long overDUE update

Wow, it has been too long my friends!  I keep telling myself that I will get back to this blog but, alas, life has not worked out that way.  As I begin to toss around even the early thoughts of a project in our home, I imagine its manifestation as a blog post because, honestly, writing and preparing the visuals for them have become very helpful to my own design and decision making process.  But then I'm pulled back into my current reality of fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants design decisions as I attempt to keep up with our painter and handyman.

While things may be moving a lot more quickly than I am used to with hired help, it is nice to see the interior of this house changing so fast.  It really is beginning to feel like home - a reassuring feeling as our newest addition's due date draws near.

And, speaking of our new addition, we have been busy working on the new nursery.  Because our next will be another girl, we'll be re-using much of the same items in this room as we used for Ella's room (wow, how little she was).  However, there are also many things that traveled with Ella to her new, big girl room - the curtains, her rocker, and many of her colorful possessions - opening the door for a bit more of a neutral take on the nursery this time.

So, here's where we started.  The ABC room, as it was formerly called, was covered in wallpaper (complete with border).  We stripped the wallpaper but all attempts to remove the paper backing and glue from the walls failed.  It was all so old that it would have taken our painter days to remove it down to the bare plaster.  He opted to use a special sealer over the paper backing and glue, after giving the walls a really good sanding, in order to prevent moisture from causing it to bubble.  He then skim coated the entire room, sanded smooth, and primed.  The walls in this room look brand new!

 

Here's the room post-skim coat.  

And here's what it looks like now.  YES, it's pink!  

We've been working really hard to keep the arrival of the new baby a family event and include Ella in as much of it as possible.  Sometimes that includes answering tough questions - "Momma, how did baby Jo start growing in your belly?" More often, it has meant including her in doctor appointments, asking for her help to unpack baby clothing and blankets, and involving her in the construction of baby equipment and even the nursery itself.  As such, she decided that, because the baby was a girl, the room should be pink.  Clearly, despite my personal de-emphasis of all such silly gender stereotypes, the world outside our door has shown its considerable influence. And unfortunately, despite my attempt to pick a very pale shade of pink, the actual color turned out to be a bit more saturated than I would have preferred.  Eventually, I'll re-paint the room myself, but for now we're going with it and I'm trying to get used to having a pink room in my house.

There's still a lot to be done in this room and I'm working on how to pull it all together.  More soon!

white christmas

One of the most exciting things about moving into a new house (for me) was that I would be able to pick out a new sofa.  I bought my first sofa right out of undergrad (that was 12 years ago folks!) - it was the largest purchase I had ever made, both in size and cost.  I had picked a neutral tan upholstery for the sectional I had chosen until my Mom astutely reminded me that I was sure to be living in apartments or rental houses with neutral beige walls in the coming years and that a neutral sofa might be a little boring.  So I went for it and picked a red upholstery that has immediately injected some life into all of the beige and white boxes I've lived in over the years.  Nonetheless, I've still always longed for a neutral sofa.  And by neutral, I mean WHITE!  

Call me crazy - I do have a massive dog, a toddler, and a baby on the way - but I love the idea of a nice, clean, white sofa.  Perched against the backdrop of a pale grey wall and the deep colors of our new vintage living room rug, I think it would be sure to pop!  So I did it!  It's definitely going to be a WHITE Christmas in our house (because it seems as though it will take that long to get it - 8 to 10 weeks lead time, whoa)!

Here are some shots of the living room as it existed before we moved in.  We fell in love with the floor to ceiling windows and all of the original moldings.  The room was previously wallpapered but it was thankfully removed before it the house was listed, and so we have a great blank slate.  This view looks toward the front of the house.  You can see a peek of the foyer on the right.  The piano was one of the few things in the house when we first saw it and so we wrote it into our offer.  Surprisingly (or not, because who wants to move a piano), the previous homeowner obliged without any objections.

And this is the view toward the rear of the house and into an addition that we use as our family room and play room.

