Fresh Beginnings

You may have noticed my absence over Christmas (or maybe you were too busy to notice anything!)

I took 2.5 weeks off work and wouldn't you know it, I was down with severe headaches for ALL of it.  I'll not mince words - I felt like hell.  And of course, in customary fashion my headache cycle broke yesterday and with 2 days before going back to work, I started to feel human again.  Oh, it is so nice to feel like normal people do.  I suddenly want to make plans and cannot believe how alive I feel.  Chronic pain is a bummer - you don't even realize how depressed and listless you become.

Anyway, before the pain chasm swallowed me up:

I was planning to get a lot accomplished over my vacation, starting with a painter arriving at my house on December 18th to paint my TV room.  It was a major job unloading this room - there are a lot of bookshelves, and did I mention - I felt like hell. 

Anyway, here is the final product!  Sorry the light is not great as I grabbed this photo with the overhead light on earlier today.  This room gets beautiful light and I can't wait to show you once I get some decorating done here.

The fireplace was painted Skimming Stone (a Farrow & Ball colour) while the built-ins were painted BM Cloud White.  I regret that I didn't use a brighter white on the built-ins, but I was so pleased with the soft creamy beige of the Skimming Stone, a colour I've been dying to try.

I know you're probably thinking this room still looks pretty dated, with the brass semi-circular fireplace and the old hardware...  

But here it was before:

Uglissimo 

This was The Room That Time Forgot (back in 1973).  For six years I've been asking David to let me paint this room and he's refused.  I didn't want to push as he so rarely expresses a decor preference and he was the one spending most of the time here - watching football!  So it became the dreary man cave, with all our neglected furniture in here, and I simply didn't bother to decorate it.  

Until finally...he caved!  He finally said I could paint it, and I didn't hesitate one second to call my painter!!!

In Progress:

First our painter taped and covered everything and then sprayed all the built-ins white with an oil-based latex.  This saved sooo much time, although taping took forever.

The Other End:

The other end of the room (which normally sits behind the sofa), is 100% shelving and is so useful for our large book collection.

After removing all the books, I culled a LOT out and will only return our favorites to the shelves, for a much sparer look and also so that we can truly value and use our favorite decor, cook books and reference books which got lost in the clutter.

After the painting was done, I threw a few things on the mantel.  Here's a quick pre-Christmas photo to show you the wall colour.   Again, the brick and the walls are painted Skimming Stone while the built-ins are BM Cloud White.  Again I wish I'd chosen a starker white.  

Now where to begin decorating this room?  It has so much potential, especially with all the natural (dappled southern) light it gets.  

I'm going to start with a large new rug.  And then try to find a decent piece of furniture for the television to sit on - something low and antique?  I've been thinking of different furniture arrangements too and may run some ideas by you later.

I'd like to do a nice upholstered ottoman that relates to the sage green furniture.  And I'm also thinking of console tables and lamps and new side tables.  It's a good-sized space that I want it to feel airy and uncluttered, but still inviting.  I love being in this room now!

I brought in a little modern table I had, and like the black lines against the panelling.  I think I'll stick with black accents and a white/sage green palette, with soft stone and linen colours.  And maybe a little butterscotch gold, as it appears in the blanket basket and the little painting frame on the shelf.

I might buy a black fireplace screen to hide the brass fireplace, or I just might leave it be.  I kinda like it now, and I can't hide the vintage of this house without major renovations (which we are considering, but until then...)

So the moral of the story is:  if you can't change it - decorate it!  
(oh and don't cling to old panelling and ugly brick any longer than you have to)

Finds!

I am finally back in a writing mood, so forgive me for spamming you twice in 24h with new blog posts.

Here is a wonderful find I've just acquired, an aristocratic sauceboat from Paris, with my surname initial "P" beautifully monogrammed on it:

I think this will go nicely with my collection of white and gold Haviland china.

