It's a Small Wall After All

Good news. I actually bought some tester pots of paint for my dining room and have samples on the wall. Progress is being made! I decided this was the perfect time to try out a new product I originally heard about from my friend Tina. A friend and neighbor of hers, Julie Boney, created a product called "Small Wall" which is exactly what it sounds like.

They are 12x12" adhesive-backed panels (that come 2 per package) that are ready for paint. They won't curl up like poster board, and you don't have to have color blocks on your wall. Genius, I say.

So, I decided to try them out for my dining room project . . . 

I wrote the name of the paint on the back of each sample so I wouldn't forget which was which. 

Champion Cobalt is the one on the right. It was the color from my original inspiration photo from Lonny.

Here's a closer shot. I really think it might be the one. I love it. It's deep and regal and saturated. Just what I was hoping for.

The other options I tried. Upper left is Georgian Bay by Sherwin Williams. Lower left is Blueberry by Benjamin Moore and the lower right is Farrow & Ball's Hague Blue color-matched for me by my local Sherwin Williams (because we don't have a Farrow & Ball store/distributor in Nashville)

There are other paints I could try too, but I don't want to get overwhelmed right now. Any thoughts or favorites? 

A special thanks to Julie Boney of Small Wall for giving me some samples to try. They really are a convenient and easy way to test out different colors. You can find Small Wall at most Sherwin Williams stores and some Ace Hardware stores. Just check Small Wall's website for a list of retailers. Also, thank you to the kind people at the new Sherwin Williams store near my house (on Hwy. 100 in Nashville) . . . they were extremely helpful!

Sources: Small Wall

Stores in Atlanta - new to me

Luckily when I'm on business travel my day ends at 4 pm, giving me just enough time to fit in a design store or two before they close. This trip instead of going to my usual places, I visited 3 stores I'd never been to before. First up was a visit to Anthony|Wolfe in Buckhead. Love the wide fabric stripe on these upholstered chairs and the pairing of this warm, deep yellow with the earthy gray.
No, this is not an amazing giant door knocker but actually a disability grip bar! I wish I had taken a picture of the whole door because that would have given a better sense of how amazing this looked.

Great light fixture
At Scout For The Home I really admired the curvy shape and narrow depth of these bedside tables. Isn't the finish nice too?
These paintings are by a local artist who uses coffee to create her works.

Edison style bulbs paired with an iron and wood chandelier.

In my last post w/the picture of the amazing periwinkle nunnery doors, I mentioned Sherry of Design Indulgence gave me a heads up about Redefined in West Midtown, which is perfect as it's right on the way to the airport. The finish and look of this black screen is very classic.

Like many bookstores that feature "picks" from their staff, Redefined does the same with home decor. This great wood piece was a favorite of Tracy's.
Love this Derby winner but what really drew me in was scale and dimensions of this narrow console table.

I'll be back in Atlanta in August and should be able to spend a few hours at Scott's before flying home. Looking forward to that.

Hoarding & A Mention

Okay, so I have this antique booth and technically when I'm out at the flea market or estate sales or thrift stores, I'm supposed to be shopping for the booth. But honestly, things haven't been moving too quickly at the old booth lately, so what's a girl to do when she spots a really cool mirror at the flea market?

Please excuse my goofy expression. I tend to purse my lips and frown while concentrating. Not one of my best traits.

Um, keep it, of course. Especially when I have the perfect spot for it (this is my mantra even when my house is chocked full). I had to do some engineering on the back, but I think it looks great here. And I think I'm going to leave it white/cream. I thought about gold-leafing it, but I've got a lot of brass/gold going on in the room so I'm going to leave well enough alone. Of course, I've had plans to paint this ugly built-in black for some time now . . . and this clinches it. 

You see this is a problem spot in my house. My circa-1997 house builder decided it was a nifty idea to have this built-in niche to hold a television. The problem? Most of today's flatscreens are too wide for this space, and a small TV would just not do for my husband. Thus, we have this situation at the back of the built-in . . .

Yes, I realize these could be relocated by an electrician, but then the wall would have to be patched and repainted, and it's just too much for my feeble brain to handle. So instead, what do I do? Try to cosmetically hide the cable wire and outlet. Here's how it used to look (up until Sunday) . . . 

Too much, I know. This was actually a day I was moving accessories around.

So, doesn't that space just scream out for the Greek Key bamboo mirror? I thought so too!