And here is what I am pulling together for my first adult living room space (I feel so grown up, at least on paper):

The sofa is from Crate and Barrel - the Petrie in Snow.  I've had my eye on it for quite some time.  I love its clean, mid-century style.  And, in a room with as much existing character as this space has, I'm inclined to go for really simple furniture pieces so as not to distract from any of it.

The tall, barrister bookcase is another inherited piece, along with the wool area rug.  I love that I now have a place to give these pieces a new home.  The height of the bookcase will be a good addition to all of the other, relatively low pieces.  And the rug will add some pattern and color to the room.

We also already own one Wassily chair, though it is a vintage knock-off of some sort, and will be inheriting another, this one original. We have been contemplating whether to purchase another "original" chair to replace the knock-off as there are some very apparent differences in the construction.  But to be budget friendly, I think both can co-exist for now.

I recently purchased the floor lamp shown on clearance from JCP - the Skyscraper Floor Lamp designed by Michael Graves (no longer available).  It has an antique brass finish that I think will complement the woods in the room nicely.

The coffee table shown is also from Crate and Barrel - the Structure Square Coffee Table.  I am using it as a place holder for the time being.  I think that the heavy, solid wood table is a nice contrast to the thin, light frames of the Wassily chairs, but I want to wait until the sofa arrives to make a final decision on the size coffee table we need for the space.  I also don't want the living room to feel as though its been ripped from the pages of one store catalog - my worry if I purchase too many pieces from one place.  I would certainly like to do some more browsing of local vintage furniture shops before I decide to splurge on another piece of furniture for the room.

The room is slated to be painted after Thanksgiving in Sherwin Williams Aloof Gray - at least that's the plan.  We just purchased a myriad of paint samples that we need to get up on the walls to make a final decision.  All of the existing trim and built-ins around the fireplace will also be getting a fresh coat of white paint so that they will pop from the pale grey walls.

When the sofa arrives, expect some "in progress" photos of the space actually looking like a room we use!

e's room

While I mull over the million ideas I have for the kitchen, I'll give you a little peek inside Ella's new room.  When we first began negotiations to purchase this house, I posted a mood board for Ella's new, big girl room.  It was a necessary distraction from all of the other work I knew this house would require if our offer was accepted and it kept Ella excited about the impending move.  Well, three months later and those early plans have changed a bit.

Here's where we started (all sources can be found here):

Ella has changed her mind on a few things, mainly, the color of the bed.  Almost as soon as she chose the raspberry bed, she recanted and became dead set on a black bed and hasn't wavered since.  So we've ordered the black version of the bed above from Land of Nod.  This major change, along with her request for a teal room has shifted my design plan just a bit.  So here's where we are now:

1_In place of the mid-century dresser, we've decided to go with a more muti-functional storage solution from IKEA - the STUVA line in white.  Our setup will differ from what's shown to provide additional space for folded clothing.

2_The (dark) teal ceiling!  After requesting the bed in black, Ella asked for teal walls.  Honestly, a full room of teal with a black bed scared me.  I had bad flashbacks to the NIKE windbreakers I wore in middle school.  I just could't go all the way there.  So I think I've convinced her to let me just paint the ceiling a beautiful, deep teal.  I hope doing this will allow me to add additional color to the room in the form of toys and accessories without it looking like a box of crayons.

3_Now that the ceiling will be dark and the bed black, I thought I might lighten things up with this Possini Euro Design Flower Pendant.  It is a room for a toddler and this was a good place to add an element of fun.

4_I'm still stuck on the Firenze Velvet Tassel Pillow from Anthropologie.  And the graphic, black and white LAPPLJUNG RUTA pillow from IKEA I had in our former living room will be relocated to Ella's new room.

5_Jenny Lind Bed in black from Land of Nod

6_I am having a hard time finding a rug I like for the room.  The previous one just doesn't fit with this new direction.  I'm hoping I can find something a wool rug with a classic, vintage feel in deep jewel tones that will grow with the the room as Ella gets older.

