Around Here

Carrie Bradshaw sipped cocktails and smoked cigarettes while she wrote.

Last night, I drank Crown and Diet Coke and ate mini Goldfish....

This Charming House

 

This is the new Haruka Dinnerware at Crate and Barrel.  According to their website, it's a freeform white dinnerware, made of Asian ironware, that features the distinctive look of origami. 

I just think it's pretty.  

I do not, however, think that it's prettier than the Halo dinnerware, of which my cabinets are full.  

It is pretty enough that I bought the creamer and sugar bowl to sit out on my counter and make themselves useful for the morning coffee.

Bryn Alexandra Interiors

Last week, I met with a new designer who is going to help me here at Chateau Bee Charmer.

Her name is Bryn Dunn and her company is called Bryn Alexandra Interiors.

You can check her out here and here.

If you are local to Charlotte and you need a little help making your house beautiful, give her a call!

This Charming House

I love these!!  It's the Ula Green Multi Napkin from my happy place - Crate and Barrel.

They would be lovely this summer in my black and white dining room.....

New Dinette Chairs

Here's Lola Bean - isn't she pretty? - showing off the new dinette chairs.

They're not finished yet because they have to have new seat cushions, but you get the gist.

They are midcentury modern and were made in Sweden. I picked them up at the Sleepy Poet Antique Mall where I find most of the cool stuff in the house. I committed blasphemy by spray painting them black but after a lot of thought I decided "They're my chairs. I can spray paint them if I want to." I'm on the hunt for something cool to upholster the seats with. Then they are off to Darren at The Upholstery Shop in beautiful, scenic Lincolnton, North Carolina.

We're sending a special smoochie out to Julie and The Chris for their invaluable help in hauling them home!

The Stairwell

I know that y'all have just been dying to see the stairwell!

You remember what it looked like before: Builder's Beige and Home Depot Bargain Basement Builder's Grade Banisters (say that five times fast)


And here it is now:

I had the stairwell painted the same color as the rest of my downstairs - Tuscan Beige by Behr.

And I painted the banisters white.
At first I couldn't decide what to do with the banisters, because I hated them with a red hot passion.
I got a quote on having them all ripped out and replaced - but in the end, I didn't think replacing them would be a good investment.
Then I got a quote on having them professionally painted - $300.00.
Now I am willing to throw money at problems, but when it comes to something that I can paint myself - well - I just couldn't do it.
So for the price of a quart of paint and some blood, sweat and tears, I got a much cleaner look - or at least one I can live with. I also happen to think that it works more cohesively with the rest of the moldings in my place.

I must warn you that it was a miserable job and I hated every minute of it. It took three days and three coats - including one coat of oil based primer - but it looks clean and bright and I'm kind of a little proud of it. And the professional painter told me that I did a good job (when he was here to paint the kitchen) and that made it all the better.

Kitchen Art

So, I've become something of an Etsy addict lately.

Affordable and totally cool art. Delivered to your home! What's not to love?

I got the two GORGEOUS photos above from Jennifer Squires' Etsy shop. She's great to work with and her work is uniformly fabulous. I really admire the ability to take a simple subject and make it look sophisticated and special without making it seem ordinary.

Jennifer has the knack, y'all.

I actually ordered a third piece and am anxiously awaiting its arrival.

Go! Shop! Buy!!!

New Couch Pillows

After two years of looking, I have finally found the perfect couch pillows - or at least perfect for now. They are, strangely enough, purple.

The little ones for the green chairs kicked off the whole thing. They are kind of perfect. And they were on sale.

I really love this one:

I found them at Isabella in Myers Park.

I'm having a couple of more made in lavender silk. I'll post updates when they come back from the seamstress.

If It Isn't One Thing

This weekend we had an "incident" with one of the zebra dining chairs in my dinette.

I love to say "dinette". It makes me feel mod and if I had a cigarette, a martini and a pair of capri pants, I'd be right there.

But I digress, as you all know I do from time to time.

The upshot of the whole thing is that I used to have four zebra dining chairs and now I have three. I immediately went online to CB2 to see about ordering another, but, alas, they are no more.

What is a girl to do?

I've decided to look at this as an opportunity for improvement.

The truth is, I've been a little bit iffy on my zebra chairs since I bought them. They are a little more yellow than I thought they would be when I ordered them. I love them, I just think that I should store them and find a perfect place for them later.

I've decided to scour the internet and western North Carolina in search of cool second hand chairs.

So far, these are the ones I love. They're on Ebay and I'm watching them. I don't believe they are going to be within my price point, but you never can tell.


Stay tuned.

Orchids

I'm giving them a try again.

Keep your fingers crossed that I don't kill them. At least not immediately.

I Won! Take Two. The Major Prize Arrived!

I told you a couple of weeks ago that I won a very cool Jonathan Adler Claridge Lamp at an online giveaway sponsored by my sweet friend Sarah over at Serendipity.

It has arrived!

Here it is on the side table in the guest bedroom. It makes an excellent "top of the steps" night light.

New Living Room

Here are the new sofa and chair.


