Bright Ideas

I found this pendant last summer when I was working on the project in NYC. My client has a round stairway that is fully enclosed, I thought the shadows of the words on the wall would be awesome.

 I also thought someone with good handwriting could give this one a DIY try.

I have been a long time fan of the DWR Random Pendant

Several months ago I gave an unsuccessful shot at creating my own knock off version.

Jen did a much better job. See her tips here. I may give it another go.

I am aaaamazed by how simple Ashley makes this Anthro knock off look.

How fun are these DIY Warhol Pendants?

And when I read this fixture was made out of a paper lantern and coffee filters I almost died.

Amazing!!

Inspired to make something yet? I am

The Nursery: Chapter 5 {crib sheets are easy}

Attention anyone who can turn on a sewing machine. You can sew your own crib sheets! This was such an easy project. I got the idea from this tutorial but then as usual, went rogue. A couple of weeks ago I found this Robert Kaufman fabric for 40% off at a local fabric store. I thought it be fun with the rug, so I bought several yards.

Step One: I laid the mattress over the fabric, left the full width and cut the top and bottom to match. Then I pinned the corners together and sewed. We went with a foam mattress, which is super light, and made this part of the project very easy.

Step Two: Once I had the fabric squared up on the mattress, I did a zig-zag stitch around the raw edges. I do not have a surger. I did this in lieu of folding a hem because the fabric is only 42" wide. I needed to maintain all the width possible or I would run the risk of it being too short on the sides.

Step Three: I cut four 10" pieces of elastic and pinned their center points on the four corners of the sheet. I sewed with a zig-zag stitch ,starting from the middle, and worked my way out in both directions. I stretched the elastic as I sewed, just like in this project. The result was a nice, fitted corner. And that is it!

The skirt was even easier. It still needs some tweaking. I will come back to that later. But the moral of the post: do not spend a billion dollars on cute crib sheets! If you can turn on your sewing machine, you can make your own crib sheets! And with all the fun fabric out there, the possibilities are endless!

Another Bonus: I like it so much, I'm no longer sad about going sans bumper.

 

Recent Work {bathroom}

It's snowing here again, which really does not make me excited to venture out to the tile showroom today. I am working on a master bath renovation in Arlington, which is right outside of Boston. My client has a very eclectic personal style, she likes orange, and is a huge outdoors woman. This is my abstract spin on a modern bathroom in the woods.

And, as most projects do, it has evolved quite a bit from the first go round above.

Did you notice it got bigger!? We decided to move a wall out 3 feet to make it more of a "master bath" feel. The house was built in the 20's, when there was no such thing as a master anything.

We tackled some major decisions this past week, but there are still more to be made. I'm keeping my fingers crossed I can get it all documented and off to the contractor before this baby comes. Construction administration wearing a Baby Bjorn should be interesting. Just kidding.

Found Things....fast

I love creating spaces with found things. I believe good interiors are curated, like a museum. One day in a big box store or even a high end retailer just won't do it. To make something unique, or one of a kind, takes time. But sometimes in the real world, time is not on your side. Sometimes clients come to you with a party scheduled at the end of the month and "it just needs to get done." One of my favorite found things stores in Boston is Mohr and McPherson. They do a great job of curating their pieces. No two things are alike.

I love this x-base table.

 This sofa was on sale last week and if we had just a couple more square feet, it would have come to live with us. Mr. Sabbe loves some chesterfield sofas, as does his wife.

They work with the trade, but also sell directly to the public. If you are in the South End you should check them out.

Before and After: Stripes!

When you enter our apartment, you enter a hallway that serves as an artery to all of the other spaces. At first I thought it was wasted space, but over time I have realized that this space is awesome. It's a contained area to shed boots, coats, hats, etc. so that the New England winter, and all it's glory, does not have to make it's way into my living room, on my sofa, and all over my dining table. It's also my first impression room and other than a couple of coat hooks and some framed calender pages, it was pretty boring.

The hallway also contains a billy bookcase from Ikea. This is where I keep most of our glasses and plates. Maybe one day I will show you how ridiculously small our kitchen is.  You will not be jealous.

So I had been thinking about an easy way to spruce up this space. One that would be A. Cheap and B. Mr. Sabbe would be down for doing. Last year I was super impressed with Hannah's striped hallway on a budget and it just so happens I was walking through Home Depot a couple of weeks ago and spotted a gallon of oops paint in a similar shade of gray. So cheap part...check.

Next I had to convince my husband it would be easy. I love my husband, but he is no John from Young House Love. So I designed the stripes so that he would not have to paint next to the base or the ceiling, and not around the tops of any door moldings. There are about a billion coats of paint in this place and we learned from our living room that trim is so incredibly tough to get right because of all the bumps and bulges. I taped everything. Secret...a quilters ruler makes measuring and taping wall stripes so much easier. If you are considering this project, I would invest in one, waaaay more accurate than a measuring tape. And the easy part...check. So I put the man to work, see how happy he looks. Ladies, it's all about equipping.

I didn't stick around to watch...ie. keeping baby Sabbe's brain cells in tact. But this morning I work up, peeled the tape down, and smiled out our new jazzy hallway. I love how it turned out.

Much better don't you think? All for a roll of tape, a $5 gallon of paint, and 1 hours of my sweet husband's time (the taping took me about 2 hours). He told a nurse at the hospital today that he helped me paint the hallway last night. She replied "the hallway? that's not even a room." He said, "she's pregnant and she's an interior designer, I do what I'm told." The nurse told him she predicts he will have a long, happy marriage.

