Living Room {Australia}

Will this ever end?  Today, I'm presenting you with yet another design board for our living room.  In the past I've discussed getting a new sofa and how that has been a real challenge.  A couple months ago we searched and searched, but couldn't find anything we absolutely love and could live with for many years to come (when you're spending that kind of money you should really love it).  However, we did end up making a  decision.  I know shocking!  We decided to just order a white custom slipcover for our existing sofa.  I think that was the logical choice, we get a couple more years out of the sofa (until we move back to the States) for the least amount of $$$.  Hopefully, when it finally comes in (from England) we will love it and it will provide the "transformation" we've been seeking. 

The sofa we have is a discontinued Ikea model and is slipcovered (we bought it second hand when we arrived in Australia).  Apparently, they had a wide variety of slipcover colors to choose from, but since they no longer sell them I did a search for anyone who makes slipcovers to fit that model and I lucked out and found several.  The only catch is it takes a month or two to make and then has to be shipped.  At first we were looking at mid September, but now it's looking like mid October, before it arrives.

So here is what I'm thinking the room will look like in a couple months....

As you can see there are a couple new things on the board I'm still wanting to purchase.  The jute rug I purchased, from Ikea, last year, is already starting to fray on the corners, so that needs to be replaced.  This time I'm thinking of a flatweave, like a graphic dhurrie or kilim. 

And then the lamps...A.K.A my arch nemesis.  They're kind of like the problem I was having with sofas...I just keep hitting a wall at every turn.  The lamps I pictured on the board are from West Elm, but again, I don't care for the shade or the price tag, but I like the lamp and color.  But, I also still really like the Buddha lamp I've blogged about a couple times.  My new teak side tables and the room are in desperate need of ambient lighting.  Designing for oneself is really the most challenging. 

We've lived in our current house for two years now (still hard to believe) and I've only hung bamboo roman shades in the master bedroom (we have a pretty large collection of bamboo shades that we carry around from place to place...house to house), so I'm going to finally put them up in the rest of the house.  I also have a few sets of curtains I made about seven or eight years ago, but they're off white and won't look right with the white slipcover, so I think I'll grab a pair of white ones from Ikea, but I want to jazz them up a bit.  How do extra large white pom poms down the leading edge sound (bringing in a little Moroccan flare)?  I think I'm going to order some thick white yarn and make them myself.  I'll also order a few colors of yarn and make cute pom poms like the ones on the inspiration pillow, but I'll add them to the pillows I'm going to make with my new links fabric. 

As far as the art goes, I want to create a gallery wall above my antique Chinese console (pictured).  I'm, also, still searching for a frame to fit my otomi...I so don't want to spend money on a custom one.  Lastly, I think I'm going to buy that travel sketch of India I blogged about recently.  They're just so amazing, I'm going to start a collection (good/inexpensive idea for any family who want to know what to buy me for birthdays or Christmases).

So, what do you guys think of my most recent presentation?  It's a bit more colorful than I usually gravitate towards, for myself, but I think my otomi is inspiring me to be more adventurous with color.

Framed...

We made our way over to Ikea today and when I passed the frames, I thought why not just see if they have anything that would fit the demensions of my two new miniature paintings from India.  To my surprise, they did!  From the beginning, I only planned to have them custom framed, or at least have a custom mat cut and I may still do that, eventually.  For now, the two Ribba frames worked out perfectly.

I decided to set them on our mantel, for now.  It's getting a bit crowded up there, but I tend to be heavy handed and take the more is more approach, which can become overwhelming.

So, what do you guys think?  Do you like the less expensive frames, or do you think that it should only be a temporary solution, until I make my mind up about the custom matting and frames?  Would you like to see more mantel arrangements?  Feedback is always welcome...as long as it's positive...HA!

1GS Picks & Design Board...

Soundslike Home, out of Sydney, has some great pieces and I found a couple things I may get for my home...

like these rattan tray tables.  They come in a set of 3 for $209!

{Rattan Tray Tables}

and one of these cube side tables for next to our new sofa...it's white washed teak and only $121!

{multi-cube-white-wash}

I've been busy pulling together pieces that I'd love to add to our home.  This is what I've found so far...

we already have a similar coffee table and the carved Chinese piece is ours. 
So we need:

• New Sofa
• Area Rug
• Side Tables
• Lamps
• Kilim Pillows
• I want a large turtle shell for the mantel
• Large Mirror or Piece of Art for above the Chinese Console
• Lamp for Console
• Recover Our Mid Century Club Chair

Yes, $$$ signs are flashing before my eyes! I think I can pull the "look" together for around $3500 (not including recovering the club chair...that may remain on the to-do list). We want to have the room finished by August...that's when our first guests are coming for a visit!

