Breakfast Nook Wishes

Our breakfast room would be so much better utilized if it had an L shaped breakfast built in nook.  Here is the real estate shot of our breakfast nook (with previous owners furniture)

I would like a booth similar to this one that I did for a client last year…

 

In keeping with the style of our Spanish style home, I would like to do a camel faux leather tufted on the back and not tufted for the seat.  I’m thinking somewhere along these lines for the fabric –

We already have the chandelier that’ll go over the table, it’s a very fun chandelier from Stray Dog Designs but mine was one they did for Anthropologie (no longer sold at the store).

I would love to get a custom table made that would fit perfectly in the space with a base like this but powder coated white:

 

Finally, we would have space on the other side of the table for chairs (once the high chairs are gone), in which case I would go for these Serena and Lily chairs:

There you have it!  My design plan.  But, like all good things, they take time and for now, I’ll just ruminate on the design.

Bahama Chic

My family is on vacation; Graham’s parents just returned from Hawaii and his sister is in the Bahamas.  I’m due to give birth very, very soon; for once, I actually lack an itch to be on their vacations.  BUT, if I weren’t so pregnant, I would be chomping at the bit to ride along in their suitcases.  One place that I’d love to be is at this Bahama house designed by Alessandra Branca and featured in Lonny.

 

 

You know I’m feeling the various shades of pinks, the geometric patterns and the crisp white walls.  This house has officially fallen into number 1 dream beach house.

DIY

I’m not much of a DIYer.  More of a DIFM.  Why do it yourself when I can have some Do It For Me?  This is a trait I inherited from my father.  I highly recommend it.

Despite this theory, I broke out my DIY skills for the nursery art.  I took hair bows and smashed them between Ikea Malm frames at about the center of the frame.  Ta Da…

 

I even tried to hang them myself but I’m really bad at getting them hung in a straight line.  I’m hoping I can find someone to DIFM (do it for me)…any takers?

Happy Friday, everyone!  We’ll be laying low and finishing up some touches on the nursery, doing laundry, installing car seats, setting up massive contraptions to get the new baby to sleep and be happy – oh and hanging bow art in a straight line.

Ouch!

Remember when I said that I wanted to do wall to wall jute as carpeting in our new home?  Well, I imagined it all over the place.  Then, I priced it out (it’s actually much more reasonably priced then other carpet alternatives) and “jute all over the house” got shoved into pipe dream mode.

That is, until I hurt myself.  The carpet the previous owners had in the nursery was so threadbare that the nails were coming up.  They literally stabbed my bare feet a couple of times.  Ouch!

We actually HAD to remove the carpet and put in a new one.  So, I dug into my pipe dream vault and found some fantastic jute carpeting.  I absolutely love the way it looks.

You have seen this little corner of the nursery with the old carpet…

And now with the new…

My genius sister in law gave me the fantastic advice that I should get “hurt” all over the house to accomplish more pipe dreams.

These are the ones I’ve come up with…

“The stairwell carpet is so threadbare I slipped on it.  We need Stark Antelope carpet immediately”

“Every time I walk into our living room, I sneeze.  I’m absolutely certain it’s the carpet; we must replace it with hardwood”

“I’m going blind looking at Josie’s blank built in shelving; it needs to be covered with wallpaper”

Feel free to use my excuses in your own home.  And remember to come back here for sound marriage advice.

Oh, and in other great news, the carpet matches Josie’s hair.  Happy accident?  I think not.  Very much planned.

Finished Space

I made  a promise to myself that I would finish one space before the baby was born.  Luckily, I’m not overly ambitious.  I chose a wall.  A single wall. Aiming high.

Said wall is the landing at the bottom of our stairs.  Our front door opens up into the living room and I wanted some sort of spot to feel like the entry way.  So about six feet away from the front door are stairs and the landing serves as our entryway.

Before…

And now…

I love how it turned out!

I got to use wallpaper for the first time and it was all I hoped for and more.  I got the grasscloth here and I’m really impressed with it.  The pink Blu Dot console table I purchased five years ago and saved up for months to buy it.  It still is the furniture piece I would take with me  in a fire.  Can you imagine – my huge nine month pregnant belly, my toddler in one arm and the console table in the other?  Priorities.  The mirror is Serena and Lilly.  The bowl was a gift from my parents about seven years ago; it’s from Gumps.  The lamps are Jonathan Adler but were a New York City craigslist score about three and half years ago.  The precious dog is from Home Goods.

