window shopping: terrain

did you know that anthropologie has

teamed with styers to create 

terrain

a new store, geared towards all things

home + garden?

take a peek at some of the goodies:

tin watering jug

elm and iron dining table

filigree sphere light

scrolling teak armchair

fruit basket pendant

aqua thistle pillow

recognize this fabric? 

it's one of the fabrics i selected for the

tween girls bonus room.

don't tell anyone, but it is

it's available here,

(along with many of the other

of terrains pillow fabrics!)

thanks to kathleen at

twig & thistle for

bringing this great new shop to my attention!

colosseo

i have dreamed of going to italy 

for a really, really long time.

i am working on making that dream a reality.

allen and i are saving and planning for a trip

to italy to celebrate our 

15 year anniversary in 2011.

on the itinerary: rome (duh),

 positano, pompeii,

florence, and venice.

just dreaming about it makes me giddy.

***

i am a huge fan of ancient architecture,

which could be attributed to my 2 year obsession

with greek and roman mythology as a kid. 

yeah, i know,

i was a weird kid. 

i was also obsessed with sharks and mummies. 

that's what happens when you

grow up with three brothers and no tv.

one of the structures that i am most

excited to see is the colosseum in rome.

in fact, my love for the colosseum was

one of my very first posts.

while doing research on italy, i came across this lovely 

print of the colosseo 

by designer cameron moll

a close up look reveals that the entire print

is made of type.

i think it is absolutely beautiful.

i may just have to order one for my home.
you can buy yours here

jonathan adler custom rugs

looking for that perfect rug,

but can't seem to find just the

right color/pattern?

did you know that you can 

create custom rugs at

jonathan adler?

here are a

few i whipped up:

and not just rugs,

but custom pillows...

and even totes!

give it a try.

it's very addicting and fun.

click here.

mine...all mine!

i have a slowly growing pile of

thrift store finds in my garage that

i plan to use for my "new" house.

did you see the mirror and chairs that

dayka featured a few weeks ago?

i found this williams sonoma mirror (minus the mirror)

at the downeast outlet store for $20,  and the 

chairs at a thrift store for $30 each)

well, meet the newest addition 

to my pile:

i was smitten with the metal on this

chair, and thought it would made 

the perfect office chair for me! of course it needs to 

be reupholstered, and there are a few rusty spots,

but nothing that a little tlc and some vision can't fix.

an ebay find, it is slowly making it's way

to me from new jersey...

at least it won't be lonely in my garage!

there are plenty of "friends" to keep it company.

a touch of zebra

so, while pawing through my files, i was

kinda shocked at how many pictures i had of

rooms with a touch of zebra.

i knew i liked zebra, 

but i didn't know i liked

it THAT much.

well, apparently, i do.

take a look, and you will probably be able to tell why!

my jaw is on the floor with this room.

i am totally in love.

the mirror!

those chairs!

that desk!

those roman shades!!

if gorgeousness could cause a stroke,

i would be dead right now.

dead, i tell you...

love the ticking 

+ the zebra 

+ the bamboo blinds 

+ the rug.

 why,hello pop of orange!

you look great with zebra.

love the oversized ottoman in this brown zebra...

zebra pillows really add some drama here.

another room that has me drooling.

as you can see, zebra adds a punch to both

neutrals and bright colors, and 

plays well with nearly any pattern.

i really, really, really think i need 

two little ottomans/stools/benches 

covered with zebra.

this room is beautiful!

check out the velvet on the sofa--

it looks so yummy i want to eat it!

love the banding on the drapes.

another lovely room

made even more lovely with a touch of zebra.

i have had this one in my file f-o-r-e-v-e-r--
probably close to 8 years...

(with the striped lampshades and the zebra rug, 

how could i NOT save it?)


what do you think?
are you a zebra lover, 
or not?

mood board monday: soothing graphic retreat

i am always daydreaming 

about my "someday house"...

so this week, i decided to play 

along with mood board monday

at pewter + sage,

and create a fictional room

for my "new" house.

the inspiration was a series of framed 

art from the new collection from patch nyc

for west elm. (aren't they gorgeous?)

i loved the grey and camel/mustard colors

of the prints, so i used those colors as my scheme. 

i chose the "rose" and "thistle" prints 

to design my room around:

my room is a den, 

and i infused it with the organic influence from the

botanical prints, and added a dose of metallic sheen

and some graphic elements to create a soothing

and sophisticated space where i would love

to hang out.

