Saturday Space - Novogratz love

I usually do not like what the Novogratz hoard does on tv (there are like 13 kids in this family). I think it is too funky, rainbow bright, and weird. For example, they covered beds in duct tape on the last show. They also use art that costs, at the low end, 30k. Anything looks good with art that costs 30k.  But I am losing my mind with love over this loft they just completed that will be on next week's Home by Novogratz on HGTV. I have wanted a Dixon copper pendant light forever! I think this is the most mature and restrained space they have ever done. What do you think?
E

long ass week

Wish I was working here

Wish I was bathing here

Wish I was eating here

* * * Disclaimer: I do not believe in baths, or as my Nanny used to call them,  "stewing in a soup of your own skin cells"  but I would do it in that bathroom.
Happy Friday love muffins...
E

Saving my pennies - Paule Marrot

As we have discussed all this week, some things are just worth saving your pennies for. Art, I believe, is one of these. Because you can have a striking, huge piece of artwork, and even if everything else in the room costs $10 at a local yard sale, it just elevates it. People subconsciously think that someone with great art has great taste and would only have amazing furniture, too. I know, it's classist and silly, but true.

I have done all my own art for my spaces and have done some for my clients as well. But I am saving my pennies for amazing, permanent collectibles. Paule Marrot's giclee prints for Natural Curiosities are at the top of my list. The French painter did these works on fabric originally, and NC is releasing them as huge prints. Yes, the black and white (my fave) is something I could easily do on canvas, but the framing in lucite boxes is gorgeous, the detail is mesmerizing (layered like a watercolor) and in the great scheme of things in the art world, they are quite well priced.
What do you think?
E
Update: The pink one (below) is on the cover of House Beautiful September 2011!)

Turned horiz. looks like Hermes' logo

House Beautiful

tabletop sans table

The amazing Anna Spiro over at Absolutely Beautiful Things posted this quote a few days ago and I thought it fit the theme of the week perfectly. I always find something that I want but don't need on Ebay or elsewhere and have no place for it but buy it out of love. Which is why I have several boxes of crap in a friend's garage. One thing I am always drawn to is tabletop items. Even though I don't cook in my apartment, or have people over, or have a dining table.
Love these....
E

Zaine plates from Crate and Barrel

DVF bowls and plates to layer in

DVF gold flatware

Jonathan Adler salt and pepper shakers - great box!

projects and kids grow up

This past weekend I worked with three separate clients. The theme was the same for everyone. We all have high end taste and tighter budgets since the economy crashed. I am of the opinion that if you cannot afford the thing you want, you don't get anything until you can afford that piece. However, I am a single girl in a tiny apartment. This philosophy works for me. It does not work for families. They have to have liveable spaces NOW. So what works for these clients is getting a lower end piece that fills the space, and that can work for another spot later.

For example, the marbleized art that my client scooped up in yesterday's post. There is a 8k painting that she would much rather have in that space. But right now who can spend that on a piece of art? So we do the fun contemporary swirly pieces now, and when she can upgrade, these marble pieces will go to her daughter's teen bedroom and then can be taken on to a first apartment!

My California Bungalow project (started three years ago) looked like this at the time...

It was fun and playful for a young family with modern sensibilities - lots of poppy primary colors and bold stripes. Now we are changing out each less expensive item with a nicer piece as we can. The kid is a little older and we fully expect this process to take a few years, but the end result will be a more adult home with forever pieces to be proud of. We just installed this cerused oak chest this weekend and we love it! We have been admiring it for about 2 years.  And the octagon mirror from Pier One that I posted on is over the fireplace now, and we recovered these french chairs in a great graphic print. We have repainted the red canvases in the dining room black, and are looking for a chandelier and credenza for that room.
The important thing is not to rush. Yes, it is fun to have a space completely filled and finished quickly, but half the joy of decorating is shopping and researching until you have that perfect thing. Take your time and if you must get something to fill a space, make sure you can sell it or reuse it elsewhere later.
Kids and projects - they grow up so fast!
E

New Orleans secret treasures

New Orleans is such a famous shopping destination, and plenty of places get written up all the time. But there are dozens of hidden shops and artist studios around that don't get press. They are the best places to find that one unique piece that no one else has.
One of my faves is Agora Galleries. It is an amazing shop on Magazine Street that has lots of different booths in it. Each booth is owned by a different designer or artist. All the way in the back right corner is Caravan. Caravan is owned by Suzie Allain, one of the most creative artists and designers around. She also shows her paintings at Hazlenut, but Caravan is a collection of super special one of a kind pieces that you just can't find anywhere else. Side note: she is also my best friend's aunt and the one who recommended me at my showroom, so I pretty much have her to thank for everything! Check out her unique style....
E

my client snapped these up immediately!

saturday spaces - and giveaway winner!

