Gold Leaf Chair - DIY Inspiration

This post all started with this chair that I found on Pinterest...

The text accompanying this pin read: "gold leaf an IKEA chair, genius"... and I myself thought... yeah that IS totally genius!  I want to do this even though we have nowhere to put said gold leafed chair when it's finished!

So I clicked on the image, and it took me to... an error page.  Is there anything more annoying than a pin from Pinterest with no source?!  Dear pinners of the world, give credit where credit is due!

Moving on... this hack is easy enough... spray the legs red (or aqua, or emerald green, or slate grey, or whatever cool color you think would be awesome) and either gold leaf the seat or spray that gold too.

Zero talent required... my favorite kind of DIY.

I decided to track down this Ikea chair on their site, but alas... it's either discontinued, or it was never a chair from Ikea to begin with.

I don't want to let this slow me down, so I pulled together a list of other inexpensive Ikea chairs that this hack could totally work with...

Sources: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6

I think option #3 is the most similar to the inspiration, but #5 would make some pretty sweet bar stools in a cool kitchen space...

I also thought this chair (at $40 each) could be an interesting spin on this hack...

And not that this chair has anything to do with this post (aside from the fact that it's from Ikea), but if you're in the market for some mod lucite chairs... these bad boys retail for just $80 each, and are SUPER on trend right now...

Just throwing it out there...

Anyway, I am still toying with this idea... mainly because I just think it looks cool... not because we need a gold chair of this nature.  Hope this helps inspire!

xoxo

A little Staycation

It's easy to forget how gorgeous California is...

... except when you decide to get out of the city one weekend, and it slaps you in the face.  Uh... we live here?!  I totally forgot!

Last weekend Kris and I decided to get out of San Francisco... well we crossed a bridge... and after the 10 minute drive (yes, 10 minutes door to door) we were here.  

Paradise.

Fort Point is located off the first Sausalito exit once you cross the Golden Gate Bridge, and in my opinion is one of our city's best kept secrets.  It has a lovely little beach, surfing (Kris was like a fat kid at an ice cream parlor), and a beautiful hike up into the Marin headlands.

Originally used as some sort of military base (we didn't actually read the historical markers) I think it was probably used to shoot at the bad guys trying to invade San Francisco at some point in history... I'm guessing it was built less out of need and more out of Cold War paranoia, but I have no clue... next time I will definitely read the historical markers...

These hidden bunker type thingys were ALL OVER the place... and pretty cool, if I do say so myself.  Some were all shut up, and looked very much like The Tempest Bunker from the show Lost.  No?

And... this is what heaven looks like.  This little beach was completely uninhabited since there was no way to get down the cliff.  I suppose you could access it by boat, but I digress.  My point is, look how gorgeous it is!

So gorgeous in fact that I got a little photo happy...

It was getting a little late in the afternoon by this point, and the wind had kicked up - hoodies required for sure - but it was so darn pretty.

... and after a day in the sun, we drove back to our beautiful city by the bay...

I'm thinking that as the weather warms up (well as the weather OUTSIDE San Francisco warms up), this might be a staple for our weekends...

Happy Monday!

Black and White

You know what I found kind of funny this year after NY Fashion week??  Hearing every fashion magazine and editor try to put their spin on the trends they saw, and unanimously across the board the answer was "Black and White".

Huh?  Was black and white ever NOT a trend?  It is the most classic, dramatic, lovely combination that will never go anywhere (in my ultra-professional opinion of course).  In home decor, in fashion, and everything in-between.  Black and white is here to stay...

These floors?  I mean, COME ON!  Perfection!

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And how awesome is a dark black wall??  One of my newest obsessions this year. The curtains here are pretty fabulous too though....

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Dual striped Roman Shades... so crisp, and so chic.  Makes me want to swap out my sweet yellow trellis roman shade for something more bold!

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Wear it to work.  Wear it to dinner.  Wear it out with a sassy mini-skirt.  I am a total sucker for a black and white striped top.  I probably have at least 10 different styles in my closet right now.

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Simple, and elegant.  I love the huge bronze lantern, claw foot table, and the glossy black door.  The clean white walls let the more ornate details shine.

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Styling at it's best!  I've seen mirrors with a similar "aged" finish sold from Ballard.  Obviously the real deal is best, but I love the look of the antique patina.

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There is nothing more chic than black and white stripes in an outdoor space.  So french - right in the middle of any city!  I actually just got back from LA and the pool area at Hotel ShangriLA in Santa Monica has a fabulous black and white stripe thang going on.

