Replacement Value

We've been selling a bunch of things on Craigslist, as the basement has become a disaster and we desperately need to reclaim it.  I thought we would hold a garage sale to move everything out, but I wasn't up for another major project before the weather turned.

One of the first things we bought for this house was a set of 9 original herman miller fiberglass side chairs that I happened upon, yes, on Craigslist.  You can read the whole story here.  We use 8 of the  chairs, and I finally put the ninth up for sale.  Guess what?  Someone made me an offer on the whole set.  A decent offer that means a profit.

I don't think I ever showed you the photos of the dining room from the shoot more than a year ago now.  It might be my favorite room.

photos by Melissa Oholendt

Of course, it's always nice to think about making a little money on a lucky purchase, and my husband is tempted.  Before I got the number on the offer, I considered what it would have to be for me to part with them, and I realized two things.  First, I may not be willing to let them go, period.  (Isn't this the kind of thing that winds up in your kid's first house some day?  Clio in particular has said we can sell them all--except "hers.")  And second, I'm pretty sure I couldn't replace them with anything I would like half as much, with the money being offered.

These chairs were part of what solidified the vision for this house, and bringing in that painting and the moroccan jute rug really brought it home for me. The blue connects to something in pretty much every room (like my favorite WALLPAPER peeking out of the bathroom in that last shot!)  and I'm having a hard time imagining any chairs that would work as well.

It also seems clear that this kind of design classic will always hold value.  If I don't sell them today, it's likely I will be able to sell them on any number of tomorrows.

What about you--are there pieces you would never part with?  Any that took you by surprise?

Where did July go?

July is the shortest and the longest month.  In addition to the Fourth holiday, this year we had two kid birthday parties (for our kids), two family birthday parties (for our kids), several installs, a trip to San Francisco, and tons of shoot prep for a shoot that has been rescheduled!  I'm exhausted, in the best possible way.

Whenever I take an accidental blog hiatus I don't quite know where to start when I return.  So I will start with the present: yesterday we bought a dresser for the master bedroom.  For the past ten years we have been using a pair of Ikea dressers that I spray painted in our Brooklyn basement.  (I wish I had a photo of the very country before: knotty pine with black iron hardware!)  they were great in our Brooklyn bedroom flanking the bed:

And they have been functional side by side in Boulder and now here.  But this is how much I don't love them anymore:  when I had scouting shots done of my house in the fall, I had the photographer skip that side of the room altogether and focus on pretty detail shots like this.

To give you a sense of it, the large photograph in the photo below is sitting on the dressers, pushed together on a long wall.

(Don't you just love photographs that show you the inside from the outside?)

Long story short (too late!), I have been sort of keeping an eye out for a long 9-drawer dresser for years.  So when this one popped up on the instagram feed of Retrowanderlust, one of my favorite local vintage shops (the source for the tree!), I jumped on it.

Just in time for the rescheduled photo shoot.  Maybe I will allow a wider shot of the bedroom this time.  Of course, who knows what dominoes may fall from this.....

Why I love vintage

Vintage has many obvious benefits: the unique factor, the story associated with an interesting piece (real or made up!), and, often but not always, the price point.  But the best thing of all?  The element of surprise.

I have been looking for a mirror for the powder room for a couple of months now, but when it came down to it, a) I was not in a hurry, since there is a perfectly functional, if plain, mirror in there already, and b) I was not willing to spend anywhere near three digits on it.

So imagine my utter delight when, after piano practice on Tuesday, the girls and I wandered in to an occasional sale at Urban Cottage and stumbled upon the most perfect mirror for that space!  Perfectly unique, reminiscent of a high-end model or two, but under $50.  I could not have planned it, I just had to stop looking and let it come to me.  The find is a thrill.

That, my friends, is why I love vintage.  And I'm off to all my favorite haunts this afternoon with a client.

Have a great weekend!

Occupational Hazard: Starting Over at All Times

My love of wicker and rattan knows no bounds.  Seriously, I should live in Florida.  From my wicker shelves in my college dorm room (so cool, friends, so very very cool) to my ongoing obsession with Peter Dunham's Marilyn chair, I just can't get enough.

Occupational hazard: I am constantly finding great pieces that tempt me to start over (before I have even finished in the first place.)  Whilst searching for a Queen size (and budget friendly) replacement for the Land of Nod headboard in my last post, I came across a number of darling pairs of bamboo, rattan, or wicker headboards.  where were these when I was doing my girls' room?

here

here

here

here

here

I want them all.  If I wasn't already on the second iteration of my girls room in 4 years (including building and then reupholstering the headboards) I would consider one of these sets for sure.

I guess I need a beach house to furnish on the cheap.

Occupational Hazard

I was poking around the local H&B Gallery this morning scoping out items for a couple of clients, when I spotted more than a couple of items for myself.

If only I had the funds, I would snap up this rug for my living room in half a heartbeat.  I would buy it without even opening it up--which you should never, ever, do.  (Read some tips on buying vintage, here.)  Truth is, I've been fighting my rug for two years, and this one would make everything else make sense.  It hasn't even been priced yet, but anything that requires appraisal is likely out of my price range.

I would add this little painting to the same room. I'm really into gold, have you noticed?  And love the 60s vibe.  Looks kind of like sunflowers, but a bit more sophisticated.

