2 Dramatic Blue Gray Dining Nooks with Orange Accents & LPs!

Blue & orange. If you know a thing or two about the color wheel then you know the BAM! that this complementary color scheme has to offer. Blue and orange are definitely a color trend now in film, video, media. Think CSI Miami! Anyways, here are 2 young but not juvenile dining spaces with deep navy walls the perfect accents of orange. This rooms also have something else in common: records! Being a vinyl hoarder, I love to see records used in design.

Celerie Kemble dining nook

The first room is from designer Celerie Kemble’s portfolio. This is a cool space. It’s a little more modern than what I do, but it has vintage. OK, so the room isn’t “navy” but it is a bit of squid ink paint shade, so there is some blue in that gray. This gray appears more “blue” with the touches of orange. I love dark gray walls. It is a bit of a “modern” shade and it can come across as very masculine, but it packs drama. You want to transform a room in a weekend, paint it this color. Everything you own will look completely different. Whites will pop and blacks will shine. Anyways, I love the record storage in this nook! It is so clever to have it under the seating in a small space. I got to tell David. He need to build us one of these.  Anyways, this is a cozy space, very hip. I want to listen to records and lounge around drinking beer and eating guacamole and chips in this nook. *Oh, I love the textiles in here because it keeps this color combo and space from being too masculine. It’s a nice balance.

The other dining room or nook is from Rejuvenation’s website. It is a really cool space as well and totally reminds me of the early 1910-1940’s Craftsman homes in the Seattle area being fixed up by young adults like ourselves. (Rejuvenation is based in the PNW). This dining room is the kind of dining room you’d see in our neighborhood while your taking the dog out for an evening stroll. It’s classic but it has a special type of vintage lust seen in the under 40 crowd. I guess what I’m saying is that I love the look of vintage mid-modern pieces shoved into a Craftsman. The cool thing about this space is that you remove the furniture and the accessories and you have a classic Craftsman home that appeals to everyone. You didn’t do anything to ruin the vibe or the bones of the house. You worked with the house and added your tastes without destroying the authenticity of the home. I’m all about that.

Rejuvenation dining room

Anyways, I love this room. Once again, it is a “squid ink” shade that looks awesome against that white mill work. The orange accents are brilliant in this room. The lighting isn’t very typical of old homes but it has a nice vibe, a young vibe. I love the records on the ledge (recognize a few from our own collection). And one can never go wrong with a Saarinen table.

I guess we are going to try to finish the upstairs bathroom this weekend. I have to admit that I’d rather do something else, you know, like something fun. Oh, well. This house isn’t going to renovate itself. Bummer.

-Victoria

Read Full Post »

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

Read Full Post »

Vintage Inspired Teal Kitchens

Country Living kitchen

I plan on painting our kitchen a mint. It’s going to be kitschy and retro. This is today’s project: paint the kitchen. The groovy wallpaper has been removed, the faux fur has been pulled off the cabinets, everything has been scrubbed. We are ready to start painting.

While poking around online (when I had the time to do that) I found this kitschy turquoise/teal kitchen in Country Living magazine. It’s a bit prop-ish for a kitchen but it is adorable. I love the pairing of teal and red. It’s a sunny and a happy hausfrau kitchen. It means business with a touch of love. It’s a nice eat-in kitchen. I love the repro appliances. Those are drool worthy. And the repro linens used as curtains is cute. I think I saw these exact same ones at Anthropologie one time. I am always looking for a function for vintage linens. Anyways, this is a cute kitchen and pretty versatile really. It is made 50’s by the use of accessories. Take those out and you’ll have a very different looking kitchen.

This other kitchen is a real kitchen from www.trickmybrick.blogspot.com. This is an awesome blog about  the renovation of an otherwise plain mid-century home. (David and I always thought we would be fixing up a ranch home, but we’re in the Pacific Northwest now and there are many more bungalows.) Anyways, I adore this blog. I love their clean, modern style. Oh, and I am a sucker for “before and after” shots. (Heck, I was a makeup artist). This is the “after” of their kitchen. It is such a pretty shade of teal. I have always said it and this just proves it, a sputnik chandelier will always make a room look like a million bucks. This kitchen is the perfect example. It totally jazzes up the place. (Like I needed another reason to lust for one). Also, I love the cabinet hardware. It’s simple and fitting. This is what we are looking for. Visit their blog for many more pics. You’ll love it.

Trick My Brick kitchen, after.

