Category: ‘D’ for Decorating

14 Ceiling Fans that Don’t Look Terrible!
Our house does not have central air, and Chicago summers are hot and humid. I was a little concerned that we would be uncomfortable as the temperatures rose, but it hasn’t been too bad. A shady porch for enjoying a breeze helps. 10′ tall ceilings inside and transom windows above the bedroom doors help. Window A/C units help. Portable fans help, and though I’d rather choose fixtures for looks alone, ceiling fans help. There are four in the house already, and we’re planning to add at least two more.

Here’s what I’ve been looking for in a fan:
- simple and classic, early vintage style, or industrial-inspired
- nothing too modern or so simple that it looks cheap
- light kit optional (depends on the room — lamps/sconces are adequate in bedrooms)
- four or five blades
- no gimmicks (gyro fans, palm leaves, etc.)
- black, bronze, or brass (in another house I might prefer white, but here I don’t think the color works as well)
- roughly 48″ across, give or take a little
Some of these are available in several finishes, but I tried to stick to black or dark bronze for the roundup so they could be compared more readily by shape and style than by color. Many are also adaptable to house a light kit, and the down rod can often be adjusted for height.

Classic Bistro Style
1. 52″ Harbor Breeze Classic Outdoor Ceiling Fan, Lowe’s, $80
2. 42″ Progress Lighting Airpro Builder Ceiling Fan, Lowe’s, $111
3. 52″ Sea Gull Lighting Quality Ceiling Fan, Lowe’s, $171
4. 43″ Gemma Indoor/Outdoor Ceiling Fan, Home Depot, $242
5. 52″ Bistro Ceiling Fan, Restoration Hardware, $289
6. 54″ Ainsworth Ceiling Fan, House of Antique Hardware, $310
7. 52″ Heron No Light 4-Blade Ceiling Fan, Rejuvenation, $450
8. 52″ Hunter Original Ceiling Fan, House of Antique Hardware, $463
Industrial-Inspired
1. 52″ Progress Lighting North Park 4-Blade Ceiling Fan, Lowe’s, $214
2. 42″ or 52″ Lapa Ceiling Fan, Barn Light Electric, $446
3. 42″ or 52″ Machine Age Polished Copper Ceiling Fan, Barn Light Electric, $475
4. 52″ Industry Ceiling Fan, Restoration Hardware, $499
5. 60″ Peregrine Industrial No Light 4-Blade Ceiling Fan, Rejuvenation, $500
  also seen in the leading image, with an LED light
6. 52″ Earhart Ceiling Fan, Restoration Hardware, $579
p.s. I totally should have had two matching post titles in a row.
July 22, 2015
Just a Few Totally Normal Pillows
I was rooming with Nole from Oh So Beautiful Paper at Alt Summit, and I was laughing as I read an email submission. I’m skimming the press release, seeing things like “premium lamb’s wool” and “broad range of textiles including velvet and linen…” and then I get to the photo. Nowhere in the copy did it mention that the pillows had drawings of boobs on them. Oh, hello!

So then Nole was telling me about a pillow she saw from an Etsy seller at the National Stationery Show that had strippers on it. She had somehow forgotten, until I pulled up the picture of them on her blog, about the penis patterned pillows alongside it. So now we’ve got ourselves a little theme here, and while not nearly as naughty, I thought the winking eye pillows I added to our bedroom recently would fit well here stylistically.

Body parts! And a bonus ‘boyfriend.’ Enjoy.
1. Wink Wink Pillow, People I’ve Loved
2. Brostette Boob Pencil Pillow, Creating Cozy
3. Black Outline Pillow, Creating Cozy
4. Boyfriend Pillow®
5. Dick Pillow, Lark + Raven*
6. Pinstripper Pillow, Lark + Raven*
* Available in 6-8 weeks. They’re being made now!
June 15, 2015
So You Need a Leather Dining Chair
There’s a leather chair, with a certain shape and metal legs, that has been popping up here and there lately. Have you noticed it, too? Sort of a cushier version of Charlotte Perriand’s les arc chairs. After coming across one for the fourth time, I took it as a sign to round them up and present them to you, for you may have need of a good looking leather dining chair. I try to be helpful like that.
1. Roadhouse Leather Chair, CB2, $249 (also shown in the first photo)
2. Leather Schoolhouse Chair, Rejuvenation, $219
3. Fernando Chair, Jayson Home, ~~$695~~ $566
4. Giron Brown Leather Chair, ABC Carpet & Home, $745
May 6, 2015
One (Famous) Brownstone, Two Kitchens

You probably recognize this kitchen. It was in the much-featured, much-blogged-about home of Jenna Lyons.

