The Artful Home: Artwork in Interior Design

The most important thing in making a house a home to me is artwork. Almost anything can be "art" if you find it beautiful. The piece over our dining table was painted by a Queens street preacher giving a sidewalk sermon on "grace and resurrection." The bright colors and energy set the tone for the decor in our house. Here's a look at more of the art that inspired our home renovation.

Drab Kitchen Colors: A British Invasion

Bespoke craftsman kitchens of DeVol and Plain English, and the latter's off-the-shelf brand British Standard, have been gradually weaning us off our white open kitchens in favor of neatly milled and kitted-out snugs. Leading the sensory seduction has been color: golden ochres, muddy pinks, green-y grays, and moody blues. They are hues that would have looked right at home in Great-Great Grammy's Victorian farmhouse, though this time around they feel fresh and modern. Let's call them "the drabs."

Is the Pink Bathroom Back?

via Yellow Brick Home

Anyone who has ever renovated an old home has likely encountered "the pink bathroom." It's often the first thing you see hit the dumpster in home renovation shows. The once-ubiquitous fixtures are lined up like pastel tombstones in architectural salvage yards everywhere and can be had for a relative pittance. But not for long! Savvy renovators are snapping them up. Repurposed in a more modern context, pink console sinks look especially fresh and new. Could we be on the cusp of a return of the pink bathroom?

CottageCore: Hemp Sink Skirt (No-Sew)

I'm approaching the finish line on our cottage kitchen refresh. The new paint color—"craftsman" gray, as one of you so aptly described it—has added a warmth and dimension to this modest kitchen. Now that the cabinets and trim are all one color, from toe kick to backsplash, it feels more built-in and solid and so cottage-y good. How would it look if I went full "cottage core" and added a sink skirt to cover the washer dryer? I don't have my sewing machine with me at the cottage, but I do have some iron-on hem tape from some long-forgotten curtain project. So, I decided to give no-sew a try. 

Choosing Island Pendants

Some say choosing your island pendants is one of the most important design decisions you'll make when renovating your kitchen. It's certainly one of the most visible. And it's also the fixture most likely to look dated soonest. Luckily, it's also the easiest to replace. I'm going to have fun choosing my pendants. While the rest of the kitchen will have chrome fixtures, pendants are one place that I feel I can introduce a second finish, such as bronze or burnished gold — a trend I find appealing but feel is already on it's way out. Or black, also very trendy. Here are six island pendants I'm considering. Which would you choose?

Recycled Luxury Zen Bathroom for Less Than $2,500

While stalking a recycled kitchen on Green Demolitions this week, I came across some great deals in the bath section. Two never-used Lefroy Brooks deep soaking tubs for under $1,000 — and one is the lovely Zen Tub. (The wooden feet alone retail for more.) Then I saw that the tub would pair really well with an Alape floating vanity, marked down to $950. This got me falling down a designer rabbit hole. Could we kit out a whole dreamy Zen bathroom for under $3k just shopping markdowns at reuse stores? Why, yes, we can! Even less!

Modern Chair for the Bedroom (Update)

The bedroom makeover has dragged on, while I search for the right mid-century style bedroom chairs and rug. But I'm one step closer this week. The rug I'd been stalking at West Elm was just reduced half price, so I snapped it up. The Margo Selby Zig-Zag Stripe Kilim Rug ($299) makes a big color statement and that's going to help decide the chair. Possibilities include a surprising newcomer — a lounge chair ($250) from the new Target + Dwell collaboration. What do you think? Does it beat out gorgeous red Blu Dot chair (that's 4x the cost)? I'd love to hear opinions!

I *Heart* Mid-Century Telephones

So I'm super-excited to show off my new bedmate. Before you get the wrong idea, I'm talking my vintage mid-century telephone. That works. Like a charm. It takes calls, it dials out, and oh how it rings. I missed that old Ma Bell ringtone! The cat is still recovering under the bed.

IKEA Viktigt Patio Inspiration Board

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Have you seen IKEA's Viktigt line? I haven't been this excited about an IKEA product launch since last year's 365+ glass and cork pitchers and carafes, which I bought in multiples for myself and even gave as gifts.