In other news, this little clock has also found its way into my life, and it is in working order (although it needs to be wound):

The clock sits on my desk alongside another find, this old pressed glass lamp from the UK that I brought home from my favorite local shop, Rob Kurkut Interiors. The shade sits slightly askew, but it has a lovely rosy glow that I adore:

The bird's eye maple pen was a gift from my uncle who runs a very cool fishing lodge in New Brunswick

I always feel a bit guilty when I buy too many things at once, so I am cut off for a while, although I do need a new fall coat and have to start looking soon...

Hope you are having a sunny end-of-summer weekend.

Dining Rooms Chairs with an Opinion

I finally started looking for fabrics to re-upholster my dining chairs.

In the last two weeks, I've brought home many samples of quiet neutrals but I've been utterly bored with all the choices.

On a whim yesterday, we decided to try this:

I think the black is très chic, and the look, along with my traditional china, reminds me of an old French hotel.

A while ago, I replaced the two head-of-table armchairs with upholstered linen chairs, so naturally I started looking for fabrics to coordinate with the natural linen, in both colour and texture.  But nothing has made my heart race.

The black works beautifully with both cream and the white china (apologies for my hasty styling and unironed tablecloth!)

But I wonder if I might tire of the black?

 I also vowed never to do a pattern on anything "big" after my living room rug experience (a single prominent pattern can trap you in a decorating style and preclude using certain other colours or patterns).  

But I think the black pattern works superbly with my typical palette of whites, grayed out browns, slate and gray blues and bright foliage greens.  I also have a lot of neoclassical elements (white and black art) that it relates to beautifully.

As an option, however, it occurred to me that I could upholster only four of the eight side chairs in the black, and upholster the four remaining side chairs (and the two armchairs I'm not currently using) in something neutral and coordinating, like this chenille (though not quite the right colour) or a simple linen:

Generally the table is only set for six, so I only use four side chairs at any time (in addition to the new linen chairs).  Thus, I could use all 4 black chairs on the sides for a while, and if I got bored, I could swap in the neutral side chairs.

I could also use all neutral chairs at the table and then let the black chairs flank the sideboard as shown above, for a little drama.

And if we need to set the table for 8 or 10, I can just alternate the black and the neutral-patterned chairs for an unexpected, certain je ne sais quoi look.

What think ye?

Should I just hold out for an elegant fabric that's a bit more neutral?

Temporary Measures

I've had a spot in my living room that has sorely needed a table for a long, looong time.  Every time we have guests over, it drives me mad not having a better place to sit drinks.

I waited and waited for a charming and affordable antique table, but nothing has appeared.  Then I stopped at a yard sale last week (the sign said Furniture, which sounded promising to me) and found this little butterscotch table:

While I'd prefer a good antique, the little pedestal table is the perfect size and scale and is exactly what I envisioned (minus the pedigree and perfect colour) for this spot. It even has little brass feet.  I think it'll be even more perfect when I paint it off-white...

And I love having another spot to create pretty little vignettes!

Have a happy week and sorry for my spotty blog posts (I've been savouring the cool and sunny summer here and I'm planning a very big event I will share soon).

A Painting from Maine

In lieu of a proper blog post about my east coast trip (soon),

I wanted to share a beautiful painting we bought in Maine:

"Offshore Fog at Thrumcap" by Bryan Scott Whitehead

We purchased the painting at the Argosy Gallery in downtown Bar Harbor, Maine (there are two storefronts, in fact, the Argosy and Argosy II, a few short blocks away).  

The gallery has a stunning collection of paintings, mostly by local Maine artists, or by other American artists who come to Maine to paint its picturesque landscapes and seascapes.

The gallery is run by Amy Stapleton Sidman and her husband Charlie, who was so kind and generous, sharing information about his wife's beautifully curated collection and the various artists they represent.  

