From Last to Best - GO SOX!!!

Three times in a lifetime.  Wow, I almost can't believe it.  Thanks 2013 Red Sox for finding a way.  You're the best.

(My lucky shirt in need of a visit to the washing machine.  Yep, I'm one of those people that "help" my team win.)

GO SOX!!!

Resurrection

I'm going so many different directions and have lots of things floating around in my head, it's hard for me to focus right now (hello, ADD?). First resurrection. Not Jesus. Not Night of the Living Dead. No, I'm talking flowers, specifically cut hydrangea. This may seem random, but I've had questions about this. We've all had this sad situation occur . . .

This happened to me just one day after I bought this little grocery store arrangement. Uggh. What to do? First, take a little snip off the bottom then submerge the whole thing - stem, blooms and all - in lukewarm water.

Give it at least half an hour, come back and this is what happens.

Voila! Like magic, it's back to life. Now, I've only tried this with hydrangea so it may not work with other blooms, but just thought I would pass along the information.

And here it is back in its little fall arrangement.

Now, on to Halloween tomorrow. In our neck of the woods (as Al Roker is so fond of saying), it is supposed to be horrific weather - not just rain, we're talking severe weather like oh, I don't know hail, straight-line winds and possible tornadoes. Awesome. So, some neighborhoods/communities are trying to postpone trick-or-treating until Friday. I hope this catches on as I don't want to die (or even get wet really) for the sake of my kids getting candy.  My son decided to be an ICEE - yes, a sweet, syrupy beverage basically. He's an original. So, of course, this required a homemade costume, and I am SO not crafty. People mistakenly think I am because I'm creative in other ways, but arts and crafts are just not my thing. Here's the costume so far (not totally done yet) . . .

Luckily, my daughter's costume just required me to order some things online. And speaking of ordering things online (since this post is so random, why not just totally go off the rails), Madewell is having a little one day sale today (30% off select styles), and there are a few things I'm quite taken with . . .

 

 This skinny metal bow belt . . . I don't know why.  

And this sweater . . .

 

Now if I could just be as cool looking in leather pants, I would totally rock this look. I even like the model's hair. I'm getting my haircut this afternoon. Hmm.

And last but not least, I ordered this tote from Madewell a while back and get quite a few compliments on it . . . 

Of course, it's not on sale (I used a coupon I had on mine) but still not a bad price. I love it - lots of space and pocket for my keys and phone. You can even have it monogrammed if you're so inclined.

I apologize for what was probably the most random post ever, but I wish everyone a safe and happy Halloween!

One Room Challenge - Week 5 & Changes

Week 5- ok, things are getting serious, there's only one more week left to pull it all together.  If you happen to be new to my blog, I'm participating in the One Room Challenge - 20 bloggers, 1 room, 6 weeks, created by Linda of Calling It Home.  (previous four weeks here.)

So here's a larger view of the painted white floors.  I didn't show them last week because the floors made the baseboards (which hadn't been painted in 10 years) look terrible.  So all the trim has been updated in BM White Dove.

The dining table has been refinished but still needs polishing.  It is less orange (this pic isn't the best) than before - however my plains to stain it walnut didn't happen.  See all those terrible black splotches below - I "made" them by trying to remove the last bits of gummy stripper off with hot vinegar and steel wool.  Major no-no! - it reacts w/the tannins in the wood and creates iron stains.  I was able to remove the stains with lemon juice and salt but it just left me thinking I shouldn't push my luck.  My husband hand made this table when we were newly married and although he didn't say too much, I could tell he was just sick when he saw those stains.

I've also decided to give up on trying to keep the desk in this room.  The two rectangular shapes just didn't work so I've brought this round table in.  It will be the "library table' with books, etc.  I know, it looks orange too.  I'm going to glaze the top of it with a gray wash to tone that down.

Another change in plans - no layered mirrors.  No matter what angle I place any mirror at, it reflects the ceiling fan!  Has to do with the angle of incidence = the angle of reflection  which equals ugh!!  Dan and I had a pretty good laugh over that.  He thought when I pulled out the mirror I would have known this would happen.  (My B.S. is in Biology, his is in Physics...) 

