Swoon Interiors

interiors that make your heart skip a beat.

5 years ago …

I was blessed with this little boy …

Braden Christopher
Yesterday was his birthday …
We had a party in the park …
Thank goodness those aren’t real ants!
It was a little hot …
… but we still had fun.
Braden loves to sing and this is one of his favorite songs to belt out …
The Ink Society on Etsy

Aren’t these prints from Etsy so cute?

His “Mimi” (my mother-in-law) taught that song to him and it melts my heart every time he sings it in his sweet voice. He is definitely my sunshine, keeping me on my toes but always able to make me laugh and smile.
In honor of my Birthday Boy, here are some other fun kid’s art prints that remind me of him and that might just be able to brighten up your kids’ playrooms or bedrooms as well.
Studio Mela
Braden’s a Leo …
Parada Creations
(Check out the other cute zodiac signs.)
He LOVES animals …
Marla Sea
And especially sea creatures …
Wall Fry

Speaking of fries … Braden loves ’em. (Is there a kid out there who doesn’t?) 

Studio Mela
Happy Birthday my sweet Braden.
(That’s his new dog, Vanilla. Our poor cats think he’s real.)

Tray Chic

I love trays and find them hard to pass up … they are so useful and a great way to create little vignettes around the house.  A group of objects sitting on a table can look kind of random, but put them all on a tray and voila … you’ve got an interesting tablescape.

Ottoman tableaux

via Houzz

Living Room modern living room

SoHo Loft eclectic family room
Organized collecting contemporary living room
Living Room modern living room

I’m always on the lookout for brightly colored trays for that little pop they can bring to a room …

Janell Beals traditional living room
Isabella and Max Rooms

Michelles Master Bedroom. eclectic bedroom
Abbe Fenimore - Studio Ten 25 contemporary living room

I like to keep a tray on both my kitchen and dining room tables and change out what’s on them … fresh flowers, a bowl of fruit, candles, a stack of decorative dishes, vintage tins, or seasonal items. The tables just seem bare with out them.

This tray and its contents always seem to brighten up a dark table …

Of course, a tray on an ottoman is nothng new  … everyone needs a place to set their drinks.  But with little kids, I’m still a little nervous to keep too much else on the tray for daily life … so I found a pretty tray that looks great even when empty.

Here are a few other favorite trays I’ve spotted lately …

Bold colors paired with a rustic element … these are between 70 and 80 years old and no two are alike:

Wisteria

These simple lacquer trays can work well with almost any style of decor … just pick your color.
 

West Elm


Faux croc ad nailhead trim … I love the little details on this one.

ZGallerie
Furbish Studio
Etsy
Of course, the BEST tray is one that contains breakfast in bed.  I’m hoping for some on Sunday morning and a little source tells me it might be in my future. (Don’t you love how kids just cannot bear to keep a secret?)
What kind of pretty tray would you like your breakfast served on?
Happy Mother’s Day to all of the amazing moms out there and most importantly, my own … I love you Mom!



image via Simple Bites



Personalized Bus Roll Art

Have you heard of The Foundary? It’s kind of like Gilt Group, Hautelook, or One Kings Lane where you sign up to become a “member” and then each day you are sent an email about their various sales, which can run the gamut from name brand clothes to furniture, rugs, lighting, bedding … all at deeply discounted prices.  Sometimes you have to act fast … there have been times when I’ve logged in shortly after the sale started and a lot of the things are already sold or “on hold.”

Anyway, today and tomorrow, The Foundary is featuring a sale by Uptown Artworks which I think is really fun.

Love the pillows!

I’m sure you’ve seen similar styles of this “bus roll” art … even Restoration Hardware has a version:
Subway Sign Art $850

 These signs have always made me swoon for many reasons.
1) I love the boldness of  black and white, which looks good hanging on almost any color background. (I think every room needs a good dose of black and white.)
2) It is a great way to personalize your space if a certain city has special meaning to you … whether it be a place you lived, honeymooned, met your soul mate, traveled, etc.
3) Big cities are my favorite places to travel … and these signs are iconic to me … the sense of adventure you feel getting out to discover the streets of a new city.
4) I love signs and typography. Maybe it is my background in advertising and writing … but words are beautiful to me!
Not too long ago, a shop on Etsy caught my eye. HirondelleRustique makes customizable bus rolls with any names you choose and her pricing is way less than you’ll find in the stores.

