I Never Promised You a Rose Garden

Home Sweet Home

In an effort to delve a bit more deeply past the store inventory and our latest vintage finds, I thought I would share a bit about another passion of mine: gardening. It feels funny to say as, since my initial idea to open the store last November, I have barely seen my yard, much less worked in it. But there was a time, not so long ago, when I could spout Latin names of plants as easily as if they were names of friends...which they were, really.

My husband and I bought our first home, pictured above, nearly six years ago. We were newly married, I having abandoned my first career in editorial and merchandising work to follow my passion for interior design, going back to school to pursue a second degree.

Our budget was small by Seattle standards, so we looked at double digits-worth of homes--homes in good areas with holes in the ceiling, homes in bad areas with slightly smaller holes in the ceiling... I was emotionally exhausted and ready to hole up permanently in our apartment when I found what is now our house. And it was just like the story you wish you could tell about your significant other: I walked in the door, and I just KNEW. Charm oozed from every corner: 12' ceilings, original hardwood floors, open floor plan, attic-turned-whole top floor master bedroom, huge yard...

Oh, but the yard. Not so charming.

I grew up in the South, in a lovely historic home built in 1808, in the middle of 18 acres of rolling green fields. My mom was an avid gardener, and with 18 acres, she had plenty to do. As a child and teenager, I never got gardening--so much work, all the weeding, mulching, dividing, and for what? Just to do it over and over again. I was sure the bug would never strike me.

But within the confines of an apartment, I found myself planting and tending window boxes, shopping for plants I had nowhere to put. I found myself wanting a--gasp--garden.

Come closing day, we tackled the yard head-on, even convincing my mom to travel from Tennessee to pitch in. We planted upwards of 100 boxwoods in our front yard, dug up all the grass from our planting strip, threw up a fence, planted trees--and this was just the first week. We were on fire.

Our pace kept up pretty steadily over the next few years, with sketches passed back and forth between me and my husband, compromises on plant selections and materials to use for various projects....all of it made our yard more lovely, but it also was something we could do together, something that reminded us of all the reasons we liked each other to begin with (and some of the reasons we didn't!).

Since having a child, then starting a business, then having another child, our time working in the yard has decreased dramatically. But like an old friend, it's out there waiting for us to remember it's there. I just hope it won't hold a grudge.

"Before" and "After" shots of our front yard:

Before

After

Stay tuned for Part Two: The Backyard....

Frankly Speaking

Since opening the store last March, one of the best parts of our job continues to be all the wonderful customers we've gotten to know by collaborating with them on design projects.... Whether it's helping them pick out the perfect fabric for their grandmother's old chair, overhaul their entire house, or track down that just-right item for the bare spot on their wall, we love to help people realize their visions.

One of our favorite customers--and projects--has been working with Sarah Penn, the lovely owner (with husband Felix) of the fabulous Pair and the just-opened (and also fabulous) Frank's Oyster House & Champagne Parlor.

Sarah is a woman with a vision of her own, who knows what she wants and likes, so our role was very simple: we worked with her to select an assortment of commercial fabrics that could withstand the rigors of restaurant and bar clientele (yikes!), and we helped infill the space with items like our beloved faux-python benches, Obie dining tables, and Thomas Paul pillows. Oh, and the wallpaper in the bathroom is our all-time favorite and soon to be gracing the back wall of our kitchen.

The photos don't do full justice to the fantastic wall treatment in the space, and the custom lights--in particular the stunning overscaled chandelier in the the entry--are breathtaking. Sarah found a wonderful assortment of new and vintage upholstered pieces for the bar that we worked together to recreate in a mix of greys, reds, and blacks for a glam effect, a perfect contrast to the more masculine adjacent dining area.

We were lucky enough to enjoy a preview meal before the official opening, and it was heavenly! We especially loved the goat cheese deviled eggs. Yum.


Said deviled eggs


Long story slightly less long: eat at Frank's. Then call us to help you tackle a project of your own!

Yes We Did.... Extend Our Sale

Maybe it's due to all the inaugural excitement, but last night we had a dream of our own, a dream that ALL items in our ongoing sale were discounted equally.

