Tuft Love…..

Something about tufted furniture makes me weak in the knees.  Chesterfields make my heart flutter.  Tufted ottomans make me giggle like a school girl.  Actually to be upfront, alot of things make me giggle like a school girl especially the word “jiggly”.

(tee hee hee.  jiggly.)

Okay, I have recovered now, so back to the topic at hand.  I am starting the search for a sofa for a couple I just signed on as clients to help decorate their first apartment together.  I don’t know why, but instantly when I see this couple, I think tufted sofa/Chesterfield.  Classic, regal but also effortlessly cool, a Chesterfield or tufted sofa would be a great piece for their first apartment.   I am positive it would be used for years to come.

Here a few shots from my inspiration file…..

Here is peek at a few tufted sofas and Chesterfields from various retailers that i quickly sourced.  They range from $1700 to $3000……

1. Macys // 2.  West Elm // 3. Crate & Barrel // 4. Jonathan Adler // 5. Room & Board  // 6. Z Gallerie

If they had the space, I would totally get them the Z Gallerie Chesterfield.  Yummy brown leather and overstuffed, it is the ultimate indulgence when it comes to timeless furniture.  While they may not have the space for the sofa, they may have the space for the Chesterfield Chair…..

So are you a fan of tufting or do you think it’s better left to club rooms and law offices?  Leave a comment and tell me your favorite tufted piece of furniture.

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Loving Out Loud: Bold Color…..

It comes as no surprise that I like color on my furniture.  My living room has turquoise chairs, my guest room has a suzani covered chair and my music room ….well that is just chocked full of color.  So it wasn’t shocking that over the last few weeks I have been drawn to furniture with bold saturated colors, in particular purples and pinks.  I think it has to do with my visit to the Z Gallerie show room last month.  When you entered the show room, you were greeted by their Pierre sofa covered  in a beautiful and rich velvet in the most intense shade of aubergine I have seen. 

It was beautiful.  I was giddy.  I proceeded to molest the sofa in front of their executive staff.  It was  special and magical moment for all involved.   In any case, here are my top three favorite uses of bold color on furniture so far……

Clockwise: Pierre Sofa, Z Gallerie; The Duchess Chair, Society Social; Junior Templeton Chair, Jonathan Adler.

I am envisioning the Pierre Sofa paired with pink chairs for a bit of ”sorority girl glam” – imagine Legally Blonde meets good taste.  The Duchess chairs from Society Social bring a touch of history while the Junior Templeton from Jonathan Adler adds a nice modern punch. 

Throw in a wall painted in the lightest shade of robin egg’s blue or a lavender and you have a the makings for a room that is bold but not in your face.

Okay, I am off to finish AutoCAD homework and to continue to bask in the glow of all this bold color.  So tell me, are you hankering for any bold hues this time of year?

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Two Bedside Table Vignettes…..

Sometimes I get distracted by very random urges.  For example, I once drove an hour and a half for a pair of boots because they were on sale.  Another time in college, I refolded  every single item of clothing using a piece of cardboard so I could have perfect stacks rather than studying for a final.  Today was no different, when I should have been painting a picture for my install tomorrow, I found myself daydreaming about how to re-accessorize my bedside table.

My bedside table is one of those items in my master bedroom that I want to replace.  They are Ikea Expedit cubes in an espresso finish that we bought 7 years ago when we first moved to California.  They were cheap, simple and went with the college chic decor we had at the time.  Flash forward to the present and we still have those darn things…….

It ain’t pretty but it will do until I find a suitable replacement.  However, until that day comes, there is nothing saying that I can’t at least jazz it up right? So rather than painting, I created two tabletop vignettes using items already in the house to see if I could shake things up a bit….

vignette One : Urban Sophisticate

The inspiration came from the fact that I bought freesia at my local grocery store.  I put the flowers into a little silver urn which in turn inspired adding in the vintage trophies.  The picture is a reproduction of a picture I have admired for a long while but can’t afford.  Thankfully, a piece of craft paper, a paint pen and 30 minutes can at least give the look sans the cost.

vignette Two: Comical Combo

The partner to the brass lamp I made over this week makes an appearance but with its original zebra print shade.  Since I wanted to do something playful, the zebra print works this context and inspired the rest of the vignette.  The gorilla portrait was something I originally bought for the guest bathroom but never used.  The Asian figurine is a keepsake that I typically have on my desk which holds my paper clips.  As for the flowers, they were plucked from a small bouquet I had in the house.  I thought the purple and yellow combo was odd and perfect for this vignette.  I put them in a small Jonathan Adler vase that I picked up a last year at Antropologie – gotta love their sales!

So two different looks for free….not a bad price tag.  I actually really like the Urban Sophisticate vignette, so much so that I decided to keep it up after the shoot.  Now I just need to reconfigure The Partner’s table to have it coordinate.

Heck, with the new look, I just may be able to live with these bedside tables for a couple more months!  Have you did a little “redecorating” in your home?  Shoot me an email at lifeoutloudmail@gmail.com and share your endeavors or leave a comment with a link to your work!

Okay, now I REALLY need to focus and crank this painting out.  But before I start, I think I may alphabetize my spices…….