Stumped

I know it was 'love it' or 'hate it' with Blueprint mag, but most of the time I loved it, and I was sad when they closed their doors. Just like Domino, a lot of the ideas and featured rooms from Blueprint stick out in my mind, even years later.

So what do you think I remembered when I saw these stumps for sale in the Pottery Barn catalog?

The red stumps! Remember when they featured Elena Columbo's small beach cottage?

image via flickr

I think a pair of PB stumps (or go find your own fallen tree and start hacking) and a quart of oil-based paint in a gorgeous, unexpected color - like red, mustard yellow or turquoise - would be amazing paired underneath an entryway bench.

My photoshop skills are not the best, but here's a doctored image to help give you an idea .

Image via Angie Hranowsky (photoshopped to include wooden stools)

Overstock Wall Lamps

I'm considering a pair of these wall lamps from Overstock for a kids' room I'm working on. Just $24.99 each.
{Don't worry. I'll be ditching the accordion shades.}


green

yellow

blue

Liberty of London

I have a small obsession with Liberty of London fabrics. I would gladly cover my girls' entire room (not to mention other rooms) with these fabrics. The problem is they are expensive (like $30-$40/yard). And hard to find.







(And for the mothers of little boys out there...)


When we were visiting Paris over the summer, I spent the good part of an afternoon shopping by myself in the fabric district. My sweet husband kept our girls happy, riding the Montmartre carousel about 100 times, while I drooled over bolt after bolt of gorgeous Liberty fabric in a store across the street. It was heaven for me, but I ultimately decided not to buy anything because the US dollar was so bad at the time. I figured I could buy the same fabric for less online.

Well, turns out, I can't. My favorite design is completely sold out.

In the meantime, I keep checking my only known US Liberty sources: eBay and Purl Soho. Anybody out there have some secret sources?

Speaking of Liberty and Purl Soho, I love this store display of different Liberty fabrics in embroidery hoops. Such a big impact for a small investment! For instructions, go here.


Also, check out the owner of Purl Soho's home, as featured in Blueprint. She must be a huge fan of Liberty fabrics, too. She used yards and yards here in her daughter's nursery. So beautiful...

Oliveaux and Rubie Green

Oliveaux posted this beautiful picture from one of her design projects.


I love the gorgeous pineapple lamp, topped by that perfect fabric-covered shade.

She used this Portobello fabric, available through Rubie Green.


Also from Rubie Green, amazing new bedding. I am dying for a pair of twin-size duvet covers in this pink zigzag for my girls' room. So great folded up at the foot of the beds, all made up with simple white (embroidered?) sheets, solid pink coverlets and colorful pillows...



Secretary Sadness

I wish I knew how much room I will have to work with in our next house. If I knew I had the floor space, I would totally snag this $100 secretary from Boston's Craigslist.


Then I would do an Eddie Ross transformation...

beforeduring
after

The key is the incredible mirror backing to the cabinet fronts. Love this project.

Hugo Guinness Prints

I love the simplicity and contrast of Hugo Guinness' black and white lino-cut prints.


They are all over the blogosphere and in design mags:

Above and below, from Vogue, Mr. Guinness' Brooklyn home...


From Domino

Kate and Andy Spade's home during a Christmas dinner as photographed by Elle a few years ago. See the Gunniess prints on the wall? Love it. Image via Brilliant Asylum.


Guinness prints are always available for sale at John Derian, sold in limited editions of 100, prices starting at $425. This snapshot is from the Provincetown, MA store.



From the John Derian flagshop store in Manhattan.


Rashida Jones' apartment, via Domino, features a floral Guinness lino-cut print front and center, above her gorgeous French sofa.


Another blogger (does anyone remember who so I can credit??) posted recently about the Conde Nast store selling limited edition Guinness prints. They're out of my budget right now at $140 each (or $600 for all four), but if I had the money, I would be SO tempted to snag a few of these! There are only 100 of these available, so act fast. Make sure to put these prints in gold frames though. Ditch the white.

A Beautiful Chalkboard


I love this project that reader Christina did with her dad.

The best part is the steps are super easy! She bought a gorgeous mirror off Craigslist and removed the mirror. She had the hardware store cut a sheet of metal to fit the frame, using the old mirror's cardboard backing as a template (great idea!). Then the cut sheet metal got a couple coats of chalkboard paint.



Isn't the result fabulous? I love the soft white color of the frame! Dreamy.


Great job, Christina and thanks for letting me post about this awesome project!


Do you have a fun DIY project that you'd like to share with us? Email me: pearlstreetinteriors {at} gmail {dot} com.

Vintage Fabric

One of my favorite things to do is search for vintage fabrics on eBay. Most of the time you'll find small remnants - just enough to make a pillow or two. But sometimes you hit the jackpot.

Today I won this auction for 10 yards of vintage Schumacher (please excuse the horrible seller's photo). I love the birds and I'm a sucker for greens. I paid about $2 per yard. Not bad! I'm thinking there will be a fabric-as-wallpaper project in my future...


Maybe for a wall in our bedroom? It would be like a poor-girl's Chinoiserie paper.

Or maybe the dining room?


If I have a hard time "installing" the fabric, I could always just upholster some large art canvas to hang on the walls.


Here are some more noteworthy vintage fabric auctions:

Love these stylized roses
I think this fabric looks just like a Liberty of London print. It might in fact be one (priced at an eighth of the cost of Liberty fabrics!)

This blue and green also has a Liberty vibe.

Cool feathers and roses

LOVE the purple/aqua/lime roses

{Can you tell that I love stylized flowers?}
green with roses, perfect for a dramatic dining room!

This retro print is crazy cool and could be perfect in a hip bedroom with lots of white and clean lines.

Awesome zigzag

This normally expensive print was featured in the Domino Book of Decorating. It would make a fabulous pillow or bolster.

Love the aqua, black and white - so dramatic!
Who doesn't love a great bamboo trellis? This would look SO cute in a little girl's room!
There's lots more to be seen here. Remember though, the key to pulling off a vintage fabric in a room is to mix it in with lots of current/new fabrics. Happy hunting!