Tag: Living Room

The Grid of Framed Tarot Card Art

I wrote about wanting to add a mirror above the fireplace and a grid of frames above the red console back in (checks notes)… January!? Does it take that long to make a little change? Well, yep. I’m not rushing to fill a space, I’m refining. Taking my time to get things just right.

I loved the peacock mirror that used to hang above the red table. (I’m holding on to it, even though I have no idea where else it might work.) Once I added a larger Louis-Philippe style mirror above the fireplace though, the art above the table had to change.

The square Wyeth print that I hung temporarily in its place is great, but not the right size and scale for that spot. I knew I wanted something else, but I didn’t want to hurry the process for the sake of filling the wall — I needed to find the right art.

Behold, the “Eros: The Garden of Love” Oversize Limited Edition Major Arcana Suite, by Uusi. I found the right art!

I’m not a believer in the metaphysics of Tarot (or astrology, or anything supernatural), but like all good Goths, I learned how to read Tarot cards in high school. I still find them fascinating, but I think this particular deck is simply beautiful. Uusi has other styles too, but these are oversized and nicely suited to framing.

I typically hang art 56” high on center. I arranged the frames in a Photoshop mocku to be sure I liked the placement, and also to check that it worked well with the height of the fireplace and mirror.

Yay, good! Measure, level, and go.

I ordered black lacquer picture frames from Williams-Sonoma Home. They had mats sized for 5×7 photos but the cards are each 4×7, so I had custom mats cut by a local frame shop. The frames were on sale, so even with new mats (about $10 each), it was less expensive than going fully custom.

I like that you need to get close to really see what’s framed in there. From farther back, it’s just a pleasing grid with colors that kind of go with the rest of the room. Secret saucy sorcery!

October 16, 2018
A Louis-Philippe Mirror

Did you catch the new mirror above the fireplace when I shared photos of the living room with its new drapery? Let’s take a better look.

I’ve long wanted a Louis-Philippe mirror above the fireplace, but was more concerned about size and price than pedigree. Mine is a reproduction from South Loop Loft. They often have the real antique versions available, but they can order these for you, too (in a few different sizes).

Here I am, for scale, when I first got the mirror home. It’s 60″ tall!

It needed to be that tall though to be the right scale. The rooms in our Victorian are modestly sized, but the ceilings are 10′ high and the windows 7.5′ tall. Plus that fireplace is massive. A smaller mirror would have been wimpy.

The botanical print that used to hang over the fireplace has been moved into the dining room (where it looks great) and I’m storing the peacock mirror, so I’d like to figure out the art situation above the red console table next. There’s a framed print of The Quaker by Andrew Wyeth there now.

Do I still want to do a frame grid? Maybe? I’m not sure if I’m going to rethink the banjo/ukulele/guitar situation on the wall in the library, and then that could change everything. (I thought I’d be more motivated to play them all if they were easily within reach, but I’m still really only playing the uke.)

I’m hoping I might find something vintage/antique, or something new will catch my eye and I’ll know it’s right, but nothing yet. The mirror though! That was the right call for sure.

March 27, 2018
Adding a Mirror Above the Fireplace

We’ve lived here long enough and made what we have work for long enough that it’s time to reevaluate and really hone in on some details. The corner fireplace in our living room is tricky (why the corner, old house old chum?), but it’s obviously a natural focal point and I haven’t fully given it the attention it deserves. ‘What do we have that’s large enough to hold its own up there? Big botanical print? Cool. Done.’

And really, not bad. But it could be better! The time has come to put a big gold mirror above the fireplace. It was inevitable. I have no choice in the matter guys, it has to be done.

Like so.

Image: Where I’d Stay

Image: Jenna Lyons’ Home in T Mag, photographed by Simon Watson

Oh, there were other options. The The Evolution Store’s ‘Dog Rose’ botanical poster could have continued to grace the living room but honestly I’m just ready for something different. Namely, the huge Louis-Philippe style gold mirror I’m going to pick up tomorrow from South Loop Loft! The other strong contenders though were ‘Essence’ from Ballard Designs and a reproduction vintage portrait, ‘Mary Countess,’ from A New Wall.

