Home Design Image: August 2009

IKEA Frame-Turned-Chalkboard

I've received a couple emails about my mom's chalkboard.

She simply used this IKEA frame, chalkboard paint on some sheet metal from Home Depot's roofing section, and a little turquoise paint to highlight the detail in the already-black frame.

I think it's adorable...

Coralie Bickford-Smith Does It Again

Hot off the presses...

Ten more beautiful books to add to my little collection.

Custom Adler Pillows

I'm wrapping up a master bedroom project in Rhode Island. We only need to find a rug that will work (none have been right so far) and to finish up with some accessories - like pillows.

We scored some great basic pillows at Crate & Barrel in magenta, peacock blue and chartreuse to complement this fabric that we used for the drapery panels (above).

But we need a lot of pillows - there is a window seat, two settees and a bed. So we've been on the lookout for something in our color scheme, but in a fun print.

Then my client sent me the link the this fun 'Design Your Own' program on the Jonathan Adler website that lets you color-customize all of his best-selling pillow designs. The pillows are a bit of an investment (these below are about $98 each and go up from there), but you can do a different design on each side of the pillow, so it's basically like two Adler pillows for the price of one.

Here are some of the designs and color combos that we're considering for my client's bedroom:

P.S. You guys are going to die when you see this room all finished!

Mom's Dining Room

My mom decided to update her dining room while we were working on her living room.

I didn't think she would go for it at first, but mom was so excited about the idea of wallpapering the room! She even went with my first choice, a very affordable knock-off of Osborne and Little's Asuka paper (available at American Blinds).

To save the labor costs, my mom hung the paper herself! Isn't she amazing? I think she did a great job.

My grandpa, who passed away earlier this year, made the corner hutch, so it has a special place in all our hearts. To update it a little though, my mom added some moulding trim and we painted the body of the hutch a creamy white ('Macaroni' by Martha Stewart for Valspar). The backs of the shelves were given a couple coats of a shimmery color called "Ambassador Sterling" from Ralph Lauren's Regent Metallic paint line.

The white lacquer mirror was a steal at HomeGoods.

The drapes are the unbleached 'Aina' linen panels from IKEA. The sheers are seriously adorable and crazy cheap- the 'Matilda' panels, also from IKEA.

The vintage pineapple chandelier was a very affordable eBay find.

We're lacking a rug and some finishing details. We could really use some crown moulding and we might paint the ceiling the Ralph Lauren "Ambassador Sterling" color, which is a dead ringer for the silvery gold color of the leaves in the wallpaper. We're both happy with the progress in the room though.

Cheap Wallpaper

Designer look at unbelievable prices...

All available at Sherwin Williams and American Blinds.

Come back tomorrow for a sneak peek at my mom's wallpapered dining room...

Huge Ottoman Tray

I've been on the lookout for an oversized tray for our ottoman and finally found a cheap one at PB Teen of all places.

This is definitely the best price I've seen on a tray this size (nearly 30x30").

Looks like the white is sold out (available finishes are espresso and honey, below) - but this would be an easy project for a can of Rustoleum or Krylon.

How about adding a DIY monogram? Or maybe you're brave and you'd be willing to try your hand at decoupage? Or how about snakeskin contact paper (found via Domestikated Life)?

You just might end up with the tray version of this lovely table from decorator Lindsey Coral Harper.

image via My Home Ideas

"Swedish" Clock

A few years ago, my mom and I were shopping for furniture at an awesome store called J&K in Phoenix that carries new and used home goods. There we stumbled across this Swedish Mora clock knock off.

It clearly was not an antique and it was not in the best shape, but the price was right (less than $50, I think).

It was time to finally update the clock during mom's living room redo. I sanded everything carefully and then gave the whole body two or three coats of Martha Stewart's "Bedford Gray" - a favorite shade of mine. I think it's the perfect non-boring neutral.

After the base coats dried, I trimmed out some of the moulding in a creamy white to help the details stand out a little more.

Then we put the clock back in the living room and suddenly we liked it 100x more! I love how a quick paint job seems to fix everything...

My Mother's Living Room

My parents built their beautiful home about 7 years ago. Since moving in, my mom has been busy practically that entire time upgrading and renovating and decorating and redecorating. But recently she was ready to for something entirely new and asked me to bring in my perspective. She has always been drawn to the shabby chic look, so we wanted something that was still light and airy, but with a contemporary edge.

One of the first things we did was take out the heavy drapes that were hanging along the back wall, covering up her beautiful windows. Privacy was not an issue/concern in this space and my mom has a gorgeous backyard. We really wanted to bring the outdoors in. To help do that we bought two large black urns on clearance at Lowes and planted large hydrangeas, which we were assured would fill out and thrive in that shady spot on the back porch. The large urns really have a presence in the living room, even through the windows:

The piano was painted white years ago. We all love it so much that we didn't change a thing there. It just fits my mom. Though we did upholster the plain, solid wood bench with a little foam, batting, fabric and trim.

We replaced mom's old sofa and love seat with a pair of new sofas. Well, I guess one new and one old. The antique empire sofa was a $200 Craigslist find that my mom reupholstered herself.

To add some contemporary, clean lines to the room we ordered the Loring sofa from Room and Board in taupe.

We printed family photos in sepia tones and hung them over the new sofa using my favorite Target frames in white. The vintage secretary was another Craigslist find.

My mom loved our console table project here at my house so much that she made another one for her living room using the same inexpensive ikat in a different colorway.

The room was put together rather quickly and needs some tweaking (the rug is too small and we need more accessories), but overall I love it and my mom is really happy with the changes.

Stay tuned for more projects from my mom's house...