Thursday, July 29, 2010

Before & After: Bedroom Dresser

Another corner in our master bedroom is almost finished.  I need to work a bit on the styling, but I mainly wanted to show you the dresser and mirror.  I found the dresser at a tag sale for $20.  Here is the before...
I always forget to take before pictures, so this is after we took off the hardware.  We (my husband) painted it MS 'Gravel'.  It was from Martha Stewart's old paint line and I love this color of gray.  We used the existing hardware, but my husband spruced up the hardware (it actually took a lot of elbow and grease) by using Brasso and paper towels.  Here is the after:
I found the sunburst mirror from Pier1 for $12.  It was originally red, but I painted it a metallic silver.  Here is another picture of the dresser and how it looks today in our bedroom.
Not too bad for a total cost $32 (dresser, mirror and paint).  I know, I need to work on the styling, but don't you love before and afters?

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

NYC Recap

I spent the weekend painting our upstairs hallway and I'm digging the new color - Benjamin Moore's Cloud Cover.  My husband showed me how to "cut in".  Man, once you get a paint brush in your hand, a sudden urge comes over you to start painting everything under the sun.  I kept telling my husband, I want to paint our staircase banister a glossy black!!  But, before I digress any further, here are some pictures of my whirlwind day in NYC.  I started on the upper east side (70's and Lex) - Mecox Gardens.
Doesn't the mirror look familiar?  A little LOT like Ballard's Atoll mirror.  Love the lamps!
Mecox Garden was by far my favorite design store.  Having never been and having heard so much, I didn't walk away disappointed.  

Some random shots of the upper east side.

Down to midtown - stopped into M&J Trimming.  
Down to the lower east side and stopped into John Derian' s store.

I didn't get to hit every place I wanted, but I definitely got my 'fix'.  I told my husband he's very lucky we don't live in Manhattan or nearby!  It was so fun to just have some me time and look at pretty things all day long!  I'd do it again in a heartbeat!

Friday, July 23, 2010

Dwell Studio for Robert Allen

Vintage Blossom in Gray.  Love the nailhead. 

Do you know about this?  Am I last one to find this out?  Supposedly, Traditional Home  broke the news in their June/July issue.  I guess I missed the announcement.  Dwell Studio is teaming up with Robert Allen and launching a new fabric collection called Eclectic Modern (72 fabrics in the first collection) to be debuted in August.  The full collection will be available at Robert Allen / Beacon Hill showrooms and at dwellstudio.com.  How exciting!
The chair is upholstered in Gate.  Yummy!
I love the dots in velvet!
Love the grouping of chairs particularly the fabric upholstered chair on the left.  Do I spy the Peacock citrine fabric that is in their new collection of bedding?  Wouldn't that fabric look so sophisticated in a dining room?  Speaking of which, while in NYC this past week, I spotted a chair outside of Mecox Gardens which reminds me a tad of the design in the Peacock citrine fabric.  
 Anyway, can't wait to see their full collection in August.  On a separate note, NYC was a blast;  saw a lot of great design stores.  More pictures to come.  Promise.  

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Giveaway Winner

I wanted to post this first thing in the morning, but I got back late last night from NYC and woke up to a starved for attention 3 year old, a heap of laundry, work emails, errands, etc.!  You know the drill.  But, I've been waiting all day to announce the winner!!  Drum roll please.....and the winner is number 25!


True Random Number Generator  25Powered by RANDOM.ORG


Yeah, Jaime @ La vie...J'aime!!  She said...
I am a new follower! I would use this towards a ghost chair... :)
Jamie, if you get the ghost chair, you need to post pictures!!!  So envious!  Thank you CSN for the awesome giveaway and thank you everyone for  participating!  So much fun!!  

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

CSN Giveaway


via here 

ends tonight, don't forget to enter here!  Good Luck!

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Headed to NYC

Tomorrow I head to NYC for a doctor's appointment.  While I am down there I will be going to my old hair salon, ENE, for a long overdue cut and color!  I am praying I'll have time to visit a couple of home decor spots that have been saved in my NYC file for a while.  First up, Georgia Tapert Living , a soho boutique that offers fresh, eclectic homewares that are both high and low end.  
Next up, Housing Works Thrift Shops, a chain of very popular thrift shops amongst design enthusiasts that sell jewelry, clothes, furniture and homewares.  However, more importantly, it is a charity that benefits homeless and low income people living with HIV and AIDS in NYC. 
Next up, Cafiero Select , owned by David Cafiero.  You might recognize his name from the fabulous design he did on Chloe Sevigny's apartment.
I doubt seriously if I'll make it to all these places, but a woman can dream, right?  Lastly, I would love to hit the upper east side and go to Roberta Roller Rabbit store.  I adore all their fabrics and I've been eyeing their beach bags!


