Our 2 “Green Tea” Thrift Chairs

Some of our weekend thrift haul

As if we don’t have a million other projects to wrap up, my chair fetish caused me drag in three more chairs this past weekend. I couldn’t pass them up. I love chairs. I love to “fix” them up. Here’s 2 chairs that we bought for under $3 each. I call these the “green tea” chairs because their color reminds me of brewed green tea. I think this shade only happens to old green things covered in tarry cigarette smoke. It’s one of my favorite colors. I really do like the damage that cigarette smoke does to furniture and paintings, haha. It’s like tea staining everything. So, yeah, these chairs are pretty darn grotty.

Does anyone know how to clean old vinyl furniture? These chairs are filthy. In the pic above, I have washed these chairs with Murphy Oil Soap twice. You would not believe how dirty the water has been both times. The pic is doing the chairs some favors. They are much dirtier in real life. Pen ink marks are on the mid-century modern chair. And the chairs are just so dirty. Any suggestions on what to use to clean these? I keep reading that people clean up these mid-century modern vinyl chairs with soap and water. That’s not really cutting it. I need your ancient vinyl cleaning secrets 🙂

I’ll scrub them again today with Murphy Oil Soap solution again and lots of elbow grease. I’m not really fretting because I like these chairs and I don’t go for perfection, I do like some imperfections.  And the price of these chairs were cheaper than 1 large green tea latte. I’m not losing much. I still need to clean up the wood, maybe coat the wood with Howard Wax to disguise visible scratches and add a nice sheen.

-Victoria

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2 Hot Pink Bedrooms With Vintage Fabrics

Living Etc. painted hot pink brick bedroom

I’m attracted to pink rooms, even vivid, hot pink rooms. Here are two hot pink bedrooms that I’ve stumbled across on  Living Etc. website. I think the use of the color is unexpected but not overwhelming. But, do I ever find pink overwhelming? No.

This first bedroom, an attic bedroom, is a bit daring. I think painting brick is daring. I don’t know why. I just do. I especially think it is daring to paint it hot pink. But, I do like the touch, using the brick wall as the accent wall. This is a cute room with an interesting roof line. I assume it is a teen room with that vanity filled with mainstream fragrances you’d find at Sephora. (Bumper sticker: My other blog is a fragrance blog). I like the country home touches of baby blue floral fabrics and painted white furniture. The chandelier isn’t bad either.

The other room has the same type of vibe, even if the walls aren’t painted hot pink (pink vintage wallpaper, cool). Bold pink is brought into this space with linens. This room is a very much a collector’s room with all the wall art. I like excess and I like collecting. It’s always nice to see someone’s collection displayed so deliberately. It also makes me feel better about being a thrifter.I think this room is very achievable. The walls are pink floral wallpaper, I feel they are working with their wallpaper/the house. The room is transformed by linens and artfully displaying collectibles. It appears to be a smaller room, a livable room with

Living Etc. pink bedroom

allowable clutter. Books are everywhere, the nightstand is being used, a laptop is charging. It feels like a real space. I love the brass bed and the mismatched linens. This hits me as a thrifters room and I like it.

David and I spent a day in Portland. It was totally awesome: great food, reproduction streamline bathroom lighting, jadeite glassware, and salvage yards. PDX is the mothership. Need to move.

-Victoria

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2 Retro Inspired “Regency” Living Rooms With A Dash of Red

Mary Greetis living room

I am attracted to a Hollywood Regency style. I like for things to be over the top and costumey. Here are two living rooms that I have stumbled across that I like. The first room is a Mary Greetis living room. It’s pretty stark and really benefits from the pops of red orange. It isn’t very Hollywood Regency but it is quirky and fun thanks to the Jonathan Adler lamps. We have 2 picture windows in our great room this size and it is nice to see how others decorate with such a ridiculous aquarium windows.

The other room is from somewhere. I can’t remember. It is just a close-up of a mantel but I do like quirkiness of it all. It’s a good use of symmetry. The red really pops in this space as well. And I need to find a use for all of the silly 60’s-70’s Baroque style picture frames and mirrors that I have collected from thrift stores and spray painted over the years. I think that this display is a nice use of somebody’s collection.

I think this last room fits more of the Regency style. It’s symmetrical.

These rooms aren’t OTT Hollywood Regency but they do have a retro Regency “don’t take yourself too seriously” vibe.

