Happy Halloween!

via Bohemea on Tumblr.

Have a spooky Halloween, everyone!

Vintage Remix

Kishani Perera is an LA based designer who has risen, in the design world to rockstar recognition in just a short time. Her work is being featured all over the place, from magazines to blogs to tv… With good reason. Her eclectic mix of bold color, high and low brands, vintage and new is something to inspire or aspire to. I was excited when I found out (light years behind all the truly savvy decoristas) that Ms. Perera has a new book out. It’s called Vintage Remix: The Interiors of Kishani Perera. I’m aiming to make it a part of my collection now. In the meantime, I’ve been checking out more of Ms. Perera’s work online:

Kishani Perera design. Image via Project Pretty Blog.

Kishani Perera design. Image via Aphrochic

Kishani Perera design. Image via Color Sizzle.

Each of these bloggers has done a great feature on Ms. Perera’s work. There are more photos (and gushing… not unlike mine!) on each of these fab blogger’s sites. Please check out all the great pics they have of Kishani Perera’s work. Just click on one of the pics above.

Kishani Perera at her LA based store, Rummage.

There are some great pics of Kishani Perera’s store, Rummage, on the blog Brittany Stiles. Just click the photo above to take a look. You can also see some great shots of the Vintage Remix’s sections on The House of Fifty blog or pick up your own copy and make it a part of your collection. Isn’t Ms. Perera’s work fab?

I hope you’re having a fabulous day… and colorful day! Until next time. 🙂

Totally Inspiring Room(s)

Sometimes when you’re looking at interiors, you come across a space that speaks to your soul. Perhaps that’s a little melodramatic but I was so entranced by Darcy Miller Nussbaum’s home in the February 2012 issue of Architectural Digest that I’m sure woke the dead with all my oohing and aahing. There is loads more of this winning design by MR Architecture + Decor at Architectural Digest.

Fave Five: Etsy Sofas

So, I’m seriously in full fledged hunt mode now. I’ve seen some amazing stuff all over including these amazing sofas on Etsy. While they might seem pricey, especially with shipping added on (and in all fairness a couple of them are), if you consider what buying a new cookie cutter sofa would cost with shipping added on… well, I think it balances out. Plus you have the bonus of not having the run of the mill sofa. So, here they are:

1950’s Danish Modern sofa, $840 – SelectModern @ Etsy.com.

I think this one is my favorite. This is my ideal sofa silhouette and with only a few amendments, I’d call it all good. I’m not a fan of tufting on pieces like this so I’d eliminate that. I’d also give it one continuous cushion. Possibly, I’d also ebonize the wood and recover with a fabric that had a subtle sheen to it.

Vintage cream sofa, $950 – OVETTA @ Etsy.com.

This sofa has very similar lines to the one above. I like the small, almost wing back look at the corners of the back. I’d give this one a similar treatment to the one above. It’s such a simple, elegant shape that I wouldn’t want to clutter it up with a loud color or pattern.

Tangled Up in Blue Sofa, $2800 – ChairAffair @ Etsy.com.

I love this sofa just the way it is. It has a modern, eclectic vibe about it. While normally I’m not a huge fan of red/brown wood tones, it works really well here with the vibrant blue fabric.

Shabby chic style sofa, $1195 – DistintElegance @ Etsy.com

I love the lines of this sofa. I don’t love the fabric. Definitely too safe. I think I’d go with a graphic print that had navy blue as a primary color… something with a lot of visual texture too. Like the fabric Jenny Komenda put on these chairs.

Vintage settee, $1860 – FrenchEclectic @ Etsy.com.

This one is perfect, as is. I wouldn’t change one thing here. I love the gilt details and the subtle staging. This shop owner should be proud!

So those are my picks. Happy hunting this weekend!

Thrift Store Score…

For you! These are pieces I saw today while out on my travels today (forgive me for not pricing everything):

Rattan Sofa @ Value Village on Freedom Drive

I could see this painted and the cushions recovered with one of Trina Turk’s outdoor fabrics. How fun would that be?

Wicker Dining Set, $175 @ Habitat for Humanity ReStore on Wilkinson Blvd.

This set needs some small repairs but would be lovely with the metal, chair backs, and table base painted a crisp black and the seats cover with a nubby wool bouclé. Texture, texture, texture all the way!

Faux Bamboo Dining Set, $150 @ Habitat for Humanity ReStore on Wilkinson Blvd.

