room makeover - part I

taking inspiration from tom scheerer, i'm about to transform one of the bedrooms into something that i hope {remotely} resembles this beautiful room...minus the michael thonet designed café daum side chair.

though nothing like it - in quality, design or spirit - this rickety old chair may be its humble substitute, after a few coats of black paint and some wood glue.

this faded allover floral paisley is the fabric i'll use to make the shades. 

there are two windows in this room. sewing is not my forte, nor is it something i enjoy. hopefully, i'll get it right on the second one.

for the walls, i have my eye on a couple benjamin moore colors - black satin & appalachian brown - and farrow and ball's mahogany.

i love the look of lacquered walls, but like the aforementioned thonet chair, that's not in the budget, so i'll have to settle for high gloss on the walls, and possibly eggshell on the moldings - all the same color. 

stay tuned!

my picks for canopy beds

my recent post and this hauntingly beautiful surreal image of a canopy by robert stivers got me thinking again about how i've always wanted a canopy or four-poster in our bedroom. 

sadly, the ceilings have never been tall enough to allow for one, but i can always dream. 

here are some favorites.

anthropologie's much-loved italian campaign canopy. 

the niermann weeks loire bed seen here in elizabeth mayhew's bedroom and in her book - flip for decorating.

here it is again...this time draped. to see more of this home, visit here.

alder-wood bed recently seen at OKL's martyn lawrence bullard sale.

the always great willa bed by oly in this tom scheerer designed bedroom via house beautiful dec/jan 2010. 

gilded

mirrored

verdured

happy world oceans day

it makes my heart ache to see all the recent images of the oil spill, but rather than ignore it, i must remain informed and do something about it, even though some say there is little i can do. and though i am only one, i mustn't let this turn into apathy or non-action either. i don't live near the region, where i would volunteer to help, but i can support organizations, whose mission it is to protect the oceans. 

so today in honor of world oceans day…

i sent messages to lawmakers and companies;
made a donation;
made a pledge to reduce my plastic consumption;

learned about 10 things i can do to save the oceans;

became a wavemaker.

it sickens me to think that things may never be the same, but taking these small steps has brought me a calm respite.

gerhard richter
seascape (contre-jour)
oil on canvas
1969
image courtesy of gerhard richter

sweet dreams

i thought i'd do a post on bedrooms, since i'm on the lookout for a new bed cover. as i searched my hard drive for inspiration, i found i'm drawn to several recurring themes, and have remained pretty consistent in my taste for things. hmmm. imagine that.

for starters, i'm a sucker for traditional damask and organic prints paired with linear, graphic stripes like this bedroom styled by lucyina moodie…

and this room designed by nathan turner. i love everything about these 2 rooms and would love to get my hands on this quilt.

 

red lampshades are another element i'm drawn to judging by these images i've gathered over time. though a bold color, red shades cast a romantic and flattering light. according to joe nye's "five things you can do in a day" in the latest issue of house beautiful, one tip he shares is to buy an inexpensive paper shade and paint it red. though i'm fairly sure it will take more than a day for me to accomplish this, i'll be adding this to my to do list.

what could've been just another white room is altogether original thanks to these beautiful ornate antique beds.

sheets of paper with small repeating patterns on the walls add a layer of visual interest. the black lace panel with pink ribbon tieback further adds allure to this ultra feminine room.

recurring element no. 3 – red bed covers. speaking of which, the bedroom on the far left is joe nye's. what a coincidence. bedding is from williams-sonoma home and the throw is from harnaz cashmere collection.

this last image is of a bedroom we spent a weekend in while in olema, ca years ago. at the time, we were under seige by lady beetles...they were all over the windows and walls, but thankfully we both aren't bothered by bugs. the floors were heated and the bathroom was equally gorgeous.

so now that i'm inspired, the quest begins anew. until then, sweet dreams to you. ♥

image credits: 1) lucyina moonie ; 2) coco+kelley; 3) polly wreford at sarah kaye; 4) nathan turner designed bedroom for amanda peet; 5) bedroom of paul & sara ruffin costello via style court; 6) decorology; 7) ivanka trump's park avenue apartment bedroom designed by emma jane pilkington (a favorite of mine) seen on style court; 8) joe nye's beverly hills bedroom via house beautiful; 9) david netto; 10) bedroom photographed by douglas friedman; 11) olema druids hall