Well we all know how much I love animal photography, and how much I love patterns and campy, vintage-y decor. Thus, these animal photographs from Catherine Ledner are pretty much the best thing in the entire world.
I’d love to hang one on my wall, but the problem is, which one would I choose? There’s too many good ones to pick just one. See them all at her website.
As I wander around Savannah, I’m struck by several things. First of all, the Spanish moss is inescapable. It drapes itself over every tree and bush in sight. I’m sure that it is considered a nuisance to some people but it adds such a softness and charm. I also love how this whole area has such a style. Gorgeous neoclassical architecture combines with European streets and a distinct laid-back southern style. I got to thinking about how to translate what I was seeing into a room, and here’s what I came up with.
1. This wallpaper is modern without being too edgy. I love the pattern and the color – it’s a nice representation of all of the tropical-looking plants growing around here.
2. The color and lightness of these curtains are a reference to the Spanish moss draped everywhere. They let in lots of light without letting in the glances of passers-by.
3. I love the look of historical paintings paired with modern design. This painting by Marc Dennis is actually a modern piece but it has all of the color and texture and depth of something much older.
4. Though many of the houses here are from the Victorian era, you still see lots of design that has survived from the early 20th century. I love the look of Tiffany Lamps and this one seems right at home in these historic parlours.
5. As an aspiring gardener, I’m amazed by how much stuff grows down here. It doesn’t ever get too cold so the growing season is practically year-round. I imagine that you would have to work hard to have a black thumb in Savannah. One of my favorite flowers is the hydrangea. I also like the way that many antiques are placed almost at random here – it’s like stumbling into a forgotten secret garden.
6. I’ve been lusting after this couch for months now. I think that it would work in a number of design scenarios, and this is one of them. It’s historic-looking, it’s masculine, and it reminds me of tobacco, which practically ruled the south for decades. I also think it would balance out the botanical wallpaper and the soft curtains nicely.
That’s all for this mini design challenge. Real estate is amazingly cheap down here (at least compared to CO) so I’m fighting temptation to create a lovely Southern parlor of my own.
I am totally in love with this wallpaper. I get the feeling that I would put it up, fill it up with drawings and pictures and notes and paint, and then tear it down, piece by piece, save it, and start over. It’s like the best coloring book ever. Want some for yourself? Find it here.
OK, I’m addicted.
I don’t even want to put it on my walls. I want to wrap it around furniture, or cover all my crappy plastic binders in it, or line the walls of the closet. I want to turn it into a fabric and wrap the entire inside of my car in it.
But if you like wallpaper, here’s some more good finds for you, courtesy of Hygge & West.
Holy crap.
I don’t even like wallpaper. This might have changed my mind.
Wallpaper from the 70′s is exactly what it sounds like. They have so many choices, so many beautiful designs and things that are so weird, you could waste a lot of time (and money) at this website. And the best part is, you can order samples for about a buck. Sweet.
This one is unabashedly girly. Sorry to my male readers (if I have any male readers – hello?).
1. What on earth could be better than 70′s wallpaper? Nothing, in fact. And Thrifty Pyg is the place to go to find it. They may not be huge pieces, so you probably wouldn’t be able to cover up the wood paneling on the rec room walls, but enough that you could make something fun. Scrapbooking, lining the inside of a medicine cabinet – oh, the possibilities!
2. Keeping with the vintage theme, I love this tea dress. Soho Mode makes all sorts of colors and designs from vintage cotton with the kind of silhouette that can only be described as “charming”. I saw someone suggest that these would make great mismatched bridesmaids dresses, and I have to agree! If nothing else, it would be great for a summer lawn party.
3. I love mid-century everything, so these paintings by Leah Giberson are right up my alley. She takes pictures of suburban landscapes, often focusing on the overlooked angle or element, and distills them into wonderful paintings full of depth and texture and intrigue.
4. Who doesn’t love stripes? I know that I do. This bag by Banyan Hippo hits all of the right nautical notes. It’s big and roomy and you could cart around just about anything. The seller suggests diaper bag as a possible scenario and I say, why not? You could be the hippest mom on the block. Me, I’d use it for a beach bag.
5. I just purchased a little pouch from Oktak and I was blown away by the quality and craftsmanship. I can see why she’s so popular! Next for me is going to be one of these little adorable frame pouches. She always comes up with the best fabrics and colors, and her designs come in enough sizes and shapes to satisfy any need.
Thanks to this weeks sellers for their awesome product!
Apparently the guy’s from Denver, and I’m town, reading the paper (which I never do) and I see an article about this guy. I tear the sheet out, because it instantly grabs me, and of course, promptly lose it. I even forgot the name of the artist, and I’m too lazy to try to track things down on the internet, so I thought it was all over for me.
Denver has a great First Fridays art scene. For those of you who don’t know, it’s the first Friday of every month that the galleries throw their doors open and stock the counters with cheap booze and crackers and invite people in to look at art. Me, I like going to make fun of it, but every once in a while something grabs you. The area I was in isn’t exactly known for famous artists; it’s more the haunt of the up-and-coming. But glory behold, I walked into a gallery I’d never been in before, and there it was. Rex Ray.
I don’t know if it’s because I’ve been living in Arizona for a while now, or if everyone’s just so depressed they need a little bit of escapism, but I am loving the 60′s-swing thing that’s all around us nowadays.
I love the bright colors, the wonderful patterns and the irrepressible cheeriness of his works. I had an opportunity to talk to the curator of the show for a few minutes, and he gave me the lowdown.
Apparently, the man hand-creates all of the papers you see in his “paintings”, and then meticulously cuts them out and applies them to these canvases. It’s not so easy to see on your computer screen, but the texture and depth of these works is amazing.
Clearly, being able to afford one of these works is out of the question (some of the smaller pieces were going for $24k – yeah, not in this lifetime) but I did manage to pick something up. He did a major installation at another Denver location and had wallpaper specially made for the wall. It is apparently impossible to get, as it is way too expensive, but I did get a poster of a portion of the wallpaper, and it was signed! That will have to do me for now.
I love him. That is all.
Coming soon (I promise, I know)….some more wedding stuff, a blog redesign, and hopefully some more content. Life is pretty crazy. When it rains, it pours they say.
PS – a hilarious side note – my spell check wants to capitalize the word “internet”, and it refuses to acknowledge that blog is a word. Excellent.
