Inspired Spaces: White walls + Old Leather + rich wood = Luxe

Have ya'll seen the space put together by Will Kopelman (aka Mr. Drew Barrymore) in the latest AD?  It's the most anti-man cave, beautiful man-space I've ever seen.  In fact, I don't see any reason to designate it a "man space," as I'd move in in a heartbeat.

I'm generally a color gal, but throw in a neutral palette with some roughed up leather, and you'll get me every time.  Besides, the home office has enough suggestion of color with the enormous John Singer Sargent reproduction (Will's an art adviser - nice work if you can get it)  What I really love is the not-in-your-face luxe of it all.  From the rich polished wood paired with the contemporary pieces to the men's suiting fabric that makes the window treatments - all against the perfectly-white background.  As Ferris Bueller once said, "It is so choice."

Moving on to the bath and dressing room portion of the program, Will turns the tables and goes dark and rich.  The dressing room in black lacquer with hits of wood and brass still serves to scratch my itch for dark, high gloss rooms.

It also serves to remind me that rooms with drastically different feels can exist beautifully as neighbors - they key is the streamlined palette, and shared materials.

The bathroom is just - wow.  It's a lot, and I'm not sure I could deal with this much going on on a daily basis, but I LOVE that he went for it.  Like all-out, gentleman's glam.  I admire a man who knows his style and rocks it to the last detail.  Drew says she cried when she first saw the space - because it made her bathroom look downright granny.

I've had this white walls, rich wood, worn leather, mix of modern soup in my brain so much, I decided to use it to put together a design scheme for a class project.  My assignment is to design a Living/Dining room space.  I put more of a feminine twist on my interpretation, and the items I sourced would be filed under a budget known as...uh, dreamy, but here ya go.

In this room, every hour would feel like martini hour.   {sly grin}

Surfacing

 The first few weeks with a newborn always feel like I'm functioning under water.  So, I'm surfacing for air before things get really nuts. 
It's almost surreal how quickly time is passing.  Skylar turned three weeks old yesterday, and the movers begin packing us out on Monday.  We're simultaneously trying to soak up as much of Rio as we can, while mentally preparing for life back in the States.  Send us some good vibes, will ya?

Lots of good things are on the horizon, and I can't wait for them to unfold, but I'm trying to be patient.  NOT one of my strong points.

Speaking of good things...
I commissioned some paintings from the (soon-to-be-way, WAY famous) Jenny of MFAMB.  I asked her to interpret my daughters Avery and Isla with paintings.  They were a Mother's Day gift to myself - instead of a Mother's ring or jewelry, I envision a Mother's Wall with a grouping of her fantastic work that each girl can have one day.  When the baby is a little older, I'll get her to do another one, and somewhere in the mix, I'll pick out something just for moi!
First, though, get a load of the Isla and Avery.

Got them back from the framers yesterday, and am so loving the natural wood.

They're even prettier in person, and I think everyone (and any room) could benefit from some of Jenny's talent.  She offers originals via her Etsy store, and now, via Furbish, you can purchase prints.  There's no excuse - go get yo'self some!

I also managed to have Skylar's birth announcement designed.  As much as I love a nice paper card, I know the truth is most people toss them (how dare they!), so I sent a digital announcement this go-round. #thirdchild

design by River & Bridge

Lastly, I ordered these Paige denim skinnies about three weeks before my Due Date to act as Post Partum motivation.

I've been giving them the side-eye since they arrived...

 

...but succumbed to their promise of fabulous-ass-ness yesterday, and started Tracy Anderson's post partum workouts.  Her Pregnancy Project dvds served me well for nine months, so I have faith the post partum one will, too.  We'll see....

Giveaway Winner, and a Peek at my GRANDE painting!

You'll have to forgive me....I weinee'd out of picking a giveaway winner myself. I just couldn't! Everyone has a great reason for needing/wanting $500 worth of cute business stationary. So. 