Sofa Love...

We've been searching for a new sofa, to replace the temporary one we purchased when we first arrived in Australia.  Today, we found a shopping center that was all home interior shops.  We went into one of the stores, Early Settler, for the first time and we loved almost everything they had to offer!  Right when we walked in we saw a great sofa and we both agreed that it was most definitely a top contender!
Try to ignore everything else in the room!  We're only interested in the great linen sofa.  Of course, I'd loose the throw pillows and add Turkish Kilim pillows instead, to bring some texture, pattern and color to the piece.  I really do love it...

Then, we went into Freedom Furniture, which I've mentioned before on the blog and my husband found his dream sofa...

I have to admit I really loved it too...it's great in person.  The scale is perfect, it sits lower to the ground and the leather is beautifully distressed.  It feels very rich....very Restoration Hardware.

Two totally different directions!  One more cozy and feminine and one more modern and masculine.  When we got home I stared at our living room for a while and could easily picture both options in the room, but I think we will end up agreeing on the linen sofa.  It just seems a better choice for this time in our lives...we can all three stretch out on it, watch a movie and be really comfy!  I think we may be getting it next month, it's a big purchase and we want to be 100% before pulling the trigger  checkbook!

Sofa Love...

We're still searching for the perfect sofa...We have not seen even one strong contender yet.  Of course, I'm still not 100% sure the exact style I want.  My current selection process is that once I see it I'll just know. 

With that in mind, I saw this sofa online and I knew I loved it!  I also know that it's not in Australia, so the search is still on...

{Jane Bisectional Sofa found here}

I love the chaise, the clean lines, the tufting, the low arms!...color?  I think I would be pretty happy if I came across something like this and at a great price point...one can dream!

Double Decker...

Yesterday, I picked up this adorable graphic double decker bus pillow, at Cotton On, for $5...

{photo via 1GS: front pillow: Hawaiian Crest, pillow shams: quilted from India, navy blue Euro Shams, Tommy Hilfiger surfboard sheets, stripe bedspread: from the Tibetan shop Island Queen, North Shore, Hawaii.}

I think it fits in quite well with Grant's other bedding!

Some Art...

around our house...

this drawing was done by my father about 33 years ago.  He passed away a couple years back, so this is quite special to me.  It's really the only thing of his that I really wanted.  It now sits on the picture ledge in our living room.

on a lighter note, this is a canvas print I picked up a few weeks back, which hangs in our son's bedroom.  It's a good size, about 14"x46".  I think I paid $25 for it.

We still have existing pieces to frame and many more spaces to fill.  Hopefully, we'll get some of our projects knocked out the week following Christmas...my husband is taking the week off, so I'll have to put him to work around here! 

{photos via 1GS}

Foyer Table...

You may recall this recent post where I discussed table options for our entry foyer.  When I found the brass hall table I was enamored and was very tempted, but that price...ouch! 

Today, while searching the Wisteria site I saw an affordable, yet stylish table that may just be p.e.r.f.e.c.t.

It may not be a forever piece, but at $249 for the table with the table cloth, it'll be quite useful for now.  Yes, I do think that it will work nicely under our vintage painting...


Design Board: Guest Bedroom

You may recall that I've been collecting ideas and trying to decide on a direction for our guest bedroom.  So, I thought I would put together a design board to see if the pieces I have floating around in my mind will actually work...  Here's what I'm thinking...

{deco empire headboard-warm sand, nate berkus metallic pouf, organic capiz bowl,  metallic tie dye stripe cushion, cut out table lamp, tarnby rug, beijing foyer table, majby chair, ludde sheepskin}

I'm thinking all white bedding, my mink blanket at the foot of the bed, my antique teak Javanese cabinet with the giant clam shell on top, bamboo roman shade with simple linen curtains, framed black and white photography of our travels (or black and white photos of all the Art Deco architecture in our town) and the sheepskin on the woven chair.  What do you think?

Some Random Stuff...

My husband bought one of these on his business trip to Florida...



He's visiting family in Miami today and will be back on Sunday!  Can't wait!  Need another man around to kill big a** spiders for me!  Yes folks...saw our first Huntsman spider today crawling up the living room wall....and if you're wondering...it looked something like this...

