Louis XVI...The Final Piece

Since I love both vintage furniture and finding a bargain, great pieces rarely come easily. As a result, many of the key items of furniture in my home have a story behind them. The bedside tables in the guestroom, the modern glass & chrome dining set, the kitchen stools and the coffee table in the living room are all perfect examples. Each piece took some time and effort, but in the end I got what I wanted and paid a fair price. My latest acquisition is no exception. After more than a year of searching, this, my friends, is the FINAL piece of furniture for the condo. The Louis XVI commode (learn more about the term "commode" here) is tucked into the corner of my bedroom to provide a bit more storage for accessories and off season clothing.

I previewed this piece at Empire Auctions, but I tried not to get too excited - this wasn't my first time at the auction rodeo, and I had been outbid several times before (including January's French Antique auction). I was happy to discover that this lot # would fall on an evening following a Blue Jays playoff game, so attendance would be low. Lucky!! The hammer fell after just a few bids and I finally had my coveted Louis XVI commode.

The plan is to hang artwork on the wall around and above the television (Gasp! A tv in the bedroom!!) to disguise its existence, but putting holes in the wall is such a big commitment that I'm hesitant. For now I've leaned one of my favourite photos by photographer Robin Waters behind a tray of colourful perfumes.

Can we pause for a moment to appreciate that stunning marble top? I love the veining of this natural beauty!!

So...no more furniture shopping. Now what?

Art Appreciation

Now that summer has passed, and #ProjectA has wrapped, I finally have some spare time to catch up a few things I've been putting off around the condo. Two weekends ago I recovered the dining room chairs in a golden yellow velvet. This past weekend I was onto a new project: art for the master bedroom. I've been in this condo 23 months, and the walls of the master were bare until this past Sunday.
 

As most of you know, since I mention it frequently, budget is a consideration when I make decor choices. In this instance I splurged a little bit up front, and saved on the other end. Here's the story: I follow designer Christian Siriano on Twitter, and he quite often tweets a "sketch of the day". One day I followed the accompanying link down the rabbit hole, where I discovered "Violet Flowing", a limited edition Christian Siriano sketch. As art goes, $35 unsigned is quite affordable (signed prints are $89), and I knew the sketch would be perfect to hang by my bedside table, so I placed an order.

I'm sure it goes without saying that the 8" x 10" sketch print arrived unframed, so the next step was to find an affordable frame that would enhance the art and suit my bedroom decor. Basically, it had to be a gold frame. I looked at Michael's and Ikea, but it was slim pickin'. I thought I might have better luck at the thrift store, and I was right - I picked up a frame for the sketch at Goodwill and added a new pre-cut mat from Michael's. All in, the framing for this piece set me back $8.72.

The only catch was that while searching for a frame at the Goodwill, I fell for another piece of art, an abstract with lots purple and mauve and swirls of gold. I paired the $6 newly discovered masterpiece with a $10 frame and now it resides above the opposite bedside table.

What I find most interesting is how different these two pieces are, and yet I find beauty in both of them. Where will you find your next piece of art?

What's New

Things have been quiet around here recently. Mostly I've been waiting for the builders to repair all of the deficiencies listed on my Tarion warranty form, and they have finished up the last of the drywall repairs and other touch ups over the past couple of weeks. This means that I can get started on the painting. Yep... Time to get out the paint trays and rollers. Yep... Maybe next weekend?

In the meantime I've been scouting for interesting additions to the nest. During a recent visit to my Mom's, I picked up a vintage pair of framed embroidered linen panels. (If you're ever in the Peterborough area, Nostalgic Journey is a great place to browse.) I hung one on either side of the bed in the guest room, and they add a touch of colour to the bedside vignettes.

Step 1: Plan, Plan, Plan

I've started thinking about what furniture I'll be keeping for the new condo (you can read about my new place in this post), and what additional pieces I'll be needing. Since I'll be moving from a one bedroom to a two bedroom, one of the first things on the list is a bed for the guest room. As I considered this, it occurred to me that this would be the perfect opportunity to upgrade the bed in the master suite and switch my current upholstered headboard into the guest room. You can catch a glimpse of my headboard in this post.

For a long time I have wanted a fully upholstered bed, but previously the space was too tight, so I opted for the headboard alone. I'm excited that the master bedroom in the new condo will have plenty of room for a full bed. This is my inspiration - the quilted champagne silk bed from Charlotte York's Park Avenue apartment in Sex & the City:

West Elm

Scroll (Queen)
Headboard Approx $585 CDN/Full Bed Approx $1065

West Elm
Diamond (Queen)
Headboard Approx $585 CDN/Full Bed Approx $1065

West Elm
Nailhead (Queen)
Headboard Approx $480 CDN/Full Bed Approx $960

Crate & Barrel
Colette
Queen Bed $1609 CDN

Crate and Barrel
Crown
Queen Bed $1349 CDN

Urban Barn
Ella
Queen Bed $1340 CDN

Mobilia
Ritz
Queen Bed $999 CDN

Pottery Barn
York (Headboard only, Queen)
Approx $1060 CDN

Pottery Barn
Lorraine (Headboard only, Queen)
Approx $930 CDN

GHJ Custom
Jameson
Queen Bed $1295 CDN

GHJ Custom
Chelsea
Queen Bed $1395 CDN

GHJ Custom
Linda
Queen Bed $1295 CDN

GHJ Custom
Fairmont
Queen Bed $1295 CDN

Some of these options require custom upholstery, and the delivery timeline can run anywhere from 4 to 6 months, so it's time to start planning now!! It's a good thing I love to shop :-)

Quick Change

How many of you sharp eyed readers noticed a little something different in the photos I posted yesterday? Did anyone catch the shift I've made from cool silver metals to warm brass metals in the bedroom? Take a look at these before and afters, and you will see where I've made some quick changes.

