Lamps

Well folks, Layla Grayce does it again!  I am looking for lamps - and a chandelier/ceiling mount for our guest bath.  

Love this lamp:  From Jamie Young Lighting - the Luna Lamp in Chocolate Brown. Unrequieted love.  $212 on Layla Grayce's site.  I'm tempted.

And this ceiling mount would be perfect in my guest bath.  The Paris Crystal Ceiling Mount.

Imported from Italy, it is a little piece of Tuscany in your house.  And the price, well - the price is a bit depressing at four digits worth of benjamins.  No fair.  Those Italians have all the fun.

The search continues....

Our First Upgrade

So it seems I've been a little slow on the up-take these days with the posts.  I apologize.  Can you ever forgive me?  You - my avid readers - the number of you I can count on my hand - please take this post as a token of my apologies....and a promise of more posts to come!

A quick recap - we moved about a month ago in to a house 30 years young.  It is a fabulous house - with some upgrades (kitchen, thank god, among others).  However, there are still a few remnants of the old days hanging around.  And I wish I could use words such as vintage, charming, even old-fashioned.  But alas I cannot. Instead, the words that come to mind are dated, ugly, and what-were-they-thinking?  I mean, were these things really in style circa 1979? The year I was born is made of decor that is really this misguided?  Oh well.  

This leads me to our first upgrade:  The Guest Bath

Right off the kitchen, this is the bathroom where you find yourself running to as you come in from the garage, as you are cooking dinner (yes, I wash my hands), and as I am watching TV. (Again, I wash my hands)  And each time I would run to the sanctuary of the guest bath - to have a moment (or two, #2 that is) to myself I found myself wanting to hurl chunks in to the toilet each time I saw this mirror. 

     

One other horrifying feature is the counter top - it would not be horrible in its creme & chocolate brown marbling - but the sink is scalloped.  I just hate it - but the upgraded faucet (antique bronze - I love it) makes it a little better.  Point is:  it will be replaced with granite one day - but for now it can be "worked around."  But the mirror just had to go - there was no working around that mess.

But I didn't want to spend a lot of $$, so I found myself at HomeGoods searching for a deal. And a deal I found.  This bathroom is very traditional - so I wanted to add a little bit of contemporary for some balance.  So, drum roll please:

      I've played up the chocolate brown from the countertop in the toilet cover and contoured mat.  The paintings I had from the other house - if you recall I used them in our guest bath there, as well.  (See this post for pics)

The light fixture in this bathroom hangs from the ceiling and is just too embarassing to show it here.  I am looking for a smallish, vintage looking chandelier to replace it.  I'll show that upgrade once I find "the right one."  Lighting is like marriage: jump in to a relationship too quickly and it just won't be flattering.  (I just made that up - not sure how I like it - but it's late, so it's good enough.)

Let me know what you think.  I'll be posting more upgrades, changes soon.  Our basement is finished - but the carpet is old, and the woodwork is stained (gasp!) and the more I go down there, the closer I am to redoing it all - paint, new carpet, etc.  So I'm sure that change won't be too far off in the distance.

Until next time....and I promise it won't be so long.  The Barn sent me a new catalog - and I'm itching to review it's contents right here.  You won't want to miss that!

NEWS FLASH: NADEAU ATLANTA SALE - SAT, 10/18

Extra, extra - hear all about it!  In case anyone is looking for me this Saturday - Nadeau (see my last post) is having a sale this Saturday, October 18th!  Tons of dining room tables on sale!  Holy crap - I'm working out a way to carve out the nickels and dimes out of budget.  I need a table for our entry way - cannot miss sale.....must save my strength.....need essential rest....sharpen shopping skills....

Race you there!

Your furniture can have a soul, too! It's NADEAU!

We have been in our new home almost two weeks.  Most of the boxes are unpacked.  None of the pictures are hung.  Our first priority has been building a fence for our dogs (sooo tired of walking them!)  

We did not move far from our old house - we are already familiar with the area.  But we have been out and about full time in this area and are discovering all sorts of new things.  We "lunched" at a new Goldberg's Deli by our house on Saturday.  I decided to be very bad and get a CHEESEBURGER.  Yum.  We exited the deli, preparing to hop in to our car when I spotted a somewhat small furniture store next door.  My husband and child seemed content - so we popped inside.  Oh boy - what have I found?  The name of the store is Nadeau:  Furniture with a Soul.  I looked around at all the fabulous furniture - and I found about five things I would buy in a heartbeat, all before I took five steps inside.  I did what we all do when we find beautiful things in a store - avoided looking at the price tags until I couldn't stand it anymore.  Much to my surprise, the prices were FANTASTIC.  UNBELIEVABLE.  This furniture is beautiful, solid, not cheaply made - yet the prices are incredible.  How do they do it?  My two year old finally gave out before I was able to peruse all the offerings, so I reluctantly exited, promising myself that I would return.  Oh, and return I will.

SO - I immediately Googled the joint to discover just who they are.  Turns out they are importers of furniture that, due to various brilliant business reasons, sell furniture in retail stores (in addition to large warehouses, etc) at wholesale prices.  So THAT's how they do it!  I kid you not - I found a BEAUTIFUL dining room table (seats 8) for $1095.  (not including chairs, of course).  I cannot find a pic of it online - Nadeau inventory is unique and comes and goes like any importing business' findings...but believe me, it was one of the most beautiful, solid tables I have ever seen.  Pottery Barn, eat your heart out.  And THAT PRICE!

