Newlyweds and Nesting: Elizabeth Anne Designs Living: A Food, Lifestyle, and Craft Blog » decor

Nesting Report: Progress + Dream Decorating

ABC Dragoo — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:52:18 +0000

As you may recall from my post about beach inspired interior decor, we were asked to be in Florida for an interview the week before last. Mr. D has been talking to this company off and on for the last year about this job position – it was supposed to be the meeting that determined whether or not we were going to stay put in New York City, or relocate to Southern Florida. Par for the course, the interview was never scheduled. We’re still waiting with baited breath.

We’ve been living without a cocktail table in front of our sofa since early December. Finally, we broke down and requested time at our storage facility in the Bronx. This past Friday morning, we liberated our glass table from storage. Hooray!! The addition of one simple piece has kicked me into nesting mode! I am totally dying to fill this spot on the wall over our Ballard Designs Terrific Table.

I’d like to put the Eagan Mirror from Pottery Barn in the empty spot on the wall to the right in the photo above.

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It reminds me a bit of our black mirrored wall DIY project from the Greene Street apartment. Good thing is that it is not permanent and could easily find a spot in the next place we move. The Eagan Mirror would reflect the light (and hopefully the view) out our South facing windows. Please don’t mind the empty space on the floor in front of the sofa … I am working on a solution for that too!

The sofa used to sit in the front room of our old apartment, and the cocktail table in the back family room. I never noticed how nicely the curve of the table looked with the arm of the sofa… until they got placed next to one another. I am quite delighted with this happy accident!

The pattern in the tufting of the sofa (soft + light) mimics the grid on our vintage wine rack (dark + hard) – I think that they play nicely off one another.

Now, for that empty patch on our “living area” floor: I have fallen in love with Kyle Bunting cowhide rugs. They have a carpet available for quick ship called Rewind. It would pull all of these elements together perfectly. The barley color would look amazing with the wood floor and the slate grey would relate to our bed headboard. Decisions, decisions…

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Speaking of our headboard… we are night stand free at the moment. I have my eye on the Beam two-drawer end tables by Environment Furniture.

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Since our headboard is very modern in design, I think that they are the perfect fit for our eclectic apartment design. The reclaimed wood plays off the traditional lines of our sofa, wine rack and two dining chairs. The modern lines go with the bed, cocktail table and our super sleek sideboard that doubles as a media console.

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This old oversized mirror (8ft x 5.5ft) hangs opposite the sofa. It’s a great old mirror that I have had since my days in Chicago. It’s lived in the bedroom, and hung over fireplace mantles and now it’s hanging over the media console. I am dying to paint the niche where this hangs in an accent color, but alas this is a rental apartment and we have no idea how long we’re going to be staying around.

That is the update from our little studio in the Financial District. So far, so good – all this decorating makes me want to start taking interior design clients again… it’s just too much fun for me to dream decorate!

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Posted in: around the house, beautiful things, decor

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Managing Magazine Overflow

PJ — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 14:00:27 +0000

(image source)

Back in the day I subscribed to the now-defunct design magazine, Domino. I religiously tore out inspirational pages and glued them into scrapbooks or slid them into clear plastic binder sleeves; I never saved the entire issue. Then I got lazy. I stopped cataloging my favorites and just started stacking past issues on my bookshelves. In retrospect, I’m glad I decided to keep a year’s worth of Domino. It’s fun to flip through them to see what strikes my fancy now.

It’s not practical, however, to keep every single magazine I’ve received, and I receive quite a few of them: Real Simple, Entertainment Weekly, Vogue, Glamour, Lucky and Body + Soul. I also buy several on occasion, including Women’s Health and Psychology Today. When an article piques my interest, I end up setting aside the magazine to return to at a later time… which rarely happens. I’m wondering if I should start saving specific articles again, and, if so, how. I could paste them inside a notebook, file them in folders, store them in binders or scan them into the computer, as this post from Unclutterer recommends.

Do you save magazine articles for future reference? If so, what strategies do you employ to keep everything neat and organized?

