Scarves As Artwork

Inexpensive original artwork isn't always easy to find. Personally, I have a hard time finding inexpensive frames that I like {funny thing is, I can easily find tons of expensive frames I love}. Many times, the intricately detailed frames I come across at thrift and consignment stores have large chips in the carvings and aren't worth buying. I have plans to eventually frame my old drawings from design school since I spent many, many hours slaving over them and can't bear to throw them away but that is going slowly while I hunt thrift shops for inexpensive frames in the right sizes.

I also think that framing scarves would be a good, inexpensive way to go. Those Vera scarves pop up now and again and can be pretty inexpensive but unnamed brands of scarves can have amazing designs as well. Brimfield and other antique shows have a bunch of options, I bought a vintage embroidered table scarf a few years ago for a pretty low price and they had handkerchiefs as well.  The best part is, on smaller items, you can find cheap frames at craft shops and IKEA that will frame them quite nicely, and the scarves should take center stage so simple is better.

via Skonka Hem

via Canadian House & Home

via Martha Stewart

A nice piece of vintage fabric could also do the trick but the cost to have this custom framed could get very pricey.

via Elle Decor {photography: Simon Upton}

Burberry Window Display

I spotted a jumble of these spiky acrylic objects on the floor in the Burberry window at the beginning of the month.

Except for the center, they kind of look familiar, don't they?  I kind of like these better though, no styrofoam.

Palihotel - LA

I haven't been to LA in forever. Longer than forever really. I don't actually remember much about it so I can't speak to Palihotel's claim that this hotel "reflects the dynamic cultural residential and commercial history of Melrose Avenue."  Maybe it does. Maybe it doesn't.

I can say that there are a few areas of this new hotel {opening February 1st} that caught my eye.

via Palihotel

I LOVE this floor. The giant hexagonal tiles are quite nice and not often seen.

via Palihotel

Their art wall is interesting and includes a liberal number of "instant ancestors".  This term is what I use for portraits people pick up at thrift shops and flea markets and hang on their wall {do other people use this too?}.  I'm not sure what it is called in a hotel where no one would be pretending to be related but I do like the collected look of this wall.

via Palihotel

Again here is the floor tile {you can see it better} and I also LOVE this wall tile and the channel tufted bench looks comfy.  This is from what will be the restaurant so, while I'm assuming it will have tables in front of this bench at some point, I could totally be wrong.

via Palihotel

White Interiors

I actually LOVE winter.  Well, I love it as long as I don't have to shovel or drive in the snow.  Watching the snow come down fast and furious on Saturday I came across this house featured in House Beautiful that has a look makes me want a bit of summer {or spring} right about now.

Design: Bill Ingram.  Photography: Simon Watson

Design: Bill Ingram.  Photography: Simon Watson

Design: Bill Ingram.  Photography: Simon Watson

images from House Beautiful via Two Ellie

Thrifting

I was feeling restless recently so I went to a thrift shop I had literally been thinking about stopping at for years {this is a recurring theme with me but I'm making it a point to actually stop these days}.

They had some great things at pretty good prices. What I saw...

This faux bamboo bookcase.  It needs some serious TLC, or maybe just some paint, but it's a nice piece.

There were a lot of chairs.  The yellow cushioned chair with the fluted legs fascinated me.  It also looks like the bookcase above came as part of a set because it's chair friends were here.

This sideboard was a really nice piece.  If I had needed one it would have come home with me, it would make a nice dresser.  The veneer was a bit nicked but it had dovetailed joints and dentil molding and would just need some polishing or painting and some new drawer knobs.  The velvet inside the top drawer was pretty scary but that's easy enough to replace too.

Happy thrifting!

More Uses For Old Books

Used books seem to be recurring theme in window displays.  I found this window display at Club Monaco {I think} and like the simple neutral backdrop the books make for the clothes.

I have to say that I haven't ever noticed a window by this store before so maybe they're stepping things up.

Taiwan Noodle House

Golucci Interior Architects via Contemporist {Photography: Sun Xiangyu}

I recently pinned the above image of the restaurant, Taiwan Noodle House, by Golucci Interior Architects, and was intrigued so I set about finding more about this place.

Golucci Interior Architects via Contemporist {Photography: Sun Xiangyu}

It's a fairly simple restaurant that makes use of repetition of a few objects to make the design.  Blue and white bowls and plates {as seen above}, chopsticks over the communal table...

