my dad's kitchen

Well, my dad's long-awaited kitchen is finally done! I'm so happy with the results & had to share.

We battled long & hard over the countertops & he won - we both wanted black, but I wanted a honed finish to go with the old cottage he lives in, whereas he wanted the polished because he thinks patina equals old & crappy. ah vell , it's still gorgeous :)

The beamed ceilings are inset with white beadboard & the cabinets are actually standard Home Depot cabinets with added custom detailing such as crown molding, beadboard and glass in the area over the built-in hutch (below) where I displayed all my grandma's old china. The chandelier is from Currey & Company & we're puting another one over the island.

The carpernters are amazing & made this awesome arched nook for the oven & hood that mimics the archways throughout the kitchen & rest of the house. I hung some of my go-to botanical prints (these are of Queen Anne's Lace & Thistle, which grow wild in the field accross from the house & remind me of summers there) above for a make-shift backsplash. (My dad rarely cooks.) The adorable vintage blue rose linen towl is from Volo, where we LOVE to go antiquing.

Since the curtains & shades aren't in yet, I hung fresh garlands up. It smells like Christmas in there!

I found this huge antique rustic bowl in Volo & it's one of my favorite purchases ever. Everything looks good in it! (We had family over the night before & served french bread in it & I joked that we couldn't eat until we got a picture!-- But we're Italian, so obviously with our appetites that didn't happen.)

And here's my first attempt at a "real" flower arrangement. (With the green spongey-thing inside) I found everything at the grocery store & it's filled with freesia, chrysanthemums, carnations, lilies and gerber daisies. (I wanted it white & fresh) I think my Grandmother will be proud & I know Eddie Ross's blog definitely inspired me to try for more with flower arranging. I put them in this really pretty aluminum bowl I found at Volo (shocker!) with a chrysanthemum carved on the inside.

Some of the plates are my Grandma Maestranzi's and I found the sparkly glass tumblers & center plates at volo. The mercury candleholders are from Target. The apothacary jars (below) are from Target & are a $35 substitute for the $350 white Fire King set of cannisters I found at Volo. Now I think I'm happier with these!

The island is huge & so much fun to sit at. We need to get a few more stools though because there was stool-stealing going on.

Still on my TO DO LIST: window treatments, dining room rug, dining chairs (we're going with wing chairs on the end) and some more artwork/ wall arranging. But for now, I'm happy with where the kitchen's at (which is a good thing, because I think my dad's DONE.)

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

ps- pair of candlesticks = $5 at Volo-- that place is awesome!

Weathered Wood

Here are some pictures of some items with that beautiful weathered-wood finish we're seeing so much of. Check out the chandelier & the armoire next to the fireplace.

Interiors designed by Nancy Price & featured in House Beautiful. The aged finishes on the room's furnishings layer so well with one another.

The look is light & airy but still warm because of the time-worn feeling of the finishes.

I love this buffet from Wisteria. I wish I had a reason to buy it. It's got that perfect grayed driftwood look.

Here's the 'weathered oak" finish on a table & chairs by Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic:

I love this amazing compote from Potluck Studios. Whatver you did with this, it would be beautiful. It just looks so handmade & has this great rustic-elegance.

Here's the more refined acorn lamp from Aidan Gray Home.

Aidan Gray carries a lot of their pieces in this weathered wood/ limwash finish. How perfect is this chair?

The weathered finish mixes really well with other finishes- painted, ebonized, metal- just have fun with it! Got any pretty pics to share? I'd love to see them!

A Black & White Table Design for Fun

Here's a quick dining room design I did. I saw these gorgeous plates from House Beautiful's 101 plates & just had to do a room around them. Start with Knoll's Saarinen Dining table in black granite. (Yes, we're pretending we don't have a budget!) Its contemporary silhouette will look awesome with this white glass vintage style chandelier from Heal's above it.



Have some fun with the chairs & go with a clean-lined wingback chair in an oversized damask. The chairs will warm up the look & add some needed pattern into the mix. They'll also create a cozy feeling that'll have everyone lingering way past dinnertime.
Choose between this plate or the one above: (Both from House Beautiful's 101 Plates) This one's neoclassical print is such a fun take on a classic element.

