diy boutique & teaching studio
in mailbox today: this cute “one-lump-or-two” lamp in the anthropologie catalog, and a “make me over” feature in the april country living with the how-to on (you guessed it!) creating your own from teapots & cups. good thing the flea market is this weekend.
these pieces, out of a lovely client’s storage, needed a strong, lively finish to hold their own with a knockout wallpaper chosen by talented memphis designer gwen driscoll. after removing the old varnish, they were given the full-on fancy flea-market treatment: heavily distressed layers of wax, paint, glaze, and gold leaf.
here they are before:
and after:
you can imagine how difficult it is for mrs. jones to keep her mitts off the little joneses’ school projects. we are strong believers in a meritocracy, though, and so as our children earn their own grades, i must sit on my hands (and occasionally bite my tongue). our latin scholar, will, (appearing as hermes, messenger of the gods) was excited to report a strong 2nd place finish in mrs. marilyn reinhardt’s hotly contested “olympian idol” competition this week. in keeping with the memphis university school honor code, i pledge (other than advising on the application of gold krylon) that this is all his work:
(photos of the toga coming soon.)
imagine the excitement in our neighborhood the other day when the wienermobile made a stop!
(mrs. jones clearly has an affinity for this particular silhouette, seeing as it is so close to her little ginger’s unique physique. and of course you understand that a dachshund owner must also appreciate a good sausage-themed pun.)
driven by hotdogger ben kopish, the “little link” – as this particular ‘mobile is called…it’s the only one in the fleet that’s a modified mini-cooper – is on a “coast-to-coast weenie roast.” ben will visit 37 states in 340 days on the road this year, spreading oscar mayer love and wienermobile souvenirs (including these glow-in-the-dark whistles.) it was so inspiring to meet someone who truly relishes (sorry, couldn’t help it) his job. seriously, his enthusiasm was infectious.
and yes, when the weather is nice, he opens the “bun roof” on top.
when asked by the staff at my beloved idlewild presbyterian to try to camolflauge the sound system’s new pair of speakers, it wouldn’t do to say “sorry, i don’t do heights.” my best effort was the least i could give (and besides, i knew they would all pray for a soft landing for me.)
here’s before:
the challenge: matching texture, paint and glaze that had been applied years ago, (made difficult by the kaleidoscope that the beautiful stained glass creates) and rendering it in two dimensions instead of three (since plaster would add too much weight to the speakers, and affect the acoustics):
and of course, timing. the scaffolding had to go up and come down within the week.
today at noon, just ahead of the crew from tennessee scaffold, i finally had an “after”:
okay, can i get an amen?
can it really be true? that domino is going the way of blueprint, house & garden, and cottage living?
in an apparent (and much appreciated) effort to cheer me up, the thoughtful editors at hb just delivered the ultimate color issue (are you neutral or are you bold? how much color is right for you? all of the above, please!) with the monthly “i’m looking for” feature heralding the return of the aged look, and tossing around a vocabulary that is music to my ears: limed, distressed, vintage, antique, crackled lacquer, reclaimed and (oh my yes!) shabby.
thank you, i am starting to feel a little bit better.
…the best title ever, and a fab spread in the february domino, has so many juicy details in it that i just can’t think straight. all manner of painted walls, floors, sisal rugs and trim, in brave, gorgeous colors, plus a gold dining room ceiling…it’s just too good! one thing especially caught my eye: these chinese figures painted on to a guest room wall. the possibilities for adapting this look are endless:
something about it seemed sort of familiar, and in going through the snip & clip file, aha! i found this photo from the english home of the chinese room at claydon house in buckingham, england:
john fowler (“the prince of decorators” according to the duchess of devonshire) did this room in the 1970’s in vivid peacock blue to show off the chinoiserie fantasy plasterwork. all these years later, it still looks so fresh and gorgeous.
well, not really. but it was fun to see in this month’s elle decor “little league” feature on stylish children’s spaces an idea that the always-genius selena mcadams came up with for a lovely young client’s room a while ago. here is one of a pair of chests from grandmother’s attic that we did over in benjamin moore’s berry wine (#2003.30) with a bulletproof (or at least diet coke-proof) high gloss topcoat — and of course, a little gilding on the hardware:
and here is the snip from elle decor, showing at the far left the “chippendale-style vintage highboy…boldly lacquered acid-green”, another similar piece shown in the most recent ny times T section (by cote france) and one more from creazioni at the conran shop:
anyway, you get the idea.
