Empty Nook begging for new furniture!

I have been dying for something to put in this spot in our hallway.  Originally I had the chair (recently recovered) here, and then I bought an adorable wicker planter, but it was too short and proportionally off.  A little table would be cute, but as you can see in the foreground, I already have a little table in the hallway and I need something different!!

The diminsions are 42" wide and I could do something up to 14" deep without really blocking the door to the left.

I thought about a little chest, maybe a pine chest or one like to the right:
The problem has been that I cannot find a reasonably priced little shallow chest like this!

Then... I was wandering through Wisteria when I found this:

It is called French Shop Keeper's Shelves, and has dimensions: 35.25"w x 13.5"d x 68.5"h... perfect, right?  The best part is the price, only $399+$25 for shipping.  I am seriously considering splunking down the cash, what do you think???  I need to get some more books...

Striking a balance

I love love love the greys, whites, and neutrals that are gracing the blogs of today, and stores like Duh. Perfect example to the right. I think everyone can tell.... I also have a little shabby chic, French country, Hampton, and Southern traditional style in me....and, I keep finding myself leaning towards the neutrals and whites. But, I have recently realized that I am somewhere in between all of these in terms of my design aesthetic --- all neutrals can sometimes be TOO stark and dull!

A great post by Rhoda at Southern Hospitality perfectly describes this struggle to find a balance between the blogworld house envy and one's personal style. While my style is a bit more contemporary than hers is, I identify with everything she said!

For example, I find this room, from Traditional Home this month, a bit too muted and matchy-matchy for me, even though I like each component in it individually and its color palate (love celadon!). It is missing pizzazz or something!! Later in the issue I found this home from California. I think... this is a perfect match for my style (at least for now)! It finds the perfect balance between antiqued greys and whites and hardwoods, pops of color, without looking "decorated" or modern. Maybe is this "transitional" design aesthetic? I need to get myself an interior decorator and a dictionary! Nice, but too neutral??

House and Home

Just right??

Per HGTV:

Transitional style is a marriage of traditional and contemporary furniture, finishes, materials and fabrics equating to a classic, timeless design. Furniture lines are simple yet sophisticated featuring either straight lines or rounded profiles. Fabric can range from graphic patterns on overstuffed sofas to textured chenilles on sleek wood frames.

Colors - This transitional palette relies on a lack of color to evoke a clean, serene atmosphere. Dark brown adds depth to the neutral balance of taupe, tan and vanillaAccessories - A minimalist approach is taken with carefully-selected accessories.

Fabrics - The lack of color makes room for interesting textures, like the olive-colored corduroy found on the sofa and a smooth creamy white cotton used on two of the side chairs.

Furniture - Curves combine with straight lines in a transitional-style interior. The look balances both masculine and feminine attributes for a comfortably contemporary design. The scale of the pieces is ample but not intimidating. A lack of ornamentation and decoration keeps the focus on the simplicity but sophistication of the design.

Perfect example of what I love: Cote De Texas blog post from 2009-10, featuring a house designed by Sally Wheat (also the first picture).

Cote de Texas also hit my soft spot recently with the post on grey wicker - my new favorite. I only have one piece of it, seen in an earlier post in the first picture as the cylinder. I got this in Memphis with Cover.

{Coming up post - the transformation of another piece of wicker that I painted a dove-grey}

Last weekend, went to Architectural Heritage in downtown Birmingham, and snagged these two balustrades circa 1890 from southern England

Again - grey... I love, but have yet to decide what to do with them. I am thinking about putting them in the hall here instead of the pictures - saving these black frames for future use...

Just a little glimpse of the house and my style as it is currently manifesting itself!

{Also coming up - a table transformation inspired by DUH and some tables I've seen at stores around town...}

Office Chair

It is time for us to mature away from the used, blue-cloth, swiveling plastic office chair mom and dad bought me when I started med school. Jimmy feels very threatened by this fact.

He is not one for change, especially when it could aversely affect his comfort. He is afraid of some high-backed, stiff, all-white antique that he can't relax and study while sitting on. Ha - his fears are probably founded in some reality...he probably expects me to pick out something completely ridiculous like this: (not that it's not cute, just that it is not practical!)

So I am on the search. I like a couple of different styles, but most importantly it must be comfortable. Above is a picture of our office as is. I want to refinish the wood from the bookshelves... either paint white or stain dark or antique... something! But, the focus here is the BLUE cheap chair. Must go. I would love opinions, more photos, ideas that you've used!

Ballard Designs has tons of great chairs - here is the gramercy chair in the white for $300-450

Here is CoverBover - at Restoration Hardware in one of my favorite chairs, Hudson Parsons, around $329.

Chair recover

Mema and PopPop's old corner chair! I used to love it, in the corner of their TV room.

I wanted to make it more simple and modern, so a quick upgrade in fabric was in order!

Fabric from King Cotton in Birmingham

Curb Appeal Part #2

The second installation of my favorites in Homewood!

Cute roofline!

A nice change with the stone

I always like porches

Two of the same house on Broadway near Oxmoor, possibly my favorite one with the windows and the old painted brick chimney

Can you see the storm door here?? I want one at my place just like this but I have some small windows at the top of my main door so I don't know if I can do it... another blogpost in the future

And now, a series of my favorite grey houses - several with great red doors!

The "hobbit house" per a yard sign that they put up around Halloween!

Save the best for last! The little home where Chappell was born!! (I think.... Holland correct me if wrong!) maybe she was just dreamed about here...