dueling moodboards..only more like dualing bc there's 2 and this isn't a competition, it's monday and mondays are for assholes..

 remember this headboard available on DC craigslist?

well i loved it so much i wanted to decorate a whole room around it.

 

so i did.. 

 

rug- 1stdibs, bench- jayson h&g, lamps- bungalow 5, bedding- ABC home, tables- 1stdibs, art- nathan turner, pendant- arteriors

 

but my friend jennifer at belclaire house blog loved it the same.

so she did one too..actually she did 2 so she wins..

 

visit it here. 

 

 

work past the anger

yesterday made me want to ross cassidy everyone (that means murder).

so after professing my anger to fartspace

i did some tracy anderson (sweat out the anger)

and then finished up some client design boards.

YOUR FAVORITE! 

 

the room my client needed help with is a big, open space,

combining the living room and dining room.

 

there are windows on opposite ends of the room

one of which is actually a sliding glass door..

the floor is all tile.

brrr..

it's also very neutral (beige)

and the walls are a soft, neutral greige.

so we needed to inject some color and warmth!

 

here is my ghetto floor plan:

 

a lot of the furniture is existing..

my client loves the bohemian traditional look with touches of chinois.

the sofa is coral..

and it floats in front of the entry, facing the tv wall.

a settee will be covered in les indiennes and a simple white bench will separate the living space from the dining space.

 

 

the entry, behind the sofa:

sconces from furbish.

wallpaper is already up.

console and mirror are existing as well.

client found similar rug on ebay for $150.

 

 

 

 the tv wall, facing the sofa:

 

 

the settee:

 

 the bench (wonkily) separating the dinging and living areas:

 

 this the opposite side of the room, or the dining/lounge side..

the sliding glass doors:

 this blue antique cabinet was something i saw on one kings lane and gave my client some search words to find something like it on craigslist..within an hour she found something almost EXACTLY like it for $350.

now all she needs to do is paint it blue.

 

just to the left of the sliding glass doors is a wall of built-ins and a red lounge chair like the one in the picture...

she is on the hunt for a slightly different chair to be her boyfriend and we will cover it in this kerry cassill red stripe.  she found a little moroccan side table on craigslist and already has a very similar kilim..

when i showed this to fiona she started laughing and said..

"hahahah why is there a purse in there!?? hahah!!!"

 

anyway..

said client is happy.

and i want to move in.

 

 

poop pee,

 

the brains behind the operation

i think before i post more of my work i must explain shit to a few assfaces out there..

some of you think i just put the most expensive shit in my mood boards and call myself decorator.

while in a sense part of that is true, mostly what i put in the original mood board is a similar looking stand-in for existing furniture, paint, rugs etc.. that the client already has.

or 

i am extremely awesome and know how to combine high and low to such effect that none of you can tell which is which..

OR!!

a piece is there to represent what "we" are looking for..

once a client "signs off" on a look then i search for the most affordable options of those pieces.

sometimes for mood board sake i use 1stdibs bc it is easy to manipulate the image since it's on a white background.

in other words it's easier to float an image that's on a white background onto a spreadsheet type document than it is to float an image from craigslist..(i don't use photoshop and have a limited understanding of what i DO use)

and you must remember that 99.9% of my clients are E clients so i have to find this shit for them online!

usually my clients take my ideas and either buy directly what i tell them to or find the more affordable options themselves. 

think of it like this..

you see an outfit in vogue that you love but it's a zillion dollars..

so you take the magazine to the mall and find similar items and sometimes even exact replicas for way less and you essentially have the high end look for less. 

 

that said sometimes my clients want the real deal and hold out for it.

i think you should do a little bit of both.

find more affordable versions for the trendier pieces and hold out for the real deal on the more classic pieces.

or search craigslist, ebay, local thrift stores etc.. for the classics and/or antiques.

for my local clients i scout stuff for them when i am out and about..

but for clients that i can't be near i always encourage them to do that for themselves.

 

 

example:

local client.

we want antique commodes like the ones above.

the ones in this board are like 10g's so duh we won't be using them but they were facing straight, on a white background and that is the criteria i need for mood board magic. 

now, i will scout and the client will scout to find something similar around town.

 

the rug:

as everyone knows moroccan maryam has great, affordable ourain rugs.

and i have seen one in person!

although if you have an extra 6,000 for a rug i'd say go vintage!

they are unbelievably unique and interesting.

 

the sisal in the image is the clients own carpet.

 

 

as for the rest-

well trust me when i say it's all affordable and if you would like the sources please email me personally.

 

now the other side of this same room:

the sofa is a stand-in for the client's existing sofa. 

it is very similar to this one.

the table on the left is a stand-in for the client's existing side table,

again it's almost an exact replica.

everything is available online, in both high end

and affordable versions.

in fact i dare say almost everything that you could ever want for your home is available in both high end and more affordable versions.

 

so that's basically how i do what i do.

surely some asshole will read 3 words of this post and still claim i am putting ridiculously expensive shit in my mood boards and calling myself a decorator.

 

but for everyone else who DID read this post,

i hope i was able to shed a little light on my MB's and how they come to be.

 

keep calm and fart on,

working it out

my client wanted her kitchen eating area re-decorated.

new table, new chairs, new console, new rug..

nothing major, just zshushing.

however, the walls were to remain greige, and the goal was to work with the existing chandelier.

a rusty, iron chandelier with wooden beads.

the come to jesus meeting was for cozy, modern and glam.

 

most of you would agree that a rusty iron chandelier and greige walls don't equal cozy, modern, or glam.

 

so here's what i figured..

classic chandelier?

modern AND classic table.

then blur it all up with modern lines on classic chairs.

keep everything monochromatic for modern and cozy purposes..

add a sexy, gold metallic cowhide and you have a little cozy, a little modern and a little glam.

 

over to the console side of the situation..

i was really pushing for this:

in fact i was a little high on it..

super GLAM!

 

but the client talked me down a little..

saying that she felt it was a little too fancypants for her cozy kitchen nook..

could we see the console with different lamps?

 

i assured her that it was better to go full throttle and then pull back than the other way around..

(pulled that one out of my ass i did- but it's essentially true)

 

so i showed her this:

she loves it!

but..

she wants to see maybe a parsons style conosle in place of the mirrored chevron buffet.

oh but i cried a little.

i want her to have this magic piece of furniture.

i said, but a parsons console will offer no storage!

she said she truly didn't need storage, just a place to drop her keys and shit.

 

so..

in comes the black, lacquered grasscloth console:

and ultimately her favorite.

 

everyone wins!

 

here's a look at all the elements together:

 

and that's how you work shit out.

 

 

peace out billy bob!