Ballard Designs is having a 15 % off sale that ends today. Don't sweat it though if you miss this one, because it seems like they have similar sales once or twice a year. Also, if you sign up for their email list or their catalog they'll give you a 10% off coupon.
Here are some of the things I would get if the sale was more like, I don't know, 85% off instead of just 15%.
I am totally on the band wagon with all the
Chinese Chippendale everywhere. I love it. And while it's trendy right now, I think it's also totally classic.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHfzqB6Dw1SI0KtCbSbbc14VYmEP9__bXxuNL1pdiVl49l3n5Z2JUYKc60MbkbD-n8BjspiMyeJIXedmG59H_FIN9joxcJyJ958f2gwS8rH8BGMspKhdWh0kv-6C7tTGcL9xho16k6Ub2E/s400/Picture+3.png)
I would also get a wingback chair like
this so I could full on copy designer Windsor Smith's eat-in kitchen. I love this kitchen, top to bottom.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSGWqLtSd0F7KJZb-PqVI10WSA5otjRv5791hSXhUcengfPJvWoCT2aQwA98RY6AsOUoTZpJGK8G3zcW59Hr1Fc1PkVw5hyvdkStaFGfTdhJ0JH6Xk9Nl9S8sDFQTGV8uwZgAds0TaikS_/s400/Picture+11.png)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNNY_759OBxrk80klizh31-lewgamV2LwzVbxW9je73a23X2xsOdXjQSHD902qVVxbpayj2FIT-N_wEhceweqdmO6z-je2EqeKAB8ii337XaFyYkHApxv6tcSS4z6vXXB64tTEtAweziJp/s400/windsor+smith+chair.jpg)
I WILL have floors like that someday. I read or saw somewhere that she used carrera marble and cheap man-made slate tiles. Love the effect. I put black and white on our kitchen floor last year. I like it a lot, but I like this even better. It is a much more subtle effect.
Look at the embroidery on that wingback. It's all about the details.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiU3mFPNY_BABrgvYDJNRxMoc5YmZzWu3cQBjvy8m_qXnDJCVcdL5YKX4ACPzhs-sQjCPePyDgxP2axP85Zt-HemIQfu0g5du4fhKA5v6Lh1bXkbNtGhUkSOSGO5c4_IM3eSz_MrSrzUvQ/s400/WindsorSmith.jpg)
Speaking of monogramming, these are
great pillows. The covers are less than $13, which includes FREE embroidery. There are all sort of colors to choose from. It's an easy and pretty way to add some personalization to your room.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRCc4-EAl0AgEyLFKxRaCMfk1HW6_I_HTJwzLtP9QIV_BJhzFRU42j0APU9_ubfa89Y6OqKAWh03JZLl0h8a86E6stnDvA2cUSnOp6RfPaLdi7mqXroqeyMzKRJeuQe0UjwYTlLucfmaIN/s400/Picture+13.png)
Plus, look at all the embroidery styles you can choose from:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrMgpCaLe2oQED2PIGOBks_-qPAPMwPxV0biz6-8zdHCOk7pMKb0jkidodm8B4x5u-ZpkcuoMY-_EwaeWen2aSwUAE5akichkIOsgedhraInwRHtExqutKSueiMhMXe8ZlVr55I3RDcKNg/s400/Picture+14.png)
Make sure to buy the covers alone though if you're on a budget like me. I buy all my down inserts at IKEA.
