What’s at the foot of your bed?

aj — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:58:58 +0000

Footboards. Overrated: Yes or No? The answer, I think, hinges on three things:

1. personal preference

2. the size of your bedroom

3. the layout or floor plan of said bedroom.

I once loved footboards. I once wore Electric Youth perfume and big bows in my hair. I still like footboards. I don’t like Electric Youth anymore. I know you’re relieved.

Lately, I like layers and the way benches help the room and bed meet. I am drawn less to being confined by the partnership of a headboard and its footboard. I’ve outgrown all things that confine. Don’t fence me in, I say. I’ll make my own boundaries. Here are more images that inspire me. (The inset picture is from House Beautiful.)

House Beautiful

As I search the Web over for the perfect bench, trunk, or ______ to layer at the foot of my bed, I look for something that passes my litmus test: can it work in more than one place. I have a rule when I buy furniture or anything that requires much money for my home–it has to work in more than one place. You might have noticed that I don’t like to commit to one particular thing. I want options. I like pieces that work in a variety of ways. The things that are not versatile are the things I find myself dragging to Goodwill a year later.

Here are a few things I’ve found that might make a great bench at the end of my bed, or coffee table, or…. I’m sure I’ll come up with something. All are available online–

Industrial Bench from UrbanWoodGoods (with or without vintage wire locker basket)

Wes Bennett’s Etsy Shop wesbenn

Factory20

West Elm

Harmony Bench from ABC Home (with or without casters)

Wood Plank Storage Bench from Ballard Designs

Kilm Bench from Overstock

From Kathy Kuo Home

Restoration Hardware

Amelia Storage Bench from Ballard Designs (fabric options available)

Urban Outfitters

What do you think? How do you feel about the bench? If you’re looking for a something to compliment your bed, I hope these links help.

Thanks for reading!

Pardon the Interruption

aj — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 17:26:03 +0000

Where have you been?

That’s what I was just asking myself. I wish that I could tell you that I’ve been traveling through Italy village by village, town by town. That would be an envy-stirring explanation for the radio silence. Not so much. I have been traveling through the a maze of days that can only be described as “normal” life. You know the stuff weeks are made of–the day job, work travel, holiday travel, birthday parties, engagement dinners, dog sitting, and my staunch commitment to watching Parenthood each and every Tuesday night. It’s true. And, I will be equally committed to The Voice once it returns after the Superbowl. If you, too, love Parenthood the way my sister and I do you might also like the quirky home of Adam and Kristina Braverman. Casa Sugar posted photos from the set. You can see them here. It’s a great photo collection which includes paint colors used on set.

But, here comes the good news—I’ve missed this blog and I’ve missed you all. And, I’ve really missed renovation which is why I’m on the hunt for something else to renovate. Wish me luck. In the meantime, my aim is to post weekly and catch you all up on the projects I’ve finished at my house and post all the before/after pictures you can stand. For today, I am back with a quick run down of what’s kept me at bay. There is no rhyme or reason to this list. It’s just the truth of the latter part of 2011. Here’s what I’ve been doing:

1. Hanging Curtains

The thing about windows is that they like treatments. So, I put up some curtains and then I took down some curtains. I moved them all around. What can I say? There’s an art to editing. Nothing in this room is as it was in this picture. But while I was away, I did install this curtains. For five seconds they were in the room below. Now they hang in Ashley’s room. Sister’s room trumps guest room.

2. Browsing for Furniture

I thought about buying this settee. I was outside of my natural mind. Does this look like me to you? Exactly. It’s lovely just not my kind of lovely. But if it’s your kind of lovely you can find it Sprintz furniture.

Ashley and I went to look at furniture again. I believe she came along as an act of intervention because she typically leaves all these sorts of things to me. I make our house pretty, she keeps it running—that’s what sisters are for. When I came home with the picture of the settee (above) she went all what-are-you-thinking on me. We went back and came to the conclusion that we really like this couch (below). We sat on it for about thirty minutes while Pete, a kind and awesome salesman told us about his grandchildren and his labs. We didn’t buy any furniture. But when we do, we’ll buy it from Pete. He’s a kind soul.

2. Enjoying the Children In My Life (All of whom belong to other people that allow me to spoil them rotten)

My friend Lucy came over. She and her sister were playing “cat” just before she arrived. Is this hysterical or what?

Look at these beautiful girls. This is one of my favorite pictures of the year. Nichole from Loom and our friend sweet Claire, whose mother is faithful to share her write-a-new-blog-post encouragement with me nearly every time we talk.

A note from Emma, a sweet four-year-old in my class at church–she rolled this up and gave it to me tied with a string for Christmas.

3. Looking for the Right Wallpaper

While I was in Chicago I went to Urban Source, which is hands-down the most helpful store for those for those of us who want to see it, feel it, smell it before we buy it. They stock tons of designers’ oversized samples so you can get a better feel for the pattern runs and color.

