Happy Father’s Day! Today’s post is for those of you wondering what happened to Friday’s design story. I’m still here. A little bit more tired, covered in paint, but still here. I don’t know about you but this week has been the busiest I’ve had in a while. So many things are wrapping up, school is ending and as we’re saying goodbye to our wonderful first grade teachers, we’re also packing and preparing the last details of our upcoming move. Since our lease ends in a short two weeks, the countdown to moving day is on and my good friend Alexia, a talented local photographer, offered to come over to our place and take a few pictures before everything is dismantled and stored away in boxes. It’ll probably be months before I’ll find them again so goodbye vases, slipcovers and fluffy pillows. We did a mini-shoot on Friday and it was so much fun! My house is far from being magazine-worthy but it was a good experience that gave me a little bit of insight into the world of shoots and styling. I have worked with Alexia on product styling in the past but this time, being my own home, it felt different. I realized there are still many things I need to get a handle on, like making faster decisions and not dragging my feet, keeping it simple, allowing myself more time to explore different styling possibilities… But mostly to keep it simple. I tend to get way in over my head when it comes to OUR rooms, too many ideas to experiment with and too much freedom gets to me. Anyway, I will keep today’s post short and simple, and very real, and show you a few behind the scenes of our home, photoshoot and packing … I promise to get my blogging act together for next week! 🙂
A couple of weeks ago, on an antiquing trip with my friend Marta (Hi, Marta! if you’re reading) I found a new set of bamboo trays for our Ikea coffee table and I was smitten with the texture and soft, warm colors. The black woven details on the side are pretty too! This coffee table has been one of the first things we bought for the apartment, off of Craigslist (where else?) and the owner, living in Northampton, was kind enough to bring it over. It was originally black but I felt it swallowed all the light in our living room so I painted it white with…chalk paint. It scratches like crazy and needs a refinish every couple of months so lesson learned, next time I paint wood I’ll use oil paint.
Ahhh, my new slipcover – thank you for all your sweet messages after Wednesday’s post! I appreciate your kindness and support. And yes, the fit is wonky and it wrinkles in places it shouldn’t but it’ll have to do for now.
My dear friend, Alexia, hard at work!
I picked up this mirror about a month ago from a local antiques shop. If you follow me on Instagram, you might remember a post about whether or not I should buy it. Most of you said “no” but I did anyway. Sorry! 🙂 It’s just that it’s so chunky and heavy I couldn’t pass. I fell in love with the wooden frame and beveled edges of the mirror and, to my surprise, it fit perfectly in our little entry nook. A little blue and white porcelain plate – another thrift shop find- is a catch-all for keys and library cards.
Gone are my reproduction Olof Rudbeck bird prints… I still love them but came across a set of architectural prints I liked better. Oh, well…
After removing the layers of fluff – fabrics, pillows, throws, lamp shades- I find I love the simple green and white color scheme so much. Another lesson learned – next time I’ll (try) keep it simple 🙂
And one last shot of my living room, before the mess… The blue and white porcelain jar is one of my favorite items in the room, a birthday gift I gave myself this winter, from Rustic Rooster Interiors. The magnetic hourglass is cool too, keeps us (Isabella) mesmerized 🙂 See you next week!
