Powder Room Idea #1001

Just when I think my blogging days are over, the whim hits me to post, and I feel like I wanna share.  It praaaaably has something to do with the fact that I've been doing a cleanse this week, the last two days of which were a fast.  Brutal.  But today, I am fla fla flying with inner energy, so here ya go.

The last I stopped in here, we were in demo mode for our kitchen.  Happy to report kitchen is beautifully complete, but there's still things I wanna tweak before she's ready for her close-up.  So, patience, peeps.

We've been trying to tackle other rooms here and there.  I don't know if I've ever mentioned the scoop on the house we bought in our frantic quest for a home Stateside.  In a nutshell:  perfectly livable, but really generic.  Trying to add in character and style from scratch takes time.  And moolah.  Neither of which I have the buckets of I feel I deserve (please read: sarcasm).

For the last few months, I've been going back and forth over wallpaper choices for our tiny powder room.  It's the only bathroom on our main floor, and because of the micro nature of it, it needs a major injection of personality.

We replaced the old sink with a wider pedestal, and in the process discovered the lovely circa '74 floral wallpaper.

I've been all over the map with new paper ideas, but know I want a bold pattern, with a big repeat.  My first thought was to reach back to our Brazilian roots with tropicali afternoon - purchasable via Spoonflower.

I love this pattern, but here's my hang-ups:  Unless you specifically do a rush order, Spoonflower's shipping time is ridiculous.  Secondly, they price and parcel in single rolls.  It makes it more expensive, and more tedious to hang.

So, I never ordered it, and one day stumbled upon Enchanment from Thibaut.  A gorgeous Chinoiserie, in a bold color way, and a big repeat.  Perfect.  Ordered.

The only thing left to source is a mirror.  Because of the sconce placement, I need a tall, narrow mirror, but want it to have some shape.  I've been toying with something with beveled edges to bounce the light around (there's no natural light), but spied this black lacquer framed one, and think it might just work.  The dimensions are perfect, but is the outline too strong.  Hashtag: overthinking it.

The Mulligan: Skylar's Nursery Reveal

So, if you were sorta, kinda following me through the One Room Challenge link-up, you know I didn't quite make the deadline to showcase my One Room in all its glory.
In my case, it was my baby girl, Skylar's, nursery.
There was a snafu with the wallpaper hanger's schedule, and I was bummed I couldn't reveal with everyone else who participated, but I got over it quickly when...
It happened.

 Remember, her room is barely ten feet square - it's so tiny, it's really tough to photograph without distortion. 

I decided on simple styling - you could easily go overboard with such a small space, and why would I try to compete with that wallpaper?   The other side of the room holds the closet, and her changing table, which I'm still in the process of refinishing (read: barely sanded).

 The crib linens are the Katie from the uber-talented, Bailey and her Biscuit Homegoods.

 The Fiery Red is perfection, isn't it?

 Is that a Skylar in there?!

 

We painted the walls BM Mint Julep, and the rug was an Overstock find - it's nice and cushy, but has a major shedding habit.  The crib is the Babyletto Hudson.       

The brass floor lamp is vintage, and may I mention my husband hates it, can't understand why I'd buy it.  As Skylar gets bigger, standing up in her crib, etc, I'm sure it'll find another home.

If Ben has his way, it'll be by the curb. ;)

I'm so in love with this little jewel box of a room.

I'm even more in love with its inhabitant.

I think it's safe to say we have one satisfied customer!

 

What do you think?  Was it worth the extra wait time?

Mental Hygiene

Just in case you were wondering, there's no baby news yet.  I'm a week from Due Date today, so the official Kettle Watching has begun.  As I waddle around our neighborhood, I catch glimpses of passersby with that look of 'Wow, you're about to pop - don't do it here, please."  Good times.

