Weekend Recap

This morning was SO nice! I totally got to sleep in. I can’t remember the last time I went to bed at a decent hour and got to sleep in too! Best Mother’s Day extension present ever! Sadly I’m paying for it now and am running a little behind on the day. Isn’t that how…

This morning was SO nice! I totally got to sleep in. I can’t remember the last time I went to bed at a decent hour and got to sleep in too! Best Mother’s Day extension present ever!

Sadly I’m paying for it now and am running a little behind on the day. Isn’t that how it always goes though?

Friday was so fun. Claire, my second daughter, and I went on a little date. We had dinner and then went to see First Position. Claire’s super obsessed with ballet and is working on memorizing the moves and positions (Her favorite one to say is Grand Jete – she has the accent down!). The movie was beautiful and inspiring. Such amazing talent in those dancers!

Saturday was a work day, but I got to squeeze in some shopping at the flea market – and it was a GOOD day! I bought a desk, a console, a vanity chair, a decorative column, a floor lamp, and a bunch of cool odds and ends. This HUGE vintage Italian mirror was a little mother’s day gift to myself. I love the shape and texture. I’m hoping it works over the mantle in our new place.

Prices were so good and everyone was smiling and in the best mood. Maybe because the weather was just perfect.

You know it’s one of the first nice days of the year when every single blade of grass at every park is covered with people looking for some Vitamin D!

We also made some progress on securing our new place this weekend, which I am so excited about. Papers will be signed this week and then I’ll get to share all the details. Nostalgia for our current neighborhood is already starting to set in. It’s been a good two years here.

On Mother’s Day, I had a bunch of church responsibilities, so the day was a little crazy. By the time we got home in the late afternoon, all I wanted to do was curl up on the couch and catch up on our DVR queue. Michael took care of every little thing with the kids this weekend and I didn’t have to lift a finger. It was pretty much heaven. The girls even made me a mother’s day lunch – cereal, sugar snap peas and a soda. All very random, but I loved the thought and care behind it.

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Musings

Happy Mother’s Day

I love thinking of Mother’s Day as a celebration of all women who nurture. Here’s hoping we all get a little extra love back this weekend! And a little tip if you get a flower arrangement – don’t overwater your blooms! Two or three fingers of fresh water in a vase is just enough. If…

I love thinking of Mother’s Day as a celebration of all women who nurture. Here’s hoping we all get a little extra love back this weekend!

And a little tip if you get a flower arrangement – don’t overwater your blooms! Two or three fingers of fresh water in a vase is just enough. If you change that water every other day, your flowers will last twice as long. These peonies are more than a week old!

Also, the adorable Summer Bellessa and Brooke White from the Girls With Glasses Show asked me to participate in their Mother’s Day video. I had a funny voice from a cold and the background noise is bad (why did we film this on the roof again?), but we still had fun :)

Have a great weekend, especially you hard-working mamas! xoxo

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Musings

Happy Mother's Day

I love thinking of Mother’s Day as a celebration of all women who nurture. Here’s hoping we all get a little extra love back this weekend!

Have a great weekend, especially you hard-working mamas! xoxo

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Blue

Room Tour: Fletcher’s Nursery

I’m was so thrilled when Chassity from Look Linger Love emailed me to offer up first dibs on these photos of her new son’s nursery. She has done such a lovely job here! Here’s Chassity with a little tour, and as always, the sources are listed at the very bottom. After learning that we were…

After learning that we were pregnant with a boy I definitely had a moment of panic over decorating the nursery. I had been in “girly mode” with Fletcher’s older sister Lilly, so to switch gears was a little intimidating. All needless worry of course as boys’ rooms are definitely just as much fun.

I started by inviting some of my favorite interior designer friends to contribute to a Nursery Design Series to get some ideas rolling. The nursery boards these women (like Caitlin Wilson, Angie Hranowsky, and Amber Lewis) came up with were incredible to say the least, and were a great starting point for me to get my ideas running. (You can see all the moodboards and their sources here)

My main goal for the room was to give Fletcher an eclectic, comfortable, and safe space to call his own. I wanted to look beyond the “matchy” set of furniture and bedding that can be typical of nurseries. While it wasn’t my intention, I like the voyager feel that the space has. I also chose items that would grow with Fletcher. For example, instead of a changing table I chose the voyager steamer dresser to work double duty. Likewise, I envision Fletcher and Lilly reading books together on the JA mini sofa for years to come.

