Restoration Hardware Bath Inspiration

We recently had what I call a GOOD MAIL DAY,

when this stack o’  10 Restoration Hardware catalogs

landed on our front porch:

Yes, that’s right.  TEN!

I shan’t list all of them, but my one of my faves was BATH:

Last March, when my blog was new, I posted this love letter to RH bath ‘stuff’:

https://redbirdv.wordpress.com/2013/03/14/my-restoration-hardware-bathroom-dreams/

* * *

Alas, I can’t afford to spring for anything major

(maybe one of their awesome industrial-style light fixtures?) . . .

. . . but Restoration Hardware provides plenty of inspiration

for tricking out our budget bathrooms!

Speaking of inspiration, look at the hardware on this vanity:

How cool is it!?  Very!

Combining the metal label slots with extra-long pulls is genius!

It’s called the Early 20th C. Mercantile vanity . . .

. . . no wonder I love it!

I may try to replicate this look on the drawers of our kitchen cabinets!

Stay tuned!

Farmhouse Wares Shopping Happiness

SO.  This a.m. began as it does every day.

I waste spend a whole lotta ‘quality’ time on the bozoputer!

Your Pinterest — Your Facebook — Your e-mails —  Your What Nots

* * * *

Any-hoo, today I spied the following cool item, from here:

http://www.farmhousewares.com/

Antique style metal pie rack $59.95

Despite the fact that I made a vow

to EDIT my countertops, over at the Dutch colonial,

I kind of want it!

Ditto for this:

Vintage-style enamel bread box $42.95

Oh, darn.  ‘Tis sadly out of stock.

* * * *

Speaking of stock, I used to stock these pedestals

in my late, great brick-and-mortar:

Galvanized tin pedestal $32.95

But enough, with the retail memory lane.

Here are a few additional cool items from Farmhouse Wares:

Apothecary soap dish $16.95

Seriously.  I don’t know what my deal is, but I’m crazy for soap dishes!

I already have more than plenty of said-same.

If I’m not careful, G.O. is going to stage a soap dish intervention!

Or I shall blog about my collection, whichever comes first!

* * * *

Fresh pie sign $64.95

Cool sign — but that price is a tad steep, don’tcha think?

Disclaimer: I don’t really want it,

but I do wish to forward the photo to my sign-making friend,

because inspiring each other is what friends do!

Isn’t it?

Has today’s blog post inspired you to order something online? I wonder?

You’re welcome!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do I Need A Red EXIT Arrow?

Today I finally renewed a bunch of magazine subscriptions

+ ordered a pair of these Frenchie striped shades from Pottery Barn:

I then spied this repro signage on Facebook

+ immediately thought: I NEED THAT!

http://www.dotandbo.com

I have the perfect spot for it in our Dutch colonial’s kitchen —

just to the right of our back door!

* * * *

BUT WAIT!  I have a few questions before I order.

1. Is less really more?

2.  Am I merely on a spending high?

3. Will this item’s faux “aged-ness” end up mocking me?

* * * *

Oh, dear.  So many worries.

Let’s back up a tad + discuss the reasons why I need it.

REASON #1:

I ALREADY COLLECT RED + WHITE SIGNAGE.

Most of the signs that I have are genuinely old,

as I tend to dislike anything that’s obviously faux.

My friend, Tal, gave me this for my birthday one year.

I’m elderly+ suffer from CRS so I can’t recall where I got this.

Last but not least — just outside our powder room

hangs this fab, 2-sided LADIES sign:

I bought this at a favorite local shop:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ruby-Begonias

* * * * *

SO . . . you are starting to see why I need the sign, no?

Here ’tis again:

This brings us to REASON #2 why I need it:

I AM AN ARROW ENTHUSIAST.

Look at these!

Sorry for the yellow.

This is a vintage weathervane arrow;

it used to spin atop one of our fence posts before coming inside.

I recently traced said-same + made my own stencil,

as I decided it was time I jumped aboard the arrow-in-home-décor bandwagon.

S O L D

http://www.etsy.com/shop/redbirdvintagehome

* * * *

But I digress, as is my way.

Here’s yet another weathervane arrow:

It’s my favorite because of the old red paint.  Love old red paint.

* * * *

Now, then — when I bought this next arrow, I broke my “no faux” rule.

I saw the artisan who made it at the Market Square wholesale show

in Valley Forge, PA + bought it from her.

Sorry for the yellow.

Wish I could remember her or her biz name,

but I do recall that her arrows were sold

in the fabulous Sundance catalog at one time!

Winning!

* * * *

And finally, REASON #3 why I need the exit arrow:

I ALREADY HAVE ONE EXIT SIGN.

Speaking of winning . . .

 G.O. has already hard-wired a box

on the ceiling of our Dutch colonial kitchen, by the back door,

+ we’ll be taking my EXIT signage when we move!

