The Family Room

The family room is my favorite room in the house.  

Probably because I always had the clearest vision about this room when we bought the house and now I feel that it is finally complete and ready for its closeup!

Here it is before we moved in, waiting for the furniture.

Top on my list for this room was to wallpaper it in this wonderful, warm grasscloth.

I knew it would be the jumping off point for everything else, like the zinc shelves over the wet bar and the articulated sconces over the shelves.

The original house had upper cabinets over the wet bar but I felt the open shelves were a more contemporary look, even though they pose a decorating challenge!

 This last week, my vision all came together when the long awaited sofa was delivered--a leather sectional from Pottery Barn.

 I struggled with the furniture placement for this room originally because it is long and narrow.

The sectional corrals the seating arrangement around the tv and fireplace.  The wet bar is down at the end doing its own thing, ready for entertaining with the barbeque just outside the door.

 Another challenge has been what to put on the wall behind the sofa.  

That weird heating vent really threw me off!

Originally, I was going to put a big map of San Francisco but it ended up being too tall, so I gathered all my cow paintings and created a gallery wall.

Remember that other Black Forest mount?  It ended up here.

 At the other end of the room, I put an old book case with the Black Forest prints flanking either side.

 Those prints were originally in our dining room at the old house.  I had them in our entry way here, but they somehow ended up in the family room.

I think hanging artwork has been the biggest challenge since moving in.  I hate making a commitment and putting holes in the pristine walls.  Not the case in this room.  The grasscloth hides all the holes so if I decide to take this gallery wall down later, it won't be a problem.

 The family room is aesthetically different than the rest of the house.  It's so masculine, yet cozy and romantic too.  Which is why I love curling up on the sofa and watching a movie by the fire.

There are still a few things left to do--like style the wet bar and find better pillows, but it's definitely my favorite room in the house!

Black Forest Magic

The thing with decorating with antlers is you either love them or hate them.

I love them!

I love how they bring a natural, rustic element to a space like the bathroom above, featured in Elle Decor.

Antlers can break up a series of paintings or plates, creating visual interest and symmetry. 

I love this collection of Black Forest mounts over the bed, but is this too much?

Well, either you love it or hate it!

If you've been following my blog for a while, you already know my love affair with antlers.

This one, covered in tartan is one of my favorites!

I especially love Black Forest mounts because of their intricate carvings.  

I've collected the little roe deer antlers over the years--they look great grouped together.

 I really wanted a large mount over the outdoor fireplace in Asti, but was concerned how it would weather the elements.

I found one made of resin, and it has held up well over the years.

Which brings me to my present situation!

After struggling with what to hang over the living room mantel, I came up with the idea of hanging a large Black Forest mount.

A mirror won't work because the wall tilts back and a painting won't work either because the mantel angles in, so antlers it is!

I found this magnificent mount on Ebay.  Notice the acorn carvings on the plaque.  The dealer is from Austria and has many more like this.

They were so reasonably priced, I bought two!  

 The second one will hang in the family room.

The wall over the sectional is large and in order to fill it up, I decided to create a gallery wall. So I gathered all my cow paintings and a couple of landscapes and laid out this arrangement on the floor.

Now to get it on the wall! 

Stay tuned for the family room and gallery wall reveal.

Adding Life With Plants And Flowers

White orchids are a weakness of mine.

I love them for their elegance and how they take a room from "ok" to "wow!"

Putting this orchid plant in the bathroom between the mirrors takes my breath away now, every time I walk into this room!

Filling the iron urn with white orchids filled up an empty corner in the living room, adding height and life atop the piano.

The fiddlehead fern is starting to fade, but I feel that I will always need something green, tall and dramatic to sit next to the piano as the alcove windows don't have window coverings.

I picked up a little ivy ring at the grocery store for the dining room.

The leopard hide is a new addition and will eventually go on the floor.

I promise!

My friend gifted me this elegant orchid arrangement.

She knows how much I love orchids, as does she.

It adds drama to the dining room bar cart.

And last, the new coffee table arrived!  

Am I ever going to have fun playing with it, filling it with books, candles and plants.

You Say Curtains, I Say Drapes

 Whether you call them curtains, drapes or draperies, to me they add so much to a room.

The breakfast nook in the kitchen looked perfectly fine with just the window shade...

...That is until Keith, my "blind man" showed up with the drapes and everything suddenly came together.

The room feels warmer now and gone is that echo since the drapes seem to absorb sound.

I chose this John Robshaw print to compliment the black and white ticking and add color to a black and white kitchen.  Even though I said no red, I ended up with red anyway!

It's almost a paisley, but not quite.

For the bedroom I chose an ivory linen for the drapes.

 I went with all ivory fabrics for the window treatments and bed linens to contrast against the gray walls for a peaceful, restful feeling.  The only pattern is the zebra rug and throw.

The drapes can close at night giving us more light control from that nasty streetlight outside!

In the living room, I chose Ralph Lauren's Windstorm Paisley in Desert Sand.

  

It's a tonal tea-stained paisley that goes nicely with the caramel leather chairs.  I think it will also look great with the gray velvet sofa if it ever comes!

 I really like how Keith does his pleats.  They're not too fussy.

We chose the same rod for all the windows, which he had custom made.

The dining room rod will take longer as it had to be formed to the oval shape of the walls.

So, no dining room curtains.  Yet.

Notice the thuja plants outside the window?  I put them there when we did the roof deck.

It gives us something green to look at and provides a little more privacy.

 The living room is a work in progress and has a long way to go.

The sofa should arrive by June and a brass and glass coffee table is on its way soon. 

Getting the drapes installed was like Christmas!  

I can't believe what a difference they make.