I'm looking for a....

To be honest, I have been feeling pretty stumped for content lately (not to mention pressed for time and energy).  But I love this forum and love connecting with you as close to daily as possible.

I've been thinking a bit about more ways to share content that I am producing anyway.  I realized I really like it when other bloggers share their finds in a certain category, so I'm giving it a go, too.

We have made tons of progress over at this house, taking it in a different color direction with teal, raspberry, and grey.  We are looking for a tall, leggy grey armchair--something without a huge footprint but with a lot of presence from it's height.  While rounding up options, I thought I would turn it into a high/low thing.

So.  I'm looking for a tall grey armchair!

Sources:

Wing, high to low: Crate and Barrel, Lulu and Georgia, Home Decorators Collection, Overstock

Leather, high to Low: Crate and Barrel, Room and Board, West Elm, Home Decorators Collection

Button Back, high to Low: Room and Board, West Elm, Overstock, Ikea

Only some of these were actually recommended for the project.  Curious to see what they choose!

What do you think: do you like this sort of post?

Woven leather seating

Do you ever have an obsession just sort of sneak up on you?

When I recently uploaded my phone pictures, I noticed that I had photographed these vintage woven leather chairs not once, but twice (H& B Gallery),

And then snapped a modern version with the leather strapped on a sexy chrome base (Francis King Showroom)

It's official: I am suddenly, inexplicably into woven-leather chairs.

Jens Risom is the classic, but there are a ton of options out there, new and old.

Fabulous, no?

Tell me: any surprise obsessions these days?

Also.  Someone local please hire me to do a room with those vintage chairs!

Bobbin on a Budget

I LOVE a good bobbin chair, don't you?
It's the traditionalist part of me that wishes I lived in the South.  Or at the beach.  So easy breezy, yet so detailed--so crafted--all the same, don't you agree?

Source: caitlinwilsondesign.blogspot.com via Kristi Hansen on Pinterest

Source: mydesignchic.com via Kristy on Pinterest

Source: 1.bp.blogspot.com via Julie on Pinterest

Source: elledecor.com via Casey on Pinterest

Source: houzz.com via Lori on Pinterest

Source: purestylehome.blogspot.com via Deb on Pinterest

Source: highstreetmarket.blogspot.com via Elizabeth on Pinterest

Now typically I would say this is a "splurge" item, and I particularly love the ones from Lillian August with the knife edge pillow back and tight seat, looser in feel than box cushions.





BUT.

I recently noticed that Pier 1 is stocking their own version for under $500.

Not bad.  Not bad at all.

Pier 1 is one of those stores where I rarely find/buy anything, for me or others, but I am still in the habit of popping in just in case.  Do you have old haunts like that?

ALSO.

don't forget the Novica giveaway.  So many choices, anyone could do something with $75 bucks over there.  Enter here.

When to use an Etagere or a Whatnot

I recently found myself recommending a pair of etageres to flank a fireplace.  The original intention was built ins, but the estimates were starting to come in and, well, it wasn't pretty.  My client didn't want to put his entire budget towards one project in the room, so I suggested doing the furniture, window treatments, etc, and bringing in a pair of etageres as a temporary solution on the fireplace wall.

To which he said "ay-tah-what?"

In modern terminology, an etagere is essentially a shelving unit, open on all sides, with decorative flourishes.  Like so:

Source: Meg Braff in housebeautiful.com via Heather on Pinterest

Out of curiosity, I looked it up in Decorating Defined and discovered that originally, an etagere was specifically: a pyramid of open shelves intended for the display of objects, better known in humbler circumstances, thanks to the Victorian era, as a whatnot.

Like so:

The venerable Albert Hadley via mfmb.com

Today it is a bit more generalized, but the idea is the same.  So when and how does one use such a thing?

Two general rules:

1) You want an etagere where presence is required without bulk

Source: chiccoles.com via Heather on Pinterest

Or when a sculptural quality is called for.

Source: stylebyemilyhenderson.com via Heather on Pinterest

2)  Etageres are still really for the display of objects, not books.

Source: davidmitchelluncensored.com

While objects make the most of the often elegant materials and more delicate profile of etageres, books can overwhelm them:

Source: lonnymag.com via Heather on Pinterest

Of course, if book storage is what you really need, you can make it work. Just arrange the books in smaller, artful piles, and lay them both horizontally and vertically.

