Blog Resources For My Future Home

The Wits

Yellow Brick Home

Restorative chair makeover for my similar mid-century teak chairs

Making a Farmhouse table here

Door Sixteen

Plywood plank floor for temporary use. In lieu of installing expensive hardwoods before you have the money, why not try installing plywood like Door Sixteen did here.

The Wits

Gorgeous furniture inspiration (see above) through their store

The Brick House

Refinishing Vintage Wood: Instructions from the Brick House for bringing used real wood furniture back to life like my dresser/desk, rocking chair, and mid-century chairs.

Easy Way To Check For Lead Paint: Using the 3M products Lead Check Swabs, an instant lead test.

Ana White (Easy DIY furniture tutorials and plans)

Home DIY project catalog

FYI: This doesn't mean I'll be posting any more frequently than I have been but I wanted to share these resources.

Ford Wheeler's Clown-tastic Bathroom

I can appreciate the kitsch but I'm a bit clown-phobic so I won't be emulating this look anytime soon. Still you should check out the slideshow of the rest of production designer (Rachel Getting Married) Wheeler's energy and item-packed home here at the New York Times Style Magazine.

Image: Alix Browne for the New York Times

Buy Only What You Love...and Can Afford

This past weekend, something wonderful happened. I went to a thrift store and was validated for my thriftiness that same day. My father came to visit me and we did what we usually do; have a great meal out and visit a few thrift stores. This time we stopped first at a Salvation Army. He found a few odds and ends, including a ceramic pumpkin just in time for this weekend. I found a lamp. Not just any lamp, but one that I have been looking for since this post. 

   

Next to my other favorite lamp 

This beautiful harvest yellow stoneware lamp put me back $8. Yes, this heavy almost 30 in high lamp was less than $10! Not a scratch on it and (of course I checked) it works. Bonus, I got the light bulb free too! Later we went to one of our ritzier malls and since I never get the chance, went into Pottery Barn for the first time in almost two years. Walking around checking out the fake antiques*, I came across this lamp:

 
Brookshire, $200 online 

Same weight, same coloring, and almost the same height but check that price difference. While I do appreciate the Brookshire, I've also always wanted a curvy lamp, pretty similar to their other offering, the Alexis lamp.

  Alexis, $100 

And with my $8 purchase, I think I got the best of both worlds, what do you think?

 
Just look at that wonderful glazing! 

* Did you ever see that hilarious episode of Friends? 

  Images: My own photos, Potterybarn.com

Bohemian style in California

I usually like to write something to accompany the photos on this blog. But these pictures have been sitting in draft form for far too long and it's time to share. Taken from a August 22 story in the Los Angeles Times on modern renaissance man and Beautiful Losers director, Aaron Rose and his place in Silver Lake. I love this place and the feel it gives. For more pictures and cool details, check out the photo gallery here. Enjoy!

Rose-embellished items


Note the Rose-painted Crosley turntable

Amish Hex signs

It pays to do your research...

Something cool happened...I found out what these glasses were.

More than a year ago my dad found me the most beautiful amber lamp. Along with the lamp he found a set of four faceted amber goblets. Through a series of links from search results for amber glass, a similar glass to mine showed up on the screen, but in green.

Avocado green

This is how I found out that they are pressed glass tumblers manufactured by the Indiana Glass Company (1907-2002) of Dunkirk, IN . During the years between 1960 and the '80s, there were many similar looking patterns out there such as the Fostoria American, Indiana Glass American Whitehall (a much later style after they bought Fostoria) and the Jeanette Glass Co. Cube designs. However, I have been able to identify mine as Whitehall, just Whitehall, which were produced from the 1960s to the 1980s and came in gold (amber) olive (avocado), and crystal clear. Later in the run, designs were also available in a light blue and teal.

Here is a chart from the Indiana Glass factory that shows the other items that were part of this line. I'm thinking it sure would be nice to have a few of those avocado green and teal glasses in my cabinet too.



The best thing, is that these are still plentiful at thrift stores and online and are quite affordable at $6-$8 per glass or $22 for a pitcher.

SHELTER: Study in Do-It-Yourself Décor

Snapshotradio's pictures on Flickr caught my eye over a year ago. This picture, of her sunny blue dining room, in particular. The sense of light is amazing. Going through her other pictures, I noticed that her personal taste and love of color was visible in every corner and vignette. So many of the things that caught my eye turned out to be projects that she had done herself.

Since then, she and her husband have changed apartments and all of those details and projects came with them. Instead of buying all new things for the new place, furniture and objects were reused or revamped. Below is a pretty comprehensive account of the different projects that she and her husband have taken on to make wherever they live into a home.

