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Friday, March 30, 2012

Which Bed Would You Choose? A Look At Bed Styles


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I’ve been shopping for a new master bed and I’ve decided on an upholstered headboard.

Or, so I thought.  Easier said than done.

Fully upholstered?  Wood frame?  Tufted?  Nailhead trim?  Footboard?
I decided to go with a more authentic French look, and so I want one with a wood frame.  These are a little more difficult to find than the all-upholstered versions which are very plentiful.

French yumminess below.

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I also decided on new instead of antique.  Antique beds can be tricky sometimes with fitting today’s mattresses and bedrails and I didn’t want the bother (been down that road before with custom sized mattress sets on a couple Victorian beds)

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Beautiful beds, but I want the convenience of a new one!  Sold the top full bed a while ago, but my mom still has the great mid-1800s twin bed below.  I know what some of you are thinking, get out the ASCP!!!  (But this is actually a fine period antique!)


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After much searching, I’ve narrowed it down to two:

Pottery Barn’s  Gabriella with it’s weathered oak frame and string-tufted back.


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It’s a very pretty Louis XV style indeed.


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And, Ethan Allen’s Allesandra with matching footboard.  It’s even upholstered on the inside of the footboard.  This style is based more on the Louis XVI style.  You can get  it tufted but you can’t just get the headboard.


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I took this photo at the Ethan Allen showroom.

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Here are some photos of these two different but similar styles of beds.

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(Barbara Barry for Baker Furniture)

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I’m really torn. I love them both.  I’ve always had a footboard so I’m wanting to try something without a footboard.  I’d probably go with the tufted Ethan Allen version if I could just order the headboard.  But the one from Pottery Barn is really charming and has nailhead trim.
What do you all think?  I really value your opinion.

Decisions, decisions!
Happy Decorating,
Kim

Linking up to:
Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage
Show and Tell Friday at Romantic Home
Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

“Spring” Is Getting In The Way!


 Well, I realize it’s been almost a week since my last post, and if truth be known, the only explanation is that it’s spring-time!!!

My daughter’s high school softball schedule is in full swing with games three nights a week plus weekend tournaments.  This is one of the busiest times of the year for me. But, I’m not complaining and I’m thoroughly going to enjoy her senior year and treasure every moment.  And, the weather has been absolutely incredible!

I’ve also been bitten by the spring cleaning bug plus going through lots of my antique and Country French inventory to decide what to put in my new Etsy shop that hopefully I will have up and running by summer.

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These are great handmade French faience pieces.  I adore Provençal pottery and these Alsatian examples are superb.


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I love this antique metal  sign for a well-known French biscuit company.  “Le meilleur des desserts fins” means “for the best of desserts”.  Isn’t it cool?


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These items are perfect for a Country French kitchen or
any kitchen for that matter!  What about a dining room? 

I feel like the people on the HGTV show,  Love It or List It?

Do I keep it or do I sell it?

I only buy what I love and would use in my own home, so it’s always a tough decision.

Happy Decorating!
Kim

Linking up to:
Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at Coastal Charm
Cowgirl Up! at Cedar Hill Ranch
Tabletop Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

French Love: Boulangerie Baskets

Aren’t these great?

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These are vintage boulangerie baskets from France.

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They are made of willow, are lined in linen, and date to the 1920s.

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Of course, they have seen lots of use.
They are also known as bannetons (dough baskets) used for the proofing (or rising) of bread dough.  They would be dusted with flour before the dough was added.

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The stripe is pretty awesome, too.

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 Can’t you just smell the fresh baked bread?

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The one with the raised center is used for making couronne bread---a crusty bread with a hole in the middle.  Couronne literally means “crown” in English.



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I’m not sure if I’m gonna display them in my own kitchen or put them in my Etsy shop that I will be opening soon.

Perfectly rustic French Country.

Happy Decorating,
Kim

Linking up to these great parties:
French Obsession Party at Le Chateau Des Fleurs
What's It Wednesday at Ivy and Elephants
WOW! Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style
Open House Party at No Minimalist Here
Voila! French Inspiration at French Cupboard
Treasure Hunt Thursday at From My Front Porch To Yours

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Bluegrass Trust Show & Suzanne Kasler


I just returned home from a wonderful couple days in Lexington attending the annual Bluegrass Trust Antique & Garden Show.  It’s one of the premier antique & décor events in Kentucky and it never disappoints me.

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This year it was held at the Kentucky Horse Park at the new Alltech Arena which was home to the World Equestrian Games last year.  It has previously been conducted at the Keeneland Racetrack before the spring meet starts.

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It is a very high-end show and exhibitors include some of the finest antique dealers in the U.S. plus a variety of outstanding nurseries and garden designers.  There are always great event speakers, silent auctions, and lots and lots of the best antiques for home décor.  Plus, some of the best of the best designers, dealers, and so forth from right here in the Bluegrass are featured.

I wish I could show you some photos, but I never take any at this particular show.  To say it is upscale, is an understatement.  This show has what I call a certain classy “Southern Refinement” and it is not the place where you go around all giddy at the amount of amazing items and snap photos incessantly while you drool over everything.    It’s just not that venue.  It has such a distinguished air about it.  Don’t get me wrong…..it’s definitely not snoody…..there are soooo many wonderful people here…..it’s just the way it is.  There are professional photographers there and you just don’t see people taking pictures.

I attended the Gala and Preview Party on Thursday night with a couple of my friends and it was a wonderful evening.  My pick of the night was a lovely potted orchid and dried lavender bunches that came from a fine nursery in Frankfort. 

