As I stated last week, I've been in Charleston SC (lots of pretty porch inspiration!!)
and the Virginia mountains
for the last 8 days so nothing much has happened physically.
I used all my travel time to think, visualize, source and plan
so I can hit the ground running this week.
Time is flying by!!
One thing that did actually happen was my handy husband worked on the "box" for the gas fireplace insert while I was away.
There is still a lot to be done but I'm excited to see progress.
We salvaged that fireplace mantel from an old house in Marietta GA over 27 years ago that was scheduled for demolition. Every time my husband mentioned getting rid of it because I hadn't done anything with it yet, I resisted. Then several years ago we added this section onto our screened porch and we "installed" the mantel as a focal point. Then we started looking for a gas insert and one finally showed up at Restore ages ago and now it's close to being a reality.
We certainly took our time on this one!
Things still look pretty rough but there is actually progress.
I have the floor paint ready to go now that I'm back in town!
Gorgeous green!
I just need good weather so I can roll it on and show y'all some actual progress. Please check out everyone else's progress here and if I haven't bored you too much please come back next week and see if I might actually get something done!!
(Wait for a sale! They can be purchased for great deals!)
Now on to the yummy part.
Blistered Olives!!
Last week was my husbands' birthday and he wanted to stay home,
watch football and have a charcuterie board.
One of our favorite new additions to our "noshing" evenings
are these "blistered" olives.
I found them on Pinterest (this is the original link.)
They are soooo delicious and easy. They are a great addition to any snacking event - Happy Hour, apps before dinner, charcuterie boards. Anytime.
This is all you have to do. It takes 5 minutes.
You will need:
1 large jar of green olives stuffed with pimientos, drained.
1 Tbsp of olive oil
1 Tsp of red pepper flakes ( I use a tad more :) We are zesty like that!)
1 Tbsp of fresh garlic, finely chopped. I cheat and use the fresh chopped garlic in the jars from the refrigerator section of the grocery. Up to you.
Zest of one fresh lemon (don't omit - adds a freshness)
Just put the oil and spices in a saute pan and heat slightly over medium heat.
Add the drained olives, toss to coat and cook for about 5 minutes - just until they start to brown. We like them a little bit more "blistered" so I do an extra minute or two, tossing occasionally.
I am currently obsessed with this small (800 sq. feet it says) apartment located in Charleston SC.
I was born in Charleston and head to the Lowcountry every time my landlocked self gets a chance.
I consider one of my greatest parenting successes to be that I raised Mollie to be in love with Charleston and everything about the Lowcountry
(except the extreme Summer heat which I do not mind but she does!)
Anyway - back to this room. It is in the latest issue of House Beautiful.
It belongs to J.P. Horton, a local Charleston decorator.
He is renting. Doesn't look like the rentals of my past!
There are so many things I love but the first thing that caught my eye was the turquoise curtains.
(along with bamboo blinds) at my family room windows for at least a year and a half.
Yep - I'm speedy on these types of things.
My curtain choice is obviously the low end of a high/low knock off situation.
Believe me I will post a picture on my IG if I pull the trigger any time soon.
Other things I love that could be pulled from this room on a budget are:
1.The Palm I love big plants, I cannot lie. I've never met a palm I didn't love. The one in his apartment is a Banana Palm. I have blogged about my love for them before. Isn't this botanical of the Banana Palm fabulous?
The palm is elevated on a wooden stand and in a huge glazed pot.
Palms are currently everywhere in Atlanta and are available for $10.00 to $30.00 depending on size. If you have to go smaller with the palm then you could simply place it on a taller stand to give it more impact. Small tables and plant stands can be found in thrift and vintage stores.
Pots are available in every size, color and finish in every price range at discount stores and home stores like Home Goods and At Home. Of course, I think you could put it in a blue and white chinoiserie planter as well!