What was your biggest influence in choosing your current décor? My biggest influence in my current décor, or any décor, is nature. Our flat is very open, has many big windows with simple window treatments overlooking these old and beautiful trees. We also live near a body of water, which makes a lovely view. I’ve tried to make our space feel very organic, like an extension of the natural world outside our windows.

What specific difficulties did you have when decorating your space? There are probably a few things I could say here. For instance, because it’s a rental there is only so much I’m allowed/or want to do with the space. I don’t really want to (nor have the means to) invest a lot financially because I know we won’t be here forever. My goal was to create a comfortable and inexpensive space that reflected the overall location and feel of the flat, while at the same time incorporating my own style. Because we’re still moving around a lot, for the more expensive pieces (i.e. larger pieces of furniture) I want to make sure that whatever I buy at the time will transition well to any space. That’s sometimes hard to do, what works for one space may not work for another. I think I’m getting better about purchasing more versatile and timeless pieces that reflect my style. I find that the lack of investment that comes with renting makes me feel a little freer to experiment and be creative.

What has been the most expensive change you have made to your space? We recently purchased a new sofa. I had been trying forever to find a second-hand sofa I liked, but wasn’t having any luck. So we found a futon-like sofa from Urban Outfitters. I love the mid-century look of the sofa.

What has been the least expensive, yet most influential change you have made to your space?

It’s a tie between our window treatments (bought at Restore – a Habitat for Humanity home store) and painting a few of our rooms. When we moved in the entire flat was painted various shades of yellow (and one deep red room). I like yellow but we decided to take a few rooms and make them a little softer – this let a lot of light in and really gave the space a more open feeling.

Have you done any of the décor yourself (DIY)? 
Why yes I have… One of my absolute favorite things to do is buy second-hand or find things on the side of the street and fix them up. If I had it my way I would make everything myself: furniture, textiles, etc! Unfortunately, I don’t have those skills just yet, so when I find something already out there that I can play around with and make my own, I do that!

What exactly did you do? A lot! For instance, I put together a side-table with a paint-chip mosaic top. I spotted the idea in an issue of Readymade magazine. I picked up a ton of paint-chip samples from Home Depot, trimmed the edges, and used double-sided tape to stick them to the surface of the IKEA side table. I purchased the glass top from a local glass dealer. I used this same idea for another side table in our current apartment. We purchased a small table from Pier 1, and I found the plain already glass topped surface a little bland. To remedy this, I cut out a square of Pop Ink paper and laid it on the bare surface to create a brighter more appealing tabletop.

I love to use paint to transform pieces including store bought or found furniture, and home accessories such as teak bowls, candlestick holders, and picture frames.

Painted furniture remakes include a birch IKEA sideboard we purchased on sale. We repainted it with white milk paint and replaced the IKEA knobs with mismatched knobs from Anthropologie. Milk paint* has been used for a few pieces in addition to the IKEA sideboard.

I used Marigold milk paint to revamp an old bookshelf given to my husband from his great aunt. Milk paint in Slate was also used on a plant stand we found on the side of the road, as well as the wood trim on an IKEA chalkboard.

White spray paint is one of my favorite things to have around the house. The white mirror hanging above the sideboard was an awful gold color. So I spray-painted it matte white. The white candlestick holder sitting atop the sideboard was another awful gold project, also spray painted white. My inspiration for the candlestick came from Jonathan Adler’s designs. White spray paint was also used to transform a drab chair I purchased at a thrift store, as well as a small side table, which had been thrown out by our neighbors.

My latest spray-paint projects are the six small 4x4 thrifted mirrors hanging above our appliances in the kitchen. I used blue and white spray paint, along with pearly white nail polish (it was handy at the time), around the wood trim of the mirrors.

More wall accessories include a section of wall dedicated to various fabrics displayed in embroidery hoops. The swatch portrait idea is courtesy of the Purl Bee and can be found here.

I’ve used fabric to cover a canvas or two. I’ve also used it in the more conventional way – to reupholster. I found a vintage Costco stool at a local Goodwill and recovered the seat with Mexican oilcloth purchased at a garage sale.

I’ve made several pillows. The two floral pillows on our sofa were made from the fabric of a thrifted dress**.In addition, I’ve made a few curtains. One set of curtains, which currently hang in my husband’s office, was originally a bed cover from Urban Outfitters. I simply cut it in half and hemmed the edges to create a pair of curtains. My husband built a day bed-bench for my office. He also built and painted a plant stand. We make a pretty good team together.

