Shed a little light on things

Living room by Studio Reed Design

Hello, all! I wanted to share another item that is currently listed on Chairish! I also wanted to give some examples of how this piece could fit in any room. Today, I'm featuring this gorgeous (and massive!) vintage drip glaze lamp:

Isn't that glaze amazing?!

Although this piece is mid-century, I don't think it necessarily has to be used in that setting. You could go all out with vintage pieces - barkcloth curtains and shag carpets - or you could take a different approach....

Living room of Aerin Lauder

I think it would work in all sorts of settings. Against warm, rusty peach walls, like in Ms. Lauder's living room.

Foyer by Bunny Williams via Veranda

Or in grand and glamorous entryway, mixed with classic and modern elements.

Chris Barrett

Home of Cece Barfield Thompson

I love the idea of the lamp in a lovely eclectic setting like the one above. So pretty!

Via House Beautiful

Image via Vogue

Barbara Westbrook

As you can tell, I like the idea of mixing it with other shades of blue and green! I think that combination - along with some warm woods and textural accessories - would keep the lamp, and the room, looking timeless. Here is how I might put it together with other pieces:

Wall Covering - Lamp - Table - Sofa - Tapestry Pillows - Velvet Pillow - Chair - Lantern - Curtains

It would be neat to do some moody artwork as well. I love the selection at Anewall on Etsy. For the room above, I might do something like this:

Or you could go more modern and graphic and do an overscale print like this one:

There are so many ways to blend an item you love with your own things and your own style. You don't ever have to let the age or providence or style of a piece dictate how you want your space to look and feel. Although this lamp may not be what you're looking for, I hope this post delivers some inspiration for your own home!

Madeline Stuart

I hope y'all have a great day! And keep checking my Chairish shop for more fun furnishings, and back here for more ideas and inspiration!

Invaluable - Contemporary Color

Elizabeth Bauer Design

Whenever I'm working on a space, I look at the layout, furnishings, curtains, etc. But the one thing that probably gives a room the most personality - and the thing that can punctuate the personality of the owner so well - is art. I've done posts about this in the past, but I was recently approached by Invaluable to do a different sort of post. Invaluable is an auction website devoted to the sale of all manner of beautiful paintings: abstract, landscapes, portraits, watercolors. However, they understand that figuring out how to make those pieces work in your home can be a challenge. That's where I come in!

Invaluable painting by Marie Raymond

In order to give you some inspiration as to how to incorporate artwork into your own home "gallery", I thought I'd create three very different spaces in three different styles, all featuring artwork currently on auction at Invaluable.

Living room by Jolene Ballard and Amanda Malson of Domicile ID

Foo Dogs from FeelinVintage on Etsy

For the room in today's post, I'm imagining a bright feminine space, full of fun and life. First, I would drench it in a color like Benjamin Moore's "Cactus Flower".

Then I would bring in accessories that complimented the boldness of the color, but put a cool, glamorous, modern spin on it.

Chair - Leaves - Pillows - Bar Cart - Pottery - Lamp

How fabulous are those Chiang Mai Dragon pillows! Indigo blue, hot pink, and leafy green make such a great color combination too. And don't forget a little bit of gold!

Then I would do a light, modern style sofa atop a fun floral rug like this....

Rug by Safavieh

But then you need your artwork!

Living room by Angie Hranowsky

I love how Angie Hranowsky's work usually involves a good dose of color and a really good dose of abstract art.

Invaluable painting by Rod Withers

 I would do a few mid-size pieces like these, hung vertically, maybe over the bar cart.

Invaluable painting by Roberta Harris

Is this painting not fun?! There is just something so playful about it.

Entryway by Jonathan Berger via House Beautiful

I think "playful" is probably the best way to describe this kind of room. But what better way to start and end your day, than in a space that makes you smile?

Invaluable painting by George Kleiman

I already talked about my obsession with oversized art here, and this piece certainly fits that bill. It clocks in at a whopping 70 inches tall by 93 inches wide! Love it!

No matter what pieces you choose, the key is to have fun and not take the whole thing too seriously. It's your home and you're the one living with it, so make it a place you love!

More fun with art next time so stay tuned!

Baby Boom

Design by Melissa Ervin

It must be that time of year (or just my age), but it seems like everyone around me is pregnant! I am so happy for all those expectant mothers out there (my own sister included!), but, today, I want to focus on one friend in particular who has enlisted my help in her nursery design.

Like many mothers-to-be, she has a lot of different ideas of what she wants the nursery to look like: spots and stripes, animal themed, gender neutral, little boy blues all the way, etc. One design idea that she had was to do a Charleston beach-themed nursery (since she has a large family of in-laws from that lovely city). This is the idea that I immediately loved and ran with....


Design by Melissa Ervin


The first thing I did (as usual) was to gather inspirational pictures to guide me. One designer I came across early in my research was Charleston-based Melissa Ervin. Her designs were perfectly suited for this project and instantly gave me ideas for the color-scheme of the nursery: blue and green.

Paint by Benjamin Moore


I then set out to find the perfect shade for the wall color. I stumbled upon the color above, Sweet Bluette by Benjamin Moore, while perusing the Pottery Barn website for baby furniture. As the name says, it is such a sweet color: calm and soothing and perfectly suited for a baby's room.