The last touches for the hallway will be a durable floor runner and a fun light fixture. And the Ansel Adams calender pages (which is a great/cheap art idea if you are looking) will definitely go when we get some cute photos of our little guy.

Note: I would not actually recommend horizontal stripes on old plaster walls to any of my clients. It definitely reveals every bulge and imperfection, which I knew going into it and was ok with. But I'm a little more particular with clients than I am my own house, which, to my husband great joy, I refer to as my test lab. All 700 sf of it.

Windsor Smith + other pretty things

I recently discovered Windsor Smith on Bryn's blog and I was very impressed.

The super jumbo bolster on the sofa is so out of scale that it's awesome. Does that even make sense?
I'm a huge Tim Burton fan.

 This last shot makes me want to color code my bookshelves. My closet is color coded.

For more, check out their portfolio.

In other pretty news...

The Miss America winner was super cute and talented, but what's up with the roots? As a red head, I'm out of the hair dying loop, but is this a new trend?

Natalie Portman is pregnant. So am I. It's like we're best friends.

Rambling Renovators is going to be on the Nate Berkus show. Their house is veeery pretty. I was in the audience of the Nate Berkus show back in September. I was 14 weeks pregnant. Not pretty.

My friends Brooke and Marianne both have articles in Birmingham Home and Garden. Love these two, they are pretty inside and out.

And the most beautiful thing to celebrate today, Martin Luther King, Jr.'s I Have  Dream Speech, brings tears to my eyes.

The Age Old Question

What to do with the tv?

I came across this image a while back. Is it not a perfect composition?

Flat screen tvs make this a much easier battle than it used to be. A shallow tv stand, like the one above, is typically what I go with when working with clients who rent...or have no clue what kind of structure, if any, is in the wall they want to mount to. I am also a big fan of creating compositions with the tv. Although I no longer find it necessary to shut it away in a cabinet, I really strive to keep the tv from being the main focal point in a room. But the larger they get, which is the down side of the flat screen, the harder that becomes.

Is this a battle/ design challenge in your house?

Neutral Nelly

I'm not one to shy away from color, but every now and then I have a project where sticking to a neutral palette just feels right. There is something fresh and calm feeling about each of these tonal spaces.

  How about the window behind the cabinet above? Pretty creative use of existing space.

 What about you? Do you crave color or are you a neutral nelly?

images Traditional Home

Fabric Shades

Phase 1

Jenny's fabric shade tutorial has been on my list for months. I actually bought the fabric and ribbon in August. This past Sunday I finally decided to give it a go and I'm pretty pleased with the results. Look at it's ugly neighbor to the right. I've got 5 more to go....

Cost per window

1 yard of fabric- $2.98

mini blinds from Target- $3.99

50 yard spool of 1-1/2"black grosgrain ribbon (for all windows) $10.15

 A roman shade for less than two pumpkin spice lattes, not bad!

Also, thanks HGTV for interviewing me on my tips for a seasonal home. You can view the article here. I'm #6.

More From New York

I love iphones. Along with the wallcovering below, we are also installing our draperies, slipcovers, and more fun things from our seamstress (we love you Julie) this week. And because I teach on Mondays, I could not make it to New York for this installation. But with my iphone happy client clicking away, I feel like I am right there.  

Do those orange velvet slipcovers make you as excited as they make me?

DIY list

I love this unique version of the ole' zig zag. Probably can't use contact paper.

I showed this credenza image to one of my clients and we both agreed that the mirror is awesome. The mirror is not for sale. I want to make one and get someone to tell me something Italian and romantic to write on it.

I still want to paint a full wall with chalkboard paint. This is one of my most favorite casual dining rooms.

And someone needs to snatch THIS off of Craig's List STAT! It's only $150! And have it painted to look like THIS $1,000 crib. Would something like this be safe? I do not have a baby, mommas please chime in.

Have a great weekend!

images: AT, unknown, dining room photos, CL

Juxtapose

First of all, how delicious is that quilted chair!? Who would have thought that it lived next door to a barcelona chair. And how about that 19th century secretary!? Yum. Yum. and Yum

New England Home

The End of an Era

If you have been reading this blog for a while, you will know that I spent the good part of last Fall looking for a deer head for my living room wall. Well, right before Winter settled in I finally found one and I was SO excited. I know some people are probably way over the taxidermy fad, but I was not there yet. Last Friday I spent some time working on a collage wall in our living room before Mr. Sabbe and I went out to eat the best chinese food ever.

Hmmm, what is the random bracket hanging in the middle?

That's right, we came home to a busted deer head on the floor!! And even worse, it landed right on top of the brand new tv and there is now a huge dent in the back of it (which luckily is only the backside) But still! Can you believe that? It could have killed someone. As you can see, the wall anchor and screw are still hanging there with the mounting bracket. But the head and antlers are porcelain and when they fell off, they shattered everywhere. Bad Ebay seller and bad, bad Chinese manufacturer! (sticker on back) Lesson learned, I will no longer be hanging potentially dangerous art on my walls.

I am officially over the taxidermy trend.

Vvelcome to Babyland

I want to design a nursery. Not for me, for someone else. Four walls designating a "nursery" is a luxury in these parts, except for maybe Gisele and Tom. As I have previously mentioned, I have known I was going to be an Interior Designer since the second grade. Well I have known I want to design a fabulous nursery for someone since seeing this classic for the first time...

I love how everyone is breathing new life into the classic Jenny Lind cribs.

odeedoh. making it lovely. hashai . decor pad via urban grace. blueprint bliss

Gisele and Tom, call me.