4. Baking

I made cakes for my sister’s birthday. Here’s the strawberry recipe from Julie’s fabulous blog. I found the “chocolate madness” on Julia’s blog, which is also a great read. You will enjoy both of these blogs. Julia, if you read this my marshmallow cream layer either melted or couldn’t handle the weight of the cake, but it was ridiculous nonetheless.

5. Dreaming about Tile.

I bought tile for my fireplace. Because if it won’t burn wood then it should certainly be pretty.

6. Dogsitting

We dog-sat our neighbor, Owen. It seems all creatures of our God and King are comfortable in this house—Owen and those pesky mice that sneaked in. Two of them which Ashley successfully trapped. Look, I am catching you up on everything. I’ll spare you the mouse trap pics.

Look how happy he was when I took him to Home Depot. His eyes look utterly spooky but doesn’t he look happy? He knows Home Depot is a safe place. Even dogs know the power of Home Depot: more saving, more doing.

7. Christmas Decorating and Un-decorating

We put up a tree. We took it down. We loved it in between. It was live and huge and the house smelled like houses should in December. My sister, Ashley, found an ornament she made in kindergarten. She’s thirty years old. You do the math on how old those Life Savers are.

I did some serious Christmas shopping at Nashville’s new Paper Source. All paper products aside, my favorite thing in the store are the stools pulled up to project tables in the back of the store. Aren’t they cool?

8. Watching Friday Night Lights

We watched all five seasons on Netflix over the course of Fall. (I still believe in Netflix.) We couldn’t stop watching. Here’s the thing, I don’t care for football or Texas. I prefer basketball and states that you can drive through in less than a day. But, my friend Adam insisted that we watch Friday Night Lights and now I have such a soft spot for Texas and high school football. For real. I heart Texas. These days I constantly ask myself, What would Tammi Taylor do right now? And, I miss Coach Taylor and Riggins.

9. Volunteering

I volunteered at Passion Conference with one of my dearest college friends and made some new friends while I was there. We spent four days with 42,000 college students and I loved every minute of it. I was totally inspired and refreshed by this generation of students. They gave generously—it was news worthy.

While I was in Atlanta I stopped by IKEA. Low and behold the rug I’ve been tracking for months was in stock. It’s been out of stock for-ev-er. And there it was in all it’s yellow and gray glory–the rug I’ve been waiting for. But I didn’t buy it. Do you ever do that? Wait for something and then think… I don’t care anymore.

Random and true. Everything I’ve posted today is random and true. See you next week.

P.S. I’m glad we’re back.

New from Schoolhouse Electric

aj — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 15:40:49 +0000

I used a bit of Schoolhouse Electric Lighting in my house. Their craftmanship is exceptional, everything is made in-house (and to your liking) at their Portland headquarters. Last week I received a new Schoolhouse catalog in the mail and am so impressed with their new home line. Here’s a bit of what I saw. I’m totally inspired by their products and styling. Swoon.

It’s all lovely and true to the standards of School House. They’ve partnered with Egg Press, a Portland letterpress studio, to create designs for a line of textiles that includes lamp shades, pillows, bedding and more.

Meanwhile, Portland’s favorite tailor Adam Arnold created a line of aprons, slipcovers, and all-around beautiful hand-crafted pieces like this chair and couch.

Lovely work, School House!

Daniel Faires: Furniture with a Story

aj — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 04:10:08 +0000

Have you heard of Dan Faires? Ever watch Design Star? If so, you probably know Dan. If not then I’m happy to tell you that Dan is an all-star designer, one of those contractor + designer, everything-I-touch-gets-better kind of guys. These are the sorts of people I love to be around in case osmosis really happens. I’d like a dash of the brilliance, please. However, I’m never around Dan, probably because I’ve never met Dan, but still, I feel as though we’d be friends.

Take this coffee table for example. Dan made this. And, Dan makes making this look easy. So easy. As in, I’m pretty sure I can make this coffee table. So could you. Check out Chelsea Bowen’s article on the HGTV blog. There’s a video demo, too. Easy as pie.

Photo from HGTV

His smart and sensible approach to design comes from a really natural and hearty place–perhaps because he’s from Arkansas, the Natural State. The result is sturdy and warm design, pieces that come off as trustworthy and thoughtful. So, get this: Dan creates furniture—Capsule Furniture—from salvaged materials. I love that. The current line, The Meatpacking Collection, handcrafted from solid wood beams recovered from historic buildings in Meatpacking District of Manhattan is swoon-worthy.

Photo from Capsule Furniture

Good stuff, right? Well, it gets better. Capsule Furniture incorporates a small design element with big heart–a glass vial “time capsule.” The time capsule includes a scroll containing the exact address and the history of the neighborhood from which the rescued wood came. Don’t you just love that. I mean, really. That’s just too much of a good thing. It’s one thing to have reclaimed wood scattered throughout your house. It’s another thing to know where it came from. And, it’s another thing (to the second power), to have a time capsule with the story tucked away within the piece. Suddenly the integrity and history of the piece is valid. This is right up my alley. I love my island and the story behind the island; I love that the beams across that span the second floor of my home are re-purposed ceiling joists. I love my wood floors. I know where they came from, which means a lot to me, but there are no time capsules in my house. I’m still reeling from the brilliance of that idea. I want to think of things like that…. It’s the little things, those small details that make a huge difference–that’s the dividing line between good and great. That’s where excellence starts.

