Thursday, October 26, 2017

Come On In! Fall 2017 ORC - The Entryway

Week 4 Check In.

This is always. always the week that I have very little excitement to post. 
In addition, I am currently in Virginia. 
Which is beautiful with fall color and cool, crisp air.


Look at that sky with those colorful trees.

So, I am not home getting anything done.
But I'm not without some progress to report.
My handy husband is at home stripping the finish off 
of the long time disliked yellow-y oak floors.


Some of you may be thinking to yourself, "I don't remember any mention of redoing the floors in the previous ORC posts or the design board."

BINGO! 
You are correct.
Since I have been dragging my heels on the fabric decision, am out of town and haven't accomplished much except to do other non-ORC related projects I decided to add refinishing the floor to the "list."

The To-Do List
1. Stain the floor
2. Continue looking for  rug. (I may be on to something)
3. Add fabric border to the bottom of the curtains
4. Pillows for Brighton chairs.
5. Paint hall tree
6. Paint back of front door - something fun that works with fabric and rug which are TBD :(
7. Decide on accessories for the chest - they are in front of the mirror.
8. Decide on accessories fro Brighton table 
9. I want a plant in there somewhere... 

Be sure to check out all the progress on other ORC rooms here.


Friday, October 20, 2017

Bamboo Friday #11. I Can't Choose...

The November issue of Coastal Living Magazine
 has two of the most amazing bamboo items ever. 

I cannot pick a favorite so you decide.
Which do you think is the most fabulous??

First, this hanging chair/bed/?  
However you identify it, it is the perfect spot to read/relax/ sleep/ daydream.


I'd like to spend every Bamboo Friday in it :)


And the other image that grabbed me is this "rounded bamboo sofa" in this dreamy Caribbean home designed by the amazing Amanda Lindroth.


I mean, really. 
That is my dream bamboo find right there!!
I could definitely be happy sitting on that couch on Lyford Cay for the rest of my life.

Have a good Bamboo Friday 
and if your weekend involves some thrifting then I hope you find something bamboo!!

Thursday, October 19, 2017

Come On In! Fall 2017 ORC - The Entryway

Week 3 Check-in. 

The mirror of my dreams is finally hanging in our entryway.
And I love it!! 
I love the white on white - my inspiration investigations were right! It's fabulous.
I've been cleaning it like crazy. 
It's like someone had a coke explode on it right before they stored it
 in the dustiest basement ever. 
Not even kidding. 
But she's worth it!!

I didn't get it hung until Sunday evening so my initial sneak peeks on my IG 
were evening/lamp lit shots.




It doesn't hurt one bit that I have this gorgeous bouquet
 from the POP UP Shop last Saturday. 
One of our vendors created live bouquets 
from buckets of gorgeous flowers from the flower mart. 
I love white flowers and she created this all white bouquet for me. 

I've been narrowing down some fabric choices.

 

I still have not pulled the trigger on any fabrics...
what's wrong with me??

(I went back to "visit" this fabric yesterday!)
And just in case the lovely, spare shot above with the white mirror and shiny, polished antique piece fools you...
this is what the rest of the entryway looks like.
On Week 3. Yikes!!


It's a little wild on the other side of the room 
and I'm not just saying that because of the animal print pillows everywhere!

And in unrelated news 
(because I always, always do random projects in the middle of every ORC
 #procrastination #itspartofmyprocess? )
 I got the rust with orange dotted lines cushions from my latest find  slipcovered last night.
The 70's called and wanted their cushions back. 



I will overcome. And make some decisions. And get something done.

See you next week with ( fingers crossed) more to report!

Be sure to check out what everyone else is doing here!

Sunday, October 15, 2017

Plastic Pumpkins Go Glam

I realize that painting plastic pumpkins is not a new and exciting idea 
but this turned out pretty cute 
and took about 5 minutes so I thought I would share.


We had an event at church and I wanted some Fall-ish decor
 but I wanted something a little different and fun.
And very inexpensive.
I bought plastic pumpkins for a dollar. 
(I saw them at the thrift store today for a quarter 
so you could really create these for a bargain.)


 I used my favorite gold spray paint to change their look from plastic orange to classy gold. 
It is amazing what gold spray paint can do!



 Then I drilled a hole in the bottom the same size as a bamboo garden stake I already had. 
Make it a snug fit.
 I pushed the pumpkins on to the stake and used a little bit of black tape to wrap around the stake right under the pumpkin so it would not slide down. I used a 1/2 inch wide strip so it blends in with the bamboo markings. 


Then I went to Lowe's near the house and bought all the clearance mums they had!
I paid a dollar per mum so this was a pretty big look for not much money. 
Everyone kept talking about how fun they were and because they were so inexpensive we put them everywhere and then I sent them home with the volunteers at the end of the event!



Everyone had a big smile on their face!

Thursday, October 12, 2017

Come On In!! Fall 2017 ORC - Inspirations

I found the most amazing mirror a couple of months ago and it has been propped 
while I decided where it was going. 