7_The Eames RAR Molded Plastic Rocker in lime from Herman Miller will be following Ella to her new, big girl room.

8_Ella's curtains from her former room will grace the two large windows in this room as well.  One pair may require a hem to lift them up above an existing radiator.

9_A big girl bed deserves a big girl nightstand.  I found this one on Overstock - the Atlantic Powder-coated Metal Side Table.  At just under $40, this will be an easy piece to swap out in the future and the basic white table will be a good base for a colorful lamp.

We are currently stripping wallpaper in Ella's room and prepping for paint.  Updates to come!

the up stairs

It's been over a month since my last post, and life is chugging, full steam, ahead.  Work at our now SOLD home has stopped and the packing of boxes has commenced.  But some new-to-you updates have happened since my last post, including the newly painted stair walls and carpeted stairs.

As soon as the basement stair update was completely done, my attention turned back to the "up" stairs.  I spent A LOT of time patching and sanding the walls along the stair.  The old plaster walls had a few cracks but mostly, a previous, poorly done paint job was the biggest culprit.  In addition to the expected dents and scratches typical of a heavily trafficked corridor, there were places where all manner of dust, hairs, and globs of dried paint had been painted over - yuck.  

I finally stopped patching and sanding several weeks ago and gave the walls a fresh coat of paint - the same White Truffle by Behr that I've used for the kitchen, dining room, and master bedroom.  I was so happy to see the yellow walls go!  The last room left with awful yellow walls is the living room, which will be painted in the coming weeks.

I moved the Case Study Planter to the landing.  It gets much better light here than in the far corner of the Dining Room where it was previously located.  I also finally hung my Mother's Day gift from Ella and Ted - a new locale print, this one of the entire state of Michigan by Belle & Union.

And the carpet just went in last Friday! I was hoping we could do a runner but I started to stress about the gaps in between the string board and the treads and risers.  The house is old and everything has settled, expanded, and contracted.  Our options, as I saw it, were to live with the gaps (wide enough to push plenty of cheerios through),  add additional quarter-round at each stair, or rebuild the stair all together.  With the latter not being such a practical option, we opted for the most cost effective route - to run the carpet the entire width of the stair.  Not at all what I would have preferred but it has been SO NICE having carpet back on the stairs.  I chose a light grey, low pile, wool loop carpet with hints of warm brown and cream to blend with the walls and wood trim.  The wool is so soft underfoot and I'm not longer worried about Ella slipping down the bare wood steps.  I was also ecstatic to say goodbye to the clicking of Henry's nails on the stairs announcing to everyone, even at 2am, that he still lives in this house (poor, neglected pooch).

The upstairs landing was also carpeted as it had previously been, up to the thresholds of each bedroom and the bathroom.  I hung Umbra's large clipper wall hooks up on the narrow strip of wall between bedroom doors to showcase some of Ella's artwork from school and home.  Since I like to keep my fridge uncluttered with things and because this house has a serious lack of wall space (there are so many windows), this seemed like the best place to show off her work.

Still on the touch-up list: to remove the white paint from the stair base trim at the top of the stair.  Oops!  I once had dreams of painting all of the trim in this house white. 

a big girl room

We bought a house.  At least I think we did.  We finally have an accepted offer, did all our inspections, BUT we haven't heard from the seller in over a week with regard to the inspection results.  She's overseas and has apparently not been heard from.  So, until the seller reappears, we're distracting ourselves with the fun stuff.

There have been a lot of discussions in this house the past few months about our move to Cleveland, and more specifically, Ella's new bedroom.  Today she made a few decisions for the room (and I filled in the rest).  Her excitement makes me smile and I am so excited to tackle her room first!

1_If you haven't guessed already, I like color, especially when it comes to a child's bedroom.  When I found this fun Cotton Ball Light String by Cable and Cotton and showed them to Ella, she flipped.  What could be more exciting, when you're almost three, than the thought of having Christmas lights in your bedroom.  All.  Year.  Round.

