Cottage8: The Living Room

It is in our Living Room where the accessories probably change the most. Being an avid collector and owning my own online shop, things come and go through my fingertips rather quickly. I’m currently obsessed with old cameras, which have cleverly worked their way into my vignettes. I’ve also developed a growing fixation with books that have dark covers and spines. My collections are very important to me, and I gather much inspiration from them. I love everything about vignettes, from creating displays to the stories they seem to tell.

 

This is how my Living Room currently looks as of yesterday. I bought the old library table from my friend Melody over the weekend. It was in need of a bit of TLC and a good scrub down. The paint on it is old and original, and a bit chippy too. For the time being, I just used some wood polish on the top and called it a day. I still plan to use some wood wax on the top and base and possibly a burlap runner for the top…we’ll see.

 

 

This small collection of books on the far right (below) are old French bibles, and the books to the left are actually faux decorative books. The wire dome cloches can be found here.

 

  

I love this small camera. Something about its boxy shape and little carry strap just speaks to me.

 

 

Visitors often ask me “where the heck is your tv?” For those that don’t know me well enough, I’m all about living without the appearance  and interruption of technology, wires and cables. So much so, I designated one of the bedrooms as The Media Room (a.k.a The Man Cave) on the other side of the house. The room where the fancy plasma tv coexists along with the surround sound experience, mega speakers, stereo and basketfuls of dvd’s. And just to prove how much detest the appearance of technology, I have hidden wireless speakers in my living room that pipe music in from The Media Room.

 

 

I’m often asked about the finish on this enormous mirror against my living room wall, below. If you can believe it, the frame is PLASTIC and when I purchased it, it was solid black.

 

 

First I primed the plastic black frame with Kilz primer, then I applied one coat of Behr’s Seaside Sand paint. Once dry, I applied Varathane premium gel stain in Dark Walnut, purchased at Home Depot. When you apply this stain over a white painted surface, you get a great grain effect, much like wood.

 

 

The old French grain sack (below) was a Rose Bowl flea market find. It is authentic and won my heart over big time. I love the graphic and textural quality it brings to this little corner. And if you fancy the ruffled burlap pillow on my sofa, you can find that here.

 

The maidenhair plants (on the left) are the only living plants I keep in my house. I have two cats that have great appetites for greenery and it’s best to keep live plants either out of reach or in the garden outdoors.

 

 

Of all things, I probably get questioned about my floral tufted loveseat the most. You can read its brief little back story here.

 

 

I’m also asked about this old barn wood frame quite often. You might remember it from our old house, also coincidentally hung above the fireplace. I purchased it years ago from my friend Karen. It was painted white and had a mirror framed inside. I knocked out the mirror, replaced it with an old burlap grain sack and stained the frame with my favorite Varathane gel stain.

 

 

I love both the texture and richness the dark walnut stain adds to this room. 

 

 

Ah, the birdcages, lots of inquires about these. My fireplace wall is composed of old and incredibly dense cinderblock. If you try drilling into it, it just crumbles in big clumps, so I used Command Hooks to hang my cages. Inside the cages, I placed great big vintage prints of Paris from an old souvenir book I had. The birdcages can be purchased here, with Free Shipping!

 

 

I also seem to get a lot of questions about my swinging kitchen door. This is just a standard french pained door, purchased at Home Depot.

 

 

First I painted the door in Behr’s Seaside Sand, then I added brushed nickel push plates to encourage less fingerprints on the glass.

 

 

This heavy duty brass hinge, purchased at Home Depot, is what gives the door the capability to swing freely in both directions. I really wanted anything but brass, however, it was the only finish it came in.

 

 

The piece below is an antique child's armoire. The appliques and glass knobs are all original. I’m still good friends with the man I purchased it from years ago. Nothing like a beautiful piece of furniture to spark a lasting friendship.

 

 

This mirrored hall tree I purchased from my good friend Marcy. She’s been a customer of mine for years, but I always seem to buy from her too. We have very similar taste. This is one of the tiniest hall trees I’ve seen, and it fits perfectly in this space.

 

 

While visiting one of my favorite antique stores last week, Bungalow, I couldn’t pass up this old cast iron 8. {We refer to our house as Cottage8 which represents our home, the 8th house we bid on and finally won}.

 

 

I’m not sure why, but I seem to be drawn towards an equestrian theme in this area right now. The trophies and awards have been acquired at flea markets over time. Also displayed although not pictured, I have an english riding hat and riding boots.

 

 

I just love how the years make things even more beautiful.

 

 

Sort of a vignette of the moment, if you will. The alabaster cake stands and paper roses came from Pam Anderson’s estate {not even kidding, you can read about that here}. Old books, cloches, urns and trays are among my current fixations.

 

 

The layered effect.

 

 

The flash cards, below, were purchased here. I simply used linen paper for the background and put it in an old black frame. It makes me smile every time I enter our home.

 

 

Thank you again for all of your comments! If you have any questions, please use my Contact link at the top of the page. It is the best way to ensure a prompt reply.

Breaking the rules

So I decided to follow my instincts and allowed myself to think outside of the box. I had been eyeing these bronze aged sconces at Home Depot for months now, and finally gave in. I fell mad in love with their unique, vintage design and industrial quality.

 

 

These sconces were on the exterior lighting isle at Home Depot. They are intended for OUTDOOR USE.

