The Male Equation

The other night, I was in a Pinterest-induced stupor, conjuring up images of what will be in our newly-purchased house in Virginia - code name: Wallingford.(because I know you want to follow that board)

Initially, we'll take a live-with-it-and-plan approach on a lot of the house, but we're tackling a few messier projects before or as we move in. One of those is the Family Room - or what we'll use as a family/tv room.
For starters - it is vewy, vewy small.

...and nondescript.

My hope is to do away with the circa 70s paneling, add some much-needed mill work, and turn it into a jewel box of a room, all glossy, cozy, and layered like so...

Key to my plans are: rich, high-gloss paint (color TBD), and saddle/caramel leathuh.

So, I was stoked when I saw this MCM-esque leather sofa from JCPenney getting good reviews.  The Hubster's not the biggest fan of this style, so....

Me:  "Ben, do you think you could stomach this sofa for the family room at Wallingford?"

Ben:  "It looks like I would slide off."

Score: Ben - 1  Sofa - 0

How do I compete with this?

Happy Monday, peeps.
(P.S. - no baby, obvs)

Tulip Table Chair Upgrade

Normally, the last six weeks of a pregnancy sees a woman in full-on nesting mode, so it's hard to twist those instincts in me into thoughts of packing up and moving.   But, that's just where things stand.  It's probably also why my virtual nesting of the new house in Virginia is going overboard - I just need the release!
There are a few I can research in earnest - upgrades I know we'll make to our existing furniture.  Cue the seating situation for our tulip table.

 When we bought the table, there weren't any chairs I was cuh-razy about, so we just went with simple, easy to use with the crumb-crunchers, and in all likelihood, temporary.

This is our only eating area in the apartment, so the casual vibe has worked well.  In our new house, though, this table will be in our dining room, so I'd like to lose the chrome-legged chairs in lieu of something a little nicer and more comfortable. ...For the times when we actually DO host a dinner party where people might want to linger around the table.

There's so many ways to play the tulip table - it's such a genius design that almost any style of chair can work, and I've rarely spied a combo I thought was just "off." 
That doesn't make my job of selecting new chairs any easier.  Should I go fancy-Louis/upholstered,  simple-but-comfy MCM, lucite (Ben says Hell NO!), playful wishbone,  or colorful cafe? The buttery leather PK9 is the chair of my dreams - and at over five grand a pop, my dreams is exactly where it'll stay. Oh, hurts so GOOD!

1// 2// 3// 4// 5// 6// 7// 8

We interrupt this blogcation...

For a little glimpse...

 

I know, the chairs are lame, but we kinda blew our wallet out with the table purchase.  Hopefully, a chair upgrade will happen some time later.

Still.

I'm enamored.

I also feel pretty much like an ass, posting about something as trivial as a table, when there are families who, because of some mindless freak in Colorado, will never again sit down for a meal with their mother/father/sister/child.

A movie.

Going to see a freakin' MOVIE! 

Seems safe enough.

No longer.

That's no longer where we are.

Don't think I need to remind you to hug yours an extra time or two, but I will anyway.

Need your input

They say "Shrinks need Shrinks."  I think it's probably true to say "Decorators need Decorators," too.  At least that's true of me.  It seems so much easier to make decorating decisions for other people than for myself.  So, I need your take on my dining room issue....

I've mentioned I plan to purchase an oval tulip table for our small dining room in Rio.  The classic but contemporary lines are exactly what our place needs to balance our otherwise Trad-ish mix of furniture.

 The thing is, I cannot decide what kind of chair to pair it with.

I don't want to match tulip chairs with the table, but don't know just how much to mix it up, either.

We need the smaller table to accommodate our space, so we might be looking at two host chairs, and only two side chairs.  I have a pair of these sort of Asian-lined chairs.  I know they aren't armchairs, but I was thinking of recovering them, and using them as host chairs.  Maybe an easy-to-clean, roughed up leather a la Isaac Mizrahi's bergeres.

 

 Something like that might pair nicely with bentwoods, right?

 Or, is that too matchy-matchy?  Should I go totally fun and colorful with something like these...