Things have been really hectic 'round Casa Portu-Giese.  We've had to attend to some major issues in our US affaires, and all of it has had both Ben and I mentally drained.  It's times like this when I tend to pull back from things like blogs and (to a lesser degree), Pinterest because I feel like I let them unduly influence my scope of reality.  You could say I'm performing a little mental alignment hygiene.
Summer is a good time to do that.
Pre-baby is a very good time to do that.

I've also been reading The War of Art by Steven Pressfield about overcoming inner creative battles.  So often, people who are called to creative endeavors are challenged by severe inner Resistance that keeps them from being their Ultimate Self.  If it sounds hokey to you, you've perhaps been lucky in not experiencing it.  I have it in droves, but instead of just calling it Resistance, I call it my Gremlin.  That nagging inner voice that lives to create self doubt anyway she can.
Anyway, so far, the book is very promising, and I'll share my take when I'm done. 

That's not to say I'm totally forgoing internet eye candy.   How perfect is this Globetrotter wallpaper?

I know.

Stay tuned for Baby G updates...

Would you ever...

Wallpaper your kitchen?

Why or why not?

Project Planning: Sister's Casa

My sister, Brooke, and brother-in-law just bought a "next step" home. It is spacious, and has a lot of potential, and I can't wait to get my grubby little hands on it! So, I guess it's a good thing she's already been hitting me up to put together some inspirations and ideas. I wonder if there's such a thing as putting a decorator on retainer? Hmmmm....

Anyway, because the house is quite a bit larger than their starter home, they'll need a good amount of furniture - not to mention the layering it'll take to make it feel really special. Almost the entire house will get a new coat of paint - right now, it's a mish-mash of colors they'd never select. Obviously, some rooms, like the family room and master bed/bath, will take priority.

The dining room probably isn't one of them, but I keep coming back to it for some reason...

Since it is one of two rooms seen immediately upon entering the house, I pause at the idea of leaving it blank for too long. I also pause over the fact that someone recently sponge-painted ANYTHING, but I can see why the previous owner might have tried to give the room some sort of architectural interest. It is screaming for it, is it not?

I immediately thought of panels, and likely using them to frame out some wallpaper or fabric. I recently spied this particularly brilliant idea - bamboo yoga mats framed out to give the incredible texture of grasscloth, without the investment. It's waaay more interesting, too!

chinoiserie chic

Brooke isn't looking for a tightly traditional aesthetic, and so far her color palette is neutral. Something soft like this might work, if she wants to keep it calm.

decorpad

I'd be more inclined to go the way of something like this. It maintains a "safe," traditional element, without going geriatric.

the zhush

We're heading to The States for Christmas, and I'll have about three weeks to pull together at least a room or two, so let the project planning begin! BTW - it's Brooke's birthday, today - so this post goes out with big hugs, kisses and Birthday wishes!

Two (design) roads diverged...

I have a habit of changing moods midstream. In college, I changed majors (majorly) two years in. In my working life, I went from medical sales rep making good dough to broke law school student. It's no surprise, then, that I often get halfway through the decision process of a project, and take a left turn, so to speak.
That happened with Isla's nursery. I was going down the path of gray this, gray that - soft, neutral, yada yada when one afternoon recently it just hit me: jade green. With touches of gold, and fuschia and clever art. Heavily inspired by de Gournay wallpaper goodness. Knowing wallpaper, especially something that exquisite, isn't part of my limited budget, I've decided to do my own riff off the look.
I was inspired by images like these:

kelly at home

enlighten me as to source

desire to inspire


massuco, warner, miller

So, here's where I'm at....At least for today

How can I do this face wrong?

If I had an extra $300+

...I'd be snapping up one of these handpainted, silk panels and framing it. Not quite de Gournay, but still...Muito lindo!!!

Available here

Project Time! Dining Room Facelift

My sister, Brooke and I have been scheming on what we could do (cost effectively) to give her dining room some much-needed punch. She wasn't happy with the way her table visually melded into the hardwoods - being almost the same honey color... but the purchase of a new table wasn't really in the budget...