What changes have you made that make you feel the most proud? I feel most proud of giving new life to second-hand or throw away pieces. It may sound a little naïve, but sometimes I get a little overwhelmed when I think of all the “stuff” out there in the world. So much stuff or junk out there has real potential to be turned in to something useful and beautiful again. It is a satisfying feeling to take something that most people might throw out or never bring into their home in the first place, and turned it in to something that looks good and makes our living space better.

If you received $1,000 that you could only spend on your home, what would you do with the money? A part of me wants to say I would use it to buy something off my “neat things” wists list. Another part of me wants to say I would use it as a flea market fund. But I’m also wondering if purchasing fabric, paints, and other supplies for DIY home stuff counts as home use only. If so – maybe I would set a little aside for a bit of all of the above!

What do you plan to do next in your space? I'm planning to repaint my office/sewing room (probably a shade of white). I'm also going to put up some prints of ocean plant life that I found on the Internet and placed on foam core board, (which is an inexpensive alternative to framing). I would also like to add one more piece of furniture - a bench. I've been scouring thrift stores and yard sales for an affordable bench I like, but haven't had any luck yet - so my husband and I may just go ahead and build a simple bench. Finally, I'm sure I will continue with various sewing projects for our living space; such as wall organizers, pillows, tea towels, oven mitts and pot holders to name a few.

What kind of homes do you most admire or lust after? I most admire homes with character, and homes that really reflect a person’s individual style, and not simply the trends of the moment.

How different is your grown-up style from the place in which you grew up? My childhood home was on a hill in the country – surrounded by open sky and small ponds. My parents designed the home. My mom is a huge fan of antiquing and DIY. She also loves to garden, so we had gorgeous landscaping. She’s always put a lot of her own personal style into her living space, and really made our home feel comfortable. I think I’ve been influenced a lot by my mom’s approach to design, my childhood home, and the surrounding land where I grew up. At the same time, I feel like my “grown-up style” is somewhat more modern, a little less country, and a lot more influenced by urban living and small spaces.

Do you think your décor matches your personal style and do you think it represents who you are?  My personal [style] is tremendously economical, somewhat fanciful, and most of all comfortable. I would say my [home] does indeed match my personal style in these aspects. I do think these things represent who I am in the sense that I am laid back yet organized and tidy, a spendthrift, and always getting lost in my imagination. I also consider my style to reflect who I am and where I am at this moment in my life.

* Milk paint is a chemically free green alternative to latex or oil paint. In a cool coincidence, the same company she used features my friend Andy Buck's studio furniture on their site.** She used the top part of the dress to make a shirt.

SHELTER: A Study of a Small Space

Months ago, when I came across the home of fellow blog writer Chez Shoes, I was amazed because this lovely space looked very much like my imagined future cottage. She has done an incredible job with this space; though cozy, it seems very bright and airy. Please enjoy this tour in her own words.

"I live in a 400-square-foot studio (or single) apartment in Los Angeles. It’s one of three units in a converted bungalow, built in the 1920s. While my unit looks vintage, it’s actually new – it was built out of the basement and original laundry room just a couple years ago. I’m lucky to have the best of both worlds: vintage charm and modern plumbing!"

Would you consider yourself an artistic person? Is it something that you use in your career or daily life?

I’m not sure that I’d say I’m artistic, as much as creative. As a visual thinker and learner, I’m constantly inspired by what I see around me in my daily life. I work in the stock photography industry, and while not a photographer myself, the colors and images that I am surrounded by daily at work often inspire me in my home life.

What specific difficulties did you have when decorating your space?

Two come to mind. The biggest obstacle, living in a studio, was getting a clear separation of sleeping and living space within one room. Since the space is visually dominated by the bed, I’m still working on this one!

The other was decorating the wall above my bed. Since I have spent my entire life in earthquake country, I have a phobia of having anything hanging over my head! Just this weekend I solved this by hanging a picture wire over the bed, which I use to display lightweight things that pose no danger.

How comfortable are you in your living space?

Very. I moved into my apartment last December, when I was seriously thinking of leaving Los Angeles for good. While a move is still under consideration, I find my apartment to be so pleasing that I’m becoming a bit hesitant to do so.

Is your favorite color represented in your home somewhere?

That was part of the reason I fell for this place while I was apartment-hunting – the colors it was already painted were exactly what I would have chosen myself! The kitchen trim is red, which is my all-time favorite color. The bedroom and bathroom walls are painted a sunny yellow, which I have painted other spaces before and I love. I didn’t need to change a thing!

How would you describe your personal style?

Flea-market modern meets big-box store, with some handmade thrown in for good measure and a little bit of Japanese kawaii.

Do you think your décor style matches your personal style?

Absolutely – my home, like my wardrobe, is a mixture of vintage, handmade, and new, a mixture of purchased, found, and hand-me-downs from friends.