-Victoria

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Our Great Room Lighting

Our great room lighting

I am aware that I complain about lighting frequently. I rarely find things that I like and if I do, it is expensive. I do feel that lighting is a nice investment since it adds so much character to your home. It may not make you money in the long run since it is such a taste game but it really does tie your look together. I can’t afford to purchase all of my dream lighting at once. Or maybe ever… The great room was difficult for us. We want a formal room, something creepy and stuffy. We also wanted to purchase antique period lighting but I couldn’t’ find anything to suit the home. The lighting was either too large for our 30’s suburban home or just too craftsman. Nothing seemed to fit our home’s personality. And I’m not paying $800+ for something that isn’t perfect. The room’s lighting was replaced by the previous owner with the ugliest and cheapest “spot” lighting ever. We had to get rid of it, quick. It was disgusting and only one light bulb worked. I wanted something nautical or octopus like, I can’t afford a Walacavage at this time. While rummaging through our Habitat for Humanity’s building salvage yard, I found this lighting. At 1st, hubby wasn’t having it. He thought it appeared too “normal” and “McMansion” or trying too freak’n hard to be affluent. I told him he had to trust me. And if he didn’t like it, we were only going to lose $8. I purchased globe vanity bulbs to make it look less traditional and to make it look more 60’s and octopus-ish. David put it up and really liked it. It goes well with our dark, cave-like room. And with bulbs and all, it was under $18.

-Victoria

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2 Fun, Bold Azure Rooms

Bold blues aren’t colors that I am attracted to for my own living space. I prefer aquas, teals, cyan. I find bold blues hard to work with but I do appreciate them except when they include a black silhouette of a nude past girlfriend, oh, my house. Or what used to be of this house.

House Beautiful bedroom

Here are 2 azure rooms that I do appreciate.

The first is a fun bedroom found in House Beautiful. I love the quirkiness and youth in this room, two adjectives rarely used to describe my living space. This is one of those colorful, fun, “thrift sore finds” rooms. It has luxe textiles, shine from the lamps and bed finish, and lots of fun colors: magenta, fuchsia, chartreuse, violet, not to mention the azure room color. This is one bold but not obnoxious bedroom. I do like the deer but I’m creepy enough to choose a real one…Anyways, I like this room. It’s the kind of room that comes across as bold. If you get sick of that, just change the chair and pillows/textiles and you have a new room. And I love it that such bold colors were used in a small room in a cozy way.

The other room I found on House to Home. I love me some wallpaper but since I spent most of hot August removing wallpaper with the help of a steamer, I doubt I’ll ever do it to my home. So…I like to admire from a distance. This living room is very bold. It has bold blue, prints, and a punch of cerise. I am not a fan of the blue shag rug. It reminds me too much of the blue furry stuff used to cover our kitchen cabinets. I will never ever be able to look at shag the same way again. This also means that I’ll never be able to see blue shag without cringing and puking in my mouth a little.

Actually, the house that we are renovating was all about the color blue. The cabinets were covered in blue faux fur,

House to Home living room

the 2 largest rooms were painted shades of blue, there was a blue faux fur waterbed, and there were plans to even have denim curtains. This is what happens to a space when testosterone only decorates. Trust me, it is not a beautiful site/sight. Homes are like anything else, they need balance or they just fall down.

-Victoria

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Decorating with Paper Lanterns

I’m not one to decorate with paper lanterns. They just don’t fit with our house and our design. OK, so I mean that I haven’t found a way for them to work with our house or our design. I do find them attractive. They are so fragile, weightless, and light but they take up so much space and really can make a great focal point for a room. For something so “flimsy”, it can really make a statement. They are usually inexpensive and add whimsy to a space. If you add them to a room, it makes that room feel like a party and very festive.

I did find this really cute room in British Vogue. It’s a bit too cottage chic for my style but I do like it. (Don’t get me wrong. I do appreciate cottage style. I’m just not in the place or the home for it). I often find that when I see paper lanterns in decorating, it is often in a room for a teen or child. Paper lanterns can look too young and too dorm-like. This room may be country cottage, but at least it looks grown-up. This isn’t a dollhouse cottage. It’s quirky and fun. The lamp really pops against the paleness of the room. It’s a nice piece of art, a focal point, to have in this family room/library. I love red used as an accent. I’m such a sucker for it. David and I have decided that blue would be our new red, but I don’t think that has lasted.

pic found in British Vogue

I love red and vermillion and carmine. I also love these country cottage curtains against the red floral lantern. If you are going to have a country cottage you might as well mix floral prints.