These are two very cute “retro” kitchens. Teal is a great color because it is vintage but very clean, airy, welcoming. It’s the perfect color for a “working” home. Plus, it looks amazing with white. I see a teal room and just think “happy family”. So, I hope I like the results of the hardwork that we will be doing today.

-Victoria

Read Full Post »

2 Rooms With Tin Tiles

Inside Out room

Tin tiles are super cool. They can glam up any space. I like them on ceilings or used as a backsplash. It’s quick and I guarantee anybody can do it. I would do it but unfortunately this stuff lost popularity after 1930 and it isn’t “authentic” to the home. I through around the idea of doing the dining nook ceiling in a bold tin tile but then again I’m trying hard to not go OTT. However, I am drawn to maximist style. So, I am thinking about covering one wall in my boudoir with a metal tile like this. The boudoir will be pink and it has crystal knobs. I think by adding the tile it will make it glam but just a little turn of the century tavern tough.

I like this room featured in Australian Inside Out. Everything is going on in this room. It has spectacular silver toned tin tile. The wallpaper is dreaming, a peacock green floral print. you can see the butter yellow wallpaper in the bedroom. There are many prints going on here. This room would seriously look like a hot mess if it didn’t have these ceiling tiles. I feel like it would look like a cluttered room with mee-maw’s parlor room wallpaper. The lighting in the room is sorry, it’s cluttered, and there is no real focus. However, I totally forgive the space because of the lovely ceiling tiles. Those tiles make the rest of the space look intentional and creative. Maybe I should just go ahead and ceiling tile the entire house? 🙂

This other bedroom that was on cococozy.com, is quite a charmer. And once again it is only because of the detail of the tin ceiling tile! It makes this bedroom look luxe and very rich. I mean it too has an ugly light fixture, but I don’t care. Oh, and the floors look like they need refinished. But, it still looks cute. Why can’t I pull that off?

Tin tile bedroom

I’m getting a sneaking suspicion that this bedroom and the bedroom that we see a glimpse of above are the same or at least some pretty convincing copies. Anyways, who cares.

Ceiling tiles come in a variety of patterns and materials. I love it when it is metallic and reflects the light. I have also seen it painted bold colors such as sangria or aqua and that looks nice too, especially on the ceiling in a foyer. This Old House has a great ceiling tile slideshow. It gives prices and retailors. I love the copper ones too. Will that go with ballet pink?

-Victoria

Read Full Post »

I Should Be Emptying The Rental House In 100 Degree Heat…

But, I’m just worn out and need a break. Even if a break means sticking to the computer chair while the vintage fan blows scorching hot air from outside into my face. Our inside thermometer reads 95. It’s misery and I get to load, pack, carry furniture and David’s Talentmaker  into a beat up U-Haul. Oh, and I get to singe my nose hairs with the vapors of bleach in hopes of getting a security deposit back. What a great day!

A perfect living room

Anyways, enough of my whining over a miserable heatwave here in the Pacific Northwest. I’m from the Southeast. I’ve seen these temps before but never without the modern marvel of a/c. So, while I sweat out pounds and pounds of liquid, I would like to share a room that makes me happy. I love this vintage modern living room. When I think of all of the hard work that I am doing now and all of the misery of the renovation ahead of me, I think about how it will all be worth it in the end. (Geez, I hope so. Talk to me in 6 months and still see if I say this stuff.) I like this simple room. I love the architectural details, the robin’s egg blue walls, the not so frou-frou chandelier, the wide planked wood floors. This room would be lovely in the nude, but it really looks great with help of the mid-century modern furniture. The lines are simple, the colors muted. And it looks like what we already have in our possession. It’s a nice way to make our 40’s-60’s furniture work with our mid-30’s house. I really can’t wait until we get to transform the place. Rumor has it we close tomorrow, but we’ve heard this before so it is hard for me to trust anyone. Until then I’ll be working hard, working on developing the ugliest heat rash ever, and working on keeping it all together. We still don’t know officially where we will be living. That being said. If you don’t hear from us in a while we are either homeless sleeping on the park benches by the ferry terminal, hiding in a remote cabin around Mt. Baker, or in our new house working hard and waiting for it to be internet ready.

