Displaying posts from July, 2011

I’ve got a couple reader’s homes for you today. This first one belongs to Jennifer Sowa, a young German interior and media designer who lives in a tiny 19th century home in Wiesbaden city close to famous Frankfurt am Main. It’s adorable, I love her wood floors (!!!) and she’s got a really pretty backyard. (Check out her website, which she plans to have an English version of soon, and where she will be showcasing her sewing projects and other creative stuff). Thanks Jennifer!

  
  

  

  

P.S. Bhavna is looking for a new identity/logo for her blog An Indian Summer and in exchange for help is giving away a box of goodies from India! Details HERE.

mercer INTERIOR

Posted on Tue, 26 Jul 2011 by midcenturyjo

There is a freshness, a lightness, a zing about Mercer INTERIOR‘s work. Dark, cluttered and dowdy becomes casually elegant with layers of texture, luxe mixed with rough. Rooms shed their frumpiness and come to life. Young, vibrant and fun. Because we all love a before and after on Desire to Inspire when Elizabeth Mercer Aurandt asked if we’d like to see what the rooms looked like before she wove her magic I jumped at the offer. Wow! (Photos by Emily Gilbert.)

Monday’s pets on furniture – part 2

Posted on Mon, 25 Jul 2011 by KiM

If you’d like to send us photos to include in next week’s “pets on furniture” post, please ensure your photos follow our basic rules: First, the pet must be on a piece of furniture. And said piece of furniture must be clearly visible in the photo, so it takes center stage rather than your pet. Think of it more of a photo of a great piece of furniture that you want to show off…and your pet happens to be sitting on it. And second, the photo must be of decent quality. If it’s dark or fuzzy (from a camera phone) then it may not make the cut. Thanks! (Photos, your name, location and a brief description can be sent to  desiretoinspirekim[@]hotmail[.]com and PLEASE don’t send closeups of your pet!)

Please find attached an image of Lily the Graham’s dog – who often models for us on shoots
Lizzy

Sweet pea waiting for a friend.
Jill

This is Sprout – posing regally on a chair that belonged to my grandfather.
– Emily (Brooklyn, NY)

This is Dexter, a shepherd/husky rescue.  He’s not allowed on the living room furniture but he constantly leans on the furniture and looks at us as if to say “technically mom, I’m not ON it”.  The sofa is super comfy and big from Urban Barn, the end tables are from Crate and Barrel, the blue velvet curtains are from Ikea, and the blanket I made myself.

This second picture was allowed only for Desire to Inspire and it took me 10 minutes to convince him to get up on the chair!
The third picture is of Dexter sneaking a peak of the Desire to Inspire site!  If I’m too engrossed in an article he lays his head on the keyboard to remind me he’s there. Plus he has his own dog blog at www.dextersdays.comso he prefers me to read his blog 🙂
– Angela (Oshawa, Ontario)

This is our 2 year old great dane Jonas, sitting on our leather ottoman. He loves sitting like this on couches, chairs, or on our laps!
– Beth and Chuck (Kansas City, KS)

1 – This is our cat Penny, taking her usual late-morning nap. Ten years ago we found her abandoned at a rest stop outside Niagara Falls, wearing a collar with a Denver phone number. Thankfully, our phone calls were not returned.
2 – This one’s kind of fuzzy, but it’s her sitting on the footboard…

– Elizabeth

This tattered settee is in desperate need of recovering however Benjamin and Sophie, our 11 year old sibling Lhasa rescues, just won’t hear of it.
Larry

This is Isaac (Newton) playing on his beloved sofa in my boyfriend’s apartment in Trieste, Italy.
– Giorgia

I would like to submit a picture of our family cat Willie Greene “the baddest pimp you’ve ever seen”. The picture I’m sending is of Willie Greene surveying his kingdom 🙂
– Aza

Monday’s pets on furniture – part 1

Posted on Mon, 25 Jul 2011 by KiM

If you’d like to send us photos to include in next week’s “pets on furniture” post, please ensure your photos follow our basic rules: First, the pet must be on a piece of furniture. And said piece of furniture must be clearly visible in the photo, so it takes center stage rather than your pet. Think of it more of a photo of a great piece of furniture that you want to show off…and your pet happens to be sitting on it. And second, the photo must be of decent quality. If it’s dark or fuzzy (from a camera phone) then it may not make the cut. Thanks! (Photos, your name, location and a brief description can be sent to  desiretoinspirekim[@]hotmail[.]com and PLEASE don’t send closeups of your pet!)