Affordable Midcentury Chairs for the Bedroom

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Iconic furniture designer Mies van der Rohe once said: “A chair is a very difficult object. A skyscraper is almost easier.” His Barcelona chair has certainly withstood the test of time, ubiquitous as it is in interior design today. Beautifully spare, it's also surprisingly comfortable.

I'm on the hunt for a pair of chairs for our bedroom that complement the mood and color scheme of the recent makeover, but are also inviting and comfortable to sit in. I'm struck by how very expensive the good ones are, which I suppose is testament to the design challenge a choice chair represents.

Here are some that catch my eye; tell me what you think?

Bedroom Reveal

The bedroom remodel is finished! Well... almost. I installed the floating nightstands today. And what a difference it made. Here's a reminder of how the bedroom looked before we started.

Bedroom Makeover Update

So, remember when I said weekend project, wall-mounted nightstands? That was a few weeks ago. We hit a roadbump with the merchant CB2. They have a service, where you can order online, then pick up next day from a local store. So, eager to get started, I chose that option. A few hours later I got a call from the store saying they were on backorder in all NYC stores. When I asked why the website shows they have three available, the guy said, "We do, but only one is in good condition." I guess that meant the others were in crushed boxes or something. So, we have to wait for the backorders afterall. In the meantime, I've been making some progress on the bedding.

Upcoming Projects — Including One for This Weekend

CB2

Hey, Ya'll. We have a busy weekend coming up! Hot on the heels of finishing up the installation of the curtains in the bay window yesterday, I'll be installing the floating nightstands.

Installing Ikea Kvartal Rail System on a Bay Window

I'm ready to kick off our master bedroom makeover — starting with curtains for the bay window. Have you priced curtain rods for bay windows? Yowza! That's one reason we'll be going with Ikea. I've used their rail system in the past and I recall it being a tricky install. But, what the hay. I'm game!

Chair Makeover — Oh Yes You Can Paint Upholstery!

Restored to its original color

I've had this chair for more than a dozen years, and I still love it. Manufactured by Youngs Furniture in Portland, Maine, who source from local, artisanal furniture makers - it was holding up well. The foam was firm and still retained its shape. Only the color had faded, and this was accentuating stains and fabric pilling.  Was it time to say goodbye to this little red chair?

Bedroom Inspiration: Yellow and Gray

1. Duvet fabric, Bubbles - Sterling, Tonic Living
2. Yellow bureau - street find
3. Chair fabric, Casablanca Geo - Citrine, Tonic Living
4. Gray campaign dresser, inherited
5. Piston lamp, Lite Source Inc.
6. Floating nightstands, Slice Wall-Mounted Storage Shelf, CB2
7. Min Bed, Design Within Reach 

What do you think of the gray and yellow theme for a bedroom?

Installing a Custom Kick Plate on the Front Door

Remember when I cleaned off years of sloppy paint jobs and restored our midcentury door hardware? The icing on the cake turned out to be that custom-order solid brass kick plate, which tied everything together. I promised instructions on how to order and install a kick plate, so here goes.

Bathroom Design: Encaustic Tiles Have Real Art Deco Appeal

Marrakech Design

I'm drooling over encaustic tiles lately. Over at Sweeten Blog, Pepper and Marshall share their bathroom reveal and the tile they chose for their Washington Heights art deco era home. 

Midcentury Lighting Fixtures I Love

Choosing lighting fixtures when you are planning a remodel can be difficult. You may not have firmed up in your mind's eye, where exactly you are putting various pieces of furniture or how you plan to particular areas of the home.

In our new home, built in 1946, there is a sweet foyer. The kind that New York developers rarely devote the space to these days. It is a true entryway - about 9 feet by 12 feet of room intended for nothing other than getting one's bearings upon entering the apartment.

I was not sure how I was ultimately going to use that space - in fact, I'm still not certain I won't one day move the dining table there and expand the kitchen. I did know that I wanted a light fixture that would set the tone for the entire home. Here's a look at some of my runner's up.

Custom Metal Designs for Your Home

A while back I posted about how difficult it is to find a security gate that doesn't look like prison bars. I ended up having a mine custom made by Brooklyn metal sculptor Vallessa Monk.

The Wall Street Journal just published a profile of Vallessa.

Wall Street Journal

I love this glimpse inside Valessa's studio in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It makes me wish that I had visited her on the job, though I may have keeled over with tool-shop envy!