Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Furniture Facelift

It's unbelievable how a coat of paint and new hardware can turn an old piece of furniture into a hot new addition to your home.  Much to my husband's dismay I am not someone who  becomes faint at the thought of painting solid wood.  The way I look at it, furniture may have served you faithfully for years, and it deserves a facelife as it ages!  Besides, painted furniture is all the rage these days.  So get out those colour chips and find a dresser or table to bring to life.

Pops of colour in furniture play the same role as pillows or area rugs in your decor.  It's a great way to move colour around a room or to create a stunning focal point.

Check out these pieces and more on my Pinterest board. 


Turquoise/aqua is a very popular colour for painted furniture.  It is a very "usable" colour because it would fit in with most colour schemes as a lovely accent.

Corals and oranges are very popular for  a pop of colour.  Of course oranges are all the rage in 2012.


Royal purple is one of my favourites.  Buying new hardward of cleaning the original adds drama to a piece.


Don't save your bright colours for furniture.  A current trend is to have a coloured island.  This is a daring choice. 



Stenciling is an added embellishment for painted furniture.   I particularly like the matt/gloss look of this black  dresser. It would work in any decor.  Just do your stenciling with gloss varathane.



The blog Censational Girl  has great examples of painted furniture as you can see from the gems below. The colour choices allow the pieces to fit into any decor as a beautiful soft accent.



I love this  soft greens which would have a place in many decors.

 This beautiful lavender gray stripe is so simple, soft and utterly appealing with white furniture. 

Detailing adds to the overall look of a piece and this one has it in spaces. 


There's lots of painted furniture in both my homes. Everything in my summer house except for the kitchen table is a colour.  That's because every piece of furniture is second hand.  What better way to feel free to paint it up!


This is a  table left over from the era of the fully draped  table .  It is fun and funky in my summer house. 

The wicker chair in my kitchen was spray painted and the cabinet was built to store phonebooks, mail etc. The colours blend in and warm up the BM Rockport Gray walls.  The cabinet is BM Lennox Tan my favourite warm goldenish beige .


 My solid oak coffee and end table took on a whole new life when I painted them BM Kendall Charcoal.


I hope you have something that is calling out for a coat of paint!
READ MORE

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Today I love...

These soft and romantic interiors. They are neither overly frilly, nor too reduced in style. I like a sofa to sink in, laced with pillows....
I like the garden stool, yes, used all over, but why not? An ottoman to put my feet up and a romantic chandelier! The lightest pink on the walls, offset by the milky sage green.

via


Or this garden style room, where large windows invite the outside in. I absolutely love the window casings in a darker shade, while the walls and floor blend gently together! 
This is a very large room, and yet, it feels cozy! Summer calm!

via


And this interior has me absolutely enchanted, I love everything about it: The soft colors, the darker paneling and door frame, painted floor and the overall styling, which reminds me of the early 19th Century! Nature inspired wall decor gets me anytime! Again softest pink walls!


via


And do I need to explain that I find this girly bedroom utterly charming?


via


Lately I love the idea of darker painted woodwork. What do you think? White or color?




Happy Tuesday!








All images as indicated!
READ MORE

Monday, April 9, 2012

It's a jungle out there

Saw this yesterday, while browsing some sites... 
I am not quite sure where the fabrics from, the site does not mention it, but I guess it could be Designers Guild!





all via

Looking at this alone certainly puts a spring in my step!








Images as indicated!
READ MORE

Friday, April 6, 2012

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter to you!

via


XOXO

via








Images as indicated!
READ MORE

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Book sale alert

Quick in between message:


Go to Joss and Main if you happen to be with them, or sign up.... they are having a great sale going on on design and decorating books, enough to please a crowd!


Great selection and great price. 

Have fun!



Image via Joss and Main.
READ MORE

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Garden day



The day began bright and sunny and I was drawn to the buzzing, humming and twittering outside. I watched the birds and the bees, the budding plants and I was overall delighted with the progression of spring.


Something has to be said of the fresh green tips, the dark red, still unfurled, leaves of the maple trees, the just opened blossoms of the azaleas and the wisteria, climbing around the garage wall.




There were the sound of insects, birds busily flattering in and out of the hedges, looking for food, twigs and this and that to build their nests...





The lilac begins to green, in front of the, still standing, dried grasses from last year. A task waiting for me, to cut them, to make space for this year's growth.






In the afternoon all changed to kid's laughter on the trampoline, my son and friends sprung happily around and the sounds of
happy chatter rung through the otherwise quiet  neighborhood. These are the moments I so cherish!






My sweet young neighbors explored the blossoms and the garden at large, not missing a beat!




They discovered what I had found earlier this morning: The beauty of spring!




Wishing you all the joys of the season and a Happy Easter to come! May you all feel a sense of awakening and renewal!

Easter greetings to you all!



PS: Don't forget to see my other site here!





All images by V.Zlotkowski
READ MORE

Looking ahead to linen


The coming months always inspire for me the use of linen. I do love the slip covered look, although I shy away from it, since my household is still filled with kids going all over the place and a black dog, making things not easier. I can't stand smudges and stains, so I stick for a while longer to leather. And constant washing is also not economical, time- , green -and otherwise...But they are gorgeous!

Oh, maybe I want to reconsider...via

So I admire this from afar...


But as much as slipcovers I do love linen cloths! Summer says linen to me. There is a softness to it and an easy going spirit. I smell lavender and sun screen, sand between my toes and sunshine!

Wicker, linen and lavender....via

The wrinkles make them classy and the soft colors give me nothing but pleasure.

And I feel feminine and a little lazy and luxurious!


Oh, I can't wait to pull out a nice linen dress and feel a little like summer's queen...









All images as indicated.
READ MORE

Monday, April 2, 2012

Windows of opportunity



Music room window sill until yesterday


I have two window sills, facing east, the front of the house, deep enough to have a whole shop display exhibited and I change what's there regularly, to entertain us, keep something new displayed or enhance seasonal decorating. There are stars and evergreen branches at Christmas time, shells during the summer, leaves and twigs collected at walks in autumn and ghostly ghouls at Halloween! It's a wonderful place to have some plants, flowers and some glass, candles or books, showing our latest interests, finds or new collected things. 
Some displays are short lived, some stay for weeks at the time without much change.

Dining room window with Easter lilly

I switched the vase to the other room, to have the Easter lilly in there and found some Willow pussies for the other!

I love this book: The Book of Botanical Prints by Taschen

Two brass mushrooms from Anthropologie

One belongs to our dining room, the room where all the action takes place in our family.

Our dining room at 6pm
Every meal, writing, homework, all this and more happens at this dining table and many after dinner conversation.

Afternoon light streaming through the music room.

The other resides over the music room, where we, apart from making music, sit around the fireplace for conversation and reading. It is a cozy room, beloved also by the dog, who has had chosen the ottoman as 'his' central cozy spot early in his life with us!


Willow pussies slowly greening

Spring has given me yet another chance to bring out some Easter decorations, some of my glass collection and white vases, lucky finds at Marshall's, where I did not spend more then $10 each. I couldn't have passed such a chance now, could I? 

Early afternoon, the sun has moved on...

Willow Pussies in one, Easter Lilly in the other and the foundation for a new window display was created.

Glass bird, bunny and a moss ball sharing the space with the Easter lilly. 

There is an old ceramic bunny with carrot, which has been with us for as long as the kids have been around and sometimes he is joined by some paper mache ones, but they are still in their boxes...


Do you have a spot, where decorations and displays are changed regularly?
Please, do tell me!
READ MORE