I debated between doing one with all of the streets we’ve lived on or doing one for my son Kyle’s room, using the names of all the best surfing beaches.
This one won out …
I used the streets my husband and I each grew up on and then all of the streets we’ve lived on together.
Wouldn’t this be a great idea for an anniversary gift?  It helps if you’ve moved around a lot like we have.  But you could also simply use other street names that have special significance to you.
She has several different sizes, as well as lots of other great prints and customizable art. Be sure to check out her shop here.
I am all about hanging things on your wall that have personal meaning, and this certainly fits the bill.  On the “bus ride” of life these have been our most important stops. (We don’t have subways here in Chicago … only the El train)
How about you?

More Vintage Finds …

There was an interesting article on Houzz the other day about 12 ways to achieve a “collected” look in your home. I love the word “collected” as it applies to interior decorating, because to me that is the fun of decorating … finding and collecting things that I love over time. Rooms that look like they were all put together at once or from one or two stores are not interesting to me. Becky Harris, the author of this article, loves the word “collected” too and explains that “the ability to edit and curate diverse pieces, eras and textures needs a worthy name.” 

One of the best ways, I think, to achieve the “collected” look is to incorporate vintage pieces from various eras into your decor. Did you read my earlier post about some of my favorite vintage finds?

As promised, here are a few more favorite vintage pieces from my home.  The first is a wonderful little federal style convex mirror I have hanging in my front entry. 

Lauren Liess of Pure Style Home recently did a blog post featuring federal style convex mirrors and I was even more excited about my little one, especially after seeing this in her post … 
Mount Vernon Federal reproduction Convex Mirror by the Friedman Brothers  $3200
I’m pretty sure I paid less than $50 for mine. I also love some of these rooms she featured with similar mirrors.
Eddie Ross in Lonny

via Elle Decor

This one is of her own beautiful bedroom.

Next up is an old globe that has been covered in vintage ledger paper, old postcards and vintage brooches. I love it’s uniqueness and the idea of worldly travel it conjures up. The globe itself just rests on an old iron base with caster wheels. A beautiful twist on the traditional globe, don’t you think?

I also love this vintage jewelry holder …
image from Etsy
 Not only is it pretty, but very functional! I use it to hang the necklaces I wear most often. I like to imagine what other necklaces and jewels it proudly displayed in a former life.

What do these three things have in common? I bought them all from a wonderful Etsy shop called Blue Bell Bazaar. The owner, Gosia, collects interesting objects, antiques, oil paintings, industrial art, you name it, from a variety of places, including trips abroad.  She is a favorite of catalog stylists at Anthropologie.  Visiting her Etsy shop makes me feel like I am wandering around a quaint little flea market. She carries everything from vintage Scandinavian designs, old store signs, and laboratory and apothecary bottles, to modern china, vintage chalkboards, industrial lamps, vases and giant metal alphabet letters.

I feel lucky that she is a Chicago-based gem, as on several occasions when I have ordered something online, she has personally brought it to my house.  I’ve even pointed out certain places or walls where I am looking for something to put there and she will email me some ideas from her collection within the week.

If you read the post on my master bedroom, you may remember the vintage Paris prints hanging above my nightstand. Yep, I got them from Blue Bell Bazzar.  I’ve also purchased a number of other pieces of art from her. Here are two of my other favorites.

Still waiting to hang the one below … I am working on collecting pieces for a gallery style art wall to go up along our main staircase. (Stay tuned for a future post.)

Best of all, she and a partner have opened up Architectural Anarchy in Chicago’s historic Pilsen neighborhood.  I am dying to get down to their amazing 7400 sq ft warehouse showroom to see her latest collection of vintage furniture, lighting, artwork, and other wonderfully quirky pieces. 

Have a great weekend everyone!

Pillow Talk

First of all I want to thank everyone for the amazing amount of cheering and encouragement after launching my new endeavor this weekend. I am truly thrilled and overwhelmed by the kind words, phone calls and heartfelt notes.  I hope you’ll keep reading and enjoying my little nook in the interior decorating world.

And so … it’s on to a new post about something that makes me swoon … pillows! Yes, I have a thing for pillows.  What a great pair of shoes does for an outfit, pillows can do for a room.

