Swoon Interiors

interiors that make your heart skip a beat.

A New Flagship Store in Chicago

Well, we made it down to the city twice this weekend … Friday it was just me and the boys. We took the train down and went to Millennium Park.

There’s always a stop at “The Bean” … and the fountains were a great way to cool off on a hot day.

Sunday the whole family was in the city and one of our stops was to check out the new Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams store that just opened last Wednesday at North and Clybourn. 

My husband, Dan worked with Mitchell and Bob themselves to find just the right space for their first store in Chicago. It is beautiful inside.
Years ago, Dan and I were at ABC Home in New York City and spotted this awesome Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams sectional we affectionately called “the Pit.”   We have talked about it ever since and we were so happy to see it again in their new store.

How great would this be for watching movies/having sleepovers/building forts/?  I bet you could fit 20 kids on this thing …and you may never get them out!
Loved the bold chevron stripes on these chairs …

I think this round chair would be perfect in a bedroom. I could definitely cozy up with a good book or a guilty pleasure TV show in this baby and be blissfully happy.

Of course, if you’ve read my blog for awhile … you know how I feel about ikat fabrics and also a yellow and gray color combo. Put them altogether and (swoon) … perfection.

Also for my bedroom … these tufted stools.

Or these beauties …

Check out the detail …

I love the idea of a bench or settee at a dining room table. This curved one is perfect for a round table.

The curvy lines of the is wing-back chair give it a kind of sexy, whimsical vibe, don’t you think? Exactly what I am thinking of for my living room.

Also love the paisley fabric on this fun little chair.

If you get a chance, definitely stop by the new store. The official Grand Opening isn’t until September, but it is still currently open for business.
Have a good week!

Masculine Finds for Father’s Day

Okay. Let’s face it.  There are things belonging to some (most?) husbands that we either:

a) wish we could hide when people come over
b) DO hide when people come over
c) have relegated to a special room (cough, cough, basement) where most people won’t see them

But in the spirit of Father’s Day, I’ve decided to throw all the great Dads out there a bone and feature some masculine finds that could actually coexist with all of the other lovely items in your home that … ahem, you have chosen.

Leather Wingback chairs
Handpainted Linen Welsh Dragon Pillow






Vintage Salvage Metal Window Grill



Carved Horn Bowl



Vintage Code Flag Art
Leather Butterfly Chair



Deer Antlers



Pool Ball Candle Holder
Vintage Apothecary Bottles
If you have a “man-cave” in your house that you are actually proud of, please send pictures. I will post the best ones.  In the meantime, have a wonderful Father’s Day weekend!

Lovely for Less: Home Decorators

Do you get Home Decorators catalog in the mail?  If you look really closely, you’ll see that they have quite a few … shall we say … replicas (sounds nicer than knockoffs)… of some pretty high end pieces you may have seen elsewhere. And some of them are pretty spectacular.  See for yourself …

Sundance 1934 Dining Chair $245

Home Decorators Garden Chair $89

Layla Grace’s Somerset Bay Essex Chest $3,461  
Home Decorator’s Left Bank Chest $259 
Circa Lighting Stacked Ball Glass Table Lamp $1,190

Home Decorators Lafayette Table Lamp $249

Madeline Weinrib’s Mandala Rug Beige and Blue (many, many thousands of dollars) 
Home Decorator’s Rosa Area Rug Ivory and Navy $279 for a 5’x8″ 
Neiman Marcus Arched Mirror $750
Home Decorators Amiel Arched Mirror $239
Restoration Hardware’s Brickmaker’s Coffee Table $1,360  
Home Decorator’s Holbrook Coffee Table $329  
Circa Lighting Desmond Table Lamp $483
Home Decorators Adonis Table Lamp $129
Aidan Gray Cushion Le Jardin from Layla Grace $225
Home Decorators Louvre Square Cushion $24

Aiden Gray French Pillow from Layla Grace $105

Home Decorators Belle Jardiniere Pillow $34

 See …  In some cases, I think I even like the Home Decorators version better.  It’s a great lesson in decorating and something I think we all do in fashion as well.  We see an $800 dollar lamp or a $2000 dress that we love in a magazine. No, of course we’re not going to buy it … but we can be inspired by it to look for something with similar lines, colors, patterns, etc. that is a little more friendly to the pocketbook. 