Here I am toying around with 3 spheres on the mantle.  I've also decided not to make a screen with the marble paper but instead to create a herringbone wood insert for my faux fireplace.  Let's just say I'm glad it's Daylight Savings this weekend - I'm going to need the extra hour!

Be sure to check out the Week 5 progress for the other 19 bloggers in the One Room Challenge and don't forget  the ORC Linking Party on Calling it Home on Thursday.

Calling it Home
Chinoiserie Chic
Classic Casual Home
Cottage and Vine
Design Addict Mom
Design Crisis
Design Indulgence
Design Manifest
The English Room
The Green Room Interiors
Henhurst Interiors
Little Black Door
Maddie's Nest
Mix And Chic
Pawleys Island Posh
The Pink Pagoda
Shelter
Simple Details
The Vault Files

Hearst Designer Visions Showhouse: Carlos Aparicio

I had received an invite to attend the preview for the Designer Visions Showhouse but just couldn't make it happen - so I was so happy when I ran across this tour of Carlos Aparicio's space for Veranda. Sublime. Chic. Sophisticated.  To see for yourself, head here.

I Spy

I spy D. Bryant Archie pillows in the Watch Hill home designed by Michael Smith, photography by Simon Upton via Veranda here.

I have one of her throws and I can tell you it is sooooo soft!! Hope you have a great weekend.

One Room Challenge: Week 4

Week 4 - Well past the 1/2 way point!  If you happen to be new to my blog, I'm participating in the One Room Challenge - 20 bloggers, 1 room, 6 weeks, created by Linda of Calling It Home.  (previous three weeks here.)

(Image I took back in 2009 in Stacy Hyde's now-closed Dallas store.)

Before I get to the new stuff, here's a quick update on what's been done for my library/dining room:

•  Floors - finally painted white and finished!   Huge thanks to Sherry of Design Indulgence, Steve of An Urban Cottage and Elizabeth of Little Black Door for holding my virtual hand when things didn't work out at first (including fumes that lingered for days)  After conversing with Elizabeth, I decided to switch to Sherwin Williams floor paint and things went beautifully.  Although I don't have the semi-opaque floors I was originally going for, I'm happy with them.
• Drapes - almost...done
• Dining Room table has been refinished.  Years ago I foolishly followed advice to coat it in polyurethane with only served to make the cherry even more orange.  Here it is prior to refinishing.
  
  I'll be doing a whole post on that because I want to share what not to do after you strip the urethane off- steel wool and hot vinegar is a serious no-no!!!- and how lemon/juice and salt saved my a_ s.  

So, let's move on to fun stuff.

Over the Mantle:   I need to figure out  what do do over my faux fireplace mantle and I'm leaning towards layering a sunburst mirror over another mirror.

Source unknown, image via Interior Exposure

Here's the mirror.  You may recognize it, it's the Martha Stewart from Home Depot {on those new white floors :) }

I've gone over it with Gold Leaf Rub 'n Buff to tone down the orangey finish.

BEFORE:  Here's the view from side french doors to the faux fireplace I'm thinking of having the layered mirrors over.  The plan is for a large piece of abstract art on the wall to the right. So, what do think of this plan?

Furniture:  Besides the dining table and desk, I want to have a buffet or server.  BEFORE, my parent's danish modern buffet was in the dining room.  In my ongoing quest to get rid of orange, the buffet has been moved to the living room

and I plan to bring in this bar cart instead.

I'm returning the hardware back to its original brass finish.

In this case, hot vinegar works well on removing the silver spray paint from the knobs.

Faux Fireplace Screen:

I'm also considering creating a fireplace screen using this marbled paper to try and add some dimension to that space.

Things still left to do:

• Move furniture in and arrange 
• Add artwork
• Add lighting
• Style shelves and accessorize

I'd love to hear your opinion and suggestions!

