12 hours ago
31 October 2008
29 October 2008
bath renovation preview
we recently briefly touched on a bathroom renovation project we are currently working on, so we thought we'd give you a bit a sneak peek at the room in progress.
the idea was to take a bathroom so tiny and depressing, that no one in the family actually wanted to use it, and turn it into a little jewel box of a bath- something people will actually want to be in (a variation on "if you build it, they will come", in this case- "if you make it pretty, they will use it").
we are going from this (taken the first day of construction):
to something looking a little more like this (m21 concept elevation drawing):
as stated, bath is teeny-tiny, so the challenge of working with such tight space was actually turned into a virtue. since wall and floorspace are so limited, we could splurge on materials- in this case white carrara 1" x 2" tiles for the walls and 2" x 2" carrara hexes for the floors, all capped by a sexy carrara molding. in a bigger room, this could have been cost prohibitive, but here, it totally works within our budget.
same concept on the fixtures- since we eliminated the too small to be used tub, and turned the space into shower only- we could take the money saved on buying a new tub (and faucet, etc.), and buy slightly more glamorous fixtures than the total budget would normally allow.
if budget was not an issue, we'd probably purchase everything from urban archeology, as they do the particular look we are going for better than anyone else, or we could also happily go with the glamor of waterworks (how we love BOTH of them), but we managed to get the look we wanted by selecting more reasonably priced fixtures from restoration hardware, and ended up saving quite a bit. restoration has been having fabulous online weekend sales lately, and we got everything for 20% off (and the weekend after that sale, they offered $100 off any purchase greater than $400.00, so it pays to check the website before buying). they also are offering no interest-no payments for one year, on purchases greater than $750.00, so buying selections from their "dillion collection" was a no brainier- the collection has the 20-30's vibe we want to reflect the architecture of the home, but the prices were easy on the pocketbook:
we also went with restoration's sutton grand sconce- a terrific value right now, on sale for $199.00!
bath should actually be finished fairly quickly, so we'll post the results in a week or two, and you can decide if the finished room lives up to the concept! we're pretty sure it will- we are quite excited about it!
the idea was to take a bathroom so tiny and depressing, that no one in the family actually wanted to use it, and turn it into a little jewel box of a bath- something people will actually want to be in (a variation on "if you build it, they will come", in this case- "if you make it pretty, they will use it").
we are going from this (taken the first day of construction):
to something looking a little more like this (m21 concept elevation drawing):
as stated, bath is teeny-tiny, so the challenge of working with such tight space was actually turned into a virtue. since wall and floorspace are so limited, we could splurge on materials- in this case white carrara 1" x 2" tiles for the walls and 2" x 2" carrara hexes for the floors, all capped by a sexy carrara molding. in a bigger room, this could have been cost prohibitive, but here, it totally works within our budget.
same concept on the fixtures- since we eliminated the too small to be used tub, and turned the space into shower only- we could take the money saved on buying a new tub (and faucet, etc.), and buy slightly more glamorous fixtures than the total budget would normally allow.
if budget was not an issue, we'd probably purchase everything from urban archeology, as they do the particular look we are going for better than anyone else, or we could also happily go with the glamor of waterworks (how we love BOTH of them), but we managed to get the look we wanted by selecting more reasonably priced fixtures from restoration hardware, and ended up saving quite a bit. restoration has been having fabulous online weekend sales lately, and we got everything for 20% off (and the weekend after that sale, they offered $100 off any purchase greater than $400.00, so it pays to check the website before buying). they also are offering no interest-no payments for one year, on purchases greater than $750.00, so buying selections from their "dillion collection" was a no brainier- the collection has the 20-30's vibe we want to reflect the architecture of the home, but the prices were easy on the pocketbook:
we also went with restoration's sutton grand sconce- a terrific value right now, on sale for $199.00!
bath should actually be finished fairly quickly, so we'll post the results in a week or two, and you can decide if the finished room lives up to the concept! we're pretty sure it will- we are quite excited about it!