Golucci Interior Architects via Contemporist {Photography: Sun Xiangyu}

Golucci Interior Architects via Contemporist {Photography: Sun Xiangyu}

...and Tom Dixon lighting grouped over the more private seating areas.

Golucci Interior Architects via Contemporist {Photography: Sun Xiangyu}

The restaurant has a sort of simple Japanese meets Scandinavian feeling to it with the clean look, natural wood millwork, and furniture.

I couldn't find an actual address for this other than Beijing so if anyone knows, please drop a note and I'll update it.

New Pillow Fabric

While I'm anxiously waiting for my sofa to be reupholstered, I have been searching through my fabric scraps and pillow covers to see what I have that will work with the new sofa fabric.  I have this amazing red cotton velveteen that works well with the Robert Allen floral I have to make draperies {someday}.  It's super soft, though not as soft as the navy blue cotton velvet I have, and will look nice against the brown sofa fabric.

I also picked up some pillow covers a while ago made out of the Romo fabric.  I was so sad when I found out the fabric had been discontinued.  Not too long after, I found these pillows on Etsy and was happy again.  The flowers were red instead of the orange I had originally wanted but that turned out to be a good thing.

via Ellie - B Designs on Etsy

It was good because I have the aforementioned velveteen.  No, I wouldn't put those pillows with the drapery fabric but it will still need to work with the Romo pillows.  I'm so indecisive about what I actually want things to look like {probably due to being exposed to so many beautiful fabrics} and I'm thinking of finding some fabrics to make a "winter" set so I can have a different feeling in the living room for the winter.  In addition, apartments in the Boston area tend to be old and have super drafty windows.  I would be able to line one set of draperies to keep out some of the winter cold.   So, I'm thinking I might make a long lumbar pillow or a bolster of some sort out of the red velveteen that can stay year round. 

And, because that wasn't enough, it also works well with the scrap of Sanderson Maia fabric I have in my scrap pile.  Enough for me to make a pillow.  Sadly, I forgot to pick up some cording material to make a welt around the edge last time I was at the fabric shop but I'll get it when I go back.  I need to find some nice quality inserts eventually to so this pillow will probably wait until I have that accomplished to get the measurements perfect.

I love how the birds look like they are almost unfinished sketches of birds.

Hopefully someday soon I'll get this all pulled together.  I may decide I'm too cheap for two sets of curtains or wind up with a place too small to store them.  I have time now to decide though so I'll figure it out.

Someday.

Tutorial :: Finding An Image Source

I think everyone has images they saved from somewhere that they've either forgotten where it was from or the source wasn't named to begin with.  Personally, I try to post only images that are mine or that I have a source that I can link to but it makes it frustrating when I have images I really want to use but have no source information.

I was so excited to learn how to find the original source of an image so I can use some of those images.  This works on all images that are public on the internet.

Here is how to do it:

First go to google images, then click on the little camera icon on the right of the text box to search by image.

It gives you a choice to upload an image from your computer or to paste an image source {you can get this by right clicking on any public image on the internet and selecting copy image source {this may be different on a mac but it should be similar enough to figure out}.

I uploaded an image from the Crosby Street Hotel that I had saved on my computer.  Once you have done that, Google does it's thing.

You then get a list {this one happened to be 22 pages long} of all the places the image is found online along with Google's best guess for the image source. 

Sometimes it takes a bit of searching though.  The Friends of Mine Cafe I posted about on Monday I originally found on Pinterest.  People were totally clueless about the source of the image or even the location or name of the cafe {they thought it was Paris}.  That one took a bit of poking around since most of the places it was on the internet had the same image, probably from Pinterest, and none of them had credited their source.  Eventually though, I was able to find the source which gave me the name of the cafe and the ability to find images I needed.

I hope this is helpful to everyone.  I used it on a few of my images but it was so frustrating seeing how many images from my little blog are out there and not credited at all {hence my recent attempt at watermarking}.  I have to admit I found out how to do this when I was in a bad mood and I sent out emails to some of the offenders.  

Let me know via email or in the comments if any of this is confusing and I'll do my best to clarify.

Happy Googling!

