Interior Design Week: Bedroom Shelves

For my last interior design post, I'd like to announce that Kevin and I have completed the last touches on our bedroom remodel! We put up the ceiling fan, we bought the rugs, I found the baskets for our bedside tables, and, my favorite, we found wall shelves that match our look.

You've seen the cats, the vases, and the nature pictures, but here they are all together.

Of course, I never feel like a project is completely finished. I have an open closet I'd like to put doors on. We inherited some original doors that match the rest of the house from our neighbor, and we might try to see if those fit.

My new passion is gardening. This is the summer to design flowerbeds, so I'll post on that in the near future.

Interior Design Week: Mosaic Bistro Table

OK, this is not really interior design, but it's not really garden design either. Last week, Kevin and I spotted an inexpensive mosaic bistro table, and since then we've been trying to see the best value we can get at a low price, as patio furniture was an unplanned expense. We love the French bistro style, and we love eating out on our patio in our current worn-out lawn chairs and looking at our backyard during the summer. We can very much imagine these two things (French bistro and patio eating) combined to make a great outdoor experience.

Here is the table I think I want from Pottery Barn. They only have the blue left, but I like it. I originally wanted something with more pizazz, many colors, etc., but with this one I don't have to sacrifice price or quality. I just have to find chairs to match.

Interior Design Week: Wall Art

Kevin and I have finally put the finishing touches on our bedroom. One new design is that we've placed our own nature photography in frames around our bedroom. Here's a preview.

Interior Design Week: WPA Posters

Sometimes it's embarrassing to splurge. I had just decided not to buy a swimsuit for my upcoming Hawaii trip (yes, I'm going back) because it was too expensive when I ran across these WPA posters from the 1940s. I immediately loved this retro art look, and thought it would be a nice departure in our house from the photographs we have displayed. The Internet buying bug bit me.

The funny thing is that I knew I really admired these Colorado Plateau posters, but I didn't just buy one: I bought three. The price was OK--$40 per poster, but once I saw that $120 added up, I couldn't believe I was forking over that much on a whim.

These posters came last week, and they are gorgeous and wonderful! I am planning to put them up in the study/library of our house. The biggest problem is that they are 13.5" x 19". I searched all over town last Saturday for a frame or mat that would fit, but it was no use. I really hope I find something soon, and I hope I don't have to pay for custom framing. If any of you have suggestions, I'd be happy to hear them!

P.S. Sorry that these sizes aren't all the same. That's pretty lazy of me for design week, isn't it?

Interior Design Week: Cats and Vases

I don't think I've bought cat-shaped decor since I was a little girl. It just seemed so old lady-ish to me (the older woman we bought our house from had these stuffed animals of cats lying around her home in the online pictures--so strange). But when I was at the import store, I knew that these soapstone figures from Kenya were right for me. I liked their different patterns and colors. And they're just funky. I like that. Like they're doing a groovy dance or something.

I'm placing these on the new shelving we have in our bedroom. I also wanted some polished sandstone to put up there with our cats and some nature pictures we've taken, but finding the right decorative rock is turning out to be a harder process. In desperation, I picked up these two vases at the English Garden at the Salt Lake City Library. I like their vibrant colors, and I think they can do until I find some worthy replacement.

There's still more to come for design week. I am on the road for business, but I'll get back as soon as I can.

Interior Design Week: Retro Tablecloth

This last week the snow started melting, and it's just about time. The snow gets so dirty after sitting around for a few months. There's a snowbank outside my office that is entirely black with bits of trash in it. I hope it's gone when I go back. Well, enough of that.

Before I get to thinking about all the things I can do outdoors in the lovely weather, I feel I need to put the finishing touches on some things at home. I've decided to devote a week here to interior design. Yea! Won't that be fun? Come on, you know it will be.

This first post is about the Williams Sonoma tablecloth I had been dying to purchase since I first laid eyes on it. I found it when Kevin went to buy some dipping oil, and I got to roam around the store (dangerous habit of mine). I held off for over a week to make sure I really wanted it, but here it is, in my kitchen.

I just love this retro look. My kitchen "color" is green (all the linens, etc.), and I think in my older house it fits just perfectly.