a wee bit o'progress.

okay - so what better way to get motivated to finish a beast of a project than a surprise visit by family. i can't think of any, really.

so... while this is not nearly complete, i have finally made a TINY bit of progress in decorating the dining room.

with a hard deadline in my google calendar, i decided not to paint, but it was finally time to update the mirrors and change the light fixture. and add a buffet. and some tchotchkes.

the photo above was taken this morning. it's messy. i need to adjust the mirrors. i'm still spray-painting and assembling the chandelier. rocky balboa needs to be relocated. but it sort of looks like a dining room now, non?

more details coming soon...

more dining room inspiration?

i have been struggling to get this room right for almost 2 years now, and i still feel GAH when i walk into it. i won't trouble you with a photo (it's still covered in holiday decorations from various parties) but it's just not great!

first i thought this: http://fogcitysparkle.blogspot.com/2010/01/dining-room-inspiration.html

and then i thought this: http://fogcitysparkle.blogspot.com/2010/07/answer-to-never-ending-story.html

but, now, i'm thinking of going WAY girly. like pink and purple girly. because "why not?"

here are a few mood photos. what do you think?

and, damn, i love this song. is that embarrassing?

curtain call redux! (10 easy steps to silk curtains)

new sparkly curtains for the dining room (please, as usual, excuse the mess!)

well, my dears, i am finally making some headway in the dining room - it's beginning to look like a place where i might ACTUALLY entertain.

in an effort to lively up the place, i made another set of silk curtains this weekend. they turned out fab so i thought i'd share the instructions again. they are very easy and very inexpensive compared to ready-made panels (and even more so if you'd have to have them custom made like i would for my monster windows).

so, without further ado, here you go...

******************************************

i don't want to show you TOO much of my bedroom and ruin the surprise (i'm still waiting on my bedding and my AMAZING chandelier), but i thought some of you might find this quick tutorial helpful.

one of the best ways to create a bit of drama in a room, and to give it some added height and "dimension", is to add some great window treatments. i, personally, have a fondness for silk dupioni curtains - but i find the price for ready-made prohibitive. i mean, like, FAINT-WORTHY prohibitive.

because i am blessed with a bedroom that has 12-foot ceilings and 4 very tall windows, the ones i browsed at pottery barn (the tallest they've got) were $179 PER PANEL. multiply by 4 and throw in the rods and clips and liners and i just about had a HEART ATTACK. (plus, i'll be honest, i just don't like shopping there.)

instead, i found two FANTASTIC sources of silk online, silkuneed.com and silkbaron.com. they both carry loads of lovely colors and all for $9.99 a yard or less. i spoke with the owner of silkuneed, pam, and she shipped me some samples that were not available on her website. i was able to match my paint exactly!

so, i ordered up 14 yards at $8.99. add on the thread i needed at $3.99, and i had the equivalent of what would have cost well over $700 at pottery barn for under $130.

next was a pit stop to hancock fabrics for thread and black-out lining. at $5.99 a yard, this is a very good investment. it helps with city noise reduction, heat retention, and lets me sleep past 6:30am - when my room turns into a vampire's worst nightmare (that link is for you, melissa. i still refuse to give in!)... you know, minus the crosses, holy, water, garlic and silver stakes (unless you count the hand-dandy maglite 4-cell i keep next to my bed as a silver stake).

OKAY - time to head back to mom's house and get to stitchin'!

step one: roll out black-out liner nice and flat. smooth with your hand.

step two: line up cut fabric ends and roll silk onto liner. smooth as well. (*note: if you're using a fabric that looks different on each side, place the side you want to display away from you - i.e. when you roll it out, you should see the back of your fabric.)

step three: pin top and sides. pin further than the length of your curtain.

step four: measure both sides to desired length. my windows are 108" high, so i opted for 112". i wanted them to puddle gracefully on the floor (this also allows for more error than ones that skim the floor - you'll need to be much more precise).

step 5: using a fabric marker and a level, draw a straight line across your fabrics. cut along this line and pin next curtain top as you go.

step 6: (ask mom to) sew top and sides of curtain to liner.

step seven: trim excess fabric around your hems.

step eight: turn panel inside out and smooth.

step nine: (ask mom to) stitch bottom as desired. i like to do this by hand so you see no thread at all on the finished curtain. (but you could just as easily zip along the edge with a machine in 30 seconds.)