* * * *

So what do you think?  Should I order the EXIT arrow?

Stay tuned!

Splurge v.s. Budget Light Fixtures

A new Rejuvenation lighting catalog landed in my mailbox yesterday,

which means I have a brand, new light fixture crush.

Take a look  — it’s called the Grandview:

http://www.rejuvenation.com/
$445.

Do you love its exposed pipe industrial-ness half as much as I do?

It reminds me of my shower faucet crush of just yesterday:

http://www.signaturehardware.com/
$370.95

Swoon!  Yes, it’s a splurge,

but it’s a splurge I’m willing to make!

$ $ $ $ $

* * * *

But back to my light fixture.

Here’s my new crush with 3 shades:

$595. – $640.

This would be perfect

to hang above our kitchen island,

if only it wasn’t so spendy!

I don’t think that I can swing this splurge

unless I can start sewing pillows ’round-the-clock,

like these I just finished yesterday . . .

New dresser — fun photo op.
Sorry for the bad light.

. . . which are en route to here:

http://www.madejacksonhole.com/

* * * *

Since I can’t sew pillows night + day,

I shall opt for my first, more affordable choice for kitchen island lighting —

this schoolhouse pendant from Home Depot:

A mere $89.97 each

Nobody loves the classic schoolhouse light more than I do.

These are in stock at Home Depot,

so be sure + have a look-see the next time you’re there!

They have a very swell selection of budget-priced pendants,

+ I’ll bet you can find one that fits your décor!

Meanwhile, how about you?

What’s the craziest splurge you made?

$ $ $ $ $

Was it worth it?

French Striped Happiness From PB

Okay, I’ll admit it — I love Pottery Barn maybe a tad too much.

My friend, Alan, teases me about it all the time.

Whatever.  It can’t be helped.

Not when Pottery Barn keeps churning out

Frenchie-striped happiness like this!

More on those ^^ in just a bit.

* * * *

First, let’s look at some Frenchie-stripe PB groovies I already own:

Frenchie stripe Santa pillow
Frenchie stripe lampshade

This snapshot was taken on our enclosed front porch.

We just got that Eames recliner repro this past year,

+ G.O. made the lamp from an old surveyor’s tripod.

* * * *

But I digress.  Back to today’s morale boost order:

Pottery Barn

This sweet marble vanity top

will sit atop a plain Jane IKEA vanity in our new powder room:

I blogged about said-same here:

https://redbirdv.wordpress.com/2013/11/22/whats-photo-worthy-whats-not/

* * * *

AND YES . . .

. . . I am also ordering 2 of these ticking stripe PB masterpieces:

I have an old pair of Crate + Barrel candlestick lamps

that have kind of fallen off my favorites list.

The good news:

I just know these awesome shades

will make me super LOVE them again!

Stay tuned.

* * * *

Once they’re sporting their new shades,

my plans for my old Crate + Barrel lamps

 are to place them on one of these:

scraphacker.com

. . . which will go behind our sofa,

which will go in this large bay in our new living room:

I am officially on a spending high!

Celebrity Crushes + Sundance Catalog

I like celebrities.

Not so much the Miley Cyrusi of the world,

but actors + musicians who I admire as true Artists.

Especially this guy — Donald Fagen:

People.
Buy this CD.

You might know him as the lead guy for Steely Dan.

I like to call him “my musical genius”.

Look!  He’s got a book coming out on October 22nd!

I’m so excited!  Don’t worry — I’ll be reviewing it!

(Okay — whose eyes just glazed over?  Show of hands!)

But enough about Donald Fagen; I rather like these two, as well:

http://www.amazon.com

In fact, Mr. Baldwin + I were quite the “item” at one time.

OMG! 1-800-PHOTOSHOP!

Here we are together in Santa Monica, California,

just before he left me for a much younger gal:

Perez Hilton

HA!  I, personally, see nothing wrong

with amusing oneself with the celebrity!

SO, imagine my excitement when I opened Elle Décor magazine

+ saw that Cheryl Crowe has the same Pottery Barn rug that I do!

Here’s Cheryl’s.

Here’s mine:

Why didn’t I think to put on a pair of sparkly pants

+ pose for a photo op on one of my dining chairs, like Cheryl?

HA — GOOD X’s.

Anyway, all bad jokes aside, look behind Cheryl’s couch.

I have loved those cabinets forever.

They’re in the Robert Redford’s Sundance catalog.

http://www.sundancecatalog.com

YUM!  No?

I longed for them for years until one day, my friend, Alan,

suggested that I use my old retail store’s postal sorter in my house —

that it was kind of the same thing!

And so I did!

Why didn’t I think of that?

I’ve had that cupboard since the late 80’s,

+ it’s been in every retail space I’ve had since then,

+ it’s been in storage when I didn’t have a shop.

