A Pair of Cherry Side Tables

My husband spotted these side tables for me. He knew they were just my kind of thing. I love all the detail on the legs, and the patina'd brass feet. The drawer pulls are original and super cute. I'd say the tables are around 60 years old. They're cherry, very well made, and just needed a more modern look. I sanded the tops, stained them with an english chestnut/gunstuck mix, then sealed them. The bases are painted with a crisp white. They're so elegant now. They could work as night stands, on either side of a couch, or you can push them together to make a gorgeous coffee table. Before and After pictures below!

Greenhouse Desire

For me, the ultimate peaceful retreat is a greenhouse. I'm a mediocre gardener at best, but there's something I've always loved about greenhouses. They smell earthy and rich. They're usually humid (I love humid), and no matter what the weather is outside, they're full of life, of green. So wonderful. I've decided that when I get my forever home, it must have a greenhouse, or one must be constructed. The ones that are attached to the house are ideal so you can go in there in the morning with your cup of coffee and interior design magazine, and enjoy all the beautiful plants. It should have a fountain too. All the best greenhouses have fountains. It's cold and dark outside, so let's look at some warm and bright greenhouses!

I love the verdigris on the old copper roof of this greenhouse. The ivy growing up the side makes it even more inviting. This would look soooo cute out behind my cottage!

Over flowing with exotic plants and terra-cotta, this greenhouse is everything it should be.

Just like heaven. I love the old stone floors, the chair, the table (look at that table!!!) the big windows, the FULL SIZE PALM?! And it's misty inside there. How incredibly perfect.

The herringbone brick pattern is lovely in this little greenhouse. I adore the blue green cloches too.

A greenhouse of a generous size like this one can accommodate a full dining table with room to spare. How wonderful would it be to throw a dinner party in here.

I love the architectural detail of this one. I bet it's gorgeous on the inside.

Another fabulous antique table holding many beautiful plants here.

There's a wild, secret garden-esque feel to this greenhouse that makes it intriguing and alluring.

And then you can fill your greenhouse with beautiful things like these antique copper saucers.

An Upholstered Armchair

I see so many fabulous single antique armchairs in my travels from flea market to flea market and tagsale to tagsale. Upholstering, I think, is a very daunting task, that very few of us want to undertake. That's why I have the greatest respecting for you crafty people who can upholster. A little paint, and some new fresh fabric, and the transformations of these chairs are beyond extraordinary! I would love to get one to put in the upstairs guest room someday. Here are some beautiful examples. Happy Wednesday!

Beyond decadent, this armchair has all the bells and whistles and looks like it came fresh out of Versailles. 

I love the casual air to this armchair, reminds me of a bouquet of dried flowers. It looks like the perfect place to sit and sip white wine...but then again I think just about anywhere is the perfect place to sit and sip white wine.

First, this looks immensely comfortable with that big fat cushion. Second, it's the kind of chair that could go anywhere, fit with any decor, a universally appealing chair.

Now you couldn't put this in a room where there's already a lot going on, but if you had relatively simple decor in a space, and then tucked this into a corner, genius. I could picture this in some super chic London flat.

quirky and cute, this armchair has great lines and amusing upholstery. Yes it could go in a kids room, but it would also be hilarious in an office.
 I hate math and numbers, so it could never come into my house though.

I adore gray and orange together. When we first bought our house I tried doing our porch in gray and orange. The gray wall color (Irish Mist) remains, but the orange only lasted a few months as it clashed with the rest of the house. This chair is super cute though.

Unapologetically yellow. That's the way to do it. Go big or go home. The pillow and chair are so perfect together too. 

And, of course, you could do an entire fleet of upholstered armchairs at a dining table. This entire space is so lovely,  and it makes me think it might be time to do a post on vintage inspired wall paper, which I believe will be very big in 2013...if the world doesn't end next week, that is.

Why Not a Mantle?

I see antique mantles from time to time on craigslist or at the flea market. My first thought is "Who are these miscreants who are removing their original antique mantles from their homes?!?!". But for my sanity's sake, let's all pretend the mantles are being rescued from homes being razed because they are no longer structurally sound. Let's pretend that.
Anywho, mantles. I would love to put one up in my house, but I truly do not have a logical spot. We have a real mantle around our fireplace in the family room, so that will have to suffice. But if you want to add some architectural snazz and charm to your house/apartment/condo why not put up an antique mantle? They're fairly cheap to buy, very easy to install, and look great!

A fun twist on the faux fireplace - make one with brick! This looks so original and permanent. I love it!

Add infinite antique charm to your bathroom with a mantle. The bathroom looks sooooo luxurious!

I would just like to point out that I would battle rabid dragons for that mirror. Just sayin. 

A peaceful little reading nook gets some oomph with an antique chippy paint mantle

The homeowners built this mantle in their dining room from scratch. I love the juxtaposition of old style, new materials. It feels very fresh.

Cheeky and cute, a little chalk paint and you have an instant roaring blaze!

The mantle here blends so well with the beachy tones and decor.

A stunning formal antique mantle gets a new home in the front hall of an antique farmhouse here.

A new twist on the stack of logs in the fireplace,  this mantle has been filled with cross cut logs. Very pretty.

Christmas Tree 2012

I wanted something bright and cheerful this year. Last year our tree had a very specific color scheme (blue and green of course) and I covered it with paper snowflakes hand cut from antique sheet music. This year I decided to show off my collection of antique glass christmas balls. I love the antique glass balls because their colors fade to such pretty tones. Everyone is slightly different and you get a much broader spectrum of color than with new Christmas balls. I snag them every time I see them at a tagsale or flea market, usually for a couple bucks per dozen. We choose a slightly smaller tree this year, with a more traditional shape. Colored lights, colored balls, and that's it. It's pretty cute in person. Pictures below, and Happy Holidays!