REPEAT steps 1-9 as necessary.

step 10: hang your lovely curtains! i bought simple satin nickel double rods by levolor at home depot for $24.99 a piece. to hang the panels, i bought 1" nickel drapery clips at target for $4.99 a pack (one per panel).

these make hanging curtains a snap. just clip them and go! and the look is much cleaner than pole pockets (*blech*).

i'm still working on the tiebacks (and the sheers that will hang behind the curtains), but you can buy or make whatever you like. you'll see them in my bedroom "afters" soon.

here's a breakdown of what i spent:

silk: 14 yards at $8.99 - $125.86
black-out fabric: 14 yards @ $5.99 - $83.86
thread: $3.99 for one roll
curtain rods: $24.99 x 4 - $99.96
drapery clips: $4.99 x 4 - $19.96

TOTAL: $333.63 (compared with well over $1000 at pottery barn or equivalent) and about 2 hours of sewing.

this is a quick project that saves you LOTS of cash and can be done by even the most "beginner" of sartors and seamstresses (though my mom is a PRO).

hope you've enjoyed this how-to! let me know if you have questions!

and a BIG KISS to mom for all of the help! xx

the answer to a never ending story?

i've been thinking a lot about the dining room of late and decided to put together a (remedial) storyboard to represent how i'd like for it to come together -- though some existing pieces weren't included.

some of these items are on my wish list, most notably the aqua leather wingbacks. we'll just have to wait and see if i can snag some of this stuff on sale...

so, here we go with the list, from left-to-right by row:

1. "stormy monday" paint by benjamin moore.
   
2. poster-sized prints of two photos i took in iceland a few months ago
3. those crazy mirrors i just finished!
4. a black glass chandelier... or white... or clear... what do you think?
5. a mix of thonet chairs, which i am in the process of collecting, refinished in black
   
6. my duncan phyfe table that i FINALLY refinished. maybe adding a high-gloss black leaf so allow for more seats and to modernize the look
7. OMG a pair of these amazing wingbacks that i found at zgallerie. the photos don't come even close to doing them justice. i DIE when i look at them. perfect for unbuttoning your pants and relaxing.
8. a great graphic rug, like this one from anthro. diamond jungle dhurrie just sounds fun!
   
9. high gloss black doors with white casings

and not in the storyboard but definitely included:

• my grandmother's favorite side table - antique, round, leather topped. my dad's only request to keep when she passed. he thought it would be perfect for my little victorian home. i'd pair it with the wingbacks and place them in the bay window.
• an antique armoire from my dad. when they went mid-century with their house, i scored this hand-me-down. perfect for storing bar essentials.
• black and white patterned curtains with some fun detail. i'm on the hunt for fabric. got any suggestions?
• voile sheers to diffuse the light (and for privacy since the dining room is at the front of the house and on street level)
• fun tchotchkes in bright colors - because i am a magpie collecting shiny things, as you all know
  

are you scared? excited? what would you add or change?

if.. you... asked me to...

well, YOU DID if your name is sandra, elaine or kelly.

no real post today, just a quick update on the mirrors for the dining room. some of you may recall that i was playing with a few ideas for the finish (and blogged about it here).

so many friends liked the multi-colored graffiti look that i decided, "what the heck? we're only young once!" so here you go...

ignore the styrofoam up top - just testing different angles for the mirrors to hang at...

if you're curious:
- mirrors were a sale item at pier one
- used the following paints: rust-oleum in "white gloss" and "black gloss" and krylon x-metals in "anodized purple"

to thonet or not to thonet - that is the question.

er... well... really it's more of a degree-of-thonet question.

i'm finally getting my bum into gear on the dining room but i'm stuck again on chairs. i LOVELOVELOVE thonet chairs (yessireebob, i even picked up a couple this weekend) and was thinking i could surround the table with a variety of the cafe-style chairs...

à la these examples:

cafe des amis, san francisco

via apartment therapy

or if i should mix things up and scavenge for a variety of "significant" chair styles, like these rooms do.

via country living

sjp's hamptons house via elle decor

honestly, i am LOVING both options. what do YOU think?

i ain't sayin' she a gold digger...

well, due to laziness and because it seems it's impossible to book a contractor, i have made very little headway in the dining room. for months it has been a glorified storage locker-slash-project room and it is all so very sad.

well, while i can't empty it out until i find a contractor WHO RETURNS CALLS to fix up the basement, i can still plan for the day when i can decorate and entertain in there... (please, god, let that be SOON!)

the room is large, with our very high ceilings, so i've been looking for some high-impact items to fill the space. one thing that was absolutely necessary was to add at least one mirror - i love the way they reflect the candlelight during a long dinner party with friends - but it would have to be BIG.

i searched and searched antiques fairs, consignment and antique shops, craigslist, ebay, but i just could not find what i wanted. then, one day, at pier one i spotted this one. the finish is truly HIDEOUS but it is over 4 feet tall and has great bones.

close up of the original finish... yuck.

so i tried high-gloss black...

and high-gloss white...

and a fuschia metallic paint.

it's kind of a mess, but sort of fun too!

but i think i'm back to my original inspiration, so i have ordered some gold lustrgild paint in the hopes of creating something more like this:

so hopefully, sometime next week, these two lovelies will be finished and hung and i can finally say i have made some kind of progress in here!

shine on!

in honor of the chandelier i acquired on craigslist this week, and the INSANELY lovely weather we are enjoying here in san francisco, a little ditty by one of my favorite brit pop acts. enjoy!

