The Alternative Room

I think the most important thing in design is function. I love a beautiful and well appointed space, but if it's not user friendly, I think...why bother, what's the point? The older I get, the more important it is to have a home that is not only attractive and reflective of our interests, but one that functions well for the way we live everyday. And, the truth is we are not formal living room people. Our family room, which I call the living room has more of a "living room" room feel and is my favorite room in our house, both for it's comfort and beauty.

The room our floor plan indicates is the living room is probably the least interesting space in our home. It only has 2 windows and is a long rectangle with 2 entrances/exits on one wall. Which also means it's a challenge to furnish and still have plenty of room to move around. In it's earliest days, it was the playroom for my children outfitted with a pint size sofa and chairs in a navy print Winnie-the-Pooh fabric. Then it had a life as a formal living room complete with sofa, coffee table, 2 chairs and an amoire for stereo equipment. Before moving in 2001, we sold everything in the room knowing upon our return, this was not the best way for this room to live beautifully everyday! For the last several years, it has become an extension of our small library, but without the ambiance from the fireplace. Currently, it contains 2 chairs, an antique game table and a secretary. It functions well and is attractive, but definitely could still be improved upon. It's on the list, albeit rather far down!

Forget what your floor plan says. Think about what your needs are and don't be afraid of renaming and reinventing a space. I've said this before, if something doesn't work for the way you live, it doesn't work. One of my favorite reinterpretations of spaces is a seating group consisting of 4 chairs with an ottoman or round table in the middle. Here are a few inspirational spaces scanned from my tear sheets showing this arrangement in a variety of styles!

Don't like or have a matching set of chairs? Mix it up then!

Images courtesy of Southern Living, Decor, Tradtional Home, Veranda

Shield Back Chairs: New Version!

With each days delivery of the mail there is excitement and perhaps too much expectation. Like many of you I look forward to receiving favorite catalogues to see what new items they will be showing off to welcome the fall season. But, what I want most is to find that one fantastic thing that gets the wheels churning with ideas and inspiration. Well so far for me, it has been page after page of mostly a sigh...no, make that a yawn. Until last night. This amazing new tole version of the shield back chair from Pierre Deux required 2 Tylenol PM to block it from my thoughts!

Your authentic French details are calling me!

A definite decorative coup for any room!

Enjoy your weekend, perhaps obsessing over your latest find!!!

Coffee With My Favorite Mad-Man!

Somehow, last Sunday I never got around to reading the paper. My husband was gathering the up old papers this morning and said " Oh, here...I saved this for you from last week.  THANK YOU, honey! In case you missed it too, there was a feature in Parade magazine of hunky Jon Hamm aka Don Draper!

So over coffee on the deck this morning, I spent some time getting to know Jon better.  Jon is only 39! I truly thought he was older...say 45.  He said so have a lot of casting directors and that's one reason it was hard to get parts when he was younger.....hmmmm.....were they blind!?  Anyway, sorry to tell you all.....he's taken. He has lived the last 13 years with the "love of his life." A beautiful woman named Jennifer.  I know...sigh! According to the article he can do a "wicked Valley Girl impression" and is quite the prankster on the set!  Who would have guessed? He is also an "obsessed" sports fan having played football in high school. He currently plays tennis and he says he carries his baseball equipment in his car-just in case.  Jon by all means stop by to play anytime! Or we will take you to a Nats of Orioles game if you prefer!!!

Fans of the show.....have you noticed how dark and drab Don Draper's rented furniture is in his new bachelor apartment? I think he needs the fantastic Petrie chair from Crate & Barrel.  And, we all know what a cad he is...bet you can convince him to sit awhile and chat.  Looks to me like there is plenty of room for two! Oh, and if you're a Mad-Men junkie, head on over to Parade.com/draper for a quiz!

Images from Parade magazine and A&A.

