Hello bloglandia! I’m still fighting with this stupid eye and it’s making me crazy. From being a pain at work to ruining any weekend plans I may have ridiculously imagined I could have managed, healing is a slow, annoying process. I’d hoped to make some headway on our house projects list, but when one’s eyes are pointed in opposite directions it is a leeetleeee hard to concentrate. Vision, I will never take you for granted again.
We made some tiny progress in the spa-ification of the house, though. This Etsy post about Anabela’s whitewashed house made me realize part of what makes our little cottage so very hobbit-y and dark are all the dark frames everywhere. Every single piece of art is framed in black, the furniture is all painted black or stained dark wood, and our fireplace is dark brick and huge. So, spray paint in hand, we tackled the entry mirror.
It looks better, definitely opens up the space. Next project, find an entry table that I actually like. Let’s talk about deliberate vs. found furniture – at what point do you stop furnishing your entire home with thrift and curb finds? Sigh.
Get yourself a slab of white marble for the top of that table and a new knob? Then maybe you’d be happily reading the cats their book about Gnomes without hating on the table?
It does look better with a white linen runner, but I got wax on it & haven’t cleaned it yet. I think I’d rather find something I like a lot than invest any time/finding into this table.
also cats love gnomes…for dinner!
Get something old and pretty!! I feel like I don’t know how to buy new furniture. I even got confused in the garbage can aisle a few weeks ago–I automatically feel like the modern thing should not be trusted. Those big cube-y Ikea bookshelves are OK though. Mattresses? Do mattresses count as furniture? Oh God.
I’m having a furniture based twitter meltdown RIGHT NOW. the minute I choose something vs it choosing me, I hate it and go off on another style tangent. but i’ll keep an eye out in antique shops. I asked Sean where this table came from and he said his mom got it for free from an OFFICE FURNITURE PLACE.
this looks beautiful.
there is so much that i’d like to spray paint, but i’m just so damn lazy.
for me the trick of bought versus found is to let it find you either way.
unless something is broken or truly driving me bananas, if i want to replace it just keep an eye out for an alternative, and whether than alternative comes from a store or a curb makes no difference.
the other thing to consider is moving things around within your house. is there another console/table/something somewhere that could get switched out with this one? sometimes i get so set that certain pieces go where they are that it’s hard to try old pieces in new places.
Ooh, lovely. I think you shouldn’t stress so much about finding/making something amazing – if you find something you love and it’s new and you have to buy it new, then that’s totally fine. You should just keep an eye out for what’s right, even if keeping an eye out means you’re leafing through magazines, catalogs, and style blogs!
Totally! I need a binder of inspiration photos, because what I do is just grab what’s tolerable when I need it. For example, we need floor to ceiling bookcases, and a friend offers me some for free? Sure!! Who cares that the dark wood makes it look like a hunting lodge? (I do!! But my husband loves it!)
So it’s more about striking a balance between reasonable / useful / needed furniture and long term vision.
I’d care a lot more and be more careful if we actually owned the house – when we do, everything will be super deliberate!
I’m a slow and steady kind of person when it comes to home furnishing and decorating. Everything we have is second hand or Ikea (or second-hand Ikea). I want to upgrade, but it’s going to be a long process, piece by piece. Keeping my eyes open, not pushing for something that’s just sort of right. I want to find the thing that’s totally right, and it doesn’t matter where I find it (as long as it’s within the budget).
Yeah, it’s a pain because I’ve moved SO MANY TIMES. In the last 15 years I’ve moved 12 times – I’ve furnished with brand new spendy things, sold them, gotten new things, sold them, moved to smaller places and downsized, shipped most of my things back to VT for the cabin, bought new things for the cabin, stored other furniture, moved BACK to SF, bought all new things, moved to a big house, gotten married and combined stuff – it’s just a whirlwind of furniture! The most recent batch of things was collected in a quick period of time, since we moved into a bigger place. Or, things like a table I bought for a work desk is now our dining room table – and maybe I wouldn’t have chosen a painted black big clunky dining table, but it fits and is functional. You know? I don’t know if it’s worth fussing over it until we buy a place!
Funny how a post like this can be completely motivating and inspiring. Since reading your blog this morning, I’ve spent the better half of my day looking up interior decorating inspirations and what not. You continue to be a lifestyle muse Miss T.
xx
o good, when you’re done looking up inspirations you can come fix my house!! 😀
i keep meaning to email you because I want to do a blog post about your new ventures!
Haha, you are my inspiration lady!!! Seriously…all I want to do right now is paint everything I own white….<3
After reading all of these comments, all I want out of life is a new couch!
Funny ! I love dark furniture, rich-coloured wood (walnut being my favourite) … and I love wood staying its natural colour.
But I did paint all my antique mirror frames white ! Do you remember that ? Twinsss !
x x x
-m-
& pink frames! i wish i could recreate your flat, please.
i do want more natural wood. since so much of my furniture is found, i just default to throwing paint on it instead of all the work of stripping and finishing.