me and my mirrors...

 

I know. I know.

 

I'm supposed to be looking for furniture and accessories for my husband's new

office space.

 

But what's a gal to do?

 

This antique Florentine mirror begged to come home with me.

black garden accents

?

in my garden

I love black accents in the garden, so I'm crazy about these huge black Chippendale style planters that I found to line the entrance into our backyard. I was lucky enough to find these at a charity auction last year. They were originally white and I gave them a quick coat of black paint, and now they look so elegant.

 

 

Here's one I found on-line for a great price:

black Chippendale planter

 

 

What's next for black in the garden?

Maybe a pair of these for the terrace...  

 

 

 

black garden urn

hey, that's my bar cart!

design sponge

 

I saw this bar cart recently on Design Sponge.

It's just like the one in my living room....

 

my bar cart

 

I got mine at a near-by antique shop a year or so ago.

Been trying to style it just right ever since...

my "new" bergere chair

 

my thrift store bergere chair - after annie sloan and I took over

 

A few months ago, I found a square-back bergere chair at a thrift store for a song.

I had been itching to try Annie Sloan chalk paint - so I went for the Paris Gray, of course.

I painted the chair and then had it reupholstered.

Now, I know. These chairs are usually covered in a solid silk or linen.

But you know quirky me. I wanted to try something different.

And besides, everything else in my bedroom, home for the new chair, is a solid neutral.

 

 

So here is the after:   

 such a sucker for graphic black and white!

 

 

And here is the before:

 

all the detailing on this chair made it perfect for paint and glaze

 

 

I really liked the Annie Sloan chalk paint.

Especially the part about not having to prep or sand. Woohoo!

But it is pricey.

The glaze is pricey, too, so I used some Ralph Lauren glaze that I already had.

 

Now I keep looking around for another piece to paint. 

 

Hope you have a great weekend!

donna

vintage christmas ornaments

 

 

 

 

My husband wasn't exactly thrilled when I lugged home a vintage 1950s tinsel Christmas tree a few years ago, but I fell in love with it. I've been collecting old glass ornaments for it ever since. 

 

It really makes my holidays.

I keep threatening to make it our ONLY tree.

But I haven't won that one.

Yet...

excuse my tears...

my son's height measurements and hand prints

from age one to 17

 

Next month, as my only child turns 18, we might be making his final measurement marks on our hall wall. 

 

Between college applications and yearbook dedications, it's fair to say that I am an emotional wreck.

 

You may have seen our 'growth wall' here before.  It's just extra special to me right now. 

 

If you have a young one, start a growth chart!

nate berkus and bamboo blinds

Nate Berkus Design

Architectural Digest

 

I'm a good little design girl. I do what Nate Berkus tells me to.

Check out those square windows. See how he elongated them by adding woven blinds under the panels...

Looks great, doesn't it?

 

I'm taking a page from his book.

 

 

My guest room needs blinds like that.

 

I've already added them in my own bedroom.

Huge difference.

 

I wonder what Nate will tell me to do next...

 

 

Have a great weekend!

 

donna

gray cabinets: mine and sally wheat's

well looky there.

I got those antique bronze sconces up, too.

 

I bet I never even mentioned it.

The paint color on the new cabinetry surrounding the vintage french chest

 in my master bath is the same color Sally Wheat used in her now-famous kitchen, below.

 

Benjamin Moore

Fieldstone (1558)

 

 

Sally Wheat's kitchen

cote de texas

 

 

 

 

If you are interested in Fieldstone, it's a very warm green/gray. I love it in my bathroom. I would recommend it if you're looking for a warm greige tone - and I might even consider it for my own kitchen cabinetry...

this little guy...

 

...lives in my dining room.

the little things

the original blue and white paper lining in the drawers of the antique chest

we made into a vanity

a little teak stool I found

a horn dish to hold my soap 

I'm really enjoying my new master bath.  It's not a large space but it's just my style. As a matter of fact, I am really beginning to appreciate stylish, smaller spaces more and more. 

These are a few of the small things in my small space that I really love.  

trophy cups

via tear it out

I'm such a nut for old engraved trophys or loving cups, as they are sometimes called. Love the one above used as a vase. I have a collection of old copper trophy cups and I'm always trying to figure out the best use for them. This week I'm putting them in the kitchen to hold utensils and old silver. Next week...who knows...? 

in my kitchen

painted dining room chairs

from Circa Antiques on One Kings Lane

I spotted these chairs recently and loved them. They have such a wonderful light look. Or do I love them because the white/gray Swedish look is so popular right now? I love changing my decor up a little. So, I'm thinking: should I paint my dining room chairs...?

three of my six dining room chairs

See? They're so similar! Mine are antiques.

