Bernhardt Interiors new release

So a while back I mentioned that Henredon asian-legged cocktail table from Craigslist that I was working on for the tv room.  I had a basecoat of paint on it, and bought 4 yards of great Pollock fabric to have a cushion made to go on top, and it was going to be this teriffic cocktail ottoman.  


Until Tucker got bored and chewed a whole corner off the top in ONE DAY.  He's a whopping 14 pounds, his head and mouth are tiny, I have no idea how he did it.


I can probably replace the top, I just need to turn it upside down and see how it comes apart.


If that doesn't work, I found the table above among Bernhardt Interiors new introductions.  Same lines, polished steel.


Give that a whirl schnauzer mouth.

Well worn

Picture ganked from FMAMB, no idea where she got it

Jenny posted this a while back, and I've never loved an old paint texture more.  I'm also feeling the blue.  I bought a little shaker drop leaf table off craigs today, and this is what I'm going to try to do to it.  I've always used bees wax as my resist, but I'm going to try a heavy application of paste wax in places to see if I can make it happen.  Cross your fingers.

Where am I planning to use it?  Well, I'm not.  Its going to be a bit of a slow start but I'm kind of back in the resale business with my friends Connie and Linda.  More to come.

Now with mulch

Our new landscaper guy (who's name is David, no wonder he's good) was back on Saturday with truckloads of mulch.  The difference is amazing.

Brett and I have made repeated trips to multiple nurseries for more boxwoods, holly, and some variegated euonymus for the west end of the house.  We also planned to snag an Atlas blue cedar at Sutherland's 50% off plant sale this morning but literally missed it by a few minutes.  I resisted giving the side eye to the man and woman who had it on their cart.

Its hotter than hell today but we're heading out now to continue searching for some big pots for the porch.  As we've been concentrating on trees and shrubs we're both feeling the need for some potted flowers.  Resto REALLY needs to mark those zinc planters down hard at the end of the summer.

Boxwood blast

So you'll remember last summer after we had all the yews pulled out we built some beds.  One mild winter later and our borders were broken and coming up and just generally a mess.  So we called in some pros.

Following the line of our boxwoods (which did beautifully!) they installed a heavy duty liner.  They also roto-tilled everything, brought in dirt and graded, and buried all the downspouts.  So over the weekend and while the dirt was all fluffy and light we got to planting.

Here are some new boxwoods we added in the front.  Also note that the caved-in sidewalk and carpeted front porch are now all new.

There were no boxwoods on the east side of the house, but here's Brett finishing up the last of the 20 we installed.  You can't see them behind him but there are also five new hostas in the shady corner around that bay window.

And here at the northwest corner of the house is our new eastern white pine.  I love pines, especially funky ones with some empty spots on the trunk.  At maturity it should only be about six feet wide so it should fill up that part of the bed nicely.

There's also one little society garlic plant there, two more were added after I took this phone shot.

The guys will be back Thursday or Friday to mulch, and shopping for a Japanese lantern is on my Saturday to-do list.


Its finally starting to not look like an old lady house.

A chambray shirt

If you're a guy you probably have a chambray shirt hanging in your closet.  If you're like me, it's always there but you rarely wear it.  It seems to be one of those things I love on the hanger, but am underwhelmed with once I put it on.   My closet currently contains a Polo chambray work shirt with chest pockets (one button-through and one flapped).  It fits me well, the sleeves are the perfect length, and every time I put it on I end up taking it off.

What it doesn't really have much of is details.  And details, of almost any kind, are what draw me to certain pieces of clothing.

Checking out the new arrivals at Unionmade tonight I ran across this:

Distressed and repaired by hand in Japan, its the Remade Chambray Shirt by Anachronorm.  And its $658.00.  Yes, the price is ridiculous, but the shirt itself is kind of interesting.


You have to like this sort of thing, but I do.  My favorite pair of jeans are a destroyed and repaired pair of Adriano Goldschmied boot cuts that get raves every time I wear them (and not just because they make my ass look amazing).


Now I'm thinking about that chambray shirt in my closet, and what I might be able to do with a power sander, some fabric scraps and my sewing machine.  I wish I'd seen this earlier.  We had torrential rains yesterday and this would have been a perfect project.

Auction results. From all over.

I went to an art auction last Sunday out at Dirk Soulis' gallery in Lone Jack.  It was chock full of really nice paintings, works on paper and mid-century ceramics.  I was prepared to spend a little money, especially on one oil on board of a seated figure.


It was lot 36 or so, so I had time to just relax and watch.  Around lot 4 or 5 a Birger Sandzen 1930s watercolor came up and sold for 13 grand.  I should have realized this was a sign and headed out to salvage my day.


But there I sat, and even tried to bid on a few things.  They all went high.  Not unreasonably high for what they were (I looked up some prices later), but higher than I could go.  So I left with nothing other than the enjoyment of seeing some great art.


Edvard Munch's The Scream (the pastel) hit the block tonight at Sotheby's, and broke the record for any artwork ever sold at auction.  Hammer price with buyer's premium?  119,922,500.00


Sunday's sale seems like chump change now.

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.

Perfect

Whoever writes the headlines for the Post, I love you.