Imagine the following rooms, without the pillows …

via Lonny
Twinkle Living Poker Rug

findings

via High Gloss
Nice, right?  But the pillows really give them that pop that makes them interesting.  (Ok the artwork and lamps are also pretty awesome in the room above.)
I wish I had more sofas and beds in my house just so I could pick out more pillows! But that’s the great thing about pillows … you change them or rotate them out as often as you like … with the seasons, when you find something new.  If you love pattern, (which I do!) it’s a low risk way to bring it into your room.  Unlike wallpaper, window treatments, or upholstered furniture, if you get tired of the pattern or color after a few years (which, let’s face it … is often the case when you look at something day in and day out) … you can simply trade it in for a new model.
Of course, I see a lot of great pillows out there that break the $100 price range. If you’re getting a pair or more, it adds up and you’re less likely to change them out, right?
That’s why I’m always on the hunt for more affordable pillows.
Here’s a few of the favorites I have around my house …

I fell in love with this bird fabric from French General and knew I had to do something with it. I bought a yard of it for $35 and asked my dear mother-in-law if she could make me two pillows. (I love her!)  I also bought a little of this peacock blue fabric for less than $10/yard at my local fabric store to use on the back … they make me swoon!  (And the pair cost less than $60!)

The other pillows on my family room sofa I had custom made through Walter E. Smithe and cost a pretty penny … although they are of great quality and stand up to all the jumping and smashing they must endure by the three men in my life. But the birds are still my favorites! 

Found this floral on Etsy and the French linen one at an antiques fair (well before similar ones started showing up at Restoration Hardware and Pottery Barn!)

For the settee in my living room I just wanted to give it a funky mix of modern pillows … kind of an unexpected juxtaposition of old and new. The large ones are Thomas Paul … the solids are from Pottery Barn and the leopard one was one I found online by just googling leopard pillow.  (Although I can’t remember the source.) 

I must admit, however, that the before-mentioned pillow addiction has me eye-ing up a new mix …

What do you think?

I got these pink ikat pattern pillows on ebay after swooning over this Madeline Weinrib pattern.
The pair of pillow covers cost $25! Check these similar ones using her fabric that cost $450!

I just tried to go back and find the shop where I purchased them with no luck, but I still remember when they came in the mail it was such a delightful surprise. It was a carefully wrapped package with a handwritten Uzbekastian return address, sealed the old fashioned way with a colorful spot of hardened wax that was stamped with an ornate design. They are beautifully sewn and the silk fabric feels wonderfully luxurious.

Which brings me to my favorite source for great pillows in designer fabrics … Etsy.  Have you been to Etsy.com?  For me it is decorating heaven! … I promise, there will be many posts dedicated to my favorite Etsy shops … but for now let’s just take a look at some if it’s great sources for pillows.

Purple Pajamas has a beautiful yellow ikat pillow, as well as many others. Here are some of my favorites.

I bought these next two for my son’s bed … I am loving a bold chevron pattern lately.

(I made the “B” pillow myself by stenciling the B on one of the pillows that came with the settee in my living room.  That’s one of my number one rules, by the way … take the throw pillows that come with your sofa and either use them in a different room or donate them to a good cause. Life is too short for predictable pillows!)
Some of my other favorite Etsy pillow shops …
This is where I found the pillows I want for my living room.
I think these are fun for kids rooms or a “basement” family room …
This where I got the floral one on my bench.

For some lovely linen or burlap pillows (swoon!) check out Petit Coterie. They are a little more of a splurge, but just one of these would make a fun statement on you sofa or bed …

I bought this one on Etsy to put out at Christmas …
I just did a search for linen Christmas pillows. 

Keep in mind … these are usually just the pillow covers.  Some of the shops do sell the inserts, but you can also get your own for cheap at Ikea, Hobby Lobby, Jo-Ann fabrics or your local fabric store.  I like to buy a pillow insert that’s one size larger than the cover to make it extra fluffy.  So I put a 20 x 20 in an 18 x 18 cover, etc. It takes a little work to get it in there, but it really fills out the covers nicely.

So, what do you think?  Could your sofa use some new pillows? A little ikat, or chevron stripes?  Don’t be afraid to mix and match!

That’s it for today … getting ready to watch the Superbowl with my three boys … homemade pizzas are on the menu (we love to buy Trader Joe’s refrigerated pizza dough …)  I must admit … I’m more interested in the ads this year… still an advertising girl at heart!