Almost...de Gournay!

My spring cleaning always  seems to have a way of morphing into much bigger things other then just wiping things down with a little  baking soda and vinegar.  You can see what I mean by reading last year's list, "Not Too Late for Some Spring Cleaning".  And I still don't have all that stuff done yet!

I'm sure this year is no different than all the years past but my visions for extending my spring cleaning all started last week.  I started off on a beautiful spring day by reading GBGP's daily blog on de Gournay and Gracie wallpaper--wallpaper that I have only wanted for years now!  I wrote  "One Fine Day - de Gournay!" five years ago, and I'm still not there just yet! Anyway, while reading the  GBGP post it got my juices flowing again.

De-Gournay and Gracie wallpapers are expensive, and I could never afford to do a whole room, or even one wall for that matter!  As the saying goes, "the more things change the more they stay the same".  Case in point - my tiny closet!  The perfect place for wallpaper that I can't afford, plus I've always wanted it there to begin with--my little oasis, if you will!  With spring almost here, I have the huge task of taking out all my winter clothes anyway!  Now there's my opportunity to add wallpaper...Don't you think?

So here's a small backup plan that won't break the bank, and won't take long at all.  Scented drawer liners from Crabtree and Evelyn, which may have to suffice for my closet until that "One Fine Day", and  to give me a little  floral boost that I'm craving now!  Plus it's scented!

Grasscloth Wallpaper Please!

 

 

 

 

I really want to use grasscloth wallpaper in my office. Love this  office (above) that I spotted in  Habitually Chic's new  book  Creativity at Work.  I'm just a little torn between the two colors!

 

Do You Have Committal Issues with Wallpaper?

Here I used Farrow & Ball's Ringwold

in my old cottage house in Nashville

After writing A Room of Your Own, I've sensed that a few people have committal issues with wallpaper. I know, I hear it all the time. You don't want to commit to a wallpaper, or wallpaper is not 'in' right now! A couple of years ago, when I was putting wallpaper up in our cottage house in Nashville, everyone looked at me like I was a crazy fool! Even a few of my designer friends wondered why I was committing to a certain wallpaper. I loved the Ringwold paper so much, I even showed it to my realtor...he loved it immediately. Finally, I thought, someone who gets me. Plus, Hubby liked it as well, and, no, I don't think he just told me that, because he's quite vocal when he wants to be. So for all you folks (ladies & men) who have committal issues with wallpaper, here is what I may be doing down the road for a project that I'm currently working on.

Try it above with some wainscotting...like here at Winterthur. Image from Victoria Magazine

Still too much? Do one wall as a focal point. I'm loving this baby room, by the way! Image from Style at Home

Really afraid to commit and want a punch--do wallpaper panels.

Image from Canadian House & Home

Or just try it in your closet, and every time you open your doors--voila'. I've really been thinking of doing this myself (see Closet Envy). Image from Domino & wallpaper is Farrow & Ball St. Antoine

Who Likes Stripes?

Last year, my good friend Susan was working on her foyer, and like so many of us, she was short in the cash department. She asked me for a few suggestions (Dressing Up the Foyer) and I sent her a few pictures, and then I got tied up with several things, and she got tied up with several things, and so on and so on. So the last couple of times that we've talked we have not discussed her foyer issues.

Earlier this past April when Joni from Cote de Texas posted A Pictorial of Grey Gardens, I thought, hmmmm, I absolutely love this foyer with the beautiful blue striped wallpaper and moldings. I could not take my eyes off it! Now Susan and I have very similar taste; if we don't like something the other one chooses, then we simply say "Oh that looks like you" and we leave it. This is also like my buddy Cruella, who every time I show her something and she absolutely hates it she saids "Oh Lisa that looks like you". This is code for she hates it! Though I just bet Susan will love this. The wallpaper here is Cowtan & Tout (more on the pricier side) and Susan has a nice-sized foyer, not as big as this one above, but a nice size nonetheless.

