Little Finds from Little Shops

In Florida, I had little time for antiquing since we were so smitten with the beaches and didn't want to go indoors.

In St.Petersburg, I did stop for 10 minutes at a shabby chic store on Central Ave. (near the popular Taco Bus, where we had lunch) where I picked up a pretty little Royal Worcester off-white vase:

Before that, we stopped at Michael's Antiques (7219 Central Ave.) where I bought a vintage Coach purse and a little mirror.  I recommend Michael's - the proprietor was lovely and he has a neat collection of things, some traditional but many mid-century.

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After returning to Calgary, I stopped at a shop in Inglewood called Pretty Little Things where I picked up this darling crystal lighter (without the lighter part):

Pretty Little Things is a fun little shop full of vintage clothing, some furniture and small decor items.  The shopkeeper is a lovely gal with a style I might call "old Hollywood".  The shop looks a bit cluttered at the front, but there are lots of small finds and she has some lovely linens and cool vintage clothes.  And everything is old and has a provenance! 

This lighter came from an old lady lived who had lived in Hollywood and whose family had won the Kentucky Derby (the elderly son now lives in Calgary).

It has some a bit of black staining around the lid (that doesn't want to come off), so I think it needs a little more TLC or a stronger solvent.

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In health news:

My GP requested an MRI due to the enlarged pituitary (14 mm) that Dr. Piper found.  

I got the call, and it's scheduled for next Friday!!!  Usually MRI's take a month or more in Canada (thanks to socialized health care...they are free but you are "triaged" and often get to wait a bit unless you have an emergency, etc.).  

However, they must think mine is serious as they are seeing me next week.  I think I must have a pituitary tumor, but I will know more in a week or so.  The receptionist was surprised that I'm getting in so quickly (which sounds like both a good and bad thing!)

Keep your fingers crossed for me please.  

(And prayer is always welcome, if that's your thing).

Happy weekend!

To edit or not to edit

You know when you positively love something, but it doesn't quite work in your home?

I recently found this darling little pillow at  Crate & Barrel (you can find it here).  

But the turquoise is clashing with my area rug (which has more slate blue gray in it).  The rug will eventually be replaced (with a neutral, less patterned one), so this pillow will eventually fit in.  

But my question is...do you redecorate an entire room around something new, or do you just take it back to the store?

(This is a rhetorical question, of course, as I already know the answer).

I am learning that in order to have an edited, clean decor you really have to reject a lot of "pretty" things you might otherwise love and stick with your game plan.  

Still...this is such a little gem!

I don't know how the great designers edit themselves.  It is a battle for me to stick with a coherent, uncluttered look for my home!

The View from Here

So I am stuck indoors today.  

Besides the ongoing headache saga, I have had a bout of labyrinthitis (fluid is not draining in my inner ear) for the past two weeks, which gives me episodes of dizziness and weakness, as well as a sense of fullness/pressure in my head.  On top of the headaches, this is a bit distressing at times.

So I decided to post a couple of photos from inside the house!

Here is a little wool felt (handmade) winter white pillow I bought in Paris.  I think it is quite darling:

It sits on our new reading chair (I don't always use the back cushion).  The mirror in the background is also from Paris:

I love the relationship of the golden mirror with the antique painting frame.



Outside, our front yard is also a study in white:

I am nesting today and almost tempted to put on the Christmas music (but not quite yet!).

Hope your weekend is filled with happiness...

Whiteness

I have so many small decorating projects planned for this summer.  But now that warmer weather is here, I want to sit outside in the garden, sipping lemonade and reading a good book.  This weekend, I just daydreamed about decorating...

The only thing I want to do inside the house is declutter, and/or make everything white and airy...

Only white flowers were welcome this week:

And here are some white porcelain pieces on my sideboard:

This little gravy boat joined the family last week.  I think it would look very pretty with flowers in it.

I will let you in on some projects soon.

Have a great week!

Pretty Silver & Such

I recently purchased an assorted lot of old silver-plated flatware at an antique shop.

I'll post photos of my favorite pieces soon - there are some *beautiful* patterns and a nice variety of very interesting serving pieces.

One of my favorite patterns is this one:

The pattern is called Danish Princess (1938) by Holmes and Edwards. I think it's very charming with its acanthus-like motif:

Now I'm definitely on the hunt for more...!

