Ringing in the New Year: Gold Beauties

What better way to ring in 2014 than to take a peek at a few beautifully gilded items that never fail to make me swoon!

First, the fabulous Faceted Lamp by Porta Romana in Bright Gold. I don’t know if I would be able to pull off this lamp in my own home (much less afford it), but that doesn’t stop me from loving to look at it!

I could picture it as elegant and unassuming with an ivory silk shade. Alternately, it would be a stunning statement piece with a cobalt satin or magenta silk shade! All options with magnificent Porta Romana.

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Next, a piece that I mentioned before in a past post. The Brentwood Desk by Worlds Away has been a long time favorite of mine and, to say the least, my crush has endured into the new year…

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The third and much more reasonable item is this lovely set of mirrors by Threshold. They may very well make an appearance in my master bedroom in the very near future… I think.

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Last, I received this beautiful Stella and Dot Valor pendant as a Christmas gift. I wore it for the first time yesterday and I’m sure it will be a new favorite during the new year!

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If your family is anything like mine, you’ll be eating black eyed peas and cabbage today. Eat up and have a wonderful New Years!

Mid-Week Makeover

For the first Mid-Week Makeover I will be featuring items from my own home. Some of you may know that Geoff, our son Christopher and myself live in a small townhome in Houston. When I say small… I mean small. 645 square feet, to be exact.

We rented this place when we got married and have decided to stay here for two years because, let’s face it, its inexpensive. Our place has a nice sized living area with a surprisingly well-designed kitchen and a master with a delightfully large closet. Kudos to the architect and builder for making it a useful space, but no matter how you cut 645 sq ft, it is small!

Don’t get me wrong; I love our little place.  It’s the place we first came home to as a married couple…

and it’s the place we brought our little man home to after his birth. Just look at that Sweetness!

We have managed to live in two small rooms for what has been two very eventful years, but its time to find something bigger.

We have been in the process of looking for a bigger townhome for a few weeks now. We want to stay in the same area, but places here rent out in mere hours. We have seen three possible places so far: one great, one bad and one mediocre.  All of which have been off of the rental market within 1-3 days of their being posted.

Our search will probably go on for another month or so, but that has not stopped my designing mind from dreaming planning.

So without further adieu, here is what I would like to do in my future, larger living room:

Can you tell I like cool tones?

Some of the items pictured are things that we currently own. The rest are things that I will be emulating in future projects.

Blue Velvet Sofa – Bought second hand when we got married
La-Z-Boy Recliner – Bought before Christopher was born. (Not the most aesthetically pleasing, but helped with 2am feedings)
Side Chair – Found on a trash pile during my college days.
Nesting Tables – Purchased at a neighborhood garage sale and repainted (Tutorial Coming Soon)
Table Lamps – I have similar lamps that were given to me by my favorite design prof in college. I bought the black drum shades.
Worlds Away Olivia Side Table in Limed Oak – I will be doing my version of this piece soon
Worlds Away Ricardo Coffee Table in Limed Oak – My version also coming soon
Dash & Albert Diamond Light Blue/Ivory Indoor/Outdoor Rug – I am not set in stone on this rug yet. I will be painting a rug myself soon.
Floor Pillows in Thomas Paul’s Dahlia Color: Slate – I made these a few years ago with a few yards of fabric and an euro down insert
Lumbar Pillows in Claridge Mambo Jacquard Color: Moon Power – On the to do list
JCPenney Linden Street Back-Tab Twill Drapery Panels with Duralee 1″ Border Tape Color: Slate on the Leading Edge

As you can see from my comments above, a lot of these things are yet to be done. I will be tackling them as projects over the next several months. Also, it should be noted that sometimes, as many designers do, I may change my mind on a few of the details. The final product may not be exactly like the photo above.

I hope that you like the look so far!

I will not always be doing my Mid-Week Makeovers on an actual room, but if any of you would like to send me photos and details on a room that you need help with, feel free to send me an email. I may feature it in a Mid-Week Makeover in the future!

Tell me what you think!