Isn’t it tragic that I never once thought of using it inside my house?

Here’s Alan now! — with me + Chloe the Dachshund
in front of Alan’s late great Chicago store, Patina

Don’t you think it’s a great idea

to have a friend come past the house on occasion

+ make a few design suggestions?

He or she has a fresh eye to see things you hadn’t!

* * *

But back to Robert Redford’s Sundance catalog:

Definitely, he’s another celebrity
who I admire a lot!

I get a Sundance catalog in my mailbox every other week, it seems —

even more now that Christmas is on the horizon.

It’s pretty yummy.

I had a look-see online this a.m.,

+ I just picked the first thing I saw that I wanted:

Bethany Iron Bed
$995-$1495
$350 shipping

Whoopsie.

Bethany seems to be just a tad over budget,

but it has inspired me to think about painting our IKEA iron bed red!

What do you think?

Stay tuned!

H O U Z Z

Here’s hoping that you know about HOUZZ

+ go there often to be inspired, as do I.

There are bazillions of photos on just about any topic.

How do you think I found my inspirations

for the exterior of our Dutch colonial?

Search for ‘Dutch colonials’ on Houzz + voila!

Houzz not only provides awesome eye candy — it’s also interactive!

Check it out: http://www.houzz.com/discussions

DISCUSSIONS!

People write in with their house-related dilemas,

+ we can respond with suggestions + photo ops!

I KNOW!!??  It’s like our dreams came true!

SO

just yesterday I finally joined the party + responded to this mother’s request:

My son’s room

I want to decorate my son’s room.

He is 12 years old and wants to decorate to urban/city style.

Please help me.

* * * * * *

PEOPLE.

My thoughts immediately raced to Restoration Hardware’s website,

which has the most inspirational room galleries, EVER!

IN-cluding these yummy bedrooms for BOYS!

^^Come ON — how awesome is that rolling bed!?!

^^Totally digging the graphic letters + numbers + industrial-style lighting!

^^Those metal beds + the huge insect art  — genius!

I was SO excited to participate + share my love of the Restoration Hardware “with the class”!

I did add a disclaimer that their merch is way too expensive,

but that it’s an excellent inspiration to take to the flea market,

where one can find “the real stuff”  for less $!

^^I mean, even WE have 2 sets of old, metal lockers

that were purchased for $20-ish each, at the flea market.

* * * * *

But I digress.

Don’t you agree that RH’s cool industrial furniture, lighting + accesories

would be a great fit in an urban/city-inspired boys’ bedroom?

Without having to be 100% literal or — God forbid — a THEME.

WELL.

Apparently, not everybody was on board.

In fact, one gal was so against my RH suggestion that she disdainfully rejected said-same!

* * * * * * *

Wow, really folks?

Urban/city style is not a wall mural of a city (not to say they aren’t super cool!),

nor is it restoration hardware or old signs.

* * * * * * *

HA!  What!?!

ME-OW!

Gosh, I kind of dislike it when people are snarky + rude + dismissive

+  kill my fun, little online buzz.

 I’ll admit, I was a little tempted to reply in my best 8th grade girl fashion

+ call her a name.

Oh, SNAP!

Thankfully, saner heads prevailed, + I opted to act like a grown up

by making fun of her on my blog!  😉

Have a swell rest of the day, + see you on HOUZZ!

Martha’s At JCP!

Who among us still reads the Sunday paper?

Just wondering, because our Parade magazine this week had a

cover story on Martha Stewart.

She’s written a new book about aging for baby boomers, which is nice + all . . .

. . . but what really piqued my interest was that she’s got stuff at JCP!

JC-what?  You ask?

Penneys is now JCP!

They have totally revamped themselves, + so far, I’m digging the changes.

Everything’s preppy , trendy + positively J. Crew-esque!

 — at great prices!

But Martha + JCP?

I haven’t been this excited since Martha was at K-Mart . . .

. . . or when the old Penneys + Ralph Lauren teamed up

with that awesome American Living collection!

I took a little trip through JCP online this morning,

just to see what’s what.

Martha’s got custom natural shades (yes, please!)

+ voile* floor-length sheers

(*meaning no pesky polyester sheen!)

Just the treatment I had in mind for the

living room windows

 of our Dutch colonial!

This room is my inspiration:

Look how the golden wood tones
‘pop’ against those dark gray walls!

 Look at the golden wood tones of Martha’s ‘cinnamon’ shade!

They, too, would pop against dark gray walls!

Cinnamon is but one of dozens of choices

for Martha’s natural shades.

They’re also available edged with

either a 2″ or 1″ wide banding ,

in your choice of colors:

The banding makes the shades
look more expensive!

For my sheers, I have choices, too!

Plain Jane solids . . .

. . . or something
with a pattern!

 

Rod pocket top . . .