Mid-Century Tropical Mirror 1st dibs.  $1450.00
It WAS the find of a lifetime!
BUT due to the fact it weighs a zillion pounds  
I have to be sure exactly where it is going to stay long term. 
That's a lot of pressure because I move stuff around ALL the time.

And the amazing mirror is white - original finish.
And my walls are white - staying white.

So, I'm wondering how that will look in my latest ORC.
I personally  love white on white but I need to be sure 
because no moving this behemoth around willy nilly. 
#cuehusbandgrumbling


So I went looking for some white mirror on white wall inspiration...

A mirror both Baroque and whimsical.
desiretoinspire.net

9/13
alllisonelebash.com

AE2015_12-306.jpg
allisonelebash.com

9/12
allisonelebash.com

Obviously, Allison Elebash and I are on the same page.

Atoll Rectangular Mirror with Clear Glass
Ballard Designs

Chinoiserie Chic

And this image from local designer Mandy Rye of Waiting on Martha 
is a longtime favorite of mine.

Foyer styling by Waiting on Martha in The One Room Challenge 2016

So, I'm inspired - white mirror on white wall it is.

And one more time - since I left it out of Week 1 and had to cram it in to a Bamboo Friday post - here is my Inspiration Board. It's a bit bare but it IS the starting point:



ORC - Fall 2017

Be sure to follow my progress in real time  on Instagram 
(or see what I'm doing while procrastinating on my ORC!)
But anyway, follow along on my Instagram here 
and see what everyone else who has taken on the ORC F2017 is up to here.

Friday, October 6, 2017

Bamboo Friday #?

I'm starting to lose track...
It's Friday - so it is time for Bamboo Friday again!!
I have jumped in to the Fall 2017 One Room Challenge
 which falls in the craziest month for me work-wise
 (other than during the Summer when I live out of a backpack 
and rolling carry-on suitcase!) 

Because of all of this craziness two things happened inside my fuzzy head:
1. I didn't prepare a Bamboo Friday post in advance
2. I forgot to add my design board to yesterday's ORC post #1.

Well, I love it when things fall together anyway. 
So here is my Fall 2017 One Room Challenge design board complete with -
 you guessed it -
 a touch of bamboo!!

ORC - Fall 2017

I'm still adding to this inspiration board but the stars of the show are all there!
Today's bamboo is the Brighton Pavilion Bamboo Chairs!!

Here is a fascinating history of the Brighton Pavilion in England and gorgeous pictures of the extravagant interiors.
Hooray for George IV for building this amazing seaside retreat and therefore sparking a bamboo style legacy that we still benefit from and LOVE today.

Have a great weekend and if you are on the ORC bandwagon I hope it is a productive one!

Thursday, October 5, 2017

Come On In!! Fall ORC 2017 Entryway

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.
Stairs going up to the left.
Doorway to the Family Room to the right.
This entryway has doors on all 4 walls. Yep.


I love the prints.
 They are prints of my beloved Lowcountry by Marty Whaley Adams. 
We bought them years ago. Marty's mother's garden and books are some of my favorites!
The clock is from my husband's family and the dresser is from my family. 
The green chinoiserie lamps are a great find from a thrifting outing during a previous ORC.
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 
on my Instagram account for the latest updates.
And if you want to look back on my previous One Room Challenges - here's a quick recap!
And be sure to see what everyone else is up to by visiting the blogger who started it all - Linda at Calling It Home Blog!

ORC Guest Participants Graphic.png

Tuesday, October 3, 2017

ORC Pre-Party...

Here's a little One Room Challenge Recap:
If you aren't familiar, the One Room Challenge is a blogging event that takes place biannually. Within a five week  period those participating completely transform a space and give weekly updates on the progress. The sixth Thursday is the Big Reveal!! 

My first ORC was also my most recent ORC.
Wait, what?

I really had no idea what I was jumping in to when I did my first ORC- our Guest Bedroom. I never quite "finished" it so I went back last Spring and crossed the T's and dotted the I's.

Spring 2017 One Room Challenge:



Here it was after the first time it was an ORC room:

I definitely "punched things up" the second time around. It just needed a little more attention!


My Fall 2016 One Room Challenge was our Master Bathroom:


It was all about the coral faux bamboo china cabinet.
(You have a china cabinet in a bathroom?  Yep!)


And before the Master Bathroom I redid our Library.
 It was formerly the Dining Room
 but turning the room in to a Library several years ago made the room more useful for us.

Spring 2016

It's all moody and glossy black with lots of bamboo and blue and white touches.
The only room in our house that doesn't have white walls!

Before the Library ORC, Mollie and I did a Mother-Daughter ORC project and gave her bathroom the bohemian chic look she loves.

So this is from Fall 2015 One Room Challenge:





And Spring of 2015 the One Room Challenge was the Guest Bedroom which was the most recent ORC as well. 



The One Room Challenge is a great motivator.
 Jump in if you are thinking about it- You'll have a fresh new room for the holidays.
Most of the time there is a lot of support via positive comments on your posts
 (last time was sadly not the case but I'm back anyway!!)

I'll see you on Thursday with the "reveal" of what room I've chosen for my 6th ORC!!