Designers style up four poster beds with a quirky two-tone treatment. Giving four poster beds a two-tone treatment adds color as well as visual interest to an otherwise predictably conservative bed frame. And the idea is especially useful for updating salvage or thrifted pieces which are often repainted -- but only one color! What I love about each of these two-tone four … [Read more...]
Collectible Paper
Collectible paper can be old and precious or new with special textures or colors. With gift-wrapping season in full swing, collectible paper can have two uses. First, it can be used for create extra special gift wrapping. Or, it can be used as a gift in its own right. What I mean by collectible paper can be anything from a vintage label to exquisite handmade sheets of paper … [Read more...]
Hand-Printed French Fabrics
Tissus Tartares patterns feature richly colored designs with Eurasian aesthetics. Fabric house owners Olya Thompson and Nathalie Farman-Farma are influenced by Tartar robes, Ballet Russes costumes and Old St Petersburg interiors when creating these beautiful fabrics. Literary works also inspire. Lermontov [above, bottom] is named after a 19th century writer who described … [Read more...]
Manned-Up Bedrooms
Décor can reflect gender in very direct ways as these masculine bedrooms show. As one of the most intimate rooms in the house, bedrooms say a lot about comfort and who's in charge. In these three masculine bedrooms there's a real guy-thing going -- which I don't see very often. So I’m naturally intrigued by what helps each of them transmit that vibe. Color, style, window … [Read more...]
Dining Room Bookcase Walls
A dining room bookcase transforms a single-purpose room into a modern multipurpose space. Think about a dining room bookcase. Seriously. Ask yourself how much a dining room table and chairs, buffet and cabinets costs vs how often those pieces are used? Apart from answering “I just like it,” most of us could put the dining room to better, more practical use. For me, it feels … [Read more...]
Kitchen Cabinets with Skirts
“What’s old is new again.” Look no further than kitchen cabinets with fabric skirts. Prior to the post-World War II home-building boom in the U.S., middle class kitchens commonly had cabinets with fabric skirts, often homemade, to screen off the open areas below sinks and base cabinet frames. Although skirts went out as a style in the 1950s, fabric lingered in country houses … [Read more...]
Understanding Picture Walls
Understanding picture wall ideas is key to creating attractive arrangements. I’ve been thinking about two separate spaces in my house, which prompted me to begin collecting these picture wall ideas. For me, picture walls are less about specific images than the way a grouping is arranged on any wall. Their success depends a lot on the architecture of the wall and on scale – … [Read more...]
Spanish Country Kitchen
In a Spanish country kitchen, charm often begins at the back door The beauty of many European country-home kitchens lies in their make-do qualities. that's certainly evident in this rustic Spanish country kitchen. No fancy cabinets, furniture details or posh cabinets. Appliances such as the gas range are often small enough to fit into old-house spaces. Plus, open spaces which … [Read more...]