This is gonna be happening

On an oak chest.

ebony cerused finish like my tray here

Because I finally, after 3 years, found really good directions online, with pictures and advise on products. They weren’t there when I looked for them during my reno project when there was much oak to be limed.

Click for link to directions

If I had know how, the oak cornice in my dining room, and the oak herringbone ceiling in my bedroom would have looked like that. It didn't happen that way.

Transplanted design

Moving from Houston to Atlanta, a family takes their Barbara Hill vibe with them, along with the furniture, and re-creates the feeling in their new home.

Old house

Houston, Museum District Modern

New house

 Atlanta, Buckhead Mansion

Here’s the goods inside

Lindsey Adelman and Eames and Decorator White

Marcel Wanders chandelier, Venus chairs

formerly with a e15 Big Foot table

e15 Shiraz sofa pieces and Leila side tables in Atlanta

Sofa and tables in Houston, plus the Wegner Flag Halyard chair

 

Love the gold surveillance camera by artist Camp Bosworth

Customized orange lighting by Rich Brilliant Willing in a so fab kitchen. My most favorite kitchen I’ve seen in a while.

I like the incarnation of all the cool bits in the 1920s Mediterranean-style mansion better than in the modern Houston home. I think they all read much more interesting. And Camp Bosworth, Rich Brilliant Willing, and e15 are all new to me and I want some. Like this

Seriously. Want.

The Small Pictures

I feel like I've been busily spinning my wheels on the Covenant House makeover. But there is progress. Sherwin-Williams is donating all the paint for the project and the Phillies are throwing in for the labor! Last week, several of the wives made a visit to see the facility firsthand and we picked out paint colors. Having all that bidness nailed down is a huge relief and I am so grateful for everyone's generosity, time and encouragement. And, wait.... in other developments, Cole and Heidi and the Hamels Foundation made a most lovely donation, and Phillies Charities is giving a grant, in Charlie's name, to Covenant House for the project. So there's all that. Not to mention people to do carpentry and electrical and wives volunteering to refinish furniture! So even though everything looks exactly as is did 10 weeks ago at the Crisis Center, we are moving forward and I have more ideas than ever.

This is what I want made for in front of the windows in the Women's/Child Lounge

Laser-cut wood panels

As I've been describing "laser-cut wood panels", I don't think folks were catching my drift. So for illustrative purposes I searched and found these. I had been thinking "organic/nature inspired motif", something like trees, and there are four windows so I thought each could have a tree in one of the four seasons.  Not trees, but I liked all the natural elements this design represents. 

But here's a tree

So, what kind of place does laser-cutting?

I discovered one months ago in Philly and I've been riding that high ever since, let me tell you! I want to be BFFs with NextFab Studio. If I can get this fabutastic organization on board, Covenant House PA will be one tricked out homeless youth shelter! I drool.

There are other helpers, who have committed to, well, help, and I will post more about them soon.

Meanwhile, finally, back home to Casa Blanca! YAY! I'd been away so long I forgot what she looked like. There's decor chores here I thought I'd get around to finishing.... but, the pool kept calling my name. Still, my pet project is chock-a-block with details that make me swoon

gold leaf and velvet

artemide logico

white bronze, white leather, orange

golden rings

velvet, lacquer

moooi random

marble, leopard

stacks

burl

Oh, what tasty morsels! (And don't worry, that wonky screw in that door handle up there was straightened up. That dog don't hunt in this house.)     

It’s auction time again!!

Hooray! While I usually can’t get enough of the local auctions here in South Jersey, so far this year I haven’t had NEAR enough! I’ve been so busy laying groundwork for the Phillies Wives big Covenant House makeover project that I’ve neglected to pursue my true happiness – AUCTIONS!

I made two today. And I could have scored BIG had I not been – (a) late and (b) chicken shit. I previewed one auction yesterday and had my sights set on these fab lamps:

There was a pair. And they were big and bodacious. Gloss white ceramic with nary a chip, crack or craze. I couldn’t believe them, so smart and richly detailed.

Even without a place to put them, I bragged how I would easily spend $200 apiece if I could only make it in time to the auction to bid. YUUUP!!!

I did make it. Just in time. It was stunning to see them sitting there in all their glory and I was hyperventilating as I rushed to get my bidder number. I jumped into the bidding at 20 bucks and  predetermined that I would stay in until 200 if I had to. They were being auctioned at 2X the money but I wasn’t afraid. I really wanted them. In the blink of an eye, I was at 80 apiece, someone went 90, the auctioneer looked at me for 100 and I dropped my head and dropped out. WTF!! It all happens in, literally, 15 seconds or less. That’s all the time it took for some alien part of me to run like a scared little puppy and let someone else take my lamps away.

I tried to console myself by saying that I have no place for them. UH, HULLLLO – Century Storage, Storage Center and Extra Space Storage. I actually have three places they could have gone. WITH THE REST OF MY HOARD!!!

I did get back in the saddle – and quickly – in time to snag these:

Also big and beautiful and $15 apiece… so I thought. They too were being sold at “2X the money”, but when I went to pay, it was $15 for the pair! Because that’s how the auctioneer’s assistant had entered them into the computer. My gosh, if the lamp winning peeps got those two ginormous, beautiful lamps for $90 the pair – they got a heck of a deal. That’s the kind of shit that goes down at auctions. That’s way I never want to be away so long again.

I don’t know what these 2 went for, but by the time I got to the second auction some dealer had already won ‘em and slapped their sticker on:

They were quite a handsome pair and I swear, I would have paid $200 apiece for them if only I had had the chance.  Maybe more.