Tag: Victorian House

  • In the Bedroom

    In the Bedroom

    I’m attempting to make the bed more often. Is it a New Year’s resolution? Not really, but I’m sure I’ll end up breaking it, so let’s go ahead and think of it as one! Make the bed every day in 2014. Two days down, many more to go.

    How many pillows on a bed are acceptable? When does it cross over to being an obnoxious number? I’m testing out the idea of a row of euro pillows with some of the larger throw pillows we already have on hand. They’re 22″ and 24″, versus the euros’ 26″ each, but it’s a good approximation if you imagine that they’re in matching white shams. Yay? Nay? Seven pillows seems excessive, though I suppose they could replace two of the standard pillows in front.

    August, Rumpling Up the Bed

    I’ve never been very good at making the bed, so I assume euro pillows will magically make it look magazine-shoot-ready at all times. That’s how that works, right? To aid in this quest, I chose white linen/cotton bedding. It’s perfectly rumply, but not disheveled, and the bed looks artfully undone in the mornings instead of messy. It’s an arbitrary (and likely all-in-my-head) distinction, but one that I like nonetheless.

    Check the wall color: Sherwin-Williams’ Comfort Gray. So much better against the woodwork than Sea Salt! I shouldn’t have second-guessed it. And I for sure shouldn’t have third-guessed it, having tested an unfortunate greenish color that didn’t even last to the light of day. I hated it and painted over it as soon as it had dried enough. Comfort Gray, FTW. Look how pretty it looks with Brandon’s favorite painting, Dying Flowers.

    Sherwin-Williams Comfort Gray Paint in the Bedroom

    The bedroom needs more artwork still, and better lighting. I did just thrift a vintage yellow banker’s lamp for one corner of the room, and it’s awfully cute. But did you notice in that first photo how the two bedside lamps we have don’t actually match? Isn’t that a nice touch? I bought the white one for our library ($10 at the time, from IKEA) when we first moved into our old house in 2007. Then when we were expecting Eleanor, I stole it for the nursery and went to buy another to put back in the library, but by then they were only available in silver. They’re fine lights, but a mismatched set of floor lamps is not quite what I had in mind for our bedside lighting. Even if I spray painted them, their bases would still get in the way. I usually like sconces flanking a bed, but the windows and layout of the room aren’t going to accommodate a pair, so I’m on the lookout for table/task lamps instead.

    Besides painting the room and changing the linens, I’ve added a jewelry armoire. It is the most ridiculous piece of furniture I’ve ever owned, and also my favorite. Perhaps that deserves its own post.

  • Sources for the Entryway

    Sources for the Entryway

    Get the Look: Making it Lovely's Entryway

    I put together a guide for my entryway that I’d posted last week! I love making these boards.

    Making it Lovely's Entryway: Get the Look

    1. Antique Thonet Chair, One Kings Lane
      Mine was a really nice hand-me-down from Brandon’s mom, but you can always find a similar chair one by searching for antique “Thonet” or “bent wood” chairs.

    2. Abstract Painting, Kurth, Michelle Armas
      This would bring in the blue I wanted for the entryway, but the painting I already have there is also by Michelle Armas.

    3. Oak Hall Tree, Oak Hall Tree
      Ours is opposite the stairs, and came with the house (we negotiated for it).

    4. Rope Basket, Target
      I bought two of these. Eleanor claimed the other to use as a nest for her toys and stuffed animals.

    5. Vintage Scout Trophy, eBay
      I have a girl and boy trophy, one for each kid. I picked them up for a song at a local antique shop.

    6. Single Stem Vase, Heath Ceramics
      This was a souvenir from a trip to San Francisco, city of my heart.

    7. Bud Vase, Heath Ceramics
      Same. The colors on these are always changing seasonally, so mine are a smidge different (more coral).

    8. Pothos, photo from Plant Care
      A cheap houseplant that’s easy to care for.

    9. Porcelain Wood Bark Planter, Throwback Artifacts
      Mine is a small tree stump that was painted silver, and I picked it up at a local flower shop a few years ago. This is a good match.

    10. Square Lacquered Gold Tray, West Elm
      I picked this up last year when I was all in OMG-Christmas-magazine-photo-shoot!! mode. Now it’s nice for holding mail.