2_We went to our second City Flea in Cincinnati (our first in Washington Park) this May and I picked up this cute little print from Jodi Lynn's Emporium of Doodles.  The colorful hot air balloons will pair nicely with some of the existing photos and art we already have hanging in Ella's current room.

3_The Rio Pendant Lamp in antiqued brass from Jonathan Adler will be a good, permanent addition to her bedroom.  I think it will survive any future decor shifts in the room and will compliment the style of the rest of the house.

4_Ella has a Jenny Lind style crib in her current bedroom in white.  I love how it pairs well with more modern pieces.  So when I spotted the Jenny Lind line of furniture from Land of Nod, I knew we had found her big girl bed.  And it comes in colors!  Ella picked the bed in raspberry.  It should be a nice pop of color in an otherwise, fairly neutral room.

5_I love this pillow - the Firenze Velvet Tassel Pillow from Anthropologie.  It's the perfect piece to bring all of the colors we're using in her room together.  Now, whether I pay $78.00 for it is another story.  The concept is easy enough to tackle on my own.  I'm going to start hunting for a multi-colored tassel string and if I can't find one, I suppose I could always try to dye my own.

6_The Eames RAR Molded Plastic Rocker in lime from Herman Miller will be following Ella to her new, big girl room.  Now that we have a little more space in the new house, we're opting for an upholstered glider for the new nursery and so Ella will get to keep this little gem.  Which is a good thing, because she LOVES it!  Dare I say, it just might be her favorite reading spot.

7_The Knitted Graphite Pouf from CB2 that we purchased to use with the rocker will also follow Ella to her new, big girl room.

8_And to replace the open basket clothing storage she has now, we'll invest in a nice dresser for her growing wardrobe (the larger sizes just don't fit as conveniently in the open baskets as the little newborn onesies did).  This one is West Elm's Mid-century 6-Drawer Dresser in acorn.  I love the style.  If I can source a similar, vintage dresser before our move, I will most certainly scoop it up before I decide to spend some major bucks on something brand new.

9_And to finish off the space, we'll lay down this neutral Chenille Jute Solid Border Rug in gray over the wood floors.  It's flat enough to stack blocks on, but still soft for lounging on the floor.  And it's a pretty affordable option where rugs are concerned. 

dining room: hanging stuff

Now that the dining room walls are painted I've been thinking about hanging something on them.  I mean, why else do you paint a room off-white?  The only problem, I don't have much of a budget for new frames and art.  Thankfully, I've got a stash of things that I either haven't been able to find a place for in this house or took down from the original room before construction.  It's a pretty random collection of things but, I'm in a use-what-you've-got mode for this house.
 

I thought about winging the placement of all the frames once I had them all laid out on the dining room table, but decided against it last minute.  I dug a large cardboard box out of the basement, cut it open, and traced all of the frames onto it, then cut all the shapes out.  I then used painters tape to arrange them on the wall.  I remembered to move the plant back into place because I didn't want it to interfere with any of the frames.

I think that it would be fun to cover this wall with frames, art, and family photos.  There are a few more things that I already have that I'd like to add to the wall that didn't make it up in the first installation, largely because there didn't seem to be a good place for them without some additional frames (that I will have to purchase - I'm thinking a trip to the thrift store might be in order).  I also have a few little canvases in the mix that I have plans for but need to find the time to actually complete.  But for now, our walls don't seem so bare and I get to enjoy some of my favorite photos and art.  The painting on top was a gift from Ella to us for Christmas that she made at school!  I cried when I opened it!

dining room table + chairs

In the new rental house, with all the open space, I finally have a space for a grown up dining room table and chairs. I already have a table that's the perfect size for the space (not too big, not too small) that I acquired from Craigslist several years ago. The seller was moving out of state and originally posted it for $50. When I showed up to her house she ended up just giving it to me for FREE! It was one of her last items to go and several people had already come and gone without purchasing the table. Afraid I would do the same (since, in her words, it had a bunch of gum stuck to the bottom) she just needed to get rid of it and gave it to me and even helped me load into my truck. What luck!