2. That Picture centered over the neutral couch! It is a framed piece of hand painted wall paper and I'm sure a bit pricey. One way to have something similar is to find a scene online that is free to the public and can be reprinted without copyright infringement. Then you can upload and print in a large format. I use a site called Poster My Walls. You can quickly design and download a large scale printable. I send it off to my local Walgreen's and have it printed 24 x 36 for under $20.00. If you go with black and white you can do an engineer print for under $6.00. Spray an inexpensive poster frame with gold spray paint like I did here and you've got a pretty good knock-off! This image is an instant download from an Etsy seller. Find something you love on Etsy or the many copyright free sights and print it in a large format!
There are lots of options to give you a look similar to the one in the inspiration room. 3. Ghost Chairs IKEA has some great looking clear chairs for under $100.00. I've seen them in person and they are nice and not flimsy or wobbly.
This chair is only $39.99. I've never seen it in person but what a price for a clear chair! It is from Classroom Essentials.
I love so many things about this gorgeous, elegant and inviting room. There are so many great elements to examine and use for yourself. I can't stop looking at the room and finding new details to love and use in my own home. What's your favorite detail?
Pretty mundane stuff, the kitchen table, except I hunted and hunted for mine.
And I love it.
You can read the story of how I found my table at Goodwill here.
It's a good story - I really could not make this up.
Here it is the day I found it at GW.
A couple of small dings on the table. Fixable.
The leather wrappings had a bit of wear
but I'm fine with vintage bamboo looking a bit vintage.
And they were all original and nice and tight. No loose wrappings.
All 4 chairs were sturdy.
But...
Changing the seat fabric was no problem.
The bottom of the chair back was worn on every single chair.
This might prove tricky but the price was so, so low because of this.
I thought I could figure something out.
I bought it.
I mean, it was exactly what I wanted.
And then I did nothing. For like a year. I know.
I couldn't quite figure out how to replace the back without possibly damaging the bamboo around it. If that happened then I would have to do some serious repairs and probably paint the whole set. Not the end of the world but still.
And then one night it came to me how to take out the old broken woven insert
and replace it with a fabric panel!!
And then because it was just a few days before our annual Christmas Brunch
I decided to give it a whirl!
#lastminutemuch?
It worked. My husband cut out the old woven insert very carefully. I made a pattern, cut the fabric, slid it into place and edged with blue cording I found at Wal-Mart (yep!) on a small roll for $1.00 per chair
I love it when a plan comes together.
The fabric was supposed to be used during my Entryway makeover
The plan was always to put it in the Master Bathroom!
Yep, you read that right.
We do not have a linen closet or any storage space in the MB but we had a good sized L-shaped layout that would accommodate a big bamboo china cabinet.
My husband was less sure about this plan but we loaded it up, got rid of the cigarette smoke smell and carried it up to the MB.
And then a coat of fabulous coral deliciousness!
Sherwin Williams Ravishing Coral.
And suddenly that dingy yellow-y cream china cabinet was ravishing.
I wanted the openness of the glass doors so I started collecting every wicker and rattan suitcase I could find. They all came from yard sales and thrift shops
and not one cost over $5.00.
They hold a multitude of not pretty items and are easy to pull in and out.
There are stacks of towels and a few decorative items but mostly
there is just storage for all those odds and ends that are necessary in a bathroom.
This is one of my favorite storage solutions ever- china cabinet turned linen closet.
I have chosen to freshen up our foyer - entryway, if you will. It's the first room you see in a home. so in the words of the famous Julie Andrews- "Let's start at the very beginning. A very good place to start." #doremi
There are some things we like and will stay.
There's something I don't like but it has to stay because I don't live alone... so, there's that ;)
And the foyer really needs whatever it is it needs (?) to perk it up,
to take it to the next level and to just pull it together.
The obligatory "Befores":
When you walk in the front door this is what you see.
They've been rewired and I love them there. Things staying (I am pretty sure): dresser, elephant on the left, green chinoiserie lamps. Things that might move: prints, accessories on the dresser.
"The Herd" isn't staying.
The largest one on the far left is mine but the others have gone off to the shop @elizabethandpayne
Next. Standing at the front door looking right.
There are French doors to the right.
A few years ago I "DIY mirrored" them.