Here are a couple of photos from inside the Main Street shop:

The small painting I bought can be seen on the wall above 

You must visit the Argosy if you're ever in Bar Harbor.  Their collection is really quite extraordinary and each piece is so beautifully framed.  I coveted far too many!

But several that caught my eye were from Bryan Scott Whitehead, an Ohio-born artist who now resides in Poland but regularly visits and resides in Maine to paint.  

Check out his website here.

His painting of Thrumcap Island is a lovely addition to my collection (I have many other seascapes and landscapes).  Its quiet and loneliness really spoke to me.  

And it looks so good sitting on the sideboard, I don't want to hang it.

A Party & A Painting

Today we prepared most of the day to host a Mother's Day get-together tomorrow!

We're having an afternoon tea!

Today we made ingredients for various dainty tea sandwiches and I made chocolate cupcakes and a lemon cake will follow tomorrow.  We'll also have salads, tea and coffee.

(My favorite part of parties is the decorating, if you didn't notice). 

I'm sending this arrangement home with my mother-in-law.  The darling vase is actually a small hurricane (candle holder) I picked up today at Crate & Barrel:

I bought very posh paper for her gift.  Mothers deserve to be spoiled. 

I have a few favorite vases, including this large urn and the small crystal vase (that I bought at Rob Kurkut's gorgeous shop) which is brilliant for left over short stems:

I think pink is very festive for parties.

In other news, I have taken up painting:

A small abstract painting I made today

I took a full year of art in university but have not put medium to paper in 20 years.  It felt really good sitting down at a blank canvas again - I loved it.  I will share more paintings soon and tell you more about my previous art studies.

You can also see another of my paintings in the first photograph at the top of this post (hanging to the left of the mirror).

And most of all...

Happy Mother's Day

(especially to my beloved and most cherished Mom!)

xo Terri

Framed

I finally got around to framing that pretty little painting we bought in Paris last Fall.

Jarvis Hall, a master framer in Calgary, helped me select a beautiful and appropriate French moulding to construct a frame for my small painting.   We decided against using a mat, as it seemed to look too important and overwhelmed the painting's charming simplicity.

I really wanted the new frame to be somewhat consistent with the frame on my other little (favorite) French painting:

Jarvis originally suggested an antique French frame for the new piece (which he can acquire), but we quickly decided that the new moulding was perfect with all the verticals in the painting:

What do you think?

Have a lovely weekend and thank you all for your kind and supportive comments on my last post.  It means the world to me to have such kind people caring for me out in the universe.

xo Terri

A Serendipitous Update

So, my dining room's been feeling a bit tired with all its brown wood.

I love me some brown wood, but I will admit that I usually keep a white tablecloth on the table at all times to break it up a bit.

Yesterday, I came across these upholstered chairs at a local furniture store, on sale for a deep discount.  I decided to buy the pair to use as bedroom chairs.

But when I brought them in, I suddenly realized they might fit right here:

I've been planning to reupholster or perhaps slipcover the seats of my dining chairs for ages, but was waiting a divine intervention, you know, as I could not decide which direction to go with fabric/colours (as you can see below, most of the antique dining room chairs still have pink and turquoise striped seats).

The new chairs don't work perfectly with the set (perhaps it would be better if they had a camel back, say, like the wood chairs), but I like the way they look.  They are slightly overscale in width, but are actually the same height and depth as the original armchairs.

The rolled back relates to all the curves in the room:

I still haven't taken the chairs upstairs to the bedrooms to see if I like them better there (who knows where they will be in a week).  But if I leave them here, I will re-do the upholstery on the wood chairs to relate to the new linen chairs.

Oh, and by the way, they are super comfortable!  Sadly all my guests will have to fight over them...

In other news...

I'm starting a Colour Theory class at the university this week, for 10 weeks.

It's part of their Visual Design Certificate (I've already done several courses) and I can't wait to get started.  I just hope my headaches don't make an evening class unbearable!

Soon, Terri

Birthday Pretties

Last week was my birthday and last weekend we celebrated with a small party!