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Posted in: organization, simple solutions, storage

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Making Our House Actually Sweet: Dining Chairs

Hasel — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 14:00:52 +0000

The first to-do on my list is to was to find new chairs for cheap – and I mean cheap. In the heat of the moment at our garage sale, I sold part of our “collection” of hand-me-down dining chairs. After that we were stuck using half folding chairs, half wooden chairs. After the garage sale, we took a trip to IKEA, where I picked up these two white slipcovered chairs. I highly recommend them if you are in the market for a basic Parsons style chair. That solved part of our problem, but I still wanted to replace the mismatched chairs and go back to using the folding chairs for their real purpose – extra seating.

{author’s personal collection}

My dream chairs are the Thonet Bentwood Chairs, featured below in the now-defunct domino. Growing up my grandmother had a version of these chairs with caning seats and I have always wanted a set. I found a source for them at a reasonable price ($99 per chair), but they are not in the decor budget just yet – other pieces of furniture are higher on my want list. (Like a new sofa to replace the plaid one and provide us with an extra bed for guests.)

{left: from domino, photographer unknown; right: from domino May 2007, photographer Dittie Isager}

I set out searching for a cheaper, temporary alternative. I remembered a photograph of Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick’s Hampton house dining room with different chairs all painted black. I loved this look, it seemed eclectic, but still unified!

{Elle Decor, photographer William Waldron}

So I headed to some thrift stores in search of four to six different chairs, possibly using one of the hand-me-down chairs we already had. On our first trip to a nearby Goodwill, Nick and I stumbled upon four matching chairs with good bones and a cloth seat for only $8.99 each. On Tuesdays, they offer a discount if you hold a rewards card from a casino. Jackpot! We did and we were able to score all four chairs for less than $25. That’s exactly the kind of cheap I was looking for.

{author’s personal collection}

N removed the seat cushions and the old fabric. I sanded the chairs to rough them up and painted them using Home Depot’s paint and primer in one in black. After two coats, they were good to go and I used wipe on polyurethane to make them more durable and wipeable.

A note about painting furniture: I painted my desk this summer with no problems. I primed separately using a tacky primer from Home Depot, then painted, and polyed. The desk is fabulous – not perfect, but super shiny and durable just the way I wanted. For the chairs, the poly did not dry as well; after a few days of drying it was still really tacky. I left them in the sun and that helped, but I can still see some streaks from the poly. I would recommend priming and painting separately, not using the all-in-one. That and not giving the chairs as much drying time in between coats of paint might be the reasons I didn’t have the best luck with this project. For more information, on painting furniture see Bryn from Bryn Alexandra Interiors’ guide and Jenny from the Little Green Notebook’s tips.

At a designer’s tag sale last year, I’d picked up a remnant of this caning fabric from Michael Miller for $10. It was perfect for the seats – I’d get my caning after all! After the chairs were painted and the polyurethane dried, Nick stapled the fabric onto the seats and put them back onto the chairs.

{author’s personal collection}

All things considered, I am really pleased with the way the chairs turned out. The full reveal of the dining and living room will be coming soon. Up next on the to-do list: the gallery wall.

Have you finished any home decor projects lately? Had any experiences painting and/or recovering furniture? Do share!

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Posted in: crafts, decor, furniture, home tour

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Home, sweet empty home!

Maggie — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 16:43:39 +0000

Greetings from Washington, DC! You might remember that after a topsy-turvy fall, we landed in our first choice city. Why, then, haven’t I been blogging my heart out about all the fantastic nesting we’ve been doing in our new city? Well, there are a few explanations for why this move hasn’t exactly been routine:

1. We moved here during a blizzard. Snowpacalypse, Snowmaggedon, Snow-Over-It, take your pick… This was our view when we pulled into our new apartment, days before another storm hit. What a mess!

2. We moved here with only a carful of belongings. We thought we’d be doing a little urban camping for a few days, so we packed the car full of just what we needed: an air mattress, one pot and pan, one set of dishes for each of us, a few clothes, and some travel-sized toiletries.

