Recent Finds
Lately I’ve been doing a lot of shopping for clients and while spending other people’s money is great fun (and a great responsibility) it’s also a little bit of torture. I almost always find something, usually many somethings that I really really love but honestly just don’t need to be spending money on at the moment. There are only so many times I can use the old “I’ll save it up for a future client project!” line to justify an impulse purchase. I’ve actually gotten pretty good at forcing myself to walk away from some truly tempting finds. I won’t lie, it’s definitely a struggle sometimes.
A roundup of some recent temptations (please forgive the crappy photos from my phone):
I am still thinking hard about this bamboo settee. It was in such good condition and priced at $200 which is a good price in my book since it wouldn’t need any work done. I’d layer it up with a sheepskin throw and a mass of pillows and place it at the foot of my bed.
Love the colors in these vintage rugs. They were all under $100 each and I considered snapping up the whole pile!
The colors in this watercolor (I think it was a watercolor and not a print) were SO pretty!
Had I not talked myself out of it, I could’ve gotten this 5-piece spun fiberglass set for $199. It was in near perfect condition. A steal!!
I’m still kicking myself for not buying it. You can’t even get a decent patio chair for $199, let alone an entire set of vintage spun fiberglass gorgeousness! I just might have to go back for this. Hopefully it’s still there. This is one of those pieces that I’ll get super-excited about (especially when the price is so low) and when Brendon sees it (usually as we’re loading it into his truck after I’ve bought it) he gives me that “This is some real ugly $#*@ you’ve bought. I hope it was cheap” look.
I’m running around like an excited chipmunk, squealing about how fabulous something is then turn to him and say “Isn’t it AHMAAAAZING??!!”. Only for him to reply, “Oh yeah and it’s going to look great on your lanai Blanche”.
Whatever.
See how completely charming this can look when styled right?
Right?
Such a relaxed, bohemian feel. Love everything about this entire situation above. Except that it’s not in my backyard. Perhaps it will be soon. I think I’m going to go back and visit this set tomorrow.
xo
Sarah
Reveal: Emerald Green Nightstands!
I am so bad about completing a project and then forgetting to share the “Afters” with you guys. It’s kind of rude when you think about it, especially when the “Afters” are oh so good. Like the one I’m sharing with you today!
I actually revealed the gorgeous new color for my vintage nightstands here last month. They got a professional paint job and now they look amazing! Since then they’ve been placed in the guest room and I finally took the time this morning to style them up a little for an impromptu photo shoot. These accessories are probably just temporary, I’m on the hunt for some permanent pieces for this room but it works for now.
Just a reminder of where they started out:
Meh.
And here they are today in all of their emerald-green-and-glossy glory!
I couldn’t be more over the moon with how they came out! My painter did such a fantastic job and took such care to get the most amazing, smooth and ultra-glossy finish. I will never paint another piece of “real” furniture myself. Ever! The difference in having furniture professionally finished versus doing it yourself……there’s really no comparison. I could never in a million years have achieved such beautiful and durable results on my own. There are times to cheap out (spraying a cheap lamp or other thrifted find that isn’t something really special) and there are times to invest a little and hire an expert. These nightstands definitely needed an expert’s touch!
He even removed the old paint over-spray from the drawer pulls so now they’re shiny and brassy – just like I like it!
Not to be too annoying with the self-congratulation but I gotta say…I picked the most perfect emerald green paint! It’s exactly what I envisioned.
A few more gratuitous pics:
I can’t wait to shop for some fab new bits to accessorize them with!
So very happy with these emerald green beauties.
xo
Sarah
I you’re in the Phoenix, Arizona area and would like help creating a home you love, email me! sarah@sarahelizabethinteriordesign.com
Wanderlust
I’m restless guys. I’m suddenly very aware of how routine my routine has become and I am absolutely dyyyyyying to shake things up! I am craving a big change or an adventure of some sort. Each day, after taking care of all the “have-to-do’s”, there’s this drive to just jump in my car and hurry off somewhere and do something fantastic. I just don’t know what that somewhere or that something is.
I think I have what you might call a good old-fashioned case of Spring Fever. You’ve got it too?
Being a responsible adult and all, I can’t cure it by suddenly picking up and moving across the country or selling off all my earthly belongings to travel across Europe for a year. So I suppose I’ll have to find a less dramatic way to scratch this itch.
Meaning something in my house – a room, a wall, a floor, a ceiling, a dog (just kidding!) -is about to get SO painted!
I’m thinking something all kinds of moody and intense.
I’m painting my entire house black!!!!
Not really but those images sure do tempt a girl.
I’m not sure what room I’ll paint (master bedroom and bath? powder room?) or when exactly I’ll whip out the brushes but I have a very strong feeling that a deep, dark color is in order. At the very least, now I have a productive and satisfying way to channel those Spring-induced wanderlust urges of mine.
Tell me, do you have a little Spring fever yourselves? I can’t be the only one!
Image credit: Jack Thompson for Paper City
xo
Sarah
If you’re in the Phoenix, Arizona area and would like to learn more about my interior design services, email me! sarah@sarahelizabethinteriordesign.com
Hypocritical Much?
So remember last week when I was like, “Ech I’m SO OVER chevron”? Well, I sort of bought this today:
{via Wayfair}
I guess I’m not as tired of it as I thought. Funny how that works. In my defense, earlier today I passed up a chevron maxi dress and chevron wrapping paper – both in blue and white, my personal kryptonite but I just couldn’t say no a third time. What am I, made of steel?? So when a friend tempted me with this fabulous vase she needed to unload, my defenses were already in a weakened state. I could fight the “anti-chevron” fight no more and I gave right on in.
