Sponge Worthy

I was so excited to awaken this morning to a "sneak peek" of my home on the ever-popular design*sponge today! (Now that that's out of the way, can we all take a second to admire that headline? As you were.)

Being a to-the-point-of-madness perfectionist, and in consideration of the fact that design and aesthetics are my bread and butter, I was reluctant to send them photos of my far-from-complete home. We're constantly in the midst of projects, slowly making our way down the wish list as the money appears to pay for each item. In a cruel twist of fate, we were just preparing to tackle some of the more dramatic projects--wallpaper, painting, new furnishings, etc--when the fabulous design*sponge opportunity arose.

To flesh out the place, we borrowed a few items from the shop (but technically, I do own these and selected each and every one, so that's not cheating, right?) and convinced our fabulous neighbor and photographer extraordinaire Liz Ophoven to snap off some pics.

Here's what we came up with...see if you recognize anything. And, more importantly, stay tuned for some serious "after" shots in the next few months.

And in what was apparently our day for great blog coverage, the perennial favorite Decorno gave our gardening efforts a nice shout-out, though her readers were not all so sure... What do you think?

Duchess of Wallpaper

It's no secret to many of us that England has got the market cornered on bold, colorful style (David Hicks, Osborne & Little, Romo, The Rug Company, Paul Smith, girls named Gemma, etc.), so naturally a talent like Lizzie Allen (with a perfect Brit name to boot) could only have sprung from across the pond.

Cited as one of Apartment Therapy's top picks from the recent ICFF in New York, Lizzie Allen designs the most charming wallpaper we've stumbled across in many a moon. I'm afraid to read their response to my pricing inquiry, because I've already completed a few projects with it in my mind.

See for yourself....Living in a Lizzie Allen-papered room would be like awakening each day in the pages of your favorite children's book.

"London City Gents"

"Jazz in Central Park"

"Changing Guards at Buckingham Palace"

"The Royal Guards"

"St. Paul's"

I'm thinking "Jazz in Central Park" or "Changing Guards at Buckingham Palace" for a certain 3-year-old...

After all, if baby sister is getting the donkeys...

Left Behind

Just in--and on sale--carved mahogany Chinoiserie gilt mirror

So by now you know a few things:

1. We're moving. (Details forthcoming...hopefully in the next week!)

2. We're having a sale to minimize the amount of heavy lifting said move entails.

3. If heaven were a store, we would have wings. (We figured we were on a roll, so why not push the envelope?)

You're probably thinking to yourself, "Self, why have I dithered and dathered and not yet gone to Revival Home & Garden to snap up that fab (insert piece of your dreams here)?"

Fear not, gentle customers, for there are many finds remaining, just waiting for you to come take them away from all this.

Finds like these:

Vintage pair of brass and lucite adjustable sconces

Faux python X-base bench (also in-stock in white faux croc)

Vintage swivel-base metal bamboo chair

Vintage pair of ginger jar lamps and custom black linen shade

(Personal note: These are STUNNING! Save me from myself)

Jonathan Adler side chair with custom Schumacher seat cushion

Insanely stunning and long vintage brocade sofa with ORIGINAL FABRIC

Pair of vintage lacquer armchairs

We could go on and on, or you could come by or pay us a virtual visit. Don't let a little procrastination come between you and your decorating destiny.

Charity, Tea & Me

I was very excited a few months ago to be asked to design a table for a benefit for the wonderful local charity, Childhaven. Each year they host what they call a "Butterfly Tea" for moms and children, each table designed around a popular children's book of the designer's choosing.

My selection? "It Looked Like Spilt Milk," by Charles G. Shaw, a classic from more than 40 years ago. I love the simplicity of its design and plot, with high-contrast illustrations that little ones love (a lesson I've learned firsthand).

The tea was held this year at the lovely new Arctic Hotel here in Seattle, which gave me an opportunity to finally see the fabled Dome Rome, which was part of the building's original design years and years ago. In the words of the hotel, the Dome Rome "offers Rococo gilt and original artistic frescos, ornamental cornices and stained glass dome ceiling with the effects reminiscent of the Northern Lights."

Here's a sampling (along with the top of my centerpiece peeking out from below):

Having never participated in such an event, I was quite pleased with my efforts...prior to seeing what other, more seasoned participants busted out. We're talking giant trees with life-size plush animals hanging from the branches, custom chair covers with attached butterfly wings.... Who knew?

Having opted for a more...understated...effect, I still love my floral arrangement and color scheme, but I fear the kids may have been disappointed by my lack of drama.

