The Living Room

I should be blogging about our Christmas decor.  Except we don't have anything yet!
Instead, I'm just going to share our new living room since it's one of the few rooms that feels done.

Luckily, when we moved in, our furniture fit perfectly.

There wasn't much to do here but paint the walls a neutral cream that matched the existing woodwork like I did in the dining room.

Here is the before photo.  

Thank goodness, the floor is in really good shape. although I did have it buffed and a new coat of polyurethane was added.

I considered having bookshelves custom built on either side of the fireplace, mainly because there were built-ins originally, based on the floor patch.

Instead, I ordered two matching bookcases from Restoration Hardware.

We have so many books, so these were clearly a necessity!

I had fun organizing our books and staging the cabinets with favorites objects.

The fireplace mantel is a work in progress.

I had the electrician install the sconces because this room needs all the light it can get.

I can't quite commit to hanging the paintings yet.

This room is constantly evolving.

Adding books, candles, pillows, as well as rearranging here and there.

Here is the room right after we moved in....

....here it is now.  

I just keep layering!

So glad I saved the draperies from the San Francisco house as they work perfectly in both the living and dining room.

We actually use this room!  It's cozy and that's what we like.

What's next?

I'm currently working on converting the fireplace to gas so we can sit in here by the fire during the winter months.

Hopefully, I'll get around to decking the halls before Christmas!

Be My Guest - The San Francisco Room

 I like to call the second guest room, the "San Francisco Room."

This is where all our collected books and prints of San Francisco ended up, which is great for out of town guests who might really appreciate it.

While we were remodeling the house, we were always on the lookout for vintage prints and maps of San Francisco which we had framed and saved to hang later.
We just weren't sure where!


Like this vintage black and white photo that we love of the wharf at the turn of the century.
I envisioned it, along with others like it hanging on the stair wall...

Originally, we thought we would hang this vintage map of San Francisco in the family room, but it ended up being way too big, so it now takes center stage in the guest room.
That's when I got the idea to hang our collection of old prints of The City in here and make it a theme.

This room started out as a white, uninspiring box.
I slowly added layer upon layer of texture to warm it up, starting with a seagrass rug layered with a Persian rug. Woven shades on the window for privacy were eventually layered with gray linen drapes which I had reworked from World Market drapes.

The canopy bed came from Ballard Designs and is upholstered in gray linen.

I wanted a canopy bed because I thought it would lend some drama to this room, which believe me, it needed.
Plus, I just love canopy beds!

 The most dramatic thing I did though was to wrap the room in this gray stripe raffia wallpaper.

It made all the difference in the world!

Now it feels very cozy.

The bedding is from Pottery Barn.

The lamps and nightstands were repurposed from our master bedroom in the old house.

A pair of leather chairs offer a place to sit and read all the San Francisco books in the room.

The rope mirror, a Marshall's find and vintage seashell lamp give the room a nautical feel as well.

A framed post card of Alcatraz and more books on San Francisco, including an old Herb Caen book sit on the night stand.

The ensuite bathroom is just like the bathroom in the tartan bedroom, down the hall.

I kept the same tile and apothecary sink, just to be consistent.

I realize this bathroom is kinda boring though.

It is too white!  Maybe some patterned towels would add some interest?

However, the bathroom is super tiny and so maybe being boring and white is a nice contrast to the grasscloth walls and all the fabric in the bedroom.

Sometimes I like to sleep in this room and pretend I'm a guest at a bed and breakfast in Martha's Vineyard, or Nantucket, or even San Francisco!

I can stay up and read until the wee hours, listening to the fog horn.    

Of course, Oscar loves the San Francisco room too!

Sources:

Bed:  The Louisa Canopy Bed, Ballard Designs

Wallpaper:  Phillip Jeffries

Bed Linens:  Pottery Barn

Leather Chairs:  Crate and Barrel

Pine Dresser:  Vintage

Window Shades:  Presidio Classics

Drapes:  World Market

Alabaster Lamps:  Vintage

Lampshades:  Target

Nightstand:  Ralph Lauren

Bathroom Mirror:  Pottery Barn

Apothecary sink:  Custom

I'm joining Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for "Inspire Me Tuesday."

