Swoon Interiors

interiors that make your heart skip a beat.

Birthday Present

Despite the lousy weather on Saturday and Sunday, the weekend was a great one. I couldn’t ask for anything more. Lot’s of great food, R&R, family, friends, two little toe-heads that crawled into my bed in the mornings, and then finally a nice hot summer-like day.

On Saturday night Dan took me out to oe of our favorite little french bistros, Bistrot Margot, in the city. (Let me highly reccommend the mussels and the chocolate chip bread pudding!)

And on Sunday night, he not only made a fantastic dinner for me, but also hung my new birthday present …

This was not as easy of a task as it first appeared to be. But with the gracious help of my father-in-law, who is most definitely our favorite go-to handyman, they got it up in time for dinner and to my great delight.
If you read my post on chandeliers, you may remember that I have been wanting to swap out the builder-installed chandelier in our breakfast area for sometime now. It just seemed to scream “Home Depot” to me. (Not that there’s anything wrong with the store.)
I have gone back and forth over several chandeliers for awhile, but finally decided on this one from Wisteria. This is, after all, a breaskfast room. I thought it called for more of a simple elegance than some of the bolder, more ornate choices I was looking at. I really love it’s vintage-lantern look. It is also a large, substantial size (perfect for high ceilings) but still manages to have a light and airy feel.
I also saw it featured in the home of another great designer, Brooke Giannetti. who’s blog, Velvet & Linen, I adore. That sealed the deal.
It definitely makes me swoon.
(Especially when being served a fabulous orechiette with sun-dried tomatoes, rapini and sausage made by my husband. Mmmm. Did he treat me right, or what?)
And these two other men in my life are pretty special too.
Thanks to my parents and everyone yesterday for making my birthday the perfect day.
More of our weekend adventures to come later this week … stay tuned.

Sometimes it’s the little things …

When you look at the beautiful homes or rooms in design magazines, there is one thing that almost all of them have in common … whether it’s a kitchen or a bedroom, modern or traditional … do you know what I’m talking about?
Elegant Homes

Elle Decor
It’s that perfectly placed vase of flowers.
 

More often than not, it’s a big, puffy ball of a single variety of blooms. 

While, obviously, the rooms themselves are wonderful eye-candy … there’s a reason why stylists always add the flowers.  They just bring life (literally and figuratively) to the room. 
I’m a big believer that flowers should not just be for special occasions or when company is coming over.  Anyone can get that “magazine-styled” look so easily. If you notice, none of the flowers I’ve featured here are perfectly “arranged” or look like they came from a florist.  A vase and a big bunch of the same kind of flower and voila …. anyone can make any of these arrangements.
Pick up flowers at the grocery store, Trader Joe’s, your backyard.  It’s like jewelry for your room …. or a great pair of shoes, or a spritz of perfume.  It’s those little things we add on to an outfit or a room that just pulls everything together and makes you feel good.
House Beautiful

I have a few favorite go-to vases that are perfect for that big-puffy-ball-of-flowers look.  The one below I bought recently on Hautelook for $15.  I love the smokey blue-gray color, the texture and it’s worn rustic look.  Unfortunately when it arrived, one of the handles was broken off.  I called to see if they could replace it but there were all sold out.  So they refunded my $15 AND gave me a $15 credit. So somehow I actually made money on this vase!?! I got out my super-glue and was able to put the handle back on. Since the vase has some imperfections anyway, it looks fine. Hydrangeas from Trader Joe’s complete the look. 

Just a little something that makes me swoon ….

At the Height of Debate …

It’s a question I get often and one that stirs up quite a bit of debate … What should I put on top of my kitchen cabinets?

Nothing? Something? if something, what?  Green plants?

My response?  There is no such thing as green plants above kitchen cabinets … gray plants maybe … because they are either dead or covered in dust. Let’s be honest … who is ever going to go up and regularly water plants up there?  We all know it and so we all know that any type of greenery “growing” up there is fake. Take ’em down! (At least that’s my two cents worth.)

So then what?  It’s a tough one, I’ll admit, and really depends on the kitchen.  I think that’s why so many newly designed kitchens feature cabinetry that extends all the way to the ceiling … it is beautiful AND eliminates the need to figure out what the heck to put up there!

I think if there is less than 10 or 12 inches between the top of your cabinet and the ceiling you shouldn’t try to shove a bunch of things up there that are practically touching the ceiling.  The only things that would fit up there would have to be so short or small that they wouldn’t give much impact anyway and it would end up looking like clutter.

But again, as so many newer homes have higher ceilings, there is often quite a bit of space between the top of the cabinet and the ceiling and it sometimes just begs for … something.