Mahogany Etagere from Mecox Gardens


I am pretty sure she is using white baby furniture, so I felt the accent furniture in the room should provide a bit of contrast (otherwise you can end up with a washed-out look). Mahogany and other dark-stained pieces, like this gorgeous etagere from Mecox Gardens, give the whites and blues of the room a beachy Colonial look that ties in nicely to the Charleston feel. Plus, the shelves on an etagere provide extra space for baskets, blankets, books, and anything else that needs to be easily accessible.

Unknown designer

The pictures above and below are additional examples of rooms from which I gathered inspiration. I love the blend of wicker, wood, sailcloth drapes, ticking stripes, and rope above, while the photo below displays a modern, yet coastal, vignette that I found very pleasing.


Vignette by Jennifer McGee



Capiz Sconce by West Elm


Good lighting in any room is essential, but, in a nursery, it is especially important to have a variety of lighting sources that can provide a range of brightness: from soft (for bedtime) to cheerful (for playtime). Overhead lights can be so harsh, so I prefer to use lots of table and floor lamps, as well as sconces. I like the West Elm sconce above for its diffused light and beachy vibe from the strings of capiz shells, and the driftwood lamp from a local antiques store (below) because of its texture and, again, beach feel.

Driftwood lamp from Urban Suburban

So, without further ado, the following photos show my idea board (aka, my computer screen) with a collection of pieces for the nursery.

I know it is hard to make out everything in such a small picture, but I will try to describe it as best I can...

The picture above shows the curtain panels (Audry Chenille Dot in green from Pottery Barn), the driftwood lamp that would sit atop the etagere (maybe with some straw baskets below and a palm or fern plant on top), the white crib with crib sheet (Jungle Friends Crib Sheet from Pottery Barn), and green gingham bedskirt (Gingham Ruffle Crib Skirt also by Pottery Barn.... what can I say, they have awesome baby stuff!).

Again, I apologize for the poor picture quality, but, until I can figure out a better way, this is how a technologically-challenged person like me puts ideas together! The pic above shows a gorgeous palm painting by Carol Tokarski, the West Elm shell sconce (one of each would hang on either side of the painting, above a changing table that would probably also be in white), a precious little sea-creature mobile (NoJo Sea Babies Musical Mobile from Babies R Us), a comfy chair from Mecox Gardens (a must-have in a nursery), green ticking stripe fabric to cover the chair, a dark wood, barley twist table from Etsy, a nautical star floor lamp (Star Motif Floor Lamp from Mecox Gardens), and a sweet and colorful little book to read to baby at bedtime ("Mister Seahorse" by Eric Carle), all set against the Sweet Bluette wall color in the background.


Cole and Son "Palm Leaves" Wallpaper - another fun pattern that could work in this room


Obviously, there are a million more things that can be done in this nursery, but I think you can get the feel of the room from the items above and begin to imagine the soothing space it could be. I think this room shows that if you want to do a "theme" (like my friend's Charleston beach look), it doesn't have to end up looking theme-y. It can still be classic and serene, while still sweet and perfect for Baby.

I look forward to seeing what my friend actually does in the room, and I can't wait to meet her little bundle of joy, too!

Have a great week everyone! 

Inspiration Interpretation

And so it begins....

Artwork by Artman757 on Etsy

Again, this is just an example, but here is how it all started... My friend, "K" we'll call her, saw a painting while we were out and wondered if I could design interiors based on that painting. The painting was not exactly like, but not totally unlike, the painting above. It had horses in it, textural, chunky paint, and maybe an American flag in there somewhere (although K was quick to point out that she doesn't necessarily like Americana kitsch).

So I thought.... and thought.... and thought, then I started looking. I had seen designs (of which style I am unaware) that looked kind of Spanish, kind of California, kind of western, but kind of traditional. So, I set out to find pics that could help me pin down the ideas swirling around in my brain.

Home of Diane Keaton featured in Architectural Digest

It all started coming together when I saw a picture from Diane Keaton's book, California Romantica, that was part of an editorial in a magazine. It displayed (coincidentally enough) a beautiful painting of horses over a heavy wood console. (The photo above is from an older layout in AD.)


Bedroom by Michael S. Smith


I immediately thought of Michael Smith, too. He did a house in Arizona that was featured in last September's Veranda where he employed oriental rugs and heavy wood furnishings to create a eclectic, worldly sort of look.

Vignette by Richard Hallberg and Barbara Wiseley

Vignette by Schuyler Samperton

K is a very fun and colorful person so, when I saw this photo of a stylish but playful room by Miss Samperton, I knew it had to be considered as well.

Design by Joe Minton

And you can never really go wrong with bright, blue-and-white pottery (especially when paired with heavy, wood furnishings).

So, with all of these photos as inspiration, I created the following living room....

These are just a few of the items I put together for K's future living room. (The layout of the room would obviously depend on her future apartment's design.) The background would be the wall color, Cape May Cobblestone by Benjamin Moore. The plein aire-style painting is by Tom Brown, the Karlstad sofa is by IKEA, the linen ikat curtains are West Elm, and the rug is World Market. The blue-and-white ginger jar and French altar candlestick lamp images were found in random online searches, while the metal scrollwork bench and English barley-twist cabinet are antiques found at a local antiques gallery.

K said she wanted interiors she could grow into and layer onto, and I think these pieces would give her home a sense of style, while still allowing her the freedom to build her own collections of artwork and accessories over time.

So.... what d'ya think? (Please be kind! I am a beginner after all!)

Have a great weekend, everyone!