26 October 2008
cave painting (the silver-leaf edition)
maison21 and a good friend were recently discussing m21's post on his cheap n' chic dining room curtains, and our friend asked if we mentioned the ceiling of the room, as it's always been a favorite of his, but funnily enough, we never even gave it a thought. because like the sun coming up each morning, and the seasons changing, our ceiling is just part of the natural order of the universe- something that just is, always was, and always will be. we haven't given it a thought in years- many, many years.
you see, when m21 moved the atelier- what now seems like thousands of years ago- it was actually a cave, not an atelier yet, and dinosaurs still walked the earth (swear). "decorators and dinosaurs co-existed at the same time", you ask incredulously? of course they did- just ask a certain vice-presidential candidate- she'll totally back me up on this one!
anyway, as usual we digress- back to decorating: when we moved into the cave- oops, we mean atelier- we dreamed of a glamorous silver-leafed ceiling in our dining room, like the above image from domino's website. problem was, we didn't have a clue of how to do it ourselves, or any money to hire someone to do it for us (if we remember correctly, there was a recession then as well, in addition to the dinsosaurs and stuff). so being the budding decorista that we then were, we improvised with an application of oil-based aluminum paint, applied with a rag. knowing we cold never replicate the squares of real leafing, m21, and his then housemate just ragged the paint on with a combination of tight swirls and loose strokes (a bottle of wine probably helped our technique). the end effect was rather pretty, kinda like a stormy sky. it reflects daylight beautifully, but really shines (pardon the pun) at night.
the application was totally cheap, and pretty darn easy- a quart of paint and a couple hours (any tedium was prevented by the wine). we chose oil-based paint (sorry, we don't remember brand- ask your local paint store to hook you up), because it provides a more reflective surface, and covers super easy- a quart for our tiny dining room was plenty. the drawback of oil-based enamel is that it's totally toxic- wear thick rubber gloves for this hand-technique (safety glasses would be smart, too) and have plenty of ventilation. oh, and if you ever want to paint over it- good luck with that! if you chose water-based metallic paints (ralph lauren makes a nice one), clean-up is a breeze, and it's not quite so toxic, but you'll have to do more than one coat (a real drawback with a hand technique like this one- you'll be totally over it before you are done). latex metallic finish paint also often has more of a satin, pearlescent sheen- still pretty, but not quite as shiny and reflective.
all these years later, dinosaurs may be extinct, but our ceiling is still going strong (maybe a little foggy with age, but aren't we all). it was certainly a cost-effective decorating investment, having stood the test of time (and fickle decorating tastes), making it perfect for our uncertain economic times today. if you try a little faux-silver leaf cave-painting in your own home, let us know how it turns out!
you see, when m21 moved the atelier- what now seems like thousands of years ago- it was actually a cave, not an atelier yet, and dinosaurs still walked the earth (swear). "decorators and dinosaurs co-existed at the same time", you ask incredulously? of course they did- just ask a certain vice-presidential candidate- she'll totally back me up on this one!
anyway, as usual we digress- back to decorating: when we moved into the cave- oops, we mean atelier- we dreamed of a glamorous silver-leafed ceiling in our dining room, like the above image from domino's website. problem was, we didn't have a clue of how to do it ourselves, or any money to hire someone to do it for us (if we remember correctly, there was a recession then as well, in addition to the dinsosaurs and stuff). so being the budding decorista that we then were, we improvised with an application of oil-based aluminum paint, applied with a rag. knowing we cold never replicate the squares of real leafing, m21, and his then housemate just ragged the paint on with a combination of tight swirls and loose strokes (a bottle of wine probably helped our technique). the end effect was rather pretty, kinda like a stormy sky. it reflects daylight beautifully, but really shines (pardon the pun) at night.
