UPDATE no. 2:
AUGUST 2, 2011
Well, it's amazing HOW long it takes to re-do your own space. After awhile, you really just don't notice the things that are still 'un-done'. I have had the SAME wallpaper sample pinned up in our entrance for over a year now. We are SLOWLY making progress, but each step brings some excitement. AND some incentive.
We soon realized that one cabinet would NO WHERE hold enough of our samples, so we changed the kitchen into a sample room.
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| The custom shelving unit we had built to hold our samples |
We had a carpenter make the shelves and cabinets to fit our space, which is limited. He made it so we can change the rods to shelves, or vice-versa, according to our needs. We added low-voltage halogen lighting and a new Italian Mid-Century light fixture I picked up at Round Top this Spring. We haven't finished, as we still need to recover these ugly chairs (love the frames though) but we are getting there~
We added slat walls on the tiny incidental walls and use them with pegs to hang more samples.
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| We keep all of our Outdoor Fabric separate from the rest, on this small wall. The slats disappear once they are papered. |
For my own office, which is adjacent to our 'sample room/kitchen', I have been using the West Elm table that served as the kitchen table before we started re-doing this office. It's served me well, but it is open and I knew I ultimately wanted something different. Enter Roundtop, 2011.
I found an old Beidermeier Desk, that was sitting out in a barn, and probably had seen it's fair share of rain. I talked the lady down to $500 I think, and then brought it to our favourite workshop that restores wood furniture. He did his magic, and I decided that I couldn't part with it and sell it, and it HAD to go in my office. Luckily, it is the EXACT same size as my existing desk, AND it has drawers!
I still need to have the leather top made. Unplanned, I had purchased two hides from Corragio last month, both in a neutral tone. They were going to be for future use for clients, as they were majorly discounted, but now I'm wondering if one of those might be the perfect top for this desk?
On the way home from the workshop, where I took the pictures here of the desk, I stopped at a favourite shop in the Riverfront Design District in Dallas, Debris. I wasn't looking for a chair for my desk, I already have a chair, but I have wanted one for the opposite side of the desk, and the Beidermeier has cut-out space that I had measured.
I was wanting a Brass diminutive chair, but then I saw this Lucite chair.
Ignore the Leopard Upholstery, which they just had put on. I love Leopard, more than the next, but NOT on this chair, and NEVER when it's made out of a fuzzy polyester blend.
I brought it back and placed it in my office. I don't have my new desk yet, but I think I am liking the contrast of the two. Both are very decorative, one is more masculine, and one feminine. But they both have LINES and the acrylic will somewhat disappear in the middle of the room.
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| THIS GORGEOUS WOOL RUG IS ON THE LANDING AND ACTS AS A STAIR RUNNER AS WELL. IT IS FROM PATTERSON, FLYNN & MARTIN (THROUGH F. SCHUMACHER & CO.) AND CALLED THE WILLISTON ROUNDEL IN GREIGE. |
AND ABOUT THAT BRASS DINETTE SET...
I had written on the first update (below) about this set of chairs (SHOWN ABOVE) that I purchased on Craigs List. My one and only purchase on Craig's List. It came with a table. I guess you could call it an early 1980's dinette set. The chairs came out to be $7.00 a piece. I gave the table away; I only wanted the four chairs.
Everything about them were in bad shape... except the design. Which is simple and linear. I had the brass-plated chrome re-plated and then had it re-upholstered with a $24.99/yard Silk Velvet.
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| IN OUR CONFERENCE ROOM |
I HAVE TO SAY.... I REALLY LIKE THE RESULTS.
And my sons like love the fact that it rocks back and forth.
And our conference table was kind-of home made I guess.
On a trip to a Stone Yard, I became inspired (and slightly obsessed) with Onyx. I found the most perfect slab, and knew that I wanted that to be our table.
THIS WAS IT. This wonderfully giant piece of moody Onyx, from Italy and aptly named Black Cloud.
