Swoon Interiors

interiors that make your heart skip a beat.

5 Girls, A Goat & a Market

So if you live in the Chicagoland area, you’ve probably heard of (or been to!) Girl and The Goat, the West Loop dining hot spot on Randolph Street where Chef Stephanie Izard of Bravo’s Top Chef has made quite the name for herself.

 
And now, much to everyone’s delight, there is also a Little Goat right across the street … an all-day diner where it’s easier to snag a table and easier on the wallet … yet no less delicious!
 
 
So what do you do when the Randolph Street Market is in full swing for the weekend right down the street from this Little Goat?
 
Girls Trip!
 
Bright and early Saturday morning, 5 Girls and the Goat communed over watermelon cucumber mimosas and the best hashbrowns and grits you’ve ever tasted before heading over to the Market for a little treasure hunting.
 

 
 
The restaurant itself is right out of a design mag …
 
Gorgeous light fixtures, funky wallpaper and skylights.
 

 
And the bakery next door … so charming.
 
 
With full bellies, we were off to burn some calories in the most fun way.
 
 
As usual, I snapped some pictures of some of my favorite finds …
 
I love these little vintage glass fishing floats to fill a bowl or vase with soft color.
 
 
Or you could do something similar with these strands of beads.
 

 
Fun hand-painted signs for a farmhouse kitchen.

 
We were cracking up over this collection of vintage signs …
 
How many of our boys could use these reminders …

 
I think these little lockers would be SO cute flanking the bed in a little boys room as nightstands.

 
Loved this huge armoire painted a pretty blue-gray …

 
Of course there were vintage crates everywhere but I liked these for their color.

 
This lamp with marble base almost came home with me.  I forgot to take a picture of the gorgeous gold lining inside the shade.

 
I wish I had somewhere to put this dresser! What a fun color and the price was only $375 I think?

 
 
I also love how it was styled … stacks of candy-colored books and a little birdcage filled with plants. Perfect!
 
 
 
So, after collecting up all their purchases … and giggling over some “vintage” clothing, the Girls were ready to make the trek back to their car …

 
 
(See, I told you we would burn off our breakfast calories!)
 
Home the 5 Girls went to husbands and kiddos … and to find new homes for their new treasures.
 
One Girl bought this cute little chalkboard …

 
Another Girl scored this pretty little shelf for her daughters’ bathroom.

 
Another Girl picked up these metal numbers …
 
 
With a plan to do this …
 
 
She feels guilty that the picture of #3 is not hung yet given that #3 is 4 years old … but I assured her that you would all understand and perhaps even empathize with the Third Child Syndrome, right?
 
She also found this …
 
 
I love the idea of tucking a vintage team photo like this into a gallery-style wall of art.
 
k c interiors
 
via Houzz
via Houzz
 
 
As for this Girl?  I also got a chalkboard … 
 
 
 
 
What else?
 
Well, I have loved these on Terrain for some time, but not for $158 bucks a pop.
 
 
 
Fortunately I was able to snag one for only  $40 …
 
 
There are lots of uses of it … from a planter to a magazine holder …
 

 
… to a place to store TP or firewood ….

via Houzz
or repurposed into a light fixture …
 
 
 
I think I’ll find many uses for it in my house.
 
I also like collecting little number eights since that is our address … I found this cute black and white one that I can tuck in almost anywhere.

 
And I couldn’t resist a little bag full of those glass fishing floats …

 

 
All in all, a successful (and YUMMY!) trip.
 
Another great thing I love about this market is that often times if you talk to the vendors you will find that they have their own shops elsewhere around the city or even do custom work.  I snagged quite a few cards that I hope will come in useful to me or future clients …
 
 
I know these 5 Girls are looking forward to another trip!
 
 Have a good week!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

My buffet project …

Ever since I blogged about this idea I saw on Pure Style Home back in May, I’ve been thinking about trying it out on my own dining room sideboard.
 
