House Beautiful

Tag Archive for 'World Market'

Favorite Thing Friday: My Dining Room

We jabber a lot on Fridays about all the pretty baubles & threads & what-nots we’re lusting over.  But…  how’s that little quote go?

So today I thought it’d be fun to rap about one of my favorite things I’ve already got: the happiest of happy, cozy dining rooms.  It’s taken a little while, a little trial & error, and a lot of layering things I love over time…  but isn’t that what a space you love should be?  Collected and curated?  I really am breaking my arm patting myself on the back here… what a hooker.  Whatever.  Almost everything in this room has either sentimental value, was sourced from a thrift store or Craigslist, or is a refurbished antique.  Here are s’more bits from the room:

Super sentimental stuff on the wall: Old family photos of my parents and grandparents around the dinner table…  a gigantic spoon that I scooped up antiquing with my Nanny…  a framed copy of “La vie est faite de petits bonheurs” (Life is full of little pleasures)…

And, hand-written directions to my favorite restaurant in Florence (Il Latini) scribbled by an obliging shopkeeper when my college bestie and I were trying to find it again on our 2nd trip to Italy.

Mix & Match seating was a must for me.  I generally want to ralph when I see a fully matched dining set.  This isn’t Rooms-to-Go, yo.  Linen Settee is from World Market (on sale right now for $299! #stealing).  Tufted chairs are from Nest in Chicago – I finally snapped them up after months of pressing my nose against the glass and drooling over them.  Louis XIV chairs are sommuh my favorite refurbished antiques.

Ikat Pillows: The navy throw pillow covers are from Interwoven… she has some pretty great stuff in the form of kanthas, ikats and otomi textiles for great prices.  I also follow her on Intstagram for daily updates and sale alerts.

Framed Mia Beach Photography & Vintage Dresser: I remember the day I saw this dresser at Habitat for Humanity in Mt. Pleasant, SC with a $125 sticker on it.  I literally lunged for it and carried it out the door… à la that 2 lb. weiner dog from the Grinch carrying a 875 lb. bag of toys.   It took a little elbow grease to clean it up, but I love it.  Such a great piece.  The old barnwood frame was about $16 from the Broadway Antique Mall in Muncie, IN, and the photo is my very oldest friend Mia‘s little boy frolicking through a field.  She was sweet enough to send me a copy.  It makes me so happy every time I look at it.

Louis XIV caned dining chairs: I picked these up at an antique store in Charleston, SC about 8 years ago…  at the time, they were a yellow-y bone color covered in mauve velvet.  Wuf.  They’ve seen a few cans of spray paint since then, but I finally ended up with a few coats of rose gold spray paint and the most delicious charcoal grey velvet from Calico Corners.  Big thanks to Begley Upholstery on High Street for doing such a bang-up job on these.  I love a good DIY, but some things you gotta leave to the experts.

Vitrine of antique flutes, coupes & tumblers: Muffie Faith, who owns ESD in Charleston, inspired this collection.  I saw candy-colored glasses perched in her kitchen window about 7 years ago and thought it was the greatest thing I’d ever seen (remember this post?).  So, every time I’m in a thrift store, I sprint to the glassware section, and there is ALWAYS something delicious there.  This collection makes parties and holidays REALLY, really fun.

And look how amazing these bad boys are…  I think they were 50 cents each. Where’s the karate chop emoticon??

Here’s my newest addition:  A $20 buffet from Goodwill.

I ended up painting the outside cream, and the inside is this color.  #bangbangbang

What’s your favorite room in your house?  Or your favorite thrifty score?  Shoot it over to us – we wanna see!!

Have a great weekend, Campers!

Home Improvement

If you read this post or this post, you know I’m on a mission to get our sweet little rental house spiffed up for summer, and for my own sanity.  I’ve had 99 unfinished projects just hangin’ out since I moved in last June.  So, last night’s weeknights consisted of a lot of painting, sewing, rearranging and tweaking.  You’ll see these pics and think I spray painted my entire house in gold and decorated in lilac, but they’re just accents.  The walls are all pale, airy colors with a neutral upholstery.  Here she blows, en photos:

GUEST ROOM

Wall Color: Sherwin Williams Opaline

Floral Pillow: Schumacher Pyne Hollyhock Print in Tobacco ($92 a yard?  Yeah right!  I just used the $5 swatch I ordered and made an 18×18 pillow.)

Otomi Fabric: This was a table runner I got in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.  Cut it in two, backed in linen, made into 2 oblong pillows.

Charcoal & White Shams:  Calico Corners Cross Section Charcoal – $17.99/yard

Bench:  I reupholstered this guy I’ve had for awhile (reupholstered = staple-gunned).  Gold spray paint.  Lilac Fabric from eBay.  Duvet from Goodwill, $2.

Bedskirt: eBay burlappy-linen I’ve had for years that I just tucked between the box spring and mattress and hand pleated it.  Idea via Rachel Halvorson.

COFFEE TABLE UPGRADE

I snagged this sweet gold tray at the Eclectiques Antique Mall for $25 bones in my ‘hood.  She’s PERFECT with peonies in a Ball Jar and plenty o’literature.  PS, look who just haaaad to be in the shot.  What up, Gus?!

DINING CHAIRS, RE-DID

Antique Louis XVI Dining Chairs: purchased YEARS ago in Charleston.  Gold spray paint.  Cestlaviv Lattice in Raspberry Linen, $27/yard.  I cheated and didn’t *fully* reupholster these guys; I just upholstery-pinned them in, since I think I was still pinning them as weekend guests were rolling into the driveway.  #whoops

DINING ROOM PILLOWS SEWN…  FINALLY.

(Is it sewed or sewn?  …ah whatever.)

Pillow Fabric: Lee Jofa/Threads, via Shannon Darby at Designer’s Attic.  I made (2) 18×18 pillows out of 1 yard for $50.  Wanted to use it EVERYWHERE.

Rug: Rugs USA Windsor Overdyed in Violet.  50% off right now, and also awesome in Turquoise.

Settee: World Market Hayden Linen Banquette.  Got it on super sale a few months back.

Wall Color:  Benjamin Moore Hushed Hue.  It’s a good, pale greige neutral with the faintest, palest hint of green.

OUR FIRST BIT OF PRESS, FINALLY FRAMED.  IT’S ONLY BEEN 3 YEARS.

I will never forget the day in 2010 when I got the most gracious email from House Beautiful Editor-in-Chief (and now Hearst Design Group’s Editor-in-Chief) Newell Turner.  I don’t think I let out a little pee, I think I let out the whole tank of pee when I saw it in my inbox.  He proceeded to say that he’d just spent 45 minutes perusing Covet Living, and thought it was “fresh, fun, and original.”  Then I proceeded to ask him to keep us in mind if they had any upcoming features we could contribute to.  And so they did (!)  That entertaining spread is MONEY – 101 genius ideas from Celebrity Party Planners like Colin Cowie, Celebrity Designers like Kelly Wearstler & Miles Redd, and then Blogger Muggles, like us perched at Tip #59.  I still keep a copy of it in my kitchen cabinet.  READ ‘EM ALL HERE.

ENTRY TABLE

A sweet little addition to the entry table, with the happiest photo ever taken from a wedding last year.  Notice our tongues are out in unison.  What a coupla nerds!

Frame: Preppy Patterns Jodie Picture Frame from Joss & Main

Lamps: Vintage Gerald Thurston for Lightolier

Curtains: I made these out of this fabric I saw on Young House Love.  I called the store and scored the rest of the bolt for $9.99/yard.

It’s gettin’ there!  Hope you guys have a great rest of the week – Happy Hump Day!

xoxo,