I wanted a simple base, one which I could have the top cut and just 'placed' on top of the base. I have done this out on my patio, and hoped that it would work in here as well.
I finally found what I was looking for in a table base at CB2. It is a beautiful dining table that they call the SLAB DINING TABLE.
When we moved it into the space, we actually liked it so much as is, that we briefly reconsidered doing the onyx top for it. But I was too much in love that that slab. And the size was big enough that we had enough to do a seamless lip that wrapped around the edge of the CB2 Slab table.
Here they are, ALL together. We haven't re-covered the end-chairs to the table yet, so there's still a lot to do. But we're getting there~!
UPDATE no. 1:
We have grown and therefore we have had to remodel our office. Oy vey! Not something I planned, and it's taking forever since I am having to do it after my clients are taken care of. I thought I'd share some pictures of the project in progress...
My husband's sanctuary has been retired. I'm sorry honey. But he was a good sport. We really needed a conference room. Here is the Schumacher Peacock Sisal Wallcovering. The black sisal rug here was just replaced this month with a natural sisal honey coloured weave.
These are my inspiration for the conference table chairs.
I have to share with you my gorgeous chandelier that I brought back from Round Top in 7 boxes in the back of the pick-up truck. It even has two more larger layers that I didn't have room to put on. It is vintage Murano glass and I have to say, it is FANTABULOUS.
THESE ARE MY FABRICS I'M USING. CRAZY MIX I KNOW.
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| Pierre Frey's La Cité Interdite fabric |
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| Groundworks for Lee Jofa Ombre Maze in Lilac |
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| Brick Silk Velvet, discount fabric off the bolt |
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| Kelly Wearstler's Flare Fabric in Teal |
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| GP&J Baker Lifestyle Cosma Fabric in Aubergine |
AND A FEW MORE THINGS TO MAKE THE OFFICE "PRETTY"....
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| New Dishes from Crate & Barrel |
ONYX TO LAY ON TOP OF MY EXISTING DESK...
WHICH ONE TO CHOOSE? (the voice inside my head: "whichever's cheapest")
AND LOTS OF BARGAINS TO RECYCLE AND REFURBISH...STILL LEFT TO DO.
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| These vintage 1960's brass chairs will be recovered, I just don't know with what yet. |
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| This chair from a consignment store will be covered in the GP& J Baker "Cosma". |
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| Dinette set from Craig's List. |
MY GOAL FOR COMPLETION?? JUNE.
REALITY? UH.... OCTOBER?
HERE'S THE ORIGINAL POST, BEFORE I MESSED IT ALL UP MADE IT um...BETTER.
MARCH 1, 2010
Well, at least 40% of the time.... it's my office! When we moved into our house 2 ½ years ago, I viewed the guesthouse behind our house as a "what are we going to do with this?" Actually it was more of a "great, how am I going to afford to decorate this?"...The owners before us had a couch and work-out equipment (with mirrored walls, which I removed) and it looked as if they ventured up here maybe once a year. Our little town, inside Dallas, was founded in the early 1920's and because of zoning, as well as the fact that we don't have an alley behind us, it is common, that every house here -old and new- has back-houses. We aren't allowed to have an attached garage, so most build a few rooms above the detached garages here. The lots are small here so we make use of every inch we have.
So, when I decided to turn my hobby into a career, it was a natural fit for us to have me move my office in the back-house, and it has proved to be a blessing! I am still at home, but have some privacy and it is also a place for professional meetings, outside my home. The stairs up to the space, left, are steep, and I lined the walls around it with my sea-scape paintings. I had all of these already, so it was an easy decision to put them here to give this staircase some visual interest. I am hoping one day to put a sisal runner on the stairs, as they are quite slick and cold. (Oh, yeah! and now I can "write it off", right? To quote Jerry Seinfeld, to Kramer, "You don't even know what a write-off is, do you." Kramer: "Yes, I do... they just write-it off!").
When you come to the top, there is a bathroom and a small entry hall. I wonder if there is room for me to put anything under the mirror as I now notice in the photos it looks quite bare! To the left (not shown) is my husband's "man-space" room which I am sure to take-over....okay, I won't, don't worry honey! To the right is my office.