Source: littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com via Heather on Pinterest

Source: littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com via Heather on Pinterest

While they certainly work singly, I tend to like etageres in pairs. (Though I have a distinct leaning towards pairs, be they lamps, chairs, or artworks.) The can bring an added dose of balance to any room, and flank a doorway, media center, or, yes, a fireplace.

Source: Meg Braff in housebeautiful.com via Heather on Pinterest

Source: google.com via Heather on Pinterest

I'm also a fan of the "mismatched pair," and love Nate Berkus's clever use of an etagere to match the verticality of the artwork in his Chicago living room.

Source: decorpad.com via Heather on Pinterest

And then of course there is this set of three...

Source: bhg.com via Heather on Pinterest

Naturally, I've been rounding up some affordable options. There are truly gorgeous choices out there, and, frankly, I think an etagere should be stately and beautiful. For this project, however, the whole idea is to do something inexpensive, and there are certainly some worth looking at under the $500 mark.

coming soon....

Fabulous progress on a traditional home

For about a year now I have been working long-distance on a fabulous home in New Jersey.  I love formal traditional style, but most of the homes I have lived in are decidedly more casual, so it has been really fun to pull out the stops with florals, damasks, silks, and trims.  My client has a great eye and sense of what she wants, and this has been one fun and easy collaboration.

She recently sent some update photos, and I thought I would share with you.

Fantastic floral wallpaper in an upstairs bath:

Grasscloth in the study:

Another excellent print (on linen) on the kitchen barstools.  Love the giant nailhead.

Great brass pendants over the island and velvet-trimmed raw silk roman shades

Vintage dining chairs recovered in silver faux-leather (it's hard to see in this picture, but the chairs have a silver-leaf detail outlining all those pretty curves).

We're thinking about this paper for the powder room:

Those fish are like 18" tall!

Next up: recovering a lot of old regency and biedermeier furniture.  Can't wait!

Parsons

Parsons is a classic style of furniture generally classified by its simple shape and straight legs.  So classic, in fact, that these pieces have been interpreted a million ways.  West Elm even created a series on its blog (and in catalogs) to showcase what designers and bloggers have done with their West Elm parsons tables.


here

I was delighted to see a new parsons collection at Home Decorators, comprised of a coffee tables, console, side table and media stand, in bright orange, pale blue, black and white.



Unlike the classic, these tables have a base that sits on the floor.  As I notice my predilection for leggy upholstery, (there is more and more of it with the love for all things mid-century modern these days), having pieces like these can ground a space without making it too heavy.

Feels a bit like Ikea lack for grownup spaces.

What do you think: have you had a love affair with parsons style?  Did you know you can submit your own "Home Run" to West Elm?  They showcase images featuring any of their products used to express your sense of style--not just the Parsons.  Submission form here.  fun, right?

Round up!

I just love a good classic.  When I first suggested a cross-back french bistro chair for a client in New Jersey, I had a hard time finding images of them in inspiration images.  But in the months since, they seem to be everywhere--not just in designed homes, but in just about every retail outfit you can think of.  I went down the rabbit hole of pinterest for quite some time last night (my account was on fire with re-pins!  Follow me here), and found it reconfirmed:  this chair seems to work just about anywhere.

Funky Modern:

[source unknown]

Traditional:

[Via Coastal Living]

Rustic (and dressed with linen pillows):

[via Canadian House and Home]

Industrial:

[via Living etc.]

Serene and Sleek:

[via House and Home]

Shabby Chic:

[vi Canadian House and Home]

And the product round up:

There are slight variations in color and seat construction, but all at a reasonable price point.  So take your pick!


Ballard Designs Constance Chair, set of 2 $299 (Chestnut, shown.  Also in black or driftwood oak)



Home Decorator's Collection Anna Bentwood Chair, set of 2 $299 (shown in Chestnut, also available in black)




William Sonoma Home Bosquet side chair, $149 (shown in driftwood, also available in honey)



Arhaus Cadence $199, sale $139 (in black, medium wood, and grey)




Arhaus Kensington Dining Chair, $199, sale $129




Teva Living Cross Leg French Chair, Oak Wood, Special $95 (regular $115)




Overstock.com Classic Bradford x-back chairs in antiqued balck, set of two for $189.99

Score of the Century!