I think this table would be good in a dark gray, the chairs painted a creamy white and the seats covered with navy linen. It would also look great in a green with a pale blue and dark green print on the seats.

The possibilities are pretty endless with all three pieces! Happy hunting, everyone!

Around Charlotte: The Sleepy Poet

OK. I know this place is not some unknown hole in the wall that no one has ever heard of. It’s actually a really well known and huge (50,000 sqft.) antiques mall on South Blvd with a gigantic array of vintage and antique wares available. I had heard of it before but I’d never visited until today.

It was a quick trip with my friend Dawn before we had to go to work. As soon as we walked in the door we knew that this was not a place you spent half an hour browsing. You need to devote at least a few hours if not a whole day. But we took a quick spin around the place. Here’s some of what I saw:

Cool and comfortable lounge chairs with a leopard print cushion. The cushion is removable so it would be easy to paint and reupholster them.

A vintage, black Asian style desk. Great silhouette, right?

And last but not least in the back corner, on aisle 12, I ran into John and Amy Cline. They had the cutest setup there with a range of finds that tended toward the aged, industrial, Parisian look. They were an absolutely amiable couple who took the time to chat with me about furniture hunting, interiors, design blogs and their general obsession with all things decor related. I totally enjoyed my time with them!

This is my favorite piece from their booth: a vintage bar cart in pristine condition.

A tarnished tea set.

More general views of John and Amy’s booth:

So do you have a favorite antiques or vintage shop? I’d love to hear about them. Hope you all are having an awesome decor filled Thursday!

Thrift Store Score: Headboard

I picked this up last week and already have a buyer coming by to pick it up on Friday! My first sale… I’m so excited.

Pretty cool, huh? It’s a vintage, black, chinoiserie style king size headboard. It’s in excellent shape. If I owned a king size bed, I might consider keeping it myself, it’s so good looking. Except I’d maybe paint it and have upholstered panels put in place of the caning to give it a softer, more coordinated look. Something like one of these:

Weathered gray and Pierre Frey’s Petit Parc…

Or black and any color of Kelly Wearstler’s Imperial Trellis…

Red and F. Schumacher’s Alabaster Chiang Mai Dragon…

The possibilities are endless! That’s my news for the day. Hope you’re having an amazing Wednesday! Happy hunting for your own thrift store scores. 🙂

Etsy Shop: Present & Correct

Here are a few of my favorite items from desk accessories and stationery shop: Present & Correct on Etsy:

Stamp Sheet Wall Planner – $16.50

3 x Tag Notebook – $11.50

Vintage Bird Letter Set – $13.20

Leather Pencil Case – $32.50

Science Journal Letter Set – $13.20

Totally retro cool, eh?

Friday Finds: Consoles

Until I started delving into the world of interiors, I never would have given a second thought to owning or using a console table. Mostly because I’m an equal opportunity key dropper. Actually, since my keys are on a lanyard, they spend a lot of time hanging from doorknobs… when they aren’t still stuck in the door. (The door at my house has to be locked with the key from the inside after you’re in… but I digress.

I’ve seen some really cool examples of what can be done with entryway or even making an open floor plan more functional with this little bit of “throwaway” furniture. Below are some of my favorites from recent searches.

Simple, with an Asian flair and an old world vibe:

Treasured Sage Chinese console, $999 – Wisteria

Rustic and modern, this piece could fit in several different decorating styles, from country to industrial:

Ettore console, $2998 – Anthropologie

Sleek and streamlined high gloss look would be Glam with bold colors and Hollywood Regency accents:

The X console, price on request – Plantation

IKEA offers up it’s take on mid-century modern with a modern finish:

IKEA Stockholm console, $199 – Ikea

There’s always great vintage pieces out there. Jenny Komenda from Little Green Notebook has an excellent example on her blog:

Repainted vintage console – Jenny Komenda’s office via Little Green Notebook

If you’re looking to make a bold statement, you can’t go wrong with this silver leafed cast resin beauty from Z Gallerie:

Sequoia console, $999 – Z Gallerie

Well, that’s my roundup. Do use a console table in your home?

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Pastels

It is gloomy and rainy here. I guess that’s those spring showers everyone talks about. I think I understand now hy springtime is the time when everyone breaks out the pastels – it’s a cool way to transition back into color after winters soft neutrals. So, for this Monday – pastel inspiration. Hope you all have a great week!