Scary Storage Solutions

This picture needs no explanation. It's just sad.

Sublime Storage Solutions

Let's all breathe a "sigh" of relief. The red lampshades and the warm yellow walls are so elegant. That pesky TV is hidden inside the vintage armoir. The four poster is highlighted in gold. Another homerun.

The Camel Lamps "before"

The camel lamps are very cute, but they just didn't hold their own among the rich colors of the Indian themed bedroom. So, without any prior experience, I decided to cover the shades in a beautiful turquoise sari material. I now have great respect for all covered lampshades.

The "Thirty Hour Lampshades"

Here is the delightful finished shade after thirty hours of a learning curve. What can I say? I don't give up easily.

Living Room Faux Marble Mantel

This is my living room. I don't have a true "before", but this is a "during". The inside 8" of the mantel is marble, and the wood surrounding it I painted to look exactly like it. I used the same high quality oil paints I use in my fine art work. The cabinets are edged in gold. I knew SOMETHING would go inside each panel, but I didn't know what.

Living Room Mantel and Painted Panels

I had gotten a bid for putting wallpaper inside the panels of $900. THAT inspired me to paint them myself, echoing the giant flowers in the entrance hall mural. I found the two statues and fabulous gold mirror at Gen's Antiques on 19th. The single fuscia peony in a vase is a major example of restraint on my part.

My Ethnic Media Room

Switching again to my house, here is the media room. The colorful cloth above the bookcase is an Afghanistan tent piece. The carved wood above the bookcase is from a Chinese opium bed. I used an embossed gold wallpaper on the ceiling. I have lots more pieces of ethnic fabrics, but my husband says this is his limit.

Warrior Statue in Media Room

This wacky warrior statue presides over the media room. I feel sure she had something in her hands at one time.

Donna's Dining Room ""BEFORE"

For those of you just joining me, here is the ""before" of my friend Donna's dining room. When this was taken , her dog, Harley, had been lost behind the boxes for two days. We could hear him,we just couldn't get to him.

Donna's Dining Room "AFTER"

Here is the dining room today. I incorporated most of Donna's favorite design elements. I used vibrant colors, shells, grand scale,animal prints, varied textures, and multi-functionality. AND, I hid the shredder and printer! Kudos to me!

One of my Failures

One of my first purchases was a hip blue suede 50's sofa. Here it is covered in sheets to protect it from Harley. After a month of trying to fall in love with it, Donna confessed it wasn't comfortable. It was like a pair of stilettos...looks sexy but unwearable.
We spent 8 hours together "trying on" sofas. She had said from the beginning she wanted a comfy sectional. I didn't listen, hence this rather large mistake. We moved it back down the tiny staircase and into a resale shop.

Donna's Living Room "AFTER"

Here is the finished living room. The sofa is a sage green velvet sectional that took 3 months to come in from Pottery Barn. It is VERY COMFY and BIG.

I chose a palette of blues, greens, and purples. The purple bergere chairs and the drapes are different hues.

Another view of the BIG sofa and mirror.

Rosy at Best for Less made the luscious drapes and throw pillows.

A close up of the plethora of pillows. Remember, more is more.

This is one corner of the bedroom "before". It needed a little work. That's a dress form on the right.

Here is the same corner. The TV is hidden inside the vintage armoire. The dress form wears a vintage prom dress of tulle and taffeta, and that's a painted Italian chair.

This "before" shows the big window, looking out to the parking lot and the appliance graveyard below, and the HUGE TV sitting on the floor. It is the "elephant in the living room".

I found the perfect black stand for the TV, which hides also the equipment. I magically found the cool sage green architectural piece above it. Adding something weighty above the HUGE TV dimishes its size and importance.

Just changing things up a bit. This is a beautiful young woman who modelled for me. The lips , the hair , the flowing white blouse....perfection. At times like these, the paintings paint themselves.

This is the same lovely model.

This "before" is too dark to see much, which could be a good thing. You can't miss those blinds, which I think I actually detest more than ugly lights and appliances and ceiling fans. Who knew?

Believe it or not, this is the same window in the same room. I would call this a "home run".