Lyons’s New York brownstone was sold and is now owned by Tracy Martin and Vince Clarke. They hired Roman and Williams to redesign and decorate it, and here’s the kitchen now.

I missed the redecorated home’s feature in the New York Times when it was first published last year, but was glad to come across it recently. It’s easy for me to fall back to cute! and colorful!, but I’m so inspired by more masculine homes, and I love the vintage character brought back into this kitchen. The entire redesign is inspiring.

Which way do you prefer it? How about the home as a whole? Domain Home put together a collection of photos of the house’s two very different looks.

April 22, 2015
Three Silver Side Tables
This post is brought to you by Target Style.
Shop the new Home collection in stores and online.

Target has their new pieces out for spring, and I’m working with them today to feature one of the new side tables. I chose a silver drum table because I like that the finish is shiny enough to reflect whatever is nearby (that red rug in front warms it up a lot), but it doesn’t show fingerprints and the hammered detail gives it texture and interest.

I try to have a coffee or side table within reach of each seat so there’s always a place to set down a drink (or as is usually the case here because of the kids, a place to leave your toy cars, horse figures, and Lego people). Of course, they also make for good opportunities to bring in a few accessories, like the flowers and candle that I picked up.

(Hey, having the same initials as Nate Berkus has finally paid off!)

A drum table is versatile enough to pair with sofas and chairs in a wide variety of styles — even as a bedside table or extra seating as a stool. I’ve been working a lot with brass and warm metals in this house, so I thought it would be fun to switch it up and take a look at silver instead. I matched up the same metallic drum table with a different chair, and also pulled in two other options in my sketch below. (These are so fun to draw!)
1. Candace Arm Chair (Garden Craft Seafoam)
  The feminine lines of this chair are great, and it comes in a bunch of patterns and colors.
2. Threshold^™ Silver Drum Accent Table
  A classic shape gets a metallic update.
3. Safavieh Accent Table (Silver)
  Slender and stylish. A cute little table just big enough to set a drink down on.
4. Threshold^™ Rope Wrapped Accent Table with Hammered Metal Top
  The rope detail would be at home in a beachy setting, but the hammered metal and geometric base give it a bit of edge that helps the table work with a more modern style too.
5. Safavieh Sasha Club Chair (Tan)
  Such a great, neutral chair. Would be perfect as a pair facing a sofa.
April 21, 2015
My eBay Collections

Sponsored by eBay

I’ve been doing a lot of online window shopping lately, like it’s my job. (Oh, wait a minute…) I sometimes get it in my head that I need to find a very specific item, like an antique blue and white vase with brass trim similar to the one I used in this room design, so I keep popping over to eBay every so often to see what’s available. Have you noticed their new eBay Collections feature yet? I’ve been spotting them alongside some of my searches, and finding some fun things I may not have thought to search for otherwise.

I’ve been creating my own eBay collections over the past couple of weeks, too. Here’s a sampling of what you can find in them.

You can visit and follow my collections on eBay for direct sources, and also to keep up with new additions. I’ve mostly been looking at stuff for the house, like the aforementioned blue and white vase. I’m also perpetually on the lookout for an antique runner rug, weird old art, and some Milo Baughman (or Baughman-style) chairs. I’m taking my time and enjoying the browsing process while I hold out for just the right items to show up. Of course, sometimes the searches wander over into fashion with boots and purses and the like too.

I’m definitely in research mode more than acquisition mode right now, but I am pretty sad that I hesitated to bid on that awful/amazing lion rug. You know, that frightening orange guy up above, in the circle? It could have been living it up in my entryway by now had I just gone for it! I mean, I know it may not be to everyone’s liking, but I love it. Besides, we all need to indulge a little bad taste every now and then, right?

Enter to win $25,000!

There is a $25,000 Share it Win it Sweepstakes going on over at eBay right now, with additional $1000 weekly prizes (complete rules and details are here). You can win just by logging in sharing your favorite eBay collections via social media! I’ll be continuing to add to my collections for the duration of the sweepstakes and beyond, and you can follow me on eBay right here.

December 17, 2013