wallpaper

someone i know needs to use this jonathan adler gray wallpaper...i don't know who, just someone...because it's SO AWESOME!!!











the second two are laura ashley. super frilly, for sure, but so lovely. i've seen lots of beautiful wallpapers but only saved a coup'la pics to share. just to get you thinking --- don't you need wallpaper somewhere?

for lauren

Lauren is doing a kitchen remodel in a timber frame house...it's going to be amazing! here are some pictures I wanted to share with her via the blog...
I bet this kitchen is alder? I prefer the copper to the stainless steel hood, though.



Black cabs, like you had considered.

If not white, there are other colors...blue! So pretty! I like the mix of finishes. And how about that blue "pantry"?

I saved this one because it is another example of a wood finish (not painted) for cabs in a timber house.

Lauren - here is the copper range hood i mentioned to you? and see the ledge around the cooking area -- maybe just do a ledge, but no bar eating area?

Black cabs with white countertops?

This is a little extra woodsy....um, something tells me you won't have a deer head over your bed? ha ha! anyways, it's a cozy bedroom with seating area, just like you will have when you're all done!

I really like the red runner to add some spice to this bathroom. It's so cozy!

What I think about when I should be sleeping

Aaaaw! Two darling little spaces!!! What a great idea to add this intense accent color on the trim of a chair...a little suprise. How did they find this little taupe chair that perfectly matches the wallpaper? I'm a big fan of this style - pairing contemporary with traditional. To me, the mustard floral is really traditional, and so is stripe. And yet there is the modern chair and lamp thrown in there. Contrasts are fun. I'm hoping to do some of this somewhere in my house. (yes, of course I have a place in mind right now)

I also just loooove this pink damask chair. I bet it is a vintage one. I've always wanted a round-back chair. this one is round tush, too. i also like the draped lights. it makes me feel inspired that i should just follow my instincts to drape xmas lights on the mantle of the fireplace.

My problem is, I love everything!! I love the absence of color in this room. But mostly I saved it as a cool example of displaying art creatively. That is, if you have an enormous collection of sketchings and etchings, heh heh. I like the combination of frame styles. I'm a student of how designers use color. I think it's a huge part of creating a room that looks really complete. I would love to find completion in a room or two in my house. Ya, I love changing stuff, but honestly, I would really love to get things to feel a little more "done." Not all the way, of course, that would be boring, and I know my tastes will always be changing...

Wainscoting? Just a thought (office?)

beautiful things

a little eye candy - a break from the boring pictures of my half-done rooms! I love this little console table! sweet!

gray herringbone? oh, i'm so in love! i'm actually going to do a black and white herringbone in my "office" room - i'm keeping my fingers crossed that it is not too jarring and stark - it's a true black and true white....

I want to learn how to combine different elements so skillfully as is done in this picture...very different patterns which all work together... i think that maybe it works because the colors are matched so well and there is only really one color (blue) so it doesn't look too busy...

The bluegreen texture on the walls here is so good...with the black lamp shade...perfect! All these pictures are things i found when searching for photos of black/white/blue rooms - i'm trying to figure out how to make this work in my office space. it might not be possible to accomplish such a light feel since i have 2 enormous pieces of furniture that are very dark!

why the house is cranky

For 3 days I have been almost constantly within earshot of Stella, with no school, no husband, no other activities taking her away for even a half an hour. Matt has been gone every evening until bedtime is mostly done. Did you know that it is possible for a 5 year old to talk constantly? No, I mean, constantly? and also, that a great deal of the talk is really more of an argument than a conversation? So my big fun, my big party time this Saturday evening, is that I'm going to spend 15 minutes playing blog. To say I could use a little time out is such an understatement....

Above are photos of the previously red room - now white! I like it very much. I have pictures of the office painted white, too. Let's see if I can add them, too.

Oh, this is a terrrrible picture! Books not really set up yet, curtain I tucked into the shutter is sticking out all weird...But I guess it will make for a good half-way-there picture. I think that this room needs -- chair rail, beadboard. Do you see the snowball growing ever larger? I am going to try to integrate blue in here somehow, but also keep things light. I'm planning on putting in a black and white rug so that this room will coordinate with the room across from it (in the photos above).

Another recent change - got the strap hinges for the front door! I love it! Can you see how I actually painted the trim of the door a different color than the rest of the exterior? Heh heh, last year I actually told myself that it MIGHT be possible for me to paint my house MYSELF. it's true, I'm completely insane! But the house does need to repainted, siding repaired or replaced, pretty soon...as in, this year or next! shudder! i can't even imagine the cost of that frighteningly enormous project.


Happy Saturday night!

white paint

the paint is done in the office - it's white now!

moved the desk to the middle of the room...it's amazing how this opens things up to something new and oh! i just have so many thoughts about how to finish up the room now. don't have pictures 'cause don't have the camera dock set up yet.

i'm going to get a black and white rug for the floor (and hope it is not too jarring) and i might hang up some 70s floral print curtains that were given to me years ago. i have a wooden curtain rod in my basement...

as far as returning the black and white prints to the wall - i'm a little intimidated about it. firstly, since the pictures will have to stand alone on an entire wall (no couch underneath) i feel like i need one bigger one somewhere in there so it is not too "busy." i wish i would inherit some cool retro-ie things to put up. i would love to do something funky and different....it will come to me. an object would be awesome...hmmm. have also considered even wallpapering just one wall with a white background print, with a floral/bird motif. anyways, here are some photos i like... thinking about chairs and an office chair, someday, an office chair, something colorful? i'm gonna check ebay sometime and see what comes up. although shipping for furniture is crazy expensive, even if you find a good deal on ebay, you pay through the nose on shipping.

rambling, rambling...

this coral print would be perfect!

Paint Progress and FLOR

Here is the state of the previously known as "red" room...it is taking me forever to paint, but eventually it WILL be done. And a picture of the FLOR tiles i put down in the kitchen. I love that I could make the rug the perfect size for the space. I like the colors. Might be a problem as far as stuff showing on them, though, since there is not much pattern. I chose them because they were supposed to be suited for "high traffic," but in retrospect, a pattern would be better, since it's more of a "high likelihood of spill" area rather than high traffic. anyhoo, it's done, it looks cool, i like it.