On a whim I decided to redo my dining room. It all started when I fell in love with West Elm's Glass Disc Chandelier (which sadly is no longer available). From there I moved on to picking a paint color. I really love seeing all the dark colors that West Elm has been using and it really helped me in my decision to go this dark.
I got a gallon of paint from Sherwin Williams, the color is called Blue Peacock. Paint is on sale (30% off) now until the 31st. You can also use this coupon with the sale: $10 off $50 or more.
The wall is painted and the light is up but I still need to pick up a sideboard from Craigslist tomorrow. I'm so excited. I will post pictures soon!
You may remember the book or the strange 80's movie, well Lifetime has decided to remake "Flowers in the Attic". It stares Kiernan Shipka and Heather Graham as the Mother. When her husband dies, she returns home in the hopes of getting her father's inheritance but must keep her "evil spawn" hidden (with the help of her evil mother, played by Ellen Burstyn). The children live in the attic for years before they realize that their mother has actually abandoned them. I'm looking forward to the visuals, it will be set in the 1970's 1950s. It premiered Saturday night but will air again tonight 9/8c.
A fellow mid-century enthuesiast has been remodeling her home. She had contacted me about buying one of my larger pieces and now I can see she found the perfect place for it! I just love her wall color choice, perfect!
Universal Orlando has announced plans to build a new retro themed resort hotel called the Cabana Bay Beach Resort, which is to be completed by 2014.
I just love the look of this place, the image above almost looks like a vintage postcard. I will so be staying there in the future! Can you imagine how fun the rooms will be!
So currently it's still being built and won't be opening until next year. The new hotel will be operated by Loews Hotels & Resorts and feature both moderate and value-level accommodations in the forms of family suites and standard rooms.
Artwork released by Universal Orlando shows a glimpse at what the Cabana Bay Beach Resort will look like, featuring a sleek ’50s style across its lobby, pool, and rooms. Across multiple buildings, Cabana Bay beach resort will include a total of 1,800 rooms: 900 family suites, capable of sleeping six, that include kitchen areas and 900 standard guest rooms
Omg, check out this room sketch below! I later found an example of what the room will actually look like, how cool!
Whenever anyone buys a home they have all these ideas of what they want to update and change but then you realize you're not made of money. Jody, a follower of the Mid-Century Modern facebook page had that same dilemma. Instead of expensive flooring she decided to throw around some fun shades of paint and create a Pollock inspired floor. Total cost $250.
So my husband and I have decided to get a new wood burning stove insert, something that has a blower that will really warm up the house in the winter. Right now it's just some glass doors and brick behind it (the current doors are not original).
Having walls of windows can feel a bit chilly, and when ever we used the fireplace it would actually make the room even colder. So we started looking for something modern, but most fireplace inserts in the US look so ornate and dated. To make matters worse our fireplace opening is a weird size and the stone mantle really narrowed down what we could do. Soooo... we found a company that makes custom fireplace inserts. We can do what ever we want! I want one large door, but there are lots of options for what colors it can be. It's such a tough decision! I'm going for a rustic - modern look. Anyone have a favorite look?
A friend of mine brought this book to my attention, looks like a great read!
"We couldn’t resist reprinting this lovely note by Gill Hodgson, owner of Taboo, and the wife of Mick Hodgson, Ph.D, (A Design Office) “My husband has designed many books but his most recent is, in his own words, “the best book I’ve ever designed!” As he says, how could he fail with such brilliant material? The book he’s talking about is the catalogue for LACMA’s exhibit California Design 1930-1965: Living in a Modern Way."
The amazing artist Matte Stephens just recently moved to NH, only an hour away from me! How lucky am I!
His house is looking fantastic! The home was built in 1953, has high ceilings and lots of big windows. He's got the living room all decorated, but says the rest is still a work in progress. I can't wait to see more!
About 4 years ago when I was in house hunting mode, I came across architect Chaewon Kim that built these two funky homes in Cambridge, MA (pictured above). The houses were amazing, but we weren't to keen on the location. The one thing that amazed me even more was the bamboo plants growing against one of the homes (2:21). I remember the weather being really cold and they they were green and ALIVE! Ever since then I've wanted some bamboo of my own.
Recently on a wim I searched for a bamboo nursery and found a place called Greentop in Rockport, MA. They specialize is all kinds of bamboo plants, planter systems and design & consultation. All I can say is wow, I felt like I was in Disney World! It's by appointment only so please call before you go.
It was literally a maze. Greenhouse after greenhouse after greenhouse filled with plants. They had small running bamboo, enormously tall bamboo, anything you could imagine! All of their plants can handle New England weather apart from a few indoor plants. I bought a 10' tall indoor shade tolerant plant called Bambusa multiplex varigata and I also got a smaller lime green bamboo plant called Pleioblastus viridi-striatus, which I plan on growing outside. After seeing all that they had to offer, I would really like to get some larger outdoor plants, but I still need to come up with a plan. In warmer climates bamboo will grow fast but in a colder climate bamboo grows slower, so that is also something to think about when buying.
If you live nearby you should check this place out.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Photos: Eric Laignel
I was poking around on DesignShuffle.com and I came across this beautifully decorated apartment. This space doesn't feel like an apartment at all, well done! It was decorated by Workshop/apd a design team based in NY. I took a look at the their website and they've also built some amazing buildings. check them out!
Rakatansky studied with Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer at Harvard in the 1940s. He began building homes and his own home in Providence, Rhode Island. Check out more of his home on Apartment Therapy
An incredible renovation by architect Michael Haverland and interior designer Alan Tanksley. What a great space! I think those brass sculpture/sconces would look great on my home.