What was your biggest influence in choosing your current décor?

Prosaic though it may be, I’d have to say cost – but along with this goes my personal ethic of using what I have, recycling, and avoiding buying new whenever possible. By being forced to work within budgetary constraints, I think I’m also forced to be more creative than I would be if I had the money, say, to just go to Design Within Reach or Shabby Chic and buy new off the showroom floor.

Well, let's say that you receive $1,000 that you could only spend on your home, what would you do with the money?

I’d probably buy a vintage armoire that I could use to hide the TV in! And since I’d be buying used, there might be enough money left over to score a washer and dryer on Craigslist – then my life would be truly complete. :)

Have you done any of the décor yourself (DIY projects)? What did you do?

Living in a small space, organization is always important. I just made a wall organizer from Lotta Jansdotter’s Simple Sewing book, so that I can keep all the little necessities at hand next to my sewing table.

Since you sew, are there any other projects you have planned to make for your home?

Next up will be café curtains for my kitchen. I’ll be using the pattern in Amy Karol's Bend-the-Rules Sewing, my current favorite source of sewing inspiration.

What changes have you made that make you feel the most proud?

After realizing that my kitchen goes mostly unused, several weeks ago I decided to dedicate my kitchen table to being a full-time sewing space. Since doing so, I’ve had a lot more inspiration and motivation to make little things for the home – things like placemats, napkins, aprons, and those café curtains that I plan to do soon. When my sewing machine was tucked away on a shelf, I was much more of a procrastinator about projects, and far more willing to just go out and buy what I wanted or needed. Now, before buying I consider “Can I make that?” and usually the answer is “YES!”

Is there one item in your home that you love the most?
I have two, actually: my 1950s vintage rocker, scored at a thrift store as it was being unloaded from the delivery truck (“Hey, I’ll give you $20 for that chair!” and it went straight from the truck to my car). And my owl eyeglass holder.

What do you plan to do next in your space?

The aforementioned kitchen curtains, and I’d also like to seriously re-do my walk-in closet so that it is organized optimally. The latter will probably not be a DIY project, though – just a matter of finding the right storage system to install.

What kind of homes do you most admire or lust after?

I love small cottages, and trailers too. My dream home would be something from the Tumbleweed Tiny House Company with a large plot of land on which I could have a vegetable garden and an Airstream.

Have you seen any homes in movies that you would want to live in?
Oh, so many! The first that comes to mind is Amelie’s apartment, of course. But I also like the décor of Meg Ryan’s apartment in You’ve Got Mail, and Steve Buscemi’s apartment in Ghost World.

Amelie

Ghost World

How different is your grown-up style from the place in which you grew up?

Very different, but with some remaining influences. My parents’ tastes ran toward the antique side when I was a kid in the 1960s and 1970s, so things were much more traditional – I remember lots of dark wood, which I don’t especially care for. But my parents were also big thrifters and flea-marketers, so clearly I've been influenced by this.

What can they tell me about my rocking chair?

I have had this wonderful rocking chair since 1994. I bought it from this awesome furniture place called Stuckey's that used to be on Broad Street, here in Richmond. I have always been curious about its pedigree. I'm pretty sure it's a mutt but I still want to know what time period this is from and who was the manufacturer or designer. Perhaps there are other pieces, like a buffet or a dining room set.

Today I sent its image to Country Living magazine, which offers online and print appraisals of vintage finds for people. In the next few weeks, I hope to find some other places that offer similar services.

I did see a similar rocking chair years ago in an old issue of House and Garden magazine in the early 1990's. However, there was no information besides the fact that the homeowner had found it in a thrift store. Since then, I have seen nothing close.

By the way, I also sent CL a picture of my Amberina Hollywood Regency lamp hoping that they would have some additional information on that too.

Amberina Glass

Amberina glass is "heat sensitive" glass, which gradates in color from amber at the bottom to red at the top. They do this by reheating the top part of the glass before allowing it to cool. If the effect is reversed and the bottom part of a vessel is reheated rather than the top, the result is called "reverse amberina"- which is red at the bottom and amber at the top.

Both my dad and I are fans of refurbishing old items for new use. He is amazing at finding cool stuff in thrift stores and flea markets for cheap, cheap prices. I had showed him my two amberina pieces last October and he said that he would look out for it.

Well, look what my dad found for me. Compare it to the images I have above and well, he did an amazing job. He did pick up a few pieces that were amber but not amberina, but I am not complaining.

Look at that lamp! It came with the original mica lampshade. The best thing is that the globe portion also has a bulb, and can be lit separate from the lamp, like a nightlight.

Now, just where o where will that lamp go in my already full apartment?