So here's what I'm thinking for my buddy Susan, and perhaps me too (finally a foyer); to save money, but to add interest, you could paint tone on tone. I'm seriously thinking about doing this to my foyer as well, but it would not come without repercussions. I have a feeling that the Hubby may fall off the scaffold while (his dad did) doing the taping and the measuring for the stripes. Our foyer is not all that big, but it does go up the stairs, and I would want to continue the stripes just like you see here. I would offer do the taping myself, after all the first coat of paint is done, but I'm only 5'2" so I need the hubby's help with the taping and measuring, which is key for this technique .

Just like I told Susan last year always "add your home grown Hydrangeas & you won't go wrong!" All images from Joni

More on stripes tomorrow!

Searching For Charlotte York's Wallpaper!

Osborne & Little

Last Sunday night, I was up very late on a mad search for Charlotte's wallpaper -from this year's movie. When I first started my blog, I wrote how I was obsessed with her bedroom wallpaper from the series, and found Farrow & Ball's Ringwold that subsituted quite nicely. Currently, I've been thinking about that wallpaper a lot lately--hopefully in the context of starting some new projects. Anyway, the evening before, I picked up the DVD while out on a date with the hubby. I had secretly wanted to try to figure out the wallpaper, and of course had to see the movie again, as I explained to the hubby. He doesn't like it when I have a hidden agenda, especially when he wanted the overpriced blue rae disk. By last Wednesday, I had destroyed my new DVD because of stopping and forwarding--hmmm! So between google searches and only getting to where Lily grabs Carrie's phone, I was able to figure out the dining room. Yeah. The wallpaper is by Osborne & Little--Nina Campbell, the collection is Birdcage Walk Amazonas.


Now, what I did not get to was the rest of the apartment. I love Charlotte's enrtry hall, as well as the hall into which Carrie steps out to talk to Big. I could have sworn that was de Gournay but not sure because now my DVD is all messed up! And finally, Charlotte's new bedroom! Anyway, if anyone, anyone at all, knows anything about the beautiful wallpapers that were used in Charlotte's apartment --I would love to know!!!!

One Fine Day--de Gournay!

Image from de Gournay

Ever since last Sunday, obsessing over Michael Smith’s farm house, and admiring basically every single room, I noticed that there’s one room in particular that I cannot stop thinking about—the master bedroom. Unfortunately, with the picture I showed of the master bedroom, you were probably not able to capture the beautiful hand-painted de Gournay wallpaper that really made the whole room. Note, the house is also featured in Michael’s new book (trust me; I don’t work for these people, I just post what truly inspires me), and I was able to see a few more photos from there. Anyway, that same day I was also reading through Domino’s new book with its beautiful de Gournay cover. I quickly starting pondering all the rooms that I had seen done with de Gournay wallpaper and fabric, and immediately started thinking to myself how that maybe, One Fine Day, I might be able to incorporate it. Perhaps in my tiny little closet, a small powder room, or perhaps on one wall in my dining room or office—basically, where I could afford to put it and admire it every single day. For me, my favorite pattern is the chinoiserie. The wallpaper is hand painted, which comes with a price tag—a 3’wide panel is $600—so not exactly cheap! To do a whole room would quickly, quickly, quickly add up! However, I don’t think you would have to break the bank to use it because a little of this beautiful wallpaper would go a long way!!!

The wallpaper Michael Smith used here is Earlham by de Gournay - love it!

Image from Elle Decor Nov 2008

One of my favorite rooms by Miles Redd! Image from Domino

Love this dining room by Todd Romano!

Image from Southern Accents

Here is one of my absolute favorite rooms by Barbara Barry. The sunroom is done with a silk chinoiserie. Image from Architectural Digest

I have an anniversary coming up and I’ve never really been a jewelry-type girl. Yes, as strange as that sounds, I know. The hubby even thinks so but he is secretly quite pleased about it . Although he never really knows what to get me since he does not have the standby like jewelry. Hey hubby-- how about a panel of de Gournay chinoiserie hand painted wallpaper! That would, no doubt, do very nicely!!! But for now, until that fine day, I guess Domino’s new book cover will have to suffice!!!