On Friday, I attended the luncheon with featured speaker, Suzanne Kasler, renowned Atlanta-based designer extraordinaire.  She’s actually from Indiana and went to school in Cincinnati before finally moving to Atlanta.

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I’m sure most of you are familiar with Suzanne’s work, but if you’re not, you’re missing out on am amazing interior designer.  Her work has been published in every major national home décor magazine, and she has lines with Hickory Chair, Ballard Designs, Lee Jofa, and Safavieh.

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Her book, Inspired Interiors, published by Rizzoli a couple years ago, is a well written visual feast.  She got it right on both ends….the text and the photos

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She was charming in person and conducted a book signing before and after she spoke.  This lady knows a lot about great design and her presentation was very interesting.

I find her style to be fresh and exciting without a lot of fuss.

Her overall design philosophy is a pretty straightforward approach that says if you get the architecture right, the decorating becomes less of a challenge.  She says a home should look collected not “decorated”.  Her rooms are carefully edited.  What I really like about her style is the attention to detail.  She infuses dressmaker’s details on textiles such as banded flanges on upholstered goods and grosgrain trims under tacks.  Monogrammed pulls are also something she’s very fond of.

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Her palette is mostly layered whites with different tones, and strategically placed pops of color which is what makes her rooms so memorable.

Below is her own foyer in her Atlanta home. I love the little gold leaf gueridon table.  I have limestone floors with black marble pickets in my foyer as well.

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This is a beach house and I love her use of blue in this space without it being overdone.

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The random placement of this collection of antique and new starburst mirrors is unexpected and visually appealing.

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She makes her own upholstery at times by combining different fabrics as seen here.  She places importance on collections by grouping them together.

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This is one of my favorite rooms (her master bedroom) with the embroidered Chanel-like details on the bench and pillows which gives the Chinnoisserie bed a contemporary vibe.  You can’t see from this photo, but there is ribbon detail on the simple drapes.

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She incorporates a lot of antiques into her rooms, and these vintage batik prints she found at a flea market and had them framed to use in this space.

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This is a photo of some of her pieces for Hickory Chair.  I got to see the French-style slipper chairs in person and they are to-die-for.  She’s traveled extensively and uses her own antiques for inspiration when designing furniture and accessories. She also loves to shop in France….my kind of gal!

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She was very gracious and I managed to get one photo of her, even though it isn’t great quality as I was using my I-phone.

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One of the homes from her book is featured in the new April issue of Veranda on page 136 titled “A Golden Mean”.  If you get a chance, pick up a copy to read.

I did manage to hit the exhibition one last time and I came away with a cool vintage mid-century bronze statue of the Eiffel Tower on a marble base.
 
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It has great detail.

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I’m sure my selection was influenced by Suzanne just showing us her Eiffel Tower collection that she has in her own home.  Yes, I left all the awesome French and English art and antiques at the show…..for now.

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All in all, it was a great show and I can’t wait to see who they get for the featured speaker next year.  Who could it be?  It was at this same show that I met Charles Faudree in the spring of 2010 as he was the speaker.    If anyone wants to come to the show with me next year, just let me  know and I’ll meet you in Lexington.

Happy Decorating,
Kim

Happily linking up to these parties:
Newbie Party at Debbie Doo's Blogging and Blabbing 
Open House Party at No Minimalist Here
Potpourri Friday at 2805
Inspiration Friday at At The Picket Fence

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Black and Yellow Table Setting


Black and yellow schemes seem to be popping up more lately in décor and I’m really loving the bright, crisp look.  Thus, I decided to get out my Audun dishes and set a fresh table for a spring dinner.

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My dining table is an antique French trestle table, and is much more narrow than my previous table.  Old European tables are typically not as wide as our modern versions.  That’s o.k. with me because we eat buffet style with the food being set out in the kitchen.  But it does limit the amount of space I have in the middle of the table so I can’t put a lot of “stuff” out.

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I styled a few different accessories for the center of the table.  I started with a set of faux scales that I picked up at Pottery Barn and used some beaded lemons for the top.
It really made a nice bold statement of color!

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I especially love this plate set.  It is called “Audun” and is by Villeroy & Boch.
 
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It depicts different toile themed scenes and you can mix and match which patterns you want.  If you notice in some of the photos, you will see there are different coordinating sets that I used.

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“Promenade” is a black and white trellis on the rim.
“Fleur” is a plain wide banded yellow rim.
“Chasse” has a yellow banded rim with a hunt scene in the middle.
“Ferme” is a farm scene with a patterned rim.

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The mugs have an idyllic farm scene all around the body.

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I have matching cereal bowls and other serving pieces, but I didn’t drag them out!
Here is another favorite centerpiece of mine – a rustic votive candleholder.

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It’s very slender and lends itself well to this table.

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The placemats are by Ann Gish and actually have texture in the tone-on-tone pattern.

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And, finally, I  tried a shabby candleabra.

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I’ve had this piece for a while and took the crystals off for a no-fuss look.

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I honestly don’t know which one I like best.

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What do you think?

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I’ll have to decide…

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Can’t wait to do the Easter table!!!

On another note, I’m leaving for Lexington this morning for the Bluegrass Trust Antique & Garden Show.  It’s a fabulous annual event.  I’m attending the Preview Party and Gala tonight then going to the luncheon tomorrow featuring Suzanne Kasler as the speaker!  I’ll tell you all about it next week.

Happy Decorating,
Kim

Linking up to these great parties:
Tablescape Party at Re-fresh Re-Style
Open House Party at No Minimalist Here

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