if benjamin moore’s #170 (traditional yellow) walls with glaze are the “little black dress” of wall finishes (see post below), then something painted in white (with a little umber glaze to mellow it) is your fave jeans and perfect white t-shirt. so when lovely clients request that a piece of furniture be lightened up and made to work in several different situations, it’s time to pop the top on a can of benjamin moore’s linen white.
here are a couple of “befores”:
(note to lovely client: not to worry, the blue can be undone, and i’m sure at the time it seemed like the right thing to do.)
some “after” details of the bed:
the bed is going in a young lady’s room, with some other things (below) mrs. jones has done for her: a mirror and corona-contraption that will hold a pretty, gauzy, curtain above her bed.
“afters” of the re-assembled bed, abby’s room, and de-blue-ified desk to follow soon, i promise.
the phone started ringing here very early this morning, which can only mean one thing….my brilliant and beautiful friend, the clever wordsmith sally walker davies, has mentioned mrs. jones again in her newspaper column, “great finds”, today. sally is my go-to pal for oh-so-many things…plus she’s the destination diva! read her travel blog and “great finds” (most fridays) in the commercial appeal.
i would also like to send a “grateful” out to the lovely writers of sawdust and the vintage cupboard, for their very kind words, and for including me & mrs. jones on their lists of favorite sites to visit. thank you both so much. and if you are reading this because have found me through their portals, please make yourself at home, and welcome.
oh no…i’m having another of those elle decor = tiger beat episodes…of all my beloved shelter magazines, why is it that this particular one sends me into squeals beside the mailbox? in december’s issue, they feature an idol in my personal design pantheon, john derian, who lists among the “12 things he can’t live without” a hole is to dig, the great children’s book…one of my all-time favorite books, too, and a treasured gift from long ago. (“mashed potatoes are to give everybody enough”, “dishes are to do”, “the sun is so it can be a great day”)…some exciting finishes also in this issue: on page 70, a gorgeous gold-leafed ceiling in an entry hall with handpainted wallpaper, and on page 120, knockout painted stripes on a bathroom wall.
mr. derian a darling book
is it the fresh wave of election-season patriotism i’m feeling? or a little homesickness after a super-fun visit to chicago last month? it’s just that suddenly, i’m seeing this combination of sky-blue and bright red everywhere. i like it a lot.
(coat & barn in a recent anthropologie catalog…a ceramic spoon from pearl river…fabric from peter dunham, shown in house beautiful….chicago’s city flag…christmas packages in country living)
here is the “after” of the table found at the flea market last month (please see a few posts below for the “before”):
i used my fab new rattan stencil from stencil library (#MD18) on the top, and layers of benjamin moore’s hc-172 (revere pewter) and pratt & lambert’s colonial williamsburg #819 (pelham gray light), along with some tinted glaze to dirty it up a little. some of the old white paint peeks through in spots where it’s been rubbed, making it even better.
and, since i am telling you all my secrets, i will add this caution: do not to drink too much wine while you are browsing the stencil library site. you might get carried away with excitement over all the terrific designs, toss several into the shopping cart, and hit the “place order” button before remembering that the prices are in pounds sterling, not dollars. (note: this has never happened to mrs. jones. never.)
mrs. jones’s super-clever friends karen klawinski and katherine kaelin just rescued these bookshelves from a store-closing sale. after a good scrubbing and sanding, they were given a layer of glaze to soften and age them, and camoflauge their little flaws. now, they will just melt into the background as a display for the yummy gifts and antique treasures at le cadeau.
here is before, after, and a detail:
le cadeau offers a fabulous, well-edited selection of antiques, gifts and treats for the home. if you’re shopping in memphis, please visit them within toad hall (central avenue at cooper street) or la maison (4768 poplar avenue). (mrs. jones is so very excited to once again be part of their annual gift, art & antique market on september 30 & october 1. feel free to e-mail me for the details.)
