Swoon Interiors

interiors that make your heart skip a beat.

Randolph Street Market Festival: Take 2

Okay, so if you read my post from about a month ago, you’ll know that my last trip to the Randolph Street Market over Memorial Day Weekend lasted only about 20 minutes before we were hit with a monsoon of epic proportions.

So, my boys promised me we could try again for the next one which happened to be this last weekend, and a beautiful, sunny, 70 degree day.

Lots of interesting things ….

Upon first entering was a huge table filled with all of these wonderful grain sacks:

So perfect for making pillows or table runners.
I loved this old steamer trunk. I wonder who D.R.G.M. is, and what grand ocean liners it traveled in its day.

Think of all the clothes and shoes you could carry in that thing …. even a 7 year old boy!

A demijohn! (love)

My husband and I were eyeing up a pair of these industrial shelves (on wheels) for our office.

Kyle and Braden thought these old movie theater seats were way cool.

I’ve always liked the idea of lining a mudroom with lockers … wouldn’t these be great painted a bright color?

A wonderful old suitcase I’m now wishing I bought.

Mirrors are always fun.

Love this weathered pedestal table … AND the turquoise dresser behind it!

A Louis XVI style chair in a bird print! (Swoon.)

More mirrors … with fantastic old tin frames.

I would love to build a room around these old factory mirrors.

And still … more mirrors. These antique cog wheel mirrors would be perfect in a swanky bachelor pad.

And I was so excited when the lovely Gosia of Architectural Anarchy recognized me as I approached he booth and said hello. I didn’t even know she would be there. She had some lovely things as well, although I realized after we got home that I was so busy talking to her that I forgot to take very many pictures of her booth. I am still overdue in getting to their showroom down in Pilsen.
I did love this antique clock face.  It is not a working clock, but would still make quite a statement on the right wall.

Also loved this chalkboard globe.

And what, if anything, did we purchase? 
I’ll share with you later in the week!

City adventures

So last Sunday … as part of my birthday weekend… (it always nice when you can extend the celebration beyond one day) my three men indulged me in a trip into the city for the first weekend of the Randolph Street Market Festival which is open the last weekend of each month through October. 
I love, love, love this street fair and try to make it down at least a couple times a summer. To me, it’s like an adult treasure hunt. And someone was even smart enough to take that idea and extend it to the kids.
Each kiddo is given …
… their own treasure map of things to find at the various booths.  When they do, the vendor initials it, and if they fill up their map, they get to pick their own “treasure” out of a chest at the end.
It’s tucked inside here …
Bubbles. Chalk. Crayon. Map. Pretty cute.
But first … there was breakfast at Orange.
Probably our favorite brunch place ever.
That’s Kyle drinking his freshly squeezed watermelon mango juice.  Yeah, you can pick your fruits, mix and match. Into the juicer. Yum. Best juice ever.
Just waiting for our fruishi to arrive.
(Fruit + Sushi = Fruishi)
It’s kind of a breakfast appetizer.
Thoroughly stuffed, we were ready to roll

Just steps inside I spotted these cool old baskets filled with … antlers!  Interesting centerpiece.  I also like the antlers individually resting on a coffee table or mantel.

There was a lot of what I like to call “industrial chic” which is a trend I’m kind of loving myself … especially when a more industrial piece is paired with something softer or feminine like this antique mirror.
Awesome butcher block table …

I loved the patina on this zinc tub … would make a nice planter. Oooh … there’s a nice demijohn jug too.
I love these blue mason jars to use as vases, and I actually bought a couple more to have on hand.  They’re also pretty inside a glass front kitchen cabinet.

Great candlesticks, glass jars, old tins, vintage lamp to the left … wait … what’s that under the lamp? Um, yeah. I think it is.  “Biology chart” for your bedroom anyone?
Ok … so this is not a good picture … it was starting to sprinkle … but these mercury glass vases with an emblem on the front made me swoon.  I really, really wanted them but ….

Within minutes we went from sprinkles to monsoon.

We took cover under one of the vendors tents, waiting for it to pass, or even let up, but it never did.  The water was coming so fast even the tents looked like they might collapse under the weight of the water. We had to make a run for it … our car was at least 3 blocks away.
We made it.
It is pretty fun to run in the rain.
 
I am wondering if those mercury glass bottles will still be there next month.

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 Twist on a Traditional Look

I’m always excited when a new issue of Lonny, the online magazine, goes live, and this latest issue did not disappoint.   Amongst all of the serious eye candy, one of the images I have stuck in my head was this one from a home designed by decorator Lisa Sherry.

First of all, I love the “trail” of plates on the wall. I kind of have a thing for beautiful plates … so many are truly pieces of art that they just don’t deserve to be hidden in a cabinet. And while hanging plates on a wall is not a new idea, you typically see them hung in a row or symmetrically around a mirror. Likewise, they are often from the same “set.”
I love how this wall breaks all of those rules.  A tried, true and traditional look gets to kind of take it’s hair down, so to speak … a much more interesting and whimsical makeover.
This idea is perfect for people, like me, who could never decide on just one pretty plate, but rather have a collection gathered over time. How fun would it be to shop for these at flea markets and your favorite little stores?
I do recognize several of them from Anthropologie, where I myself have often spent too much time sifting through the stacks and stacks of  gorgeous plates and wondering what I could do with them.

Flowers mixed with octopus, fish, and plaid stripes. Somehow it all works.
The other aspect of this photo that made me swoon was the vintage laundry-cart-turned-portable-bar. How genius is that? I love the place for hand towels and all the space for bottles below.  Again, most people wouldn’t consider putting such a large lamp on such a relatively small table, but I think it elevates the piece from just a little cart to a serious piece of furniture, very Mad Men, if you ask me.
For more bar car inspiration, check out the amazing collection at 1stdibs and start conjuring up your own Mad Men scenario.
Vanity Fair

Mother’s Day Weekend Shopping …

Hope all my fellow Mom’s had a fabulous Mother’s Day! I couldn’t ask for a better one.  My boys treated me well!

After Friday’s post on my love of trays, I saw this beautiful picture on Honey We’re Home and thought it was so perfect. Now I’m on the hunt for an old crate that can be turned into a tray.

I spent Saturday with my own “mommy” and sister, a tradition we began a few years ago, shopping our favorite little shops along Third Street in Geneva.  Let me tell you, it is an interior decorator’s dream!  One year our car was so full of bags I could barely squeeze in the backseat!

Now, we’ve learned our lesson and make sure to bring a big ol SUV! This year there weren’t as many large purchases, size-wise … but we managed to do pretty well …

I snapped a bunch of shots with my iphone along the way of some things here and there that I found rather swoon worthy … although going back through the pictures now I see that there are more things I wish I had taken pictures of. Oh well … I guess that’s what happens when you’re having fun … (and drinking Prosecco at lunch!)

How incredible is this coffee table made from a vintage drum?

Industrial chic chandelier, I want you.

Lovely chair, lovely fabric, lovely pillow … love!

You know how I love birds ….

Everything about this wall is swoon worthy … the mirror, the lamps, the antlers, the vintage prints …. I want you all to come home with me.

A charming old window pane turned chalkboard.



Numbers, and signs and birdhouses, oh my!



Speaking of birdhouses, how fantastic are these … they are made from old books.

And my mom and I each bought one.

Love these rustic baskets which are actually modeled after vintage French beehives.



And these basket lamps are just so fun for a breakfast nook …


Hope you all enjoyed yourselves too.  I’m always kind of sad when Mother’s Day comes to an end. It’s nice to be Queen for Day and my royal subjects are pretty great.