Life Is a Beach

Lately I've been thinking, if I should start to loosen up my decor in the living room. With full-wall wainscoting, fireplace screen, arch-top mirror and Edwardian lantern, all these elements seem to scream "formal". The question I kept asking myself is, can "classic" and "old world" also be light-hearted and free spirit?

I believe I come to a good middle ground today by introducing some nautical subjects into the room. Who doesn't want to take their tropical vacation memories with them wherever they go? And the theme doesn't always have to stay behind bathroom walls!

So here are a few sea specimens that have fantastic shapes and forms. The round ones are sea urchin shells. I love how they are grouped today to create a mini nautical nook in the living space.

 And you will never guess where these red coral branches are from -- yes, a big box retailer like Pottery Barn! Even better news is that Pottery Barn Canada has contracted the same Fiftyone online order processing company that Overstock uses to provide shipping directly to Canadian buyers now.

Faux Red Coral Branch by Pottery Barn

 This is another great coral bush decorative object from Pottery Barn.

 This is an image from a Spanish decor magazine called Nuevo Estilo. Notice how those coral branches instantaneously lighten up all the formal furniture?

Anyhow, a few items have been ordered, and I can't wait to see how they liberate my living space.

Retail Therapy

I have been depressed for the past few weeks. Most of my reno projects were at a standstill due to this darn soggy spring weather of ours. To cope with my mood swings and make myself productive, I turned to home & garden stores. You have no idea how many things I have purchased to justify the preparation for my upcoming hardscape projects in our front and back yards!

• Decorative Wrought Iron Fence that looks like this: check. This is for those inconsiderate neighbours that first let their dogs roam free then never honour the "poop and scoop".

• Brand new BBQ to replace our old one: check.
• Melody Parfumee rose bushes, French Lilac trees, Emerad Cedars, Hostas, Lilies, and all other plants that are now sitting in our backyard yet to be sorted out: check.
• 8' x 8' Garden Gazebo: check.
• ...and the list goes on.

Fortunately, it didn't take long for us to pick out the hardscaping materials.

So here is a very popular reasonably priced tumbled paver by Unilock called Brussels Block in Sandstone color. It's too beige for us.

And this is the Brussels Block in Limestone...too grey compared to the existing stones/bricks of our house.

And the solution? We've decided to go with the Sandstone and Limestone Mix. Here is what it looks like when blended. Note this is not our house.

 And this is the type of retaining wall we are going for.

I phoned our contractor when I woke up to this gorgeous hot and humid weather today, only to find out that they were dragged into another interior project because they didn't want to sit on the bench waiting for days to dry. Now that I have everything all ready to go, I have to wait until June 21st before my landscaping project can start. I can only pray the weather will be nice then, and that it doesn't put me into another depression that requires retail therapy again.

Old Soul

My Mom often tells me that I am an old soul trapped in a young body. Ever since a kid, I was attracted to people and objects of past. Such inclination sticks to me until to-date, and entrenches in many aspects of my life:  family value, friendships, work ethics, and even now home decor. I would like to think I learnt all these values, though old-fashioned, from my Mom.

Now back to the home decor topic. I picked this arch top mirror made by Uttermost for my living room refresh project. I don't know if it's just my luck, or what I like is always so popular/expensive -- I searched a lot of lighting/mirror/furnishing stores in town and none of them carry it; and all online stores are out of stock! Some even told me that this mirror has been discontinued...

So I started to look for alternatives and came across this similar style by John Richard Collection at Hochow for $2,350! That's obviously not going to fly so I went back to do some more searching for the Uttermost one.

I wasn't holding my breath when I called Lighting Palace in Concord, but then to my great surprise, the owner Motti said that they used to carry it and he could order it in!!! Today I went in, paid a small deposit, and ordered the Uttermost mirror. I can't believe after a few weeks' search and on the verge of giving up I am about to get exactly what I want, and at a fantastic price! Let's hope Lighting Palace could live up to their words and the mirror gets into Canada without delay.

Then back to the old soul topic: we went to an antique auction and I purchased a pair of this Florentine Gilt Candle Sconces that were made in 1890's. I hope the simple lines from the mirror will pair nicely with them, and overall they don't appear too ornate.

I Am A Sucker...

Remember I am a sucker for pillows and mirrors? Well, I couldn't put mirror up on every single wall inside the house, but I could fill up my couches, chairs and benches with plushy pillows. And the best part is, since they are so inexpensive (compared to major furniture piece), no long-term commitment is required, and I can change/alternate them whenever I feel like it. I must have at least 20 pillows present throughout the house, and another 20 covers tucked away somewhere in storage.

I thought I'd share some of my recent favorites. Can you tell I am into geometric patterns these days? :-) Most of these pillows are in my living room and bedrooms.

(Click on the picture to enlarge it)

1. Blue Chevron; 2. Moorish Tile Pattern in Apple Green from Williams-Sonoma; 3. Windsor Smith in Pelagos Cove from Etsy; 4. P. Kaufmann Clarice in Dove from Etsy; 5. Imperial Trellis in Black from Etsy; 6. Fretwork Ikat in Espresso and Oatmeal; 7. Dwell Studio from Tonic Living; 8. Windsor Smith in Pelagos Lime; 9. Morrish Tile Pattern in Black from Williams-Sonoma.

Before and After: Windsor Chair

Shortly after I finished the makeover the writing desk for our guest bedroom, I was in search for a chair to go with it. I found this sad little guy on CList for $20. This comb-back Windsor chair is an antique piece, and was passed down to a pastor from his family for generations.

 He seems in high spirit after a few coats of paints in Martha Stuart's Chinchilla.

 Look how perky he is dressed in a blue chevron cushion? The chair pad is a DIY job by yours truly.

 And now they are finally an item in our guest bedroom waiting for to be used by our lucky guests!

Total costs = $20 (chair) + $0 paint leftover + $0 fabric remnant + $5 foam insert = $25.