Over in the dining room, I would think about this lucite and brass lamp.  I'm not a huge lucite person (I LOVE it, I'm just not generally drawn to it for myself), but the scale and gentle swoop of these arms are perfect.  The $650 price tag, less so. (To be clear, this is reasonably priced, but unless I re-divert my jump rope fund, I just can't swing it.)

While I was at it, I might hang this artwork on the dining room wall, replacing my $12 art.  I would need to replace the white lacquer 80s frame, though, and that would break the bank.

And back in the living room, how about this low slung, vaguely asian, baker coffee table to replace the ottoman I made?  Are you sensing a black and gold theme?  Scale is great, price not bad at under $200.  Only problem?  It is so low slung, my kids would climb all over it and set up fairy houses and Littlest Pet Shop zoos.  One more surface to constantly declutter.

Sometimes I wish that I had been more patient/saved more from my decorating budget for unique pieces.  then I look around and remember almost everything is vintage and unique.

Anything catch your eye lately?

Vintage Wallpaper

Did you know that there are 52 PAGES of vintage wallpaper on Etsy?

True story.

I often lust after the papers at secondhand rose, but right now I'm working with a client with a couple of DIYs in mind, including sprucing up a seen-better-days Danish credenza with a little wallpaper, so I need fun, inexpensive paper in small quantities.  Etsy is not letting me down.

In browsing, I was struck by how modern some of these look today, in that old "everything old is new again way."  Observe:

Vintage:

here

Contemporary:


here

Vintage:


here

Contemporary:


Orla Kiely, here

Vintage:


here

Contemporary:

Suzy Hoodless for Osborne and Little

Vintage:


here

Contemporary:


Suzy Hoodless for Osborne and Little

Vintage:

It's Shumacher!  Here.

Contemporary:


Here.

Maybe those last two should be switched, come to think of it.

This one feels fairly "now":


here.

I though Cole and Sons was making something similar, but if they are I can't find it.

And I really, really love this.  It's not current (most of the above are vintage 60s or 70s; this one hails from the 40s), but it is so very sweet.


here


Now, certainly none of these are exact.  But there is a certain spirit carrying forward, wouldn't you say?

Would you ever hang a vintage paper?  Does it feel fresh to you, or do you think these patterns are showing their age?

Now if only I could find the paper from the nursery in our house in the 70s.  Two walls read "rainbow" over and over in rainbow colored bubble letters, running in stripes on the diagonal.  (I'll give you a minute to picture that.)  The other two walls had little houses with silhouetted trees around them, and a rainbow over each and every one.

So, last question: any spectacularly dated wallpapers in your youth?

Small Measures

Source: emilyaclark.blogspot.com via Heather on Pinterest

Sentimental vintage photos housed in pretty glass bottles: what could be lovelier?

Vintage, Lately

A couple of weeks ago, I got a new phone.  I've never been much of a cell phone gal, but it was becoming increasingly clear that I could not come home every time I needed to check my email.  So I joined the smartphone revolution.

My husband is a bit of a tech nerd to my luddite, so he (gleefully) did the research.  He kept asking me questions about 3G versus 4G and I kept asking him "does it have a camera?  Can I email the pictures to my clients?"  Yes, I know that all smartphones have this capability, but seriously that was my major requirement.

Unlike my last phone, I also know how to upload the pictures from this one, and it's fun after a day around town to see what I snapped.

Here's a glimpse at some vintage finds I scouted for various projects last week.

I would love to do a whole wall of these amateur anatomy drawings (plant and animal), either in thin black frames or just tacked up.  I love that they are graded--and in red pen!

Funny poster

Gorgeous low boy

Cute desk chairs. (I would recover the seats)

Love the spindle arms.  Only $40

Surely this is a cool DIY installation just waiting to happen.

Awesome chandelier--almost a go for a client's dining room.

Crazy pendant made out of wire mesh and a shade frame.

Maybe verdigris will come back with neon and other 80s fodder?  Great shape on these sconces.

Amazing little table

Beautiful crystal lamps--so cute in a little girls' room.

Beautiful, unique, and big chinoiserie panel

(all from various shops in the 50th and xerxes area, for any locals.)

My husband keeps trying to teach me how to play angry birds (sorry, not interested.)  And I have never used an app.  Phones are just not my thing.  But I am trying to use this expensive tool and get my money's worth, so tell me: what are your favorite apps?  (The phone is an android something or other, if that matters to answer this question.)

Inching onto the bandwagon....

I feel like Emily Von Henderson

Because we just got a pair of these vintage Dunbar chairs (from craigslist!) back from the upholsterer



And now they look like this

(Emily Henderson is excellent at finding cool old furniture and updating it with pretty grey fabric.)  

This fabric is SO pretty--grey with flecks of teal and rust, and a hint of shimmer.  Love the way the cooler color makes the wood base pop.  While I do believe golden corduroy upholstery has its place, this silvery re-do is oh so sophisticated.

(Can I also mention how ashamed I am that my client's photo, the top one, taken with her iphone, is SO much better than my photography, and I was using a Nikon D70?  Yeah.)

And hey, new followers, welcome!  I'm so glad you're here.