michele.amw's Profile

m_sf: We have a large butcher block island that is utilized as a prep space and in place of a kitchen table. We got two slabs from Ikea, and my husband worked his magic and pieced them together (biscuit and biscuit cutter) to make it wide enough. The island takes a beating: we have 2 teenagers and their friends gather here regularly. It's been used for homework, a dance stage, seating, and every school project imaginable. It's cleaned regularly, rubbed with bees oil (bee's wax and mineral oil--like you use to condition wood salad bowls and serving pieces) when it needs it, and in cases like the time Sharpie bled through, we have lightly sanded it, then re-condtioned it. I think it takes less upkeep than the @$%# grout on my tile counters...

A practical gift that I desire (but may not buy myself) is a luxury. I told my husband I wanted a specific blender when we first were married, and he thought I was insane...but he got it for me for Christmas. It was practical (yes, a blender) and a luxury (not just a blender, but a food processor, too!). I still remember that gift with fondness, and he still shakes his head over it...as he did when I traumatically dropped the processor fitting and broke it just before Thanksgiving this year.

I wonder if I'll get a new one this Christmas...

I'm rather the opposite of Florida Joyce, but I get why s/he says what she does. Texture is fabulous, but don't run away from pattern merely because you already have a bold one in the wallpaper. A patterend rug may well balance the wallpaper. How comfortable are you with mixing patterns? I love to do it, but I'm one of those who keeps all my patterns in the same color scheme, but varies the scale and sheen, and my walls act as a solid color backdrop. I can't live with, say, this: http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/2012/08/easy-envelope-pillows.html, but I love that even with so much going on, this vignette works.
I think this would be great with MCM and modern items, but be careful with mixing it and antiques--it might start to look a wee bit fuddy-duddy.
My advice? Take a swatch of your wallpaper, a cushion cover from your couch, your inspiration photo or one of the vases you own, a paint sample of your wall color, as well as anything else (small) that's important to have in that space, and hit fabric stores, department stores, antique malls, markets, Target, Home Goods, Ikea, whatever, and create a mini vignette of your own while you're shopping. Find what makes you comfortable--but don't settle for the norm--stretch a little.

I, too, would position that small dresser (bookcase?) between the windows. Use the top as a bar, or plug in a cheap and cool lamp and iHome or something. Hang a print/art above using those damn 3M Command hooks everyone raves about.

Pull the table from the wall. It may be utilitarian, but it's not horrific--repositioning it towards a window will go a long way to creating a more dynamic space. Depending on your aesthetic and the rules, use a window ledge for tchotchkes or empty beer cans. ;)

I've found my local Home Depot selling 3" thick foam pads for cheap ($22!) --they advertise them as camping pads, but who the heck wants to hike in a 6 foot piece of very firm foam that is impossible to roll, I'd like to know-- toss it on the floor, cover it (with a rug, a tapestry, hell, just throw a sheet on it if you must), and throw some pillows down to create a loose back-style sofa. Put a light in the corner where the dresser/bookcase originally was placed. Add more prints on that long wall, and you've got a more comfortable area in which to hang out. (as an aside, I used one of those camp pads when I made my headboard--the price of foam is ridiculous, and it worked really well)

Butterfly chairs can be a little spendy on a budget, but they've got more style and comfort than a lot of other folding chairs, you can toss a fake flokati (Ikea) or a pillow on one, and you can remove the covers easily for washing.

It's a nice little space. Kind of sucks you can't use it to its fullest potential.

I almost spit out my beverage--sadly, not coffee, or this would be a much more clever comment--when I read EDMUNDD's comment. Funny!

Grat tips, btw.

Ordered the bamboo California cheese board from AHeirloom as a gift for our exchange student's parents. It's very cool, and they carved a small heart in it indicating our city. I rather wished I had ordered two....

Love the cohesiveness of your space. Feels finished, instead of a work-in-progress.