Mirror Madness from an unexpected source

You know who is killing it with interesting yet reasonably priced mirrors in all styles?

Pier 1.

After falling for the black and white octagonal(ish) mirror from One Kings Lane in my powder room design, I thought, what else is out there at or below this price point ($200)?  Folks, I only needed to make one retail stop to round up a dozen mirrors under $200 (many under $150).  I threw in lucky number 13--the peacock mirror--even though it clocks in at $234 on sale.

Check 'em all out here.  There are 109 to choose from--these were just my favorites.

Striped Wallpaper: Hallway (Two Ways)

Yesterday I showed you plans for a striped powder room, based on my impulse wallpaper purchase in a bold brown and white stripe.  Truth be told, I bought it for the upstairs hallway (but made sure I had enough for the powder room, if it came to that.)

When I put my original vision to paper, I wasn't so sure:

The striped paper, my grandmother's gold tole sconces (which I have mentioned many times but have thus far failed to photograph), all to set off my idea for a strong yellow and white abstract work, divided into a grid of white frames.  I threw in the boucherite rug for good measure.

Only problem?  When I saw my vision in something other than my own brain, it did't look like me.

So I tweaked.

MUCH better!  (For me).  I ADORE those yellow Paul Marrot prints.  And I had to get my leopard rug in somewhere, right?  The idea of the big abstract in the first scenario is to give a lot of movement against the stripe, but I think the hand-drawn quality of the prints does it in a way that is a little more ladylike, if less cool.  A little more me.  And of course, that's what matters most.

It's funny, when I saw it mocked up I realized that the grid of prints on the stripes reminds me of a tearsheet from many moons ago, from a Sheila Bridges project:

So good.  In fact, I like the way hers meander off-center from the stripes, don't you?

So now I love my proposed hallway.  But still....I am loving the powder room plans, too.

Do you have a favorite?  Or....do you think the paper should go in my laundry room?  My husband's vintage Smashing Pumpkins tour poster would look pretty good over brown and white....

Weigh in!  I would love to hear what you think.

Striped Wallpaper: Powder Bath

There's nothing better than an impulse purchase that could actually work in multiple places/ ways in your house.  (The secret: pick something in a color that is a major player in your whole-house color scheme, and in a pattern--like a stripe--that mixes well with almost anything.)

Right now, I'm leaning towards using my striped Schumacher wallpaper in the powder bath, sort of like this:

I recently remembered a bamboo plant stand that I had stashed away in the basement; it makes a great little occasional table for a powder room.  I bought those vintage Chinese drawings when my husband was planning to rent his own space for his practice, but love them stacked on the narrow wall over the toilet.  Loving the black and white inlay mirror and how it relates to the other Indian pieces in the house (mirrors, coffee table).  We have contemporary white square sinks, and while I love the softening effect of the girls' gathered sink skirts, in here I would go tailored like the trimmed orange table skirt above.

Fun, right?

But it would also look great in the upstairs hallway....Or the laundry room.....

Another impulse purchase, and a great resource

Can you guess what it is?

I love wallpaper, and have been using it with many clients, but I have never had it myself.  So I am so excited!  I picked it up from The Designer's Attic.  Do you know this site?  There are amazing deals on designer fabrics and wallpapers nearly daily (one a day).  The paper I bought is discontinued Schumacher and was basically priced less than cost.  I don't know how she does it, but you should definitely bookmark her site!

More to come on how I'm going to use it.

I wish....

Do you ever pass on something amazing when you are thrifting, only to have an intense need for it come back to haunt you?

I wish I had snatched these up.

Aren't those AMAZING?  Recovered in a nubby neutral linen to dress them down a bit, they would be such a talking point in any room.

I guess I have a thing for swans?  

(here and here).  When I was a teenager, my parents had an amazing swan-base coffee table, where the wings held up a circle of glass.  I always sort of coveted that piece!

Anything you've passed on recently, only to regret later?

Elegant Dining (Design Board)

Just ordered all the furnishing for this elegant dining room.  (Don't worry: the chandelier is actually a dark antique brass that read more in the iron family.  And yes, there will be six chairs.)

Working on the adjoining living room now.  Can't wait for everything to arrive!

Sneak peek: Tween girl's room

 

I was hanging art in this space yesterday, a room that has slooooowly come together over the past couple of months.  My clients decided to save a little dough by spray painting their existing curtain rods from white to black, (a move I fully endorse, of course!) but it hasn't been warm enough to paint.  Hoping to get the curtains up next week and do a proper reveal.

But in the meantime: I am impatient!

(And a peek at the before:)

Full reveal and before and afters coming soon!