Foyer Update

Well, you ladies have spoken. It looks like you also chose my favorite - this super fab wheat & cream linen pillow from CCDeuxVie. Isn't it gorgeous? The piping detail is just icing on the cake.  

I am really happy with it in my foyer now, not too busy, not too loud, not too much color or texture, it's simple and just right.

 

The other side of the foyer has a bit more action going on with this pair of turquoise foo dogs adding a pop of color. 



The next up in the foyer is to paint the staircase. After getting a few ridiculously expensive quotes, I've decided to tackle this on our own. After crawling on the staircase for a couple of hours, we got this -- it's all taped up in ScotchBlue Edge-Lock...let see if the tape lives up to its name.  

There's a lot of detailed work involved so fingers crossed. More update to come.

Vintage Find: Turquoise Foo Dogs

Can you see I am doing my happy dance? I am so thrilled when this pair of more-than-perfect vintage turquoise foo dogs arrived in the mail today. Nothing feels sweeter than having a long-time décor dream fulfilled. Thank you Vi from Goodieshunt for packaging them perfectly and shipping them out so quickly.

Aren't they perfect? I think they would look great in my white hutch buffet.

As you know I am an online shopaholic so I have my fair share of dealing with different types of sellers virtually. For me a big part of my decision-making when it comes to buy from a particular seller is their communication and willingness to help. Some are willing to invest in extra time answering your questions on the origin, the year of make, and the dimensions etc. Others I never heard any peep out of them. For the latter unless they have something so unique that I can only buy it from them (and I am desperate), I usually just move on and am willing to pay a little more for others' helpfulness. At the end of the day, do I really want to be reminded of a bad shopping experience behind anything I buy? We are always buying a total package, no?

So after a long search for a pair of true vintage foo dogs like this, I finally found them through a trusted seller. If you'd like to learn more about how to spot true vintage porcelain figurines, you can read more here.

They Are Here!

Remember this pair of vintage deerhide cowhide ottoman poufs by Karl Springer? Well they arrived! I have them in mind for a special room in the house, but for now, one of them is in the living room. In case you are wondering, they are from Vintage & Modern, a consignment store similar to 1stdibs. The seller had four of these poufs, and the other pair was picked up by the X-Men star Rebecca Romijn!

This is the lighter-colored one...isn't it gorgeous? They are super comfy too.

The other one, the slightly darker-colored one is now in a guest bedroom.

Have a great weekend everyone!

How To Spot True Vintage Foo Dogs

A while ago I scored this pair of turquoise foo dogs from an antique chinaware store, but I also wanted to find a pair of the more iconic sitting pair to complete my foo dog collection. True vintage foo dogs are not easy to come by these days. After all they were last popular around 1930s when Hollywood Regency Chinoiserie décor was trending. Since this décor theme has made a big comeback in recent years, there have been so many replicas floating around which come in different glazes, shapes and sizes. Since I've done so much research on them, I thought I'd share with you my tips on how to spot and score true vintage foo dogs on pedestal.

In short, it's all about the details and the glaze. I remember when I was in that chinaware store, the soon-to-retire owner told me that artists from China with such intricate carving, engraving and glazing skills are long gone and many generations ago, so a rule of thumb to identify a true vintage piece is in the details.

 

In case you are wondering if I actually ended up finding a true vintage pair, the answer is YES, and they are en route to me. I will take some pictures when they are here. Can't wait!

My Vintage Affair

I've been on a shopping spree (again) lately, and sadly it usually took me a while to come to that realization. But how you may ask? The other day when I came home from work, a neighbor ran up to me and asked if I was moving. "Moving?" I was totally puzzled. "Why?" The neighbor said "Oh because I saw boxes and boxes piled on your porch." "Oh that..." As you could imagine I was probably all red like a Boston lobster when I told her those were all packages from my online shopping.

Anyhow, here are a few scores I am really fond of and thought I should share with you.

How adorable are these vintage brass giraffes right? The big one is 9" tall and the smaller one 6". I totally see them in a future nursery.

This quail is made of solid brass, a big and heavy bird at 6" x 6". I think it can go on a stack of books.

 

Do you keep a list of your favorite décor accessories? Mine goes like corals & rocks, vintage brass animal/bird figurines, foo dogs, blanc de chine figurines, Chinoiserie faux bamboo (stuff), and of course, deer antlers. I found this pair of vintage antlers from Etsy. 

 

Last but not the least, an all-time favorite for many decorators, a pair of vintage turquoise foo dogs from 1900-1930s.

 

 

I will be taking some pictures over the next few days to show you how they look like now in my house. Later gator.