Fabric for outdoor chairs

Yes, it's been a long time since I've posted (work is very busy at this time of the year), but I'm back to get some much needed insight from friends and family. Our outdoor lounge chairs need a new look and I was so excited when I found Gallant & Jones today. How fantastic are these fabrics?


Here are pics of our backyard. Which colors would you go with? I'm stuck between the blue, orange and brown.


Which color would you go with? I'm thinking of a mixture of two, but just can't commit!

Going girly

What is going on? I'm getting soft or something because this outdoor loveseat featured at oh joy caught my interest this morning. Again, I see my grandmother everywhere in this fun piece.


Actually, it's a bit of a coincidence. You see, there is a quaint, rustic, and yet much loved hotel that will soon be shutting it's doors in Cayman. We were there recently for a party and their iron outdoor seating really caught my eye.



In a possible stroke of luck, they recently announced that they are selling all of their furniture. While a bit "frilly", I was thinking that they could be made a bit more modern with a good coat of paint. In particular, I l-o-v-e the alternating round and square tables. And because they are quite heavy, they would work really well on our dock, where we get a lot of breeze.

I'll certainly be keeping my fingers crossed that these might be included in their sale. Wish me luck!

Shine Shanghai console table

Oh how I truly admire this beautiful console table by Shine.


It's even more stunning in citron, but the white could go in any house with any decor. If my grandmother was still with us, I can imagine her getting giddy right next to me over this piece.


I can completely imagine it at the entrance to our master bedroom right here...so fun!

Why do they call them "poufs"?

Seriously, there must be a better name. These pieces are useful when company comes over and can fulfill a design desire, but the poor guys got the name "poufs". If I were so fortunate to own this gorgeous Ankasa piece, I wouldn't dare utter "Honey, could you move that pouf over here for the party?"

The name alone could possibly eliminate it from any real consideration from the dear husband (the price would certainly follow shortly thereafter). We'll stick with "ottoman" around here and maybe it could stand a chance. :)

Nevertheless, I just wanted to take a moment to admire this pretty....

A little something to cheer up your day

Just a few little treats that made me smile this morning.

Nest print by Bold & Noble

Egg candleholder by Michel Mason

Pelicano rocking chair by Michel Arnoult

Wood clock by etsy seller Woodstockclocks

Thrifty finds

A few weeks ago, I blogged about our search for the right side table here. The right options just weren't popping for me, and those that we did like were getting far to expensive. In a recent run of good luck, I trundled into our local home improvement store for a new broom and came out with this little lovely.


It's a cute option and adds a bit of glam with it's subtle green glass. The best part? It was $19. No joke. $19. Love it even that much more now!

Storage and seating in one

These bentwood storage cubes featured on Grassrootsmodern are a gorgeous take on traditional trunks.

Designed by Harri Koskinen and featured at A Place for Everything.

Wouldn't they be great in a kid's play room?

Pure torture

I am headed to Stockholm next week for work...and was unable to arrange my flights to allow for an extra day to play (shop). How did I allow this to happen? And I'm traveling with a staff member so it's not like I can play hooky one afternoon. I should set a good example and all that "grown up" nonsense.

In searching for information on the city, I came across a beautiful blog, Emma's DesignBlogg. Images of me scrambling to explain why I absolutely must enter the shop that has this rug in the window has me worried. Very, very worried.


Wish me luck. Lots of it.

Help us find a new side table

It may seem like a small inconsequential item, but I am pretty committed to get the right side table to go between our two main recliners in the house. We're in these chairs often and I would like to make sure that the space is comfortable. At the moment, we're using an outdoor teak table that needs to find it's home back outside. :) Ah the joys of temporary....

Yes, we need more color in the space...we'll get there

Because we've got a lot of wood in the house, we're looking for a different material. And we don't want the tables to be more than 18 inches wide. The options that we have come up with so far follow:

Mirrored nesting tables

Funky nail-head metal table by Jed Johnson home (Mr. Big's fav but we have no idea on price)

Slender modern option via Etsy seller MetalArtistAustin

Seen anything recently that might fit the bill? Or have a strong thought on the above options?

Rug fetish

So the post below turned my fascination with beautiful rugs back on. I've been saving the following image ever since it was posted to Style*Files. Unbelievable...look at that beautiful rug.


While clearly not in the same league, the laser cut felt rug from Brocade Home still catches my fancy, even though I suspect it would be the ultimate frustration to vacuum. For $199, I'm sure that it's far less expensive than the other options that I've been drooling over.

I've even though of hanging the runner on one of our longer hallway walls, but worry that the weight of it might make it sag. Hmmm....

Window covering solution?

This really should be part of our "Building for Dummies" series as we were appropriately forewarned to consider our window coverings during our design stage (and obviously did not heed the advice). I wanted big open windows without any coverings. The final product is absolutely beautiful and exactly what I had imagined.


As you can imagine, there have been a few practical challenges with my decision:

1. How do you change (or shower, or do anything else remotely private) in the evening without window treatments?
2. Most window treatments end up covering the window frame. Our window frames were specifically chosen to match the decor of the house (and we love them). We're not entirely sold on covering them up.
   