Here is a picture of Harry relaxing on a sunny afternoon in San Francisco!
– Sandy

Our 8.5 year old Saint Bernard Moose just had a bath and he knows it’s the only time he’s allowed on the sofa. Even his drool is no match for our 10 year old White IKEA Göteborg slipcover sofa!
Hansy, our 13 year old white “tiger” day dreams of chasing zebras in the jungle while resting high atop his throne…
Cameron (Southern Virginia)

Here is our cat Fluff – who likes to perch up high on our mantelpiece.
– Christa and Graham (England)

Photo of Brooklyn, our Border Collie looking quite alert on our tweed lemon-lime colored sofa.
-Stephanie (Fountain Valley, California)

Meet Harvey the 7 month goldendoodle from Edmond, OK! He’s every bit as sweet and charming as he looks sitting on the vintage couch my husband had recovered for me as a wedding gift. His comparable looks to a Muppet suit his goofy disposition very well!
Jessica

Henry, my 4-year-old Basset Hound chillin’ on my favorite vintage tufted sofa in Portland, Maine. Side note: Total cost of the sofa and fabulous print: $15
Tara

I couldn’t resist sharing this pic of our kitty Coli on the first night after we adopted him, passed out rather adorably on our Sigurd Ressel falcon chair. He melted my heart right then and there.
– Christy (Melbourne, Australia)

This is a chair that my puggle, Oates never usually lays down on.  I moved the furniture around in my livingroom one day and right after I put the chair there, he jumped right up and made himself comfy behind the throw pillow.  I knew it was a pets on furniture moment in the making!
Barb

This is Saga, she’s a seven yr old bullterrier, sun- bathing on the sofa. Her dreams must be great cause she sleeps all the time and have since she was a bebe. She’s my big love and I tell her everyday
– Louise (Sweden)

This is Finn who likes to sit on the sofa but when the sofa isn’t available, he squeezes into this antique Chinese chair.  Amazingly he never scratches  the wood.
Debra

Freedom Summer 2011

Posted on Mon, 25 Jul 2011 by midcenturyjo

Last week I flew to Sydney for the launch of Freedom‘s Summer 2011 range. Earlier this year they relaunched their look taking Freedom from dowdy and forgotten to fun and fashionable. Even though Freedom paid for my fares and accommodation I’m not the kinda gal who waxes lyrical about a brand unless I think it is great. This is everyday furniture for everyday Aussies (and New Zealanders) with a clever, quirky and stylish vibe. What really caught my attention was their limited edition range (and I really mean limited as the last season’s limited pieces sold out quickly). A chinoiserie patterned canopy chair in bold red, an in your face ketchup coloured wingback that is willowy at the same time, a midnight black leather wingback and ottoman so matt that it is almost stealthy and a canapé that is a quirky and stylish statement piece. The Jack and Jill ottomans are sure to be a hit too. And the prices are great… but you’ll have to wait until the catalogue comes out to find out just how great 😉

  

So many other pieces caught my eye. There are wonderful hammered metal coffee tables and side tables as well as a chunky, boxy leather sofa. The Asia Daze range is rich with red and black lacquers and asian influenced homewares. Great vintage posters, larger than life floor lamps, cute rugs and a narrow dining table perfect for limited space. Team the table up with turquoise stools and it’s love at first sight. Summer bright outdoor settings and clever wooden screens and box seats are perfect for apartment balconies. The Freedom designers have come up with a great range. The night was styled by Megan Morton who kept me entertained from the moment she urged me to drink up my pineapple cocktail as she walked me through the range. Hi to Lisa from The Red Thread and lovely finally putting a face to stylist Heather Nette King. Thanks Freedom. I had a fab time and the range is super! Release is timed for August 22. Until then you can see more after the jump…