Reality

For design junkies like me, the drive to have a magazine perfect home is is a constant. Last week I was exhausted and feeling a bit sick. The dining room was painted but not reassembled and the adjoining living room was supposed to be emptied. Laundry piled up, dinner was ignored, and I did not vaccum everyday--horrors!
Over the weekend I felt a little better and decided not to do most of what was undone as just a check with myself about priorities.
And questions...
My loquacious two-year old often asks, "Are you happy?!" and before I can even register the query she chirps. " IIIIImmm happy!
When I walk into the house, through the  (pronounced GAYR-ahzh in my head) garage, I enter the TV/family/casual room. 

I am always put off when it is a giant mess of toys. And God help the soul who has eaten in there and left evidence.

In reality, I don't demand or expect perfection in my home. I have enough space to create formal and loosely, conceptual spaces as well as functional, family spaces that do not completely sacrifice looks.
If I only had furniture to choose in life it might all be lucite and silk covered settees.

Luckily, I get to choose little and my life is blessed with children and that is the function that Mama's form must follow.

My point is that as much as I crave a perfect home to look at, I have a better home to live in because I push aside the crazed neat freak that is not a fun person to live with and hope no one rings the doorbell.

Bored?

Try this quiz on architectural styles from the Washington Post.

Friday finds

My early morning blog reading lead me to these charming bamboo tables on the Etsy shop Tweaked Home.

I might have to have these but I try not to shop before 7 am.

At $15, this tray needs to be revisited after coffee.

I don't know where I would use something like this chair but it reminds me of a vintage Lilly Pulitzer dress and of Summer that has sadly slipped away.

Living rooms to love

Yum pink!

I am in a living room state of mind since I'm ready to jump headlong into finishing my own.

Here the symmetry and eclecticism speaks to me. Love the sculpture and Barcelona ottomans.

I am not loving this furniture but the grand painting and the interesting panels on either side of the fireplace.

The persimmon fabrics against a neutral background are a fabulous look. Its a very un-Halloween orange and black combo.

sneak peek

We are finished painting the dining room --YAY!

It sucked in such horrible ways. If you enlarge the photo above you will see the painter's tape yet to be removed behind my antique chandelier, that I adore.

It beats the hell out of this boring thing

The walls are not what I had hoped. I wished for a lacquered look but got glossy paint with orange peel texture due to a bit of bad information. It all works because my inspiration photo (below) includes oodles of pictures, prints and paintings in frames.

I am totally covering as much as I can with stuff. Good stuff.

Stay tuned.. Dining room out of commission for living room paint job.

This is my liv room moodboard with the "dragonfly" chair's new fabric as a background. The wall color has changed to SW Faint Coral  (from the one pictured inthe moodboard) and the coffee table is still undetermined. Lucite...somewhere.

I have purchased the Bombe chest and wish to put a pair of modern vases or tiny lamps to complement the painting to be announced by an artist you all know!!!

Thinking rust colored silk curtains to shout "Hooray" next to all of that ivory, black, and pinky peach.

Yes?????
Anyone, anyone?

Decorating with books

I know negative sounding posts can be an annoying read, so I'll try to stay positive after saying, "I'm just not feeling the trend toward color coordinated book displays."

The internet is certainly useful when needing quick answers but nothing replaces the feel of a real live book and speedy, digital practicality aside, I like to be able to quickly and surely find a book by the writing on its spine.

Perhaps a small vignette on a side table, to lend substance and height and complete a color story.

I have this many books but doubt I could sort them in such even quantities of color

I like my books to have a more organically collected appearance, perhaps because they were.

The most lovely to me is the haphazard collection mixed with objets, photos, and souveniers in a slightly messy array.

Oh well, guess I'm old-fashioned that way.

"The best decoration in the world is a roomful of books" - Billy Baldwin

Etsy

I have started painting again and I am selling some of my work in my Etsy store.

It has taken a bit of work to "knock the rust off" my skills but I think I'm there.

I am also stocking a fabulous collection of antique architectural print that are matted and ready to frame. There are only two at the moment but I have 40 or 50 that will gradually be making their way on.

Click on the mini store at your left or HERE.

I have kept things very affordable because I want everyone to incorporate original art in their lives.

Check it out and use the coupon code BLOGREADER to get an extra 10% off.