Friday Inspiration

Summer Thorton via Little Green Notebook

It's a beautiful day and it feels like spring.  So does the above photo.  The neutral palette of whites and grays with a pop of earthy yellow and a splash of blue is so fresh and inviting on a day like today.   Hope you have a happy weekend!

Psst...Sister.....Look what arrived at my house yesterday!

 

Window Shopping

The Husband and I went shopping for the elusive bedside chest at another antique store yesterday.  It was a place that has lots to see but never a good deal.  We did not find the perfect piece but I did see a few interesting things.

These brackets are amazing.  They would frame an opening or doorway so beautifully. 

There were buckets of printers blocks.  They would make a great art piece.  I have also seen them used as a table top (under glass).  Perfect for someone who loves typography. 

No chest today.  I guess we'll have to keep shopping!

Come On Baby, Light My Fire

The Nephews were with us this weekend for what we like to call Sulsermania.  Of course there had to be big sticks and a raging fire in the fire pit.  I hope your weekend was just as lovely!

Inspiration for Friday

I have loved this image for years.  It's from an old issue of house beautiful that I have kept and keep returning to from time to time.  I've been contemplating my own fireplace lately.  It's a bit odd, I know, since it's no longer the season for sitting by the fire.  But our fireplace is exposed brick with a high mantle that makes arranging objects, artwork, etc. a bit awkward.  I've placed bookshelves to either side (where would all the books go otherwise!)  It's dark and swallows that side of our small living space.  I could paint the brick, or design a lovely new paneled surround like I've done for many other clients.  It would really balance out the room and help to make it feel more polished and cohesive.  Deep down though I actually like the color of the brick.....and I'm a big chicken.  One day I'll be ready to take that plunge.  Today will not be that day.

Could this be made fabulous?

I was searching for the perfect chest/ side table over the weekend and came across this piece.  Could it be made into something great with a few coats of paint and new hardware or should I keep looking?  I haven't decided yet.  As I've learned from my Mama, sometimes it's better to wait and think about for awhile.  Of course someone one else can come along and buy it before I make up my mind too! 

While shopping I also found this

What do you think, Sister?  Would you like it for your collection?

Running Hot & Cold

There's a lot of beating and banging going on at the Functional Space today.  We are having a new HVAC unit installed upstairs.  For the last few months our old unit has been held together with duct tape and love.  It was a good old unit and got us (mostly) through the winter.  We were happy to go through the spring without central air until last week's heat wave.  I was fine, having  grown up in a house without A/C but my sweet Husband was not.  More importantly his musical instruments were not.  So today is the day.  I will be very happy when the work is complete.  Until then I'm going to have to pretend that all that noise I hear isn't breaking my house!  Now....back to work.  

Blue Monday

image from House Beautiful

I have always been partial to blue dining rooms.  It's the complete opposite of what color theorists claim to be the right choice to spur the appetite and enliven conversation.  Red is a classic choice of course.  One that can be completely appropriate for a dining room, but for me it has always been blue.  In the photograph above designer Kristen Panitch creates a lovely space, threading touches of blue it all the right places.  From the palest of pale blue on the walls to the perfect shade of the drapes and lamps at the far end of the room, blue makes this dinning room a quiet yet exciting place to be.  I'm completely in love!

I've had blue dining rooms (actually the same blue, Martha Stewart's Pool House Blue) in two previous homes.  It was a blue that always made me think of being dropped into the middle of the Mediterranean.  Sadly, five years ago I didn't know I'd one day write a design blog and need a photographic reminder of some of my favorite spaces.  If you look past the birthday flowers (thanks My Love!) you can glimpse that lovely blue too.

    Hello blue Monday!

Testing...testing....

is this thing on?