Mis-Matched Chairs at the Table

I am not a big fan of decor being perfectly matched.  I don't like sticking to a color palette   lately, I've also become of fan of not using matched sets of chairs at a table.  I recently decorated a feature booth at the store where I have a booth.  It has mis-matched chairs.  I am hoping that more odd chairs come into the store soon.  I need a few more colorful ones to get just the look I am after.  A photo of this booth is shown at the bottom of this post.

First, let me show you some of the examples that inspired me.   There are lots of ways to beautifully use different chairs together.  Usually, but not always, there's something that ties them together - color, fabric, or style.

source: Remodelista

source Southern Living via My Home Ideas

source: The Cottage of Vinnord

source: Braebourne Farm

source: Coastal Living

source: Scott Little via  Braebourne Farm

source: Style Files

source: BHG

source: Wedding Chicks

Sarah Jessica Parker's house - as seen on Elle Decor

source: Snap

Source: Dreams and Happy Things

source: My Dream Home

as seen on The Decorologist

This next example is my favorite of all.  I love the colors and un-matched look that magically comes together.  this is a photo that I keep coming back to.  I keep trying to figure out what it is that draws me.  I haven't cracked the code yet.  Sometimes I can block out one or two things in a photo and the room will turn blah.  Not this room.  I do think the white walls are important  Any other color might ruin the look.

Am I alone? Is anyone else fascinated by this room?

source: Molly Sims

Last, here's the table in the feature booth I put together at the store with the help of my sweet friend, Nicole. Don't you think we need some colorful chairs?  I found one chair in a vibrant color and it just wasn't right.  Oh well, obviously this room is not lacking in color.  I think after decorating in "The White Booth" for so long, I am swinging in the opposite direction!

Inspired By... Spring Decorating

Spring is in the air!  Literally and figuratively.  The pollen is out. If you are outside and hear someone gasp, it may be because they can't breathe or it may be that they just saw something else in bloom. Living in Georgia (which has to be the worst place in the world when it comes to pollen) means ignoring the yellow haze and admiring the breathtaking spring show all around.  It is Beee-autiful!!!   So of course, the posts I was most drawn to this week had something to do with Spring.  Take a look -

Debra at Common Ground went to a Spring Open House in Ozark.  She found some really nice things and the displays were lovely.  I don't use the word lovely much, but doesn't it sound refined and classy?  I can pretend, can't I?

Susan at Between Naps on the Porch did some Spring Sprucing on her Porch.  Her porch is fabulous.  She hung sheers out there 3 years ago and says they have held up perfectly.  She's only had to wash them once.  They are polyester and dry immediately after it rains. 

Becky at Buckets of Burlap planted a wonderful herb garden in a wine barrel.  I'm ready to start planting!

Maria at Dreamy Whites visited one of her favorite shops - The Antique Gardener - and came away with some wonderful inspiring photos.

Last, but not least, this Spring Garden post from Carolyn at Aiken House and Gardens will be my inspiration next fall when it's time to plant bulbs!  Seriously!  I'm putting a link to this post on my calendar!  One look and my body will jump into action planting lots of bulbs! At least that's my hope. My body doesn't often jump into action.

Side note:  Lulu, one of our old dogs, has been sleeping on the floor beside me as I wrote this post.  Mostly she's been snoring, but she must have also been having an interesting dream - she was barking in her sleep.

Inspired By... C. Dianne Zweigg

I was browsing through some old posts on C. Dianne Zweig and came across a couple of fun ideas.  Check out this dining room cabinet makeover -

The glass sides were missing and they replaced them with chicken wire! I love it!  It makes the piece seem so much more friendly!  I am a casual girl and being around things that are too fancy makes me nervous.  My nerves would be just fine with this piece!  I see similar cabinets at auctions and sometimes they are pretty beat up.  Next time I see one, I'll do my best to bring it home!

In another post, a curvy fence rail section is used to display framed art and trays.

 That's not the kind of rail that you can find just anywhere, but you can bet I'll be paying a lot more attention to all the rails I see in the future.

For my final ode to Dianne Zweigg, check out her post on Cottage Style Shelves.  There's something wonderful about re-purposing. It makes my heart flutter!

 

 

This is totally unrelated, but who cares.  The weather in Georgia is amazing right now.  Yesterday, it was in the low 70's at my house.  Doors and windows were open.  Gentle breezes wafted through the house, taking the stale winter air with it. Daffodils are blooming up the hill near our driveway gate.  I have the most acute case of Spring Fever ever!  Today's forecast - Sunny - 68 degrees.  A look at the 10 day forecast shows more of the same with just enough rain to keep the pollen from becoming unbearable.  Oh, honey, it's fabulous!!!!!

Cynthia Moves to a New Booth

My new friend (who feels like a friend I've known for ages), Cynthia, moved to a new booth.  The new booth is about a foot or so wider and that foot makes all the difference in the world!  The new booth is also at the end of an intersection of aisles, which gives it greater visibility and the light is really nice.  This move has given her a much needed lift.  