Chairs: Bobbins & Spools

It seems every magazine I have perused lately is showing a spool chair, also know as a bobbin chair. They originated from 17 c. English design. Early examples were smaller with straight backs similar to a dining chair. Current styles are modeled after 19c. designs. They come in a variety of finishes and certainly are a great way to bring in pattern or interest to a room.  I think they are so attractive and by all indications look good with any design style.  I have never sat in one. They appear quite deep and wide. So I am wondering about scale and comfort for the average  person? I also wonder about the cushions...will they move around or due to their large size, do they stay put?

Here are several different looks for this chair:

I loved the idea of just adding the ottoman to a room:

Antiques:

Martha Stewart's version for Bernhardt:

Mark Hampton for Hickory Chair:

From Wisteria and like the first image has a neckroll pillow and no padded arms:

Nieman Marcus:

Love them or hate them? Either way, hope you have a great weekend.....perhaps sitting in your favorite chair!

Except where noted, images courtesy of Vernada, House Beautiful, Better Homes & Gardens, 1st dibs, ebay.

Dunhill Chair: The Saga

My affection for leather chairs boasting nailhead trim began quite by accident.  It was February 2001 and I was in Paris strolling the flea markets with my husband on the last day of our trip.  I had already had a very successful shopping day having found an elusive pair of blue enamel opera glasses, a beautiful lock with it's original key, and an iron hook with a brass acorn tip!  But then, as we turned to leave, I spotted them. They were old, worn and a bit tattered.  Perfectly imperfect.  My husband and I loved them, but even in our very limited French knew we could not afford them.  The quest was on. When we returned home I began the search.  Little did I know it would more than take 8 years.

That same year we moved to Williamsburg, Virginia and I became friends with a women who had lived in Paris.  She had chairs.  And they were exquisite along with  her many other fine French antiques. Torture.  In the summer of 2005 we moved back to our home in Northern Virginia and embarked on a four year, and counting, long renovation of our home.  My husband and I agreed early on we needed to find chairs that had the character and essence of the French chairs for our small library.

So I consoled myself with pictures like this...

                                      Country Home -April 2003

and this...

                                                  Traditional Home

In October of 2007 while waiting for a gift to be packaged at Crate & Barrel, I browsed.  And there at the top of the esculator were my chairs!  They were not remotely typical for the style C&B is known and loved for.  And, the price tag indicated this at nearly $2,000 each!!!  Not only did they have brass nailheads, but this unique suede band and carved wood details,.  I called my husband...at work.  I took a picture with my phone.  I printed out a picture from computer when I returned home.  I talked about the chairs...a lot.  I would visit my chairs every time I came into the store.  I would save for them.

Along with the renovation costs, other unpleasant things like a new roof and HVAC system kept the "Objects of My Affection" away.  The saga rolled on....until November 2009.  Again, I found myself at C&B at the end of a very long day of Christmas shopping.  I browsed.  I did not see my chairs, but was so tired, I did not mind.  I left with my purchases and drove home.  When I got home I checked the C&B web-site for assurance.  None to be found.  I quickly snapped out of my shopping induced coma. I called the store and a women with a very nice voice on the other end of the line said a very bad word called "DISCONTINUED"!!!  However, they might be able to locate some on the computer or from another store.  But with each keystroke hope was dashed.  At just that moment, her manager arrived and she put me on hold, presumably to relay she was talking to a nut bag ready to have a meltdown!  But she didn't say that.  Instead she said a really good word called "ACTUALLY" followed by "we have two".  The last two had just been marked down and sent to the lower vestibule to be sold as floor samples.  They could not hold them.  I had to come now, pay and  pick them up before they closed.  YES! YES! and YES!

I left $20 and a note for my teenage son to buy dinner explaining that I had a "crisis" that couldn't wait.  And back I drove, in rush hour this time, in the same direction I had just come from an hour earlier.  I thanked everyone profusely and drove home...smiling all the way.  When my husband arrived home from Afghanistan(where he has been working as a civilian) for Christmas and saw the chairs, he smiled so broadly and said "finally".  I smile every time I walk into this room.  It was worth the wait.

So, if you hung in there for this story, tell me about something big or small that possessed you?