Before & After

Once upon a time, on the Upper, Upper West Side of Manhattan (112th Street, to be exact), I found a chair on the street.  She was a lovely chair.  I painted her green and put her just inside the door to my new sublet so I'd have a place to leave my purse when I came home.

Eight years, five apartments and two paint-jobs later, the poor thing needed to retire.  Someone sat on her last month and she literally collapsed underneath them, much to my humiliation!  Sorry chair, you had a good run, but it's time to go.

Enter the bench.  

I've been thinking about a bench for this space for a few months.  I liked the idea of having a bench for extra seating; two people can sit on him, instead of only one, like my chair.  Also, I thought a bench would look great under my sewing table - something to echo the simple rectangular shape of the the design.  I knew exactly what I wanted, but couldn't find anything in traditional stores (Target, etc.) so I began to scour craigslist.  It took me a while, but I finally got the bench of my dreams from a very nice lady in Midtown who was moving and selling a bunch of stuff.  $40 - not free, but I would hesitate to pick up something upholstered off the street.  I'm not shy about garbage picking, as evidenced here, but I draw the line at fabric/upholstery.  Why, I couldn't tell you.  I just do, okay?

Four coats of paint (yes, really) and a $6 yard of fabric later and I have this:

Ta DAA!  

Not bad, right?  I'm so happy with the result!  The white paint-job really accentuates the shape of the bench and how perfectly it echos my West Elm Parsons desk.  I recently painted that wall Benjamin Moore's Labrador Blue and now everything pops against the color.  I love that I can access the drawers of my desk without having to pull out the chair, which is a bonus I didn't even think about.

Ugh, this shot isn't white-balanced but I wanted to give you a close up.  The blue of the fabric is actually more a teal but it looks very similar to the wall color in the picture.  It's not that match-y in real life.

And here's a wide shot of my office/sewing nook.  I bought that rail and hanging cups from Ikea and it's changed my life.  I love having things (scissors, Sharpies, etc.) out and easy to access but this keeps them up and out of the way - the best of both worlds.

Stay tuned for more Before & After action - coming soon!!

Wants and Desires

In my last post I discussed my philosophy for decorating a new apartment.  I explained how 6 months is an adequate waiting period to decide whether you love something or hate it, where to hang art or place a book shelf.  Well, I hit the 6 month period last month and I decided it was time to paint!

Originally my living room was this color:

Benjamin Moore's Poolside Blue.  I chose to make a bold color choice and, well, I chose poorly.  So, it was time to repaint.  

I really love me some teal/aqua; it brings me to my happy place.  Following that logic, I simply moved two steps down on the color watch.  I still wanted the room to feel like it had a distinct color profile, but I wanted it to be much more subtle.  What I decided on was this:

Benjamin Moore's Jamaican Aqua.  Let me tell you, it is the most amazing color in the world!!!  It made the room feel instantly bigger and it makes all of my dark/vintage furniture seem sophisticated, instead of kitsch-y.  It also allows the curtains that I adore to really shine and doesn't compete so much with my area rug.  (Before and after pictures to come soon; I'm still sorting out this no camera problem.)

Now that the room is painted, I'm feeling the itch to add the finishing touches.  I need side tables and lamps, mostly.  Here's what I'm lusting after.

A classic/modern side table in white to keep things airy and light.  They were on sale last week and I'm kicking myself for not buying one!

From Jonathan Adler (I have a Thing for JA), this lamp costs as much as the table (!), but would nicely compliment the oil-rubbed bronze curtain rod I recently hung.

I want the room to feel balanced, but not match-y, so I'd like this table for the other side of the couch.  You also can't really see that side from most vantage points (it's in the corner) so the table can be more utilitarian.

This lamp to go in the corner, to balance out the room.  It's also bronze, but a different shape, so it "goes", but doesn't "match".

P.S.  I'm hoping that I can find some less expensive sources for lamps.  Why are lamps so expensive?

P.P.S  You guys were no help on the alarm clock tip!  Sheesh!  I've resorted to using my phone, which I don't really like.  I have a strict no electronics in the bedroom rule.  Am I the only one with a rule like that?