Alice Lane's amazing makeover

Did you see the amazing transformation of Nie Nie's basement done by Alice Lane?

Talk about a dream basement!

The best part is, there is more to come!

Stay tuned to the Alice Lane blog to keep up to date with the Nie Nie projects.

Vintage style in Susan's room

A few months back I helped fellow blogger Susan of Freshly Picked pull together a look for her family/dining room. For more details on the makeover you can read here. Susan has really funky eclectic style, and she is one of the best thrifters I know. Our goal for the space was to get a cohesive look without spending a lot. All in all we spent under $500. Our biggest splurge were the tolix style chairs. If you are interested in those,  you can contact me for more info. 

And by the way, you should watch this amazing video. Susan and her husband Chris reupholstered the sofa themselves and they have a time lapse video of the whole thing. 

a place to sit in style

One of my darling NY clients revamped these chairs she found on the street. 

She was inspired by this banquet seen in Kate Spade's New York apartment (seen above) and she went for it. 

This is what they looked like before:

The best part is they're for sale on craigslist. 

I hope I don't cause any fights by sending you all after this hot commodity. 

Look what I found!

$10 a piece. Thrifting doesn't get much better than this. 

Now for the decisions, Should I keep them for myself or 

use them for a client? Should I paint them or leave them?

In a city near you-Chicago

I just took on a new E-decorating client in Chicago (hi Lisa) and in honor of her I thought we'd share a craigslist find from her neck of the woods. 

I had to share this table because I just bought the EXACT SAME ONE about a month ago. I haven't decide what color to paint mine yet since it is the original wood finish but I love the lines on it. 

I'm telling you people vintage piece + can of paint = low cost design

A little Ruthie

Everyone is buzzing about the launch of Ruthie Sommer's new website. 

I've been through it about 7 times already. I love it all but 

my favorite is the image pictured above.

A few months back I cam across this post from Apartment Therapy 

featuring before and after upholstery projects courtesy of Ruthie Sommer's. 

They were all vintage pieces to begin with and she totally gave them new life. 

I am so in love with the sofa below. 

makeover

Stay tuned tomorrow to see what I did with a pair of these chairs. 

$7.00 each at the thrift store. This was after I painted the hideous brown wood. 

In a city near you- Orange County

I just got back from a weekend at the beach and I wish I was still there! Because I'm longing for sandy shores I thought I would return via craigslist. 

I love the simple modern lines on this vintage Thomasville dresser. Ever since this gorgeous vignette from Vanessa of Turqouise I have been itching for a piece with like this. 

I think maybe I'd paint it periwinkle or a slate blue color. 

Divine Chairs

Have you heard of The Divine Chair Company? 

I bet they have a blast picking out all of their fabrics! 

the look for less-inlaid mother of pearl

I've been spotting lots of gorgeous pieces lately with inlaid mother of pearl. 

I love the timeless and bohemian look of these pieces, but their price tags usually leave me running the other direction. 

The other day when watching HGTV I was reminded of an awesome project that Kim Myles of Myles of Style did when she was a contestant on design star. She used tiny sticker labels to block out a design on simple white coffee table and then painted over it. Once the labels were removed it gave the effect of an inlaid piece. 

SO genius. My mind is spinning, too many ideas, gotta go! 

from old to new

 

 I love this before and after. This was a chair I had reupholstered

as a gift and we also refinished the legs.

 

Pamplemousse Design

I love the simplicity of the sofa in this room and how it contrasts with the bold geometric of the rug. This is the living room of Delpine Krakoff who owns Pamplemousse Design. 

I think it is often true that designers save some of their best ideas for themselves and I think the simple border accents on this stunning sofa are a prime example. It has a high end look but could easily be recreated with a sofa from a big box store and a great seamstress or a little stitch witchery and some grosgrain riboon. 

chair envy

Another object of my affection is chinese chippendale faux bamboo chairs. I just spotted this dining set in the classifieds and I am tempted to snatch these up, ditch the table, and make them over. I am seriously contemplating since the price is still way below what these chairs retail for these days if you were to buy them new. 

image via absolutely beautiful things