Chairish and a New Vintage Chic Playroom

A few weeks ago a friend contacted me about doing some design for her basement playroom.  It had the same problems that a lot of basement playrooms seem to have.  Lots of toys……..room to play……… no one there to do any playing.  

For some reason she couldn’t get the kids to play there.  She thought that by upping the style factor and making the space more visually inviting, the kids might actually want to play there.  I couldn’t agree more!

Ironically, I received an email from Chairish.com right about the same time.  They asked if I would be interested in designing a concept around one of their vintage rugs.  Uh yes please!  

As soon as I took one look at my rug choices I knew that Kristi’s playroom, and this amazing teal overdyed rug from Chairish would be a match made in heaven!  And by the way, have you ever been to the Chairish website?!?  Piles and piles of one-of-a-kind vintage finds.......it is seriously my happy place.  You can find the other great rugs they have available, here.   

The room is quite large, and a very basic beige color she had left over from another part of the house.  There is no natural light in the room, so color and lighting will become her best friends.  She will be painting, and getting new carpeting in the space also.

I immediately wanted to tackle the dark, ominous alcove in the corner.  Right now that part of the room is so dark, there is nothing but a giant lonely beanbag hanging out there.  

I suggested she move this AMAZING vintage gold velvet tufted settee she inherited from her grandma into the dark corner.  

Pops of teal would look great with the gold/citrine color of the settee she already has.  So a colorful teal rug like the Chairish one would be so incredible in this space!  The rich color on the ground, paired with a few other colorful items, and a white wall treatment of some kind would instantly cheer up the gloomy Gloomsville feel of the room.  If you are looking for a similar piece for your home, (and you should be, because there is nothing cooler than a gold velvet vintage sofa), you could go with this vintage one, (also from Chairish).  Or the new one in the style board is available via Burke Decor. 

Add a cool light fixture above the alcove, and some fun art, and KABAM… reading nook and instant style.  The fixture in the mood board is new, but a vintage light would be pretty incredible here too.  (link to mood board light at bottom of page)


If you are looking for your own vintage light, you should check out these two awesome choices, both available from Chairish.  (links below)

Jonathan Adler Nickel Meurice Chandelier 

Modern Sputnik Chandelier

I also suggested she add some stylish new storage.  The one featured in the mood board is this one from Lamps Plus, but this EXPEDIT unit from IKEA would work great too.  It is a steal at only $99.  

On one of the long, window-less walls I am recommending a giant vintage map.  (I found this one on Chairish, and I was fist-pumping for like five minutes straight!)  It is the perfect color, and at over five feet wide, it is a great size.  Can you believe it is only $175?

On the other long wall, I think she should install some kind of display system for her children’s own art.  Instant, colorful, and super cheap!

And lastly, I am DYING over this teepee from Land of Nod.  Kristi please buy this!!!  Here is the link.  

Kristi, thank you so much for letting me design your room.   And Chairish, thank you so much for the opportunity to dream design!

If I can answer any questions, or if you need any help designing your kids dream playroom, don't hesitate to holla!

 Here are the links to some of the other fun items in the room.:  orb chandelier,  Seletti neon light,  Chairish cute yellow storage box, cat pillow, hombre pillow.

Vintage Christmas Tablescapes

Have you seen the Anthropologie Kerr Jar snow globes?  They are adorable.  But, they are $38 dollars.  A little out of budget if you ask me.  So this is my "Knock Off"  Anthropologie snow globe.

I packed a whole bunch of ornaments (some vintage, some recreations) into a wooden crate I have had FOREVER.

I didn't put up my "fancy" tree this year, so I had plenty of ornaments to put into tablescapes around the house.  The crystal bowl on the right was my Grandma's.

The boughs came from outside after the huge wind storm here last week.  There are literally pine boughs piled up everywhere all over the city.

The vignette on my entry table.

Vintage ornaments on the kitchen island.

The dining room table.  I opted for Hydrangea this year instead of Poinsettia.

The "25" is just cardboard, with fake snow glued on.

By the way, I have been linking up all over!  I linked up to the Link Party at French Country Cottage.  Check it out here.  And At the Picket Fence, here.  And finally, at The Shabby Creek Cottage, here.

Merry Christmas!

Vintage Christmas Mantel 2011

So I still envision making a cute glittery banner to hang in front of the silver beads, but to be honest, I'm not sure if I'm gonna make that happen.

A few weeks ago I got the fresh garland from Home Depot (for 5 bucks!), but it's getting pretty brittle.  I have been spraying water on it with a squirt gun.  Anyboday got any other ideas for keeping it fresh?



If only I could find the energy to put up the OUTSIDE decorations......

Saturday Snip-Its

It's been a while since a "Saturday Snip-its" post, and today is the perfect day for one. Bryan has the two youngest kiddos with him in Idaho (at the Fairfield house we are helping his parents renovate......more on that later). So Cameron and I were left home to fend for ourselves. Cameron of course has plans of his own, (which included golf and a whole lot of video game playing). So that left me to spend literally the WHOLE day working on the spec house with Duane. We started at 8:00 am, when he picked me up in his truck to go find a vanity for the master bath. The one we thought we had ordered fell through on Friday (about a week after it was supposed to be installed), so we had to make quick work finding a new one and getting it installed.

We found a vanity that fit at Lowe's, but about 45 minutes into the installation, Duane decided it just wouldn't cut the mustard....so back in the truck it went. Trips to two different Home Depot's finally yielded a cabinet in the correct size and acceptable quality, and by afternoon, Duane had it installed. I spent the day painting........the second coat on the entry, the front door (that is too light, and needs to be darkened), and the new darker paint for the back bedroom. And running around looking for this and that for different projects in the house. My mom is busy sewing curtains and other odds and ends. We didn't finish work until 8:30 tonight.


But the good news is, the hall bath is nearly complete. It will be a huge relief to have at least one space in the house that is totally complete. I took a rushed trip to some of my favorite spots around town to see if I could find something to hang over where the new towel rack will be hung. The bathroom is very fine materials, marble, polished chrome, and white subway tile, so I wanted something rustic to contrast all the polished surfaces. I ended up with this great little rusty metal basket, that I picked up at the D.I. for $1.00!!!! I'm not kidding! A dollar. I can't show any more of the bathroom until the whole thing is ready to be revealed.


I found a few other D.I. treasures as well. My total bill was $4.50. I got these cute little vintage pottery dip bowls, that totally go with the rest of my turquoise pottery collection.


I'm going to sell the vintage TV dinner tray and the adorable measuring cups on EBAY. And now I am off to shower and get in bed. I AM EXHAUSTED!