BEFORE

AFTER

Okay, the lamp is an obvious switch-up, but I've also "changed" the hardware on the nightstands. The drawer pulls on my bedside tables are an unusual style - they're set across a recess in the drawer fronts. Since it would be difficult to replace these, I opted instead to give them a spray paint makeover.

The Quick Change Trio:
Primer, Paint, Lacquer

Two coats of primer:

Two coats of Brass metallic paint:

Two coats of Lacquer:

The hardest part of this DIY was waiting patiently for the paint to dry before sanding between coats. The easiest part was not having to seek out and purchase brand new hardware. I'm really warming up to the shift from silver to brass as an accent metal. What do you think of the transformation?

Sarah 101: Episode 10 Neutral Master

Last night on Sarah 101, Sarah and Tommy decorated another room that was stuck in the 80's - this time a large master bedroom. It was time to strip away the lace, ruffles & flowers and make room for clean & simple timeless design. As is often the case, the jumping off point for this room started at Designer Fabrics, with the selection of a wide stripe in neutral tones of linen and white. The wide stripe was used as drapery, and set a calm tone for the space which the designers built upon with a matte tone on tone wallpaper. Touches of lavender were added throughout the room to provide just a hint of accent colour.




Sarah taught us that when wallpapering an entire room, it is a good idea to prime the walls with a paint colour similar to the main colour of the wallpaper. This way, if the wallpaper spreads slightly along the seams, any colour showing through will blend. Another lesson learned is that when working with low ceilings, select crown moldings with a shallow height.


While hunting for furniture to fill the room, Sarah found a $95 vintage king size headboard of which Tommy didn't wholeheartedly approve. However, when sprayed white and backed in a sweet polka dot fabric, the headboard turned out to be quite lovely, sitting just below the window.


Sarah also found a pair of vintage end tables for $175. For. The. Pair. Measuring 26" x 26", the size of the tables was appropriate for the scale of the new king size bed. In classic Sarah style, she had them sprayed and then topped each with a custom cut antique mirror.



A pair of diamond tufted chairs are reupholstered in a tone on tone paisley pattern, and accented with lavender faux silk pillows. A $25 table is given a second life as a bench at the foot of the bed with upholstered linen inserts.



A vintage chandelier with five lights is the perfect amount of illumination for a bedroom of this size. Sarah chose this fixture because the brass accents echo the metal of the bedside table lamps. The chandelier adds a touch of sparkle to the room without being over the top.


Tommy selected a large vintage dresser to provide drawer storage for the bedroom. At $700, it wasn't a bargain, but because the piece was in excellent condition, it didn't require any labour intensive refinishing.

Did you enjoy this episode of Sarah 101?
What did you think of this neutral master bedroom?

All photos courtesy of HGTV Canada.

Sarah 101: Episode Four

Tuesday night's episode of Sarah 101 on HGTV saw Sarah and Tommy take on the design of a bachelor's bedroom, assigned the task of adding warmth and personality to an industrial loft. The first step was to select a key fabric which would provide a jumping off point for the room's colour scheme. The fabric Sarah & Tommy selected was none other than Schumacher's Chiang Mai Dragon. (What are the odds that the star fabric of this bedroom would be the same print I wrote about in my previous blog post?!?!) Pulling colours from this inspiration fabric, they chose a secondary print, Schumacher's Conundrum. The dragon print would be used for an upholstered head and foot board, while the celtic/gear conundrum print would cover a wing chair.



Since these Schumacher fabrics were a splurge at $150/yard, it was necessary (and practical) to save on the drapery fabric. Sarah was able to find a suitable woven solid for just $5.99/yard, and considering that the windows would require almost 60 yards of fabric, it was a bargain to come in at less than $500.00 for all of the fabric and lining. To quote Sarah, "Keep stuff this big neutral."


With fabrics pinned down, it was time to choose paint colours. Again, using the Chiang Mai Dragon fabric as her guide, Sarah selected teal blue and mustard yellow for the walls. When changing from one paint colour to another in an open space, Sarah's advice is to make the colour change at any sharp corner. She also points out that it is easiest to change at an inside corner rather than an outside corner, since it can be difficult to achieve a razor sharp edge where the two colours meet.


The concrete floors add to the industrial vibe in this loft bedroom, but in order to give the room more livability and bring it down to a human scale, Sarah and Tommy decided to bring in a rug. They selected a vibrant semi-antique rug, explaining that older rugs tend to have better colour sense and more saturated colours than new production. With the bed on the main focal wall, Sarah positioned the rug perpendicular to the bed. This gives more space to walk on the carpet on either side of the bed.


Diverse and unique accessories with patina and age add a touch of soul to the space. An overscale ladder and mirrors framed with vintage tire moulds add to the industrial loft feel. To add nostalgia and personality, Tommy advises taking treasured heirlooms out of the box and displaying them where they can be appreciated every day.



Sarah's secret to creating a balance between the industrial and fine elements in this space is to use both styles in equal amounts. The same concept is applied to achieve balance between the masculine and feminine elements:

Industrial= Fine
Ladder = Wing Chair
Side Tables = Carpet
Console = Bed
Concrete Floor = Patterned Rug

Did you enjoy this episode of Sarah 101?

All photos courtesy of HGTV Canada.