What really amazes me is how fast she was able to move everything from one spot to another and come up with a completely different, beautiful arrangement.  It took her less than two hours I think.  Gee, maybe it took one.  I don't know for sure, but it was fast.  This girl is good! 

Her booth has a bit of a European flair - French and English.  She has a blog, too, which is always beautiful - A Love of the Past.  You'll love it, I know.

There are a few more things you may need to know about Cynthia before you look through these photos.  One - she is a breast cancer survivor, with two years of being cancer free.  Two - She just lost her husband and love of her life.  Less than a month ago.  She's still reeling from that loss.  She is just beginning to move about in the world and hasn't quite found her footing yet, but this new booth is, maybe,  a glimmer of light in her life.

Here are some photos of her booth.  Enjoy!  And when you're done, if you have a moment to spare, visit her blog and leave her a comment!

 

When I admired these eggs, Cynthia tried to give me some.  I couldn't take them.  I nearly bought the bird and eggs, but couldn't do that either.  They looked so pretty in her booth.  If they're still there in a week or so, I'll probably give in, but for now, they are there to make her booth a special place.  I'm not much of a business woman, am I?

Urban Industrial Booth + Vintage Suitcase Inspiration

I had a wonderful post all written up about how much fun it was to work on the urban industrial feature booth at Rockin' B, where I rent a booth.  It was full of wonderful comments and insights.  I had it saved as a draft and then when I came back to edit it, the whole thing disappeared. UGH!  It's done that before and I've always been able to get it back, but this time, I hit one wrong button and the whole thing was gone... forever.  I'll put the photos back up but you'll just have to imagine my comments and insights.  If I wrote what I was really thinking right now, a bit of bleeping might be required!

You can still read some of what I wrote on Rockin' B's blog, which I also write for, plus there's more photos of the booth.  The comments on that post, even though they are also written by me, were from a different point of view - the retail version.  My post here, had some behind the scenes details.  Oh well.  May all my problems be so small.

The booth was fun to work on.  I got to pretend I was young and chic and hip (I'm not referring to my weight).

The Rockin' B post also includes the inspiration collage below that I put together from photos within a great post by Elements of Style about vintage suitcases.  Wow!  She really found some great examples!

Pink Booth at Rockin' B

I had fun yesterday, pulling together some quick looks for the feature booths at Rockin' B.  Jacque and Barbara were my partners in crime.  It came together pretty quickly once the idea took hold.  The plan was to do a garden room with a cream and pink armoire as a starting point.  After we had our plan mapped out, I found out that pink is the new hot color for 2011!

The area really is cheerful.  It's not quite complete - accessories will be fine tuned over the next few days.  Plus, as things sell, the booth will continue to change.  It's fun to watch how different it looks from beginning to end. The first change I hope to make is to put the lamp on the table inside the armoire.

Brunch, anyone?

We ran out of steam before we could accessorize this pretty hall tree properly.  The quilt and tablecloth will likely be used in another spot in the booth.

The pink shutter is from Cynthia's booth.  She has a wonderful decorating flair with a definite French / English touch.  Please say a prayer for Cynthia and her family.  Her husband of 27 years is in intensive care fighting for his life right now.  My heart is breaking for them all.

Be sure to check out the latest RE- Party!

We RE-do, RE-decorate, RE-organize, RE-pair,  RE-upholster,  
RE-member, RE-finish, RE-purpose, and of course, we love to RE-lax!   

This party celebrates ALL the RE-'s in our lives!  

I'm linking this post with  -

Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home
Show and Share Day at Just a Girl 

Inspired By...

I'm thinking I need to do a better job of featuring some of the inspiring ideas I come across on blogs.  Here are a few things that caught my eye made me swoon this week in no certain order -

From Design Happens

Notes From A Cottage Industry

Notes From A Cottage Industry

Caught in Grace

Maple and Magnolia

It's a Wannabe Decorator's Life

Vignette Design

from Mossy Rock Interiors

from Between Naps on the Porch

Confessions of a Plate Addict

By the way, if you like French music, then open Confessions of a Plate Addict - her playlist is mostly (maybe all) French music, with lots of Carla Bruni (wife of President of France) songs . 

Burlap Runner Tutorial by Confessions of a Plate Addict

Design Sponge - Before and After Basics - by Barb Blair

Leanne from Mossy Rock Interiors actually introduced me to Barb Blair this week.  Leanne's gray table is featured in this post.  She said she learned the whitewash technique from Barb. Barb's real site is Knack, but she writes Before and After Basics articles for Design Sponge.  I have read some of those before, but didn't put all those connections together.  

I will be a regular reader from now on!  I have read a few of the articles and have seen such good hints.  One of her recent articles - Putting the Snap in Your Crackle - shows how to use crackle finishes on just a few areas of a piece in order to create a truly aged look.   I'm totally inspired!!!  Now if I could only have some quality time in my paint room!  

Be sure to check out the latest RE- Party!

We RE-do, RE-decorate, RE-organize, RE-pair,  RE-upholster, RE-furbish, RE-finish, RE-purpose,   
and of course, we love to RE-lax! 

This party celebrates the RE-'s in our lives! 

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