the application was totally cheap, and pretty darn easy- a quart of paint and a couple hours (any tedium was prevented by the wine). we chose oil-based paint (sorry, we don't remember brand- ask your local paint store to hook you up), because it provides a more reflective surface, and covers super easy- a quart for our tiny dining room was plenty. the drawback of oil-based enamel is that it's totally toxic- wear thick rubber gloves for this hand-technique (safety glasses would be smart, too) and have plenty of ventilation. oh, and if you ever want to paint over it- good luck with that! if you chose water-based metallic paints (ralph lauren makes a nice one), clean-up is a breeze, and it's not quite so toxic, but you'll have to do more than one coat (a real drawback with a hand technique like this one- you'll be totally over it before you are done). latex metallic finish paint also often has more of a satin, pearlescent sheen- still pretty, but not quite as shiny and reflective.
all these years later, dinosaurs may be extinct, but our ceiling is still going strong (maybe a little foggy with age, but aren't we all). it was certainly a cost-effective decorating investment, having stood the test of time (and fickle decorating tastes), making it perfect for our uncertain economic times today. if you try a little faux-silver leaf cave-painting in your own home, let us know how it turns out!
24 October 2008
the domino effect
maison21 spent the morning shopping for bathroom tiles for a client's bath remodel and returned to find a fed-ex box waiting on his doorstep. could it possibly be the 3 yards of fabric we just ordered two days ago, because although his upholsterer clearly specified 14 yards, absent-minded m21 only ordered 11?
nope- even better! it was a care package shipped to him by his good friend, habitually chic, to wish him well on an upcoming medical procedure (no, not a face lift- not yet, anyway- m21 is having a cervical epidural for his back problems. i know my female readers are thinking "big deal, i had an epidural when i had little jackson", but please remember, m21 is a mere boy, and thus far more squeamish about this kind of thing than girls. when it comes to pain, women are most definitely the stronger sex!).
anyway, the chic care package was full of domino love- a copy of the latest issue of domino magazine, a copy of "the domino book of decorating" (yay!- you'll remember we were bummed we didn't score one at the kelly wearstler/domino party), and perhaps our favorite bit of domino love- a domino match box, featuring the cover art from the book! they didn't have those at the west coast party, so it's the kind of thoughtful, one of a kind, memento this decorator loves!
added bonus- the birdie on the chinioserie match box and book cover, echoes the pair of brass pheasants already on maison21's coffee table, so book and box will have a place of honor on his table for sometime to come!
thanks, chic- the domino effect is already working!
nope- even better! it was a care package shipped to him by his good friend, habitually chic, to wish him well on an upcoming medical procedure (no, not a face lift- not yet, anyway- m21 is having a cervical epidural for his back problems. i know my female readers are thinking "big deal, i had an epidural when i had little jackson", but please remember, m21 is a mere boy, and thus far more squeamish about this kind of thing than girls. when it comes to pain, women are most definitely the stronger sex!).
anyway, the chic care package was full of domino love- a copy of the latest issue of domino magazine, a copy of "the domino book of decorating" (yay!- you'll remember we were bummed we didn't score one at the kelly wearstler/domino party), and perhaps our favorite bit of domino love- a domino match box, featuring the cover art from the book! they didn't have those at the west coast party, so it's the kind of thoughtful, one of a kind, memento this decorator loves!
added bonus- the birdie on the chinioserie match box and book cover, echoes the pair of brass pheasants already on maison21's coffee table, so book and box will have a place of honor on his table for sometime to come!thanks, chic- the domino effect is already working!
23 October 2008
rose tarlow/melrose house warehouse sale
rose tarlow/melrose house is having a sale at their valley warehouse this friday and saturday from 10-3. while we'd imagine even a melrose house sale price would still be some serious $$$, but you NEVER know at these types of things- could be worth checking out! maybe they'll have one of their gorgeous scalloped-edge chinoiserie coffee tables on sale for cheap- that would make maison21 very happy.
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