"shine, shine, shine on
yes, won't you shine, shine on
(sha la la la)..."

will it never, EVER, end?

"what a looooooong strange trip it's been" for me and this here dining room. it was probably the room i was most excited about when i moved in - not because it is the most beautiful (in fact, it was the most neglected - i can't even conceive of what those college kids were DOING in there.*), but because i love to entertain.

*okay, i really can because, you know, it wasn't SOOOOO long ago that i was a college student myself. i just don't want to imagine those things happening in MY dining room!

from the start, i wanted it to be a cozy room that people could relax in for hours. it started as this mess below - well this is actually after the carpets full of funk were removed. i can't find a better photo, i think, because i had avoided the room for so long.

again with the baby-poopy yellow. EVERYWHERE with the baby-poopy yellow. to make it a bit more serene i decided to go for a mid-tone gray. i tested about 10 and chose the one you see below. (again, apologies for the mess - until the basement is cleared for use, the dining room is doubling as a storage unit.)

i tend to like cool colors, but this just looked horrible. i had exchanged the poopy baby diaper color for an actual baby's nursery (which is just sad and scary if you don't have a baby friend of your own)!

when it went on, it was a pale blue and i hated it. but i was so frustrated that i just finished off the room because i had no idea when i would get to painting it AGAIN....

in the meantime i found this amazing photo. noe this - THIS - is what i was looking for. so, against my usual color instincts, i went about testing some dove grays - colors that had a bit of brown in them to warm things up and create that cozy vibe i want. i finally settled on "stormy monday" by benjamin moore.

and, last night, i got my lazy bones off of the sofa and painted one wall to see if it worked...

i also dedided to do something a bit radical - i'm painting everything from the crown molding down in this color, including trim and baseboards. I'll be using alot of white, black and gold decor - and texture - for POP.

i like that it's neutral enough to show off any color that i might incorporate into holiday or party decorations. because you know me, with the color. and the sparkle.

what do you think? great or BIG mistake?

OH - quick side note... i decided to try a new paint formulation last night as well: benjamin moore's aura. it's alot more expensive than the color-matched paints i generally buy at home depot (which are great), but i did love this stuff. goes on very smooth, great coverage, and very low on fumes. thumbs up!

dining room inspiration.

well, i painted the dining room and it was a big ol' bust. the color sample was lovely and gray and the real life color made the room look like a giant baby's nursery. maybe someday but, for now, *do not RUSH me*.

sorry, i'm used to saying that to my parents these days.

anywhoo... it's time to start again and i think that i'm going to go for a warmer, brownish gray (i was playing with peacock blue, but that might be too dark against the black entryway). ceiling to floor. including moldings. *gasp*

i want the room to feel cozy and a bit european, hence the paint on all of the trim and below the chair rail. i'd like for people to linger and feel at home.

here are a couple of images that are inspiring me:

i've seen this on a few blogs, but not sure of the original publication. i love how the antique wood and gilt mirrors bring out the warm tones in the paint and curtains. it's all so chic and serene.

i think this will work well with my antique pieces - a phyfe-style table that i rescued long ago, a pretty, leather-topped side table from my grandmother's house, and a beautiful mahogany armoire that my dad gave me when he moved from a lovely old craftsman to more mid-century inspired digs.

i'm thinking cream silk curtains with paillettes or tiny mirrors scattered about for a bit of sparkle when the candles are burning low.

and this GORGEOUS thanksgiving tablescape, which i copied yesterday and am so scatter-brained that i cannot for the life of me remember what blogger is responsible! (if it's you, please comment so i can give you due credit!).

again, the colors are soft but warm -- and the feathers add that bit of whimsy that i like (actually need) to incorporate into all of my rooms. and, i think i can also use the feathers to bring some of the colors of the rug i've been holding on to for years (it's actually a bit warmer in tone than the photo suggests).

what do you think? any suggestions for chairs with this scheme. i want to stray from "traditional" because all of the major pieces already are.

oh, and when i'm done, we can all have dinner together and make like the little guys below.

(sorry, couldn't resist. it's one of my favorites of all time.)

what to do? what to do?

here's another item i have inherited over the years. it's the only "big girl" rug i own (the rest, while nice, are from ikea).

it's been rolled up in a corner for about 7 years and, now that i have a dining room, it's time to trot this puppy out.

anyone have any ideas on what to do for decorating with this thing? i think the walls will be light gray and i have a duncan phyfe table that will sit on top of it, but i need chair and curtain ideas.

want to keep it eclectic and fun. and slightly o.t.t. (or "over the top", for those of you who do not know me personally...)

help!