3. We apparently hired the worst moving company of all time. We were assured our stuff would be here in a week, but we’re closing in on three weeks without basics: furniture, cooking equipment, real toiletries, more than a small duffel bag of clothes. Not very fun, to tell you the truth. Week 3 of waking up every few hours to reinflate the bed? No good.

But… but! We’re trying our best to be positive (I won’t lie… it’s tough sometimes, even though we know it’s almost over). We decided that channeling our angst into some wall-painting would do us good. And since it’s much easier to paint when there’s no furniture to worry about, we might as well do it now. The bright walls have done wonders to make me warm up to this empty place. Supposedly on Wednesday, we’ll finally have our stuff back. Then I can really get down to the business of making our new place a home.

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Posted in: decor, life

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Cozy Spring Decor

Rachel — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:12:03 +0000

Cozy spring decor may sound a bit like a contridiction, but it’s perfect for this time of year. It’s still chilly outside, but you’re craving spring!

I love seeing light and bright interiors, with a touch of warmth from a cozy blanket or throw.

And bringing flowering branches indoors is a great way to lighten up your decor for spring.

Sometimes all that’s needed are some new throw pillows or accessories in brighter and cheerful colors.

Hey, dogs can get ready for spring too….

(for a how-to on making this cute little pet bed, go here)

Do you change anything around or do anything in your home for springtime?

*Photos from Better Homes & Gardens, My Favorite and My Best, Country Living, Flickr, Domino from 2006, Apartment Therapy, Country Living, Country Living, and Apartment Therapy.

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Posted in: decor

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Beachy Decor: It ain’t that bad after all!

ABC Dragoo — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 18:20:22 +0000

{source}

The week before Christmas Mr. D got a call from a guy who is hiring in Florida. (He has been talking to this guy off and on since last March!) With this revelation in the job search, I’ve put settling into our new little NYC pad on hold until further notice. It’s kind of a drag because we don’t even want to bother going back to the storage facility ~ until we know if we are staying in NYC or not. I have a lot of bare spots on the floors and walls that I am dying to decorate!

{source}

I have been biting my tongue as I watch Mr. D sift through Florida real estate listings. Finally the other day he said “I think it’s against the law to have good decorating in Florida.” It gave me a chuckle. But then it put me on a mission to sooth my nerves and find good beach design. Look no further than The Daily Basics who posted this lovely Miami home. It’s a little fruit punch for my color palette, but completely modern. I love the white, glossy floors and those gold lamps on either side of the bed are dynamite!

{source}

I then headed to Coastal Living for more beach inspiration. Thank heavens ~ over there I found a home that embraced a neutral palette with lots of texture. Please note: it’s okay to have black base cabinets at the beach -YAY! I also adore the black stool that is casually placed at the center island. (If you like that look, check out my recent post about spooled and spindled furniture.)

I really like the fireplace treatment below. It’s modern and traditional all at once. I love it when designers strike the perfect balance of old and new. I love grey walls and white trim. The splash of orange, to me, is spot on. I like that it’s just a blanket because it can be switched out at anytime. Notice: everything else is quite neutral!

Yes, please to graphic patterned curtains! I love how yellow is brought into the room this way. (I’d skip the giant wooden beach-balls, thanks- winkwink).

Again, we’ve got glossy, painted floors – but this time in Pantone’s color of the year… Turquoise! That’s a fresh take. Heck, the view isn’t anything I’d turn down either. I like the white paneling/wood floor on the ceiling look. It is a design feature that HGTV used in the 2010 Santa Fe dream home – it adds a lot of extra cost to your decor (imagine flooring your entire home or room, 2x’s) but really gives the place a comfortable feel.

After searching Point Click Home, I found this oh-so-pretty 60’s mod apartment. It belongs to the one and only Simon Doonan.

I am all for that glamorous reflective bed! Only I am not crazy for sleeping stranded in the middle of a bedroom. (It is floating there, isn’t it?) We tried that in our last place, and unfortunately, a floating bed in the center of a room just doesn’t lead to restful sleep for us. I like that while there are citrus colors in the mix – it isn’t 100% married to the stodgy, preppy, waspy “Palm Beach” look.

