentique, above and Arteriors, below. One for my country house, one for my town house. Ha.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
I must say that I think I found the perfect home for this fab ceiling fixture by Rico Espinet for Robert Abbey Lighting. I love the modern and pared-down, but also historical, feel of it. Just right for a proud new kitchen in a lovely old Victorian.
We used deep, warm color on the walls to make the most of the gorgeous art, pottery and furniture.
One of the great things about this room are the cool nightstands with tons of storage. Truth be known, they are actually mod baby dressers/changing tables made by the furniture-maker Oeuf. They were the right look and the right height for this platform bed, so why not? The other great detail is this clever headboard idea. Bed placement needed to be in front of the windows and the homeowner came up with this triangular pillow idea.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
This master bedroom is up in the eaves of this home and does give you the feeling of being in the sky. The homeowner loves tons of prints and patterns and I’m a bit challenged in that way, but I think we met perfectly in the middle and I love the result. This room is begging to pretty-please skip church and settle in with the Sunday paper and hot coffee.
This is the wall you see when you enter this client’s master bedroom. We wanted to do something special here with lots of impact. Count on Blik graphics for that. The result is totally satisfying despite the fact that the application was. . . memorable.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Before
The Plan
The End Result
I think we achieved a classic look here that would make any girl smile. The black penny-round tiles and awesome wallpaper are what give this bathroom so much character. What a transformation. Lucky kids.
Friday, February 19, 2010
I’m loving that wallpaper is back (life is short, right?) and particularly grasscloth. This room feels instantly cozy because of it. I added a pop of color and we’re all set, now.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Turns out that Olympic Figure Skating and family dinner of Thai Curry Shrimp make a nice Valentine’s Day. Thanks, Epicurious.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
I presented this combination of lovely fabrics to a client recently – to me, they inspire a room that will be comfortable yet chic.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
What a mess! I got inspired watching Sarah’s House and reworked my home office. I had no space and had even resorted to using a card table for an extra surface. I am thrilled with these Ikea tables (like Sarah was) and I think they will function very well in this corner. OK, no more excuses, I think I’d better get to work now . . .
Saturday, January 30, 2010
2009
Here’s the snow scene this morning. Can’t compare to last year’s (curb appeal-wise).
Yes. For those of you who noticed – I have slacked off the last couple of days. But today, I went to a fabulous place. Any guesses??
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Simple, simple. The box hides all the clutter.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
I found this great Thonet chair at the Habitat for Humanity Restore. Do not discount that place when moola is tight (and even when it’s not). The console is another flea market find and the painting, well, let’s call it homemade.