The sizes are scaled relative to each other. The mirror is 60″ tall!

And if you give ~~a mouse a cookie~~ a room a new mirror, you’ll probably need to move the other one you have on the adjacent wall. It’s a problem I ran into when styling the fireplace for a shoot a few years back. Too many mirrors! That black one was too small, so it went and the peacock mirror stayed.

I’ve been wanting to do a wall of frames for a while now, and I think it’s the right solution for the wall above the red console. I’m thinking grid, not gallery. Ben Pentreath has the greatest example of all time.

This wall from Room & Board’s Chicago showroom is inspiring me too. The prints are pages from Michaël Bohhremans’ book, As sweet as it gets.

Here’s where we are now, with the botanical poster above the fireplace and the peacock mirror above the red console. These mockups are to scale and I even stuck the dining room in there to represent the view through the doorway.

I could do a large piece of art above the console (and if you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen this in my Stories), but it feels like it’s trying to compete in scale with the mirror.

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So here’s where the grid wall comes in. Getting the scale right is my biggest concern, so I’ve mocked up a few variations to test things out before I decide upon and order my frames. Here they are: small, medium, and large.

I’m leaning toward the first two because I think the large is too large, but I’d love to hear what you think.

And tell me too, do you enjoy this kind of ‘here’s what I’m thinking’ post? Or would you rather I hold it all back until I have the pretty after photos? I’m picking up the mirror tomorrow (yay!), but I haven’t ordered the frames or decided on what’s going in them, so it won’t be too long before I change things but it won’t be immediately either. I love to see this kind of stuff from others and for sure love to talk about it, but I also want to be sure I’m bringing you guys what you’re looking for. Let me know!

January 23, 2018
Double Rugs for the Double Parlor

The library and living room got an update!

Matching rugs, finally! This has been the vision from the beginning, but I messed around, experimenting with every other possible variation. Annie Selke has provided products in the past for my One Room Challenge spaces, and while I didn’t need a new rug for my ORC office, I was excited about working with them to get the double parlor settled. I ordered samples of different options I had been considering. Some were more colorful and some more plush, but I kept coming back to the classic greek key tufting of the Beekman rug in semolina, a great golden/wheat neutral.

I love color and a big, bold moment, but that’s not what I wanted here. The two spaces needed to be unified with something soft and understated. Quietly luxe.

The details in the Beekman rugs make these feel really special. They come in a handful of other colors, but obviously this one is my favorite. Plus it’s 100% wool, so the rugs will stand up to the kids and pets (we still have the guinea pigs and one cat, and when we’re ready, maybe another dog someday).

My rug design for Annie Selke will be available next year (!), and I’m looking forward to incorporating it into a room. For this space though, the tone on tone tufting and classic style is just right.

There are still things to do in here. I want to address the windows (hello, curtain rods that I hung forever ago!). The art could be more layered, especially in the library. The coffee table is not my favorite, the styling of the fireplace mantel could use some work, and I want to bring in more pattern. But overall it’s feeling really good. I like how it has evolved over time to come together.

These matching rugs are a giant step in the right direction. (Thank you, Annie Selke.) The whole first floor feels much more polished and beautiful.

October 26, 2017
New Lighting in the Library

This post is sponsored by Philips.

The tassel sconces are here! I feel like they’re a love ’em or hate ’em kind of choice, and I don’t care because I happen to love ’em.

New pendants, too!

I had always intended to replace the pair of Victorian cranberry glass fixtures in the double parlor. They weren’t awful, but I prefer modern lighting to period in old homes. I let the lights fall on my priority list, but two years in, it was time for them to go.

