Brasilia TV Stand and Living Room Tour

I finally have pictures of the Brasilia TV stand in place!  For some reason it is really difficult to take good pictures in our living room so I apologize for the quality of these pics.

It fits that inset perfectly!  The cords are still an annoying problem but I think that is about as good as it is going to get.

We have another new addition to the living room.  It is a mid-century Lane side table.  Here is the before.  

It was in pretty tough shape.  However my mom the master refinisher worked her magic with a little bit of this...

And look at it now!

Isn't that dovetail detailing fantastic!  

I replaced a small metal tray table with the new Lane piece.

Here are some additional pictures around the room.

The big picture is actually a framed cloth print that my hubby and I got in New Zealand.  The bird is a Weka (wild chickens)...not a kiwi. The giant frame is a Ribba from Ikea.

Aren't these little birds cute!  I pick them up for $5 at the Helping Hands thrift store in New Haven.  They look like little wekas.

I'm off to Denver tomorrow to see my friend.  So hopefully I'll have more progress pictures of her house.

KK

Christmas Already? Now this is just too early....

As sad as it is, I expect to see this when I walk into a store this time of year...

But this is just too much too soon...

 Holiday crafting!? Snowflakes!? It is 85 degrees!

The entire back of the store was loaded with Christmas stuff.  Already!?  We aren't even out of August!  I haven't even been to the beach or had a lobster roll.  On the bright side, there were some neat things in the mix.

I think they have the same one at Pier 1...fun and $140.

Sorry this picture is so terrible.  Cute flower votives.  Wouldn't classify them as Christmas but I do like them.

Sigh.

Oh and the J.Crew in Westport apparently redid their store.  Look at these amazing lights they have over the check-out counter.

I love these!  Anyone out there know where they are from?

KK

Broyhill Brasilia!

I've been searching for a new tv cabinet FOREVER.  The tv was one of the first things we bought when we moved into our place and it has been rather sad and messy looking ever since. The biggest problem is the space where the tv has to go. There is an inset next to the fireplace which is unfortunately the only option in the room to put the tv. I originally got this tv stand from IKEA...

Unfortunately it didn't work out. I made the very silly mistake of measuring the distance of the inset from wall to wall...not trim to trim.  The piece was too big by about two inches. Grrr. That's one mistake I won't make again!

So right now, this is the state of our tv. Oh it is so embarrassing!

I'm watching Top Model....Don't all those electronics look great strewn across the floor. The tv is now on a very pretty bench/coffee table that does NOT work as a tv stand.

Just when I thought there was no hope along came the fabulous Brasilia!

My mom found a beautiful buffet and hutch piece from the Broyhill Brasilia Collection at Salvation Army.  It was $59. Amazing. And even more amazing is that similar Brasilia pieces sell for $1500...not that I can part with it. The Brasilia Collection was produced by Broyhill in the 1960s and was inspired by the then newly developed capital city of Brazil....Brasilia! Here are some cool pics of Brasilia. You can see where the designers found their inspiration.

look familiar?

Pretty cool right? I'm setting up the tv now....pictures to come tomorrow :-)

Lampshade Redo

I picked up a great mid-century style lamp from Hotel Liquidators for my husband's office, but the shade was crushed and needed to be replaced. Here is how I did it!

Sorry I only have phone pics...as usual I can't find my camera

I love the shape of the fixture and the scale is big enough not to get lost on the desk.  And - bonus! - since it is from a hotel there is a plug on the base so you can charge your phone.  :-)



I used a grass cloth to remake the shade. The paper is stiff so it works really well for this application. I used the existing shade as a pattern and traced the outline by rolling the existing shade along the grass cloth.

Then I cut the metal forms off the old shade.

Using Fabri-Tac I glued the new shade together.

I think it turned out pretty well!

KK

One Kings Lane Love

The Dorian Webb chandeliers for sale on One King's Lane are awesome.  Too bad we don't have an extra grand lying around :-)

 

 Silver-leaf Chandelier I

Doesn't this just look happy. I love the mix of the starburst hoop and beautiful, drippy crystal in the center.

 Silver-leaf Chandelier II

Beautiful for an entry or even a glamorous bath.

Milano Chandelier

Also great for an entry.  Love the all-over rose motif in white so it is not overly girly.

 Alhambra Ceiling Mount

So dark and gothic!  It could go gaudy but it could also be fabulous if used in a clean, restrained setting.