Couched in Beauty

I finally got my "new" vintage sofa back from the upholsterer, and if I may say so myself, it's a beauty.

Have we all seen the "Chiang Mai Dragon" print before? Yep. Do I tire of it? Never. It's a bit on the pricey side, so keeping its use limited to the sofa back got me a lot of bang for the buck. And because the back of the sofa faces the front entry, it makes a great impact.

The sofa front is covered in a buttery-soft, commercial-grade eco vinyl from Architex.

Why vinyl, you ask?

Here's how it looked before its little visit to the upholsterer:

The Living Room is slowly coming together.... baby steps. Literally.

The Things of a Dove

To begin, I'd like to share some things I've learned over the last month:

1. Moving and blogging don't mix. (Does anything mix with moving? Maybe drinking.)
2. If you sell things at 50% off, it won't be enough for some people. (Not you, of course.)

3. The less often you blog, the less motivated you are to blog.

Yes, it has been something like a month since our last post. Though admittedly, we have been up to our ears in moving, ordering, reupholstering, quoting, and designing, we probably could have found a spare hour or two for some blog time. But I've found through this prolonged absence that blogging is akin to exercising: once you stop, you don't really feel like starting up again. Blogging inertia, I suppose? Same with Twitter. (Although thinking of reasons to "Twitter" anything is hard enough as it is.)

But I'm hoping it's like a bike: You just jump back on and it feels like you never stopped riding. In the spirit of that wish, I thought I would post a follow-up to a post from a few months ago about my glorious neighbor (and unofficial mayor of Georgetown), Jon Dove. I previously shared some photos of his beautiful yard and new garden room, and I visited him afterwards to capture some complementary images of his home interior.

Jon and I have differing interior styles, but I love so many things about his home: his attention to detail, his passion for collecting, and his love of accessories, as well as his affinity for history--both his own, and that of the land and people around him.

Take a look and see what I mean:

Upon entering, the taxidermy squirrels tip you off that you won't be seeing much Pottery Barn here.

Ditto the fowl on the bannister post.

I'm not exactly sure what the faux cat tells you.

I love this framed poem by the front door, especially the closing line. Jon actually went to Seattle High School, and did indeed become a fine and worthy woman. SHS would be proud.


Jon's lovely living room, with our own Palace Bench peeking out from the corner.

Of course I love the Greek Key border, and Jon's homemade bamboo curtain rod is simple yet so lovely.

A vignette showcasing some of our favorite books, and apparently Jon's, too.

Great art arrangement. The post was salvaged from a neighborhood building and repurposed as shown here.

I love how threadbare the rug is. If only it could talk!

A tighter shot of one of Jon's artful displays of treasures....

This urn is gorgeous, and the small painting of the woman is by a local artist who shows adjacent to our old location.... Jon brought it into the shop after he purchased it and I was green with envy.

This room is Jon's OFFICE. Could you die? It's like a scene from Tara.

Do we love a man who has a damask-covered chaise in his office? Yes, we do.

A menacing animal head and a turban-wearing duck don't hurt, either.

This is my favorite room in the house, though it's really more of a pass-through between the living room, kitchen, and office. The ceiling is wallpapered with fringe trim adorning the base of the ledge surrounding the room.

Light streams into the kitchen beautifully from the garden outside.

I am kind of obsessed with the turquoise-edged platter hanging above the stove. Jon, lock those doors!

I love the rainbow created on the shelves.

Jon had this light fixture custom-made by a neighborhood fabricator. Lovely, don't you think?

Jon, being a Renaissance man, is quite an artist. This is one of his paintings, which I plan on grabbing when make off with the platter.

The artist at rest. Even his fridge is cool!

Here we are upstairs. I love the detail on the doors, as well as the random objects Jon has installed over them all.

A man after my own heart: a fellow design-mag hoarder. This cupboard is filled with back issues of World of Interiors. I wish all magazines had white spines.

The Dining Room, something of a museum of religious artifacts. Dining in this room by candlelight is an unparalleled experience.

Turquoise shelves = happiness.

See if you can spot the pink David-head teacup. That's coming with the painting and platter.

Another one of Jon's paintings. He truly has a wonderful talent.

More dead animals, this time in the upstairs sitting room, which I love.


I love the gaslight, from an old funeral carriage.


Those peeling paint patches would keep me up nights, but for Jon, they work wonderfully. Love the paint detail at the tops of the turquoise chairs.


A vignette from the guest bedroom, themed as a child's room. The bookcase is filled with Jon's old toys and books.

The outline of a future mural. Can't wait to see the finished product!