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Black and white goes mod in this little vignette.  It's the "Twiggy" of entry tables, and how COOL is the tweed on the sliding drawer fronts.  It looks like suiting!  Love!

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What a sophisticated work area.  I love the laquer boxes, glam chrome lamp bases, and the wide white stripe on the streamlined wingback chair, but the woven jug brings an earthy element to the mix...

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This bathroom is so modern and glam and fabulous in every. single. way.  Nothing in here is anything I'd call my "taste" but I would die and go to heaven if this were a bathroom in my house.  That wallpaper is like Jonathan Adler graphics meets Metalica.  LOVE.

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Our New Aztec Rug

Taaaa-daaaaaa!  Meet our new little Aztec print rug that came home with me from HomeGoods over the weekend... it's now sprucing up our teeny tiny kitchen!

Like my leopard print pajama pants?  I'm just keeping things super stylish my friends..... 

Our kitchen is a room that I've never photographed or posted before - and for a good reason!  It's small, it's old, and as a renter, there is not a lot that we can do about the hideous tile, dated appliances, and miniscule size.  I hate this room.  Like REALLY hate.

Other spaces of our apartment, I've been able to doll up with paint, or large rugs, or furniture, and art, but attacking the cabinetry and walls in here with paint seems like a HUGE undertaking... especially since I'd have to remove cabinet doors, hardware, and paint around big appliances like the refrigerator and stove.  I'd really rather not go there, since there's no telling how much longer we'll be in this apartment.

Don't get me wrong... we have a great place (which I DO love), and it's in the best neighborhood of San Francisco, but this kitchen is pretty much the bane of my existence.

Fortunately, this little gem of a rug is bright and happy, and a good size!  It measures roughly 5'x3' so it covers up quite a bit of our very old, very dinged up linoleum floor (is there anything worse than linoleum??)

Maybe it's in my head, but I think the bright colors help distract from the ugliness of the rest of the kitchen, and the dark colors will also help camouflage spills (we had a white rug in here previously, and let's just say that it ended disastrously).

Ok, prepare yourself for these next photos... there's nothing cute about them...

Here is the view into the kitchen from our hallway... everything is painted in that dirty off-white paint that the rest of our apartment suffers from.  Looking at this photo, I've decided that the wall above our lovely $15 trash can needs some flair...

Will be on the hunt for some art ASAP.  And perhaps a nicer trash can...

And here's the view from the entry hall, looking in towards the sink, and the glorious tile.  While there is something to be said for the kitchen still having it's original tile from the 1930's, I'd love to know what posessed the person who picked out the color combo...

The tile on the back-splash is like skin colored!  And the trim is maroon.

Seriously, WTF?

Ok, my rant is over... Let's pretend the tile doesn't exist, and focus on the good here... my new little rug.

Oh I love it!

Seeing Spots

Polka dots are a classic, but I've been obsessed with irregular spotted prints most recently.  Patterns that are animal-esque.  Almost dalmation-esque.  Cruella DeVille would approve.

Spotted patterns are showing up everywhere, and while Kris thinks I'm on the verge of losing it (what else is new), I feel our house is NEEDING a splash of spots.  

Case in point... this bench?!?!?!

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Jenny Comenda got the memo long ago when she reupholstered this awesome bench...  looks great in every space she puts it.  LOVE.

What about that pillow?!?!?!

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This awesome pillow from Furbish - an amazing source for home decor... bedding, pillows, furniture, art, entertaining... the online shop is amazing.  Highly encourage you to check it out.

And this chair?!?!?!

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This chair is an Ikea hack if you can believe it or not.  Originally featured on Little Green Notebook, and later picked up by DecorPad, this stylish number cost next to nothing, and it's a pretty close replica to the ultra pricey Brunschwig and Fils Snowleopard fabric.

Creativity at it's best!

Holy spotted rug....

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How fab is that?  And it's a free-form cow hide.  I feel like I don't even need to say any more!

And the grand finale... my favorite wallpaper of all time...

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It's a personal favorite of mine that I've blogged about before... the Thibaut Tanzania Animal print - comes in wallpaper and fabric, but I sort of favor the wallpaper.  It's SO amazing.  And becuase I love it so SOOO much... here is my ALL TIME FAVORITE space that uses it.  It's like wallpaper porn for me...

Tiffany Richey's office?!?!  OMG.

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So what do you think??  Have I totally changed your mind about what I lovingly refer to as the "dalmation trend"?

