A Shot of Whimsy

There’s a cute local coffee shop near my house where I will often meet colleagues and friends for morning meetings.  Adjacent to said shop is a store I adore!  Street Scene offers vintage furniture, accessories, jewelry, clothes and more specifically from the 1950s, 60s and 70s.  I walk in their door and feel like I am on the set of MadMen.  I am in love with the silhouettes of all the dresses.  The scale of the furniture is divine.  I really can’t say enough positive things about this place!  

The last time I popped in, I ran across this beauty.  This chandelier might as well had “Liz” written on the price tag.  I was instantly enamored.  I mean, everything about this fixture was perfect for me- it’s pink!, simple clean lines, and its functional.  No, I didn’t buy it (and believe me it took a lot of will power to get out the door empty-handed).  I realized at the moment I had no specific use for it and no proper way to store it until I did.  But drift with me through a brain storm.  Wouldn’t this chandelier make a dainty edition to a whimsical home office?  A little girl would feel so princess-esque with this light suspended from her bedroom ceiling.  Or we could go with more conventional thinking and hang it above a dining table to serve as a shot of color in a gray, black and white damask themed dining room.  There are so many creative and fun ways to incorporate this fixture into a space.

Being the frugalista that I am, after I came up with all the places I could place this light I then started to think how I could create this light without spending very much.  Just last night I was in a home that had outdated brass light fixtures.  The couple moving into the home wanted something more youthful and fun but needed to prioritize which lights to replace first due to budgetary constraints.  What if instead of replacing the fixture, they bought some spray paint and gave the lights a face lift?  This is going to be my next personal project- find a light and give it new life with a different finish.  I’ll take lots of photos and share the process with you once it’s complete.

It's All About the Drum

If you pay attention to your surroundings, you will notice that our preferred style of light fixtures is changing.  No longer do we have the pleated shade on our table lamps, or the shiny brass curly cues on our chandeliers.  Clean and streamlined is taking over.  It’s all about the drum.  

The drum shade is a round or oval shaped fabric lampshade.  You’ll find it in textured fabrics, solid colors or patterned designs.  These shades are being used on bedside lamps, foyer chandeliers, restaurant overhead lighting, pendant lights above your wetbar…..the list trails on and on.  The drum shade offers a sleek and stylish look and blends well with all styles.  Walk into your nearest home store- Lowe’s, HomeGoods, etc- and take a stroll through the lamp aisle.  I bet you’ll find a drumshade that you love.  

Happy drumming!

It's Football Time in the Bluegrass!

College football season kicks off this week and I couldn’t be more excited as I head to Nashville for a UK game.  Well……let me back up for just a minute, because those who know me will call “shenanigans” on my last statement.  It is not really the game of football that I am excited about (this becomes painfully obvious when I am spotted reading US Weekly during the first quarter of the game or using my binoculars to spot my friends on the other side of the stadium throughout the second half).  It is the weekly appointment for tailgating that gets my heart racing!  My husband and I have our season football tickets, our parking pass and a group of friends that we gather with each week during the season.  We have affectionately started calling ourselves The Liftgaters because none of us has a truck with a tailgate, instead we all drive SUVs with hatches that lift upward. 

In the South tailgating is a big deal and these products that I’ve recently spotted are sure to enhance any tailgate situation! 

Melamine plates & platters.  I devoted an entire blog post to melamine dishes earlier this year and I still adore them!  Just last night I was at Target swooning over a blue & white Ikat pattern.  Who needs porcelain and ceramic dishes that can break or chip when you have durable, practical and most of all beautiful melamine dishware!  There are a few companies who offer these products with collegiate logos for those die-hard fans.

Chandelier.  I was flipping through the pages of my Southern Living magazine when I first layed eyes on this.  Love at first sight (minus the color scheme).  I suddenly felt inspired to help hubby find an old school bus to convert into a tailgate bus on the condition that I could have this fixture gracing the ceiling!

UK Plaid.  I have also focused a past blog post on this product line.  I feel compelled to support this student-driven project at the University of Kentucky, not only because it stems from my major but also because the products are so darn cute!  I know I am biased since I chair the advisory committee but take a look at them yourself.  I bet when I walk past your tailgate tent this Fall, it will be adorned with the tablecloth, a crowd of koozies, tote bags, a grill mit and apron. 

Happy tailgating!

Lights, Camera, ACTION!

Forget the camera, all the action is in lights right now!  The past few years have been all about economic hard times and the growth of the green movement.  As a result I’m seeing people go back to basics.  Simpler decor , clean lines and natural textures are becoming very dominant preferences of my clients in an effort to use resources wisely & to be green (or at least appear to be green).  Look at these funky fixtures from one of our vendors….

Halo Chandelier: A bare-bones light fixture that is mesmerizingly beautiful.   Imagine hanging this above your breakfast nook table to brighten up your mornings. 

Workshop Cage Lights: A pair of these would be a perfect compliment to a bar area or island overhang in a kitchen.

Clear glass Pendants: The clear glass creates a weightless & nearly invisible silhouette for the light. A cluster of these could be a divine illumination in a home office! 

The industrial nature of these fixtures don’t mean that they are only suited for a warehouse loft or a basement sublet.  Combining these lights with a rich, warm & inviting space compliments the design of the space instead of competing with it.  Whatever your personal style, natural and rustic have their place.

Happy lighting!