At my old house I just didn't have room for a dining room set up with a table of this size. Instead, I used it as a desk in my office for awhile, and then it moved into the back room as a laundry folding table. I'm so glad I hung on to the table for the day I would actually have the space for it, but being an old farm-type wood table (with indeed a bunch of gum stuck all over the bottom) it needs some TLC, and I want to now refinish the top and paint the legs either a bright color (for a neutral room) or now I'm thinking I will paint them white since it will live against the yellow walls in this new house.

What has consumed me most over the last few weeks, seeing the table sit lonely in the dining area, is the subject of chairs. I've paged through many different sites, looking for chairs to pair with this big old table. At first I thought I wanted a mix of different modern type chairs or maybe a set up with a long bench on the one side. I especially love the juxtaposition of the older wood table and modern chairs below.

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I tend to waver over these decisions for quite awhile (the Libra in me) so I haven't made a purchase yet. In my search so far I have fallen in love with the Tolix cafe chairs. Designed by the French company Tolix in the 1930's, they’re still handcrafted in France. I've found several versions of the chair out there and different styles even. The only thing I am sure of is I love them in either white or steel.

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dining room: new curtains

I ordered new curtains for the dining room window last week after my post about whether to hang curtains or shades.  While sitting in the living room one night and staring into the dining room, I noticed that the window in question was not quite level, as is the status quo for this house.  And to mount shades on a window that isn't level worried me - the shades would inevitably look crooked.  So it was back to the curtain idea.  They could be hung straight and help conceal the wonky window condition.

I had already been looking for a red print curtain and finally decided to order these.  They arrived on Friday, so I quickly got to work re-installing the curtain rod (closer to the ceiling this time around).  And as soon as they were up, I realized that I had chickened out a bit (again).  Really bold, red print curtains would be so fantastic BUT I got scared and decided to go with a more toned down color palette and a messy print - I'm calling these the messy dot curtains.  I'm not sure it was the right decision.  These curtains are of a pretty nice quality for the price and they do add some nice color to the dining room.  But tonally, they just kind of blend in with everything else.  I'm still missing the pop.  But in all my searching for off-the-shelf curtains, finding something bold has proven difficult, so they will probably just stay because, really, why am I banging my head against the wall for curtains in a house I'll be moving out of soon.  For the life of me, I'm still not sure why such things keep me so occupied.

yellow walls (from the other Fort)

When I started this space several years ago, I intended it to be a shared space for both my sister and me. We imagined paperForts together and we sure do have big dreams for it. So, in the pursuit of accomplishing at least one of these dreams, I'd like to introduce you to my little sister Anastasia. She will be posting here regularly and taking you along for her ride - in life, design, and all things home. Give her a warm welcome!

Hello! It's Anastasia (or Auntiestasia if you ask Ella). I'm the sister that makes up the other half of paperForts!  I'm a freelance graphic designer working predominantly in web and UI design, based out of Atlanta, GA, where I live with my partner Tricia and dog, Mister. When I'm not working, I'm usually texting with my sister about the many projects we want to do or have already started around the house . . . which brings me to today's post . . . Yellow Walls!

We recently moved to a new neighborhood in Atlanta. While looking for a house to rent, we found this gem with beautiful open space, really nice amenities, and a fenced in backyard for Mister - exactly what we needed after a long and arduous experience at our previous rental (long story for another day). The one hang-up we had about this new place? The sunshine yellow paint that covers all the walls of the open floor plan. When we first saw the house, the color wasn't a big deal to me - anything can be painted. But when we went back to sign the lease, Tricia was definitely miffed by the yellow and I realized how much of the house was covered in this alarming color.  While nothing is wrong with the color in and of itself, I just never imagined decorating a yellow room. So, I asked our new landlords if we could paint to which they replied "Yes," as long as we got them to approve colors. Great! Where do I sign?