I love the way my grandmother's table looks beside the chair. I think Grandmother would probably be appalled, though, especially after she realized that I not only stripped it, but that I also spray painted it black.

Now we can really kick in and buy some accessories!

Sunday Morning

I headed up to Ikea on Sunday morning.

I had a $100.00 budget but then I got there and I went CRAZY, ya'll.

I bought every single thing I wanted.

I said "Flooty to the Recession! I'm shopping!"

(In case you are unfamiliar with the word "flooty", it's a cuss word my Mother made up. Feel free to incorporate it into your pseudo-prafanity vocabulary. She won't mind.)

Anyway,

I spent $96.22.

What can I say? I tried.

Here's the haul:



I got the martini glasses that I have been coveting.

And a stack of new hand towels for the kitchen:

And in addition to a couple of frames, some magazine organizers and new oven mitts, I got some cute little flower pots and greenery for the mantle in the living room:

I've been unhappy with the mantle since I moved in and I had just about decided that there was no use fooling with it until I can get the new couch and chair in here. And that's still mostly true. For now, the living room is OK, but it's not where I want it to be.

But I saw these little pots and liked them and they are indicative of one of the things that I like most about Ikea and that is this: They often do simple things very, very well. Their household items are well designed and often, don't seem mass produced.
These little pots LOOK expensive but they were actually $2.99 each and they remind me of something one would purchase at Wisteria for substantially more money. I think the same is true of my new martini glasses. They have an expensive, handblown look and yet, they are incredibly inexpensive.
Lots of people use the word "cheap" when describing Ikea but I don't think that's accurate. Their products are inexpensive, but what I like is that they aren't "cheap".
At least that's what I'm gonna keep telling myself.
Oh, I don't but their furniture. You have to draw the line somewhere.

Painted Stairwell

Before:



After:

I get that ya'll might not get the full impact of the fabulosity, but I am very excited about this. Unfortunately, the loveliness of the paint has only accentuated the ugliness of the banisters. I am going to make a push to get them painted this weekend.

The wallpaper plan may be permanently on hold. As we discussed before, I had picked out some wallpaper for the entry. Well, I got the estimate back. $1500 to buy 3 double rolls of wallpaper and have it installed (installation was only $175.00). Needless to say, we're not pursuing that plan here at Chateau Bee Charmer.

Geeze.

It's times like these that I am reminded that I am from Appalachia.

Anywho, I have lined up some more budget friendly alternatives and ordered samples. I am actually more excited about these options so we'll see how it goes.

For now, we're enjoying the paint.

A Loss and Then A Find

Friday I broke my lovely white McCoy bowl. I accidentally dropped it while cleaning and much profanity followed. And I'm still a little distraught. I am incredibly particular about the McCoy that I buy and I have a small, yet very considered collection.

Now, I gotta look for a NEW old white McCoy bowl.

I should tell you at this point that the only real souvenirs I collect when travelling are business cards from shops and restaurants that I enjoy and want to remember. The cards themselves are just as beautiful as they can be, they don't cost anything and they are easy to pack. I come home and put my very favorites into my former beautiful bowl.

The bowl in the above picture is just a "stand in" from Crate and Barrel that I had around the house. If you love it, you can go grab one for not very much.

But back to my story - and this is harder to write coherently than I thought it would be... when I broke the bowl on Friday my business cards scattered all over the floor. And when I bent to pick them up, I had the lovely experience of remembering all of the places from whence they had come. And I was happy that this small joy had arisen from my tragic accident.

Since I enjoyed my little trip down memory lane, I decided that I would share some with ya'll.

First, we have Savoy where I ate the last time I was in New York. We took a cab down to Soho from our midtown hotel and felt very hip, slick and cool. Then we drank (and I spilled) copious amounts of red wine, flirted with the locals and ate in the upstairs dining room. It was a tiny, close restaurant and although I cannot remember what I ate, I remember that they had olives at the bar and that I had a perfectly smashing time. Shout out to Ronna for footing the (considerable) bill. Yay Pseudo-Mom!


Next we have Cafe Marchesa where I recently dined in Key West. I loved Cafe Marchesa and particularly approved of their decor and their French Martinis. The other thing I am still madly in love with is their martini glasses which I strongly felt were incredibly expensive and beyond my reach. Imagine my excitement to have come home and found them for sale at Ikea for $1.99 per stem. I believe they will soon be mine.

City Issue, in Atlanta, was found after a particularly lovely and extremely confusing drive all over, under, around and through Buckhead. We finally found it, quite by accident, I think. It was worth the trip. And the trip was worth the trip. They had some amazing Mid-Century modern pieces and I hope to find it again one day.

We ate at Coco Pazzo in Chicago LONG before Jennifer Aniston decided to frequent it while filming The Breakup. She just won't stop trying to steal our glory. It is tiny and intimate and we were happy to have reservations. I had the best service EVER while dining there and my risotto was to die for. And, you know, the wine...well it goes without saying. After dinner we walked back up Michigan Avenue to our hotel. What a great city and a fun trip.

