Andrew Barnes Lifestyle: ikat

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Sourcing for mom... the dining room edition

My mother, Lois, has a new house in the NC mountains! And, it is freaking cute.

I am sooooo thankful that she sold the log cabin. That silly thing was a maintenance disaster. And, mom referred to it as the Rice Krispie house -- as the ambient temperature of the of the house changed during the day, the wood would "snap, crackle, and pop." Good riddance.

Her new home is only 1400 sq ft.... so McMansion it is NOT. Fortunately, it is absolutely adorable, and she's done a wonderful job getting it together.

As you might imagine... {hint hint}.... there are a couple of ideas which could make her little mountain cottage the envy of all of her neighbors. And, it might just piss off a few family members, too! That would be like a gift from sweet baby Jesus.

But, I digress.

Let's start with the dining room. The back wall of the dining room can be seen as you walk in the front door. So, since that is the first sight line in the house, it needs to be amazing. I know, it needs to be practical, too. Don't burst my bubble!

Ok... the basics.

1. Crown moulding.

The cost is only about $1 per linear foot installed. So, that shouldn't completely break the bank.

2. Back wall. Options: textured paint, wallpaper, or grasscloth.

http://www.dwelement.com/blog.php?post=200

Hmmmm.... that might really be a good thing! Simple and tasteful. Me likey.

3. Light fixture. Oh, did I mention that the light fixture in the dining room was TINY??? It is awful! Simple drum shade to the rescue. Fortunately, my mom is not a Venetian glass chandelier kind of girl... that could get expensive.

www.westelm.com

...and it is ONLY $100. Score!

4. Dining room table. This is where there may be some gnashing of teeth. History: The table is over 100 years old. Beautiful lines. But.... it has been beaten all to hell. Despite multiple attempts to strip, sand, and stain, the top of that little beast still looks dreadful. Currently, it is hidden under a tablecloth. Ick.

How about some color????? Red maybe. It IS mom's favorite color.

THAT could be....... amazing!!!

Ok, Joseph, focus.

5. Storage. Since she is seriously lacking storage, a buffet might be the practical and pretty solution. And, since that crazy painted table is going to be the center of attention, lets stick to white or natural wood colors.

http://www.colemanfurniture.com/glen-cove-white-buffet.htm

Reed buffet

Ok, I LOVE that Reed Buffet. It's perfect. But.... it is located in AUSTRALIA. Thanks world wide web! Grumble. And, since I've previously shipped a didgeridoo from Sydney, the cost of that little trans-Pacific trip would be insane.

That Coleman one isn't bad. Dimensions are 16 x 18 x 62 inches at a cost of $765, with free shipping.

6. Lamps. Need two lamps for the buffet.

http://www.circalighting.com/

Great looking balustrade-inspired lamp from Circa. Sadly, there are 2 problems. First, the $630 price point is a tad high. Second, it is french wired... which means that the cord comes out of the socket. Personally, french wired lamps are the aesthetic equivalent of nails on a chalk board. HATE! But, I do like the idea of that lamp. Guess that I'll keep looking. It may be Home Goods to the rescue.

7. Chairs. The current chairs in the room are Queen Anne with upholstered cushions. They have great lines but the off-white damask on the cushions looks a little too formal for the room.

Guess that we need to find some fabric. Something fun and festive...

Ikat?

For some reason, I'll bet that she will pass on the Ikat idea.

Camel in velvet?

Pebbles in mocha? I want THIS for me!!!

Vingage floral???

The best option... send her a pile of fabric samples and tell her to pick.

8. Rug? The floors are a light oak stain.

Bold stripe rug??? Not blue.

Hmmmmm.

Graphic pattern?

Simple jute?

She will need to give me some ideas on the rug choice. But, I suspect that we will steer clear of the imported Turkish varieties from ABC Carpet and Home. Some of them are not very budget friendly.

Holy sticker shock, Batman.

9. The wall above the buffet. Oh, I have a great idea which was inspired by this 100(+) year old photo.......

My grandmother, Mollie, and her twin sister.

What about a gallery mount of family photos????? Personally, I love the idea and have about 25 black and white picture frames in my closet. So, it would be cheap. And, I think that mom would adore it!!!

http://accessorizeandorganize.blogspot.com/2011/05/gallery-wall-inspiration.html

I think that we have a plan. Now... I need to talk her into it!

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Duvet decisions

Master bedroom at the Franklin hacienda

I just HAD to have a glen plaid duvet. Nothing else would do. The end of story. But, that duvet has been a pain in my butt from day one!

Why? Unfortunately the list is long.... By the time that I finally decided on a look for the room, those duvets in herringbone and glen plaid were no longer on the market. So, after countless hours digging thru swatches of fabric, Josie finally found that pattern in Charlotte.... I think. Anyway, since the fabric was light weight, it needed to be lined. Unfortunately, even with a summer weight down comforter, the thermostat must be set on IGLOO. It is heavy. And, in a word: Toasty!

To add insult to injury, the fabric isn't wearing well.

So, as we say in the South, it is fixin' to get the big... HEAVE HO!

There are a few things in the room to consider.....
1. The carpet is builder's beige. Not sexy, but it's in good shape.
2. The headboard, barrister bookcase, lyre table, curtain rod, and 3-over-3 chest are dark stained hardwoods.
3. The bench at the foot of the bed is tufted black leather.
4. The nesting tables will eventually be replaced by something a little more Dorothy Draper-esque.
5. Bed linens are white and euro shams are black.
6. The pleated blinds are off white and the textured linen curtains are pale tan.

Sometimes, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Wing back chair in black velvet with silver nailhead.

Most of the accessories are black, white, silver, crystal... with a few gold accents.

One wacky bamboo and cane chair has paisley upholstery.

The overall look of the room, is fairly simple and tailored. Or, at least that was the plan.

So, back to the duvet.

After hours of searching on-line, digging through samples at fabric stores, and a fair amount of cursing... no luck! Keep in mind, I had already decided that this little adventure was NOT going to be as expensive as that last duvet. No reason to break into the 401K to fix my bedroom meltdown.

"Chalk it to me" Piggy Bank

http://ladiesandgentlemenstudio.bigcartel.com/product/chalk-it-to-me-piggy-bank-2-0

Yesterday afternoon, I finally stumbled across THIS charcoal grey pinstripe duvet from Ralph Lauren.

The duvet was ordered and only time will tell. But, I think that it will work. The thought behind the room was that it should resemble a gentleman's suit.

The next conundrum is a pillow for the bed. I really like the houndstooth pillow in the black chair (like in the photo above). And, I absolutely hate two throw pillows on the bed... since the bed is a king, there should probably be one big one or three small ones.

Ok... a kidney or lumbar pillow it will be! Dinensions are 22 x 14 inches. Measured it on the bed.... that will work smashingly.

But, what fabric should I choose???? For ideas, I started looking through the fall and winter suit collections at Saks, Barneys, Neiman-Marcus, Tom Ford, Gucci, Ralph Lauren, Nordstrom, and Bloomingdale's. The goal is masculine, but not over the top... with a tad of whimsy.

A couple of things can be ruled out: No fur. No leather... though black suede might be fun. No vinyl. No camouflage. {Can you believe that Jimmy Choo has $600 men's shoes in camouflage fabric for the fall? Awful!!!!!!!} And, no traditional animal prints... this is NOT the time for zebra or leopard.

Here a few options.....