Isn't houndstooth so fun? This
front mat is adorable.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8hErn1MrJyDvNobX5UaN4WybpuCTVspikLVOMgvizMCN2KuBnoihEj2plB8aeK9mU6JxA86E_MHOcHB587MKooL-efuj-AFnvAt3GOO2bKjFFANxEo4zX_ZO7j646CsnRqdDUCZuwNgB5/s400/Picture+17.png)
This
shower curtain (in black) is on sale for $14.99 and the monogramming here is also free!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPFWYrEc7P12Zv2DlGz31Vq4u-1bFIEABW52O6ZTBw0DNgZzkdRUzM9w4rpXX_CSUrBuJF2lAg49WpAdtjxzWzuNuJmV4Z_4BRkqiujShc-9zH7DhzuW_52Oj0S_4HCCvYbpuSnCUJBVz0/s400/Picture+15.png)
I want to reupholster
my reupholstered chair to look like
this. White and clean, with better casters.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYBMZUvWsdFaxvpXW6__MhLXT1CCw-Up0iuK5gPf_G1sVUIuf0zUGE5kUP7_mzN_Kvwq1tnJ4WnrWypgQ_8ScPBHtTCunqd9dM9hAfBiYGub9pWM9hM6Z8ba017hEwpeXo9oQ_nUb9Hhi_/s400/Picture+5.png)
I am considering this little
garden stool for our living room. We have changed around the set up of the room and we're in need of a little something for setting down drinks on one end of the sofa. It could double as extra seating in a pinch.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEagVVqM_K4JTzPD40fEH0_ddZoJyscMV3_CcbA8vXFTQfn_1XCsa7iUGgid1YIIPw8CbMaq6zUcjHWXO08CmmUUkrf0d-5Uoq-KoUqZFyqE4Ja8N8af464co-J76MRUId8IP3LsI4KJQW/s400/Picture+4.png)
I love screens and I LOVE nailhead trim on just about anything and everything. So you can imagine how much I like
this...
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5XVMej-5wmGR0R872Qkl8t8Tmwgt9a1OnBf7u64Hdgb0JtuaSNBDoXoABEaO0DmZ_Sg2706PtCAe4G8cAtrmTG2UI-7a3QkZaY-SllZqP-we7k8TiguozhP-6dZkSXKwmplgEY2LakaIx/s400/Picture+8.png)
I have loved these
X benches for more than a year now. I decided to take the plunge and ordered two of these stools a couple months ago (right after we got to Brussels). There is a 4-6 week lead time and I wanted them to be delivered soon after we got back to Cambridge. A few weeks before we got home, I started to worry that the stools weren't going to fit under my console table, where I had planned to place them. When we got home I was so so bummed when my doubts were confirmed after measuring. I thought about just using them at the foot of our bed, but I cheaped out and ended up canceling the order. Maybe in my next house...
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXmJ8I33aR3bPsrjMCdAq_KwHV0ndHPigt6grGeOL6rInmwB39FODQHVXuPWqC4H6q00TCenGfT3BC8ZOAlwb3qX-x1lMqNqj0r8OOJNkG5Ae-kRzcP6wsCawRjR4hRqn-2iYMBcN9DeGD/s400/Picture+7.png)
When I canceled the order, I thought about just trading up for this
48" Coventry bench. I wanted to use it as a dining bench. I still think it would be perfect in our small dining area (the bench against the wall + three dining chairs), but I decided to be good and hold off. Besides, the week after we got back to Massachusetts was the Brimfield Antiques Fair (Anna, I thought of you the whole time). I scored a beautiful set of five antique dining chairs. $35 bucks for the whole lot. They are beautiful, but in bad shape. I have started the refinishing project and I'm really happy with how they are shaping up. I can't wait to share.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVRFwQBnbISH0PUCAzZV1jFEbrAD0iWTVcH9TUTKGPO6UL_gqEfudQmpysPAkzX1wK0mi8s6Eka3WSV0hl-jx1i4tI_7e5gKCn_aPpGrptt9CVq5ByTnvCNcEI2uRxT-tYhv5J3OjRU6dA/s400/Picture+6.png)
I love this
umbrella stand. I scored a couple of antique umbrellas with really cool handles at the flea market in Brussels. I thought it would be fun to start a collection and this little number would be an adorable way to showcase it. I think the mod pattern on the stand is a perfect contrast to the lines and styles of the old umbrellas.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9pSpdzma-X8rU_apfQlSfmPfscssNajGLlZ2QYd8CN1NhqWLplKOEI-O4B3X_uokv8iiaId4K5Bg_CFnz-VyqjQAH2CfWgHCXtUn7a0u5CzVpJvE5j1_soStrtUvtgAzWMj8hmNbmsnO8/s400/Picture+9.png)
What's your favorite item at
Ballard?