Also, Kim at Savvy Southern Style for "Wow Us Wednesday."

And, French Country Cottage for "Feathered Nest Friday."

Be sure to visit and check out more inspiring decor.

Tuesday Inspiration: Seashells

Traditional Home

Following yesterday's post about cottage living by the sea, what could be more fitting for Tuesday Inspiration than seashells!

Seashells aren't just for nautical decor. Case in point is this lovely grotto located in Texas of all places! The homeowner, Emily Tracy-Haas loves incorporating shells into her home and the result is magical!

Traditional Home

It's like an art form. Some call it tramp art. The French call it coquillage. I call it beautiful!

Traditional Home

A close-up of Emily Tracy-Haas's fireplace. She transformed it by setting shells in the concrete.

Shells On Twelfth

I'll admit, this isn't for everyone, but I do appreciate the organic beauty of this fireplace.

Shells On Twelfth

A faux bois, shell studded garden mirror!

House Beautiful

A couple of shell encrusted obelisks looking regal in this dining room

House Beautiful

Annie Selke used this console in a master bedroom for her clients. It is from Currey and Company.

How fabulous is this bathroom mirror?

And this powder room mirror?

Barclay Butera

I know, I've shown this room before, but I love this mirror most of all!

This mirror was one of the many incredible shell art objects I saw last year at The Roundtop Antique Fair.

There was so much of it, I could have gone crazy. But I've learned, a little goes a long way with this art form.

I have managed to collect handful of seashell treasures over the years, like this antique shell studded box. I like it because the shells have an amber color. Notice the black stripe shells?

The box lives next to the vintage lamp, also encrusted with amber shells.

They all form a little vignette in the corner of the living room.

Close-up detail of my cherished antique seashell crucifix.

My latest find is this seashell tramp art lighthouse night light.

It's really quite funky and homemade, but I love it!

A few more pieces in my collection are a not-so-vintage frame from Z-Gallerie with a photo of my Mom and Dad...

...a pair of book ends on a nightstand in Asti...

...and a small shell framed mirror in the bathroom.

Then there is this! A summer centerpiece in Asti. I have the matching candlesticks too, and can't wait to do a tablesetting with this three piece set.

I love the earthiness of seashells. Ever since I was a kid, I've collected seashells. Shells from the beaches of Oregon, California, Hawaii and Mexico.

I love the idea of making something permanent out of them. Perhaps I'll attempt to create a little "tramp art" myself!

For more inspiration, buy this book! Shell Chic is the "bible" of shellaholics!

Be sure to check out Emily Tracy-Haas's website, Shells On Twelfth here.

Currey and Company has a wonderful collection of seashell chandeliers and accessories here.

I'm joining Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday.

Design Bucket List #6 - Decorate a Beach Cottage

Campagne Decoration

Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a little seaside cottage?

House Beautiful

Imagine going to sleep with the sound of the waves, or waking up to ocean breezes.

House Beautiful

Imagine how much fun it would be to decorate a little cottage with a nautical theme like designer Gary McBournie did above.

Imagine looking out the window of this living room and seeing the blue ocean! It makes me go "ahhhhhh."

Campagne Decoration

More "ahhhhhh!"

Are you saying "ahhhh" yet too?

Coastal Living

Back inside, I am asking myself and you too, "how would you decorate your seaside cottage?"

I would find vintage oil paintings of the ocean or ships and hang them on white walls.

Definitely white walls....

Barclay Butera

Yup, white walls, vintage oil painings, and the color blue!

Although I'm not a "blue person," blue just makes sense in a beach house.

So do stripes!

Phoebe Howard

Of course, I would succombe to all the cliches of nautical decor!

The proverbial model ships....

....nautical lanterns

....driftwood

....kitchy wallpaper!

....old life preservers

And duh, a sea shell chandelier!

I think it would be so much fun visiting flea markets and antique stores looking for the perfect accessories, filling the cottage with treasures.

Ultimately though, it's all about the ocean. And the sunsets. And the beach!

"We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch - we are going back to whence we came." ~John Kennedy

I couldn't agree more!