The charming console

Room by Jay Jeffers

I love console tables! They can be used for just about anything! Throw one behind a couch to hold a pair of lamps and drinks. Put a tray, some wine, and glasses on one and you have an impromptu bar. In a dining room, it becomes a sideboard/server and, by the front door, it becomes a catch-all for bags and bills and phones.

Room by Jay Jeffers

Okay, okay. So sometimes they are for sheer beauty alone!

I love a console with a little more heft to it, like the dresser used above by Peter Dunham or the large sideboard used by Todd Merrill below.

Entry by photographer Victoria Pearson

Design by Jay Jeffers

Consoles also make a great spot for displaying artwork and collector's items, such as the bust and stone obelisk above.

Note how the photographs on the consoles below are casually propped against the wall. What a great effect that has! (These two photos are from Ellen Pompeo's house, which was designed by Martyn Lawrence-Bullard.)

Design by Michael S. Smith

I love how John Saladino uses a gorgeous tapestry to define the area above the overscaled console table. In his book, Style by Saladino, he talks quite a bit about scale: monumental, residential, and human. I love how he accomplishes that here, carrying the eye from the tapestry to the balustrade lamps to the pair of comfortable chairs. His use of grand pieces is never at the expense of comfort.

Aren't you just loving the fabulous variety in Jay Jeffers designs (such as the mid-century mod style above)!

So one final pic for the day: a console from a Park Avenue apartment by David Netto. This is my personal favorite from this collection of photos. What can I say, I like to save the best for last!

I love the marble top console, love the orange on the matching chairs, love the fossil, love the lamps, love the starburst mirror. Netto, I've got nothing but love for you! Ha!

My mom is giving me a fabulous antique, marble top, Empire style pier table that she no longer uses, and, looking at these pics, I just can't wait to find a home for it! I will definitely post pics when I do!

Enjoy the rest of your day!

Papered places

Bedroom by Markham Roberts

I have to admit that I have a bit of commitment-phobia when it comes to decorating. I like being able to change out pillows, rearrange furniture, switch around pictures, and generally just reinvent a space over and over. Strangely enough, I don't mind painting either, and I like how it easily (and economically) can transform a space.

As a result, I had written off wallpaper as too much of an undertaking (sticky glue, lining up the sheets just right, etc.) and too big of a commitment (as you would have the task of coordinating all future furnishings or purchases to the paper's design).

However, the playful ambiance, the drama, and the gorgeous scenery of the wallpapers that I have come across in my exploration of design have charmed and converted me into believing these to be true art pieces that neither limit nor weigh-down the design but, instead, inspire and punctuate it.

I am most impressed by hand painted, panoramic and chinoiserie-style coverings, like the de Gournay  papers shown above, as used by Miles Redd. To me, they have a whimsical quality, able to make you feel transported to some distant and exotic place.

This lovely pink paper, used by David Kaihoi in his own apartment (which was featured in House Beautiful), is actually antique, dating back to the 18th century. Although it has a little wear-and-tear, as you can see below, the paper maintains its serene and elegant beauty, bringing a kind of ambiance to the space that could not be achieved with paint. (And, yes, I am overly partial to it because of its rosy hue!)

You can also find more contemporary, patterned examples like the damasks and geometric florals below, used by Miles Redd, Markham Roberts, and Ashley Whittaker, respectively.

Paper by Farrow & Ball

Paper by Quadrille

I just love the blend of fabrics and furnishings in this gorgeous bedroom by Miles Redd: the silk curtains, the swoop of the canopy, the Venetian striped rug, the delicate birds and branches on the paper.

Sara Story skillfully brings serene elegance and glamour to the small office area below. If you would have asked me before I saw this picture, "Would you like to have fish covering your walls?", my answer would certainly have been, "No!" But the polish and neutrality of this piscine paper is actually quite beautiful and even calming, as if you, too, are floating in the water.

As you can see, paper wallcoverings are available in a variety of styles, whether picturesque or patterned, and can infuse a space with great depth or even give a room a "story". The designs I like most come from Gracie, Quadrille, Cole and Sons, de Gournay, and Zuber.

I will conclude this post with photos of my two favorite wallpapers (two of my favorite rooms, as well) by de Gournay and Zuber, respectively. They perfectly illustrate the elegant atmosphere and enchanting mood that wallpapers can create. 

Master bath by Miles Redd

Bedroom by David Netto