She also wanted to bring some pizazz to her built-in china cabinet - to help make her lovely china and crystal stand out...

So, with brains bubbling creativity, off to the paint and craft stores we went...

Thursday was a perfect day for a painting project. First comes (tinted) primer...In case you're interested, in my humble opinion, Zinsser "Bullseye" primer is top-notch!

Project Mascots: Miss Betty Prukop and Sir Winston Sumbera (with matching pink tongues!)

After the first coat...loookin' gooood....

Friday's weather wasn't as promising, and we had to work in double-time to get that second coat on - all in all, made much easier with the help of the Wagner Power Painter** We had about three hours of outdoor dry time before the mist/sprinkles turned to a full-on shower - HURRY! We have to get the table in the house!!!
Thankfully, the table was dry enough to skeet indoors, and, really, it was a good thing to get it out of the humidity. So onward, project we went!

You've seen people using wallpaper in the backs of cupboards, secretaries, etc, right? Well, what about something a little less labor-intensive, and a bit less permanent....say...Scrapbook Paper???
There's a wealth of selections...Brooke was aiming at a damask-ish pattern, but look at that oooh-wee green faux-croc - fantabulous!

Factor in some removable double-sided scrapbook tape, a ruler, and some patience...and Voilà!

A custom look for nothing near custom price!

Doesn't it flatter her pretties soooo much more than the previous, basic white background?

Here's a B&A shot of the table - big difference, huh? We also put down a thick jute rug she picked up at IKEA - a truly fabulous find! I swear, I saw a picture in a recent PB catalog that nearly mimics this look - and we killed this project for under $100! (not counting the rug)

So, there ya go! What do you think? Did we knock it out? I'm super excited we got this done before I head back South, and ofcourse, glad to get my design fix! ;)

To my Valentine....Sorry we are not together on this day for sweeties, but you are very much in my thoughts - Love You, and Happy Valentine's Day! See you Monday!

**Just a little helpful note - I can't exactly give my endorsement to Mr. Wagner, the Power Painter. He can't help it, he means well, but he just doesn't have quite what it takes to give a smooth, professional paint finish. He's a great buddy for detailed paint projects that don't require an expert touch, and will save you some time, but he won't be going back to Brazil...so sorry, Mr. Wagner. For my Portu-Giese paint projects: Plan B....

Paper My World

Have you been in on the uptick in the use of wallpaper over the last couple of years? I've been completely suckered-in by the design world's recently-renewed love affair with papered walls. We're not talking your grandmother's (or mother's!) floral mylar papers from the 80s (although some of THAT is even making a comeback!) Instead, there's beautiful and intricate patterns that are often used to add whimsy and interest - a brilliant move, considering the stereotype for wallpaper is that it's staid and stale...

Take a look here, and you'll see these rooms beg to differ...

I'm itching to use wallpaper somehow - but won't be papering any walls in our Brazilian-owned home, but I'm thinking I might get my fix by framing a panel - something like this...

Photos courtesy of Domino

I'm crazy, crazy over some of the more bold chinoiserie* patterns....

But, you know me and my serious appetite for all things yellow these days...so, I'm most definitely drawn to this look (and it would look darling framed in our TV room!)

Oh, but the choices are ten-fold! Ever heard the story behind this Banana Leaf pattern? It was originally designed for the soda fountain bar at The Beverly Hills Hotel in 1949.

And it still looks fab and classic today...

Found this muted reproduction at wallpaperbarn

I'll admit, though, the most vivid looks (and thus, those most eye-catching to me), were at Second Hand Rose - a company that specializes in vintage wallpaper

But if you prefer a paler palette - these three were on Ebay

So, what do YOU think? Would you take the plunge and paper? You know, taking a small space (like a tiny guest bath) and doing something bold with it, often turns it from ho-hum, nice-enough to Wow! Statement! ;)


**If you're interested in the history of chinoiserie paper, be sure to go to de Gournay