Anyone else sick of midcentury modern furniture?

 Damn, I want to ditch everything in my TV/family room. At first I loved the groovy look of so many midcentury pieces and a few Chinoiserie pieces along with some funky details.

 

 First of all, I hate my citrine curtains and they were mega expensive.

The problem is that I don't dislike individual pieces. My pricey vintage Brno chairs, and the Saarinen table are dearly loved as well as the console but if they go away I won't cry.

Below is the curved console that holds our TV.

 

The problem is that in my next house ( which BTW is going to take longer than I thought) I want a more traditional, cozy feel but light and airy too.

I am imagining something like this Brooke Wagner Design.

I like the light sofas and blue and white pillows. I might add my Saarinen table and a glass coffee table but I think my taste has changed.

Am I nuts? Do your tastes vary?

I'll gladly sell every piece. Any takers???

What is your "safe" color

A "safe" color is the color that you end up with in a the case of indecision. When you love the red chair but worry where to put it and you get the oatmeal fabric instead.

In looking around my own house I realized that my "safe" color is black. I have caught myself thinking, "Well, I can always move it to another room if it's black."

I have painted furniture black, chosen black lampshades and fabrics, and moved that black chair from room to room.

So tell me, what is your "safe" color?

To paint or not to paint

The entryhall , with it's 18 foot ceiling, is now painted. Thanks to Mr. Designdumonde and his ladder bravery. As I put it back together I see flaws.

Those orange floors will just have to have another Oriental rug on them so that they are less, well, there and that fugly orange banister has a date with some white paint but it is my little desk that I wonder about.

I like painted furniture in small doses. I feel like they are fun accents but plan for the look to become dated so my favorite things likely won't ever be painted. I like this desk but its not a family heirloom.I am leaning towards painting it a glossy color. My first go-to is black but I have a bamboo chest painted black just steps away from this. There is always gray but I don't want to max out the gray in my house, if that is even possible. I really would only consider those two colors. Yes, me the color lover doesn't want a color on this. I just don't want to hate a year from now and I don't want it to be a problem in the new house.

So, help! What color do I paint it? Or do I paint it at all?

Those bits that look like inlay are what drew me to the piece but they are just applied either paint or stain.

P.S. We painted the walls SW Repose Gray at 50% and love it! The hallway, family room and kitchen are all getting painted the same color too.

What was I thinking?

What was your biggest decorating misstep?

You know the purchase or modification to your house that later had you asking, "What was I thinking?"

I have had several but the one that stings the most is my idiot idea to modify a bed. My grandparents had an antique 3/4 size pineapple bed from the Tidewater region of Virginia and my grandfather had plans to modify it to a twin size because there was a gouge on the edge of the headboard. They offered it to me as a "big boy" bed for my then 15 month old son. I was thrilled and (here is the idiot part) asked him to cut down the legs because I worried that my little boy could not climb into a regular height twin.

He was my first child but even a new mom should know that they grow (more quickly than you think) and he would be able to climb in by the time he graduated from high school. He turns 19 next week and I am happy to say that he has mastered scaling the heights of a mattress but I have a ridiculous bed frame in my basement.

What are you still kicking yourself about?

Where do you put this?

Well...it's interesting. I like the concept but if it were filled with books and objet d'art would it look right? 

I can't help but envision five or six cats using it as a playground and if I sat in that seat I might never be able to get out.

Thoughts?

Auction fever!

I got an email yesterday afternoon about an auction in Alexandria, Virginia. That is where I grew up and its about an hour away from me now. 

I almost deleted the email without looking.

Somebody needs these!

The online auction is Monday August 12th.

You can browse and bid HERE

I really want this mahogany sideboard by Baker.

The starting bids are low. If you live in the DC metro area you can bid online and pick up the items in Alexandria. You can also arrange for shipping to other parts. 

I almost bid on these but if I don't get six chairs that work together all at once I know I am going to be stuck in stupidville-dining for a long time.

What would you bid on?

Monday must haves

I really want a modern (vintage or not) credenza/sideboard/dresser for my TV room.

I saw the perfect one for $175 on my local Craigslist and it was gone in hours. This one above is $595 and its been up for weeks.

I don't think that is a crazy price I just know I can get it for much less with patience.

Here are a few others I like.

This one is from the Conran collection now at JcPenney. Its on sale for $765.

I am still really mad at JCP for debuting the JA Happy Chic collection and having only a construction zone in my local store. It just reinforces my belief that  Fredericksburg is a dowdy, provincial place. My husband and I have a running argument about that. I am right but that is another post.

This credenza from the Jonathan Adler collection is on sale for $715 but the lone review is by a disgruntled customer that was not expecting "put it together" furniture. I don't blame her. The regular price is nearly $1200.

I have a feeling that my patience will be rewarded.

Do you patiently wait for deals?

A little family room fantasy

I saw this little settee from Hickory chair on Craigslist and the wheels started turning.

I was thinking it could replace this vintage Naugahide chair in my family room.

My thought was that this little French canape could be funked up with the right fabric, non?

This Robert Allen Annex was a thought.

Duralee's Flynn seems like a better choice.

But then I always want to use one of my own fabrics.

I have yet to find an upholsterer that does sofas for less than $1000 but I hear they exist.

If any of you DC or Richmond folks know of one please tell.

That being said, this is not a financial priority.

What I really want to do is this...

If I did my rather conventional family would have me committed.

TV for artists

I am not quite sure how I feel about this way to hold a TV but it is clever.

I would imagine that it is slightly difficult to disguise the tangle of cords in this situation. Barring that problem, I would love to be able to roll the whole thing right out of sight when necessary.

Tell me. What do you think?

 Oh and Happy Valentines day!

Make this!

via Southern Living

I recently subscribed to Southern Living magazine and  well, yum. I had been meaning to make this Caramel Apple dip (above) and was procrastinating because I just didn't feel like it. I thought it would be effort. Let me tell you that it was so easy. Five minutes easy and the super rich, creme brulee-like result is decadent.

I don't often post about food but it was that good.

Find it HERE

There may be a bit of silence while I paint some furniture that I hope to be posting about soon.