A Mid Century Masterpiece

A year and a half ago when I was pregnant with my daughter, I went on a tour of my son's new school.  It was there I met Nikki.   She was pregnant too with her third child, and one of the nicest people I'd ever met.   We hit it off immediately and actually exchanged phone numbers after the tour once we realized we lived one street away from each other.  When I finally made it over to her house for a play date, I knew I'd met a girl with an eye for design!   Wow.  Both Nikki and her husband Matt have an appreciation for mid century pieces and a talent for putting them together in a way that WORKS.  NO DECORATOR NEEDED.  REALLY.  I'm so appreciative that they allowed me to share their home with you on this blog.  Thanks also to Ali Wood Photography for the amazing photos!  Enjoy.

The walkway up to their home.....already cool, fresh, and modern

From Nikki: The room needed something to center it and we thought the Satellite Chandelier (from Design Within Reach) did the trick. Eames Elephant is from DWR as well. It's actually a children's riding toy! I just loved the pop of color it gives to the room. The bamboo coffee table is from Cantoni's. And the Blue Dog in the background is the first gift Matt ever gave me - it's entitled "Dawn of a New Love". Takes me back to our beginnings in Louisiana! The rug is a handmade Stark.

From Nikki: I had found this Missoni tulip fabric and fell in love with it! I needed some fabric with blue and khaki to go with the couch (Herman Miller Goetz Sofa) - Voila! It was a perfect fit!

From Nikki:  Arne Jacobsen Egg Chairs. What can I say, they are BLUE! I think the lumbar pillows give the chairs some softness. I loved the Missoni fabric and thought it helped tie the colors in the room together.

From Nikki: My Bertoia barstools even lived in our Shreveport "transitional" house. They are the most uncomfortable chair in the world with out that cushion! I got tomato red cushions to match the knobs on the Wolf oven. It's my favorite color!

From Nikki:  Our study. Ha! Who studies in here? Actually, the kids climb, play the ipad or read books while I work on my computer (desk is to the left). 2 chairs are from Baker Knapp and Tubbs (Clearance actually!) and my favorite piece in the room is my Saarinen table with rosewood veneer and black base. I bought it and didn't even have a place for it but knew I would find the perfect spot for it! The lamp is a favorite too - a gift from my inlaws... The Tolomeo Mega Floor Lamp with parchment shade.

From Nikki: The Bikini Chair - I spotted this at Collage and fell in love. I love the walnut wood and black leather combo. Masculine but not too bachelor pad. The Gilda Floor Lamp was one of the first things I bought when we moved into this house 2 1/2 years ago. It has lived in 3 rooms. I like it here now - but will it stay??? ;) And the artwork is the first piece Matt and I bought together at a little gallery in Denver. Brings back good memories! The rug is called Manuscript Rug - from DWR.

Nelson Sunflower Clock from Design Within Reach

From Nikki:  The vintage 60's lamps are from Forty Five Ten on McKinney. We just refinished the cords, added new lamp shades and polished up!

From Nikki:  My heart. Compliments of Melissa Stephens Photography and Ali Wood Photography.

From Nikki:  Paul McCobb dresser I found at Collage. I love the style and as I redo Stella's "baby" room and turn it into her big girl room it will play a big part. 

From Nikki:  I found this graphic fabric and decided to design my room around it. The pillows have different colored flowers on the other side - making them reversible. I never get tired of the colors! The bed and leather/wood bench are from Baker Knapp and Tubbs - both from the Bill Sofield collection.

From Nikki:  One of my favorite pieces in the house. A gift from my mother-in-law. It's an original Eames lounge chair and ottoman. One of the most comfortable pieces of furniture we own! I love the airy Platner side table too.

From Nikki:  Noah's room - love all the colors. He loves space and anything rocket ship. Bunk bed and table are from Baby Bliss in Snider Plaza. Rug is from Anthropologie. Looking forward to a new lime green Togo chair to fit right in! It'll be a cozy place to read at bed time...

If I had $22.5 Million.....

I must confess a little hobby of mine.  As if I need another time-suck outside of Facebook and Pinterest, I LOVE to look online at homes for sale in the area.  For me, its fun to see how people live....from the most modest of budgets to the homes where no expense was spared.  Truth be told, you can get some amazing decorating ideas and inspiration from doing this....my secret's out!  Below is a home I'm ashamed to say I've stalked online for a while.  From a completely superficial standpoint, it's a dream home.  If I had $22.5 Million, it would be mine...with all furnishings included ;). 

