New Job and Home Tour

Well it's been a bit long time since I last posted. Seven months almost! I started a new job at the Cincinnati Art Museum working in the Marketing and Communications office. It's great to be able to see art on a daily basis. There are so many amazing pieces that I can imagine hanging in my own space. It has got me thinking about the artwork I choose for my walls. Mostly, I have cheap prints or photographs or works cut from books hanging on the walls. One day, I'd love to be able to actually invest in original pieces.

Recently I came across this stylish, yet classic home. It is the home of Meg Lonergan of LeSueur Interiors. I love how she mixes traditional pieces with modern fabrics and art. Check out these images and you will understand what I mean. I covet those Audubon prints.

World Market Rocks!

I could seriously furnish an entire apartment or house with housewares from World Market. I always loved this store even before it was cool. But lately they keep coming out with new furniture and housewares that are spot on with the current trends and also well-made. My husband and I got our desks from there a few years ago, and they are still holding up very well.

Here are just a few on my wish list. How great is that chaise in picture 5 below!

Odette New York

Today I am featuring the very talented jewelry designer, Jennifer Sarkilahti, of Odette New York. Founded in 2006, Odette jewelry is designed and crafted by hand in her Brooklyn studio. I knew Jennifer from George Mason University, where I worked in the School of Art as she was completing her MFA in Painting.
Her abstract paintings were very well received by students and faculty, and now her jewelry line is making the rounds. Her large swallow necklace was even worn by Taylor Swift! Nice work, Jenny!


Arrow Earrings




Bullet Hole Earrings




Bullet Hole Necklace




Fox Claw Bracelet




Arrow Ring




Relic Earrings




Spear Ring




Sundial Earrings




Large Swallow Necklace




Photo by Jennifer Causey for The Makers Project



Handmade

We recently moved from our home in Virginia to Cincinnati. I am in love with this town, even though it was a difficult transition after living in Virgina for close to ten years. Cincinnati is full of vintage shops and artisans. I just attended the Crafty Supermarket, which was up the street from our place. I wanted to buy everything I saw, but since I'm still unemployed, I had to restrain myself. I feel I have a renewed appreciation for handmade items. The first three here are not from the Crafty Supermarket, but I still love them!

Leigh Viner vintage restored photography print

Caroline Wright's Migration No. 14

Joya's Handmade with Joy leaf necklace

1337motif's cutting board

Sarah Hyland's Ohio

Local Repurposed Glass

IKEA Docksta

I have been thinking about the Docksta table for months and went online today to check it out again and see how it might look with some Craigslist chairs I've also been eyeing. Alas, no Docksta!!!! Does anyone have any idea if they are discontinuing this table? I haven't been into IKEA yet, but probably should very soon! It's such a great table and pairing it with some cane chairs is just what I had in mind...

New Persian Rug

I found this great handmade persian rug on Ebay for only $50! It's about 2.5x4.5 so it's not huge but it's a great size for our small office. Right now I'm debating on the colors. The red is fun and adds a little something to the mostly neutral room but it's red. And ever since I painted a wall red in one of my first apartments, I've stayed away from the color. So is it really true what designers say--that every room needs a punch of red?

One Strange Day

Today the Virginia and D.C. area experienced the largest earthquake since 1944 (measuring 5.9). People as far as New York and Ohio felt it! The last time I recall an earthquake was when I was a young girl in the mid-80's in Indiana. I don't really remember much except for the dishes rattling and shifting inside the china cabinet.

After evacuating the art building where I work at George Mason University, we all stood around wondering what to do next. It was a small earthquake, comparatively, but still it shook everyone up. Then I began to worry about my apartment and if anything was damaged or broken. My co-workers said, "well if it's broken, then it's broken." And I was thinking, yeah, you're right, but inside I felt like, oh that's "my stuff, my stuff." Terrible, I know. What if it had been worse? When I came home to apartment, this is what I found:

Nothing broken, nothing severely damaged, all was fine. And we were all safe, which is honestly, all that really matters.

Tablecloths

Shopping online is dangerous so much fun! Yeah I just did that really trendy, hilarious crossing out a word thing. Oh well.