Last but not least, I am happy to see this chocolate-grey inspired bedroom. (We’re back at Coastal Living again!) Again, orange accessories give a pop of color, but everything else is neutral = Brills! I really like the idea that everything needn’t be ice-cream colored and all palm-frawned covered to give off a beachy feel. Should he take this job position, it actually makes me excited to reinterpret what we already own and work our decor into a new “beach” venue.

We’re tentatively scheduled to fly to Florida the week after next. Mr. D will have a meeting (number 6? over the last 12 months) and I will do what I can to warm up to the idea of being warm year-round!

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Posted in: around the house, decor

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How Many Gallons of Paint to Transform an Apartment?

Tara — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 16:46:43 +0000

Have you ever had that feeling that you just have to paint your place? And that you wanted it done yesterday? Our apartment had been painted a trendy dark blue color scheme and this winter it had begun to feel like a cave. This trendy dark blue might look amazing in a wide open loft that has a floor to ceiling windows but in our standard 2 flat building it was not quite having that effect.

{Image left, right}

So I have been craving light, bright, and airy for our home. When I was growing up my mother kept our house to white walls with decor in light gray and blue; for the first 31 years of my life I said that I would not pick out white for my walls.

We just repainted our entire apartment with light blue and a shade of white. Our apartment is on the top floor and has a relatively good number of windows but it is still a Chicago apartment on a city lot so it is fairly narrow and has buildings just over a foot away on two sides. So to get that light, bright, and airy feel it had to be Fresh Day and Bleached Linen with a fresh coat of white for the trim.

{Image from personal collection}

Expansive is not exactly an adjective that I would use to describe the square footage of our place. So I thought that it might help keep that airy feel going throughout to have less transitions in the color scheme. So I limited myself to two colors. The living, dining, bedroom, and office are all in Bleached Linen. The kitchen, bathroom, and closets are in Fresh Day. Now I get what my mom was thinking will all those light colors. The lighter colors have completely transformed the place.

Revolutionary? Of the moment? Not quite. But comfortable, light, and airy for sure. It is amazing what a difference 6 gallons of paint can make! I think that maybe spring cleaning hit me a little early this year. Anyone else find themselves getting antsy to start lightening up the home to help usher in a spring like atmosphere?

Chevron, Zigzag and Stripes… Love it, or hate it?

ABC Dragoo — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:06:03 +0000

I have been crushing on patterned floor tiles and graphic stone flooring for some time, but have not determined if I could be swayed into this sort of carpet.

{From the Right Bank}

{Apartment Therapy}

{West Elm}

How do you feel about zig-zag, chevron pattern, and stripes on the floor? Do you love it or hate it? Please discuss.

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Posted in: decor

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Pretty White Bedrooms

Ami Elizabeth — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 15:00:25 +0000

I’m a huge fan of color, but my favorite color for the bedroom is white. I like my bed to look like a fluffy white cloud that I can nestle into.

{bedroom styled by Eva Lindh via This is Glamorous}

{House Beautiful via Apartment Therapy and The City Sage}

{Black & White Home}

{Inspace Locations via Desire to Inspire}

{Atlanta Bartlett via vintage simple}

{Traditional Home}

{Photo by Kim Christie for Canadian House and Home via sfgirlbybay}

Don’t you just want to dive in?

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Posted in: decor, style

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Blue and Green Color Inspiration

Rachel — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 16:01:59 +0000

I think we can grab inspiration from all around us, especially from nature. When things are kind of bleak outside as they are now, it’s nice to recall the colors of green grass against the blue sky. I think blue and green go so well together, from aqua and olive to kelly and sky blue!

Blue and green combinations can be so fresh. They remind me of the spring that is (hopefully) just around the corner!

What are some of your favorite color combinations?

Photo credits: landscape from Flickr, Room #1 from Domino, Rooms #2 – #4 from My Home Ideas, Picture #5 /Rugs from Dash & Albert, Rooms # 6 and #7 from Domino.