Schoolhouse Electric November 27, 2009
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House porn from Schoolhouse Electric.
furniture shopping November 13, 2009
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My living room furniture currently consists of a 6mo futon that’s already showing signs of wear (boo) and a 12 yo slipcovered Ikea loveseat. I’ve been thinking about “real” furniture for a while now. My candidates:
The color of the Clara Chair from Crate and Barrel wowed me, but I was concerned about the problem of cat hair in velvet. One mostly white cat and one mostly black cat means there is no possible fur visibility minimizing color. Plus the lines of the chair itself are a little plain for my taste.
Leather is supposed to be a good choice for pet owners, and I really liked the Astro collection from Macys. However, reviews of other leather collections at Macys at similar pricepoints indicate that the pieces begin to show wear after 6mo to 2 years, and I’m a little concerned at how the light color will survive the cat puke test.
At this point, I turned my search back in time. I figure that if a piece can survive 20-50 yrs, it will survive many more with me, and I can skip the nasty off gassing phase of new upholstery. A search of Etsy turned up this settee and thi$ couch, neither of which I liked enough to shell out the money for. But at long last, I found my true love on GoAntiques.com. Behold the Chesterfield love seat currently en route to my home:
I can’t wait to receive it!
Poster art for my house September 3, 2009
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I’ve been coveting this Mucha print for a couple of years now and am thrilled to finally own it! I’ve mentally bookmarked the Mucha museum in Prague for a possible visit when I’m there this fall.
I also ordered this Heather Brown print, which reminds me how silly it is that I have not yet been to Hawaii!
Goodies for the house August 5, 2009
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After much internet shopping, I finally found a few items that were worthy of my house and of my budget! First, a midcentury thermometer/barometer/hygrometer deal:
Then some graphic tree ring thingies:
And a print that brings a very nice splash of color to the living room…I feel like I’ve finally made progress against the dreaded blank wall syndrome.
David and Kurt July 31, 2009
Posted by Sarah in Architecture, home decor, Visual stuff.add a comment
Apartment Therapy shows a lot of really beautiful spaces, but this one really caught my eye. I’m in awe of all the beautiful things they have in their house, and how well everything works together. And I’m not even usually a fan of midcentury modern!
more furniture “shopping” July 24, 2009
Posted by Sarah in Home, home decor.2 comments
My furniture shopping goes something like this: oooOOOOooooo, isn’t that fantastic? Hm, don’t really want to spend that much…never mind.
In any case, here’s some of the fun stuff I found while entertaining a Moorish theme for the spare bedroom.
the reasonably priced headboard that started it all...
Did I say Moorish? I took a slight detour with this one.
If I had a fairy godmother, she would buy this for me. How could she not? ;)
With this headboard, I've completely abandonned any pretense at "stuff I can afford" and have firmly moved into "ooo pretty" mode.
antique trunks July 20, 2009
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Yes, I get lost wandering around the internet looking at things I can never afford – it’s sorta akin to going to a museum and wondering over their things of beauty. The trunks really caught my eye – days when travel meant danger, oceans, saying goodbye for months, years, or even forever. A time when this quote was little more true.
Traveling is a brutality. It forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. You are constantly off balance. Nothing is yours except the essential things – air, sleep, dreams, the sea, the sky – all things tending towards the eternal or what we imagine of it.” – Cesare Pavese
antique country French trunk
antique American trunk
antique Norwegian trunk
Furnishing July 13, 2009
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I’ve been thinking about furnishing the spare bedroom…you know, so that it becomes an actual spare bedroom instead of a place for the vacuum cleaner, an extra area rug or two, and my foam roller. In search of a cute daybed, however, I wandered into the costly waters of antique furniture. In the spirit of “only in your dreams,” I present a small selection of incredible antique beds.
Victorian twin set:
A set of Venetian twin beds:
and a fabulous French bed:
It is safe to say that I will be getting none of these, but there is an iron frame I’m thinking about rattlecanning…
the dining area May 30, 2009
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Since I still have not had people over to show off the new dining room furniture, pictures will have to suffice for now. I’m really enjoying the bright, happy colors!
Retail therapy April 30, 2009
Posted by Sarah in family, Home, home decor.3 comments
When you’ve got a difficult family, people happily tell you not to put up with their shit. But until you’ve actually cut your family out of your life, you can’t possibly expect the waves of sadness, grief, and loneliness that wash over you. Easter, when my extended family gathers at our lake house, was rough. My mother’s birthday was last week, and Mother’s Day is rapidly approaching. I’m bracing for it, but if ever a holiday was designed to induce guilt in children, Mother’s Day would be it. Add on a big helping of estrangement to that, and there I am. Oh goody.
My adrenaline junkie pursuits are only helping so much, so with the money I’m not spending on phone calls, cards, gifts, and airfare to see the family, I turned to Canoe for a bit of retail therapy.
Both evoke a bit of nostalgia in me – the first reminds me of the drinking bird that fascinated me when I was little. It got smashed and I always missed it. The second reminds me of the hours I spent watching sea life on beach trips with the family.
