Welcome to my home: Vignette 2
This little corner of my house is one of my favorites. It shows off my bold side: the black wall; my love of contrast; something I’ve made; and things from far away.
This room is my family room, located right next to my kitchen. It is a room that my family spends most of their time in, and I spend most of my time looking at. It is the heart of our home, and I wanted it to feel cool, welcoming and comforting.
This room has been an evolving design since I bought this house almost 5 years ago. I’ve moved the furniture around a dozen times, swapped out rugs and switched up the art more times than I can count. Last summer, I decided to spruce things up: the room felt crowded and busy, and I was looking for a sleeker look. I removed some huge, oversized chairs, added a small credenza, painted, got a new rug and some new art. You can see that transformation here.
The black wall shows that I’m unafraid of doing unconventional things. I’m a risk taker who recognizes that “it’s only paint,” and that attitude has afforded me the opportunity to really go bold at times. My color choice speaks to my personality in that regard! And I think my black and white spotted rug does the same: I’m not afraid of a bold pattern and of course, the contrast speaks to me!
In the corner of the room here, I have a very special table that belonged to my grandma. This table folds in such a way that when the top is not flat, it can fold down and hang forward-looking, like a narrow standing piece of art. In these photos, I have it opened as a table. I’m not sure how old this table is, I’d imagine it is from the 90’s. My grandma picked this up in Egypt, and if you look at the detail of it, you’ll see that it has a bunch of inlaid work depicting Egyptian royalty. The colors are bold and bright, and this piece really isn’t a table, but a true piece of art.
The slatted wood board that hangs above my little table is something I made, many moons ago. Literally probably like 15 years ago! I made it originally to hang above one of my mantels in one of my houses, and it’s just moved along with me as I’ve moved through life. They were pine tongue and groove boards that I stained (my favorite stain color, Minwax Dark Walnut) and attached to a couple pieces of wood in the back. I guess you could say I was ahead of the Farmhouse movement, and this is the closest my house will ever see to that style. I love it but it just isn’t “me.” I’ve been looking for a collection of black and white baskets or something bold to hang from it, but for now, it is adorned with a wreath I picked up at HomeGoods.
To the right, I have a beautiful copper platter hanging on the adjacent wall. This platter or tray was another one of my grandma’s pieces. I’m not exactly sure where this is from, but my guess is Morocco or maybe India. It weighs a ton, and I love it’s beautiful design and color, a true copper like the patina on an old penny.
The chairs in this space are what really make it funky, and I love them. My sister-in-law scored these chairs on Craigslist over a decade ago, and I’ve loved them since I first laid eyes on them. As I recall, they were originally upholstered in a burnt-orange or mustard yellow velvet, reminiscent of the 60’s/70’s. I remember they smelled like smoke but she and I both could look past those things and see their potential. She recovered them in a pretty ivory fabric with a faint blue line, which went perfectly with her Farmhouse decor. Those chairs sat in her living room for years, and I always admired them. But last summer, I got lucky: I was at my brother’s house and noticed the chairs sitting in her garage. Knowing her, I knew she had plans…she was either going to get rid of them or reupholster them, so I asked my brother and to my surprise, she was finally ready to part with them! I said I want them and that was it…they were mine! I had the perfect spot for them and already knew I wanted a bold black and white fabric, so I went to JoAnn’s and picked up this palm fabric. It’s actually a fabric made for outdoor chairs, which is perfect when you have two dirty, sticky boys and a cat. I reupholstered those babies and put them in their new home (you can see the before and after pics here). They fit right in!
The palm fabric is what inspired my purchase of the faux palm leaves behind them. I needed something to fill up the corner and that little plant did the trick. I wish it was taller, and I may swap it out eventually to make the scale feel a little better, but I’m happy with it for now.
In order to create a separate little sitting space, I hung a wicker lantern over that area. That corner needed something above it to frame that space, and I loved the natural element of the rattan. Thank you once again, World Market, for making my decor dreams come true!