With Christmas put away, I finally reorganized the dining room!

To cleanse my visual palette, I've gone with a decidedly all-white look for a while:

I did pull out my favorite blue silk pillow for a dash of colour on a side chair (to accompany our lovely Al Barker seascapes):

I never tire of these stormy scenes:

So that's my little interior update!

After a very mild Christmas, it is suddenly growing cold here with snow on the way.

I'm going to hunker down and rest tomorrow (headaches are still brutal) and dream of my next project...

Home Office ~ Colour Dilemma ~

My office needs a makeover. And I am feeling lost. This is a room full of paper and stuff and proof of life, so I'm struggling with how to pull together a coherent "look" for it while still letting it be an easy unfussy space.

Today I painted some sample boards and thought about painting the whole thing a nice soft beige to replace the medium blue walls:

Above: Skimming Stone sample by Farrow & Ball

But don't get too excited. I decided against the beige and took down all my samples.

I still like the blue walls and the natural linen skirt on the work table:

A while ago, I painted my odd furniture (bookcase and little dresser) a soft blue, which I also like (although the blue walls and lighter blue furniture together have always bothered me). And don't worry, we are painting the trimwork white throughout the house, so this will be done too (eventually replacing it all). The armchair will also be reupholstered when all is said and done:

So...here is the dilemma. I have colour schemes racing through my head!

Option #1: My first plan was to paint the walls a warm white like most of the house. Nice and classic and foundational. This also works with the brown drapes I adore (Restoration Hardware's "Fog" linen drapes, which are a grey-brown, almost identical to the ones below). I think they look great with a white wall. And I could keep the furniture soft blue, like the accent in this photo. The chair would be reupholstered in a complementary brown, like the drapes.

I really like this combination:

Option #2: I keep the blue walls and do a white or natural linen-coloured drape.

This saves painting (yay!) and still looks soft and inviting:

This would give me a look similar(-ish) to the ones below:

The blue wall with white/natural linen curtain option would be quick and painless. A soft brown natural linen drape would coordinate with the linen skirt I have on my computer table. And I could reupholster the chair in a nice natural linen. But white linen drapes would be nice with the blue walls and crisp white painted trim too. And I could use all white accents. So even if I do the blue walls, what colour drape?

Thoughts? Some days I love my blue walls and other days I want those brown drapes, which I think would look better with a white wall.

I am torn between two loves...help!

Help! Do you recognize this china?

I fell in love with these china cups and saucers on Etsy. Sadly they sold quickly. The seller said the pieces were unmarked.

Does anyone recognize this pattern (which appears to be generic) or know of something similar?

I am desperately looking for something fitting this criteria:

a) fine, preferably bone

b) scalloped edges

c) white not cream

I adore this style.

I have been looking for months for a china pattern to love and nothing really spoke to me before these!

If you know a pattern similar to this, I would be forever indebted.

The Guest Room: Revealed!

(Excuse any funny-looking stuff - I am experimenting with my template...!)

Here is a quick photo post of the new guest room.  The light in the photos isn't great, as it is hard to shoot facing a window. The room is gently lit most of the day, so I had to turn the lamps on and I overexposed the interior by a couple of stops to make it lighter inside: 

I love this pretty new room (where we sleep most of the summer as it is very cool).  If you have not followed the progress of this room, the tables are by Pottery Barn, the tall mirror is from Ikea and so are the lamps.  I am still considering painting the night tables and I vow to hang the mirror one day, but it weighs a ton and I hate putting anchors in the wall!  I left the original old knobs on the closet doors - they are very Anthropologie.

I have yet to paint the ugly trim work but will do it soon - I love to paint but hate the sanding and taping part!  The window is the only remaining old-sytle window in the house, but we really like it - it's a neat awning style and nice and drafty, so it stays cool in here all year (not so good for the heating bill). I love a cool room.  I still have to replace one knob on the night table (the knob was stripped).

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The pretty curtains are from Ikea.  Aren't they a find?  I adore them!  They are very Domino to me, perhaps due to the gray blue colour which was so popular in that magazine.  I love the old fashioned pattern and I like to pair them with a little pink, à la Domino.  I hung them on a white wooden rod I had on hand:

As you know, I struggled with this window due to the wide ledge, but finally decided I didn't want a Roman blind - I wanted curtains to soften the room.  So I dove in and ignored the ledge which just disappears.  Ideally if the rod comes out further from the wall, it is better to minimize a ledge.  

