Vintage Books

Apparently I've been bitten by the vintage book bug.  I was originally inspired by my neighbor's glassfront cupboard that anchors her living room.  She has a classic style, her home is very comfortable to be in. Lots of antiques and beautiful textures.  Everything is very calm and appealing to the eye, neutral colors, nothing competing for attention.
Think about a shelf full of modern bookcovers with bright colors and various competing fonts.  A rainbow of dust jacket colors sometimes tamed by grouping.  What feeling does that create in comparison to a shelf full of vintage books?  Brown, navy, muted red or soft green.  The titles, sometimes barely visible with a slightly gold shimmer.  Even the dust jackets' colors are muted by time and don't scream for attention.
I've picked up quite a few books in the last two weeks (about twice what is pictured below).  I also have gathered a great collection of vintage craft books and nature guides.

If you are a crafter, vintage books are a wonderful resource and great as supply as well.  A few items from Etsy crafters for inspiration:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/62508208/love-toasty-brown-edition-vintage?ref=cat2_list_13


From Memory Dust on Etsy

By ShannonKayeDesigns on Etsy
http://www.etsy.com/listing/69289463/folded-book-art-cascade?ref=sr_list_4&ga_ref=auto&ga_search_query=folded+paper&ga_noautofacet=1&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_facet=handmade%2Fart

Second hand books are affordable as decor, as reading material, or art supply.  Check the shelves at the antique, consignment, or thrift stores and find some treasures.  P.S. - There are plenty of current titles as well!

I'll be listing vintage books occasionally in my Etsy shop.  I've gotten lucky and even found quite a few first edition copies.

Affordable Rugs

I used to think of rugs as one of those big ticket items that I wouldn't be able to afford until the kids went off to college...which makes no sense, cause that's when you're really broke, right?  In the last couple of years I've started to change how I think about where and how to buy rugs and quickly realized that nice rugs aren't out of the question for a small budget.

These are two rugs I've bought in the last year:

This is a nice quality, hand-knotted wool rug that I purchased for $100.  It measures 7'x4.5' and lies in front of our bedroom seating area.  I attended a storage space sale that was advertised on craigslist.  A woman in her sixties was looking to clear out her many purchases from 20 years of travel and residence in Europe and the Middle East.  She had stored her excess treasures at a U-Haul facility and simply held a sale right out of the storage unit.   Read the details of garage sale advertisements!  You won't stumble upon the "jack-pot" every weekend but if you look consistently, a good sale will eventually come your way.

Last summer I discovered two great furniture consignment stores in our city.  I recently purchased this rug for $65, it measures 3.5'x6'.  Many design blogs and shelter magazines had been including beautiful, very worn, antique rugs in their spreads.  I commonly see similar rugs in antique stores for $300-$600 so I was pleasantly surprised when I confirmed the price.  Both furniture consignment stores in our area also carry a wide selection of rugs and small decor accessories and a handful of quality antiques.  Check out the stores in your area!  Go with an open mind and always try to picture the item in another setting.  It's common for consignment stores to allow you to try the item in your home before committing to purchase.

If I was educated in interior design I'd make some insightful comments about rugs anchoring the room, setting the tone, blah, blah...but since I'm not I'll leave it to the awesome design blogs out there:

Little Green Notebook
Pure Style Home  (really excellent post about her design process)
Urban Grace (she is shopping for rugs I can't afford, but good post anyway :))

Shelter Magazine Sunday-Feb. 20

One of my all-time favorite houses from a magazine spread is the home of Ashley Edwards, featured in the November 2005 issue of Domino.  At one point, the phrase "sophisticated pop decor" is used to describe the decorating.  That's certainly not my personal style but I was immediately drawn to the predominantly black and white color scheme.

The black and white never looks extreme, thanks to pops of color in smaller decor/accent pieces.  Each room also has a piece of antique furniture or a natural element, like woven baskets, that brings some warmth.

I had this home in mind when I decided to paint the interior of our front door black.  Apparently Edwards painted all of her interior doors black, which I would eventually LOVE to do.  Not sure if I can get the hubby on board...

Domino often provided paint color information on their spreads but I couldn't find anything listed for the Edwards feature.  It's definitely a warm white for the walls and I'm assuming the black is high-gloss.

I painted my interior door several months ago, just before Ralph Lauren Paints left Home Depot.  The color is "Bone Black".  I read somewhere (Bryn Alexandra?) that Home Depot still has the ability to mix past colors.  I guess the color formulas are kept in their computers but you'd have to verify.

I love the black interior doors throughout.  A really inexpensive way to make an impact, especially for those of us (ME) who tend to be a little wishy-washy with their interior design.