Current crush

Alexa Hampton for Visual Comfort. 28 inches, also available in white marble. I like it way more in black. I also might prefer a drum shade rather than the flare. I love urns as much as lamps so you can imagine my brain when I saw it on Gilt. I googled to grab a picture and found it for slightly more than half of Gilt's price. Filing it away for the next time I feel like I deserve a present.

A pair of chairs

Perpendicular to the couch (and more importantly perhaps, the tv) I want a pair of chairs. Something that swivels wouldn't be bad, although you won't be so far from the tv that you'd really have to turn to see. Here's one from Drexel. I like that its kind of round, although in that fabric it screams hotel lobby.

There's also this from Mitchell Gold/Bob Williams. I like the round part, the skirted bottom really bugs me.

Or maybe since the swivel isn't absolutely necessary I should just forget it? This is another Mitchell Gold/Bob Williams chair that I like a lot. Just not in that fabric. I'd probably want something solid, with some texture, in one of the two blues in the rug this will sit on the edge of.

So what do you think? All three are about the same size, and all about the size I need. Do you mind sitting at a 90 degree angle to the tv if it's only about 8 feet or so away? Or maybe Chair #1 is considerably less lobby-like in a better fabric? Opinions wanted.

Can you believe it? We bought a sofa.

We're getting ready to maybe have a deck built, so Saturday morning we ran out to a deck supply place to look at decking materials. That led to a stop at Seasonal Concepts to take a look at patio furniture. The insane pricing there made us head out west to Family Leisure. Neither had anything we loved.

While we were so far west we thought "why not run by Nebraska Furniture Mart and see if they have anything. Plus they sell nice grills, and we're due for an upgrade." I know, I've never had much nice to say about NFM, and they DO sell an amazing amount of things I don't want. But they also have the Design Gallery where you can order Henredon and Drexel and the like. We planned to stop in there after looking at the outdoor stuff.

Then, on our way to the patio area, we saw the Rowe sofa shown above and I immediately said to Brett, "sit on that." Not bad at all. Firmer back cushions, which we both prefer.

Not fine furniture I know, but its not Ashley either. And its kind of a riff on the Florence Knoll sofa that I love. We looked through the fabric memos and actually liked the floor model's fabric best of all, and that's when it just got crazy. They have it in that fabric IN STOCK. So they're delivering it Thursday.

A side note, I'm not one for extended warranties and such, but they have a fabric protection plan that covers any one-time damage for 5 years. So if I forget I have a screwdriver in my back pocket and sit down and poke a hole in the fabric they'll fix it. Or replace the whole cushion. Or if thats not possible they'll replace the couch. We're a definite dogs-on-furniture household, so we thought that was 89 bucks well spent.

We ordered something else from the Design Gallery while we were there, but I'll save that for a post when it comes in.

I'm on a roll

The weather was great today so I spent the day in the garage with the sideboard we bought the weekend Brett sliced his finger open.

I've never been a fan of chemical deglossers (liquid sandpaper) but I tried one I've never used before called Paso. It seems to work really well, and my Fine Paints of Europe oil base primer seems to be sticking just fine.

You see it here about halfway through. I stopped shortly after I snapped this phone shot as my brush was getting gunky. Incidentally, Purdy brand brushes suck. I bought a new one for oil base paints and the damn thing loses bristles like I lose hair. (I'm way thin on top, fyi)

I've got some missing veneer spots at the bottom to fill and sand and I'll finish priming the case and doors. Then its a light sanding (after 24 hours of dry time) and on to the exciting part, the burnt orange high gloss FPE sign enamel.

Cheap and easy

So I hit the auction Tuesday night and came away with this 48 inch pediment mirror from Uttermost. Not fine furniture by any means, but kind of fun. Definitely a little heavy on the gold leaf and black though.

Here it is this afternoon on sawhorses out in the garage, with its new gray primer and the glass covered up with magazine pages.

And finally, here it is with its new white paint. Please pay no attention to anything surrounding it here in our crappy kitchen.

No clue where we'll use it, but we'll find a spot, we still have lots of empty space here. I've not painted anything in ages, it felt really good, and I've got plans for more over the weekend.

Hello Martin

After a spin through River Market Antique Mall today I stopped in at Urban Dwellings to see what Mitchell Gold sofa frames were on the floor. Meet Martin.

A strong contender in my never ending search for a sofa, I'm taking Brett to look at this Saturday. Clean-lines, ample seating, relatively firm (which we prefer) and pretty reasonable. If you order it in the poly low pile velvet shown its a jaw-dropping $1295. There were other fabrics I liked even more, which wouldn't add too horribly to the total.

Schnauzer Chic

Tucker was in need of a new collar. I usually prefer our locally-owned dog supply store (Hey Brookside Barkery!) but their selection of Tuck-sized (tiny) collars is lacking. Out running errands today I stopped at Petsmart.

In addition to his new charcoal colored collar, they had a nice selection of decent looking engravable tags. We like our boys to wear our phone numbers, so I choose the small round pewter tag with the bone on the front. Then its a quick visit to the self-service lazer engraving machine that was a breeze to use.

If your dog needs a new ID tag you should stop and take a look. The tags are at the checkout counter.

60 Years

Six decades is a long time for anything. Many congratulations.