Living Livelier: April 2010

Friday, April 30, 2010

Hometown Love

After traveling around quite a bit during the last few weeks, I'm finally looking forward to a quiet weekend at home, and thought I'd show a little hometown love:

I've had the pleasure of living in three of the above cities, and visiting the two others (yes, a 20 minute layover in Terminal C of Narita International Airport counts). But for now, there's no place like home.

Want to show some hometown love? Check out seller My Sweet Prints on etsy to customize your own little number:

Or, to flaunt some state pride, visit q.a. design:

Where I live:

Where I used to live:

Where I thought I vacationed, until I realized that's Idaho not New Hampshire.

Jenna from q.a. design can create a custom print for any state, in the colors of your choice. Visit 6th Street Design School by May 4th to enter a giveaway to win a free 8 x 10 state print of your choice.

Have a great weekend!

Deb

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Chiang Mai Dragon DIY

About a year ago, Erin from Elements of Style suggested I use Schumacher's Chiang Mai Dragon fabric as a way to pull together many of the colors represented throughout the first floor of my "new" circa 1886 home. I had the novel reaction of simultaneously hating and loving the pattern, but I knew that ultimately the strong impression was a good thing.

My four year old twins, on the other hand, were seriously hesitant to share the couch with this guy:

Nothing like having the pants scared off you just as you're sitting down to catch up on Curious George.

Eventually, they came around, and I've come to absolutely adore this pattern. Some in the design world would argue Chiang Mai is becoming over-used, but I'm not the least bit sick of it.

My latest DIY project involved lining the back of my great-grandfather's secretary with this beautiful pattern. Here's the before:

And some close-ups of the after:

The top shelf features the work of annechovie artist Anne Harwell, whose work I blogged about yesterday as featured on the set of It's Complicated. The foo dog candles are one of my favorite new finds, made by Bliss Living Home and purchased at Somnia in Portsmouth, NH.

I picked up this turquoise vase while on vacation last week. I stumbled upon a random antiques barn in Plymouth, NH while driving around for miles in order to lull my children to sleep for an afternoon nap that was apparently never meant to be.

The orange ball and quatrefoil picture frame (featuring my youngest stuffing her face at her 1st birthday party) were purchased at Homegoods. The ball is being held in place by a turquoise bracelet my mother gave her mother roughly 40 years ago. (The bracelet spent a lonely three hours in the gutter one night in Greenwich, CT. We were miraculously reunited, but I realized it's just way too big for me, and I can't risk losing it again.)

Oh how we miss you Domino magazine! At least we have the memories captured in this book. I purchased the string of orange butterflies placed in the glass bowl at Whyevernot, an adorable shop in Mystic, CT for $12. You can find similar ones at Pearl River.

The final look:

Check out some of my other favorite uses of Chiang Mai Dragon:

i suwannee

chairs available for purchase from Hudson, located in Boston and Wellesley, MA

Jenny from Little Green Notebook's DIY Chiang Mai headboards

by Erin from Elements of Style

Melissa Gulley

Chiang Mai Stationary by Dempsey and Carroll

What are your favorite patterns of late?

Cheers,

Deb

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Set Design Envy: It's Complicated

If you missed it in the theaters last winter, you must pick up Nancy Meyers' delightful rom-com It's Complicated, released today on DVD. While it's a real pleasure to watch masters Merrill Streep, Steve Martin, and Alec Baldwin in action, the real star of this film is the incredible Santa Barbra home inhabited by Streep's character, Jane.

It's Complicated features the latest in a series of impressive sets created by Meyers, production designer Jon Hutman and set decorator Beth Rubino. You've seen their work before in films including Something's Gotta Give and The Holiday.

Many of the scenes in It's Complicated revolve around food (Streep's character owns a bakery) and entertaining. The stunning kitchen/dining room is hands down my favorite room on the set.

Rubino selected some of the larger pieces, such as the oval dining table, from antiques galleries including Lucca Antiques and Berkshire Home and Antiques. For a complete listing of Rubino's sources for this space, visit the Set Decorators Society of America here.

I love the neutral layered textures and punches of orange and blue used in Jane's living room:

For a complete listing of Rubino's sources for this space, click here.

The most hilarious scene in It's Complicated (including more of Alec Baldwin than you'd ever want to see or know about) takes place in this master bedroom:

How awesome is the shape of this headboard?!

The guestroom features another stunning headboard, accentuated with Serena and Lily bed linens available here:

The memorable pot-smoking scene takes place in the bathroom of Jane's daughter's home. You'll see the work of fellow blogger annechovie (Anne Harwell) in the background. I own this piece, and two others by this lovely artist - you can find her work here.

What movie sets do you wish you could move right in to?
Cheers,
Deb

Monday, April 26, 2010

America Runs On Pink and Orange

I absolutely love the punchy combination of pink and orange found in the interiors below. The pairing is always cheerful, and can feel retro, preppy, or glam depending on the execution.

Kelly Wearstler via Material Girls

Cottage Living

GET THE LOOK!
Living Livelier's suggestions for pink and orange on your floors...

Madeline Weinrib, one of my design heroes, has mastered this color scheme. The first four rugs are from her collection, available through ABC Carpet and Home.