Eames

I’ve never been into labels. I love what I love and it doesn’t matter if I bought it at Nordstorm, Macy's, Target or a thrift store. There is, however, one designer piece that would be a dream come true if I were ever able to own one: an Eames lounge chair. 

Architectural Digest

                               

When I was studying interior space planning, way back in the day, we studied more than just interior design, space planning, and finishes, we also studied furniture design. We were introduced to various architects and publications like Interior Design and Architectural Digest seemed more like textbooks than magazines. When you scanned through the pages for inspiration you would often find someone sitting in a Eames Lounge chair. 

Elle Decor

                                     

It is a piece of art with it’s sculpted wood frame, slightly curved back and wide seat, but the way it is shaped and leans back it also says, come…sit down, lean back, and relax. It says yes, I'm a gorgeous leather chair but by all means put your feet up. It's what I'm made for. 

Elle Decor

The Eames lounge chair is proof positive that you don’t have to sacrifice comfort for design. 

Herman Miller

 Certainly there are many other classic chairs. There is the Knoll Wassily chair by Marcel Breuer with it's taut leather seat and back,

the Barcelona chair by Mies van der Rohe with it's distinctive grid tufted seat and back and chrome X-frame,  

The Lc-2 chair by Le Corbusier 

and the Arne Jacobsen chair looks like so much fun to sit in. 

But the Eames lounge chair is the one that's always captivated me. 

 If you were a fan of Frazier, then you probably remember seeing him put his feet up on this beauty. It's in stark contrast to the tattered barcalounger his dad lived in. 

Genuine Eames lounge chairs don't come cheap but you can buy a use or knock off if you really want. Not me. It’s like buying a fake Rolex. It may be beautiful to look at but you’ll never be able to convince yourself that it is the real deal. Besides, even the knock offs aren't cheap. If I've waited this long to have one, I can wait longer. Good things come to those who wait.

B.

Harlequin Letter Tray

I had been on the lookout for a small box to use as a letter tray and found this gray wooden tray on clearance at Joann's fabric.  When I bought it the one thing I knew was that I wanted to change it up a bit. I liked that it was wood and a good size but I wasn't crazy about the rustic style and decided to paint it.

                    

Lately harlequin patterns have been on my mind so I thought a bright red color with a black and white diamond pattern might be sharp. The tray had silver metal edges which I did not like so to start I removed them with a flathead screwdriver and then sanded and primed it. Next I spray painted it with a bright red gloss paint from Krylon caller Banner Red. 

I hadn't used Krylon before so I wasn't sure what to expect. The wood was very soft and porous so it took about four coats to cover completely but it worked out fine. I finished up with a gloss topcoat. I had intended to paint the bottom with the black and white pattern but realized that trying to get the diamond pattern right might be a little daunting  and time consuming so I searched for a black and white paper I could cut and glue to the bottom. I couldn't find exactly what I wanted but I did find a cute little harlequin bandanna at Joann's Fabrics for a couple bucks. 

I cut a piece of cardboard that I had left over from another project to match the size of the bottom of the tray. Next I washed and ironed the bandanna and centered the fabric over the cardboard. Quick note: the pattern was not straight so it made it difficult to center in the board. To solve the problem I lined up one side so that at least part of it was straight. Unless you are a perfectionist it won't matter if it's not perfectly straight but with a diamond pattern like this it looks weird if it is too uneven. To keep it from shifting I taped one side of the fabric to the cardboard and then used spray adhesive to glue it to the cardboard making sure to smooth out any wrinkles. I then just set it in the bottom of the tray. No need to glue it, it's not going anywhere.

Good tip: Bandannas are a good way to get just enough fabric for a project like this. They're small, come in a multitude of colors and patterns and you can usually get them for a dollar two. 

I'm very happy with the outcome and the cool thing is if I ever want to change it I can always pop out the cardboard and switch the fabric.

B.