. . . or grommets . . .

. . . or pinch pleats!

Well, THAT was fun!  Methinks I’ll gas up the car + head to a JCP store,

to see all of this good stuff in person!

New Laundry Stuff At Crate + Barrel

Do you know what’s fun?

1. Shopping.

2. Having your friend shop + report back with news of something you’d love.

$134.95
Free shipping!

Who knew, Crate + Barrel?!?

My friend, Alan, knew . . .

Kay, Chloe + Alan,
in front of his late, great Chicago antiques store,
Patina.

. . . + he e-mailed me with the heads up!

OMG!  I’m all over these

  commerical-grade sorting bins,

featuring the Steele factory stenciled logo dating from 1921.

I was ready to splurge

 + order myself the small square one . . .

$99.95
Free shipping!

. . . but then I realized that my “laundry room” doesn’t look like THIS laundry room (from Pinterest):

Nice upper cabs, vintage sink,
wicker hamper, striped rug, etc.

Or any of these, sadly (more Pinterest):

The cupboards —
some with glass doors + others without,
that sawbuck table + topiary!

Vintage-style sink,
baskets
+ that sconce!

Sarah Richardson!
Loving the glass canisters
+ the metal tray with cleaning supplies!

And now, my favorite:

That sink, the ceiling beam,
the gray wainscoting,
the watering cans + plants!

Our laundry room, in fact, is a former small kitchen pantry,

into which an apartment-sized stackable washer + dryer set has been shoe-horned.

All is not lost — I can still add some Crate + Barrel grooviness to our laundry pantry:

I’d like to buy this
+ kick my plastic laundry basket
to the curb! $34.95

Vintage packaging rules my world!

Crate + Barrel’s new Laundress line of products — awesome!

Low shelves $149

Laundry bag $24.95

Bin $19.95

This is adorable @ $29.95, but you can find cuter vintage ones.

And finally, while not technically a laundry accesory, I am crazy for this cool, red metal dust pan!

Vintage style + red metal = happy me,
cleaning!

Kitchen Reno Has Begun

Game 1 day of the ’11 World Series. We won.

We bought our current fixer-upper — a 20’s-era brick bungalow — in the autumn of ’06.

Fun factoid: our Cardinals emerged victorious in the World Series that year.  See also: ^^ flag.

But I digress.

This is hard to believe, because I’m all about the snapshot, but we took ZERO ‘before’ photos of this house.

How’s that possible?!?

That’s sad, because the ‘befores’ + ‘afters’ would have been pretty dramatic.

SO, we vowed to do things differently in or current re-do, but whoops!  — turns out we didn’t take any ‘befores’ of our gross kitchen! . . .

. . . just a few ‘in progress’ pictures:

There’s our neighbor, Bob, lending a hand. Hi, Bob.

Looks like those ^^  are the very last cabinets to go.

Sure wish I could show you the naughty penninsula with cabinets above it, but you’ll have to trust me: they were awful!

And now, they’re gone, as are the suspended ceiling + part of the soffits.

SO, since we were finally able to take some measurements . . . last p.m. we took a trip to www.IKEA.com + designed our kitchen cabs.

It was a LOT of math but still super fun.

I’ve not yet decided on the style + color of the cabs — maybe we’ll just go all white.

I HAVE decided on hanging Roman shades for the kitchen windows, + this a.m. I’ve been online shopping for said-same!

More fun!

The single window to the left will be doubled to 2 side-by-side,
which means we need 3 shades.

Here’s what I’m liking so far — from Pottery Barn (of course!)

Grosgrain ribbon cordless Roman shade
Sale $189 – $249

Like just about everybody these days, I’m using lots of gray in my decor, so these ^^ grosgrain ribbon-trimmed pretties would work.

The colors are right, but I’m wanting some sort of print for the kitchen.  Maybe these will head to the living room.

These might be a tad too formal for me.
If I have doubts about stuff, that usually means ‘no-go’.

But wait! — there’s more!

Mini Stripe Cordless Roman Shades
Sale $119 – $144.99

Hello, gorgeous!  I can’t resist a Frenchie stripe, I need to add pattern, + I love this ^^.

People.  I think that you can order the fabric by the yard!

This means pillows, + lots of ’em!

Since kitchens usually don’t need pillows, maybe I’ll use these in the bedroom, instead, as we have a yummy Ralph Lauren red coverlet.

Love it.  Got it at HomeGoods.  Photos soon.

Riviera Stripe Cordless Shade
$209-$240

Oh, dear.  I love this ^^, of course.

Pale blue is just about my favorite color!  I want a pale blue beadboard ceiling in our kitchen, so maybe these would go.

Whatevah.  I think I should order the shades that are on sale before they’re gone.

Same goes for some kitchen lighting from Pottery Barn.

$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ !

Stay tuned!