In the spirit of today's monumental change, we are extending our floor-model sale to encompass everything in the store.

Yep, that's right: Starting tomorrow and lasting through month's end, ALL* items in the store are 30% off the original price. Your favorite design book? On sale. That fabulous Jonathan Adler needlepoint pillow? On sale. Those stunning orange lacquered nightstands? Yep...also on sale.

Come early to take home your favorite candidates.... And thank you for your support.

We are Revival Home & Garden, and we endorsed this message.

* Note: Sales excludes a few consignment items; inquire in the store for more details on exempt merchandise.

Turkish Delight

I have long loved Trina Turk for her fabulous clothes, eclectic style, bold use of color, and her good sense to pair with Jonathan Adler on numerous design projects. (Anyone who appreciates JA's style is aces in my book.)

So I was beyond excited to learn, thanks to our latest and most lovely Domino magazine, that she has a new line of outdoor fabrics through one of our favorite fabric houses, F. Schumacher.

I have long been a fan of using outdoor fabrics indoors on everything from throw pillows to seat cushions to sofas and chairs. As the person responsible for not killing two dogs (a Jack Russell and an Australian Cattle Dog, both of whom tempt me to kill them at least once a day) and two children (ditto), I learned long ago the dangers of mixing $200/yard fabrics with the reality that is my life.

In both my own home and in my design work work with clients who have small children and pets, I try to incorporate outdoor fabrics, vinyls, and washable fabrics whenever possible. These days the options are soooo much better than even five years ago, when seemingly all outdoor fabrics were either striped or emblazoned with hot-pink parasols or the like.

Take a look at the full fabric line from Trina, and let us know if anything catches your eye. We can get you pricing information and/or a sample, and order it for you when you're ready.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Peacock Print in Pool

Santorini in Persimmon

Arches in Bamboo


Trellis in Marine

P.S. Call me if you want one of those ceramic elephant side tables. Love!

But I Digress...

I started this blog shortly after opening the store last March, primarily as a way to communicate information about the store while having my "real" Web site built (still in the works, I am sad to say!), but over time I have thought more and more about what I wish my blog were. One of my goals for the New Year is to try and get there.

If you have followed our musings over the last few months, you know that one of our favorite blogs is Decorno. While of course we love her decor-related postings, the real reason we read is for HER--her snarkiness and her perspective on things from the economy to family to draped tables (yes or no?). She just makes us laugh, and reminds us not to take ourselves or our industry so seriously.

In my perfect world, this blog would be more like that. It would, of course, be filled mostly with things related to the shop, but it would also be dotted with posts about remodeling my home, my struggles in balancing two small children and a new business, my frustrations in finding any time left over for myself... things I think a lot of us out there are dealing with.

Would anyone have any interest in reading any of this? Maybe not. Is anyone reading this now? Who knows. But if you do follow along, please indulge some experimentation....and of course let us know if we are boring you to tears.

Thanks for listening. How much do I owe you?

The Sultan of Bling

Seeing as I am no Decorno in terms of blog readership, I still get pretty excited to receive the occasional comment and e-mail from far-flung customers and readers. A few weeks ago, I was thrilled to receive a lovely e-mail from Albert Sultan, aka the Sheik of Chic. (Got to love the name, right?)

He has an amazing new online vintage furniture store and, yes, we sell vintage furniture too, but this guy is like a mini-1st Dibs with some of his pieces. Here are some of my favorites:

Check out his site, www.sultanchic.com, to see more. Albert, if you're out there, all I ask in return for this posting is the Renzo Rutili credenza.

It's On

Yep, Christmas is only one foot in the grave and we are already on to the next big thing: our floor-model sale on all new (i.e., non-vintage) furniture and lighting.

If you've had your eye on anything in the shop as of late, stay mindful; to keep things interesting, we are holding a progressive sale, so the longer the sale, the better the deals.

Here's the skinny:

DEC. 26 - JAN. 9: 15% OFF

JAN. 10 - JAN. 20: 20% OFF

JAN. 21 – JAN. 31: 30% OFF

Act quickly to ensure you get your heart's desire for a discount, or hedge your bets in the hopes that the object of your affection is still around for the final days.

Good luck!