Light up your life

On this one, I followed my own advice. You can't believe what a new lamp can do for you. And with lamps, most often, you get what you pay for. So I decided to splurge on a new lamp for my living room.

Introducing, the Anaheim Floor Lamp. The base of this lamp is a 50" tall, 10" diameter glass vase. The large silver lined shade sits on top of it and the cord is silk wrapped. Bonus: built in dimmer. Folks, this ain't no Target lamp. (Of course we carry it at our studio; call if you're interested)

The funny thing about this, is I never thought to place this lamp at my own house. I had a car full of lamps I had taken to a client's to see which ones worked best. I thought, "Why not do the same at my house, for gosh sakes, I've got them all in my car." So the design lesson of this story is "Just try it!"... and of course, light up your life with a new lamp!

Fun Holiday Decor

Here's an easy and unique way to decorate for the holidays... These cute little vintage reindeer have found a kitchy home in this large glass vase. Or you can see below, place them under a glass cloche. On one of our scouting excursions, we found some vintage bird tree ornaments. Tossed them into a silver compote and instant holiday cuteness!

The idea is to use your imagination and use what you've got. Pull out all those silver and crystal wedding gifts, load them up with ornaments (new or old), greenery, moss, sticks, candy canes, the kids Christmas craft projects... whatever you can find. You'll create a great centerpiece, a topic of conversation, and even some holiday memories.

This week I love...

FOO DOGS!

These ancient Chinese creatures are so classic, so traditional, yet SO fun! Actually, a foo dog looks like a lion and they were commonly placed at entrances to temples, homes and businesses to chase away evil spirits. The pair consists of a male, playing with a ball symbolizing the earth, and a female playing with, surprise, a cub. I love them here in this bright blue, but I've seen them in many different glazes. Have a pair made into lamps for bedside tables. Or use them as bookends. Inexpensive versions can be found at asian markets or like this pair I found, on ebay. Interested in something antique? Ebay even has some that are centuries old. So have some fun and add some color to your home as well as a little Chinese tradition... get yourself a pair of foo dogs.

What a glorious chandelier!

I ADORE this chandelier! What a great cross between classic and modern. It's clean lines are graceful, but not delicate. And the ceiling medallion.... how fun! I have a particular space I would like to place this fixture: it's an historic house; an old tavern, but the young family who lives there now is not into keeping the building 100% historically accurate (I don't blame them). They've done an amazing job making the old tavern warm, fun, inviting, and livable. They have sensational taste and the start of a tremendous art collection. I think this fixture would be the perfect blend for the small dining room in the house.