Monday, July 19, 2010

Bedroom Updates

I have a couple of new updates to our bedroom that I thought I'd share.  I bought a large dresser that sits against the back wall opposite our bed.  This is my vanity dresser which I scored for $40 from craigslist.  The detailing on the bottom of the dresser is not my favorite, but it's fine for now.  Ideally, I'd prefer cleaner lines. 
I would like to paint the hardware white so that it blends in with the dresser.  Because we have slopped ceilings in our bedroom, finding a mirror to fit above the dresser was nearly impossible unless I went the custom route.  However, I found an affordable unframed beveled mirror  at Lowes (large enough to cover the attic door behind the dresser & mirror) and my husband made a base which mounts the mirror.
I recently bought a snakeskin tray which is in every lonny issue, but I love it so.  It is the perfect size to hold all my pretty things.  Here is a close-up.
Here are some more shots of our bed.  I recently added a bedskirt to our bed.  Why I've waited this long to do this?  Who knows?  
I've also glued grosgrain ribbon trim to my Ikea lampshades and I think it adds a nice touch. 
Here is another picture of our dresser.  You can see my butterfly prints in the mirror.  
More updates to come.  Stay tuned!

Thursday, July 15, 2010

CSN Giveaway!

Green Street's first ever giveaway and I am happy to announce CSN stores is offering one lucky follower a $40 credit on any item from any of their online 200+ stores.  CSN has everything from lighting, modern furniture, cookware, flooring to the bathroom sink (perfect for any renovation that you might be doing).
I couldn't help resist and do some pretend cyber shopping myself and picked out a couple of my favorite items:








{via here, here , here, here, here, here, here, here}

So, how do you win this fabulous giveaway?  To enter, you must be a U.S. or Canadian resident, be a follower of Green Street (right sidebar) and leave a comment saying you joined or are already a follower.

If you blog about this giveaway or post this link in Twitter or Facebook, leave a second comment (with the link to your post) for a second entry.   

Giveaway ends midnight EST on Wednesday, July 21st!  Good Luck!!

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Lighten up the hallway (Part I)

So, our upstairs hallway is as dark and dim as they come.  No natural light.  The hallway leads into 3 separate rooms (an upstairs bathroom and 2 bedrooms).  It is only when the doors to the adjacent rooms are open does the hallway get any natural light.  So, I've been researching a bit on how to brighten this shoebox up (literally, our hallway is the size of a shoebox). 
First and foremost, paint.   Paint is the easiest and cheapest way to transform a room with the most impact.  So, this post (part I) will focus on choosing a paint color to help lighten up a dark space.  To help me with this daunting task (daunting for me because the possibilities are endless), I pulled out my trusty guide: HB 500+ Favorite Paint Colors.
I jotted down some of my favorites, but also knew I had to consider a couple of givens.  The staircase leading up to the hallway is painted Benjamin Moore Revere Pewter (above picture).  Love it.  That same color is in our living/family room which receives the most light in the house and this grayish color with taupe undertones is the best neutral out there.  It's the perfect mix of cool and warm.  I can't use this color in the hallway because it would look too dark - it's amazing how the same color can look so different in another room all because of the lighting.  So, I need a bright color that reflects light.  Since I know I will have a cabinet in the hallway that I want to paint this color... 
Benjamin Moore Galapagos Turquoise....for no other reason other than I love this color and saw it used here , I need a wall color that would at least complement this color.  I initially went down the road of light/sky blues; for example, Benjamin Moore's Ice Blue and Icing on the Cake.  Both are beautiful colors.  They are bright and went well the paint color for the cabinet, but unfortunately (in my opinion) they didn't transition well from the Revere Pewter coming up the staircase.  So, I finally decided on Benjamin Moore's Cloud Cover.
A lighter and brighter version of Revere Pewter and a bit warmer.  I'm considering painting it semigloss finish with the hope that it will reflect even more light??  Thoughts on this??  Painting will occur this weekend so I hope to have before and after pictures soon.  Also, stay tuned for part II when I show how I am going to add accessories to help brighten my space up!   

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

A Day of Silence

Saddened by the terrible news, Green Street is holding a day of silence in honor of Marija.

Monday, July 12, 2010

Color Inspiration: Stuart Creal


This weekend I was browsing through my recent BHG and read an article about color.  Color is one thing I absolutely love, but I find it to be intimidating at the same time.   In the article, they referred to a connecticut based color consultant, Victoria Stuart Burke , to give some advice on picking the right color.  When I found out she was based in CT, I googled her.  Oh, and was I happy I did.  
This room is so fantastic.  All the vibrant colors go so well and aren't overpowering.  Do you see the sofas?  Is that crewel fabric with brass nailhead?  Beautiful!  And those greek key stools and how about the animal print upholstered ottoman!?! Gorgeous.  
Victoria Stuart Burke is a talented colorist who started her own business called Stuart-Creal Studio.  She has spent the past 25 years working with designers and the like providing color consultations and painted finishes.
Love the blue and orange.  Those chevron drapes are amazing!  Did you notice how the bedding is simple and neutral?  I think it because it allows the walls and drapes to take center stage!  This bedroom is so cool!
I love the classic black and white marble tiled floor with the large botanical prints!  But, what grabbed my attention were the turquoise/aqua frames!  Such an unexpected color for the frames!
This is beyond words.  Love the colors green, blue and all the shiny surfaces that reflect light - glass and silver.  I can't tell if the cabinets are lacquered or maybe just painted glossy??  Not sure.  And, if you haven't had enough,...
Look at that high gloss lacquered orange walls paired with the magenta upholstered Louis chairs!  In my opinion, this color combination is fail-safe!  Maybe it is the adventurous side of me, but the orange and magenta is so exotic especially paired with the zebra skin rugs.  Oh, I also love the banquettes with the paisley pillows!  If you still haven't had enough, check out more here.  She's one talented woman!