Check out what I came up with--kind of Kate Spade-esque.

I lined a tall clear glass canister with paper that I fashioned into stripes, and filled it with a conical foam piece covered in white miniature Carnations. I painted a pair of wooden flower rings and dowels from Michael's (and by "I," I mean my husband), and strung cut-out paper replicas of the books motifs from white thread.

I also discovered the wonder of a nifty little product called Stitch Witchery. (Have I mentioned how undomestic I am? All you crafty sorts out there are probably thinking to yourself, "Duh!") I was designing around a 72"diameter table, so I had to buy two separate pieces of fabric and join them together, a task often done by a little process known as SEWING. Due to my aforementioned lack of domestic skills, this wasn't an option. Enter Stitch Witchery. Just lay your pieces down, sandwich in a little Stitch Witchery tape, dampen and iron, and voila! One tablecloth. I felt like I just gave birth!

Here's a close-up of the floral design:

I was happy with the final product, but I'm fairly confident that Martha Stewart will still sleep well at night.

I just hope my table of kids didn't feel too slighted. Hopefully the Smencils in their gift boxes helped.

Heavens to Betsy

Betsy Burnham, I think I love you. Call me.

Moore to Marriage

As I have mentioned ad nauseum, one of the best perks of owning a store is all the wonderful people who come through your doors (and one of the worst is the less-than-wonderful folks, but that's another post entirely); some you chat with once and you may not meet again, others you meet and come to call friends.

A person who falls into the second group became my friend for a number of reasons, not the least of which was her wonderful (then) boyfriend, who used to serve up my coffee back in my first Seattle neighborhood and is, incidentally, one of the nicest people ever to grace the earth.

They walked into the shop a few weeks after we opened, and have since spent more time with me there than almost anyone else. (Sorry, guys, but you know it's true.)

Why do I mention these lovely folks in such a public forum? Because a few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending their fabulous post-wedding celebration....me, and "Seattle Bride" magazine, and "Evening Magazine," and Jean Enerson, and...well, you get the picture.

The bride was none other than lifestyle and entertaining guru Kelley Moore, seen regularly in "Seattle Magazine," on KING-5, and everywhere from "The Rachael Ray Show" to "Ellen" to "Tyra".... the girl gets around.

And that's a good thing for her husband, the equally connected Brent Martin, coffee man extraordinare and owner of the fabulous Muse Coffee Co. (Have you been? You must go.)

The party celebrated their fairytale-like (secret) wedding at an Ice Hotel in Quebec City (apparently our invitation got lost in the mail or something) and was, unsurprisingly, completely lovely. Our favorite aspect--though we are admittedly biased--was the "Kelley-ized" art installation utilizing many of the best items from the shop to illustrate the feminine and masculine sides of their union, all displayed artfully on a giant teeter totter. That's right: teeter totter.

Watch some of the highlights of the party here, if only to see my husband and I wandering aimlessly behind Kelley at the end. Too funny.

We love you, Kelley and Brent. Congratulations, and best wishes for years of happiness and success....and not just because you will then buy more furniture from us. Honest.

Not a Goose in Sight

"Stencil." What do you think of when you hear that word? If, like me, you grew up in or around the '80s, you may conjure images of weathered wood with pastel-colored checkerboard patterns, with a smattering of geese for good measure.

I was disabused of this notion by the insanely knowledgeable Emily Evans Eerdmans in one of her first blog posts, dedicated to the amazing stencil she used for her home to simulate antique Chinese wallpaper. I bookmarked her stencil source, The Stencil Library, and promptly failed to give it another thought until recently, when I decided I wanted to paint oversized black and white stripes in my bathroom, and perhaps something for the entry, too.

Like almost everyone these days, I am fixated on wallpaper, but unfortunately the entry and bath are not such suitable spots for its application-- my entry takes more of a beating than perhaps any other room in the house, between my Jack Russell's near-pathological hatred of the incoming mail through our slot and my 3-year-old's affinity for sidewalk chalk. And with all the moisture in the bathroom, wallpaper wouldn't be long for the world.

In this season of sweeping changes, I am also reworking my downstairs at home, and have somehow* found a renewed enthusiasm for getting it done. Enter The Stencil Library.

I remembered them after seeing some stenciled stripes on a wall in "Country Living" (I decided to give it a shot after Eddie Ross's recent touting....yeah, not so much.) Today I pulled them up and dove in, and here's what I found: 5" wide stripes for the bathroom, and the chevron (oriented horizontally) for the entry in charcoal grey and white.

Can you picture it?

I'll let you know how it goes.

* tax refund