The nursery renovation took probably 3 months from beginning to end. This includes all the time I spent gathering inspiration, shopping around, placing orders, and eventually completing the room. Fletcher was born 5 weeks early so we had to be quick to complete all the final touches once he arrived.

What do I think makes the space? The Madeline Weinrib rug definitely adds visual interest to the room. But beyond that it’s the sentimental items that are in the room. Cuddling up in the middle of the night is much more cozy with the navy & white throw blanket that my Granny knitted. And while Fletcher isn’t sitting in the chair just yet, I’m glad that I was able to find the cowhide element that my Dad was adamant about seeing in his grandson’s room. And I smile every time that I look at the painting that my friend Sally King Benedict painted for us as a baby gift.

(Thanks again, Chassity!! If you have a room tour you’d like to submit, please email us)

Room Sources:

Wall Color – Valspar’s Gray Plank

Mini Sofa – Jonathan Adler

Elephant Pouf – Serena and Lily

Rocker – Joya

Lamp – Restoration Hardware

Rug – Madeline Weinrib

Cowhide Chair – Celadon

Crib – Oeuf Sparrow Crib

Crib Bedding – Little Auggie

Dresser/Changing Table – Restoration Hardware

Vintage Peddle Plane – Restoration Hardware

Velvet Drapes – Pottery Barn

Colorblock painting – Sally King Benedict

Watercolor Map Print – Jessica Durrant

Boy On Bike Art – Kiki and Polly

Do Good Art – Twamies

Driftwood Shelf – Moss Woodshop

You Are Simply Wonderful Print – Sarah and Bendrix

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Musings

Zinc Table

If we get this new place, for the first time in many years we will have a house with private outdoor space. Hallelujah! It’s not huge a huge garden, but it just enough room for the kids to run around and for an outdoor dining/bbq area. It’s taking just about every ounce of self control…

It’s taking just about every ounce of self control I have to not buy this zinc table for the deck. I really love it.

There are going to be so many big purchases for the move, I’ll have to do some prioritizing. So I guess we’ll hold out for a little while longer (and hope that it goes on sale in the meantime?). I am going to check out some vintage Bertoia chairs from craigslist tomorrow though. Wouldn’t these make a pretty amazing pair with the zinc table? If the finish is bad, there might be some spray paint action up in here.

And while we’re at it I’d like a few strands of these classic string lights. These more modern string lights are cool too.

Have you seen any great outdoor furniture or accessories this year? I’m so excited about having a yard again, I can hardly stand it.

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Furniture

Painting a mirror with chalkboard paint

I have always hated the gold painted finish on this old mirror I got at Brimfield years ago for about $60. I’ve been meaning to gold leaf it for a long time, but just haven’t had the chance to get around to it. Then this weekend I was just so over the gold. It is such a blah color for my entry with the olive leather settee and the beige leopard rug. The space needed some contrast, so on a whim I decided to paint the mirror black.

While I was looking for the quart of black Benjamin Moore Advance, I saw the chalkboard paint and thought the ultra flat finish could be cool looking, sort of a little like this old Anthropologie iron mirror?

I’ve said this a million times, but painting mirrors is the easiest project. Just slap on two or three coats, let it dry and then clean up the mirror with a wet rag. The dried paint wipes right off the glass. If you need a little extra help with the edges, a razor works great.

The color is off in these photos and the black is not quite as washed out. I think I really like it in person though.

I need to touch up some places (chalkboard paint doesn’t cover very well, not surprisingly!).

I think the matte black is a cool look, especially for my entry. If I want the mirror gold again though when we move, it would be easy to leaf right over the black. The color contrast would be great actually, so no harm done.

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Dining Room

Host and High Chairs

Hi! I hope you had a great weekend! We played catch up after a crazy week. So many changes coming our way! I’ve already mentioned this one, but one of the big changes is a move later this summer! Exciting! So obviously it doesn’t make sense to buy anything more for the loft. In our…

Hi! I hope you had a great weekend! We played catch up after a crazy week. So many changes coming our way!

