Skirting the Issue

I love the skirted table that Erika had made for her daughter's second birthday. The fabric is very inexpensive, and she chose red so that she could use it again on holidays (how festive will it be on the 4th of July?).


Our dining room table's surface takes a beating when we have guests and it would be nice to have a floor-length cloth to use when we pull the chairs away. Ana Spiro has a lovely ticking-stripe cloth on her desk.


A box pleat would be pretty, too, and that might be a little more in-line with my sewing abilities. Now, where's my measuring tape?

Pretty New Orleans Cottage

No less than four of my friends have taken trips to New Orleans in the last month or so. Their fun vacays got me thinking about how much I liked this Cottage Living Idea House. The traditional shotgun-style house was built to fit right in to this historical neighborhood.


Designed by Ann and Jane Dupuy, the front door opens into a parlor lined with bookcases.


The room's pretty monochromatic scheme sets the tone for the first floor.


I've always loved the simple desk area.


Further in, the kitchen has iconic cottage details like beaded board and bin pull cabinet hardware.


But the real show-stopper is the barn door over the pantry and the chalkboard-painted wall.

The powder room is dressed up with a pretty mirror and a wall-mounted faucet.



Nearby, an office nook is no doubt the home's command center.


Along the back of the house, the living and dining rooms have horizontal planking and French doors. The gas lanterns are a nod to the Crescent City.


I also the the simple, but well-appointed dining room. New Orleans design has a reputation for being over-the-top, so I love this more clean interpretation.


The French doors open to a wonderful back porch overlooking the courtyard garden.


Upstairs, the master bedroom is swathed appropriately in French blue and outfitted with Leontine Linens, of course!



And what's not to love about a wallpapered walk-in closet!

Photos are by Robbie Caponetto and Roger Foley.

Crystal + Farm Table

I'm not really a crystal-chandelier type of girl. They're lovely, but I just don't see them in my house. However, when paired with a farm table or something equally casual, they are just right.





Photos: via A Country Farmhouse, House & Garden, unknown, Coastal Living, and unknown.

Day 949: thinking of an upgrade

This blue chest is in our dining room. It was free and so was the blue paint on it (Benjamin Moore Stratton Blue). I spent a tiny bit of money on these white ceramic knobs the day before we had houseguests for the weekend. (Am I the only one who makes those kinds of purchases?) I didn't love them, but I didn't mind them either until ...


... My friend Zoe sent me this photo (from the Circa Interiors -- a great shop in Birmingham and Charlotte -- blog) saying "I know you'll love this!" And darn it she was right and now I want to put a glaze on my blue chest and upgrade the hardware. Don't you hate when that happens? Here are a few I'm thinking about ...


Here.


Here.


Here.


Here.


Here.

Day 942's guest post

The ole house is looking awfully Springy today, which is kind of dangerous as it is definitely still January. I put some cute purple tulips in the dining room to jazz it up for a few photos for my guest appearance on Pure Style Home. Quite frankly I worked myself into a little tizzy at the thought of my humble abode sitting there for all of Lauren's world to see. But it was fun!


So then I moved the wild daffodils into the living room (I took this photo before I tried any of your tricks). I also spray-painted that bust in the aforementioned tizzy, and is it just me or am I starting to get a handle on this whole silly "tablescaping" (I hate that word!) thing?

Day 936's favorite images from Cottage Living

Today I am especially missing Cottage Living, for some reason. I thought you might like a random sampling of some (some!) of my favorites ...









By the way, if you miss Cottage Living too, you can find archive images on MyHomeIdeas.com.

Photos are by Tria Giovan, Megan Thompson, Tim Street-Porter and Robbie Caponetto.

Day 886: Santa came early

I decided a few months ago that I was going to ask for dining chairs for Christmas. I mean, you know you're getting old when ... right? I knew I wanted upholstered slipcovered chairs, and it didn't take long to decide on the Henriksdal chair from Ikea. Really, you can't beat the price, and so far we're quite pleased with them.


I'm also so pleased with the way the former living room rug looks in the dining room -- it's a perfect fit! And so much warmer and more finished-looking than without it, yes? Don't worry, the living room floor isn't bare, it's covered in my $19.99 Salvation Army rug.


It was too much of a deal to pass up, though I got it home to discover that it was most definitely almost completely covered in mildew (lovely!). Luckily, a quick Google search came up with simple instructions that worked immediately. I mixed one part bleach with 6 parts water* and applied it with a spray bottle. I used a toothbrush to work it in on the most soiled parts, and it dried mildew-free. Above on the left is the cleaned side, and on the right you can see the mildew. I think it may have darkened the rug very slightly (or perhaps it wasn't completely dry), but since I bleached the whole thing, you can't tell a bit. And yes, I will making more frequent visits to that Salvation Army.

*Just FYI, you should not bleach sisal or jute.

Day 844: another house tour

Not to be redundant, but I have another house tour that you must see. This one is in the November issue of Southern Living and it has me positively drooling over the 1852 Georgia farmhouse. Will you just look at those floorboards and the horizontal paneling in the entry (above)? I just love too see a gracious, Southern home updated and dressed to the nines in a way that is modern and cool but still classic -- and not a bit stuffy.


The facade reminds me of this one. I've always had a thing for sort-of Colonial-looking homes.


Designer Jamie McPherson grew up next door to the house that he now calls home (here he is in the dining room he uses as his office -- I do the same thing, but it doesn't look as chic!).


He and partner Tra Raines evidently have a thing for Empire furniture, as they have several pieces (like this sideboard).


Jamie definitely has a thing for bird motifs, and repeats them throughout the house in various forms. For collecting, he suggests finding a pattern and sticking to it. Then, "it becomes a fun pastime to hunt down a specific piece, like a compote or soup tureen, that matches your other dishes," he told writer Robert Martin.


The kitchen was added in the 1940s and has whitewashed cabinets and marble counters. I love the way the light filters through the shades and picks up the pretty wood top on the island. And who doesn't love those pendants from Circa?



But the living room is my favorite, with its cozy gray-green walls and beautiful mantle. The wingback chairs are vintage (recovered, of course) and I love the smoky glass on the brass coffee table.



In the master bedroom, an Empire card table serves as a bedside table. My grandmother has one similar to this and I've always admired it.


More birds appear over the mantle. It's no wonder I'm so smitten with this house, many of the furnishings came from my favorite store, Bungalow Classic in Atlanta (these chairs are from Bobby McAlpine's collection).


The bath was added under the eaves and is outfitted with vintage-style hexagon and subway tiles. I don't know about you, but this is really filling the Cottage Living-shaped void in my heart!
Photos are by Laurey W. Glenn for Southern Living; styling by Anne Turner Carroll.