Here is a link to the actual listing:

http://www.trulia.com/property/3076121949-6601-Hunters-Glen-Rd-Dallas-TX-75205

Here are the photos.  AMAZING.

Source: trulia.com via Jackie on Pinterest

Source: trulia.com via Jackie on Pinterest

Source: trulia.com via Jackie on Pinterest

Source: trulia.com via Jackie on Pinterest

Source: trulia.com via Jackie on Pinterest

Source: trulia.com via Jackie on Pinterest

Source: trulia.com via Jackie on Pinterest

Source: trulia.com via Jackie on Pinterest

Source: trulia.com via Jackie on Pinterest

Source: trulia.com via Jackie on Pinterest

Source: trulia.com via Jackie on Pinterest

Source: trulia.com via Jackie on Pinterest

Source: trulia.com via Jackie on Pinterest

Source: trulia.com via Jackie on Pinterest

Source: trulia.com via Jackie on Pinterest

Front Porch Living

One thing hubs and I LOVE about where we live is that it is a front porch / front yard neighborhood.  At any moment during the day, you will absolutely find someone out front watching their kiddos ride bikes, play football, or run through sprinklers (and more often than not with a sippy cup of their own in their hand ;).  What I personally love about front porch living is that you are "home" but "out" with friends, and other families.  Front porches are the newest spaces not following the "rules".....it's time to expand your home frontward.

Source: bhg.com via Jackie on Pinterest

Computer Problems = No Blogging but from an iPhone

That pretty much says it all. Computer's hard drive crashed, and we'll give it one more try before it becomes firewood. Proceeds from upcoming Garage Sale going to purchase MacBook Pro. Let's hope my stuff fetches good money!;). In the meantime, I'll be iBloggin from my iPhone.

Found it!

Two months ago, West Elm came out with a catalog that included the picture below which was an ad for a coffee table, then a rug that was hung as wall art.  What caught my eye was neither the rug, nor the coffee table (sorry West Elm!).  What caught my eye was the fabulous brass figurine ON the coffee table.  The catalog had NO info.  I have looked HIGH and LOW for this thing. 

How fabulous is this??

And almost to tease me, the picture below was in the FLOR catalog....this time in red.  Again, NO info on the "figurine".  WHAT is this and WHERE can I get it?? 

Source: flor.com via Jackie on Pinterest

Holy F|DLuxe Batman!  It is spotted in this month's issue.....see blow in delicious chrome...

It is FOUND.  If you look on tanglecreations.com, you can order this lovely item as a colorful toy, or a museum looking showpiece for your home....and fairly priced at $37 for the version below, or $75 for the "museum" size.  LOVE THIS.  MIGHT. HAVE. ALREADY. ORDERED. IT.

DIY: Bamboo Console Table

Great "moving sale" ad on Craigslist that ran multiple pictures of vintage 60's furniture.  I don't need much else, and no one I knew needed anything in the pictures, but I still dropped by just to make sure.....found this vintage console and matching stools for pennies and decided I had to have it.  Here is said console behind my sofa:

check out the yellow and green tweed fabric and the yellow legs on these ;)

Two things needed here....paint and fabric.  The hard part is picking the colors.....need to dis-assemble stools and check that I can cover cushions myself:

Hubs had to help me find the right screw driver head to get the screws out that were holding the stool base and cushion together

mission accomplished....

think I can do this myself

multiple contenders, but settled on this Suzani from Childress.....now on to making the new cushions!

anyone else feel powerful using a heavy duty staple gun? ;)

Get 'er done

THE BEST spray paint ever.   It's behind the "cage" at Michaels, and worth the 15 minute wait until someone unlocks it.  Goes on smooth and shiny. 

My dog, Drake, thinks I'm nuts.  He kept groaning at the smell of the spray paint.  Was excited to see this in Glossy black, but then felt unsure.....

the finished table and stools....

After walking by this table for one day, I'm thinking maybe I should have painted it grey.  I might head back to the "paint cage" at Michael's and try their charcoal grey color.  The contrast with the glossy black is almost too drastic for me......but still love how different this piece looks!!