1. the warm tones of the gold venetian mirror and 

patch nyc wall art balance the cool tones of
benjamin moore's  coventry grey on the walls.

2. roman shades in celerie kemble'e betwixt in bisquit/ivory

trimmed in greek key trim. i love the mix of these two graphic,

elements together.

3. the ornate feel of the suzette chair from horchow adds contrast to

the clean lines of the other furniture in the space.

i love this chair because it could easily be a chair that

was rescued from a flea market, and reupholstered to give it

a fabulous second life. the costello stool adds a 

fun dose of metallic glam, and functions

as a great place to set a book or a drink. an orchid and gold

toned birds from oly would be great accessories in this space, that

complement the botanical/nature theme of the inspriration art.

4. the hutton sofa from room and board in mustard velvet
 becomes a great backdrop for a collection of fun pillows:

black white koko 26" pillow

grey/ivory stripe pillow
patch NYC pigeon pillow
pillow in padna fabric

5. the fretwork side chair echos the pattern
on the roman shades and is extremely affordable.
another striped pillow, as well as a pillow in surankari fabric
strengthen the color scheme and add more pattern.
the everglades silver tray adds another metallic hit
to the room, and the weathered wood ball adds texture.


 5. the richard nixon rug from jonathan adler,
anchors the space, and picks up on the dark frames of the 
patch nyc art. the dark manhattan side table,also from target, 
holds a distressed wood turned spindle lamp.

nice and trim: remodelaholic guest post

did you check out my post on trim

for remodelaholic?

in case you missed it,

here it is!

***

Many of my clients feel their spaces lack character and interest. 

 While there a several strategies to create texture, enhance proportions, and build design interest for a space, one of the most effective is to 

add architectural moldings. 

Adding crown molding to a space is a classic 

and yet very simple solution.

This is the first house that my husband and I built 

for ourselves nine years ago. We added crown molding to the ceiling, 

added a smaller piece of trim about four inches down the wall, 

and then painted the wall space in between to match the trim. 

The result is a larger, 

more elaborate looking molding.

Adding molding/trim to doors or openings is an easy way to produce a high impact design feature at a minimal cost.  For instance, the total cost of the materials for this opening was around $30. We added this type of treatment over the two major openings in our first home's foyer.

A more intricate version was installed in this custom home built by my husband.

The trim here helps define the door and creates additional mass, balancing the door's "visual weight"

against the expanse of the two-story wall.

Here are some other examples:

Basic pilasters (half-columns), in another one of our custom homes, define the bathtub.

At the Sanctuary Hotel on Kiawah Island in South Carolina,

large openings are wrapped in trim with inset louvered panels.

Another area of the Sanctuary Hotel features decorative headers which

 define the space and bring down the scale of the high ceilings which creates a more intimate environment.

In this custom home built by my husband, the 14 foot tall ceilings in the foyer would have seemed awkward with the absence of properly scaled moldings. Notice how the seven foot tall wainscoting establishes more appropriate proportions for the space.

Before remodeling, only a small piece of crown and base molding outlined the foyer of our last home. So we installed wainscoting to dress up the entry.  This also helped disguise the air return vent.  Did you notice it? If not, then we accomplished our goal!

Since the stairwell and upstairs hall were also visible from the foyer, we decided to continue the trim into these spaces.  The added trim transforms the long and ordinary hall into an appealing area for showcasing family photos.

Trim is an essential component in spaces that many people, including me, find comfortable and appealing. Whenever we remodel or build a new home, we  experiment with new treatments and applications of moldings. I am always searching for great ways to use trim. I get my ideas from past projects, magazines, as well as public spaces like restaurants, hotels and offices.  

  Installing additional trim/moldings does not have to be a complex or expensive endeavor. In fact, after painting, adding trim is one of the easiest and most cost-effective ways to customize any space. And, as you can see, the results can be breathtaking!