When we finally moved everything in, and were actually living within the yellow walls, I had to agree, it was a lot of yellow! From the front hall into the kitchen, across the dining area, through the living room, and down the back hall which, in total, makes up about half the house.  I've painted rooms before, and even a red wall like the one Mr. Big had in Sex in the City in my old rental which had super high ceilings and required three coats, but never have I ever had to paint what I estimate to be about 850 square feet at one time. It is a daunting task, but it is also too much yellow.

First we talked about just painting it all white - the easy route. But all the trim is white, so basically we would go from too much yellow to too much white. We loved the color they painted in the garage (go figure) so we thought a lighter version of that in either a warm or cool tone would go well with all the white trim and would pass the landlord's approval by going quite neutral.

Upon emailing our landlord our plans to paint, we were smacked in the face (not literally) with "We would rather you not..." 

WHAT!? Yea, get us to sign on the dotted line, and then make us live in all this YELLOW!? What is going on!? Later that day though, she changed her tune and replied that we could paint. But between the "We would rather you not...," she gave us earlier in the day and when she finally relaxed her position, I had come to the decision that it just wasn't worth buying all the paint and hiring painters or doing all the painting ourselves; it was just too big a job for a house we may only be in for a year or two.

Still, I couldn't shake this yellow wall fiasco, so I vented to my sister and, in all her genius, she immediately went on the hunt for some inspiration for all this yellow.  And thanks to sites like Pinterest, it's pretty easy to find inspiration whenever you need it.  Now, after all that, I'm actually pretty excited about the possibilities! Stay tuned!

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happy family bathrooms

Now that we're signed up to have the kitchen renovated (they'll be coming on Friday, eek), we need to start thinking about the bathroom.  Just like in the kitchen, we plan to keep some of the current fixtures and reuse them in the new bathroom.  We're also planning to adjust the layout a bit in order to give Ella's room a more traditional closet - you'll see what I mean when I post the plan, but her closet is currently just 18" wide by 5'-0" deep.

I am torn between creating a modern, but classic bathroom with adult appeal or a more playful, kid-friendly bathroom.  I could definitely do a combination of the two ideas - something that is fun for us for now and could easily be revised for a potential buyer without kids (think neutral paint).  I've had my eyes on these fun spaces that just make me smile.  Perhaps Ella might learn to love bath time again . . .

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mid-century shadiness

I picked up this lamp shade at Target earlier this week.  Yay or nay?  I like the color - a greyish brown - but I'm not sure about the proportions.  The shade hides much of the wood piece at the top of the lamp base.  This might be simply solved with a new, longer harp.

It's amazing what a little lamp can do for a console, anyway.  I feel like it really helped to make the surface not feel so empty.  But now, it's time to pack it up!  We just got word yesterday that our contractors are ready to get moving on the kitchen right away.  Only two weeks ahead of schedule!!  I can't remember the last time I met a contractor ready to start a project ahead of schedule.  No arguing here.  Let demolition commence . . .

We'll pick this whole dining room project back up in, oh, about five weeks.

before pinterest

Sometimes I wonder what I did before Pinterest.  Oh, I know . . . I didn't spend nearly as much time online sifting through images and ideas as I do now.  I used to read lots of magazines (printed on actual paper) and I tore out what I liked or interested me and organized them in these . . . my "picture books" as I like to call them - cardboard binders filled with plastic sleeves loaded with images and sorted into categories as basic as "wall" and "bath".

Not all of the images were kept because they were what I envisioned for my future home, but because I love a great idea, an interesting layout, or an innovative use of material.  It's interesting to see too, how my tastes and what I'm naturally drawn to has evolved over time.  It seems I used to go for a more contemporary aesthetic with a bit more color.

I have filled two binders with images until Pinterest came about.  And ironically, in going back to them to look for kitchen inspiration, I spotted several images that I saved but also pinned, not knowing that they caught me first years ago in print.  Like, for example, the kitchen image below, bottom of the page. Look familiar?  I included it in my mid-century kitchen love post

accessorize this: mid-century dining room console

I rarely accessorize.  I always forget about it.  I have the stuff - scarves, jewelry, belts, but it's not often I pull them out and figure out which of them to put on.  I tend to wear the same two pairs of earrings, or the same necklace, over and over again until I lose them or they break, and then I'm heartbroken because I have to acquaint myself with a new pair - you know, get used to looking at myself in the mirror wearing them without thinking they look ridiculous and like I'm trying to accessorize (I know, I'm crazy). 