I also found a pair of yellow mid-century lamps at the flea market that I will reveal at a later date. They need some TLC.

Finally, and totally off the subject, but did you know Worlds Away has a blog? Well, they do. And when I stumbled across it the other day, I left a comment telling them about the Worlds Away chandelier in my dining room, and they were nice enough to share it on their blog. So nice! Thanks, Worlds Away. I love practically every item you've ever produced, so this is quite an honor.

Breakfast in Bed

I think this image alone is worth picking up the June 11 issue of World of Interiors. If I'm remembering correctly, it's the home of Robin and Lucienne Day.
I'm back from a week in Atlanta...next post will be on 3 stores I visited this trip that I've never been to before. A bit of a preview; these amazing nunnery doors are from Redefined - a store Sherry of Design Indulgence gave me a heads up about.

Happy Weekend & Guest Post

I've been estate saling, flea marketing and getting my hair "done did" today, so I didn't have a chance to stop in and let you know that I'm guest blogging over at Alison's wonderful blog, My Little Happy Place, today. If you haven't read her blog you're missing out, so go check it out! Thanks, Alison, for letting me share my little happy place with your readers.

I'll be back on Monday to share my finds from today. Wishing everyone a wonderful and happy weekend!

Dolphins, Dolphins Everywhere

Ever since I bought the "dolphin table" at an estate sale and put it in my antique booth, I've been seeing examples of Grotto furniture all over.  First up, Iris Apfel's maximalist apartment featured recently in Architectural Digest . . .

It's kind of hard to see the base of the table, but those are dolphins. She also has a beautiful Chinese Chippendale pagoda mirror. Gorgeous!

Next up, The Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas. Dolphins and Greek Key everywhere you looked . . .

And in the latest Veranda, the home in the Bahamas (that I mentioned in my last post) includes a custom daybed that features . . . you guessed it . . . a dolphin. 

Once again, it's kind of hard to see in this photo (easier to see in actual magazine), but at the head of the recamier near the orchids is the dolphin.

And, once again, my table. 

In the booth . . .

and when I first spotted it.

So, what does all this mean? What is the significance of all these dolphins? Not much, other than they're super cool. Also, my dolphin table is still up for sale . . . it really is an amazing piece that would make such a statement.

Guest Post at My Little Happy Place!

Maybe you remember these Nate Berkus stools I bought in February for only $119 each? Well, the credit all goes to Alison of My Little Happy Place. I've never posted about where I ended up placing them but am so happy that my post about them is while guest posting for My Little Happy Place. Hope you'll head over here to check it out. Thanks Alison!

I'm Back . . .

What? Did you not realize I was gone? Yes, we were actually on our family vacation last week, thus my appalling lack of posts. We had a great time, spent a lot of quality time together and got a Christmas card photo to boot! Don't worry, I won't spoil it by showing you that one. Here's one that didn't make the cut . . .

Thanks to the generosity of my in-laws (who were supposed to accompany us but couldn't due to health issues), we went to The Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas. Or, as I like to call it, the world's most expensive water park with a casino attached. 

Speaking of the Bahamas, at the airport on the way home I snagged the newest issues of Architectural Digest and Veranda, and both magazines featured homes in the Bahamas designed by the same interior designer, Andrew Raquet. Weird coincidence, I say. Here are some shots of the home in Veranda from the designer's website:

Both interiors also included a LOT of Quadrille/China Seas/Alan Campbell fabrics (which I love). Not surprising especially since the home in AD was that of the owner/creative director and marketing director of the venerable fabric and wallpaper firm. Here are shots from the Quadrille website from their home:

If I had to choose between the two, I would definitely choose the second home. More beachy for sure. It looks like a Quadrille showroom, of course, but that's fine by me.

And for a parting shot of the Bahamas, here's a little video my husband put together of our vacation. Don't worry, it's not long, but I must warn you the song will get stuck in your head. And, don't mind my bad posture please. I'm a slumper, but I'm working on it.

Sources: Andrew Raquet, Quadrille

Exterior Eye Candy: Martha's Vineyard

I'm off to Atlanta for business this week although I plan to squeeze in as much design fun as I can after work. As usual, I have too many things to do before heading to the airport. Here's some eye candy from last year's visit to Martha's Vineyard. Makes me want to get a flag pole! (and an ocean view for a backyard too.)