I’ve already mentioned this one, but one of the big changes is a move later this summer! Exciting! So obviously it doesn’t make sense to buy anything more for the loft. In our new place, the dining room isn’t suited for a long table like this one, so I decided to let go of the host chair idea. We pulled the minty Italian chairs up to the table when I bought the little bergeres a couple weeks ago (those are now flanking the red console) I love the way they look against the chinese wallpaper!

A couple of people have emailed me about our high chair. I bought our Stokke Tripp Trapp chair on Craigslist for $75 right after we moved to the city. It’s a really great little chair for older babies (we use a Bumbo for the first six months or so), toddlers and even young kids. I love the shape and color and it’s great for us to have Evie sitting at the table with us rather than dealing with a huge big high chair situation.

Do you have a high chair you love?

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Bedrooms

Copy Cat Design: Feminine Bedroom

Colleen, who is offering eDecorating services now (!!), is back for another stunning Copy Cat post. This photo of the Oly Studio showroom at High Point was plastered allllll over Pinterest this week. Wouldn’t you love to call this room yours? Here’s Colleen: Here’s a showroom that made the rounds after High Point, and for…

Here’s a showroom that made the rounds after High Point, and for good reason: it’s spectacularly pretty!

1. Sea Urchin Art; Pieces, $28-45

Since our interpretation doesn’t include a stunning brass bed, bring in some brass accents for extra sparkle. I love these urchins because the echo the shape of the sunburst mirror in the space.

2. Shane Powers Opal Glass Vase; West Elm, $23

A few coral peonies in this milky-white vase would be plenty pretty on a nightstand.

3. Coral Table Lamp; Wayfair, $95

Coral lamps fit right in with the tropical thrust of the room.

4. Chatham Canopy Bed; PB Teen, $1000

Not quite a showstopping brass canopy, but the lines are clean. Ikea used to carry a similar (and cheaper) canopy, so it might be worth tracking down on Craigslist.

5. Schumacher Velvet in Hibiscus; Decorator’s Best, $109

A luxurious velvet for a bolster or euro shams.

6. Bahama Sparrow; Vintage Printable

Illustrations in the public domain are an excellent source for decorating, and this bird print works so well here! You can even enlarge the illustration with Wizard Prints.

7. Jules Large Accent Table; Crate & Barrel, $350

It’s a bit of a challenge finding new gold-toned furniture, so I love these feminine tables.

8. Gold Sunburst Mirror; Target, $90

A spindly starburst mirror adds some needed texture.

9. Lyon Chair; Restoration Hardware, $595

A pretty, cozy chair in a natural linen rounds out the furniture. (ed note: This chairs is super comfy and an unbelievably great price!!)

10. Hemstitched Percale Duvet in Pink Grapefruit; Garnet Hill, $120

Add some color to the bed with a coral pink duvet or quilt!

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Why Don't You

More $4 Art Inspiration

Lenya from 7 Year Wedding had a nook in her dining room that was feeling a little drab. She scanned in some trellis scrapbook paper and had it made into an engineering print like I did here. I love the texture the graininess of the printing process gives to the look. It’s especially good layered…

Lenya from 7 Year Wedding had a nook in her dining room that was feeling a little drab. She scanned in some trellis scrapbook paper and had it made into an engineering print like I did here.

I love the texture the graininess of the printing process gives to the look. It’s especially good layered with a pretty mirror!

Great job Lenya!!

Do you have a project to share on LGN? Email us!

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Inspiration

SOS: Ballad Dining Chairs

Help! Do any of you have the straight-back Louis or the Leonardo chairs from Ballard? I’d love to hear your opinion on the comfort level. One of my clients likes the style of the Leonardo a lot and the dimensions are perfect, but the chairs need to be really comfortable (like long dinner parties comfortable). I’d love any input you have to offer! I wouldn’t ask normally, but we’ve been stuck on the chair situation for a while and could use some info. Please and thank you!

The plan is to pair four of these with a marble-topped Saarinen style table for her breakfast nook.