My house is the same way.  I do have things that I've collected and love but I feel like I never know where to put them or how to display them.  I'll arrange my collection of white bud vases on the mantle only to pack them up a few weeks later because I fear the mantle has gotten too crowded.  I do not feel confident when it comes to accessorizing my space (or myself, obviously).  It's probably why I loved watching Emily Henderson in her HGTV show Secrets of a Stylist.  She could always make a room feel complete but collected at the same time.  So I've decided to try and start accessorizing (my home, not myself - yet).  Why not start with my mid-century dining room console since I've been obsessing over making some small tweaks in the dining room lately.

Here is the console as it exists now.  I've tried but I don't think that anything about the current arrangement is doing this gorgeous mid-century piece justice.  Sure, it doesn't help that we store toys next to it.  Perhaps a potted plant might look a bit nicer?  The silhouette of Ella is supposed to be hanging in her room.  It's still here from her birthday celebration in June (oops).  I definitely still need a place for a bar tray of some sort, or, on second thought, maybe these items can find a new home in the renovated kitchen.  I'm planning on this lamp finding a permanent home here, but I am still searching for a new shade.  In the meantime, I'll be digging out all of the items I've previously packed away to see what I can make of them in light of the fantastic images I've found.

Yes, these fantastic images . . . 

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I'm definitely missing a plant and hope a good friend who just happens to create some fantastic arrangements in even more spectacular containers can help me out!  I'm loving all of the offerings from Fern Studio right now.  Check out her website in the meantime!

dining room seating

While I was in Cincinnati this summer, I made the requisite trip to IKEA.  And, while there, I spotted these SIGURD chairs on sale and seized the opportunity to replace our current hand-me-down set.  I had nothing against our hand-me-downs.  They were quite comfortable actually; knock-offs of the tubular steel, cantilevered chair designed by Marcel Bruer in 1928 - the Cesca chair.  If I had been able to figure out how to reupholster the chairs without literally breaking the wood frames of the backs, I would have been more apt to keep them around (actually, I still can't bring myself to get rid of them entirely).  But multiple inspections and internet research came up empty.

I think these chairs are the perfect complement to the raw wood table top.   And there was far to much shiny chrome under there with the previous chairs.  I, unfortunately, only purchased four of these chairs without thinking about the capacity of our dining table and they are now discontinued.  Just my luck.

I'm wondering if I should add the matching SIGURD bench in white to the side of table adjacent the kitchen.  A bench might help keep this circulation route into the kitchen free of floating chairs that never got pushed in.  And the SIGURD bench dimensions fit perfectly with my table.

OR, maybe two accent side chairs might be nice.  I've always wanted a pair of these babies - Wishbone Chairs by Hans Wegner.  DWR has them in just about every single desirable color.  They have them in Mint!  But that just might be a little crazy and impractical.  I think I'd splurge for them in black.

mid-century love: our new lamp

Yes, I consider him to be a new member of our family.  I spotted this gem on Etsy last week and couldn't stop thinking about him.  He was sort of the impetus for my need to start tweaking things in the dining room (yea, he means that much to me).  The mid-century console has always felt a bit empty and I'm hoping this guy will help turn this around.  All I need to do now is re-wire him and find him a cool shade.

hello dining room

I've been a bit antsy waiting for prices from the contractors for the kitchen remodel so I've been revisiting thoughts on the dining room.  To be clear, I'm usually ALWAYS thinking about how I can tweak something or completely change a space to make it perfect.  But because this house is temporary, I try to remind myself not to invest too much time and money into these ideas.  The problem is that the thinking and idea-generating are just things I like to do and they never go away.   And why not use this place as a testing ground in a way for our future place, right?  So, say hello to my dining room.