I let Random do it. 

She has no qualms, and she picked...

Which translated to comment...

 Congratulations, MaryNeff!  I'll be in touch with instructions on how to claim your prize!

And, now....a peek at the ginormo canvas I had framed last week.  It's a folk art painting by a street artist out of Rio de Janeiro - where we're moving in about 2 1/2 weeks - eeek!  Anyway, I had it sandwiched between two pieces of glass, with about a three-inch float between the painting and the frame.

The Brazilian framers thought I was "crazy American lady," but I knew exactly what I wanted, which included being able to see the raw edges of the canvas.

We paid very little for the painting, so while I wanted to honor its humble heritage, I also wanted to do it justice by framing it as a real, statement piece.

I can't wait to install it in our new apartment in Rio.

Let's hope it survivies the trip....

Large and In Charge Art

This morning, I took a large piece of art to the frame shop.  When it's all said and done, it should be a little more than a meter wide and tall.  Coolness.  I'm absolutely chomping at the bit to see it, and can only assume you are as well, so I'll be sure to share later this week.

I also guess you're wondering about my progress with the cleanse.  Well, I'm not quite done - these are my last two days, so I'll hold final judgement.  What I WILL say is I feel incredible.  More to come on that, too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 So, basically, I'm all-around stalling.  Not purposely holding out goodness from you, but

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 also not quite ready to share. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the meantime, I'll leave you with some giant art goodness and also REMIND you to

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

register for the $500 stationary giveaway I'm hosting with 123Print.  Go HERE to do it!

 

 

Bigger is better.

This just in...

Look what showed up on my doorstep yesterday!

 It was Isla's birthday, but I got the gift!  Shame on me.  

 I've been craving a really great beach print, and ordered this one of Ipanema Beach awhile back on OKL.  I remember at the time thinking it was kinda pricey for a photo print.  So, when it arrived framed, I felt like a giant toolbag (but you know, in a good way).

It also serves as a ginormo reminder that we'll be moving there in *gulp* about a month.

Wish me luck getting my packing act together!

Memory like an Elephant

It's funny, some days I can't remember whether or not I put on antiperspirant, but there are images from well-worn glossy mags that are burned into my brain - I could tell where I sat when I first saw them.  This (crappy scan) of a vignette from a 2008 House Beautiful is an example.  I have always, always loved this lemon photograph by interior design photographer, Victoria Pearson.

Source: Uploaded by user via Alison on Pinterest

I remember researching her work when I first saw it, to find out about purchasing a print. 

Never had any luck.

But, guess what Mrs. Meare's happened upon while scoping out Nathan Turner's shop in LA?

Source: isuwannee.com via Alison on Pinterest

*Bum ba da DAAAAM!"

Sound of me clicking through his site.

*PfeeeeewwwwSqueeeek*

Sound of air slowly being let of me when it puts me through to his 1st Dibs booth

Source: 1stdibs.com via Alison on Pinterest

*Ka POW*

The Price.

Still, closure.

Floating Art Project

I've been itching to frame out a piece of art with a simple, acrylic frame.  It's such a clean aesthetic that can really showcase artwork in a modern way.  Jenny posted not too long ago about finding acrylic frames for smaller works, but I was thinking something on a larger scale...

We gifted my sister and BIL an original painting from Brazil, and while we were visiting them, it gave me the perfect chance to test the acrylic-framing waters.

I took the artwork to a local glass and mirror shop, and asked if they could cut two pieces of acrylic to "sandwich" the artwork between.  *Note*  I anticipated "Whatchoo talkin' 'bout, Willis?" looks, so I took the above inspiration photo for explanation purposes. ;)

I had them cut 1/4" (rather than 1/8") pieces for a more substantial look, and drill holes at each corner.  Since I wanted a floating look, I had them size the sheets to allow about a two-inch border around the painting.