(I really need a celebration in the wintery middle of March).

I had a really bad headache the day of the party and will admit that by the time the guests arrived, I would rather have laid on the sofa with an ice pack and a warm blanket than entertained guests.

But I forged ahead and made things look pretty while David cooked an amazing gourmet meal.

I bought a pretty mirror a short while ago, and although it's a bit small for the sideboard, I really liked the prettiness of it, which made the space look a bit like a lady's dressing table.  

There is a part of me that likes a very elegant feminine style and it's revealing itself now (as much as I sometimes strive for a more austere look):

I removed the long white runner from the sideboard.  It was so nice to see the lovely wood on the sideboard top, although it probably all seems too *brown* to some of you who are mixing in lighter woods.  

I love buying assorted flowers and putting them together in lively bouquets all around the house:

Eva Zeisel lidded bowl (left) and a very old Limoges bird plate (back)

The one great thing about having neutral walls and furniture is that I can add and subtract colours easily.  

A blue moment in the living room:

In the background, you can see the fun party banner I put up in the dining room

I like to keep the table very plain with white linens since I have a small living and dining space and don't want things to get too busy with all the girlish floweriness (hehe) going on:

Only one tiny arrangement for the table:

The flowers sit in an old crystal tabletop lighter I removed the top from...

The pretty sideboard mirror has a deep bevel.  It beautifully reflects the dining room chandelier:

David surprised me with two beautifully wrapped gifts (he is getting to know my favorite colour schemes):

I received lots of cards and money (lucky me!) - these two cards are from my aunt and darling mother.  The sweet little bone china fox is from David's mum: 

Here is the bounty the next morning - more cards and presents (a bottle of perfume on the left and a tiara, which is odd since I am not at all a princess):

I also got several decorating books, including "The Great Lady Decorators" from my sister-in-law and brother-in-law:

And this one from David:

Everyone gets a book list about two months before my birthday.  That way I get what I want and no one has to wonder what to buy me, although there are always some surprises thrown in.

Hope you have a lovely week...!

Office Edit?

My home office has blue walls, and while I'm very fond of the colour (Scribe from General Paint), nothing in the room really relates to the walls.  

An old photo - the art has changed over the dresser, the chair will be reupholstered (once I decide on a wall colour) and the desk and side table (not shown) are getting new skirts.

The rest of the room is all linen and gray and off-white.  

So I'm thinking of painting the walls something like this:

Sherwin Williams Anew Gray.  SW has some gorgeous grays and greiges.

It reminds me a lot of BM's Revere Pewter, a perennial favorite which is a bit lighter and grayer:

I love the blue but it doesn't relate to anything.

I couldn't figure out why my office lacked coherence (maybe it's all the misfit furniture) with its beautiful blue walls until I realized that:

Decorators repeat the wall colour in the accessories and it helps to tie the room together.  

 For example, in blue and white bedrooms, the blue is often repeated in pillows, or the bed skirt, say, and the room looks "pulled together".

Maybe this is Decorating 101, but it really never occurred to me because I always use neutrals in walls and furniture and it never became a conscious issue...it always just worked. 

So with that wisdom, I'm rethinking the blue, since I am not really keen to repeat the blue in fabrics (I'd rather go neutral)!

Such a beautiful medium blue.  I might redeploy it in my downstairs bedroom where the current pale blue doesn't have enough gravitas for the low light...

I would really love to add wallpaper to the room, like this Farrow & Ball paper:

Silvergate BP-804

Or this one:

Orangerie BP 2502

However, at $300 per roll (3 roll minimum), this could be a very expensive experiment!  Plus, I'd probably have to hire an experienced wallpaper hanger.

So I think I might be a coward and just stick with greige walls...

What do you think?

Do I keep the pretty blue and introduce some blue accessories, say a blue pillow on a future linen chair, etc.?