This is the dining room in it's current state.  Not horrible but certainly not great.  This is our only eating space and this room connects the living room to the kitchen, so it's a primary part of the circulation through the house.  When we moved in we installed the light fixture you see and hung the curtains.  And that's about where the improvements stopped.  The yellow paint is left over from the previous renters and, while most of the trim is in it's original stained state, there is a small portion of white base moulding around the intrusive bump-out the previous owner created for the fridge.  You can see it in plan here (the dining room exists through the doorway to the right of the kitchen).

This room will be getting a coat of new paint sometime in the near future (kitchen renovation pending).  Before that happens, I'd like to start thinking about how to change things up a bit.  Perhaps some new curtains, re-work the styling of the console, add some table linens, and a rug.  I've also been in search of new ways to address the small amount of wall space in the room - a series of these architectural horizon photos by a good friend perhaps - to help give the room a more concrete focal point.  The bright blue skies might just be the pop of color this room needs.

mid-century kitchen love

I wrote, last week, about my first mid-century kitchen design project (plans here and renderings here).  Over the course of the design process I began gathering images of some great mid-century kitchens, some original, and others contemporary updates with a keen modern aesthetic.  Frankly, there are so many images that I started a new Pinterest board to keep tabs on them all.  I've grabbed a few of my favorites (for one reason or another) here.  Enjoy!

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livin' with it: a red sofa

Do you have a piece of furniture that just doesn't seem to fit your tastes anymore but you can't get rid of it because you can't afford to replace it or its just not the right time to be adding more furniture to your collection?

For me, this piece would be my sofa - a red, microfiber sectional I purchased just out of college for my first apartment.  At the time, it was the most expensive thing I'd ever bought, and to this day, I'm happy that I handed over my credit card because, after thirteen years of use and too many moves to count, it's still as comfortable as the day it was delivered.  Sure, it's faded a bit and there are a few bare spots in the fabric from being jammed through doorways and up narrow stairwells, but it's structure is still in tact.

The only problem, red is NOT the color I'd want for my sofa anymore and I wish I had some tufting in my life.  Both of these issues could be easily solved if I were to have the piece reupholstered but that is also not an option right now.  What's a gal to do?

I've been scouring the web for ideas on how to make my red sofa fit into a space I'm excited about.  And here's what I've found . . .

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This was the first image I came across when searching for images with red sofa's that I actually liked AND that seemed practical.  When you have a kid and your living room doubles as a playroom, this image makes you feel like creating a relaxing room that can pull double duty is actually possible.  White walls seem like the way to go to help the red sofa pop.

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Ok, I mostly just like the stack of books on the radiator in the first image.  The blue walls are fine, but I feel like it might be too much color for me.  The second image feels much more collected. The eclectic mix of vintage furniture pieces is definitely interesting - so much so that the red sofa really blends in rather than becoming the focal point.  The room feels fun but comfy.

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The pale grey walls in this room are a great, not-too-bright backdrop to the red sofa.  The open coffee table ensures that the space around the sofa feels light and open.  Everything else is low and white, allowing the sofa to be the focal point.  

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Both of these spaces have a lot of architectural character.  I suppose our living room has some of this - if you want to call old, beat-up wood trim and a gigantic, brick fireplace surround with a wood-burning insert character.  In my opinion, the trim could stand for a good coat of white paint and the fireplace would fit in better if it weren't so dominant in the space, but I suppose these images are good examples of just going with it.  I like the lightness of the first image, even though the exposed ceiling structure keeps the space feeling pretty cozy.  And the rug in the second image . . . well, there just are no words. I want it!  And the Eames Lounge Chair, and the table with the hairpin legs, and the Pantone coffee mugs . . . 

As we get ready to head back to Ann Arbor in a few weeks, I can't help but think about some minor tweaking I could do to make our living space feel a bit more like these images I love.  Adding a pillow cover or two, and maybe some curtains, certainly won't break the bank.