Fabulously Flaunting Feather & Flowers

This one is so simple and pretty with angelic white feathers, but the vibrant colors of the classic peacock feather would look great with the bright green, no doubt about it!

This is busy (eclectic I should say), but still lovely.

This one I LOVE! The colors are so intense... I especially love the pop of coral.

However, this one takes the cake in my opinion.

. . . . .

With all this girly loveliness, its easy to forget about the boys... but I didn't!

Look at how you can feather them up! ;)

I think that this is goooood-lookin'.

I love how they wrap the stem with leather. How handsome is that?!?!

Here is one with some flowers worked in, if you wish.




And now for the grand finale...

How ridiculously awesome is that?!?!? I know its more "run-way" than "real-way."

But, nonetheless, its fantastic.

Carrie from SITC would wear it, lol.

10.10.10

I just found out the other day that one of my best friends is getting married!!!

I am overjoyed for her!

She is in high spirits and I hope that the process of planning the wedding is a perfectly blissful experience for her. She is wonderfully open-minded yet she knows what she wants. She loves the vibrant, lively, need I say stunning, color pallete of peacock feathers, so she has decided to pull her inspiration for the wedding theme from them.

With that being said, she is looking to the wedding and house party to work with her in making all the exciting preparations for the big day. If anyone has any suggestions or ideas, send em' my way :)

. . . . . . . . . . . .

Now, theres a problem. A girl can't help but to get lost in the beauty and whimsy of wedding decorations -- the flowers, cakes, invitations, favors, the fashion and the beauty. I find myself getting side tracked with what appeals to me. So just for fun, (and for my records, because one day I will refer back to this, haha) I thought I would post pics that wildly inspire the thoughts of my dream wedding.

If its not obvious, I am a bit in love with birds...

Living Large

This room is one of the most visually appealing spaces I have ever seen.

The use of color and texture are out of this world. The retro carroty colored chair is striking in its own right, but alongside a blazing fire, the combo is stunning. No doubt about it, my fav piece in the room is the crystal ship chandelier. What a conversation piece! The one in the picture is from Burden Antiques, and I also found one on eBay for $24,000 (for you money bags out there) but Z-Gallerie offers one that is equally as splendid and makes the same statement for a fraction of the cost. The dusty teal, tufted leather ottoman from Mecox Gardens is also very charming. It perfectly compliments the flea market found portrait of Eva Peron. This room has an eerie playfulness about it. The majesty of the marble fireplace with the ghostly ship chandelier, male statuette and rich walnut paneled walls is made cheerful with the bright pops of retro color and light hearted accessories like the gilded bamboo legged coffee tables and circa 1970's milk glass lamp.

This room definitely speaks to me.

A Vintage Crafting Haven

Crisp and clean and full of personality... this room is boss! :P

Of course I love it, its designed by Vanessa De Vargas , she can do no wrong.

The work table is so rustic and intrinsically beautiful, "the more knots the better," I say. It's the imperfections of a piece of wood that make it so stunning, and I love it when artisans really exploit that natural beauty. I can't tell for sure, but I think there is a high gloss lacquer finish on the pictured table. I am big into lacquer - the shinier the better. It is undeniably my favorite finish (lacquer lover, thats me!). I call it a piano finish because I can't think of anything shinier than a baby grand. I would love to set something up like this in my (future) garage. I would stain the concrete a pretty shade of amber, throw a stunning hair on hide on top of the concrete to give myself something soft to walk on and I would wire some Bose speakers so I could loose myself in all my fav artists while I do crafts till my fingers fall off!!! Now, I need to start searching for a great deal on a vintage library catalog. What cooler way is there to store your paint brushes, beads, watercolors, glues, ect... I love it! So out of the ordinary.

I heart books.

I love books. I love to read them, but I especially love to decorate with them. Old or new, hardback or paperback, books add loads of character to any space. Personally, I find them to be the most versatile of all design accessories. Rearranging them is a cinch and they work in any room! The books in the picture above are old antique paperbacks. They are tied with twine in sets of three and strewn about it old earthenware pottery. Obviously well loved; the wear and tear, discoloration from age, and tattered corners are what makes these books such a find. They exude old world charm.

However, even though I love how books charm any space no matter how they are arranged, I do have a favorite way of displaying them and that way is by color coordination! I love to place all the greens together, all the blues, all the reds... it makes such a statement. When books are organized by color, your eye will instantly be attracted to it. There is something so alluring about that set-up, I can't quite put my finger on it, but I LOVE IT SO MUCH! Where I work we have this 18th C. Apothecary cabinet (depicted above), I staged it just last week with books grouped by color and it is a hit! It's the first thing everyone sees when they walk in the store and everybody comments on it. It's a fantastic design tip, and so easy... as long as you are not color blind. :P

I even used this functional design approach the other night when I was helping the dear, sweet boy in my life organize his MASSIVE closet (Not fair, it has a window... natural light!!! Uh, hello??? Who has that in their closet?!?!) If his closet where mine, I would have a delicate, little chandelier hanging from where his exposed bulb is, a huge mirror that covers his barren wall (where I hung all his art under his bed that he loves), a beautiful 5 foot round rug in the center and atop it a lovely dressing bench, and my Great Grandmothers Armoire (ya, its that big). But, its not my closet. :( Anyway, after completely reorganizing the whole thing, we had left all these books scattered on the floor. He didn't want them back in his closet for clutter reasons (he is quite the minimalist) but I had a plan. So I shoo-ed him out of the closet and I got to work... stacking the books vertically, horizontally, diagonally, and the finished look was very cool. Now he's sees a groovy "work of art" when he looks at those books instead of a "feng-shui nightmare"!