 

 
You see, my poor buffet has seen better days …
 
 
It is a wonderful piece we purchased at Mig and Tig many years ago, and it has seen a lot of love …
 
 
… and unfortunately, one too many bowls or plants that have left their mark.
 
But we love it … and I have tried to cover the spots by strategically placing things over them …
 
 
 

 
But … sometimes it’s felt a bit cluttered and I haven’t used it much for actual serving because it looks so bad when you take everything off. 
 
I know we could have it refinished … but this chalkboard idea has stuck with me as a great and inexpensive alternative. And so, as part of my dining room makeover, I decided it was time to give this project a try.
 
At Home Depot I had them cut a wood board to size …
 
 
I sanded the edges and applied a coat of primer.
 
 
Next up,  the chalkboard paint.
 
 
I opted for the Moonstone color to mimic natural stone or slate.
 
 
The can says to do 2 coats, but I did 3 just to be safe … and because it was so easy.
 
The can also says to wait 3-4 days before “curing” it with chalk. Because I’m a little impatient, I only waited two, then took the long side of a piece of chalk and covered the entire board with it …
 
 
… and then erased it … still leaving a little bit of a chalky residue.
 
 
 
You’re supposed to wait another few days before wiping it down. (I think I waited 2 again.)
 
 
And Voila!
 
Of course … it’s more fun like this …
 

 
I love how it looks like slate. Everyone who’s seen it before cannot believe it’s actually a piece of wood.  Fun for serving and writing what’s on the menu.
 

 
So … just a sneak peek of my dining room makeover … I’ll do a “full reveal” soon, I promise!

 
 
Have a great weekend!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Steal this idea …

I just had to share an idea I came across on the blog, Pure Style Home, by Lauren Leiss.

Check out the sideboard.  It’s actually an older piece that was lacquered in white, and the top is …

… simply a wooden board painted with chalkboard paint!   How fun is that? 
It kind of looks like slate, doesn’t it? (Much less expensive.) What an elegant way to repurpose an old piece of furniture.  Especially, perhaps, if you’re dealing with a surface or top that has seen better days.

Of course, the entire room is quite swoon worthy … you can read all about it here.

Painted!

My husband was busy painting this weekend …

… and so the boys were busy today.

The chalkboard paint wall is a big hit.
We put three coats of magnetic primer underneath the chalkboard paint, so I can also use magnets to tack things up. I like the idea of being able to put up an ever-changing display of inspiration photos, swatches, etc.

I think I also figured out why my rug is back-ordered!  I spotted this photo in a recent issue of Lucky Magazine. The article featured Christiane Lemieux, the founder of Dwell Studio and this rug from her line is also in the living room of her beach house.
It’s okay. I can wait.
Part one of the office makeover: complete!

Out of the ordinary art …

I love coming across new ideas for what to hang on the walls.  Here are some of my favorite yet not-so-traditional things that have been elevated to artwork-status with a simple frame.
Illustrator Alanna Cavanagh recreated this old book jacket into a vibrant piece of art. Of course, the title here has a meaningful tie-in to a bedroom, but other favorite or classic book titles could work as well.  I would love to have a series of these lining a wall in my office.  The hardest part would be deciding which books to feature … Hmmm.

Alanna Cavanagh via Elements of Style

I love old maps and I have always wanted to do something like this in our living room. This one is a map of Paris, but again, a favorite city that has special meaning to the family would make it that much more personal.

The writer in me loves this giant hand-addressed envelope turned on it’s side. Maybe it’s a long lost love letter …

My dad has boxes of the letters my grandparents wrote back and forth to each other when my Grandpa was in Europe during World War II … I would love to blow one up and frame it just like this.

I know lots of people have chalkboards or are painting walls in chalkboard paint, but this one really feels like art to me.  I would have fun finding inspirational quotes to write on here.


via Style at Home

If you’re anything like me and collect swatches of fabric (I have a box full that I just like to pull out and look at … they’re so pretty) this might be a fun idea … especially in a hallway where the colors and patterns don’t have to compete with anything.


New York International Gift Fair
How about you … what have kinds of things have you deemed frameable in your house?