Benched


                                                                                                  Heres a better shot

When we bought the couch I mentioned that we'd ordered something else for the tv room.  It's American Leather's Rex bench, and we picked it up tonight.  White leather with buttonless tufting on a brushed steel base.  I'm pretty darn pleased with it in front of the fireplace.  I wanted something that would provide some seating when needed but not block the view of the fire.  Kind of mid-century, yet kind of contemporary.

My tables should be in soon, leaving only a chair (or a pair, depending on size), window coverings, a floor lamp and a couple things I'm painting and the big furnishing items are complete. 

One olive or two?


As much as we enjoy cocktails here you might think that we own martini glasses. We don't. While I prefer my gin with tonic and lime, occasionally a dirty vodka martini hits the spot. What never sounds good however is the glass.

Seemingly made to be broken, they're also perfect for spilling your drink. An added bonus, I always feel a little bit ridiculous holding one. On occasion I've even asked for my drink in a regular old fashioned glass. Now I may have to relent.

From last night's KC Auction Company sale, one sweet little white ceramic horse with a mane of wooden olive picks.

Though I've never really bought any, I like vintage barware. It makes me think of a time when lots of people owned ash trays and ice buckets and decanters, and reminds me of my parents monogrammed glassware and the little bowls emblazoned with "Nuts" and "Chips."

I don't think this is the start of a collection, but he seems like something that should be put to use don't you think? All I'd need are some good glasses and a shaker. And perhaps some linen cocktail napkins with embroidered elephants or penguins. And maybe a tray.

Reduce, reuse, replate - part two

I hit the first weekend antique sales in the Stockyards District last Saturday. The group shops keep growing in both size and number, and the dealers have all sorts of great things right now. There's something for any taste and every budget, from the pair of outdoor sconces in Christopher Filley's booth at Bottoms Up (fabulous, and priced accordingly) that I've been visiting for a few months, to the pair of 19 inch brass candlesticks shown above that I picked up for a paltry 15 bucks each.

The single 9 inch stick came from an estate sale over the winter and had just been hanging out in the garage waiting for some friends.

Acme Brass Plating isn't far from my office downtown (they're super nice btw) so I took all three over this past Tuesday on my lunch hour. Imagine my surprise when they called today to tell me they were ready. I picked them up and couldn't be happier with their new polished nickel goodness. And I've looked around, even with what I'm in for I'm still WAY below retail.

If you're local and you're not hitting the bottoms, or the Stockyards District as they're calling it now, on first weekends you're missing out. Stop at Fervere at 17th and Summit to pick up some bread, but do this first as they'll be sold out by noon. Then hit Genessee Royale for breakfast. And have a breakfast cocktail too, it's Saturday. And then scoot on over to the sales.

When you need a break I recommend the Coffee Cake KC truck. I got a really good cup of coffee to enjoy while I shopped, and then when I was done a coconut key lime cupcake to enjoy in the car (because really, nobody needs to see me tear into a dessert with that much buttercream piled on top). Next event should be May 4th and 5th. Go!

Resto Outdoor - S/S 2012

Did you get your obscenely large Restoration Hardware catalog complete with separate outdoor and small space folios all in a big plastic bag? Kind of seemed like it should have had a three-ring binder didn't it?

Theres a lot to like, especially among the outdoor offerings. The planters are great, like the round zinc ones above. The strap and ring adds a hint of utility I find really appealing, and they have feet, which they should if you're going to set them on a hard surface.

There are new furniture collections as well, including a number of terrific all-weather wicker ones available in four different shades. My favorite is the Malibu collection, shown above. My tastes seem to be running more and more to the clean-lined, and this is exactly what I would want if my patio furniture budget were bigger. Way bigger. I know things cost money, but man this stuff is expensive.

More like a room all the time

So we had the Chinese cabinet for under the TV and built the wall to fit it. Then came the rug, and we lived with the sectional that was entirely too big for the room, and a couple old pottery barn tables that have clearly seen better days.

Then came the sofa, which totally opens up the room. And over the weekend I started working on that asian-legged coffee table I bought off Craigs ages ago. With the smaller sofa it fits perfectly, and I can't wait to show you what I decided to do with it.

Then tonight came this:

From Drexel's Synchronicity collection, its the Lief drum table. I'd seen it when we were sofa shopping and liked it, but I had to think about it for a while. I love a drum table and at 28 inches in diameter it's big enough for the corner I need to fill. Plus the lamp I want to use has a huge base, so this will have plenty of surface left.

And while I don't like everything to match, I like a little bit of continuity, so for the other end of the couch I ordered this from the same group:

Its the Spiro serving table. I'm sure they call it that because its small and has that handle for easy moving. Except the base is iron, so its a little weighty to pick it up with anything spillable sitting there. With a floor lamp behind it we'll be good to go.

Anticipated arrival is May, which gives me time to finish the two furniture painting projects, recover a pair of pillows, replace some lampshades, figure out the blind situation (samples already here!), and maybe even install some dummy curtain panels and hang some art.