Stagger these white glass candlesticks & black flower candleholders from Z Gallerie. They'll look randomly elegant. You could even add a simple white linen runner accross the table so the black flowers will stand out more.

This table setting ends up looking fresh & modern but has some more transitional roots- i.e plates, damask, chandelier. It just feels fun to me. Add some good eats & you're ready to go! enjoy!

Flea Market Finds from Trip with Eddie Ross

As promised, here are the items I found at the Flea Market trip with Eddie Ross. Check out this amazing metal side table, how much fun is it?!!


I love this gorgeous piece of vintage coral. The dealers at the booth (a couple) said they've had it in their house for 30 years. I couldn't thank them enough, especially with a price tag of only $25!

And here are the adorable fish! I'm not quite sure what they are: drawer pulls or maybe even shelf brackets. Soon-to-be bath towel hooks:

And, of course a piece of wood. ha! no, but seriously, I saw it & grabbed it so fast because I love how raw & aged it is. Eddie had the great idea of using it as a cheese platter and you know how much I LOVE CHEESE!!! I think it'll sit in my big hutch until feeding time ;)

And, my GINGER JAR LAMP! I've been looking for this lamp for 4 years. (Wow, has it been that many years I've been out of college?) My grandmother has had them forever at her house which is why I wanted one so badly. They remind me of her & the house I grew up in & of course, they're beautiful. My grandmother spied one at the thrift store one day, but by the time we went back to get it, someone else had nabbed it! They're very hard to come by. This was was a steal at $20!!!!! (You can see I'm holding it like a friend in this picture Jaithan took at the flea market- ha)

Here's a really simple ribbed wedgewood bowl. (I was seriously impressed when Eddie recognized it as Wedgewood from far away without turning it over.) ($5!!)

And, you know how I feel about inexpensive nature prints! I chose 4 bird prints (birds seem to be everywhere nowadays, don't they? Don't worry Grandmother, I know you've been doing them for years!) and was able to put two of them in gorgeous linen & gold vintage frames Dave & I had found for $15 on our anniversary trip to Easton, Maryland.

We weren't big fans of the Fashion Ladies who came in the frames (But they're very old & I saved them just in case!) so I cut the frame open & took out the original prints.

And look how pretty they are! The fit's not perfect but for $25 I'm happy for now.

And, you know how I rearrange all the time, but here they are in my big hutch. (The bowl on the left is the Wedgewood one looking adorable with a pitcher from Target!)

And on the other side of the hutch: (Paired with a sundial, a twig ball & an old jug of my grandparents')
I'll send after-pictures of some of the items later! hope you enjoyed!

Flea Market Trip with Eddie Ross!

This weekend Dave & I went into New York City with Christian & went on a flea market tour with Eddie Ross!!

Pictured counter-clockwise: Baby Christian, me, Jaithan, Eddie & Dave

Eddie Ross is one of my favorite designers and the Senior Style Editor for Martha Stewart Living Magazine. He was just recently on Bravo's 2nd season of the show Top Design. He's only 30 years old but has already owned his own catering company, worked as House Beautiful's Decorating Editor and also as Martha Stewart Living's Food Editor. His style is defined by his ability to create something out of nothing. He believes we can all have beautiful homes & don't need to spend a fortune to get them. He is a flea-marketing guru. From eight feet away he can spot a piece of Wedgewood (I saw this happen in person) & can tell you when it was made and how you can get it looking like new again & what you could do with it.

We had such a great time meeting Eddie & his partner Jaithan. They're so warm & friendly & down-to-earth. It was hard for me not to jump up & down & squeal because I was so excited. I can't believe how knowledgable Eddie is about antiques. (It has definitely rubbed off on Jaithan too because was able to tell me what things were that I had no idea what pupose they could have- like pretty little personal salt bowls- but I ready forgot the proper name!) It was really awesome to see them in action!

Please check out Eddie's post about the shopping trip for details:

http://www.eddieross.com/eddie_ross/2008/11/shopping-with-new-friends.html

I'll write more about my finds on another day!

