Pay No Attention To The Man Behind The Curtain...

Confession time: I have very few fears. In my house, I can face-down the fury of a toddler, take care of the bugs that threaten terrified humans and bravely investigate the strange noise at 3 A.M. However, I am truly afraid of 3 things: Praying Mantis, arrogant ignorance and the prospect of decorating with window treatments.

It may be the result of living through the '80s with all those balloons, jabots and cafe styled pieces. JJ had a cottage industry making curtains for all of her friends and they were great for that time, but like most daughters, I veered a full 180 degrees from her style and went modern. Give me clean lines or give me death. No fuss, no fluff. Just a solid drape that breaks, thank you very much.

Now I have these windows in the house that truly need some dressing. I have enlisted JJ to execute whatever it is that I settle on. She's game, even though I suspect she would prefer to add fancy trims. So I'm doing what I do best: researching what the experts say and gathering images for inspiration.

Elle Decor offers great advice and it seems I'm on the right track.....
http://www.elledecor.com/decorating/articles/how-to-choose-curtains

Inspiration for the Kitchen:



Since this kitchen resembles ours, I'm a little more comfortable with adding a roman shade over the bay window by the sink. But, happy chic notwithstanding, there's no way I'm going to with a print.

This is going to be more difficult than I thought.
I have better luck finding inspiration for the living room.

Inspiration for the Living Room:

I like the continuity of the rod.

 

The Winner!



A Mirror for The Lady's Room



Original mirror purchased from Wisteria Outlet.



The genuis of JJ. Voila! A Parisian delight.

Detail of the basket.



Finally starting to come together. A place for The Lady to rest her precious head.



Before and After: A Living Room Project

I was thinking about our old house today. It's interesting to look back and see how the seeds of my style were sown at the old place, but transferred and continued to grow here in our new home.

My dear Sweet Husband bought the old place while we were dating and planned on holding it for 2-3 years at the most. Nine years and two children later, we bought a bigger home and JJ moved in. These images show what it looked like after the renovation in 2010. JJ has her own style, so it looks nothing like this today. In any event, the renovation is a testament to the power of white paint.

Before:
There are hundreds if not thousands of rooms just like this in North Dallas and according to a real estate agent "people LOVE the wood and brick." I say "who cares about re-sale value?" After 8 years (8 years!), I couldn't live in this cave another minute.



After:
Let there be light! It took 16 different shades to get a white that wasn't too yellow, pink or blue in this room. I've never seen anything like it. The wood had a chameleon-like ability to tweak a base color just enough to make Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. The room fought hand and tooth to avoid white, but eventually submitted.  The winner: Benjamin Moore's Simply White. 

Dallas Designer Abbe Fenimore provided much needed moral support in the process. Thanks Abbe!



Before:
The white chair and table started us on the road to renovation, but it's totally out of place in this room.

That deconstructed slipper chair in the background is the twin of the black and white one pictured here. I found it on eBay for $150 and recovered it in pink velvet for The Lady's Room. Last week at Again and Again, an identical pair (unrestored) was listed at $695. At that rate, these may end up on Modern Hindsight.

After:
It's like the room took a breath of fresh air..but for the brown sofa and chair. It took buying and renovating a new house to get My Dear Sweet Husband to part with the sofa and chair. I must admit: it was a great napping spot.

Before:
The best "before" shots are the ones that show the room at its worst....and here it is. Check out the plywood in the middle of the floor. How cheap was this builder? Really?!?!

 

After:
Wow. It's amazing. With a lot of white paint, a little marble and some drywall. I can't believe we lived with the wood and brick all that time.



Before:
Terrible. Just terrible.



After:
The room finally fit in with the rest of the house. Finally, in 2010, our home was completely renovated and on the road to being furnished.

And then we moved.



 

Hunting Season: February: Week 1.

JJ, The Lady and I went down to the Design District today to browse for Modern Hindsight candidates. I found a finalist....and a couple of gems for my own place. I've really got to get MH off the ground so I can justify and underwrite my personal MCM collection.

Check out Modern Hindsight for some really great finds from Again and Again, but don't buy those swivel chairs. I think I want them....

A new addition to the foyer. I picked these up at Again and Again. They have a nice patina and will warm up a space when lit up.



I like the patina on these side tables and the mirror detail. Sitting room or master bedroom? Hmm.

 

A MH candidate. I think there's a Johnathan Adler inspired Happy Chic chair under all that plastic. I'm thinking orange with white piping. Or a lattice print in lime green to echo the legs.

 

Goldilocks and the Two Bears.



The Canopy is Complete

The canopy is complete. Long live the canopy. This is one of those ridiculous design blocks that became a looming dark tower in my mind. It is NOTHING like my original inspiration. My vision involved construction, drapery, trim work, etc. Instead, I asked The Lady what she wanted and  here it is. The photo does not do it justice.


The canopy consists of several yards of pink chiffon littered with pink floral cut outs, satin ribbon and paper peony.

 

The bedding is a simple mix of white damask embroidery, pink taffeta and a floral stripe. A white duvet cover steps into the background and tones down the pink walls.

A pink floral waterfall. Lovely.



Detail: Paper peony flowers and satin ribbon.

 

Detail of the floral chiffon.

Original condition. Gilded garland mirror from Wisteria Outlet.

This is the mirror that will hang on the wall under the canopy. JJ did a fantastic job transforming the mirror into a colorful and sweet shabby chic piece that is perfect reflection of The Lady.