 

 

So does that mean these beautiful sconces can’t be used indoors? Of course not. I’ve not wired them yet, but have spoken with professionals that have assured me they’re safe for indoor use. I love how they bring both a modern and vintage feel into the living room. Even if I am breaking the rules a little.

 

 

I recently acquired this old yard long framed photograph circa 1935, from my friend Diane. There’s something about these large group photographs that fascinate me.

 

 

I’ve gotten many questions about this dresser, so I decided to cover all bases and tell you all about this piece. I purchased this dresser years ago at a flea market. It was ugly brown and missing the bottom drawer completely. I had it painted white, then I built a shelf at the bottom for unique open storage and then stained the top in dark walnut.

 

 

I love the contrast between the light and dark. The white was a custom paint color, which I no longer remember the name of, and the stain is Varathane premium gel stain in Dark Walnut, purchased at Home Depot.

 

 

Not to change the subject, but it just occurred to me I forgot to remind you go check out this month’s Cottage of the Month. Go take a peek!

Thanks again for all your comments on our home. They are very much appreciated.

Cottage8: The Dining Room

This is the story of how our Dining Room went from THIS:

 

 

to THIS:

 

 

Six months ago, after we primed and painted the walls and installed the new flooring in our dining room, we proceeded to pull in all of the old dining room furniture and accessories from our previous home. The result was flat, lacked interest, and the old furniture was not at all cohesive in our new home. This was something I was not prepared for, and naturally, pangs of doubt began to set in.

 

As loyal reader of Layla’s blog, The Lettered Cottage, I always loved her sense of style and impeccable design taste. When she started offering design consultations, I knew my dining room was the perfect candidate, so I signed up immediately. For anyone that’s worked with Layla before, they will surely tell you she’s simply the best. Period.

 

I recently had the great pleasure of being interviewed over at The Lettered Cottage. You can read the full feature here.

 

 

Layla noticed the fact that the kitchen had a lot of wall-balanced "visual weight" throughout the space, and to achieve better symmetry between the two rooms, she suggested a "wall of cabinetry" or a "built in hutch" type of unit across the back wall of the Dining Room. She also suggested running tall bead board all the way around the Dining Room, to really heighten the spaces charm factor. With our limited time frame and budget, we pulled together our resources and came up with a strategy.

 

The first thing we did was hire an extremely talented carpenter to build us three custom 8 foot long shelves, trimmed out with thick molding. {We originally had him build us 3 shelves, then realized there was really only room for 2 on our wall. The 3rd shelf is for sale! Use my contact form above if you want to purchase it. Local buyers only, please}.

 

 

Next, it was time to try to find a sideboard table that fit the space, underneath the shelves, the entire 11 foot span of the wall, which proved to be an impossible task. Our carpenter was away on another job, so I said to Adam why can’t we just build a sideboard table ourselves, and design it custom to our exact needs. Turns out some things are easier said than done.

 

Let’s just say building this sideboard table with my husband was one of the greatest tests of our marriage, and we’ve been married for 12 years. Adam can diagnose my computer issues over the phone from work, he can cook the most mouthwatering meals, he makes sure my car is properly serviced, he even watches Design Star with me every week. But the man did not know the first thing about building an 11 foot sideboard table. This project required every bit of strength, teamwork, knowledge and above all: patience. And don’t let that charming smile on Adam fool you, I think this was the only time he smiled during the three day sideboard table building ordeal. Some husbands are handy, some husbands can build you things, and some husbands just look at you like you’re out of you freaking mind.

 

 

This was quite a site to behold, below. We had just pulled the 11 foot sideboard table into the dining room, and it fit like a glove.

 

 

There is no better feeling than that of hard work and achievement. That and saving your marriage.

 

 

The next step was stain for the top, and we used Varathane premium gel stain in Dark Walnut, purchased at Home Depot. For the skirt and legs, I used Behr’s Seaside Sand and did a rubbing technique with a dark glaze I borrowed from my friend Rosemary.

 

 

I think accessorizing, by far, is always the very best part.

 

 

The chandelier was purchased at a yard sale, most all of the accessories on the shelves are old ironstone that I’ve collected over the years, the old silver as well. The green artichokes on the table, which I get lots of comments on, can be found here.

 

 

In my next post, I’ll discuss how I made my own chalkboard from start to finish.

 

 

In the meantime, if you have any questions please use the Contact Form above for the quickest reply.

 

Somebody pinch me

I feel like I have just arrived. The kind of arrival where the taxi cab driver slams on his brakes, pulls the cab over to the side of the road, directs you to the great big gate of opportunity and hands you the golden ticket.

 

The people over at Design*Sponge thought my make-over was interesting enough to showcase it on the “before and after” feature on their website, and I’m still floored. Absolutely gob smacked in fact. But the extra cherry on top was a recent interview I did with Melaine at over at My Sweet Savannah, one of the most creative bloggers I know.

 

While I’ve got your ear may I make small confession? Up until the very moment I revealed my home last week, for the whole world to see, I second guessed myself. My design sense went from this to this, as I developed a new color palette and proceeded to reinvent my own style. Throughout the entire 12-month remodel, I nervously paced the floors at 2am, worrying if I made the grade, asking myself “Is it good enough?”…“Am I doing enough?”…“Am I good enough?” It’s probably not a good thing to put yourself under this type of pressure, I realize that. But there’s something inside of me that thrives on that exact challenge. I just never expected the results. You guys, through all your comments and emails, blog posts and phone calls - You have made me feel like I have arrived. And I am so glad to be here.