To hang the painting, I had to enlist Ben's help (of course!).  He had to enlarge the drill holes a bit to allow for the brass screws we selected to hang the art. 

If you try this, be slooooow and careful, so you don't crack the acrylic!

Next, we cleaned the acrylic of all fingerprints.  He had a little "help."  Note to self:  next time, use latex gloves!

We used double-sided tape on the back of the painting to make sure it wouldn't slip during the hanging process.

We secured it all with brass screws through the drilled holes - straight into the wall (using drywall anchors).  ......aaaaand DONE!

I'm lovin' it!

The Making of a Gallery Wall

I posted last week about our family room more or less being the bane of my existence... My sofa overhaul is now on hold (pending a potential move and new sofa - Shhhhh! ;) But the large wall with big-but-not-big-enough painting had to be tackled immediately.

I had in mind an eclectic gallery wall - something along the lines of this...

Apparently, there are two theories to hanging gallery walls, and they correlate to Kevin Costner's thesis on the Golf Swing in the movie Tin Cup....

There's the plan it out, space correctly, nearly poetic placement method....

...And there's the "grip it and rip it"- basically throw it up on the wall, and hope it works method

Because I have no patience, and Ben is my architect - we went with the grip it 'n rip it model. (A bit of shuffling frames around on the floor was as scientific as it got)



I considered using mixed media (baskets and whatnot), but Ben x-nayed that, for fear of looking too cottage-y. He was right.

We "shopped" art we had around the house, not purchasing anything new. A few spaces are bare now, but I think it was a good trade-off.

Little by little...progress....

Art...How Bazaar!

If there's one thing I would recommend a design client splurge on, it would be art. Art is so personal, and for that reason, it's a wonderful way to immediately imbue a room with the owner's flair - a key element in making a space not just lovely, but unique.
I just spied the new art offerings in Serena and Lily's Bazaar - some are originals, others are more budget-friendly reprints.
Here's my top choices:

Pt Reyes 3 by Karen Smidth - Reminds me of a painting we bought in Arles, France, and gave to my in-laws (wish I'd a kept it for myself! ;)

RedSky by S. Paster - Perfect above a bedside table to bring in accent colors in an otherwise neutral palette.

Another Party by Sara Westover - Perfectly-whimsical for a child's room

Umbrella by P. Norwood - Because everyone needs a good beach scene.

Woman with Palm Trees by Victor Di Gesu - Clearly a reference to Matisse, but since I'll never own a Matisse, this might work.

Happy Weekend, Stalkers!

Loving

My new Armas

You should have one, too. Happiness guaranteed.

Weekend Project: Interesting Art (3D style!)

I'm forever searching for interesting art to fill our many, white walls. Unfortunately, although I have no formal training in art, it never seems to fail that my eye falls to the priciest pieces. Not good.
So, I was delighted to see one of my favorite local artisans, a basket weaver, has expanded his repertoire to include many brightly colored versions of his traditional, woven wares . He weaves baskets from Taboa, an aquatic, grassy plant, similar to our cattails. I was instantly smitten with all the new shades, and picked out an assortment, envisioning them in a grouping somewhere in our casa.

I initially thought they'd be best in a grouping, but Ben suggested a more linear placement, as we have a large, long wall in our entry. I couldn't argue with his idea, so I set him to work on the install.

As any of you with children know, home projects inadvertently end up with several "assistants."

Nevertheless, the arrangement turned out great, with a very gallery-like appearance. The limitation of my photo doesn't nearly depict how cool it looks.

So, my 3-prong tip of the day for art is:

• As much as possible, stay original
• Think beyond the canvas, and
  
• (sometimes) Listen to your Better Half. ;)

Not playing fair

I told my husband I would really love a painting by artist Michelle Armas for Valentines Day. My desire to own one of her colorful abstracts was instant and visceral.

Zena (and consequently, already sold)

He replied with, "So, I guess you no longer want this?"

He clearly does not understand the rules of this game...