Now, everyone can come over, ignore every single unfinished room and feast their eyes on my stair landing.  Honestly, guests have been known to walk right by the landing and I have been known to turn them around and make them look at it.  Don’t you wanna come over now?

Technically, it’s not completely finished; I’m on the hunt for the perfect white porcelain basket weave umbrella stand to put opposite the dog.  A decorators job is never finished, I tell ya – even for a just a wall.

 

In other news, last week, I had mentioned that we would have our final pre-baby BBQ and my ideas for the tablescape.  Well, on the day of, I was feeling very girly so I switched gears to pink; I’m thinking the girl we have arriving in about two and a half weeks has put pink on my brain.  So, here is the little table I put together for a fun BBQ with friends…

And that’s all the news from Lake Wobegon.

Pink Hair

Don’t you want to meet this lady?

Play dress up all day in her closet?  (I may never get out of her tutus)

And gab about wild, fun and amazingly over the top decor ideas with her all day long?

To see more of her house tour, check it out at Apartment Therapy.

Also, I’m selling that exact chandelier that is in the bottom photo above the Saarinen table.  It’s fabulous in person, large and in charge and it’s no longer sold anywhere.  So, you get to be a one of a kind, pretty much.  E-mail me if you’re interested in purchasing – kate@katecollinsinteriors.com

Star Light Star Bright

I’ve always been a huge fan of Moravian Star Pendants.  I’ve used them a couple of times in client’s homes and they always come out great.

I’ve also always been a huge light hoarder.  Okay, so “always” is an exaggeration.  I could’ve cared less about lighting as a kid.  But, it quickly became an obsession of mine not soon after.  My husband isn’t too fond of keeping tons of lighting in our garage.  So lucky for him, one light that I purchased four years ago at a small antique store is out of the garage and up in our front entryway.

Here is the front of our home before – notice the boring, shrug of shoulders lighting…

 

And thanks to my wonderful handyman (yes, I have a non-Graham handyman), here is the after…

So grateful that I hoarded the light for four years and then moved into a Spanish home so that the light felt appropriate.  It all worked out in the end.

Weekend Recap

It’s been a long time since I’ve done a weekend recap.  But, this one included some decor since I went antiquing so I thought I’d share.

Graham, Josie and I escaped to the beach for the weekend for my 34th birthday.  Baby is coming very soon so I wanted a weekend of calm just the three of us.  And I’m experiencing those feelings that I think all women have with their first born and how you just want to soak them up while your attention is undivided.

I mean how could I take my eyes off of this little one…

There was plenty of R&R accomplished.  We sunbathed –

We walked…

We farmers marketed…

And we antiqued!!!

Of course, I wanted everything that I saw.  But, alas, decisions had to be made.  It was this pair of antique child size outdoor rockers that made it home with us – a pair for our girls.

The cute baby model made the trek back with us too.  Score!

The Outdoor Chairs

Hope you all had a great 4th!  We had a wonderful time relaxing at the beach.  And Josie was as cute as apple pie, if you were to ask me.

After Graham constructed the outdoor table, it was my turn to get to work.  So, I got out my trusty welder and made ten metal bistro chairs…

Either that, or I purchased them here .  You can decide what the truth is.

Two days after the chairs arrived, we had a BBQ and the chairs worked out great.  They were comfortable and I really love the white metal against the redwood table.

I also purchased seat cushions from here for some more comfort.  They didn’t arrive in time for our last BBQ but we’re having another one in two weeks so I’m excited to dress up the table with the cushions –

Here is how I’d like to set up for the tabelscape –

World Market cotton table cloth / World Market coral colored napkin / Apilco Tradition Blue-Banded Porcelain Dinnerware Place Settings / Bamboo 20-pc. Flatware Set – JCPenney / Nautical Rope Napkin Ring

Happy 4th of July

Happy 4th of July everyone.  I hope that you have an awesome time wherever and however you spend it.

Josie and I will be cutting this week extra short and we will be heading to the beach with family.  I can’t wait to watch the fireworks show boom over the ocean while we cuddle around a bonfire.  It’s a fantastic family tradition!