These spaces were my faves this week...

Octagon mirror inspiration

Stingray furniture addiction

Black walls and Moroccan rug obsessions

Those royal purple chairs - damn

And the winner of the plaster My Little Pony is....  #1!  Sabra! (If anyone knows how to copy and paste the entire random generator box from Random.org please share. Until then, you just have to trust...) Sabz - send me your address via email and I will send it to you!
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Lonely Wife Project said...

I like you I love you I will happily clear a space for this beauty!

July 14, 2011 11:44 AM

running through my head

My head is always a jumbled mess. There is a constant soundtrack playing in the rear - this week it is that "If I die young, bury me in satin" song (I have no idea who sings it). And on the right side is the ever-present demand for icing. "Where can we find cupcakes? If no cupcakes are available, I am sure this gas station has Little Debbies!" Oh, brain, I need you to turn off. Here's the rest of my thought process:

Must get this book now.

Would do very dirty things for this ring. Don't ask. You can't handle it.

Shaun Smith Home has a reindeer pelt. Cruel and unusual. I want it.

My friend is selling several great Oly pieces! Who needs them?

Necklace at Modcloth.com reminded me of this great mirror.

Could go over credenza or sofa....

Waste so much time watching Damages - all Augousti accessories in her office are in my store!

Missoni capsule line in Target Sep. 13th. I will be camped out the night before ;)

Also can't believe there are so few peeps signed up for the sculpture giveaway! (Top left of page) Maybe it is not your style? Oh, well - winner announced next Saturday! Happy weekend...
E

reflecting on mirrors

So I have the beach photo over the mirrored credenza now instead of over the bed. I think it looks much less beachy; what do you think?

So now I need a mirror over the sofa. Well, I need a lot of things, but mirrors are tough. There are so many good ones out there and there are so many bad ones. You know I would love to have an Herve Van Der Straeten bronze one like the one Lazaro Rosa Violán has in his studio:

And Arteriors has made one! The Prescott. Turn it horizontally.  But this bad boy is still around $1200....

My other fave option is only $150 smackers on sale at Pier One right now. Love the octagon shape - but I am afraid it could be too feminine glam. The great thing about Pier One (love them!) is that you can return things within 30 days for cash or ANYTIME EVER for store credit. Like, you could use a mirror for five months and return it and exchange it!! Are you kidding me right now??

Need opinions - get on this.... oh, and there are only SIX people signed up for the giveaway (top left). Winner announced next Saturday...
E

green monster revealed

Drumroll please.... I am so excited to show you the ugly duckling I got on Ebay for $400 - affectionately known as The Green Monster:

Revealed as a beautiful swan!

Sofas are a very personal thing. Everyone has their preferences. After five years running a furniture showroom and after going through four sofas in as many years, I finally know mine. I hate separate seat cushions because someone always has to sit in a crack, and I like to lay down on my sofa. So I had a bench seat made for this piece. No cracks. I also hate to fluff down cushions or loose back cushions, when they get squished down. This piece has a tight, tufted back, so it will never look squishy, and I had the bench seat done in foam with a dacron wrap - no feathers. Also, I like a cleaner, flat seam on the seat, not a cord (which gets worn through faster than your fabric will) so I asked for topstitching on the seat cushion and a mini welt to cover the tack lines. If you do ask for welt, have it applied on the bias, which makes it stronger. I had the skirt removed for a more mid-century modern look, and I had the sofa covered in an outdoor fabric with a linen weave. It looks like high end linen, but it will not stain. I can unzip the seat cover and wash it, or use a stain pen or brush to clean it!

So I am still going to have some box cushions made for the inside arms, but I wanted to show you the sofa today! What do you think?
E