August « 2012 « Covet Living

Trolling for the perfect dining room table to sit on that rug / below that jug above is no easy task, I’m coming to find. I always kind of thought that the perfect one would magically appear on the side of the road, and when I caught a glimpse of it, I would just screech across 5 lanes of traffic, toss it on top of my hooptie, and drive it home. You know… something chunky and farmhouse-y, with oversized turned legs, the perfect patina, and something made out of reclaimed pine or old barn wood. But even though being the trash lady is fun, I think this time I might (gulp) have to spring for one. And the sooner I get a real table, the sooner I can move my “office space” out of the dining room… Did a bomb just go off in my house?? It might’ve. I bet my parents are so proud. And yes – that is a tub of butter. What.

Since I have a garage full of projects already and zero time to do them, this is probably not going to be a junk-and-refinish endeavor. This time, I may have to actually scour for and invest in a piece I really love. Care to weigh-in? Here’s what the guts of the room and the in-progress-space look like…

{TWO CLAPS FOR MY FRIEND ALISON FOR HELPING ME PAINT THIS ROOM. The girl’s dangerous with the extend-a-roller. Ceiling: Benjamin Moore’s Green Wave. Walls: Lemme get back to you on that.}

{POTTERY BARN’S CLIFT GLASS PENDANT – giant, jug-esque and awesome}

{Photo of my oldest friend’s little boy, Simon + antique green glass candlesticks + favorite piece of all time, scored at Habitat for Humanity in 2004 for $125}

{Rugs USA’s Violet Overdyed Rug, scored at 75% off. Money.}

{Tufted linen chairs – the perfect shade of chocolate-y grey. From Nest Furniture on Clark in Chicago.}

{Bad a$$ alabaster and funky flower lamp, scored last month at a local antique shop for $50 bones}

{Curtain fabric options… leaning toward Schumacher’s Ambala Paisley in Oyster on the left}

{The loveseat waiting to be recovered in burlap linen, with a long lumbar to be made out of that navy & cream Lee Jofa Threads linen piece via Shannon at the Designer’s Attic}

{Mini-wall of family photos – of both my mom and dad’s side around the dinner table… a giant antique spoon – that’s for you, Hoover… and a napkin with directions to my favorite restaurant in Florence, Italy written out for us by an obliging local}

{It’s a hot mess now, but it’ll clean up good later… Right??}

Sidenote: Don’t you love how Gus has injected himself into almost every picture?? À la the gnome in Amélie. Anyhow, my options for tables are as follows:

1. OLD FARMHOUSE BEATER WITH CARRERA MARBLE TOP. Pipe dream, people.

2. CHUNKY AND AWESOME. Do not love the nailhead/metal detail though. Nor do I love the $1340 price tag (on eBay). 3. RECLAIMED TEAK TABLE… love the wood, don’t know if I love that that silhouette is everywhere right now. $899.

4. WORLD MARKET. Eh. Meh. $500.

5. LOVE THE CHUNK, LOVE THE PATINA. No longer available at Pottery Barn. That solves that.

6. CRAIGSLIST FIND. Homemade. Feel like Paul Bunyan made it. $800 but he said he’d “deal.” Jury’s out.

7. LONG OVAL MASTERPIECE, from Celadon Home in Mt. Pleasant, SC. I think I just let out a little pee… If you haven’t been to Celadon yet, it’s honestly worth a trip to Charleston. With a U-Haul. $2200 though… yeek.

8. SWEET PATINA if I’ve ever seen one. Not in love with the shape, though.

I’m leaning towards #1 (if I could find it), #5 (if I could sell my left nut to buy it), and #7 (there went my right nut). Penny for your thoughts, anyone?

Signed,

If anyone needs me, I’ll probably be sanding in the backyard after all 🙂

(aka)

Now, I realize I’m about the 500th blogger to do a little write-up on Reese Witherspoon’s Ojai oasis, featured in this month’s Elle Decor. And people are all up in it right now, because as the tabloids have reported, R-Pat’s been soothing his wounded heart here. But I just don’t give a rat’s patooka. Because it is glorious. All of it. The exposed wood ceilings, the linen slipcovers, the cozy nooks, the unique chandeliers, the sunshine drenching all of the airy, expansive rooms. OH – and did I MENTION that one of our favorite designers is to thank for all this? That’s right, Reese-y poo hired the amazing Kristen Buckingham, who created such a gorgeous, inviting desert escape. PS: Stephanie, remember the time you emailed Kristen to let her know you’d blogged about her, to which she personally sent you a sweet, gracious response? K.

Reese and Buckingham

Above: Notice how Buckingham managed to layer in several “looks” into this room, without it looking like a discombobulated mish-mash. The leather chairs, the sofa (Buckingham’s own design!), the velvet settee, the cotton curtains, the apple tree stump (!), the jute rug from Pottery Barn – all are different textures, but all are neutral colors that together create a serene, relaxing place to put your feet up and take an afternoon snooze.

Above: The intricate wrought-iron railing over this darling alcove kills me. How peaceful would it be to sit at this mahogany desk from Lars Bolander and look out to your sunny yard, draped in shade by a leafy tree?

Above: Loving the mismatched seating around the dining table, including a couple Swedish wing chairs as well as custom-made leather benches. That tile will be in my future house, too.

Above: Again, notice the non matchy-matchy furniture placed in Reese’s games area. An antique Belgian table, a Swedish chesterfield chair. A custom-made, supremely elegant etagere sits prettily in the corner of the room, with various pottery.

Above: Ava Phillipe’s room. Thank you, Buckingham, for crafting a room both delightfully feminine for a soon-to-be teenager, with pops of pink in both the upholstered vintage chair, the pillows, and do I detect a hint of pale pink in the 1920s tole chandelier?

Above: Little Deacon’s room. Again, also unconventional for a kid, with a collection of antlers, a Turkish rug (though manly, for the little man), and antique desk.

Above: Reese’s itty bitty nieces. Well hello there!

Above: Surely this gorgeous terrace is where R-Pat soulfully sipped on his morning coffee, contemplating how his wretched girlfriend could’ve hurt him so. *Sigh.*