Should I do it?  

(of course, if I did do it, I'd have to have a new dining room table...and maybe re-paint my dining room....and....and...and...)

no place like it

sometimes I just need to remember to love my own home. 

wishing you a wonderful weekend in the home you love.

donna 

first look: my master bath vanity

I caught the sun making some nice shadows on my "new" master bath vanity yesterday, so I snapped a few quick shots. I found an old, gray-painted french piece at Scott's Antique Market in Atlanta last fall and had it converted to hold two sinks.  (My plumbing contractor may never speak to me again.) I knew I wanted to have something old as an anchor in the new bathroom, and this piece really suits our 1940's home. We added a calcutta gold marble top and I was super happy that we could place the slab so that a large gray vein ran right between the sinks.

It's been a long haul but we are finally finished. I need to do a few more things, then I'll post more photos.

Until then, you'll find me here. In my new bathroom. I may never come back out.

special request -your advice

via simply natural decor

my heart skips a beat for old, stripped and scrubbed interior doors like these...

via my scandinavian retreat

they add so much character to these spaces...

house beautiful

via these are a few of my favorite things

along with my master bath re-do (still going on, folks...) we're changing it up in our bedroom. I had taken down our bi-fold closet doors to replace them with new solid paneled doors. Then we lucked up on these at a salvage yard... 

old heart pine doors with a little paint still on,

mostly white with a little gray

Just when I thought we'd never find what we wanted - there they were. And the pair was less than the cost of one new door. I'm crazy about the outline of the old handle hardware - one oval and one rectangle.

Now, my dilemma. I kinda like a little paint still on. What's a girl to do...keep the paint or take it off entirely?

(My wall color is benjamin moore horizon.)

What do you think?

at the auction!

Do you love a good antiques auction? When I dealt in antiques, I used to go to auctions all the time. I absolutely loved the hunt. Here's how it usually went down:

The preview: walk around and check it all out. Is there something here to snap up at a good price then resell? Is there something here that I just have to have for myself ?(the real reason for being here, after all.)

The crowd: who else is here? other dealers? friends? who is looking at what?

The wait: sit toward the back and watch the bidding. when that great thing comes up, bid just before the auctioneer cries "sold!" If you still have competition, re-bid fast like you're never gonna stop....(although sometimes you have to!)

I often had butterflies, especially over bidding on items I knew I wasn't likely to see again soon. And the adrenalin rush that came when I got a great piece for a song kept me coming back.

I've gotten some good things at antiques auctions through the years and I've recently started going again, just for fun. I'm a penny-pincher, so I've never spent a fortune on pieces but I've also never regretted any auction purchase I've made. I've only regretted the ones I didn't make. 

the enchanted home

You know me. I'm a mirror nut. I have a weakness for antique bamboo framed mirrors like this one, so when I had a chance to buy a lot of them a few years ago at an auction, I said, "baby, you're mine."

the center one with the crackled silvering is my favorite

I'd tell you what I paid for them, but then you'd hate me...

What have you scored at auction...?

this keeps me coming back...

my dining room

I found this chandelier at a thrift store recently for forty dollars. I just added a few crystals and the drippy candle sleeves. I love a good bargain like that. What about you?

Have a great weekend. I'll see you Monday, when I hope I can report that those cabinets are mine.

donna  

hey, that's my chair...

chair from the Tony Duquette Tastemaker Tag Sale

One Kings Lane

I've recently discovered a new blog that I like, Sybaritic. William has a good eye. 

Saturday, he featured a few of the Tony Duquette items from the One Kings Lane Tastemaker Tag Sale. 

That chair from the sale really looked familiar....  

my chair

Here's my chair. So similar, aren't they...?

I suspect both chairs are from the Victorian era. They are made of  mache with mother-of-pearl inlay and hand-painting.

I really do love mine. You know me, I'm a neutral gal, so a piece like this kicks a room up.  I bought mine at an estate auction a few years ago. At the time, I wondered if I paid too much. I think I spent around $225.

It's a safe bet the Duquette chair went for lots more. Gotta love local auctions. Don't miss them when you have the chance.

(And I like the legs on my chair better...)

antique engravings

scout designs

I love a grouping of antique prints or engravings like the one above from Scout Designs.

Here's a set of six engravings in my house; I found them at an antique shop years ago. I thought the blue/gray tones were interesting. I wish I knew more about them.  

vintage christmas ornaments

a couple of years ago I found a 1950's era silver tinsel christmas tree at a vintage/junk shop for a steal. It's perfect for my small collection of vintage ornaments. If I had my way, it's the only tree I'd put up for the season...

(and, no, I don't have the rotating multi-colored light to go with it.....)