Design Deja vu - Round 2 - Photos from the 60's and 70's

I hit the jackpot this weekend at an estate sale and added to my growing collection of vintage decorating books.  These books are so fun to go through, and it reconfirms my belief that there really isn't anything new under the sun - just a reinterpretation of great design elements.  I got four new old books at $1 each.  This book, published in 1976,  is the  most high falutin' .

It opens with this old photo of Rose Cumming in her Park Ave. store

and goes on to highlight the works of design giants like Parrish-Hadley

and Mario Buatta , who really came into his element in the over the top 80's.

But what I find the most fascinating are the design elements we're still crazy about today, although some would call them "trends" that are "over".  I beg to differ. Like the chevron pattern on the rug above.

A few relevant design elements in the space above include the marble floors, the fur bedspread, the arrangement of twigs on the piano and the bold abstract art.  Do you see any more?

We're still all over a classic sunburst mirror, as well as the gallery installation of the artwork. Now below, look at the use of animal prints

And that's not all!  There's Greek Key

plenty of Campaign style furniture

and even some antlers.

Oh, and it seems I have a duplicate copy of a favorite decorating book from the 1960's. This means I have one to give away.  More to come on that soon!

Have a wonderful start to your week!

Need some help pulling your style together?  The Green Room Interiors can make your home  a beautiful place to be! Call Kim Lemmon at 423.653.3186 or email thegreenroominteriors@gmail.com

Embracing the trend - oversized lamps

My name is Kim and I am a lampaholic.  It started out innocently enough - just admiring pretty lamps and picking up new ones here and there.  I don't know when I lost control of it all, but I have more lamps than I can ever use.  My latest obsession?  Oversized lamps - which really, should be no big surprise.  After all, if a pretty lamp is good, an enormous pretty lamp is even better!

Lonny

On a side-note, have you ever seen these big black shiny shades for sale anywhere? 

Source

Lonny

Apartment Therapy

Source

And now my latest acquisitions

That guy in the middle is an average size table lamp - just put him in for comparison!

Isn't the first step to admit that you're powerless over the addiction?  Oh well, one day at a time.  :)

Do you like supersized lamps?

Need some help pulling your style together?  The Green Room Interiors can make your home a beautiful place to be!  Call Kim Lemmon at 423.653.3186 or email thegreenroominteriors@gmail.com

Estate Sale Weekend

Break out your fanny pack and stuff it with wads of cash - we're going Estate Sale-ing this weekend!  First, a few tips on the art of shopping estate sales.
1.  Go early for the best selection.  Honestly, I've been to some estate sales where there was a long line waiting just to get in the door! There are professional buyers that go to these events looking for deals and the best of the best goes fast!
2.  Here's contradiction - go late for the best deals.  Sunday is usually half-price day.  I went to an Estate sale a few weeks ago on a Sunday afternoon and they had some beautiful French end tables and a great looking French bed for super-cheap.  But I couldn't buy them - which leads me to tip #3.
3. Have a vehicle with you that's big enough to get your stuff home.  Yep, I had to miss out on that furniture because it wouldn't fit in my car and the husband and his truck were out of town.  You usually have to pick up your items on that day or the following Monday, when the Estate sale company is clearing away the unsold items.
4.  Bring your tape measure, especially if you're looking for a piece that will go in a pre-determined location.  By the time you go home to measure or you try to find someone to measure for you, it could be gone, and you would have sad-face the rest of the weekend or longer, depending on the state of your emotional health.


Now on to the shopping!

A very nice Drexel server.  Paint it or use as is.  Here's how we'll use it

A better look at the go-anywhere gold mirror

Drexel dining set includes 6 mahogany chairs.  Great, clean lines on the table, too!

If you love French furniture, this is your estate sale

I'm intrigued with the lamps

A few ethnic goodies

See you there?

Need some help pulling your style together?  The Green Room Interiors can make your home a beautiful place to be!  Call Kim at 423.653.3186 or email thegreenroominteriors@gmail.com

Project Dollhouse - Bathroom Selections

We had an amazing event last weekend at the Merchants on Main parking lot sale.  I sold lots of stuff outside and business was brisk inside the booth too!  Now that it's over, I've had a chance to nail down the final selections for my hall bathroom over at Project Dollhouse. This bathroom will mostly be used by my youngest daughter and guests. 


As I mentioned before, the reno over at Project Dollhouse is mainly cosmetic, as the budget is extremely tight!  That means that most of the rooms will maintain their original footprint, and that is certainly the case for this bathroom.


I decided to work with the original 1970's green countertop. It's a limey green cultured marble with swirls of gray and white.

Can you make out the fab Hollywood Regency detail on the cabinets?  The cabinets are staying too.  We are stripping and painting them and changing out the hardware. 


The floor and the shower are getting new tile.  I love the clean classic look of white tile in a bathroom, and I've chosen a classic octagon and dot pattern for the floor and white subway tile for the shower. The tile will be grouted with Delorean gray.  It's a true gray - not muddy at all - and it's perfect with the white tile.

These tiles are always in stock at Home Depot and Lowe's.

The walls are currently sporting  this 1970's dirty gray fan pattern.

Yeah, that's gotta go. Here's the new paper.

Pagodas and roses on turquoise.  It's hard to tell from the countertop photo, but the area above the vanity is recessed into the wall, which gives me the perfect opportunity to use a second paper.  I saw this beautiful grasscloth in coral a few weeks ago.  There were only a few rolls left, but it may just be enough to cover the recessed area.

And I'd like to use a large, white framed mirror hung horizontally.  This is Ballard's Atoll mirror, but I'm on the search for something a little more budget-friendly.

And my mom picked up a little tole palm frond chandelier at a consignment shop in Atlanta.  It's going to get painted in a celery green. Here is the style of the chandelier, but mine is much less grand and will be a more muted shade of green.

I just love Premier Prints' Tazo print.  It's a fun take on python and I think the Azalea colorway will be perfect for my shower curtain.

And do you remember the paint by number picture I got a few weeks ago?  

Yep, corals, greens and blues.  

That's a lot of pressure for an old countertop :)

Need some help pulling your style together?  The Green Room Interiors can make your home a beautiful place to be!  Call Kim at 423.653.3186 or email thegreenroominteriors@gmail.com