Bathroom update

We finally started working on the bathroom. The shower tile and walls have been removed along with the shower base. We put up new insulation, a layer of plastic and Durarock panels to make sure it was water proof. The shower is not completed yet so I have no finished pictures. Here are the before and during. 

                                           

Next step is to put up the wall tile. I opted to go with a 6" x 6" white field tile and will punch it up  with a border of gray and white mosaic accent tile. It has 1/2" white marble and watery blue green glass accents that will give the bathroom just enough color and still keep it light and bright. The floor tile is medium gray porcelain with flecks of green and white. I wanted a frameless shower door but that just wasn't in the budget. I chose instead a semi-frameless door with a chrome frame from Arizona Shower Doors. It wasn't exactly my first choice but was a good compromise. I spotted a super sharp chrome mirror at Lowe's but at 18" wide I felt it is a little small. It's a really simple plain mirror which I thought would be perfect since I want to keep everything pared down and crisp. I'm hoping to find something a little large but still within my budget so I'll keep looking. The toilet is a high efficiency, chair height, white, elongated toilet from Kohler. I've purchased two toilets in the last two years and the Kohler out performed the other by far. Last, I found a simple three light lamp for over the vanity. The price was great but even though it is not polished I still think it will work. I decided to keep the existing vanity but will replace the sink. The vanity is white and has a gray and white Corian top. I really want a granite top but it will just have to wait. I'm shopping for a  square white sink with either a single or 4" spread chrome faucet. I haven't found what I want yet but I'm sure I will. Oh, and believe it or not, I still haven't settled on a paint color. More to come and soon I hope.

        

Psychedelic Tack Board

I love pretty fabric and will often buy a small piece even if I'm not sure what to do with it. Eventually I either make a pillow or maybe a fabric covered tack board. Tack boards are an easy project that you can make in an afternoon. They can be any size, with almost any fabric and can be framed or unframed. I prefer mine framed. To make this project you will need a piece of ceiling tile, spray adhesive, fabric, glue, a picture hanging kit and a picture frame. I have several oil paintings and have wanted to have them re-framed with simpler less ornate frames. I don't want to get rid of the old frames so I'll use one to frame my tack board. This was a dark gold frame so to freshen it up I sprayed it with a coat of primer followed by two coats of Ivory spray paint. 

To make the tack board measure the opening of the frame and cut the ceiling tile to fit just inside the frame. Ceiling tile can be found in different styles and sizes at any home improvement store. You can also use cork or foam core, but I prefer ceiling tile because it's inexpensive and very easy to cut. If you choose, you can also add a piece of batting to the board before adding the fabric. It's not necessary for this, but it will give the board some dimension. It looks really nice if you are going to add ribbon to the board. For this project we'll skip the batting.

I then cut a piece of fabric two inches wider than the opening of the frame. I always wash and iron fabric before cutting or sewing it. It makes it easier to work with and gives it a better feel. Next, I sprayed the tile with adhesive and centered it on the backside of the fabric.  

 I then stretched the fabric across the back to make sure the top did not have wrinkles and hot glued it. I like to use hot glue because it dries fast and I know the fabric won’t shift while I'm pulling it taut. 

 Last I put the board into the back of the frame and used screws to hold it in place. To hang it I attached picture hangers and wire appropriate to the size and weight of your board.

  Here is the final tack board. 

 

B.

New Lamps for My Boudoir

Every time I shop at a HomeGoods or TJ Maxx store I never leave empty handed. Their prices are great so I guess that’s not a bad thing. I’ve mentioned before I have an ever growing collection of crystal lamps in my bedroom but the one thing I don’t like is that I don’t have two of anything. I appreciate the uniqueness of one of a kind pieces, but I realize you need repetition in order to have balance and calm. To help me achieve this balancing act I’ve kept my eye out for a set of cute, sparkly affordable lamps for my dresser. 

I found these on clearance at TJ Maxx for $20 bucks each and thought they were almost perfect. I love the size and shape of the silver base. It will add sparkle to my dresser and will complement the crystal lamps very nicely. 