 

Need your input, puh-leeze!

Downsizing and Questioning Authori-TAY

In a few months, we'll be moving from our spacious casa in Brasilia to an apartment in Rio.  Although the apartment is generous by Big City standards, it will mean a lot of downsizing for us. 

I'm nervous about moving with two, energetic kiddos into an apartment - and exasperated when everyone says, "Oh, you'll just go to the beach." Like it's a magic cure for the maladies of tight living quarters.  It might be. I'll find out.

What the move also means, though, is we'll be selling many of our household goods - keeping only what we really need and love.  I'm actually very excited about this part.  Right now, our furnishings are a mix of things we've inherited, cobbled with a few lower-end items we've had since our first home. I won't be able to make a lot of upgrades, but we will be trading in on some more space and taste-appropriate items.

I think I've got Ben on board to selling his Shaker-style dining table, and buying a Saarinen tulip table.  I'm really digging the oval shape set with more traditional chairs.

barrie benson via Domino

We have several traditional, but non-matching chairs that I'm thinking I can recover in the same fabric to pull it all together in a fun, eclectic way for our new place.  Because after all, Rio is nothing if not fun and eclectic.

Lonny

I recently did some window shopping to see a tulip table in person.  In general, household items in Brazil are much, much more expensive than they are in the States, so I figured I'd check them out here, but end up ordering one from the US.  

The salesladies at the shops stated the tables were "authentica," and they look spot-on to originals online. So I found it puzzling when the Brazilian prices were about 1/3 of the price you'd pay if you ordered a similar tulip table from a website like All Modern. (Dum da DUM)  I thought maybe the copyright laws were just more lenient here, and that they can claim the tables are authentic.

Good thing I've got a design-savvy (and legally-versed) Brazilian friend who explained that the worldwide copyright on Saarinen's design has expired, so that anyone can replicate it, and call it a tulip table.  If the dimensions and materials match the specifications of the designer's original, then it can be called "authentic."

Lonny

My own thinking as to why the authentic versions in the States are so much pricier is that they are still manufactured by Knoll - the company Saarinen originally worked with on the design.

Southern Living

So, there ya go.  

Brazilian Saarinen tables.

Almost free. 

Skonahem

In other Makes-Monday-Good news:  I found out some of my design work has been selected for a little e-glossy love.  Stoked doesn't even begin to explain my feelings.

Tom Scheerer

Bent on Burl Wood

Did you know burl wood is an abnormal growth found on a tree that has typically experienced some sort of stress - like insect or fungal infestation?  Rather nice material for being an unwanted arboreal house guest, wouldn't you say?

I've been eyeing this particular desk/vanity/console made of burl wood and lucite for some time.

 

 

 Source: myinteriorlife.blogspot.com via Alison on PinterestO

I've also been wondering how it, or a clever knock-off, could make an appearance in my casa.  In a DIY mind-set, I came across these options:

Contact Paper via Ebay (could work, or could be very, very B.A.D.)

Veneer sheets via Ebay - Gets the award for best looking, but also requires more of an investment...oh, and serious application skilz.

 

...and faux wood wallpaper via here. Possibly the happy medium.

I'm sounding crazy, but the call of the Burl is getting stronger!

Trendspotting: Curvaceous-Legged Tables

This elegant, warm, and feminine office featured in the latest Traditional Home stopped me in my tracks. Specifically, that desk! With its exaggerated, bulbous legs. What a brilliant way to feature such striking curves; to set the dark silhouette against the glowing backdrop. I immediately coveted it.

Source: google.com via Alison on Pinterest

Interior Design by Julie Kays for the 2011 Pasadena Showcase House

... and look! The same piece turned up a few pages later in this room designed by Mark Williams.

Source: traditionalhome.com via Alison on Pinterest

In fact, these curvaceous models are popping up all over the place. A more rustic version:

Source: traditionalhome.com via Alison on Pinterest

So, where's a gal to source one of these lovelies? This version on Alice Lane is pretty, but will set you back nearly two G's. Pretty, but no can do.A quick search on Ebay yields some styles with potential. I'd touch this one up with a darker stain, and drop the leaves down to use as a great entry table for a small space. Still, it's more barley twist than truly curvy.