More on that later.
(The chair and the Amazon boxes were just there temporarily.)
And there is the thing I don't like - the hall tree full of hats.
But my husband wants.it.there. #staying
I have white IKEA curtains across the front door.
They are a game changer. I've had them at least 5 years.
We can pull them for privacy at night and to block out brutal Summer sunshine that would fade artwork, etc. They are great in the Winter - they actually block some of the cold.
They have actually changed our heating and cooling bills.
They could use something - trim, painted stripes, a band of colorful fabric on the bottom. And the curtain rod could be improved upon. It's plain Jane from IKEA.
All possibilities but the curtains must stay - they are so functional.
Here they are pulled (not neatly, I might add #keepingitreal) on a sunny afternoon.
They puddle but maybe I should shorten them a tad? They just look messy because they get moved so much.
On the same wall is a mirror and some of my Haitian art collection.
The bamboo mirror was a thrifting find and I painted it yellow.
Below the mirror is the "challenge" part
of this One Room Challenge...
I found this pair of amazing, fabulous, dream come true Brighton Pavilion Style bamboo chairs and table a couple of months ago.
We were leaving on a mission trip the next day so Mollie and I ran to meet the seller and brought them home.
I had intended for the entire set to go on that wall.
But, guess what?
They are bigger than I realized and do not fit.
I don't want to break them up so I am trying to be tricky and try to incorporate one into the Library where the green bamboo chair used to be and use the table and 1 chair in the foyer.
The set will run along the wall but actually be in two rooms.
I will need to figure out how to make this work and not look disjointed or just plain terrible.
I don't know if I can pull it off or not.
It would be easier if the flooring did not change but, of course, it does!
Fabric or pillows may be the solution to creating cohesiveness.
The room is actually very neutral and may benefit from some more layering.
The walls are white and I'm still liking my clean white walls.
This room opens onto the only non-white walled room on our first level.
The walls are glossy black and there is a lot of color in that room.
Something to take in to consideration.
This is what you see when you walk into the front door and look through the opening on the left side of the foyer at the bottom of the stairs:
(Oh, and the rug has changed since this picture was taken.)
A friend gave me this rug that she did not like and it had barely been walked on. Literally. (I now think the blue ikat on the bottom of the curtains needs to change but that's for another time!)
The second Brighton chair will sit where the green bamboo chair is in the picture.
Whew. That's a lot to take in.
And it's a bit confusing so here is a quick little sketch to help you visualize the whole thing:
In true ORC fashion,
things are bound to change on the daily so follow along
I could go on about bamboo - vintage, faux, painted, thrifted, etc. forever.
I just love it.
I remember it from beach homes of my childhood.
I used to look around the rooms and think how I would decorate if it were my beach house and what color I would paint the faux bamboo headboards in the bedrooms.
See - this is not a new addiction/affliction.
Anyway, the star this week is my "new" coffee table. You may have seen it on my Instagram.
Big, almost square vintage-y goodness.
Plus drawers for storage.
There's been a little wear here and there,
but that happens here anyway so we like things with a little "patina" to start with.
And painted checkerboard floors are one of my favorite things. I "pinned" this image ages ago. How relaxing is this spot?
More glossy white faux bamboo chairs. And Holy Guacamole - look at this place! It's in the Bahamas and you can rent it!! I'd say 'let's go' but if I ever stepped foot in there I would never want to leave and they would have to evict me :)
But glossy white isn't just reserved for bamboo chairs... Look at that cabinet from Lilly Pullitzer. There isn't a room in the house where you couldn't use that cabinet. And then there is the enviable faux bamboo dresser. There are a variety of desirable makers-Thomasville and Henry Link to name two. I think all faux bamboo is desirable so I'm not concerned about the maker. via
So gorgeous in white with the brass bamboo pulls. via I have the faux bamboo dresser I mentioned last Bamboo Friday but I have another one I plan to paint for the Master Bedroom. I told myself I wasn't going to paint it white but these glossy white images are making me think about it! Don't you love white painted bamboo??