    11. Jayne Glazed Ceramic Table Lamp, Lamps Plus
      I bought mine at least 10 years ago, but they’re still available in a slightly different shade of brown. (Plus a few other colors, too.)

    12. Kabuki Cotton Dhurrie Rug, West Elm
      Similar in feel to my vintage dhurrie, and the runner’s only $34 on sale. More alternatives at the end of this post.

    13. Stockholm Beige Sideboard, IKEA
      Check your local store, as it’s not on the site yet.

    14. Antler Melody Knob, Anthropologie
      These look fantastic on the sideboard! I’m including a few other choices below, too.

    hr 644

    Personalizing the Sideboard

    The doors on that sideboard have a mechanism that opens them when you push, but I added knobs for more detail. These were four options I had considered.

    Knobs and Pulls to Update Furniture

    Flushmount Ring Pull, House of Antique Hardware • Antler Tusk Knobs in Cream and Neutral, Anthropologie • Rope + Metal Knobs, West Elm

    I decided that the jute was a little too casual, but the brass ring pulls were a strong contender. I went with the Antro knobs because I was able to see them in person first and I liked their scale and dimension. The lighter ones with brass are pretty, but the darker color looked better in place. I am a little concerned about the durability of them, as noted in some of the reviews, and if they don’t hold up I’ll probably get those brass ring pulls as a replacement.

    In case you’ve never drilled to add knobs or pulls to a piece of furniture, here are a few quick tips. Use an inexpensive plastic template to get the spacing even, make one out of paper, or just measure and mark with a ruler. A piece of tape on the front protects the surface of the furniture and also makes it easier to see the pen/pencil mark you’ll make with your template. If you’re concerned about the back of your door chipping (common with particle-board), clamp a scrap piece of wood to the back and drill into that while making your holes. To find the proper drill bit size, test out the knob you’re going to use in each bit’s empty slot (you want the smallest one that will fit the screw/post). Drill, remove the tape, sweep or vacuum up the sawdust, and insert your new hardware.

    hr 644

    Rug Options

    I love the design of the vintage blue dhurrie that I have in the entryway now, but it is the wrong size and shape. I’ll find a new spot for it in the house as soon as I find a vintage or antique runner that fits the space better and isn’t too expensive, but that I like just as much. In the meantime, here are a few options that have with a similar look.

    Rugs

    Kabuki Cotton Printed Dhurrie, West Elm • Grayfriars Wool Kilim, Sundance Catalog • Semi-Antique Tribal Moroccan Rug, eBay

  • Feels Like Home

    Feels Like Home

    Last week, someone asked me on Twitter if I ever get spooked in this big old house. I grew up in the Chicago area (River Grove and Franklin Park), but we didn’t have Victorian houses in that neighborhood. My only references to them as a kid would have been The Addams Family and The Munsters. Creepy, but not scary. More awesome, really.

    I am easily spooked though. I no longer watch scary movies because I can’t stop thinking about them for days months years afterwards. The Gift creeped me out. I don’t even remember much about it, besides a scene with some water and a tree, and oh let’s not think of it. I’m pretty sure that The Ring was the last one I saw, where I decided that yes! That’s it! I’m done with these! In the old house, more often than I’d like to admit, I ran up the stairs at night. Because: zombies. I know it’s irrational, but at least it was good cardio?

    In this house though, there has been no nighttime running up stairs. No sprinting down halls in dumb terror. Brandon tries to mess with me. I told him what I was writing about today and he said “yeah, this house is good. Except for that sound of a baby crying. You ever hear it? In the hallway upstairs. But it always sounds far away…” (It isn’t working on me. Yet.) This house feels right. The kids took to it immediately, and we all fit in very happily here. I think that as long as I can go downstairs for a glass of water at night without being scared, and we can have impromptu picnics in the kitchen the next morning, we’re good.

    Impromptu Kitchen Breakfast Picnic

    This house feels right in so many ways. I hope we’re here for a long, long time.

  • The Antique Striped Sofa

    The Antique Striped Sofa

    We’re accumulating couches here. I think you’ll understand why when you see the newest arrival.