Here are a few ideas …

Baskets … while I kind of think there are a few TOO many in the picture below, I like the idea.  A collection of baskets adds a nice warm color and texture.

House at Ross traditional kitchen

These baskets look like they are actually used for storage.  What a smart idea for a kitchen that is lacking in that department. I like how they are labeled with little numbers.


via Decorpad


On a smaller scale, a few baskets mixed with a fun birdcage adds a lot of personality to this otherwise plain kitchen.

Cottage/Country Kitchen traditional kitchen
via Houzz

A collection of plates or pottery … if you have some beautiful pieces, group them together for more impact.

River House eclectic kitchen

Again, another collection … I love this idea using vintage tins. With those soaring ceilings, it’s nice to have something to draw your eyes upward.

Family Room traditional family room

One of my favorite bloggers, Emily A. Clark, just did a post on this topic as well and featured these images … all very different but I like them all.

Effortless Style

via Decorpad

In my own kitchen, the big empty spaces just begged for something and it has taken me awhile to find the perfect mix … baskets, vintage tins and glass jugs that I love and I think blend in well, without being overly distracting.  I guess that’s my general rule … to keep it from looking too busy, I suggest using more neutral colored objects. That’s why natural or wire baskets, tins, clear glass jugs, vases, etc. work nicely.  I have used wire baskets and natural wood crates for some of my clients too.
In case you’re wondering, that little topiary on the shelf above my rangetop IS real … I can reach it standing on the floor to pull it down and water it … and it is pretty hearty too … I have managed to keep it alive for almost 5 months! Yea!

 So what do you think?  Do you have anything above your cabinets? I’d love to see pictures of fresh new ideas?

A Nook out of Nothing

There’s a little wall in my breakfast room that I wasn’t sure what to do with.  For a long time, one of our 6 kitchen table chairs sat there because we had pulled up my son’s Stokke Trip Trap High Chair to the table.  Now that we have the chair back at the table the space just felt kind of bare.  We have a large black wall clock there which I love, but it just felt like we needed something underneath it to balance it out.

The space is not big at all, and it’s a high traffic area, so I needed something very thin. Yet in order to balance out the huge clock it still had to have some weight and height to it.  Most of the pieces I saw and liked were just too deep. And then one day a couple weeks ago I was walking through Target and saw the perfect little black table. The half moon shape meant no sharp corners and even though it is 11 inches deep in the middle, the sides are just 8 inches deep which is exactly the length of the little wall it tucks in next to.

I filled it with things I already had, only now they seem a little more special because they have their own little table.  And earlier this week I found the little breadboard/chalkboard and added that. 

I also found a cute little “catalog of garden seeds” …

I’m so happy with the results! I feel like it’s a lot of bang for the buck and it really transformed the space from nothing to a nice little visual nook.

What do you think?  Do you have an empty little “nothing” space or wall in your house that you could transform?

***

On Sunday, I’ll be changing the message on the chalkboard to read “Happy Birthday Kyle!” as my first “baby” turns 7!  We’ve got a busy and fun weekend ahead! I think I’m (almost) just as excited as he is, although I guarantee I’ll be shedding a tear or two! For some reason seven sounds so much older than six!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Wednesday Wish List – Chandeliers

As satisfying as it is to complete a project or get something new for your home, I think it’s also fun to have a wish list. It’s kind of like planning for a vacation to a city you’ve never been before … flipping through magazines and catalogs, doing a little research and daydreaming.

My wish list includes a new chandelier over my kitchen table.

While I do like some of the lighting choices our builder made, others … not so much.

There’s nothing really wrong with it. I just want something more … interesting. I’ve been inspired by these photos.

I’ve tried to spruce it up by having this painted on the ceiling above it …

If money were no object, (and we didn’t need to completely rip out and redo our front bluestone steps this spring … another story) I’d love to get this:

Restoration Hardware 6 Arm Wine Barrel Chandelier $2595

This one is pretty swoonworthy too …

Restoration Hardware Foucaukt Iron Orb $850

I also like this one …

Restoration Hardware Parisian 6 Arm Chandelier $895

Shades of Light has one with a similar feel that’s slightly less expensive …

Provence Crown and Tassel Chandelier $698

I love the light creamy color of them both and all the little details give them the interest I am looking for.

This next one has a more casual feel … but that might be nice for a kitchen. I love the rustic texture and that it’s modeled after an old wine barrel.

Shades of Light Wine Barrel Lantern $998

Then I saw this one from Wisteria …

It’s simple, French, and elegant … and the price … (swoon!)
What do you think? What’s on your wish list?