The wall to wall sisal was already there (yea!) and I had the two bookcases from my son's rooms at our previous house. It is now where I keep my library of design & resource books and catalogues. I found the silk taffeta fabric that I used on the curtains and canopy for only $10.00 per yard.
I chose this tiny corner to put my white parson's desk, which I purchased at West Elm. I decided to go ahead and make a little slip-covered skirted topper for it, and top it with glass. I bought the chairs from Ballard Designs, and I have used their slip-covered couture chairs in several applications. They are a good deal and look great too. The mirror, circa 1920, my mom bought years ago, gave to my brother, then he gave it to me...so a real "family piece".
On the opposite wall, I decided to put a trundle bed from Pottery Barn, which I topped with a late 19th-century linen. The paintings were all under $75, and the awesome octagonal slip-covered table I picked up at a consignment store for $200. I think the silk fabric on this table was over $200 for just one yard, and I got a whole table - including the table-skirt- for that! The ceiling mounted light fixture is vintage, circa 1960's, and is made of a milky-white murano-style glass.
Looking from the bed, you can see the bathroom on the right and into the kitchen on the left. To the right of this bookcase, I have dry-erase boards and bulletin boards to keep all my goals and targets for each project. In the closet before the bathroom, I have all my fabrics and samples, for floors, blinds, trims, etc... This room happens to work well when we have guests too and need the extra room, as the trundle bed just pulls out below and can sleep two people and they have everything they need out here. But of course that means I always have to keep my desk super clean & tidy!
I keep samples in these woven boxes from Container Store, and files in the leather file totes that I found on Ebay. I purchased acrylic magazine holders from Container Store to hold back-issues of my favourite magazines.
This is my red-heeler mix Lucky, following me around while I take pictures. This little kitchenette is the perfect thing for me, as I always have my coffee ready in here now, so I can get "caffinated" right away. There is a teeny-tiny pantry to the left of Lucky, which is where I house my printer, fax, paper, office supplies, files, etc....
I love the window above the sink. I always get happy for some reason when I am looking out of it, or looking up to it. I found the white peacocks on the top shelf at Z Gallerie a few years ago, and they go perfect in here.
The small breakfast area is where I have a parsons table from West Elm, and it is a great place to lay out papers, plans, fabrics, everything really! The hand-painted wallpaper panel on the wall is 19th century. The lantern is Pottery Barn (to which I added some shades), and the two inside chairs are Ballard Designs. The end chairs are circa 1910, and were inexpensive because of it's upholstery, which I quickly slipcovered, so who knew?! Slipcovers work wonders! As you can tell, I'm also a big fan of using mail-order and retail outlets when you can, and for me it worked really well here. I like to mix the high & low, I think it's important ... keeps a space from looking over-decorated, and of course the obvious --it's easy on the pocket-book.
This parsons table is great for laying out fabrics samples, paint, wallpaper, everything (these gorgeous fabrics are for a client's bedroom). I use wire baskets to keep all the cuttings, swatches and whatever-else contained, and I can place one room in each basket. Below, I used quartz votive holders from Anthropologie to hold desk items such as pencils and paper-clips.
Okay, enough procrastinating for me now, I gotta get back to work! I feel really blessed for many reasons. One, that I have projects going, especially with the volatile nature of this economy right now. Two, that I am able to do something I love, earn income, and make my own hours so at carpool time I leave it all behind and as far as my kids are concerned, they don't even know I have a job. Third, but definitely not least, that I now have a wonderful assistant, Lisa, who keeps me checked and balanced, not just with the day to day office things, but creatively also. I really lucked out, as she is WAY overqualified, having a MASTERS degree in Art (printmaking). But we really have a lot in common, and it's rare to find someone that's so intelligent, fun, hard-working, and artistic to-boot! I have to acknowledge all the good - lucky - blessed things in my life, in addition to my health, family, and friends.