Check out the excellent work of Daniel Faires. You will be inspired.

Off the Grid

aj — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 04:30:05 +0000

I’m in the what-can-I-put-on-these-walls phase of decorating. The current debate is: grid or no grid? Something in me likes the order of a grid and something in me likes the loosey-goosey happenstance of collage. Here are a few pictures that have inspired me in each direction.

For those of us who need a little order:

Blackbird Style

Today You Inspired Me

southern living

And for those of us who like to keep our options open:

a veiled aside

designsponge

west elm

I suppose I’ll have to strike a balance, won’t I? What’s your preference?

Out On a Ledge

aj — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 18:15:52 +0000

I fell for this look a long time ago. Thank you very much, Pottery Barn. The gallery approach to displaying art and photography appeals to me. It’s less committal. Frames are easily changed. You can add to it, take away from it, or create an altogether new look on a whim without putting a million nail holes in the wall. Not that I would ever put a million nail holes in the wall or “eyeball” it and need to move a curtain rod something like four times… never happens in my house.

Rather than have so many picture ledges, I’m into one ledge running the length of a wall. I’m thinking of installing a picture rail upstairs. Here are a few images that have inspired me to do it!

Sactuary

Flicker

Here are a few images with two photo ledges. I like that it still feels simple but perhaps that has everything to do with the white walls.

Procrastination Mama

Visualize

Barn Light Giveaway! Get your free lights here!

aj — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 13:14:08 +0000

To all who blog and all who don’t, this contest is for you!

The fine people at Barn Light Electric would love for you to win, oh say, a thousand dollars worth of lighting! I’m so not kidding. I would not joke about lighting. Find the scoop below along with a link to enter the contest.

I’m a loyal fan of Barn Light lighting It’s scattered throughout my house. My favorite is the Mig, which lights my hallway daily! Of course, I have a few more favorites—these are the ones that got away. Maybe next time…

The Mig (in blue)

As you know, indigo is all the rage. Blue is back in the most serious of ways.

Ivanhoe Sinclair Pendant in Yellow

The Champion Pendant

And, last but not least we have the Fargo Pendant in Red

Do you want to win or what? I’m just showing you my favorites here. There are hundreds of lights, most of which are customizable. You pick the color, you pick the finish, you choose: will it be cord or stem mount? Flush or pendant? So many choices with Barn Light.

About winning… you need the scoop, the contest scoop and you can find that here!

As for the prizes—as in, more than one—they are good. Win (a) $1,000 Grand Prize or (b) $500 2nd Place Prize. The two winners will each receive a Barn Light Electric Gift Certificate to purchase new lighting for their homes or to finish off that lingering renovation project.

Enter this contest! Somebody’s going to win–might as well be you. (Or, me…)

Pin it.

aj — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 13:51:18 +0000

Pinterest is my favorite online activity. I pin. I pin ideas. I pin recipes. I pin clothing I like. I pin words and design. And, I pin all sorts of ideas for interiors. At first glance, Pinterest is overwhelming. How does this thing work? I had an account for several days before I got the hang of it. Now I pin everything.

I’d like to explain Pinterest in full detail. But I’ll leave that to Pinterest. My best advice is create an account and give it a try, like everything else, you’ll learn by doing.

As I’m settling into my house, a fun challenge I face is displaying photos. I don’t have a ton of wall space. I have a ton of windows instead. I can’t complain. So, I’m thinking of creating a display that sort of tells the story of my house–the whole process in order in photos. Here are a few fun ideas I found on Pinterest.

If you’re on Pinterst follow me by clicking here. If you’re not on Pinterst take a tour. It’s a great way to keep up with recipes you love, decor ideas, and more.

I could use a little ImagineNations

aj — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 15:11:38 +0000

I am fascinated with the work of Wendy Gold, the artist behind ImagineNations. She takes globes, which have a charm and lure all their own, and makes more of them creating unique and inspired works of art.

This globe decoupaged with images from Where the Wild Things Are is sure to be a favorite just as the beloved and timeless story of Max, who cried “let the wild rumpus start!”

ImagineNations is on Facebook. Like her. She’s smart and creative. We all like smart + creative, don’t we?

100 Abandoned Houses

aj — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 17:04:01 +0000

100 Abandoned Houses began when Kevin Bauman’s curiousity and creativity lead him on a photographic journey through his hometown of Detroit, where he documented houses left for reasons unknown. Here are a few images from the project.

Photo Credit: Kevin Bauman

I find the photos to be such a sad opportunity. I wonder what it would take to bring these houses back to live—aside from courage and cash. If only they could be transplanted and plopped down in Nashville. You can read more about the project here.