Sorza is a little restaurant on the Ile St. Louis in Paris. I love it there. Paris in general and Ile St. Louis in particular. If you ever have just one day in Paris, go there. You won't be disappointed. We ate at Sorza on our last trip and this card just reminds me of that beautiful day, in Paris, and being happy.

Guest Bathroom In Blue

I painted the guest bathroom a couple of weekends ago.

Many of you don't know that when it comes to paint color selection, I am woefully deficient. Almost every room I painted in my former place had to be repainted at least twice because I always pick the wrong color.

This deficiency brings great joy to my dear friend and when she is sad my stories of having to repaint always cheer her up. Her favorite is the time I painted my kitchen the exact shade that Pepto Bismol would be if it were green - Pistachio Bismol if you will.

But I digress.

The point is, I can't do paint.

This is the main reason I consult with a decorator.

She helps me pick paint.

You need this background to understand why I am so proud of the paint in the guest bathroom - I picked it all by myself!

And I got it right the first time!

I fear that my pictures really don't do it justice but it is the perfect bathroom color. Sort of a spa blue with a little bit of green in it. I may be hallucinating the green part, but it's my house so deal with it.

"Organza" by Ralph Lauren. Except I had the nice people at Home Depot color match it and I bought Behr. It's cheaper and, according to Consumer Reports, better paint.


I have needed to give this little room some love for a while. It is the one room in the house that I spend no time in and I guess I thought I needed to "bond" with it.

I think I have achieved bonding and for the past two weeks, I've been stopping by the guest bathroom often to turn on the light and enjoy the paint.

Latest Scheme

This is my stairwell.


I'm not happy with it and in the past two weeks I have turned my attention to it in a very considered way.

That's a nice way to say that it is my latest obsession and the object of my latest scheme.

First, the stairwell itself has not yet been painted. It's still covered in flat builder's beige and one way or another, that must soon change.

Second, I hate my bannisters with a white hot passion. After much consideration, I have decided to paint them white and will do so in the next little bit.

Third, having taken careful note of the reemergence of wallpaper as a hot decorating trend, I have decided that this is an excellent area to introduce it into Chateau Bee Charmer.

Here's the leading contender - "Imperial Trellis" by Schumacher. I want the cream on white, but you can tell more about it from the darker color. I am, however, open to suggestions and will be meeting with a new decorator today so I can finalize the plan and get started.


My first thought was to put it on the main wall of the stairwell. However, given my unwavering ability to pick out the most expensive galdang thing in the world, I'm beginning to think that covering that wall might be a little cost prohibitive, given the height of the stairwell.

Then I decided that maybe I can get the same "bang" by covering the hallway wall when you first come in.

This one:


That way, your eye will be pulled down the hall and into the living room. And I'll have my darling Sean come and paint the stairwell in "Tuscan Beige" to match the rest of the house.
What do you think?
Finn is all over this plan. Here he is offering his support.

If It's May, It Must Be Time for Peonies

Peonies are my favorite flower and once a year for about two weeks I can get them at the Teeter.

Here they are making my room so much more beautiful and fragrant.

I feel so blessed to have them. They are perfectly beautiful in every way.

Memorial Day Projects

I hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend.

This morning I decided to celebrate one of the joys of home ownership - maintenance and upkeep.

I know - ya'll are all "Yay!" about that because, after all, what are long weekends for if not home maintenance? And don't we all enjoy it so much?

But I am getting ahead of myself.

Let's go back for a moment.

On February 26 my builder came to my house and fixed the nail pops and cracks in my upstairs ceilings. The guest bathroom and third bedroom had several and the master bedroom tray ceiling needed work.

Since February, there have been large areas of drywall mud covered patches that needed to be sanded and painted.

I know ya'll can't believe I put that off. But I did. I just tried not to look up and pretended it wasn't there.

Until today.

Right now I am sitting covered in a fine coating of drywall dust. It is under my fingernails and in my nose and ears. Also? My face is covered in paint splatter from the overhead painting.

HOWEVER - the upstairs ceilings have been sanded and painted and the entire upstairs has been vacuumed and dusted and I feel a sense of happiness and accomplishment.

If my law career ever hits the skids I think I could earn a living at drywall.

Here's a shot:

What's that you say? You don't see anything? That's because I ROCK at drywall.

Painting the Guest Bathroom

So.

I think I'm going to paint the guest bathroom this weekend.

It's time.

I know this because the thought of doing it does not make my stomach turn.

Now, the big hurdle is to decide on the color.

Right now I'm leaning toward greenish blue - as opposed to bluish green.

And don't laugh at me about this because you know that I am ... how shall we say this - detail oriented - about the house.

I would really rather have it be more blue than green but my towels and rug are green and I don't want to replace them. So we'll have to see. Maybe a bluish greenish gray? Or is that taupe?

I think I'll have to consult with my House Beautiful paint book for a suggestion and then haul over to Benjamin Moore.

I have heard, from reliable sources, that there is a guy at the Benjamin Moore on Wendover who is a color genius.

I guess we'll find out on Saturday.

Don't worry. I'll post pictures.

And if the guy is a real thing, I'll tell you all about him, too.