    I mentioned wanting a striped settee before moving into this house, and Samantha spotted this antique striped sofa on Chairish for me. It was larger than I was planning for, but it was so perfect and I was afraid someone else would snap it up, so I bought it. Delivery took a few weeks, but it’s here now and it’s gorgeous.

    Striped Antique Sofa

    I’d like a pair of chairs in front of the curved windows, or maybe a round table for playing games, so the sofa won’t be staying where it is permanently. I’m not in a rush though — I’m looking forward to playing around with layouts and experimenting a bit.

    Oh hey, I potted my small fiddle leaf fig. The planter had a bird’s nest fern at the old house, but it didn’t survive the move.

    Twin Beacons Brass Lamp

    Details

    And that light! I’ve wanted that twin beacons brass lamp since I had pinned it and posted about it on the blog, two years ago. It was something like $800 at the time, so I skipped it, but then I spotted it on clearance all this time later for $250. I figured that was a fair price, and I was blown away by the quality of it when it arrived. It’s big! And heavy! And perfect! It reminds me of an insect (a praying mantis, maybe?), but I tend to like that in lighting.

    This house, she is going to be good.

  • Having a Mantel is the BEST

    Having a Mantel is the BEST

    Fireplace Mantel

    I’ve never lived anywhere a fireplace before. It was always on the would-be-nice list, never a requirement. But whoa, having a mantel is awesome! A place in the house, just for pretty things. Pretty things, like these wonderfully weird antique perfume/apothecary bottles.

    Antique Perfume/Apothecary Bottles

    (Any idea what they are exactly?)

  • The Double Parlors, Shortly After Moving in

    The Double Parlors, Shortly After Moving in

    A lot of our furniture is working well in the new house. I’m OK with furnishing slowly and taking my time to find just the right piece, but I sort of went nuts with new stuff in the living/family rooms, double parlors, whatchamacalits.

    I ordered the much-waffled-about teal sofa before we moved in. No regrets there.

    Second Parlor

    The child-sized wooden rocking chair belonged to Brandon’s mom when she was a kid, and she gave it to us for the new house. Yay for good hand-me-downs!

    Antique Rocking Chair

    I feel like that second parlor is coming together pretty well, even though there’s still a lot to do.

    The first parlor wasn’t looking so hot though. So here’s where I’m all “I’m a blogger! I must document everything!” These look awful, and I know it.

    First Attempt at Arranging Furniture

    Welcome to brown and gray town. We had that rug in our bedroom at the old house, but it’s probably going to go in August’s room soon. It’s a little small for the front room, and the color isn’t working for me.

    Brown and Grey Town

    I tried arranging the couch along the window wall, but thought it would be weird to see two sofas aligned. Confirmed.

    Failed Floor Plan

    The TV stand was a little dinky on that wall. I also tried it on the adjacent wall, but it didn’t look any better. I put it on my ‘replace eventually’ list, and I had in mind a faux printmaker’s cabinet (something like this or this).

    Not Looking so Good!

    I wasn’t in a hurry to buy, but when I went out to the Land of Nod outlet to pick up a bed rail for August, I stopped in the Crate & Barrel outlet next door and found the Blake Media Console for half-off.

    Blake Media Console

    The outlet box underneath needs to be hidden better and I want to stack some nice big art books up top, but I think it looks great so far. But then I also ordered a new rug — the one I asked about on Facebook. Buy all the things! That’s my new motto! (I’ma need to stop buying all the things.)

    Hello, new rug! I’m not sure about you yet.

    Double Parlors

    It works with the blue sofa in the next room, and I like having that visual connection, but it does not work as well with the crazy floral chair. And I like my crazy floral chair.

    Crazy Patterned Rug, Crazy Floral Chair

    (The cats and the dog do approve though.)

    Kili

    Elsewhere, I seem to have a lot of this going on.

    Teal Plus Black and White Stripes

    I feel like the stripes may not go all that well with the rug either. And I like my stripes.

    It was on sale, and I used my Anthro birthday-month discount for a further 15% off, but it still wasn’t cheap. I think it would look great upstairs in our bedroom, but then we would still need a rug downstairs, and I’m not planning to buy many more big-ticket items for a while. What do you think? Keep the rug where it is, move it up to the bedroom, or just return it?

    This might be a whole lot of crazy right here, even for me.

    There's a lot going on here.