Or do I go greige and make a neutral scheme (with lots of white and black and wood as my accents)?  This might look better with the neoclassical elements I seem to be collecting in here.

Do tell!

Little Finds from Little Shops

In Florida, I had little time for antiquing since we were so smitten with the beaches and didn't want to go indoors.

In St.Petersburg, I did stop for 10 minutes at a shabby chic store on Central Ave. (near the popular Taco Bus, where we had lunch) where I picked up a pretty little Royal Worcester off-white vase:

Before that, we stopped at Michael's Antiques (7219 Central Ave.) where I bought a vintage Coach purse and a little mirror.  I recommend Michael's - the proprietor was lovely and he has a neat collection of things, some traditional but many mid-century.

*

After returning to Calgary, I stopped at a shop in Inglewood called Pretty Little Things where I picked up this darling crystal lighter (without the lighter part):

Pretty Little Things is a fun little shop full of vintage clothing, some furniture and small decor items.  The shopkeeper is a lovely gal with a style I might call "old Hollywood".  The shop looks a bit cluttered at the front, but there are lots of small finds and she has some lovely linens and cool vintage clothes.  And everything is old and has a provenance! 

This lighter came from an old lady lived who had lived in Hollywood and whose family had won the Kentucky Derby (the elderly son now lives in Calgary).

It has some a bit of black staining around the lid (that doesn't want to come off), so I think it needs a little more TLC or a stronger solvent.

*

In health news:

My GP requested an MRI due to the enlarged pituitary (14 mm) that Dr. Piper found.  

I got the call, and it's scheduled for next Friday!!!  Usually MRI's take a month or more in Canada (thanks to socialized health care...they are free but you are "triaged" and often get to wait a bit unless you have an emergency, etc.).  

However, they must think mine is serious as they are seeing me next week.  I think I must have a pituitary tumor, but I will know more in a week or so.  The receptionist was surprised that I'm getting in so quickly (which sounds like both a good and bad thing!)

Keep your fingers crossed for me please.  

(And prayer is always welcome, if that's your thing).

Happy weekend!

A (Little) Party!

(A special hello to the lady who spoke to me at the mall yesterday and said she reads my blog.  Hello!!!  I am sorry I did not get your name...I was so surprised you recognized me!  Drop me an email or comment if you have time as I would love to learn more about YOU!)

*
We hosted a very small dinner party tonight.  As we were setting up for dinner, I snapped a few photos.

I love these (inexpensive) Alstroemeria (Peruvian lily) that I picked up at the grocery store. There seems to be shockingly little flower selection post-Christmas (and what was left was mostly red).  

These often overlooked flowers are so pretty in their soft pink and green and work with the Christmas decor, which is still in place:

The small soup plate beside the flowers belonged to my great grandmother, Mary Ann.  She died before I was born, but had some lovely old china that my grandmother used when I was a child (and which went into the back of the cupboard as I got older).  I wish I could have met her, as she seemed to have a taste for pretty things and was also quite a character (or so I am told). 

You can see the Christmas tree in the background:

I set the table very plainly, using a set of very soft white linen napkins I bought at the Georgetown flea market two years ago:

While taking photos, I thought I would show you a little keepsake (from Scotland) that my sister-in-law included with my Christmas gift.  These little pieces of embroidered cloth were included in tobacco pouches many, many years ago.  I don't know much about their provenance, but must learn more.

I am planning to frame this in a small, pretty frame with a linen mat.  I also just noticed I put the flowers back in the sleeve upside down!  Oops.

And last but not least, here is my constant companion (who is always either underfoot or never more than a few feet away):

I hope you are enjoying your holiday.  I started a list of new year's resolutions but after twenty items, I gave up.  After all the parties and dinners this month, I think my #1 resolution is to eat only vegetables for the next month.  And with my chronic headaches, my #2 resolution is to try a few new ideas for headache relief (although this disease does not seem to be within my control).  

In other words, good health is on the agenda!

Happy New Year!