Crosby Street Hotel

I've had this hotel photo in a desktop folder for a while since I wasn't sure where I got it.  Then I found out how to find an image's source {I have a tutorial for how to do this scheduled for tomorrow}.

via Firmdale Hotels

The Crosby Street Hotel is related to the Soho Hotel that I posted about back in August.  I really love the black and white color palette of this room and the sort of relaxed glamorous feel it has to it.

I'm not really sold on the dressmaker's mannequin though.  It just looks like one more thing to squeeze around in a very tight room.  If I every stayed here, I'd probably haul it into the closet {assuming there is one} to get it out of the way.

Friends of Mine Cafe, Melbourne

Recently I decided that I would start saving up for a 6 month trip around the world and have been adding to a google map I've started where I put all the places I'd like to visit when I go.  Friends of Mine has certainly made the list, if only for coffee since I'm pretty sure my budget will be of a shoestring variety. It looks like a great little coffee shop & restaurant in Richmond, Melbourne with an interior I love.

Snap-Story via Flickr

They have a walk-up coffee window which I think is fantastic. 

Snap-Story via Flickr

These little yellow stools remind me of something you'd see on a science fiction movie with their little claw feet.

Snap-Story via Flickr

The indoors is yellow, black, and white with a lot of natural materials and it has a rustic cafe feel with glamorous touches.  Brick and chandeliers.

Snap-Story via Flickr

Snap-Story via Flickr

Snap-Story via Flickr

Snap-Story via Flickr

I know these plants don't have much to do with the design of the place but am I the only one who is always tempted to pop the little bubble leaves?

Snap-Story via Flickr

Thrift Store Chair Upgrade

I found a new thrift shop the other day after a friend recommendation I check it out.  I accidentally went to a different shop than she recommended since she didn't know the name, only the city, and only one showed up in my search.  It wound up being a happy accident since they had such great items and were soooooooooo cheap {plus they donate some of their profits to different charities which is a bonus}.

I really liked this teapot.  I had to dig in my bag for enough change to get what I was getting so this didn't come home with me but I keep thinking about it.  I typically heat up my tea water in a small sauce pan, so an enamel teapot would be welcomed.  Plus, it was $2.

These small floral lamps were kind of sweet.  I would probably take a can of spray paint to them to make them less sweet and more modern.  I would definitely change out the shades.

I could definitely see them in the color combination of this Anthropologie vase.

via Anthropologie

Or even this one {I didn't have this one in mind until I opened the site to find the vase above}.

via Anthropologie

Then there was this chair.  I'm definitely concerned about becoming a furniture hoarder but this chair is still calling my name.

It's pretty sad looking as it is, but with a little elbow grease it could be great and perhaps a boxier version of the design center chair below.  I worry about my lack of elbow grease and my over-abundance of 'good intentions' though.

I've been trying to decide what goals to set for 2012 and perhaps finishing up projects {some, like my sofa and my cane chairs have had some progress made} should be one of my priorities.  I'm so good about helping others with projects but my own tend to be left by the wayside.  I'll have to change that.

Happy thrifting!

Okay Art

I had a rough day yesterday.  I had a meeting with someone who couldn't stay focused and by the end of the day I had a terrible headache.  When I got home, I clicked on my blog to reply to a comment to find out that I had accidentally deleted my blog background leaving only large black & white exclamation points {that's what I get for cleaning up my online photos}.  That bit of ridiculousness helped some since it was pretty funny.

Then I found Okay Art.  That helped a LOT.

Mid-century gold leafed chairs?  Bright red enameled 70s lamps?  Really though, any chair labeled Disco is bound to get my attention, but their Series 7 Jacobsen chair is definitely now on my list of favorites and a good part of that reason are the bright red legs.

Corporate Office Designs

I was going through my design image files and found some of my favorite corporate office interiors.  I love the fast pace of corporate design and the fact that, with amazing clients, the sky is the limit.

Images {clockwise from top left}: Oktavilla by Elding Oscarson; Aedas Hong Kong by Aedas; St. Helena Private Winery by Nicole Hollis; The Wonderfactory by Fogarty Finger; Lexington Avenue Agency by Masque Spacio; Gray by Studios Architecture.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone, may this year be your best year ever. While I don't have the largest readership, thank you everyone who takes the time to read my blog.

via Flickr {click photo to be taken directly to source}

The picture above from the Loy Krathong Festival in Chiang Mai, Thailand is technically a fall celebration, but wouldn't it make a fantastic New Years Eve celebration as well with all the lanterns floating around?