Here's the link to the article about him that was recently in the Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/gallery/2008/10/08/GA2008100801639.html

I just can't say enough how happy I am to finally meet Eddie & Jaithan! I felt like I knew them before I met them from the blog, but now I feel like we're friends. :)

Add age with ceilings

Panelled ceilings make a room feel as if it's been there for years. It's a beautiful way to add character and a sense of timelessness to a new home.



In the cooler months, beams on the ceiling helps make rooms feel warmer & cozier.

Even when painted white, beadboard ceilings add texture & warmth to a room. I love the aged, driftwood feel of this ceiling:

It's the look I'm going for in a bedroom at my dad's house. I'll post pictures assoon as I get some at Thanksgiving.

So, if you're considering adding woodwork to your home, look past your walls & consider your ceilings.

images from housebeautiful.

Inexpensive Nature Prints

Botanical prints can be expensive. A great way to have them (or any beautiful artwork for that matter) without paying a fortune for them is to find books with prints in them & tear out or photocopy the pictures & frame them.

I was lucky enough to find a beautiful book of botanical prints at a yardsale & have used lots of the prints in my home. I also scour second-hand stores for unique frames-usually with pictures I don't care for in them that I remove. I purchased all of the frames pictured (above &below) for $1.50- $3.00 each.

Here are some coral & lobster prints I used for a bathroom-in-progress in my dad's lake house:

I do mostly long-distance decorating since it's in Antioch, Illinois, but when I visit, I try to accessorize as quickly as I can on a serious budget. The prints are a great way to accessorize a lake house since they're so fitting and I only had to make 1 purchase so my dad doesn't gripe about me spending too much on decorating every time I come!

Here's a close-up of a fully opened page. You can see the fold in the center, but I think it sort of adds to the charm. Eventually I plan on matting all of the prints, but that's another project on another trip!

Happy hunting!

e-design

I'm now offering e-design services! I'm really excited to start it up & I'll keep you posted on how it's going. Check out www.thepurestyle.com/edesign.html for details.

E-clients fill out a questionnaire and then send in photos & room measurements. Pure Style creates a Design Plan accompanied by a Design Board (above) and a Shopping List. Everything the client needs to create the room is provided via email within 2 weeks.

Pass it on if you know anyone interested- thanks!!

Accessorize with Balls

I was looking around our house, doing a little rearranging and I realized how much I use balls in decorating. It sounds odd, but whenever I'm out shopping, I'm always drawn to all the differnt types of pretty balls I see. They add a little life & fun to a room & they're so easy to swap around & change the mood of a room. Check out all these different balls you can decorate with.

Moss Balls:

We had moss balls all over our wedding & now have a ton of them! They're great for the Spring & Fall: (Image above from Aidan Gray Home) I must say though, my mom thought they looked like moldy bowling balls-- I disagree... or maybe I just think moldy bowling balls would be pretty.

Our Wedding Centerpieces

My grandparents lived in Hawaii a while ago & the family used to collect Japanese Glass Bobbers that would wash ashore. They're unique & just show how old utilitarian objects can be really beautiful.

Antique Japanese Fishing Bobbers:

image from wikipedia

I like to put the aqua ones in bathrooms:

Twig balls: Tuck them around your displays for the Fall. They'll give your home a relly natural feel.

Aidan Gray Home

My house:

Here are some gorgeous wooden balls featured in Domino Magazine. They're so architectural & warm.

And these seashell balls from seahellworld.com have been around for ages. How pretty does it look on the wooden stand?






And terra cotta & porcelain garden balls don't have to stay outside. Bring them inside for a Garden-feel.

terra cotta graden ball from momui home

ceramic garden balls from Germes Online

And, of course, fruit! Everyone knows that a bowl of oranges on the table makes it look pretty & clean. Think of all the differnt fruits you can use in your home: (Perk: you get to eat these balls!)

Aidan Gray Home

On a final note, Aidan Gray Home offers so many beautiful wire baskets, topiaries & urns that go really well with balls of all shapes & sizes. The company has that Neoclassical-Garden feel I love.Got any more ball decorating ideas? I'd love to hear them!