Color Crush: Eggplant

Connecticut is currently a monochromatic nightmare. The trees are bare and gray. The snow is dirty and gray. The roads are caked with dried salt...and so are gray. It's disheartening. I'm craving rich saturated colors to counteract the late winter blues. Right now eggplant feels fresh and exhilarating. It looks best when partnered with another deep hue like saffron yellow, or chartreuse, or if you're a little less wild, it's always nice with a neutral like cream and tan.

Just a hint of eggplant in this bright and pleasant living room. Also, I love the sculpture on the coffee table.

See what I mean about eggplant and saffron yellow? You'd think it would be way too intense, but the combination of colors is quite pleasing in this room. 

If you've got a big piece of furniture like this, you don't need to hide it with a muted color. Why not make it stand out with a lovely new paint job!

I'm definitely going to need to get myself an eggplant colored scarf, maybe this weekend. 

It's easy to over look doors when you're decorating a home.
 This one looks outstanding in a handsome eggplant purple. 

I love love this rug. So fun and unexpected!

This would be the perfect outfit for working at an antiques ahow. The tailored lines and dramatic neckline would be ultra flattering. 

Two of my favorite things in one picture- a stunning chesterfield leather settee and velvet curtains, which just happen to be a great shade of eggplant. So beautiful! 

This chair is beyond wonderful. Can you imagine a pair with a little side table as a breakfast nook in a bedroom suite!

A pair of these lamps would be so pretty on nightstands in a bedroom. 

Sultry and intriguing, this space proves that eggplant can go either masculine or feminine. 

This tote looks soft as butter. The combination of deep purple with light tan and the striped interior is gorgeous.
DO WANT.

And finally, don't forget that appliances can be glamorous and not just utilitarian. Someday I want to upgrade our boring white fridge and oven. This beautiful stove with complimenting backsplash is especially striking! 

Mahogany Sideboard Transformation

     This c.1940 mahogany veneer sideboard is part of a dining set that I picked up a couple weeks ago. I knew as soon as I saw it in person I knew that this would not be one to sell, this was a keeper. I've been hoping to upgrade the antique dresser in the master bedroom that's been serving as impromptu tv console for far too long. This sideboard was exactly what I'd been searching for.
       I sanded, and sealed the top. That wonderful rich color is the natural tone of the mahogany, made all the more brilliant by the addition of the polyurethane. The piece is painted in a custom mixed shade of pale green. I used a new glazing technique to give it just a hint more depth, and then distressed the raised moulding to further play up the handsome form. I adore the drawer pulls, which are original. They delightfully oxidized and the patina compliments the paint color so nicely.

      So before I show you the piece- here's the spot where it's going:

The fact that the tv is wider than the dresser it's on at the moment is...embarrassing.

Before

And after!

Top Picks: Garth's Americana Auction

     If you're a regular reader, you already know how I adore Garth's Auction. It's my very favorite auction house. I don't know what magic they possess, but they always manage to pull together the most obscenely gorgeous stuff for their auctions. Their next Americana Auction is March 15th. If you want to check out the whole catalog, and you really should, here's the link. And of course, you can always just visit Garths.com and go from there.
    I'm out flat with the flu at the moment, so between bouts of intense coughing I've had plenty of time to enjoy the catalog thoroughly. Here are all my favorite lots. What are your top picks?

I may bid on this- so back off. Love the yellow and cream stripes, would be gorgeous in my guest room. 

A stunning dry sink, with zinc liner, in the most irresistible shade of apple green.
 Imagine it in an entryway or mud room!

Exactly whose brilliant idea was it to put the horse and the cow in the little row boat?

A turquoise painted tin mirror with all the ornate detail you could wish for. I'd put a piece of antique mirrored glass in it and hang it in a little nook in a bathroom or guest room. 

This dry sink has a simple form but the most charming and cheerful sunshine yellow color.
It would bring warmth to any room!

I mean really. This is so chic we should all be fighting over it.

One of my very favorites in the entire auction. I would put it in my walk-in closet to store my antique quilts and linens.

Another faaaabulous quilt with lots of pizazz and character.

This would be so cool in the corner of a home bar, adding height and interest to a seldom used space.

I love this sweet little water color painting. Little details like this on a mantel or leaning on a sideboard can make all the difference between ho-hum and hell yea!

One of you must be a caterer or baker. You need this. Every person should have at least one antique sign related to their field of work. 

They call this an antique sign, but the mount and balance make me think it's a home made weathervane. Either way it's a little folk art treasure.

I know, I'm going wild on these dry sinks. I think secretly I really want one. Kelly green on this one!

This antique dry sink has a pleasantly unique shape that makes it stand out.  So much useful storage and you could store stacked plates or platters in the top. 

Oooooo the spool turned feet, contrasting green paint, neat and tidy shape. Perfect at the foot of the bed, in a long hallway, or as a coffee table. 

Oh God. This antique store counter is the bees knees. I really really want an antique store counter or bar. 

Why not go outside the traditional jewelry scene and buy something special and one of a kind
like this antique Navajo set.

This long sign would be perfect in a kitchen. It's narrow enough to hang above cabinets too.

Love the yellow paint on this antique cupboard. The two doors as opposed to one also makes this a special example. 

This haberdashery trade sign is terrific. I've never seen one like this before. Also, I really like saying the word Haberdashery. haberdashery, haberdashery, haberdashery. 

This bucket bench is beyond sweet and would be divine in a mudroom or child's room.
Plenty of storage and plenty of charm.

I want this. So BAD. Doesn't it look like the finger in my blog banner!

Looking for the perfect small scale table for your eat-in kitchen? These antique work tables are simply ideal for that. I've got one in my kitchen and one in my pantry!

The shade of this pie safe is stunning, a misty color somewhere between powder blue and sea foam. How can you resist!

And this antique spool cupboard would be great either in the kitchen for spice storage or hanging as a medicine cabinet in the bathroom. 

Did you see my post a couple weeks ago on bell jars? They're at the very top of my 2014 must collect list.
Here's the post. 

This antique architectural eagle carving is out of this world. So stunning. 

And another adorable work table. This one looks a lot like the one I have in my kitchen.

Hang these ornate hooks up on the wall in your kitchen to hold all your spatulas, spoons, and scoops.

You all know I'm such a sucker for a nice weathervane.

And this bright green, perfectly chippy and rustic bench. LOVE.

My favorite thing in the sale- this amazing architectural eagle. I'd put it as the centerpiece to my dining room table. Cause what's the point of design if you don't take some fun risks!