-Victoria

Read Full Post »

Zebra Rugs & The Living Room

Animal prints are my favorite neutral, I have learned this from my nanny. When all else fails, just slap some leopard or zebra print fabric on it. It’s the goat cheese of decorating! So far, I have not grown tired of it. It always transitions wonderfully into any new space and it takes to any color. But, I am not in love with just any animal print. I am super picky, it has to be just so. This means no leopard print on a hot pink background. I have found 2 rooms with  zebra rugs that I really like. The first is a Shelly Riehl David room that I found on hgtv.com a million years ago. I knew when I saw it, I wanted a room like this one day. Yeah, it’s a little too Z Gallerie but I still like it, mix it with some great architectural pieces and you have an OTT but very livable room. The couch is perfect, low backed, elegant. It is very bold for a room that really lacks color. The walls are a blue-ish tinged white like Olympic Paint in Windswept. Of course there are things I would change about this room, I never look at one and think it is perfect. I just really appreciate how the zebra rug ties this entire room together. This room is very polished and slightly beachy.

The second zebra rug that I admire was found on sohaute.typepad.com. It’s a living room that is quirky, fun, but it also has some great architectural pieces. It’s a bit more cheeky than the above room, younger and looks more like a guy could live there too. I love the ceiling details. If the room was gutted it would still look great. I am a sucker for antlers/horns. I am sure I am attracted to the room because of that alone. I am not wild about the furniture, too dumpy and the table looks like it belongs at a Head Start getting some animal crackers crushed all over it. However, I was won over by the black and white rugs. They look so nice layered, something I usually don’t like but this works. But, once again this is a pale room something creamy like Olympic Paint in Queen Anne’s Lace. It’s tied together by the graphic rugs.

I am now on the search for a zebra print rug, well, if I don’t upholstery the couch in zebra. A real zebra rug is costly, about $2, 000 to $2,500 and I am sure poached or something brutal like that. A zebra print printed on cowhide goes for under $400. (Honestly, I would rather purchase one of these to reupholster the Eames lounger). The printed rugs on fiber like wool are hit or miss. So many are awful, have borders, look like flea market crap. (That’s the problem with animal print, the reality is that it is a very “cheap” look often associated with strippers, hookers, people trying to be “classy” so it is a bit like carrying a knock-off Louis Vouitton at times. I realize this but I still like some chintz and a touch of drag queen aesthetic in my life. I don’t care, I know I’m far from classy. ) Sometimes overstock.com has some nice ones, smaller than what I really want but still like under $200. They are square, not very wild looking. If I was going to go with a square rug, I’d rather do the black and white stripe thing because that could still go with a zebra couch or chair. Ikea (my least favorite place on Earth) has the Stockholm Rand rug that is about 8′ by 11′ for $299. (I know this is the rug that is under the zebra rug in the picture above). I can’t believe I am thinking about rugs when I know that I’ve got to get this place liveable first!

-Victoria

Read Full Post »

Chair-ity: Loving Chartreuse Chairs

The only thing that is keeping me sane throughout this home purchasing process and the overwhelming reality of a major rehab home, is the decorating end of the deal. We’ve rented for so many years and have had many temporary placements. This means that our “touch” to the home has never really been there. That’s the bonus to owning the home, making it what you want. If I want to paint the doorways poppy orange at 1:00 on a Saturday morning; I can do that. That being said, the idea of decorating our home is what is keeping me sane but it is also very overwhelming to have a blank canvas. I’ve created a “look book” for myself to keep it all together and to keep my eye on the prize.

So, I’m back to the chairs. Through the many years of renting, I have grown to love thrift store chairs. They are cheap and that is how we’ve added color and personality to the home. I have so many dinky little chairs around. I love them. Lately, I have been revisiting my love of chartreuse chairs. They are so bold but not diva. I love the living room above. It’s dark, but still fun. (I also have many gaudy mirrors that have been spray painted as well). I wouldn’t mind this color combo for a room like David’s studio, sans the blue fuzz. We’ve seen enough blue fuzz with the future house, it’s a sick shrine to Cookie Monster.

I also love this kind of Hollywood Regency dining room. First off I love the dining room being more than just for dining. The books add a nice touch. This is another room that is dark but made fun by the chairs. I don’t plan on going this dark in the house just because it is so disgusting right now that I need it to feel “clean” with lighter shades. It’s currently a very dark and disturbing place. But, I do plan on keeping my bold chairs to add a kick here and there. I would love the pairing of dark (like eggplant, espresso, smoke gray) and chartreuse for the exterior (we still haven’t decided on that and I’m sure you’ll hear about that on a different day). This color combo is so Cynthia’s pad, Priest’s white girlfriend, in Super Fly (1972). I love her apartment but I can’t find any stills of it on the entire world wide web.

-Victoria

Read Full Post »