3. For the treatments that I did like, being the sleek in-the-window-frame option, they don't work with our windows that tilt-and-turn in (as opposed to casement windows that open out). Duh!
   

I was really pleased when I ran across Apartment Therapy's feature of Trey Russell's apartment in Laguna Beach. His window treatments would work very well for us, although I might just try a slightly more tailored version.

Photos via Allen J Sheiben of the Los Angeles Times

I like that they are flush with the ceiling, still show the window frame, and are fairly simple. In fact, one of the upholsterers here on the island may be able to assist us with something along these lines.

Mr. Big is all for this option. Actually, after having to squat everytime he gets dressed for the last 11 months, he would probably be for any option. Ah, another delimna down...

The perfect make-over

My grandfather has a houseful of absolutely stunning furniture that I would love to eventually refurbish (he is all for it as well). Last year, Mr. Big and I went up to get some creative ideas, but I was falling flat on coming up with the right solutions.

Design*Sponge featured a before/after makeover on an Eames chair that exactly captures what I have been looking to do. There are loads of spots in the house for sitting chairs, small desks, etc. Didn't Non-Fiction Design Collective do a fantastic job on this chair?


The neutral fabric with a bit of texture is playful, but a tad elegant at the same time. Mom, we're going to have to put our thinking caps back on again...

I'm stalking a chair...seriously

At first, I thought that I had a sixth grade crush on the Panton S chair. But two years later, I still get a spark of energy and flush with excitement when I see them. They can be used in so many different spaces, decor types and combinations. So perhaps this has graduated to something more serious...infatuation?



They come in loads of colors but it is the white (surprise, surprise) consistently captures my heart. They also come in glossy and matte finishes. Recently I had the chance to try out a glossy white chair and it was surprisingly comfortable. And it seemed sturdier than the matte finish (which of course means more $$).

I would love these as dining room chairs, but Mr. Big probably wouldn't be so keen. He has conceded that I could have two for elsewhere in the house. It's a start.


Once the budget gets sorted, two of those glossy babes will be making a journey across the Caribbean sea. Until then, the infatuation the continues.

Sofa satisfaction

Finding a sofa that works for a 6'5" husband and a slightly modern decor theme has not been simple. We've nonchalantly been considering options for about two years now...unsuccessfully unfortunately. There were some contenders but none fit the bill completely. After a stop at the Miami Design District yesterday, I was starting to lose hope that a solution was actually available for us.

Of course, stories like this usually end in "until we popped by the most unlikely store". And so here we go. We stumbled into Holly Hunt 15 minutes before closing and both gasped when we saw the Augustin sofa. It's completely out of our price range, but proof that it can be found (and hopefully recreated).

It doesn't appear terribly impressive in the above photo, but it actually took my breath away. The construction on it is beautiful. Very clean lines, great support, and enough depth for a giant. British designer Kelly Hoppen used it in her own London flat in cream. Sigh.


So there we have it. A sofa that works for most everything. Whew. And P.S. If anyone knows how to get this type of furniture at a major discount, feel free to share the secrets! :)

Reaffirming choices

Every once in a while, I wonder whether we should be introducing more color into the decor palette in the house. But then I run across an images like the following and it completely reaffirms my original thoughts.


These images were featured this week on Design*Sponge and are from the home of wedding planner Lisa Vorce. I really like the large manzanita braches, which are probably 15 feet tall, and the large, neutral rug and couches. And finally, I've found an inspiration images that have window coverings that appeal to me.

Apparently much of the funiture comes from Environment Funiture. A quick peek at their website has me wishing that I could be in Southern California to check out the Stay sofa and Parati side table.



Fortunately for me, my two brothers live near their store so a drive-by might be requested. Overall, this designer created a gorgeous space. L-O-V-E it!

In the meantime, any suggestions on where/how to find (and ship to the Caribbean) large Manzanita braches? These might just be a good solution to my green-thumb challenges. :)

Concrete tables

Just a quick drop off of these great concrete tables from Sandback. They come in 40 different colors and are actually lighter than they look through the use of a veneer. Interesting...

Thicktop side tableFilbert

Echos abound

Our house has a definite echo problem. While we don't want to rush into any expensive purchases this early in the life of the house, we need to do something. Rugs and drapes are the obvious solutions, but perhaps there are others out there that we haven't considered? Any creative tips are greatly appreciated.

In the meantime, my "rug reviews" have started again in earnest. These felt rugs by Melina Raissnia for Peace Industry look simple and comfortable at the same time.


The rugs can be custom ordered to your size need. Their store in San Fran may warrant a visit from a family member on our behalf. It looks like it would be a fun visit.

In the meantime, wacky ideas to counteract the echo problem include a thicker rug pad (under a relatively thin cotton rug) and extra foam or batting behind paintings. Perhaps I'm crazy thinking of the later solution but we're pretty desperate. Any other solutions that we might be missing out on?

For the files

We've started to find certain spots in the house where it would be useful to have a low table or bench. It will be a while before we commit to anything, but this simple small bench from etsy seller pianonobile catches my eye.