Tag Archives: home improvement

interior inspiration

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With plans to scope out Brimfield Flea Market with my mom tomorrow, I’m finding myself trolling through all of my  favorite interior design photos (yes, I have an entire folder dedicated to that on my desktop, that’s normal right?).  I can’t wait to look around one of the country’s biggest and best flea markets for some fresh new pieces to update the apartment with.  I think antiques add such a unique and unexpected charm to any home.  They possess personality and character not found in their younger, more modern counterparts. I especially enjoy pairing antiques with bright, cheerful colors and patterns for an unconventional look.

What’s your take on antiques?  An interesting way to personalize your living space, or strictly reserved for your grandma’s house?

the loo

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Les toilettes, watercloset, washroom, powder room, privy.  Sometimes while I’m in the shower I find myself day-dreaming of  the gorgeous bathrooms of my imagination.  They all include elegant tiling, light airy color schemes, and quirky personal touches.  I love when bathrooms feature little nods at nature, like a bird print or fresh flowers (brings a whole new meaning to the expression, “Nature calls!”).  I also love displaying pretty towels in interesting ways, and keeping things like cotton balls, q-tips and toothbrushes in unexpected vessels.  My dream bathroom is feminine and light, with juxtaposing structural elements like clean and simple framed art and modern hardware.

What does your ideal bathroom include?

a couch. part II.

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Who remembers when I gushed about this antique sofa my mom and I spotted at Butterfield a few weeks ago?  Well, it’s here!  It looks so absolutely perfect in the apartment- the roommie and I are in love!  The pristine pale blush color is a perfect compliment to the chipping original paint on the antique frame…gah, pure beauty!  Can’t use enough of these exclamation points!(!!!!)

nightstand

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You can tell a lot about a person by taking a look at what they keep next to their bed.  After stumbling upon several photos of different nightstand setups on Lonny Magazine the other night (classic sleep-procrastination technique),  I realized just how much personality actually goes into such a small few square feet of space in one’s home.  While I’m constantly in the process of giving my bedroom a little facelift, right now it finally seems to be coming together a bit and I can’t help but crave a nightstand-makeover to tie it all together.  I’m thinking fresh flowers, a framed bit of nostalgia and a dainty little bowl of jewelry should do the trick.

What does your beside-the-bed-bureau look like?

colors underfoot

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While spending FAR too long surfing around Lonny Magazine’s online decor archive, I realized how much I love the look of an all-white room broken up only by a colorful oriental rug.  Hmmm, something to keep in mind while decorating the new place…that I still have yet to find…

Happy Friday, chickidees!

mirrors on the ceiling

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Sometimes while practicing the art of antiquing, you find a piece that needs a bit of TLC.  In the case of this gorgeous mirror I was lucky enough to snatch up at the York Antiques Center, (my mom and I simultaneously spotted it just as the dealer was bringing it in the front door- timing is everything!), a bit of TLC meant a simple rewiring to bring it back to its wall-hanging glory.  If you’ve never rewired something before, don’t be alarmed by the electrical-sounding-mumbo-jumbo; Re-outfiting a picture or mirror to enable wall hanging is extremely easy.  If the piece already has round hooks, here’s the trick:

Grab a pair of wire cutters and some strong, flexible multi-threaded picture frame wire…Cut the wire to the width of the frame, leaving several inches extra on either side and thread each end through the loops…Twist the wire back over itself…

Et voilà!

Can’t wait to hang this beauty up in my apartment!

if walls could blush…

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Lately I’ve been drawn to pretty, blushing pale pink walls.  I love the way they subtly add color to a room, warming it up in a less predictable way than the usual “natural” tones (think beige and eggshell).  I like to think this look can be done in a gender-neutral way, but then again I suppose being a pink-loving girl makes me slightly bias…

What do you think of pink walls?  Yay or nay?

a pint of polish

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If there’s one thing my entire family takes pride in, it’s our unique ability to discover new life in old things.  And we’re not just playing around; In my family antiquing is an olympic sport.  Everyone from my grandma, to my aunts, mother, cousins, sister- even my 23-year-old brother- knows the value of a well-restored antique.  Ever heard the saying “They just don’t make ’em the way they used to?”  Well it’s true.  Rediscovered old pieces add a special flare to your home that (in my opinion) simply cannot be replicated by something new.  When I spotted this antique measuring jar last weekend at my favorite indoor flea market, Rhode Island Antiques, I knew I had to have it.  Although my original thinking way to fill the jar with fresh summer flowers, I become inspired by this photo:and decided to try out the glass vase as colorful display of my nail polish collection.  Sure, it may not be this antique’s conventional use, but I think a little usage re-assignment brings new life to an otherwise outdated piece.

a couch.

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Sometimes you encounter a piece of furniture that you cannot live without.  Okay, maybe that statement only applies to the ladies of my family…but you get the point!  When my mom and I spotted this charming antique sofa at Butterfield, we both immediately fell in love.  Although my roommie and I already have two supercomfycozy couches (that we will never part with!), my mom and I decided that “sofa’s like this don’t come around every day!” and “we better snatch it up while we can!”…needless to say it’s scheduled to arrive Thursday afternoon and I couldn’t be more excited!