A Niche With a Hitch

A lot of my friends and people I know in general have been purchasing new homes (built in 2000 or later) in recent years, and I have found that every single one of them have serious design challenges. I can think of three homes right off the bat that have these small little nooks/niches, some may even call them rooms (I wouldn't) that are too small to serve a purpose it seems but they have a fire place and a mantle!!! And we all know that fireplaces add value to any home and are always a main focal point! Of course all the "new home" fireplaces are electric, and I absolutely despise the idea of curling up to a fire lit by a flick of a switch.... they don't even produce enough heat to warm your back when you sit right by them, let alone emit a glowing ambiance and a warm, toasty feel. I have memories of waking up on freezing cold mornings and walking downstairs and before even turning the corner I could hear the roar and crackle of the fire in the living room. I loved it, I still love it! My mom would always get onto my dad about building such huge, blazing fires, but she loved them too. We have had to repaint the mantle a few times because the tawny shade the roaring fires give our creamy white mantle, but whats a few brush strokes compared to a warm, comfy house full of sweet memories. That was a lovable trip down memory lane, but let me get back on track, I could reminisce forever (& a day) :)

So, homes with these odd little spaces... the pic I posted above is how you work a space like that. Just draw on your own sense of style and what visually kindles you the most! Mix the old with the new. The formal with the informal. Take those two wing-back chairs (undoubtedly a enduring classic) you inherited from your grandmother with the out-of-date (conceivably never in good taste) pink upholstery and make them your own, something that you will forever cherish and love. Go to your local art store and buy a massive canvas and channel your inner Van Gogh. Don't frame it and don't hang it, let it lean against the wall atop the mantle and viola, effortless elegance! Throw in a couple of neat pillows, a fantastic floor lamp, add some accessories that have meaning (don't buy a vase on clearance from Pier One people, be imagintive!!!) and you'll have a little niche where you can read the latest best seller, play your guitar, paint at your easel, blog about your ideals, or in my case, get lost in piles of design magazines!

Soft & Warm

If this room were a shoe, it would be a classic, chestnut colored Ugg boot!

Most all the elements in this room are organic, and I typically think that a room with an “organic overload” seems unadorned and lack-luster. But this room is none of those things. What speaks to me most is that leather chair, omg, I love it! It is a wing back, but not of traditional design, it has more of a mod look to me. And with that old, worn-in, well-loved, chocolaty leather, it has such a “cigar bar” feel. I also love the deer silhouette. It would be a fun project to do your own interpretation of it, an inspired reproduction if you will… an imperfect, slightly abstract outline is what I envision. That effect would make the antlers look especially awesome.

T his room seems brilliantly put together and whoever dwells in this attractive space is one lucky person! I bet the last accessory put in this room was the lush greenery. Placed in an old rusty urn, it’s the absolute perfect piece to bring everything together. The perfect pop of foliage, if you ask me! :)

My Love Affair with Grey

This room is the reason for my love affair with grey. Vanessa deVarga’s designs are truly one of a kind, she is amazing. I’ve never seen anything quite like them.

The overall all eclectic design of mixing the old with the new and the the wildly ornate (like her vintage gold mirror from Wertz Brothers) with a minimalist approach (suggestive of her white Ikea console) – it’s been done before, I know. However, there is something about the way she spins it. It’s just different. Her work translates to photo brilliantly and I am sure it is even more stunning in real life.

There is such a sense of freedom when you approach design with no set “style.”

Paint color: Sparrow by Behr

Lamps: Urban Outfitters

Vintage ottomans: The Opportunity Shop

Bliss from a Burlap Bench

From the South of France, this old thing arrived in need of some serious TLC… and that we gave it. I was offended when I first saw this bench with its ratty old chartreuse tassels and wildly mismatched upholstery. It was a sight for sore eyes to say the least. And look at it now, handsome as ever. Covered in a vintage burlap sack, my boss and I decided it would make a great covering, and that it did. Typically we use snow white or ivory colored linen or canvas to cover our pieces, so this neutral burlap helps in keeping our upholstered items cohesive. However, the sherbet-orange horizontal stripe and the coarse, sacking weave makes it a bit different and particularly awesome!!!

Everything is just right...

Here I sit on this lovely little tuffet, at this fantastic 19th C. French writing desk, thinking about how 200 years ago some one was journaling with their feathered fountain pen, and here I am, blogging. I wish I could maintain its functional integrity, but I am a child of the technological age and my calligraphy isn’t that great, so I will preserve its physical integrity by making sure my Diet Coke stays on its coaster.

Anyway, back to my beautiful aesthetics. Leaning oh-so casually against the Venetian plaster walls behind my computer screen is this grand 19th C. Louis Philippe gilded mirror that reaches over five feet tall. A Heeley candle is burning that smells of fine leather and I can’t help but to feel so blessed that this environment is where I work.

In any case, I am feeling very inspired and I have found myself in this enthused mood all the time as of late. I have worked at this wonderful store for just over a month and two weeks ago we received a container from France and today is the first day where I don’t have a tapestry to hang or a sideboard to stage. My work here is done, for the time being. And so, to prevent my inspired spirits from going to waste by frittering away my time on the numerous design blogs that I love, I had an “ah-ha” moment… I should start my own blog.

So I will, so I am, so I have!