BE HAPPY FOR THIS MOMENT.
THIS MOMENT IS YOUR LIFE.
I DARE YOU NOT TO DANCE
AND THEN NOT TO CRY!
THE PURPOSE OF OUR LIVES IS TO BE HAPPY.
DALAI LAMA
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The Beautiful Designs of Zoe Feldman and More
18 hours ago
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Our New Chairs... Revealed!
Remember a few months ago when I posted this sneak peek at the trunk full of treasures I scored?
By far the best score of the day was a set of 5 lacquered Pagoda style armchairs in a most unusual color.
Finding new dining room chairs was the final phase in upgrading our circa 1960's Thomasville Dining Room Set.
Here is a photo of our dining room with the old chairs.
Several years ago we found this 48" round McGuire glass top table on craigslist.
A few years later we scored this buffet at an estate sale.
And then a few months ago we completed the transformation when we found this set of 5 chairs at our local salvage yard. I never did find the 6th. Someone must have beat me to the punch and nabbed it as they were priced individually at an astonishing price of only $38 each!!!
I've always said, patience pays off!
I cleaned them up and placed them around the dining room table.
I initially considered painting them black but after infusing a big dose of blue in the room with the tablecloth, I began to embrace their unusual color.
In fact I've noticed that along with blue, this light peachy salmon color is often found in Imari porcelain.
I also noticed it in the pair of ginger jars on my mantle.
And then again in the framed set of hand-painted shells hanging in the dining room.
I also noticed it in the pair of ginger jars on my mantle.
And then again in the framed set of hand-painted shells hanging in the dining room.
It really helped me to study the color story inherent in Imari porcelain.
(This is one of my faves with the stapled repair)
(This is one of my faves with the stapled repair)
I have always been seduced by the exotic element Asian and Chinoiserie pieces inject into a space.
Over the years I have found many pieces most notably our unique Chinoiserie fireplace with its matching over mantle and screen.
Our new chairs are now the piece de resistance of the dining room!
With the addition of the chairs I've been inspired to bring more blue into both the dining and living rooms which flow together.
Last weekend, we hung this abstact painting in the living room, above the sofa. It was given to us by my mother and has been hanging in my husbands office.
I don't think I fully appreciated it at the time...
but now, I LOVE IT!
Look at all those beautiful blues!
What I love most about it is how it seems to become part of the dining room when you are seated.
I found this unusual mirror the same day we scored the chairs.
I like it here as it brings height and light to this corner and reflects the coral display on the buffet.
I originally wanted to paint both the chairs and this mirror black but after deciding to embrace the color of the chairs, I'm now considering painting the mirror Hague Blue by Farrow & Ball.
The example you see on the bottom right is the closest thing I could find to represent Hague Blue.
After studying the multicolored Japanese porcelain it began to make sense and encouraged me to push beyond the safe and easy choice of black!
Both rooms are still a work in progress.
My goal is to lighten up and let the stand out pieces shine.
I removed the Missoni silk throw pillows from both the sofas and chairs to let the room breathe and am finding I really like it.
Less is becoming more for me these days...
How about you?
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Thinking Outside the Bag
Ok, so what do you do when you spy an interesting leather bag,
which is totally awesome,
complete with the requisite patina,
that takes years to acquire,
but unfortunately is missing part of the strap?
Well my friends, you just need to think outside the bag!
No sooner than I paid the $8 price tag that it dawned on me that it would make a fabulous waste basket in my son's room.
Of course it goes without saying that it could hold or store any number of things but I really love the idea of re-purposing it into a unique waste basket the best!
It's the right size and shape,
and can hold a good amount.
And the best part is the broken strap can still attach to the opposite side where it becomes a handle when it is time to empty the trash!
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