a little rock-n-roll retail therapy

I can't believe how much I missed pictures!  Are we not so spoiled with our instant gratification?  I know I am.  Five bucks paid to Goggle and I'm back with a little eye candy for ya.

I rarely post about fashion, but I am so loving some of the things Garnet Hill is currently offering I just had to share.  I love this look...but really I think I love this model and this braid.  (sidenote:  are you typically drawn to models with your hair color?  just curious)

These boots are so sexy and refined.

I start living in boots and dresses as soon as there is the first slight chill.  Yes, this look is

how I define rock-n-roll these days.  You can't much hotter than her.

And this coat!  Love it.  Okay, what about this coat with a white J Crew tee and black

leather pants.  I don't care if leather pants are in or out (nor do I know), but wouldn't that outfit be cool?

This piece of art is rockin, I think.  Remember this from Atlanta Home & Lifestyles Christmas House last year?  My client and I spied this at Stanton this week.  It was 1,200...now 199!  I don't see this working in many rooms...but it is incredible.

These are the bentwoods we got for her breakfast nook--I love the use of black metal here instead of wood.  Adds a little spice to their kitchen.

It's slowly coming together (capiz pendant and window treatments to be completed soon)  And we'll change the centerpiece...:)

I think this black moulding is really sexy.

via The Roof Over My Head

I am loving our new bar downstairs!  We paired black iron vintage sconces with two deals

from Ballard's Backroom (the stools and mirror).  The stools got four coats of white dove (leftover trim paint--semi-gloss).  I told Chris he needs to have the guys over and play cards.  He kinda laughed at me. I guess it isn't quite manly, is it?  (letters from Hobby Lobby)

For another texture, I love some black or cream felt pillows in a room.  Aren't these pretty?  (from PB Teen)

I love this white capiz table lamp, too.  Wouldn't this be nice as a desk lamp or maybe a countertop in a kitchen?  Somewhere unexpected.

And Anthro is rocking it out with this coffee table.  How unique!

And maybe this mirror...

In this bathroom instead of this white one (I LOVE this simple skirt.  When I rented a home in Little Five Points in my '20s I cut my green silk Anthro skirt and velcroed it to my sink!)

And these shades....somewhere!!

And I love these Old Schools from Emerson Made.  Bell bottoms are so rock-and-roll to me.  But I have always been a little on the hippie side.  Here is evidence below:

I pick up the boys from Mom's Morning Out and Wyatt has his entire lunch left.  I guess I can't blame a two year-old for not wanting sugar snap peas, organic carrots in a bamboo bowl.  Liam said, "Mom, why can't we get red boxes like Luca gets (read Happy Meal)."  Sorry, boys.

Thanks for hanging with this scattered post--Julie

pretty ugly

Sometimes I find that I do have a penchant for things that I know some may find are less than pretty.

I cannot tell you how much pleasure I find in these vintage paint-by-numbers.  I am sure people may find them a bit tacky.

I am not sure what the allure is for me...that it is simple, a little rough around the edges, or just not perfect.

I think this is why I love the Novogratzs so much.  They are playful in their designs.  Come on--neon "F A M I L Y" in the kitchen?  You can't beat that.

I know Mrs. Wearstler has a little taste for the not-classically-pretty.

The colors in this spread can almost offend.  It's like the opposite of soothing.  But sometimes shocking is good.

And, oh, what can beat wolfs in the wild.  (Gotcha on this one :)  I really don't get this aesthetic at all!

Today I found this parrot lamp at Tuesday Morning--a steal at 79 bucks, I thought.  She woman who worked there said it had been there over a year.  Poor little fella.  Is it really so ugly?  (this one is from Neimans coming in a $299!  This is why I want a store someday--isn't it all about context?

okay...not quite as good as Neiman's....but it's still pretty (ugly).  It does remind me of my grandmother's home a little.  I can see it working in a more modern room, too.  All about context.

And Kate finished the stencil tonight in the laundry room.  I think it's pretty (pretty).  Have a great weekend my friends, Julie

light on the top and dark on the bottom

I didn't realize how much I loved this....not just black & white mind you (I do love that, too), but particularly when a room is mostly white and then contrasting black or dark brown on the bottom.

I remember reading years ago (I think Gwyneth said it) that she always went darker as she went down in her outfits.  She did so because it gave an elongated look.  I have found myself following this rule (except for nude shoes...especially great nude heels) and it rings true for me.

I didn't realize how much I love this in interiors.  I find it all over my home and throughout my files.

image and design from Tracery Interiors, Rosemary Beach home

I find myself thinking about this kitchen all the time!

