Oh Ps: My Top Ten Best Moments Of 2009 Is Posted Here

While I doubt my list will blow any minds, the other blogger's lists are really good. Plus, this is an awesome blog that you should probably check out anyway.
Oh pps: No, that is not a pair of panties on my head. But I totally get why you asked that.

File Under Random Gorgeousness

OK, so I have no idea why there's a dude lying on a bed in his underwear (no I didn't play the clip) but the rest of this site is divine. I found these pictures of abandoned Russian architecture really inspiring today. Sometimes a girl just needs to st around looking at purdy pichers, while blogland goes batshit nuts (for those who haven't yet read the comments from my post earlier in the week, please take a moment to enjoy the insanity. You're welcome.
And now, back to pretty.

Say It With (Hand Made) Flowers

I can think of two or three people I'd like to give this to, right off the top of my head.
This and other cuteness here.

Molly Sims Office Redo

Kishani Perera emailed me a scan of the November InStyle. How sweet is that? I don't know why I love this room so much. It's the exact opposite of what I'm trying to achieve in the Hudson house, but I love the energy of it. This room is so stimulating, it just screams, "get creative now!" Meanwhile, as an overstimulated New Yorker, I want my rooms to whisper, "turn off your head crazy lady, mellow out, put down the gun, make a cup of tea...etc."

The rest of Molly's apartment (also done by Perera) was more my speed - really glamorous gray with lots of chandelier action. But this is so darn pretty. I guess it's the wallpaper and the chesterfield that got me. Anyway, thanks Kishani! You are so talented!

Who has the November Issue of InStyle??

I was completely obsessed with the apartment of Molly Sims when it was profiled in InStyle a few years back.
Member this?

I even have a link to Kishani Perera's blog over there on the right (she's the awesome designer who did it). It was on her blog that I read that Kishani had just revamped Molly's home office and I'm dying to see the spread.

I know everyone has had it up to here with Ikat - but the Ikat pillows in the pics (Kishani has a few images on her blog) look puuuuuuurty. Kishani has rigged her blog so I can't re-post any pics here. I get why she did that -but it seems like it would be a better idea to post them with a watermark or something - so she'd get credit but everyone would repost all over the bloggisphere.
KWIS?
Anyway - who has it and is either willing to give it to me (merry Christmas?) or scan it?
Anyone.... anyone...?
xx
H.
ps: I'm not sure if I want InStyle or InStyle home - if anyone knows - please, do tell.

My fireplace Redo Inspiration

I thought that I had posted this forever ago - but I must have either deleted it - or made the whole thing up in my mind. Here is what inspired the treatment I did on my fireplace.


Come to think of it, the post was definitely erased - because I also posted about finding my fireplace's twin in a church on Union and realizing that it wasn't a 60's addition as I'd assumed due to it's Brady Bunchness - but in fact early 1900's. That still wasn't enough to make me stop hating its looks. So I went for the recipe outlined in the Apartment Therapy post I linked to above.
Above the fireplace is a stretch of original brick where the chimney is exposed. There, I'd eventually like to do a whitewash that looks like this. But it will have to wait until we get a mantle.

Thoughts?

Hip Me Up To New House(ish)blogs

Even Bernie is bored...
I need new blogs to follow ya'll. Most of the bloggers I fell in love with a year ago have either started blogging about things non-homie, or ghosted all together.
I'm going to have to revamp and fluff up my links.
Obviously some of my old faves, like renovationtherapy (who ain't so big on renovating anymore) can stay because they still make me laugh and have great taste.
But who else in the design-reno-decor-all-things-interior-blogisphere has been blowing your minds lately?
Hook me up. I need new inspiration asap!

More Kitchen Inspiration

I'm kind of over wall cabinets, and thinking I won't rehang the ones I took down from our scary ass kitchen. The issue is, all the kitchens with open shelving that look dreamy belong to squeaky clean people who favor monochromatic kitchenware and or food.
That is not moi.
I am very messy (in a cluttery kind of way, not a germy kind of way so calm down). I also tend to purchase colored food. (shrug)
So mine would probably not look so pristine.
Although I will say that I have some gorgeous china which I use every day (yes even in my current construction site slash hovel) which will look nice out in the open.
This picture is of my friend's country house. I know, its redic.
But how great are these simple wooden shelves and brackets?

Here's another one from Apartment therapy. Nice.

Here's another with the same clean wooden brackets that I'm diggin.

Here are a couple nice pass-throughs that like.
here's the super simple clean version...
Three cutting boards? Aye aye aye.

And this one is in another friend's house (sorry red eyed party goers). This is the funky, architectural salvage pass through. I love love love it.
But you know, I can't have EVERYTHING be a feature...
So ultimately, I'll most likely keep it simple with casings that semi-match the doors and windows in the living room.
More soon!

Kitchen Inspiration

I don't have a scanner up here so forgive the weirdness of my photos of photos.
The top one is a tear from a magazine that I already forgot. Sorry editor/photographer wherever you are! what I like is the combination of gray with red accents. I have the groovy red stove handles to contend with now - so I'm looking for a way to incorporate them with the rest of my taste which is gray gray gray. I have a total aversion to color when it comes to this house. I find my life is stimulating enough - I don't want to be stimulated by my house. Know what I'm sayin?