Be sure to check out the Week 4 progress for the other 19 bloggers in the One Room Challenge and don't forget  the ORC Linking Party on Calling it Home on Thursday.

Calling it Home
Chinoiserie Chic
Classic Casual Home
Cottage and Vine
Design Addict Mom
Design Crisis
Design Indulgence
Design Manifest
The English Room
The Green Room Interiors
Henhurst Interiors
Little Black Door
Maddie's Nest
Mix And Chic
Pawleys Island Posh
The Pink Pagoda
Shelter
Simple Details
The Vault Files

New Website & Stuff

Hello, hello. I recently shared my new logos for both the blog and my design business. Now, I've officially got my business website up and running. So please do go check it out here: www.kinteriorsnashville.com . . .

You can also access the new site by clicking on the "About" and "K Interiors" buttons at the top of this blog. For now, My Interior Life (the blog) is staying right here where it's always been (blogspot address and all), but you can also access it from my K Interiors site (if you're over there) by simply clicking on the "Blog" button. Does that make sense? I hope so. I toyed around with the idea of trying to transfer my blog directly onto the new site (which I may do eventually), but if I do that all my subscribers will have to re-subscribe over there, etc. It was just too confusing for my little brain. So, for now I'm keeping the blog as-is.

I've also been hoarding some things recently that I plan on selling. My thought is to have a Tag Sale locally (probably at my home) in the next couple of weeks (haven't worked out all those little details yet), but also sell items through my website or Etsy eventually as well. Please let me know your thoughts on all of that. Here's a sampling of some recent finds (Instagram followers, sorry for the repeat):

So, if you're looking for some decorating help, please check out www.kinteriorsnashville.com. And, if you're looking for something special for your home (or someone else's), please stay tuned for more information about upcoming sale items either on the blog or Instagram. 

As always, thanks for following along in my design journey!

A Capitol Hill Renovation

I love it when an owner adds on to their home in the most stylish and stunning way.  That's the case with this Capitol Hill home. My favorite part is the three tall french doors spanning the back and those gorgeous lanterns. 

Renovation by Thorsen Construction, architect Frederick Taylor and kitchen design by Jennifer Gilmer Kitchen & Bath.  More images via Thorsen Construction here. 

Hope you have a great Monday!

Designer Sample Sale - Open to the Public Nov. 1 - 2

The Design Center of Northern Virginia is having a designer sample sale and it's open to the public Nov 1 - 2.  There's going to be over 40 designers selling new items!  All the info here.

Howard Slatkin's Fifth Avenue Style

The creation of a legendary interior space is truly a work of art but one you always dread will have an ending - someday when it is eventually dismantled and becomes the home of someone else.  Howard Slatkin's mother knew this well and encouraged her son to write a book to reveal and preserve all the gorgeous design of his legendary apartment.  So while most of us will never have the pleasure of experiencing this designer's home in person,  Fifth Avenue Style: A Designer's New York Apartmentopens the doors to share the sumptuous rooms and all the planning and workmanship behind them.

Fifth Avenue Style arrived as a treasure - wrapped in tissue and custom monogrammed paper and the most perfectly colored gray ribbon.  (the wrapping paper is the same as the undercover of the book jacket) Unwrapping something only heightens your expectations of what will be inside and I was more than thrilled as I turned each page.

Chapters are divided according to the rooms and in each one Slatkin shares all the details, from furniture plans, resolution of challenges to the selection of finishes and the craftsmanship required to bring it all to fruition.

While many of today's design books give you just landscape views of rooms,   also lavishly hones in on the details, and these are incredible details!  Note the monogrammed retractable brass rod and rosewood hanger.  Credit to the artists and experts in the trades is freely given throughout, including a special section in the book that honors them.

Here's just a few more of the images from Fifth Avenue Style: A Designer's New York Apartment.

All the photography in the book is by Tria Giovan and it makes you feel like you are walking through the space.

 Thank you to Meghan of Vendome Press for letting me review  Fifth Avenue Style: A Designer's New York Apartmenta book I'm very pleased to add to my collection.