I find it so spectacular in its simplicity.  And the stools

make this space.  I really am not a fan of these stools alone

but any other type of seating would take away from this seamless

brown bottom and seamless white top of the room.  The ceilings, albeit

high already, just look crazy high now with the all white (minus the awesome,

singular beam).

another example:

oh, I love the white & black & brown!

Here are more images that speak to me:

Emily Followill Photography

Cottage Living Magazine

MFAMB

how fun is this one?

unknown source

This is the kitchen from Cottage Living's Idea House (2008?)

Again, I love the dark green bottom with dark countertop, contrasting

with the all white wall paint, open shelving and white bowls and serving

dishes.  If the shelves or the bowls were any other color, I don't think

they could pull this off.  Wooden or iron shelving would have

stolen the show from the backsplash.

This image from Country Living really needs no explanation.  Do you 

find it as beautiful as I do?  One of the top 5 all-time images in my files, for sure.

You take away the white uniformity, the brown chairs or the black cloth....and it

wouldn't work for me.   They all need each other to balance.  Even with all

this white, I still find this room playful, timeless and striking.  I know I have said this

before, but truly monochrome collections and backdrops act as canvases for 

the rest of the room.  

I am basing the inspiration for my downstairs office on this image.  I'll take some befores

and hopefully afters this month!!

An inspiration photo for the downstairs bath's

renovation had this theme as well:

myhomeideas.com

I kept coming back to this one. 

 Here is the translation:

Boy, it is tough to shoot a bathroom shot!  I need to get

someone to take a good one of this room.

I find the same light-to-dark in our guest bedroom

(which has already changed since this photo)

I am realizing how much I love black...but I do

love it tempered with white.

in bathrooms...

(myhomeideas)

in hallways...

Elle Decor

And finally, I see this throughout the stylings of Atlanta Bartlett's

spaces....she is sooo good.

I have a fun week planned for y'all!  Some guest

posts later in the week...

I hope Monday is kind to you.  Julie

I Love Having a Basement

One of the main reasons we wanted to move was our great need of a basement.  Well, I realize maybe it was more of a want than a need...we could have really lived leaner in our 3/2 ranch and made it work.  But Chris and I both have memories of playing with our siblings in the basement; him vrooming cars around, me playing with our monchichis (I bet no one remembers those!)

I wanted a basement for our boys to play in.  But let's not lie...I wanted all that plastic chaos out of sight. They still have plenty of toys upstairs, but it is so nice to have the majority down there.  Makes for fewer stubbed toes made by colliding into trucks in the middle of the night! 

We kept the '70s panelling and just painted it White Dove.  We even added those Urban Outfitters retro pendants (made of teak!) and some shag carpet to boot.  Ben Moore's Racoon Hollow is on the fireplace bricks.  I LOVE that color.  (A Perfect Gray..if you are reading...you have to check this out.  I got the idea from House Beautiful.  It is grey and green and brown all at once.  Very pleased!  

I want to do something fun for the coffee table...eventually.

I am working on a rock wall collage for my husband.  He loves music so much he said he could never work in it because he felt that it might taint his love for it.  Now that is love!  He chose the film industry instead.  One of the pics above is by Charles Peterson of Seattle (of Mudhoney).  He was one of Nirvana's main photographers.  Oh, how Chris loves Nirvana.  R.I.P.

So I sectioned off this area for "adults"  (the original panelled bar is opposite the sofa.  No reveal on that yet.  Chris has plans.

The other side of main basement room is for the youngins'

It is really a fun space.  You have to work with what you can in a basement with limited daylight.

Another great plus about our basement is a guest room!  We love having another bed for my mother-in-law or for when Chris needs his sleep for an early shoot.

I used the sewing table as a nightstand (not original--I stole idea from Southern Living)

I do love my little piece of art there, though.  I painted a baroque-ish frame my mom gave me high gloss white.  I used scraps from our bedroom drapes as art.  I love this fabric so much, who says it isn't art?  Just got a Costco mattress for my childhood bed and, voila, guest room is done!

Here is one of my favorite pendants from Ballard's Backroom:

I wish they were still around and I would get another.  I love the cut-outs.

For the bath we saved the cabinet; just added a remnant of honed black granite, new pulls and some Valspar's Lincoln Cottage Black and it is fresh enough for us!

I loved the floor-to-ceiling beaded board in the kitchen that we did the same in here:

I really love it more than going 2/3 the way up.  I don't know why, really, it just feels cleaner to me.

Got some more life out of the old Anthro shower curtains here:

I used more color here than anywhere else in the house.  

And last, but not least, I love this pastel my sis did in college.  It makes the room!

Jenn, you are so talented.

I really was thanking God for our basement today.  Am I frivolous?

Happy Friday...Julie