I showed you some of the replacements I had been considering a few weeks ago. The library and living room are open to each other and I wanted their lighting to still match, but I think I was getting a little carried away with some of my options! I was looking at definite statement lights, but once I decided to order the tassel sconces it would have all been too much. The Modern Globe Pendant from Circa Lighting was still a contender, but pricey at $2100 — especially considering that I needed two. A reader recommended Restoration Hardware’s Circa 1900 Gaslight Pendant as an alternative, and I’d also been thinking about Rejuvenation’s Hood Classic Globe Pendant.

The Gaslight and Hood Pendants both come in several sizes and finishes, and depending on configuration, are only about 1/4 the cost of the Modern Globe. I was leaning toward a pair of Hood Pendants because I had seen and admired them in person at Yearbook. I knew Kim had one in her dining room too, so I asked her opinion about size since my space was similar in scale to hers. She said that her 14″ globe felt substantial, and also that she “read somewhere online once – a tip on a blog – that hanging a balloon in the right size can help you visualize. I always thought that was such a great idea!” And it is! After talking to her, adjusting my mockups, and yes, hanging something in the right size, I went with the 14″ opal globe shade and ordered a 42″ fixture in unlacquered polished brass.

I hung the new lights right away when they arrived.

Why did I wait so long? The size is great, the style complements everything without distracting, and they fit the home while still updating it. The brass will age naturally, though I like the shiny newness too.

Philips sent over a package with their new LED bulbs with a dimmable warm glow effect, so I was excited to try them out with the library’s new lights. The color temperature is similar to daylight when the lights are all the way on (which is my preference when I need bright lighting), but these are amazing because they get warmer as you dim them, looking more like traditional incandescent bulbs as the lights go down. So when we’re Eleanor’s doing her homework at the table or I’m doing an art project with the kids, we have brighter, cooler light to work by. Then when we have friends over and we’re relaxing, we can lower the lights to a warmer glow and the library feels more cozy.

The Hood Pendants are open at the top and I tried two different styles of Philips’ bulbs — same lumens and color temperature range, but one was clear and the other frosted. The clear one gave off a more crisp, defined light, but I preferred the softness of the frosted bulbs for general lighting. Clear bulbs are better suited to task lighting, and I put them in the floor lamp by the striped sofa.

I love, love, love the new lighting. Such an improvement!

December 15, 2015
The One with the Red Console

Gem is moving to a new spot in town next month. I walked by the current location on my way back from class last week and spotted a sign that guaranteed a slight detour from heading straight home. (And look, the trees have exploded with spring flowers! Oak Park was just named an arboretum, you know.)

I fell a little bit in love with a ring while I was there, but it had diamonds and rubies and was priced accordingly. There were snakes on it though! Subtle snakes — the best kind. I can’t impulse-buy a $1000 ring, but I can snap up a red console with drawers for $200. Behold.

Have you seen the latest Anthropologie home catalog/lookbook? I’ve had this image from “the optimist’s house” in my head because I loved that lacquered blue bar in the corner.

It’s not that I wanted that exact piece. I was inspired more by the idea of something in a bright color to give a little oomph to a corner of our living room, and I made a mental note to keep a lookout for the right fit. Something with interesting lines, that either had gotten a paint job already or that could stand to benefit from one. I admired that red console when I spotted it at Gem, not sure where I would use it until I measured it and realized it would fit opposite the teal sofa! It came home with me later that day.

I might scoot that mirror up a bit now (the previous table it hung above was several inches lower), but I’m not mad at it. I’d shrink the console down by 10% if I could too — it fits, but it bumps up against the edge of the trim. Again though, I’m not mad at it.

Red! Pink! Mixed metals, wood, and black! This little corner is looking pretty fantastic. I had to buy a couple of nude ceramic figures while I was there too, as one does.

I snipped the lilacs for those vases from our backyard. Thank you, spring. Thank you, too, sidewalk placard at Gem! So glad I stopped in.

May 4, 2015