PS Thanks for all the emails on the Nate Berkus settee. I passed them all along to my old client and she’ll be responding to you. xx

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Musings

Six Random Thoughts

I got back late last night from a whirlwind trip to Chicago. My head is still spinning a little from the past couple of very busy weeks, but here are six things I’m enjoying lately: 1) Julie from Shelter Interior Design was also in Chicago yesterday and I was so glad to finally meet her….

I got back late last night from a whirlwind trip to Chicago. My head is still spinning a little from the past couple of very busy weeks, but here are six things I’m enjoying lately:

1) Julie from Shelter Interior Design was also in Chicago yesterday and I was so glad to finally meet her. She is so cool and, truly, her blog is an absolute feast for the eyes! These are some photos of her house in Boston. She’s got skills – girlfriend can dream up a gorgeous space in about five minutes flat (trust me, I saw her do it yesterday!).

2) I think pale blue and rust orange might be my favorite color combo of the past couple months. Maybe that’s why I’ve been wearing these boots almost non-stop all spring. They are not super high, so they’re perfect for running around the city all day. Every single time I wear them someone stops to ask me where they’re from, which is always fun, right ladies?

3) One of my old clients is moving apartments and doesn’t have room any more for this adorable pale aqua settee we bought together last summer. It’s in almost perfect condition and she’s selling it for a fraction of what she paid. She’s on the Upper East side and would need you to pick it up yourself. Email me for more details.

4) Kirsten blogged about these West Elm planters last week and I haven’t been able to get them out of my mind. Aren’t they gorgeous (and they’re on sale!)? So sleek! I’m imagining a super feminine flowering plant in these, or maybe round two of my citrus trees (which sadly died pretty quickly in our loft – not nearly enough light in here I’m guessing?)

5) This white herringbone pattern quilt from Target, which is only available in stores, is a really great buy. It looks so pretty tucked in tight on a bed, with a colorful duvet folded at the foot (my forever-favorite look for bedding).

6) Last Saturday Joanna hosted a Mother’s Day brunch at Karen Mordechai’s stunning loft in Williamsburg. Karen runs Sunday Suppers which is a beautiful cooking+dining class that I’m dying to take (hopefully sometime this summer). The food on Saturday was phenomenal, and the company, even better! I love these creative, beautiful, super inspiring women.

photo swiped from my new across-the-street neighbor, Jamie Beck.
See here how I’m holding Leigh’s new little peanut? That was such a treat. But seriously, want to know what’s not a helpful thing to do when you’re fighting baby fever? Holding adorable newborns. So not helpful.

from my Instagram (follow me at jennykomenda)

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Bathroom

How to Clean Lucite

I picked up this vintage lucite stool at the flea market a week or two ago and this weekend I had a minute to reupholster the seat and clean up the base. I was so excited to use this laminated fabric I bought at Purl Soho a while back. You can find lots of laminated…

I picked up this vintage lucite stool at the flea market a week or two ago and this weekend I had a minute to reupholster the seat and clean up the base.

I was so excited to use this laminated fabric I bought at Purl Soho a while back. You can find lots of laminated fabrics online. They’re great to use on dining chairs and play room chairs, or seating in the bathroom.

I took off the old, dingy fabric and used the old fabric as a pattern to cut out the laminated fabric. This way it was easy to choose where I wanted to center the fabric on the pattern.

Laminated fabric, like vinyl, is a little tricky to work with around corners and round edges because it is so thick. Don’t be afraid to pull tightly and try hard to keep the folds on the underside of the seat, rather than along the edge.

Before I put the new seat on, I cleaned the acrylic frame. There’s definitnely a right and a wrong way to clean lucite. NEVER use Windex!! It deteriorates the acrylic slightly over time and makes it look cloudy instead of bright and clear.

The best way to clean lucite is simply warm soapy water and a soft cloth.

Then just wipe it down with a dry cloth and you’re all done. I’ve seen acrylic polish solutions out there but I’ve never used them before.

So happy to have a new little waterproof stool in our bathroom for sitting on while I bathe the girls!

PS Here’s the post were I painted the little blue vanity. And remember Emily’s laminated fabric bench in her dining room? Have you found a great use or source for laminated fabric?

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