My only criticism is that I am not crazy about the lamp shade. They're silky with a nice shape and go perfect with my wall color, but I wish they were a little taller. I am considering replacing them with a taller drum shade which would better compliment the height of the mirror. For now they will do.

Here are my little lamps looking lovely on my dresser. 

Toile

Do you like toile? I do and from what I can tell I’m in the minority because whenever I ask that question I get either a ”huh?” or a “eww”. Everyone's tastes are different and I think a toile pattern used in the right application is beautiful. Toile patterns remind me of one of my favorite paintings, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte by artist Georges Seurat. 

I remember seeing years ago a Steven Sondheim play on TV called Sunday in the Park with George starring Bernadette Peters and Mandy Patinkin. The play was a fictional telling of the lives of the people depicted in vignettes throughout the park as the artist painted his masterpiece. I enjoyed seeing their stories brought to life and it made me look less at the pointillism technique he used and more at the people within the painting. That is basically what toile prints are. They are stories told in little vignettes like in this cheerful Covington fabric called Lickety Split. 

Lickety Split

Toile fabric typically has a more traditional feel but in recent years it's become much more contemporary using non-traditional colors like this orange toile from Manual Canovas,

Manual Canovas

or this gray and yellow toile at House of Fabrics, 

Conservatory Charcoal

or this lovely aqua blue toile from Duralee.

Shanghai


My favorite by far is this toile print called Harlem Toile De Jouy by Shelia Bridges. Miss Bridges is an African American interior designer in New York who took the traditional french toile pattern and combined it with what she calls stereotypical African American life. It's a beautiful pattern and unlike anything I've seen before.

Harlem Toile De Jouy

If you still think you don't like toile I hope you can give it a second look. It's come a long way from  the pastoral scenes found on traditional toile prints. Today it's available in many vibrant non traditional patterns and colors like orange, purple, aqua, gray and chocolate brown. If wallpaper or a sofa is too much consider adding toile curtains, a couple of pillows or a lamp. They would add a nice touch to your room and a little can go a long way.

Textured White Vases

I’ve seen a number of pretty, textured white vases around the Internet like these from West Elm. 

West Elm

It looked like an easy craft project I could do myself and I was right. Enter Puffy paint. I know I’m a little late to the dance but I love this stuff. It's versatile, fun and so easy to use. It comes in bottles with a small applicator tip so you can make designs with it on many surfaces like fabric and glass. Totally Eileen used it to re-purpose these glass bottles. 

Totally Eileen

And these are from Design Sponge

Design Sponge

To be honest, to make designs on glass you can use puffy paint or even glue since when it dries it will leave a raised mark that will show up well under paint. Kate at Centsational Girl used glue to get this look. 

Centsational Girl

I still want to try the puffy paint. It may be because I 

just like saying it. Such a fun word. Anyway, I don’t 

often buy things that are new for a project like this in 

case I screw it up. I decided to use a small glass vase 

with baby's breath that was sitting on top of my hutch collecting dust. The stuff most people use as a filler, I was using as a floral arrangement. Sad. I tried it out first on a sheet of paper to see what it would do. I’m glad I did because it took longer to dry than I expected. Before I began I washed the vase with soap and water then used a piece of sandpaper to rough it up a bit. It’s always good to give a glassy surface some texture as it makes the paint adhere better. 

Next I drew my image on a sheet of 8 x 10 paper and taped it to the inside so it wouldn’t move. Then I traced the image with the puffy paint shifting the paper around as needed until I got the desired look. The puffy paint stayed tacky and soft so I let it dry for several days before touching it. Next I took it outside and painted a coat of primer followed by 3 coats of white spray paint. I let it dry for a couple of days before touching. Depending on the temperature, it may take a while to truly dry and you don’t want fingerprints. When it’s dry, you will have a beautiful, one of a kind vase that you made yourself. 

I love it so much I’ve got to do it again.