gien love

My very first post featured the beautiful Gien pattern Les Grands Oiseaux, a collection of 12 different hand-painted plates with avian motifs. Pictured above is the Point Aux Choux pattern. It's classic and simple with a great relief texture in the form of rice grains.

I'm reminded of how much I love Gien's china collections as I unpack a set of Caraibes (also called Magellan and now discontinued)--see photo below. I love that it is unusual and microwave and dishwasher safe.

crisp & clean

Somehow we are still surrounded by stacks of boxes (and a huge mess) despite a few days now of unpacking. It's making me a little crazy. I'm just going to imagine for a moment that we are living in a fresh and orderly space like this cheery Scandinavian apartment. See more rooms of this flat at Fresh Home. Check out more spaces like this in my previous posts here and here. Hope you're having a good week!

on the move

I've been moving into a new house in Decatur, Georgia, this weekend. We are up to our ears in boxes! We have a long list of projects ahead of us--it was built in 1938 and has lots of charm but lots of quirks, too, plus a bathroom straight out of 1984. We'll get it all done...within the next ten years maybe. I'm drawing inspiration from soothing neutral scenes like this one from Plain English cabinetmakers. I'll also be referring to Daryl Carter's book, The New Traditional, as I daydream about creating new spaces for us in this old house.

Click the book image below to find Daryl Carter's book.

papermash

A few fun finds from Papermash: White doilies; Japanese masking tape; Chapter notebooks; Gingham fabric tape.

bathroom of the week

Loving this bathroom sink area with vintage fish print tiles spotted over at House to Home. If you like this look, you may like:

The Burlington Victorian Cloakroam Basin from Victorian Plumbing

 Anatolian striped bath towel from Toast

Mini bamboo bowl from the Oxfam shop

for the library

Based on this fabulous entryway photo, I'm eager to explore Restoring a House in the City  by Brooklyn-based Ingrid Abramovitch (thanks to Pearl Street Interiors for the rec). The book aims to show readers "how to turn an old home into a jewel on the block" with helpful reno ideas and photos from 21 top-notch restoration projects.

Read more about the author here.

farmhouse wares & hitchcock chairs

 

Love this ticking stripe table runner from Farmhouse Wares. Visit the shop for lots of fun design goodies like glass cloches and indusrial style display pedestals. They also stock dry goods and eco-friendly items.

Tip: Find chairs similar to the one shown by searching online for antique or vintage Hitchcock chairs. Here's a pair (in a slightly different style) from New Hope Antiques:

a little unexpected + lighting sources

I love the unexpected placement (and style) of this sconce (BHG). Also nice to see the little painting on the beadboard wainscot rather than the wall space above it.

A few good sites for antique and vintage lighting:

Rejuvenation

Renaissance Antique Lighting

Urban Remains

Early Electrics

Rewire (mid-century)

Ann's Lights

Reproductions and handcrafted period-style lighting sources:

Authentic Designs

School House Electric

House of Antique Hardware

Heritage Lanterns

Fine Architectural Metalsmiths

Ball & Ball Lighting

Omega Too

The Federalist

Customlightstyles

Have a good antique lighting source? Tell us about it in the comments section!

happy monday: handy tips & tricks

Happy Monday to you! Hope your week is starting off well.  Here are a few helpful and interesting "how to" posts I've come across lately:

~How to set a table:

Mrs. Lillien's proper table setting 

~How to clean your home naturally:

Homemade cleaning potion ideas from The Long Thread here and here

~How to remove candle wax from wood furniture:

Martha Stewart's method here

~How to recognize authentic antiques (and spot fakes!):

Handy tips from My Home Ideas here

~How to replace a broken tile:

Step-by-step photo instructions from This Old House

~How to make a lamp:

Turn a favorite vase into a lamp with a tutorial from Country Home

~How to update a bathroom in one weekend:

A bathroom in a c. 1929 house (with pinkish floor tile) is updated with a few cosmetic touches and no demo! See before and after pics and get details at BHG.

Have a great day!
~Sarah

Photo: Ulmer Studios at Ruffled

dressing the stairs

I'm thinking about stair runners (exciting, isn't it?!). This is a photo of the house we just moved from; we didn't have a runner and, surprisingly, the wood steps didn't show scratches and flaws as much as I had predicted. Our new house also has a wooden staircase, but with a bit of an angle in it (like the one below). As much as I like things plain and simple, I'm thinking a runner will make our new, creaky staircase a little quieter.

What are your thoughts on runner vs. no runner? I'm also thinking about using stair rods....too formal?

bathroom of the week

French doors and a tall, tiled ceiling make for a lovely bath.

blackberries

Last night was a BFD (Breakfast For Dinner) night. We had buckwheat-pecan pancakes with fresh blackberries and bananas. The blackberries were so beautiful and tasty--they brought to mind a place you may have heard about called Blackberry Farm in Walland, Tennessee. It's a 4,200-acre farm and resort where they raise their own eggs, wild flower honey, and, of course, blackberries. My parents once stayed at the inn there and said the food was so beautiful that fellow guests were photographing their plates at dinner. Above are a few photos of the farm; get more inspiration here.

little cottage in the woods

These special but simple rooms are in a little red cottage in the woods in Sweden (from Hege Greenall-Scholtz). See more of the cottage (including a loft space with a hammock!) at Hus & Hem.

Do you love little getaway spots? Also see my post Little Cabin on the Lake.

brook farm general store

Check out these fun, classic finds from Brooklyn-based Brook Farm General Store (top to bottom):

Straw market baskets; solar powered radio; Bicycle playing cards, eco edition; spool of twine; handmade wire shopping basket.


And here's a peek inside their brick-and-mortar locale:

bathroom of the week

A bathroom with a fireplace? Yes, that could work on chilly mornings! Love this effortless-chic bathroom from The Hawley House Project.

antiquaria

Antiquaria speaks my language: hand-lettered custom stamps (the handkerchief in the top photo is stamped--see more here), vintage housewares, and antique china.  Check out the online shop here. Visit their blog here (photo credit: Kelly Lynn James).

I love this custom return address design:

inspired by: restaurant style

Today I'm inspired by the design of L'Ebauchoir ("The Chisel") in Paris. The restaurant web site is as charming as the interior is chic; check out their blog, too!

the urban orchard

I love this guest room and it happens to be in the home of my fabulous friend and fellow blogger, Lane McNab. Check out her blog, The Urban Orchard, for great design and restoration tips and for more photos of her design projects.

Lane made the wall art herself using coral fans she ordered from eBay and shadow boxes from her local crafts store. Click here for a close-up. Beautiful!