Anyways, I also like the concept of this room and not just its style. I love that it is a library styled family room/dining room. Children can get homework help there. Children and adults can do art projects. Grown-ups can drink tea and look at design blogs on their laptop. It’s a nice use of that space without looking like a typical family room. It’s cute enough to entertain in. And it looks very “budget” friendly. These are the kind of pieces that one can collect from yard sales, thrift stores, and International markets.

Well, we’re renting that industrial buffer today to finish up the hardwood floors downstairs today. Boy, are my abs going to hurt tomorrow. Buffers belong in a rodeo.

-Victoria

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An Inspiring Chambre “Display”

Marie Claire "display"

I love the magazine Marie Claire Maison. It also helps me refresh my French skills (or lack of them). I adore this “display” found in the magazine. It isn’t very functional and I am aware that it is just eye candy. I still love it. I’m usually not one for faux paint finishes in interiors. They often look super cheesy and have that “trying to hard” vibe. I already have dirty, disgusting, chipping, plaster walls 🙂 But, I do like this wall because I am loving gray. It is so moody and somber. The objects in this “display” are very nice treasures from the birdcage to the creepy portrait to the delicate perfume bottles. All together it has a creepy but feminine vibe. I try not to collect stuff or hoard but I can’t help it that I love “treasures”. I feel this is a tasteful way to display such treasures. It’s still not fun to dust but it is a nice balance and better edited than what I’m about to share.

This other picture is from our last residence, the rental house. I didn’t have a boudoir like I do now and this is how I had to manage all of my girly things such as makeup and perfume. (I have much more but is it hidden away from light.) It wasn’t as fabulous as this Marie Claire one but I’m just a regular gal and if I knew Marie Claire was coming over then I would clean up 🙂 I suck at editing. I’m aware of that.

My old "display"

I don’t know what to do with my current space. I just know that I need to learn to edit or at least get rid of some stuff. I admit that I am a cosmetic addict. But, I’m sure you already know that.

-Victoria

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Funky, Retro Floral Wallpaper Rooms

I’m back and I finally have Internet connection! I so went through serious withdrawals, but I’m fine now…It’s been a super crazy week and I’ll share pics of the house as soon as I’m able. That means not checking all my junk email and social networking…

After all the time I have spent removing wallpaper, it is going to be a long time before I can wallpaper. However, I do love the look. It is quirky and fun. Wallpaper is great. I’m talking about clean and in good shape wallpaper, not what we inherited.

bedroom in Marie Claire Maison

I love this little London bedroom found in Marie Claire Maison. There are so many prints and colors! It’s just a fun, quirky room. I love all the different shades of blue and pink.  All of these prints make it a thrift store fantasy room. I have a few of those Russian boxes. They house cotton balls and stuff like that. They are cheap and take a beating. I like this room because it is small. That’s what most of us have. We don’t have these huge magazine perfect rooms with amazing architectural detail. This room is small but still fit for a magazine. It utilizes space and has lots of storage (too bad we can’t see the closet). I love how this room houses all these treasures and little collections. Somebody has spent some time at thrift stores, flea markets, and yard sales and still looks put together. And who would of thought that rose shade would actually work with cobalt blue? Well, it does.

The other room or rooms photographed by Paul Raeside (if I had a restaurant this is the man that would be snapping it), I should say, are very special because of the mix of prints/wallpapers. It’s an airy and whimsy space. The lighting is romantic and the entire space is just so darn girly. However, I don’t know if you notice but the 1st thing I noticed other than the prints in my face was that the ceiling is need of some repairs. Geez, even I can repair that, what’s this home owner’s excuse? It sure isn’t money.

Cute home photographed by Paul Raeside

Anyways, the floor could use some cleaning too 🙂 And the loose porcelain door knob. Maybe all of this a part of the elegant, whimsy, cottage mansion style.

It really does sadden me that there is no more wallpaper in the home. Wallpaper does so much and then you have to do so much to get rid of it. Bummer. Don’t tell my husband that I am thinking of adding it to one of the bathrooms.

-Victoria

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The Dining Nook & Its Amazing Wallpaper

First impression: awesome wallpaper.

