i'll take one of those grown up rooms...

i remember being pregnant and showing my husband this picture and saying "i want our nursery to look like this"...you should have seen his expression; he was like "are you kidding me??" he couldn't get past the chairs. i still love this nursery and i think it's the juxtaposition of the david netto crib w/ the ornate antique side chairs and exposed pipes in the ceiling. i don't know, sometimes i think it's nice to have a "non- baby" nursery. i think that this is definitely a baby's room but i like the grown up aspects of it and the fact that the homeowner simplified the baby items. i think sometimes we can be too influenced by the "babies r us" crap and think that you must have all of that stuff in order for the baby to survive. we have it, however, i keep the ugly stuff in the closet and only display the "prettier" baby items like her manuella duck or the dwell baby blocks, the bla bla mobile...maybe that is the same technique this homeowner used and if the photographer shot the other side of the room we would then see the elmo, winnie the pooh, baby einstein, leap frog, dora toys scattered all around...but somehow i doubt it.

bronze, the classy way of saying brass....

i can't believe i am writing about this but brass is creeping back into the design world. some of you may say "did it ever leave"...well, if that is what you are thinking- YES, it left! you must be one of those who are holding onto that chandelier that came w/ the house when you bought it in the early 90's. i think that if you put the word "antique" in front of brass- antique brass, it makes the word sound so much better. brass is something i associate w/ the 80's and early 90's...but lately, (can't believe i am saying this) i am loving some bronze/ antique brass looks . you will be seeing it in hardware, which is pictured above (thanks beach bungalow8). i love the way it reads in this kitchen and the light just screams cool. lighting is another place it will be found... and you will also see this finish in a lot of furniture design. i adore this lona design console in pale pink with bronze accents. so, i guess we must give brass...let me clear my throat- bronze/ antique brass another look. and forgive those nice people who have hung onto their beloved 80's brass chandeliers.....

is it really a sin...

to paint a precious antique?? i have loved these painted chairs since they appeared on the cover of Charleston Home last sept. which brings me to my dilemma...is it okay to go there...there begin taking an antique that has been in your family for decades and painting it!! my finger tips sweat a little just thinking of that thought!! i am all about painting an antique that you pick up at the local antique mall but what about one that has meaning and a past w/ your family??!

i think that my DR chairs would look amazing lacquered like these...maybe in a chartreuse color. the chairs are gorgeous as is, but they don't give me the pizazz i am looking for in this space. my mom said to do it...but we haven't even told dad that it might happen, and those just happen to be from his side of the family- i am scared to even go there...dad can't really let items go to easily...in fact, he built a barn on some land of ours, just to house our unused furniture. i am also plagued with the dilemma of "will i ever regret doing this"?? as my neighbor says, you can always have them refinished down the road...well, lets hope we win the lottery by then!!

BUT sometimes i think i would love to just not have those chairs at all and replace them with these....that's the problem w/ being an interior designer...there are so many possibilities that its hard to actually make up your mind!! HELP!

why can't i be oscar??

lately, i have been having this epiphany that i can do anything if i set my mind to it...well i want to be oscar...aka the man with that spray can featured in the picture! (ha, for people that know me, they would get a real chuckle out of that!) i don't know if it is me reading style court's guest blog this week (she is doing the best posts), but man i am obsessed w/ wanting to find the perfect flea market bargain and making it something sassy like Lee from Pieces or Ruthie from Chapman Radcliff. and i think if i had this spray can and of course the gas station shirt w/ my name on it, i could create some real masterpieces!! we have a garage and my father-in-law has that spray can tool...why couldn't i. i called my husband at work yesterday and said, i want to paint our china cabinet! he wasn't too excited about this idea (maybe b/c our garage has the bookshelf that he built over thanksgiving still sitting in it needing another coat of primer and 2 coats of paint...but wouldn't it be so much easier if we sprayed it) i also want to paint my DR chandelier, our LR armoire, and my foyer console....i need to be oscar. plus, i think you look a lot cooler w/ a spray can vs. a paint brush!

make me a bird....

i think it was from forest gump and jenny was standing in the fields and said "lord, make me a bird so i can fly far, far away"...that's how i feel about my office...better yet, make me a bull dozier. my office is utter chaos!! there are fabrics, wallpaper, random papers, and magazines EVERYWHERE! it is not a pretty site at all (thank goodness clients don't see this part).

I need a major room makeover. i would love for ruthie sommers to come and wave her magic wand and "poof" this beautiful imagine appears....is that too much for a girl to ask??

OH MY christmas tree...

well, isn't that great, my tree decided that it wanted to be the leaning tower of Pisa this AM... luckily, i saved Christmas and rescued it. i had to do a little speaker phone action to my husband at work in order to save the crazy thing. it was about to eat my wing chair and then the floor! we thought we would be ahead of the game and bought this super- duper tree stand that swivels so if you have a crooked tree trunk, it doesn't matter...well that thing swiveled a little too much apparently last night...

you better watch your back martha...

because the darby's don't play around!!! seriously, i think we did pretty darn good! and the best part was that my husband actually got into painting one of them. i did the cream background reindeer and he did the chocolate background reindeer. not that it's a competition...but come on, mine is the best! hee hee. anyways, this was a lot of fun, easy to do and makes a great statement when you walk into our house at Christmas time! oh, and i also did the snowballs...don't know if they are blogger-worthy though but i like them none-the-less!!