I think you could really work some magic on this small, corner version - Buy it Now for SEVEN DOLLARS, people!

Again, this one doesn't offer the same unique silhouette, but I do love the ebonized finish.

Not quite the perfection I seek, but totally do-able, and I trend I can certainly handle more of.

Custom Sofas on the Cheap(ish)

I've apparently been living under a rock. I only recently learned about the Custom Sofa Design website, where you can (as the name infers) design your own sofa. There are tons of styles to choose from, several grades of worthwhile fabrics, trim (like nailhead and contrast welting) and, even cushion upgrades like feather and down blend. So basically, you can work up your dream sofa like the pros, but drop significantly less cash.

**Update** They went out of business (wah waaaah), but are referring clients to Sofa Craft. It seems the options are similar, but there isn't the mind-boggling assortment of them. They also don't preview fabric samples, which makes it difficult to visualize.

The possibilities are limitless, and the range of styles could be used in any type of interior. Some of my favorite styles are:

the Lola

the Desmond

The Kentwood

the Leon

...which I used as the starting point for a little design board goodness

Mirror, Chandy, Painting, Floor Lamp, Coffee Table, X Benches

But wait! There's More! Headboards and beds - shapes of which you'll recognize from very high-end vendors.

the Marc

In a fawn velvet
Hello Luvah!

the Octavia

Punch it up in a begonia linen -
It could be....Braziliant!

Has anyone had any experience with their products? If so, spill it!

Pleasant Surprises

I continue to be pleasantly surprised with Home Decorators Collection. Many of their recent offerings up the ante on a bevy of looks - from borrowed-from-Regency pieces set with mirrored inlay, to lightly industrial, to unexpected and fun: Hello darling, pink garden chairs!

I give credit where credit is due, and I think they're doing a nice job of bringing a tailored look normally acquired with to-the-trade manufacturers to the masses. Carefully selected, I think many of their pieces could have a place in almost any room going for the perfect high-low pitch.
Here's a few of my top picks, and what I might do with them...

1) Garden Side Chair - I'd use it anywhere I'd want to inject some color - around a banquette, perhaps, to create a casual, family eating scene? I love typical shapes in unexpected hues!
2) Rockford sofa - Nice, clean lines and a decent assortment of fabrics with/without nailhead. A good, starter sofa that looks nicer than ikea.
3) Baxter accent table - I might just crank this up a notch by painting it something fun, and setting it beside a clawfoot tub.
4) Jasper coffee table - I appreciate that the lines on this table are slightly elegant. It brings down the "industrial" feel of it. I'd mix this table up with dressier furniture for balance.
5) Ava table lamp - I'm liking these for bedside tables.
6) Director table lamp - I'd put one of these on a glass-topped sawhorse desk. If the desk was otherwise cluttered, the lamp would still look cool and clean.
7) Reflections Mirrored cabinet - Definitely could use this to dress up a dining room, but if a client had a budget for a large and amazing closet, I'd go all Big's-gift-to-Carrie closet with it.
8) Emma table lamp - I've long been in love with gorgeous venetian art glass lamps, but most of us can't swing $3 Gs for a pair of lamps. Enter the "Emma" - put a pair of them on an interesting piece in an entry, and you could simulate those expensive versions.
9) MS Ingrid sofa - 'ol Martha - she taps into the right partnerships all the time, doesn't she? Her collaborations with HDC seem to coincide with the catalog's glossied-up offerings. Chenille fabric on this sofa is a little "iffy," but the clean lines and nailhead trim make it at least worth considering in many rooms.
10) Slipcover Philips chair - Without a doubt, put these at the head of a dining room table where they'll take command as host chairs.

*If you'd like help putting together ideas for your home - email me about my e-design services!*

I'm Wondering...

If I could turn my coffee table this....

...into something more like this?

Obviously, with better fabric. (It's been done before, ya know?)

This would, of course, necessitate an entire-room overhaul. At least, that will be my excuse!

ALSO - Don't forget to throw your name in the hat for the $50 CSN giveaway - Go here to register!