After bringing these images together, I'm THISCLOSE to pulling the trigger on the pillow from furbish...

Bamboo Touches

I love the look of bamboo in home decor.  To me there is something about it that feels very "collected".  

My Grandmother had a set of nesting tables she brought back from China, and I've always loved them.  They are in my parents house now, and while bamboo may not be for everyone, used sparingly, it brings a unique twist to an otherwise very classic space.

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This mirror for example - if I could find something like this to go over our wine hutch, I'd be over the moon. At first glance, I thought it was gold, but it's hard to tell.  Perhaps natural bamboo?  Eh, who cares... it's awesome!

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How awesome is this dresser??  The punch of coral is really unique, and I love that the hardware stays true to the far east feeling.  And don't get me started on the Chippendale with ikat upholstery....

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Of COURSE I had to dedicate one of these photos to a classic Chinese Chippendale.  Love the black lacquer finish, love the Greek Key trim on the curtains, love the bamboo desk... love ALL of it!

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This side table is teeny, so it tucks into this little nook just so.  I'd call this the perfect area to curl up with a cup of coffee and juicy book.

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Lantern pendants are quite popular - especially in kitchen design - but the bamboo makes this lantern really unique.  I could even imagine this painted a bright aqua or yellow.  Wouldn't that be fun?

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This table is AWESOME.  This is actually the same home as the first photo I posted here with the bamboo mirror - clearly chica has rad taste.  This was a quickie spray paint makeover from a thrift store... I'm thinking I need to branch away from the Goodwill in my neighborhood, since their specialty seems to be more used Tupperware and old Disney T-shirts.

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This pair of bamboo tables together used as a console is genius.  Love the simplicity of the styling, and the raw, organic feel of everything from the lamp, to the pottery, the picture frames that that seriously awesome plant, root, thingy.

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Somehow this lamp is still able to shine in this space (literally, and figuratively) even though it could easily be eclipsed by everything else awesome in this space... that authentic Dorothy Draper chest of drawers??? OMG SWOON!

New Bedding

I had a very successful trip to HomeGoods yesterday.  VERY successful.  

I went in looking for a chair - something overstuffed and comfy - to replace the wicker chair in the living room.  While I didn't come out with a chair, I came out with some new bedding, a few rugs, pillows, glass vases... oh the list goes on and on...

Since I'd been looking for bedding without much luck for the past several months, I'd even entertained the idea of making my own bedding.

With the navy and white bold stripe chevron curtains, I wanted something to coordinate, without necessarily "matching" and I've been obsessed with deep blues and indigos.  I can fully admit to my trellis pattern obsession, and with a trellis rug in the room, I knew any interlocking, repeating trellis print was out.  

I also wanted to stay away from stripes to avoid anything too matchy-matchy with the curtains.

       

I found it was incredibly hard to find bedding with blue and white - a true white.  There was lots of creme and blue, or tan and blue, so when I found a Queen size set of the blue and white Ralph Lauren paisley sheets in the bin at Homegoods yesterday, I was bound and determined to find them in a King size set.

Patiently I went through bin-by-bin, rummaging through every. single. set. of. sheets.  No luck.  If you've been to a Homegoods, you know how disorganized it all is.  I went through each bin and shelf a second time, just to be sure that I hadn't missed it.  No luck again.  I accepted defeat, and moved on to the bath accessories section.

What did I find hiding behind a stack of sea-horse printed hand towels??  Well, it was the king size set of blue and white paisley Ralph Lauren Sheets that I'd spent the last 30 minutes hunting down!

JACKPOT.

They are great quality - 500 thread count, and the set included the fitted sheet, flat sheet, and two shams... for $50.  

$50 DOLLARS?!  I literally couldn't believe it.  The set was cheaper than a single flat sheet I'd gotten a few months ago!

In the massive bin of throw pillows, I found a deep blue ikat roll pillow that coordinates with the sheets.  I wish it was down fill, but I can look for an insert later.  I'm still holding out for Euro Sham covers that I love, but so far, the addition of the sheets and roll pillow dramatically improve the bedding situation.

What do you think??

Also, you might also notice our lovely makeshift headboard...

Pretty huh?  Yeah... pretty awful.

It's only temporary, I assure you.  We pieced it together to determine how high and wide we want the headboard to be.  You also can't see from this far away, but we're also trying to determine how large and at what angle we want the side cut-outs to be.

We're planning on the belgrave headboard shape, like this DIY from Sarah M. Dorsey Designs:

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Can't wait for more bedroom updates!

xo