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I put down thin taupe runners over the old berber carpet.  The bedding is by St-Geneve.  I am not into bed styling, in case you hadn't noticed.

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I bought this beautiful sketch (below) of Jane Morris (William Morris's wife, sketched by Dante Gabriel Rossetti) and framed it myself.  I took a framing class and cut an antique cream mat for it.  I think I might change it to white when I get my own mat cutter, but liked how the cream mat matched the night tables.  The paper goods (journal and box) on the table are by the lovely Noel at Fanciful Designs.  She makes simply exquisite things and I am addicted to her work!

Biscuit enjoys this window immensely as he can see the birdies in the garden.

A close-up of Jane (below) who was beautifully sketched.  I just noticed I have a growing collection of black and white art that I will post about some day:

The other side of the room has a giant built-in bookcase I love (below).  This is the view from the bed - the room is larger than it appears and there is room to walk around.

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  I don't have enough stuff for the shelves yet, but I am hoping to slowly collect some white china pieces that are bedroom-appropriate and add a few more pretty pictures and books.  I will gradually style this, but I am in no great rush - I like the lack of clutter actually: 

Hope you like the room!  Any suggestions?

For the Love of White (with Pink or Blue!)

Domino (I think this is a Ruthie Sommers' bedroom)

Everyone who reads this blog knows I'm mad for all-white interiors.  But reality is far from fantasy and I just can't live without some colour.  If you could see my house, you'd notice that I gravitate to a neutral palette with lots of pale, muted shades.  I have a base of creams and white and ivory and most of the colours I use are greyed-out versions of pink and blue and green - in other words, the "dusty" antiqued versions of these colours.

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But if I could have a second house, I'd have a lot more pure white with pops of punchy pink and blue!  This combination has a certain spirited and youthful je ne sais quoi that I adore. Maybe because it reminds me of candy?

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I like pink in all its incarnations...from the faintest rose to antiqued pinks to the hottest hot pink.  I also love the shades of blue, from turquoise to periwinkle to the palest baby blue.  I plan to paint our downstairs bedroom a soft pale blue (Farrow & Ball's Skylight) within the next couple of months.  And I'm planning to incorporate more blue in my office because it's restful and pretty and joyful all at once. 

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So...I decided to put this post together to showcase some photos I've been collecting that feature little bits of either pink or blue (or both!) with plenty of white.  Hope you enjoy the photos, and isn't it sad that we can't redecorate every month?  

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A pale pretty pink and white room from Shoot Factory (a few too many pillows perhaps?)

A regal room from Shoot Factory - isn't this dusty hot pink upholstered headboard just delightful, especially with the old wallpaper?

I love the candy pink chair and abstract painting in this modern all-white house (a favorite photo I have posted before from Living Etc.)

A muted dusty pink from The White Company

This all white traditional room is picture perfect with its restrained use of pattern in the pink toile drapes

A little mirror from the Land of Nod picks up the blue-pink-white theme!

A bouquet from House Beautiful reminds me why I love pink...it is most exquisite in the form of flowers

A blue and white living room with touches of pink is perfectly approachable...

Some teacup candles from Martha Stewart let you showcase your pretty pink china...(I love this photo)

Graham & Green tease us with a sliver of hot pink dresser in this photo.

A pink living room from Domino would always be cool in the summer.

Another pink treat from Graham & Green

I love this striped pale blue wall from Arts & Decoration (via Marley & Lockyer).  I fully intend to steal these stripes for somewhere special!

This blue-ish room from Domino has everything I love in a room - high ceilings, giant windows, silky drapes, white furniture and the most beautiful hot pink pillows I have ever seen!

Another whimsical photo from the Land of Nod, with a perfect combination of sweet colours against a sea of white.

Another gem from the White Company - an all-white room spiced with pretty pink

A white & blue & pink room (with green!) from Pottery Barn Kids (some of the best ideas come from children's stores) - isn't the pink rag rug just the prettiest?  And I'm coveting those exquisite butterflies! 

More whimsy from the Land of Nod - all my colours in two soft toys!  Maybe what I really need is a baby!!!