When this house was for sale, I peeped through the windows before being showed the home “formally”. Glad I didn’t get accused of being a Peeping Tom. I was peeping but not for those perverted reasons. Trust me, nothing to see here but junk and not that kind of junk. Geez. The windows through the back were open and I was amazed at what I saw. It was the most amazing red and gold wallpaper ever in a small dining nook. I just knew that I had to see more and boy did I see more.

I love wallpaper and this stuff is tops. It is felt and foil and completely fabulous. Unfortunately, it is grotty (filthy, peeling, felt rubbed off in areas) and it has to go. New windows are being put in and some electrical stuff needs to be done. It’s sad because I would love to work with this stuff, but dirty is dirty and repairs must be made. I hope to salvage and frame some of it. The print is just too good to disappear. I did find the exact same stuff online, Rosie’s Vintage Wallpaper (awesome site BTW), but for  $325 a roll! I would of splurged but a roll won’t do the space and the ceilings are tall and coved. It’s hard to “draw a line” of when to quit. I just thought it would be cool to be able to keep that bold print in such a small space. Heck, Brocade Home (pictured below) does this all the time and people love it. Brocade has tacky light fixtures as well but I don’t think any are as tacky as a Tiffany styled swag Huskies lamp. The carpet is going too. Can’t wait to see the wood floors beneath!

Everybody is doing it!

After looking for vintage wallpaper online, I came across some pretty groovy stuff at a thrift store for like a $2 a roll, some very Buck Rogers stuff. It’s foil, no felt. It’s a mod in a 70’s way design with silver, white, macaroni n’cheese orange, and yellow. I don’t know if or where I’ll use it but I do have a bit of a wallpaper bug right now. Perhaps in the speech studio?

-Victoria

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A Home I Like: My Californian Style Twin

It’s funny because I have found that I have many style twins. It’s purely accidental. I sometimes wonder if it is a sign of a mental illness and if the updated DSM-IV includes check off boxes that I am unaware of such as “strange desire for all things animal print”, “love of pets in clothing”, “inability to accept Ugg boots and short denim skirts as appropriate attire”, and “love of anything creepy and old”. Because of the internet I am know aware of my style twins, especially with clothing. It’s made the world a smaller place. I find that I have more in common with people than I thought I did. Anyways, I have a subscription to Sunset magazine and earlier this year (2009) they ran a piece on designer Sheri Sheridan’s home. I had to laugh out loud and share the article with hubby. Here was another style twin or at least we were shopping at the same place (thrift stores, antique stores, and Z Gallerie)! My husband laughed because she had a sunnier more Californian version of our dreary Northwestern bungalow. Same accessories just different colors.

Sheridan's living room

I of course clipped this article from the magazine to put in my “style book”/inspiration book. Her living room definitely reminds me of ours. We have the same couch but with zebra print pillows. We have a furry rug which matches her furry pillow. I have the same  Z Gallerie ram’s head, one of my favorite finds ever. (In fact, everything that I have ever purchased from Z Gallerie she has in her home). Put a Frenchie in place of that dalmatian and you’ve got my home with my future pup.

The article has most of her home pictured. She has some bold colors. I am not wild about the blues because they aren’t minty enough and she has a yellow room and I don’t do yellow. It will take me some time to get used to that since I grew up in a home with yellow interior. And she isn’t in Washington. I don’t think those colors make sense here but I see them really working in California. But, throughout the home she has great knick-knacks and furniture.

One of my favorite rooms is the dining room. This is kind of how I plan on doing our dining room in the new house. I love the Saarinen table, this will be one of our first investments but I think I would settle for a knock-off even though I hate Ikea. I plan on doing the mismatched chairs as well just because I love refinishing chairs. I love the gray walls and I’ve already purchased a mistint in the perfect shade of grey. We plan on splurging on a Sputnik lamp/chandelier, a small one. Our dining nook is small and I want it to be elegant shades of white and grey. I’m still searching for a cute tea cart. There is a built-in corner cabinet with leaded glass. However, it has been coated with faux wood contact paper inside. Ughh, I hope that is easy to get rid of. I wanted to paint the inside of the built-in a color to make my favorite black and white knick-knacks pop, but I still don’t know what shade. Any suggestions? It will definitely be a mistint.

Sheridan's dining area

You can see the entire article here. I love it because she has some great finds, many affordable tips, and she paints her home in mistints. Love it, it’s classy and on a budget. It’s the kind of home you see in a magazine and go “that can actually work for me” or “hey, another style twin”.

-Victoria

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