Okay, perhaps I am prone to hyperbole, but seriously, I can hardly believe the treasure trove I stumbled upon yesterday.  Feel free to scroll straight to the pictures if you must, but I love a good story of serendipity.  Perhaps some of you will idulge me.

There's is this HUGE consignment store near S.R. Harris, the fabric warehouse that I love and visit often, and sometimes I make a morning of it, picking up fabric and then swinging by Consignment Central on my way home.  Yesterday I hit the fabric store in the morning to pick up 8 yards of a fabric for a client.  There were only 5 7/8 yards left, but it just so happened I had seen the exact same fabric at the Robert Allen showroom the week before, so I persuaded the good people of S.R. Harris to hold the bolt, I clipped a sample from it, ran to IMS to confirm that the fabric was a match, priced it, cleared the extra yardage (with the higher price tag) with my client, and, before picking up my kids, headed back to the warehouse to buy the original bolt. (By the way, to give you a sense of the deals to be had at S.R. Harris, I got the Beacon Hill fabric for $9.99/yard, and retail is $106!).

At that point, I had about 1/2 an hour before having to get my kids, so I thought I would just pop in to Consignment Central to see if I could find any treasures.

Well, Shazaam!  I spotted this brass chandelier.

(It has light bulbs for bot the top and bottom of all those spokes.)  Turns out the guy had JUST put it up.  Price tag?  $99.

This is basically the chandelier on which Jonathan Adler based his Meurice, and that goes for $750.

You often see similar on ebay for big $$$, too.  Right now the closest is this (admittedly cooler) brass and lucite number, 

but at $1499 plus shipping, you get the idea.

I knew I had to get it, but also that I probably shouldn't.  I tried to play it cool while I browsed the rest of the store, but I'm sure my face turned bright red.  I asked someone for measurements, double checked the price, wandered around, all the while making calculations in my head, trying to justify the purchase even while worrying that someone else would come in and buy it out from under me.  By the time I cam back to the counter to say I wanted it, the employees were on to me.  I overheard the owner ask one of her consigners if the chandy "was worth real money."  But it was too late to up the price, and I snagged it.

But that's not all, folks.

About a year ago, I was on the search for a little George Nakashima chair to go with the x-base midcentury desk in the guest room.  There were a bunch on ebay, but mostly in pairs or groups and mostly going for upwards of $250 each.  Oh look, here's one on ebay now:

$495 for the pair, plus shipping.  And these are "in the manner of" George Nakashima, not originals.

But what did I see by the checkout at Consignment Central?  You got it.  A chair in the manner of George Nakashima.  For $24.  TWENTY FOUR DOLLARS.  That's like the cost of a new shirt at Old Navy.

Now, I didn't need it for the desk.  My friend Sara took care of that LONG ago, sending me an extra that she had from a set.  (I have awesome friends.)  So I didn't even have a spot in mind for this guy, but there was NO WAY I was leaving it behind.

Turns out I do have the perfect spot.  Clio sometimes gets up first and comes downstairs to read.  I've been wanting a chair in the corner of the office for just this purpose, and this one is the perfect scale--both for her and for this little corner.

Perfect, no?

And there's more.  Okay, this last one is not of the same magnitude, but special in a different way.

This limited edition print from MN artist Marge Bohlander was 25% off of $20.  Hello.  I've been really drawn to bright and/or acidic yellows lately, and this, too, is great in the office, with the yellow desk lamp.  I looked up the artist and it turns out she lives about 10 blocks from me.  She's about my dad's age, and it appears she is a gallerist as well as an artist.

The print also reminds me of this classic Scalamandre wallpaper

Now, naturally, the chandelier complicates things.  First of all, I need to find a new chain and most likely need to hire someone to hang it.  Secondly, as my husband put it, we already have a chandelier in the dining room.  But much as I love the Maskros, I always intended to replace it with something more substantial and permanent-feeling when I either stumbled upon a great deal or could afford to invest in one.  I want to use the Maskros to fill the cavernous space of our stairwell, so it will be put to good use.

Okay, long story longer.  Yikes!  Can you tell I'm excited?  While I technically should not have spent the money, my birthday is in 8 days, so I decided this would all be a birthday present to myself.  Seems fair enough, right?

Like I said, I love a good serendipity story, and if my day hadn't been re-outed around some fabric shortages, I would not have lucked into this chandelier!