Domino

Sprucing Up The Laundry Room!

Cottage Living

January/February 2008 Issue

One of my all time favorite wallpapers--Farrow & Ball's Ringwold! I personally love the idea of putting wallpaper in the laundry room. What do you think?

Visions of a new Bathroom!

The hubby and I have one very small bathroom and now, since I have gone back into the work force, the hubby and I are in a bit of a predicament. Believe it or not, he has never liked to share a bathroom with me. In fact, we have only shared a bathroom once before in our married life and that was in Charleston, and just being able to live there for 20 months made it worth the sacrifice.

When we bought our current house, after seeing the attic, we had full intentions of adding a master suite with a master bathroom in its place. In fact, I wanted to blast out the attic before we even moved into the house. However, things didn’t necessarily go according to our plan—we had to pretty much gut the first floor (and only) bathroom, and that process itself took plenty of time, money, and sweat. Now, a year and five months later we still need a master suite and bathroom!

The truth is, the hubby and I are not big renovators. Yes we both like old houses and attempt to play the part of a renovator, and truthfully, I’m probably more of a renovator then he is! In fact, for Christmas this past year, my in-laws loaded us up with power tools—a circular saw, a jigsaw, and a Black and Decker Workmate. While hubby was opening his gifts (he was happy as a five-year-old getting his choo-choo), I was thinking to myself that he’s going to cut his hand off and blame me for making him do trim in the kitchen, and then there will be blood all over the place. So I told the hubby that we should return all the stuff back to the home improvement store and give the funds to my beloved carpenter—basically, someone who is skilled and crafted, and also would not cut his hand off. Hubby was quite proud of his tools and wanted no part of this scheme. This past January, after pleading with hubby to put the old swinging door up, he, amazingly, enough did not hurt himself.

Hubby is all for adding on a master suite and thinks it will be no sweat, as long as I play the part of the contractor—that way, he doesn’t have to do any of the work. He tries to persuade me with the old, ‘I’ll have more to decorate’ ploy. Whatever happens, I’ll be ready for our next bathroom and here’s what I have in mind!

All pictures from Design Inc.

I love this bathroom! Very fresh with a few traditional antiques.

I've aways loved Farrow & Ball St.Antoine wallpaper-one of my favorites!

For resources go to Design inc. "Danny's Bathroom"

Bringing The Outdoors In!

One of my favorite Farrow & Ball -Ringwold

It’s cold, rainy, and miserable here in Nashville! Since I been talking about gardening throughout all last week and with the weather being quite dreadful outside I thought I would share a few of my personal favorite pictures of bringing the outdoors into your home. One my favorite color combinations is green and white.

In our first house, the dining room had a green and white color combination. Believe it or not, it was all Laura Ashley—wallpaper, window treatment, and fabric. I have always liked a hint of the English Country side, although on a side note—I would absolutely in a million years never be caught wearing it! The wallpaper was green and white striped (always fan of stripes); my father-in-law was kind enough to help us hang it. To help out, the hubby was his assistant (the paster). Unfortunately hanging wallpaper is one talent hubby has never acquired (me neither)! The dining room chairs that my in-laws kindly gave us were redone in green and white check. And the window treatment no doubt was a floral which I still have somewhere in storage.

For some reason, my Earl Gray tea always seemed to taste better in there!

I've always loved this room!

Picture Courtesy Of Elle Decor -Design by Ann Coyle

Photo by Francois Dischinger

As you can see I've had this for sometime! I had visions of the wallpaper in our Charleston house! Cole & Son's Paradise Tree

Currently, From Yours Truly- I love it especially on days like today!

More on Bringing The Outdoors In- Tomorrow.