My dining table has a ton of scratches and just general wear. I guess that's what you get when you buy a table from Target. The finish is so strange--you wipe your hand across it and a white smudge appears. You set something down on it for one second and it instantly leaves a mark. I'm tired of looking at it and worrying about making it worse.

That's why I'm thinking of buying this lovely tablecloth. Isn't it sweet?

Except that my table is only like 48"L x 30" W and this one is 70" x 108". Too big? I don't mind it being tabletop to floor but will it pool too much? I cannot do this whole find the right size tablecloth for your table. That's what wedding caterers are for!

I am not usually a fan of tablecloths or a lot of pattern, but I'm trying to embrace it. Besides, I have a lime green couch and this would go perfectly since the floor plan is open.

Did I just talk myself into buying this? I think so.

New Bedding

I have been thinking about new bedding for awhile and came across this beautiful duvet from Pottery Barn which is on sale for $40!

I am wondering if anyone has bought bedding from PB and if you like it. We currently have a simple white coverlet and comforter but I wanted something with a little pop while still keeping it mostly neutral. I think the yellow border is lovely. It would be even lovelier paired with this West Elm pillow (the PB shams to match are on backorder until January 2012).

I also recently ordered this print which will go in the bedroom along with a few other botanical prints with mostly green leaves. The gray ikat pillows are currently on the bed. Any thoughts?

How Sweet is Too Sweet?: Feminine Details in Interiors

Every interior can benefit from a small dose of femininity. However, introducing feminine details into a space can prove to be challenging. I have heard from many fellow designers and bloggers who say they easily tire of anything too pretty.

By juxtaposing a softer element such as a floral sofa pillow or a pale blue cashmere throw with a weathered, farmwood coffee table or a clean-lined glass top coffee table, you can create a more dynamic and visually interesting space. This mix applies to your choices of color, textiles, furnishings, hardware, and accessories. Don't be afraid to play around with opposing combinations--a Louis XVI chair covered in pale, metallic pink paired with a mahogany library table, for example. Finding the right balance between masculine and feminine details is the key. Here are some spaces that are successfully feminine and not frilly:

Pale pink walls paired with a sleek, white Parsons desk (via Alamode).

Floral wallpaper with a streamlined white cabinet (via Canadian House and Home).

Billowy dress in artwork above a simple console table (Courtney Bishop's home via Design Sponge).

Pink chaise with traditional gold accents (via Elle Decor).

Pink walls and zig zag rug with sheepskin throw and Thonet chair (Making It Lovely).

Louis XVI chair paired with a modern, white gourd lamp (Style at Home).

Skirted ottoman with traditional George Smith sofa (Windsor Smith via House Beautiful).

Antique Secretary with slipcovered chairs (Traditional Home).

Neutrals and Mixing Metals

When I was young, my mother and I would page through issues of Architectural Digest or whichever shelter magazine she had lying around. As a collector of antiques, she always commented on how plain and boring and sparse the neutral rooms were to her, while I studied and admired these spaces. Even today, I prefer a room with neutral furnishings and pops of color in pillows, artwork, and other accessories. This allows for the instances of color to really stand out. It's very important to vary your shades of neutral. All beige will not keep the eye moving around the room. Layer in creams, whites, and taupes with beige.

Also, mixing in various metals, whether it be silver, gold, or bronze, livens the space through their reflective qualities. Personally, I prefer to combine various metals to keep the room from feeling too flat. Here are some examples of spaces that capture this look:
 

Pops of emerald green with black (via Better Homes and Gardens).



Varying shades of turquoise in a kitchen (via Better Homes and Gardens).



Colorful gourd lamp with mixed metal frames on the gallery wall (Carrier and Company).



Using greenery to play up neutrals (Home of Emerson Made).



Layering white with beige and taupe (House and Home).



Softer shades of pink, blue, and yellow create their own neutral palette (Lonny Mag).



Layering in shades of gray with pink flowers and throw pillows (Lonny Mag).



Mixing metals (via Young House Love).



Sunflowers pop in white room (Lonny Mag).

Earthy artwork and throw with neutral furnishings (via House Beautiful).