What are some of your favorite “Lovely for Less” pieces?

Wednesday Wish List – Jayson Home & Garden

Ahhhh … there was a time when I actually had time to just pop in to Jayson Home & Garden just to walk around and drool over pretty much everything that crossed my path. It was always such a great source of inspiration for me.  The perfect mix of old and new, classic and unique.



via Cococozy

Nowadays, both time and distance make that a lot more difficult. When I received their Spring 2011 mailer just the other day it brought me back to the good ol’ days. Their mailer alone had enough eye candy to create an extensive Wish List of “Maybe-Someday” or “If-I-Win-the-Lottery” items.

One of the very first pictures was of this chair.

 Penelope Chair
Check out that nailhead trim. (Swoon!) In fact, almost all of the chairs I fell in love with were graced with a lovely nailhead trim.
Greenwich Chair

How comfortable does this one look? You could literally sink into it for hours.


Morgan Chair




Rivington Chair

And then … on page 21 …. (drumroll please …)

Emma Feather Pendant


I know it is totally over the top, but I love it.  I would design a room around this. (Or I’d kinda love it in my bedroom.)

When I was done daydreaming my way through the mailer, I decided to take a little virtual walk through their store.  I was pleasantly surprised to find a link to their “Petite Flea Market.”  What could be better?

There are so many swoon worthy things I hardly know where to begin.
This would be so lovely at the foot of a bed.
Vintage Chinoiserie trunk

Love the turquoise interior.

I’d like a couple of these for extra seating in my living room.
Vintage Brass Stool
An old Grandfather clock has always been on my wish list … this one is so majestic and I love that it is light wood  instead of dark.

We play a lot of board and card games at our house. Another idea for my living room is a game table … this one flanked by two comfy chairs in front of the window … a fire in the fireplace … mmmmm.
Vintage Lucite Game Table

How cool is this?

Vintage School Desk
If only … this would be the centerpiece of my home office … or Kyle and Braden could each have their own homework desk. (Hmmmm, how much homework would they get done sitting side by side?) 
And finally … these made me swoon as soon as they popped up on screen.

Even one would be such a conversation piece on a fireplace mantel or sideboard table. A collection would be stunning … especially if you were a talented musical/singing family. (We are not.)
By the way, if you go to their website and sign up for their newsletter, you can be entered to win a $1,000 shopping spree. (I already signed up.) Granted, that wouldn’t cover much of my wish list … but it’s a start!
Ok … back to reality.  What are some of your favorite stores to daydream about?

Elegant Zebra

As I was looking through some of the pictures I’ve saved in my “Inspiration File” … I noticed a trend. There was something with a zebra print in an awfully lot of them.

For me, zebra print usually falls into one of two categories. I like to call them Nightclub Zebra and Elegant Zebra. Nightclub Zebra is really in-your-face, kind of cheesy. It conjures up images of Lindsay Lohan clubbing in Miami at 5 am in a place with zebra velour couches, purple rugs and disco balls.

Elegant Zebra makes me swoon.

Elegant Zebra is versatile. It works in a variety of rooms and color schemes. Here’s a kitchen and a bedroom that pair zebra with turquoise:

Here’s a bedroom and a library that pair zebra with a kind of citrusy pallate. One’s traditional, one’s modern … but the zebra rug works in both.

 ElleDecor San Franicisco Show House via Good Bones Great Pieces
A zebra print also works beautifully in a neutral room. It almost becomes the “pop of color” in the space.
James Tse Photography via DecorPad
Would you ever consider using a zebra print rug for your staircase runner?  If you’re thinking, not a chance, take a look at this next picture.
Sometimes, just a small zebra chair or two is all you need for a lot of impact.

What about replacing your coffee table with a zebra ottoman?
via Domino

As much as I love zebra however, I believe a home can really only support one statement making zebra piece. I am still holding out for a zebra rug for our bedroom. Good Bones Great Pieces has done a great roundup of zebra rugs at various price points.

Here are a few other pieces you can add to your home, depending on your level of zebra-love.

Horchow Zebra Chest –  $3,199

 Just want to say thanks again to everyone for reaching out to me and for all of the wonderful support this week with the launch of my blog.  It has been a fun week!

We’ve got a busy weekend ahead, so no new posts this weekend. But I promise a swoon-worthy Valentine’s Day post on Monday and more vintage finds to come!