I've provided the link up above - it does not show all of their inventory - it could not begin to do so.  Here are a few of my favorites:

Brick Design Bench

A great bench for an entryway.

Now, I do not currently need bedside tables - but this one would be incredible!

The Step Design Bedside Table - Sheesum

What a nice touch to a guest bedroom - and unique.  I haven't seen anything like this lately...

I have pledged to myself that I will not rest until I have a one-of-a-kind deal from Nadeau in my house.  I will be stalking the store near me until I find "the one."  And I will assure you - that you all will be the first to know when I find it!

Wisteria: It's not just a flowering vine...

I opened up my mailbox yesterday to be pleasantly surprised by a fantastic little catalog that is now coming my way.  (I will make sure this one gets my change of address...)  I have no idea how they found me - I do not recall giving out my address - so it must be fate...

Introducing Wisteria to the Behind Decorated Doors blog.  After carefully studying all the catalog had to offer, I am confident that something from this charming catalog/website will be prominently displayed in BDD's new home within the next twelve months!  (We must recover from all of the moving expenses, first!)

Here are a few highlights:

Since I have sofas on the brain lately - this couch gives a new meaning to the word streamlined!

The Streamlined Sofa is a beautiful couch.  The simplicity and the scooped sides have woo'ed me.  And if you read the description, the skirt disguises casters to allow for the decorator in everyone to experiment with different configurations easily!  Rearrange away, ladies! (and gents, of course!)

Next up is a chest that I am longing for - and I will find a way to afford this piece of furniture soon!  The Black Bowfront Four-Drawer Dresser would be a great chest for our new entryway. Since I decorated our bedroom in black furniture - I'm trying not to over do the black.  But this piece is just a little irresistible.  Even my husband was wow'd by the classic lines and fantastic drawer pulls.  It really looks like it stepped right out of an estate in England, perhaps?

This site really shines with its smaller pieces of furniture, like chairs & side tables, and the plethora of accessories it offers.  This side table caught my eye and would look great in a traditional room that needs little interjection of casual.  It comes in blue and in red - and can add a little rustic/shabby feel to any room!  The Stacks of Space table is a favorite of mine:

And I'll close by showcasing just a few accessories:

Mirrors are a staple in any decorator's bag of tricks - so I have to share one - okay, two - from Wisteria's site.

The Italian Octagon Mirror is a must see - this would also look great in my entry way - perhaps above my black bowed chest?  I dunno...the possibilities are endless, I suppose!

And the Antiqued Vanity Mirror would fit right in to a guest bathroom...or a place with a little counter space to accommodate.  I have a dressing room style master bath - this would look beautiful on the counter.

And finally, these pots inspire a little bit of good juju for any new (or not so new) home.  The Happiness Pots are inspired by a Chinese tradition at the time of marriage of receiving two pots with the Chinese ideogram for happiness on them.  What a great idea for a wedding gift?

So these are a few of my favorites.  Please visit the Wisteria site for even more fabulous things.  The accessories and smaller furniture pieces are so unique and usable!  Enjoy!  I know I sure will.....

A little drama...

First of all, please excuse my absence.  I've been buried in a sea of boxes and packing paper...and mortgage applications...and home inspection reports...and I've only now had a moment to catch my breath.  (Actually, I should be packing - but I needed a break)

This break entails a little daydreaming about a new couch.  Now - we do not NEED a new couch in our new home - but at some point it will inevitable.  We will create the movie room downstairs - which will need some couches - for which I will exile our current family room furniture to the basement to make room for something fresh and new upstairs.  Yay!

Sooooo....I've been cruising around and found a little inspiration at Crate and Barrel.  I believe that my next sofa will entail a little drama!  The source of my inspiration are the sofas from the Willow collection - which comes in, of course, a variety of colors.  I favor the Willow Chair and a Half in the Soso fabric in Cafe:

I love the drama that is created by a rich, deep, mocha brown against neutral walls and floors.  This chair and a half also comes in the Deso fabric in a solid Cafe color:

Restoration Hardware had an interesting sofa - I love these lines!  Introducing the Halsey sofa collection:

I'm not convinced that this sofa is one that I can curl up on - but it sure looks fabulous!

I also found this Hyde sofa at Ethan Allen:

In the end, I bet I'll settle with casual and comfy - something that looks lived in.....comfy is gooooooood.  Perhaps something like this?

The Cayman sofa at C&B:

I also love the full sized Willow sofa - mentioned above in the Chair & a Half.  Such a casual style - I could live on a couch like this:

Okay, then....it's settled!  Now all we need to do is win the lottery!

Please stay tuned - we move in to our new house next Friday, the 19th.  And then the before and after pics will start a-flowin'

NYC: Here I Come!

In a nutshell, here is where my life stands:

- Sold a house.
- Bought a house.
- Immediately started packing for the move (in 2.5 weeks).

Anything that does not fit in to the above bullets just doesn't fit in to my life right now! Sigh. But I shall return soon! Once the sell/buy process is complete - I will be sure to post pics of the new house and give you a run down on all of my decor ideas. I want to be sure and take my time when decorating this house - as I have made hasty decisions in the past - and want to make sure I make decor decisions that will have some staying power.

In the meantime, I depart for NYC tomorrow morning with some girlfriends for a long weekend of US Open attendance, a Friday morning Regis & Kelly taping, and plenty of shopping (Although - my money right now is going in to my new house - so we'll see how much window shopping I do instead!)

Until then...