my new favorite etsy shop

lackluster co. specializes in vintage and industrial home decor and I've saved most of the store's goods as favorites. Vignette- tastic. I need more space in my house for all these ideas.

I love these. In my daughter's room? As the alphabet or a little poem?

I'd like these framed please with coloured matting, please/thank you.

I'd consider displaying these prominently on my kitchen counter to keep everyone on their toes.

porcelain river depth marker

Vintage art deco metal sign letters. Who the hell is tom though?

in turquoise, please.

So I can remember my phone number.

too much?

mine.

Eileen Gray, an Irish furniture designer born in the late 19th century is hailed as a pioneer of the modernist movement. You may recognize her E-1027 glass and tubular steel table (creative designer but when it came to naming the table, she kind of mailed it in):

She's now regarded as one of the most important furniture designers of the 20th century, a front runner in the Bauhaus movement. Yadda yada yada.... here are some of her most noticeable pieces:

folding table Jean

day bed. love.

monte carlo sofa. 

non conformist chair. only so-so not conformist because it does still have a seat, right?

roquebruno chair. more conformy, yes?

Anyway, I found such scores at Value Village that I don't feel guilty about buying my (obviously not the real deal) side table. And obviously it will stand the test of time. I'll just leave it to my kids. No, I like it so much that I'll take it with me. 

be bold!

In case you're torn between going big or toning it down, check out this lesson in the AWESOME POWER of colour that I came across on The Lennoxx.

Here's a room designed by Tobi Fairley for the cover of House Beautiful. This is the edited photo.

Amazing blue on the walls.

Here is the unedited photo. What a different mood and feel!

Edited bedroom.

And unedited. Still glamorous but without the blue, it's quite different, isn't it? Check out the bed side lamps! The pink flowers in the edited picture make such a difference! No wonder Tommy Smythe says in the latest issue of In Style that fresh flowers in his space are non negotiable.

I'm not saying one is better than the other, I'm just saying that the blue one is... better. But the other is still great! But come on! Go for it- be bold and pick colour!

turkish towels

I don't know who was talking about these to me lately, or why but I came across them on Etsy and now  I can't remember what I went to Etsy to find because all I can think about are these towels. How many should I get? What color? Pattern??! SIZE?! I need these.

The store is called well, Turkish Towel and they sell hand woven traditional Turkish bath towels, called a Peshtemal.

I guess this is a man who makes them?  Apparently these towels are as absorbent as my bland towels are and they dry faster.  And they're versatile! If you get bored of using them as towels, you can use it as a table cloth. Their idea, not mine. I say pick a side and stay there. But I do like options.

I would use this as a table cloth.

It would be my new favorite thing that I own. And we just bought a new car.

I put these in my cart.

Then I saw these and had to look at them all before I could commit.

I've never felt like this before.

Either this towel is gigantic or those are tiny shoes. Regardless, I need this. And then I'll have to redo my bathroom to make it as nice as my towels. Now that's one hell of a towel!

Virtual Design for our Australian Client

We just finished off working with a virtual design client in Australia and we thought we'd share the process!
She started off telling us a little about her style and her family dynamic.  She has two sons aged 6 and 9 and really wants to turn their basement into a media/games room that the boys will enjoy spending time in. She sent us pictures of the space the way it is being used now and told us about the pieces she wanted to keep (none!).
Next we created a mood board for her with what we were thinking and awaited her feedback on what she liked and what she didn't.

She liked the polished concrete floors but thought they were too cold for the space.  Loved the artwork and some of the fabrics but was unsure of the orange and really doesn't like brown.  This whole scheme felt a little too busy for her and her family.  So we moved along!

This one met with approval for the sofa, the flooring and the media cradenza but didn't have enough umph or colour for the boys.  So the following was completed taking everything we had learned into consideration.

Third times a charm! Almost perfect now.  Bright, fun, colourful fabric, cool white furniture pieces and artwork inspired by her boys' love of surfing.   Only a couple of changes to be made...the striped rug is being swapped out for a solid navy blue rug and the large shelving is being downsized to a white sofa table to save on space.  More storage will be added under the stairs with built ins.

Next Step! A floor plan and ideas for where to place the elements seen in the mood board.  

Our client said that she will be happy to send along pictures when the room is completed and of course we will share them with you.  

Thanks for taking a peek at how our virtual design works!

chalkboard wall

consider a this: an entire wall dedicated to your to-do list? And perhaps some room on the bottom for your kids to show off their artistic skills (which they obviously got from you)?

 I painted a chalkboard wall on an otherwise useless wall that jutted out slightly in my kitchen. And don't picture some old school house green chalkboard taking up valuable real estate in my kitchen! You can get chalkboard paint tinted in any colour (tip: it's not advertised that you can get chalkboard paint in any colour but if you tell your paint expert that you don't mind if they try anyway, you can usually get what you want). 

I found this moody chalkboard wall on apartment therapy. I definitely want to copy this picture frame idea for visual interest and also to house my most important reminders. 

Alright, this one is so great that I feel self conscious of my utilitarian version. Happy medium: I'm keeping the to-do lists (I need them.) and adding the empty frame but adding ever changing 'art' inside the frame- a smaller scale of this awesome wall. 

showoffs. 

cute. But not advised if you like to sit up and read in bed. I'm so tired by the time I force myself to go to bed that I'm not at risk for chalk head. 

well. who wouldn't love a pink chalkboard wall??

V-Day

I can't believe it but January is over. And although you wouldn't know it if you saw how many people still have their Christmas lights up in my neighborhood, Valentine's Day is only a couple of weeks away. I came across these 'diminutive delights' and can't get over how cute they are! I want to buy one for every special friend I have- and that's a lot. I'm not bragging or anything, I just have great friends! 

 the cranes are my favorite. 

Soooo cute 

A touch of gold ;) 

Tiny message in a bottle: "I love every little thing about you"

"a little love to you"

I want every last one of these.

what about meeeeee?

O.K. I'm not going to rest today until I find the right pendant light to replace my very hideous gold fan/light combo that the previous house owner so generously left behind. I don't take these decisions lightly.

This one can be played around with to look a little bit different and it's made with recycled paper AND it's only $40! A strong contender. I found it here! 

Switching gears from the modern Mariella light above to this vintage enamel fixture from an old gas station. I love this one! Only $90 and I want it. It's from here. Do I even need to keep looking?

This white clay light gives off the prettiest light. I love the feel of it but the price is out of my range at $1,200. I found it here.

Here's a chandelier we're putting in a really fun and colourful little girl's room that we're working on.

We added this white lucite chandelier to an office we're working on but I also have my eye on it, too.

I think I've made my decision. I'll post pics when it arrives and is installed! Let me know if you have any other ideas, please!!