I'm Loving ~The Abajour Light

The other day I fell in love with these little beauties made by Baxter, out of Italy.  They're sexy, cool lighting in jewel tone colors with a tongue-in-cheek kind of vibe

Besides the fabulous knot floor lamp, wrapped in colorful heavy duty cotton, the velvety smooth shades and pendents imbue a sense of stylish chic into any space

The sconces come in many fun shapes and I believe mixing and matching just might be in order

While the floor lamp retails for $3,600.00, if it was only one of a few things in a room ~ I think you've made a point, as in exclamation!

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Kitchen of the week: Luis Bustamante

Before this kitchen it was hard to imagine a home kitchen that would look like a cozy country club restaurant.  Love love love the way the open leggy banquette makes everything look more open.  A fantastic way to lighten up the closed cabinets.  If it weren't for the two fridges in the back I would not think this was a kitchen, perhaps a bar area... or part of a family room?  I don't know... I'll take whatever was left over from it!
Designed by Luis Bustamante, spotted at VT.

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Dressing table pictures.

Dressing table pictures.

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Sigh!

Because it's too beautiful to wait until tomorrow.

image from Pinterest

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Modern dressing table furniture designs..

Modern dressing table furniture designs..

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Deconstructing A Chair ~

If you have good bones, the rest is about making it pretty

I am a BIG fan of reupholstering furniture.  Granted, it is generally as expensive as buying new, but I like the "green" factor.  If it's a family heirloom, means something to a client, or is just built well and looks good but needs a little makeover, reupholstering a piece is often a great alternative to trashing it. 

 Often I have things delivered to my upholsterer without much thought to the many steps involved.  Let's take a look ~

While this Bergere chair did have a nice fabric on it, it did not go with our new color scheme and it needed some TLC

so we removed the old fabric and 1st layer of cotton

The chair was checked for cracks, nicks or any compromised components.  This is when it would be touched up or glued if necessary.

The new fabric goes to the cutter and each section is measured TWICE and cut ONCE

Scraps of fabric are sewn around edges of each section to secure fabric on the chair.  I thought this was brilliant because you don't waste expensive fabric inside the chair where it won't be seen

It then goes to the upholsterer where he applies a fresh layer of cotton and rebuilds the foundation with the existing foam.  Then the fabric is tucked and stapled into place

The sewer makes the casings for the cushions and they are stuffed accordingly.  We went with a 50/50 down fill for a slightly firmer feeling.

The sewer is also making the welting that we will wrap around the frame where it meets the fabric so any staples will be hidden and it really gives a finished appearance.  However, in this case the welting was too thick and I didn't like the way it looked.  We opted for a gimp trim instead

I don't want to show you too much ~ waiting for the BIG reveal.  Suffice to say, the chairs came out great and the room is going to be GORGEOUS!

Just using the lighter fabric instantly made the chair more visually exciting and lighter in feel.  The geometric pattern modernized the French style chair.  I am really loving it now.  It's clean and fresh, not dark and stodgy.

Think about how you can simply reupholster a piece that may not be working anymore.

Fabric is Brunschwig & Fils: square dance figured velvet

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Oversized lucite sandwich frame

I wanted to frame this gorgeous painting my father-in-law made for me but I wanted the result to be modern and light.  Sort of to not take away anything from it so I decided to frame it in a Lucite sandwich frame.  It's a wonderful way of making a painting take reign without having to rely on more expensive frames.  I first saw this style of framing a few years ago in Sag Harbour, NY at one of my favorite stores, Ruby Beets and I loved it! then I saw it in Elle Decor.   The size of the frame is pretty big, exactly 49" by 47" ( I left two inches all around to leave space for the 9/16 Hex head cap screws in a brassy color I found at Lowe's).  The screws were long so I took them to an Iron shop to have them cut.  This is something that can be done with a manual saw though, something for a man.  I had the acrylic sheets custom made at Plexi-Craft in Queens, NY and put it together myself.  A sandwich frame like this would take about four weeks so it's good to plan way in advance.  Lowe's and Home Depot have acrylic sheets as well, but the biggest sheet available in store is 36" wide.  I love the result.  It's a look that can go with either a traditional decor or a modern one.

two bottom images, Elle Decor and Architectural Digest

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Dressing table mirror designs.

Dressing table mirror designs.

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Food for Thought & Bon Wee-kend

  "Ah, if I were not king, I should lose my temper" Louis XIV (1638–1715)

  " For parading without a license each of you gets thirty days. For planning to knock me off, you get the guillotine." Louis XV (1710-1774)

 

"I was a queen and you took away my crown, I was a wife and you liked my husband,  a mother and you took my children away from me.  All I have left is my blood.  Take it.  But do not make me suffer long."  Marie Antoinette (1955-1793)

Have a very Royal Weekend!

images via Pinterest

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Apthorp ~ A Study in Restraint (with a twist)

I stand corrected.  I was wrong, par-donne, mi dispiace, förlåt!
I have been known to say that I don't need to see one more light fixture made from paper plates or a   cocktail table made out of a door.  Imagine my surprise when I walked into the magnificent sample apartment at the ultra exclusive, landmark building:  Apthorp.  There in the middle of this elegant, swanky apartment hung a giant, biomorphic looking light fixture.  I commented on how interesting I thought it was and the rental agent said, "It's made from paper plates."  I said "No way" and ran for a better view.

Bravo, Stephen Sills, the designer of this sample apartment.  It is elegant and understated with it's grey and lilac tones subtly changing color in the shifting light.

Model 6M is a 2 bedrm, 2.5 bath, 1,838 sq. ft. beauty.  It can be yours for a mere $3,950,000.00

God dammit ~ Now, where's my stapler?

ph: The Apthorp, CLI

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Dressing table desk designs.

Dressing table desk designs.

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