{image}

the better half of the day was when I discovered the Blue Willow tea pot was, finally, back in stock, so I picked one up!

{find it here}

They have the same exact one (same brand) at Amazon for $40, but I only paid $14 for mine at a store here in Australia!  Love finding a great deal!

Thrifting Finds: Vintage Paintings

A couple days ago I went into a local thrift store called The Barn, here in Richmond NSW.  While looking around I spotted a huge vintage painting on the wall, of what I'm guessing is a scene of the local Blue Mountains, so I asked for the price.  While the lady went to check on the price for me, I continued to look around and found another small painting.  This one had the name of the location written on the back...it says "River Scene-Murrumbidgee."  The lady soon returned with a price for the large painting at $40 and she said I could have the small one for $10.  Sold and Sold!

I decided to hang the large painting in the foyer and moved the halltree that was there to a space next to the back door.  The painting is signed Isabella Brown.  There is a great art school in this town, so it is likely that a former student painted this...just a guess.

I added the smaller painting to a collection of framed botanicals on the ledge above the living room window.  This painting is signed H. Hoare.

It was so exciting to find a couple local painting, at such low prices, to add to our new home!  Did anyone else have a lucky thrifting week? 

Slab Coffee Table Project

Remember when I mentioned our "new" slab coffee table I found here at a vintage shop?  Well, we started refinishing it this weekend. 

{we're only using stripper on the sides that are still raw wood w/bark and aren't sanding those areas}

At first we thought we'd strip it down and put a dark stain on it, but after sanding the heck out of the top of the table, to get the millions of layers of old, yellowed and peeling poly off, we discovered that we loved the color variations in the natural wood (we're guessing it's a type of Eucalyptus??), so we decided to just tung oil it. 

{the legs and sides are still coated in the yucky yellowed poly...that's a project for phase 2, next weekend!}

We still have a ton of work to do on it and are hoping that we'll be able to finish next weekend and I'll be able to post the after photos!

Australia House: Phase 1

Once again I'll start off with an apology, for the lack of posting.  Still, we have not had our internet connected!  They have set yet another date..Tuesday...so we shall see.

To make up for the lack of posts, I thought I'd share a bunch of photos of our new home.  Keep in mind this is just phase one and there is still much, much more to do.  Our Hawaii stuff is being delivered on Monday, so that will add rugs, more art, more collections and a ton more books into the mix.

The kitchen was large enough to hold our dining table so we're using it as an eat-in kitchen, which I love and we're using the area that could be used as a dining room as an office/study.

{ignore the stroller, my husbands coat on the desk chair and the peace sign tote..oops. These are, obviously, not styled photos!}

This is the vintage drafting table my Mom bought me for my 30th birthday gift (it's been in our storage unit in Texas and having it in this house is actually the first time I ever saw it!..good job Mom!)  I bought the vintage desk chair off eBay, about 10 years ago and refinished it.  I've been looking for a dresser or bookcase to put inside the fireplace, since it's no longer functional.

I decided to hang part of our mask collection in the entry hall.  It was a challenge to hang it, using only picture hangers from the picture rail!  I displayed some carved pieces above each of the doors in the hallway (I'll have to figure out how to better light the hall to capture some decent photos.)

My antique Chinese console that I bought in Korea 10 years ago and my carved trunk my husband bought me in Honduras almost 14 years ago.  These are two of my favorite pieces.

part of my suitcase collection, some vintage tripods and a vintage radio.  I did have one of the tripods wired to use as a lamp in the past, but I took it apart when we moved in and plan to rewire it with a lighting kit that will work here.

bookcase in the office area.

This is pretty much where we stand, thus far.  A few things have been added since these photos were taken and the bedrooms are still a work in progress.  After looking around the house and through my photos ART and COLOR are the two things that are greatly needed.  All in good time though!  I'd love feedback, advice, comments!

Furniture Find:

Just saw the Leni Lounge Chair on the Urban Outfitters site...

and thought a pair of them for either end of our dining table or even a set for our porch would be nice...something to consider!

2 Days!

Porch Ideas...

have been circling through my mind.  Our new house has a great, large front porch that will need to be totally decked porched out and utilized as extra living space!

{image}

this porch seems to have similar proportions to ours (looks like the same width, but ours is very long) and I like the island style, Balinese feel.  We shall see...so excited...3 days!