Why do I feel the need to confess this transgression when I could have easily kept that dirty little secret all to myself? It probably has something to do with the fact that in addition to being a designer I’m a blogger and bloggers, by nature, must possess a teensy bit of narcissism. Where else do you get the notion that anyone else ought to care what you think about anything? I think it takes a little bit of drinking your own koolaid to think that anyone other than you finds what you have to say the least bit interesting. So with that in mind I felt compelled to share this hypocrisy of my own because I think it illustrates a couple of things that I’m sure you’re about to find earth shattering.***
1. Chevron is classic and it ain’t going anywhere. No matter how much overexposure it gets or is said to have gotten by some slightly self-absorbed designer/blogger.
2. Love what you love no matter what anyone else says. If you love it, it’s not “over”.
3. There may be no such thing as “over”. Remember tapered jeans with zippers and how after the 80′s we all said “never again”? Well here they are looking absolutely amazing on Charlize Theron.
{via}
{via}
{via}
3. Designers and design bloggers should drink a little less of their own koolaid.
4. That blue and white chevron vase is going to look so amazing in my office.
xo
Sarah
*** Sarcasm, obviously.
If you live in the Phoenix area and want to learn more about how my interior design services can help you create a home you love, email me! sarah@sarahelizabethinteriordesign.com
Spring Cleaning Closets & Trends
Until this year, when asked what my favorite season would be, my answer was unflinchingly “Fall”. The changing colors on trees everywhere, that great crisp feeling in the air, the warm coziness of it all. Gets me every time. But this year, I am finding my love of Fall has taken a close second behind Spring. With 5 dogs to walk each day I get to see a lot of our neighborhood and these days I’m loving the bright, fresh color that’s popping up all over the place.
Leafless trees are sporting tiny green buds. Shrubs and vines that were decimated by a couple of below freezing nights are slowly showing new signs of life. And best of all, our own orange tree is absolutely covered in blossoms.
Their scent is so sweet and so intense that I often find myself pushing my face, bee-like, right down into a cluster of the white flowers. If you don’t have the good fortune of blooming citrus trees in your very own backyard, take an evening drive through an older Phoenix neighborhood with your windows down. Inhale deeply and add this to your list of reasons you love living in Arizona. You’re going to need that list in a couple of months.
All of this freshness and the spirit of renewal definitely has me in full-on Spring cleaning mode. This week I officially said my goodbyes to sweaters, boots and coats and packed them away for the season. And that got me thinking about other things I’d like to pack away for a season. Specifically a certain design trend. Now I’m not suggesting it go away forever because I have nothing but love for it. We all know that in design, like fashion, trends are buried and resurrected every generation or so it seems. Hello, neon?
But for its own sake, here is one trend that I’m ready to see packed away for a moment (because absence really does make the heart grow fonder) and one DIY trend that I’d like to disappear for good.
1. Chevron
{source?}
{via?}
{via Decor8}
I love chevron, don’t get me wrong. But this punchy pattern has become the “Call Me Maybe” of fabrics. At first you’re cranking up the car radio and singing at the top of your lungs with pure, unapologetic joy. It’s just so fun and poppy that you can’t resist. Then after a few weeks it’s like “Oh god, not that freaking song again“. Overexposure. It happened to “Call Me Maybe” and it’s happening to chevron. So before we all get sick of it for good, let’s give this hardworking zigzag a vacation. You chevron-obsessed can find comfort in knowing that as long as there is Pinterest and DIY blogs it will be back time and time again.
P.S. If you have chevron in your home I’m certainly not suggesting you get rid of it. But maybe for the next few design or DIY projects, let’s all agree to find something fresh and new.
2. Pallet Projects
I would do back-flips and somersaults down Camelback Mountain in late August if I never saw another pallet project in my life. I’m so sorry if you love it and have a pallet project of your own but I just can’t take anymore. It all started innocently enough with this photo years ago:
{Via Katrin Arens}
This was pre-Pinterest and I still have my original print out of this image from years ago. I still kind of love the whole look. Back then it was original and in the rustic setting of this kitchen it has a certain charm. But I absolutely DO NOT think it makes sense is as furniture. Wood pallets are intended to hold and transport everything from peanut butter at Costco to hazardous liquids. They’re definitely not intended for building cocktail tables, headboards and sofas that you bring into your home.
{via}
Pallets are moved around warehouses and junkyards by greasy forklifts. Also, they’re often stacked up sit outside in the elements (which gives them that weathered look we’re all gaga for) where teensy, tiny critters who find all those nooks and crevices oh so inviting, bore down into the wood . Pallets are often treated with all sorts of toxic chemicals like formaldehyde, pesticides and fungicides that seep deep into wood. Anything with “cide” in the name is probably not something you want off-gassing in your home. Still not convinced, just google “Phoenix pallet fire”, “pallet wood toxic” or “pallet craft danger”. Yikes.
Have I completely creeped you out about using pallets for any sort of crafty project? Good but if not, read this article. That really ought to put the final nail in the coffin on this whole “pallet as building material” phenomenon. Because while it might look charming….it’s really pretty scary. Better off using old pallets in outdoor projects, if at all.
So those are my top two trends that I think need to be packed away for a minute or in your case pallet crafts, forever. What are yours? What trends would you most like to see a whole lot less of?
xo
Sarah
If you’re in the Phoenix area and would like to work with a professional interior designer to create a home that you absolutely love, email me: sarah@sarahelizabethinteriordesign.com