Here's a less flashy one. the colors are good. I could care less about the stainless. Seriously.


This is a kitchen Ive been holding onto for like ever. it's from Domino june/july '07. This is a gray paint covered with a cream-ish emulsion. It's a little elmers gue-y. But I find it super calming and homey. It doesnt hurt that it's in Africa. If I do upper cabinets I want some chicken-wire doors like this. We are uding all existing cabinetry but these doors would be easy to make and swap out with the fuglies we have. I know it's very cottage but I love it.

Here's a winder shot. I love the idea of using a big dresser or sideboard rather than lower cabinets.

Another view. I also want something like this dish rack thingy. What do you call these? I find it impossible to find one without all manner of barfy country-swirly-crap all over it. If you know here I can get one that is nice and simple let me know please.


These are a few of my faves. Kitchen porn... gotta love it.

What I Would Love To Do With The 6 Layer Walls

These pictures are from my friend Dawn's house. Her husband is a master faux painter/venetian plasterer/don't know the real title/ type dude. They uncovered a section of the original wallpaper and then plastered around it. It's so delish. I may be dreaming but at least now you can see where I am coming from.

Fireplace Project

So finally - a fun decorate-y project! This week, one of the things I get to do is work on the fireplace. My Dad is coming up (over?) from Montana to help me and together we are gonna work our asses off. Here's my plan for what I'd like to do to the fireplace. (yes that is a snow shovel that I was using for a dustpan - thank you for noting my ingenuity).

First a few facts about the fireplace that I call "creative bricklaying gone bad." It may surprise you to learn that this fireplace is not some wacky addition thrown up in the sixties. Because I am a crafty little detective I discovered that this baby is either very early 1900's or actually 1800's! First of all every Hudsonite who has seen the hearth has said that the square hand made tiles (not pictured in my photo but they look exactly like the ones pictured below) are pre 1900's. But that's not enough to get me excited or anything.

Here's what did it for me....

I was in a church in Hudson (do not ask me why darling) when I saw this... My fireplace's very own ugly twin! Ok I'll admit that mine is much uglier. But still! Of course I made a total spectacle of myself snapping these photos without explanation, but whatevs. I was on a mission.

Here's the aformentioned hearth. not nearly as ugly as the fireplace surround but nothing too darling either. But regardless, mine will probably stay (thought possibly painted - inspiration pictures to come soo).

So here's where I gleaned some info. this fireplace was gifted to the church in honor of Mary Leeds Punderson 1818-1916 for her 98 (for real y'all) years of service to the Senior Sewing Society. So this was after her death. Sometime not to far after 1916 I'm thinkin.

So I'm also thinking that these were probably made by some local designer. I'll keep my eyes peeled for more like them in the area. NONE of this info however, is enough to make me want to keep mine intact. I'm just not that deep. Much as I'm into historic restoration I'm just not feelin it.

So here's the plan. Frst of all - keep in mind this fireplace was coal and does not work. I'd love to get an insert someday so that I can turn it into something functional but that's not gonna happen anytime soon I don't think - due to finance alone. I'd like to cover the brick surround portion with the plaster treatment shown below (from Apartment Therapy). Follow the link to see how to do it. It leaves a sort of softened cloudy surface to the brick. I think I might be able to obscure the weirder brick shapes and sort of re-draw more normal-ish shapes in the plaster with my fingers. We shall see.

How to create BDDW walls

Then, I'd like to whitewash the exposed brick from the chimney portion (which we just exposed - yay!) so that the bricks still show through but aren't so dark. ie the gorgeous photo below (Apartment Therapy). Follow the link for directions on how to do it.

How to whitewash brick walls

Then, I'd like to use an old barn beam or something similar for the mantle. That's the sort of thing I love love love shopping for. So that'll be a welcome break - whenever I get to go hunt for that.

All for now. I'll let you know how it all shakes out. Getting the dining room dialed in is going to feel awesome!

Inspiring Surfaces

All of my auties have beautiful homes and great taste - so when I was in Memphis a few weeks ago I shot tons of inspirations pics. These are shots of some amazing venetian plaster walls that one of them has in her guest house. I don't know if it shows up in the photos that well but its got a silvery sheen to it and its made with some weird recipe of plaster and vegetable dyes that I doubt I'll be able to replicate. But its very bordello in non velvet and gilt way. I love it.







Anybody have any gorgeous plaster pictures? send em.

Stair Inspiration

I Love Upstate left me a comment about my stairs - she likes the worn look and thinks I shouldn't paint them. I totally agree. Here are a few pics of my inspiration stairs. I found them in a beautiful brownstone-restaurant in Brooklyn and shamelessly snapped away. I want to do some sort of groovy stencil but maybe a little less cute than this one. I don't know... can anyone think of a semi-edgy stencil? I just want to avoid Holly-Hobby land which isn't easy when you like distressed stuff. I think we should probably seal the exposed wood with something non-shiny. Otherwise it's going to splinter off really quickly and won't ever feel clean. Welcome to the fascinating inner-workings of my brain.