Nailhead Curtains? Yes Please.

Have you seen these beauties from West Elm?

 

Yes, they are Nailhead Linen Panels. 

And they come in flax and slate with antiqued-nickel nailhead trim.  Price ranges from $59 – $89 and free shipping.  If you are crafty, you could DIY, but why would you at those prices? 

P.S. Dear West Elm, please make these in white or ivory so that I may hang them in my family room.  Thanks a mill, Miz spark!

To DIY For — My $14 Window Treatment

This was the sad state of my hallway dormer a few months ago.  Dormers are such a decorating dilemma!  I see the sole purpose of our hallway dormer as a conduit of natural light, and I do not really want to obscure the window in any way.

I was so desperate for ideas, that I enlisted the help of longtime friend, and fabulous interior designer Paul Corrie, who gave me some great ideas.  In fact, I am still pondering his suggestion to paint the linen closet doors.  I think it would really create a gorgeous symmetry.

So, Paul spurred me on to update the dormer decor, but I was searching for inspiration on the window treatment.

Last week, I stumbled upon this AWESOME POST on DIY Pelmet Boxes by Jenny over at Little Green Notebook.  Aha moment!  It was perfect for my dormer — not expensive, doesn’t block much light and it covers those yucky blinds that we have not yet replaced.

TAH DAH!  My new dormer:

For the pelmet box, Mr. spark! and I followed the directions at Little Green Notebook, and due to our space, the project was even easier for us.  We measured the foam core board ($1.50 from Michaels), attached the sides with duct tape, covered the box with batting ($3 from Michaels) and fabric (1/2 yard P. Kaufmann’s Curly Q in Green Tea, $9 from Willams & Sherrill), and staple-gunned it in place.  Our fit was so perfect that we didn’t even have to nail the pelmet box into the wall — it’s suspended up there between the walls of the dormer!

Regarding the fabric choice, I wanted something simple and light in color because the dormer can be dark in the afternoons, and I wanted to pick up the green of the trees outside the window and the green on the stairway runner:

And a side-by-side:

I love the way it turned out and can’t believe that it cost us $14 to make!  A huge thanks to Jenny at Little Green Notebook for the tutorial and creative idea.

What do YOU think?

happy long weekend

this weekend, i am dreaming of….

happy weekend!

[Images from: Cooking Light, The DC Traveler, Here, Here, Country Living, The Inspired Room]

Tres Chic Nursery

I am loving this new With a Flourish nursery ensemble from Land of Nod:

The crib blanket and crib skirt come in lavender and pink, and are both reversible between the floral and lattice patterns.  The bumper, changing table cover and valance are available in lavender and pink floral.  The crib sheet is available in a sweet, complementary lavender or pink polka dot.

The pieces des resistances are the panels – I adore the lattice panels!  The panels are available in green, lavender, blue and pink floral and lattice.  They look almost look custom, don’t they?  I would also love to use the green or blue lattice panels in another room – like a home office, laundry room or powder room.

Almost makes you want to have a baby just to decorate a nursery….I said ALMOST!

And btw, a similar ensemble also comes in “big girl” sizes with a variety of options and combinations for twin, full and queen beds.

BRAVO, Land of Nod!

 

Favorite Things Friday — An Interior Designer’s Happies

Welcome to another edition of Favorite Things Friday!  This week, I have enlisted an acclaimed and fabulous interior designer – Paul Corrie of Paul Corrie Interiors to share some of his favorite things.  Check out his cool blog!  Paul and I were good friends in high school and recently (and so luckily for me!) reconnected on Facebook.  Paul’s blog was a huge inspiration for spark!

A huge thanks to Paul, and without further ado, enjoy Paul Corrie’s Favorite Things:

It should go without saying that my loving partner, parents and family, and friends are the most favorite things in my life.  In an attempt not to embarrass them, however, I thought that I would focus on favorite things of mine that relate to, influence, and impact my everyday world of interior design.

I almost always grab a small San Pellegrino water before leaving for any design appointment.  I came across the individual plastic bottles a couple of years ago, and it’s definitely my beverage of choice when on the go!  It’s fantastic in flavor, refreshing in taste, and stylistically fabulous for the workday.

I absolutely love white hydrangeas, and they are my first flower of choice…I love to have a tight cluster of them on my dining table and in my office on a regular basis.  They’re so clean and classic, and add just a touch of softness and sophistication to any space.

When I renovated my home a couple of years ago, I was very particular about how to make the best use out of all of the spaces…so selection of pieces was key!  Aesthetics always takes first priority for me as a designer, but functionality took a very close second.  I found this 18^th Century Gustavian buffet in Los Angeles, and it has definitely become one of my favorite things.  I use it to store my TV and stereo components versus the typical media cabinet.  I just love its patina, rough finish and texture, and scale.  It’s so wonderfully versatile in that it can be used in so many spaces for so many different purposes.  I definitely think that this was one great find!

When selecting fabrics for a particular project, I’m not only concerned about color, but also texture.  I’m a huge fan of using linens and velvets.  There is something so casual about linen and so elegant about velvet that when paired together in various manners, they can make a dramatic statement and be the perfect balance of texture and weight.

Paris is one of my favorite places in the world…it’s so rich in history and architecture, and full of culture and life.  It’s also home to some of the most fabulous flea markets you could ever imagine.  I visited last year and came across what’s now one of my favorite hotels, the Relais Christine.  Formerly a 16^th century mansion and located on the Left Bank, this hotel had the most gorgeous flower-filled cobblestone courtyard and charming rooms that you might ever encounter.

Last but not least, I couldn’t list my favorite things without including our little girl, Cindy.  She’s a 10 lb. shih-poo that’s filled with so much life and love, and she brings so much joy to our lives.  We absolutely adore her!

Orange Crush

My dearest Yellow:

My lust for you is waning.  I have developed an intense crush on your neighbor…Orange.  It’s not you, it’s me.  You really have a great personality and I am hopeful that we can remain friends after our passionately bright, but short-lived, tryst.   

So long, my tawny friend,

spark!

[All images from House Beautiful.]

 

Stunning (Paper!) Curtains

Take a look at these stunningly unique beauties by Tord Boontje for Artenica found on Unica Home.  These curtains are made out of Tyvek, an ultra durable synthetic paper product.  Can you believe it?

At $58 per panel, these panels are accessible and affordable.  I think these curtains would look great by themselves in a smaller window where privacy isn’t necessary, and natural light is welcome, like a home office, hallway nook or laundry room.  Or, wouldn’t they make a fabulous room divider floating on clear fishing wire?

These panels would also look so whimsical in a child’s playroom or bedroom, and you could layer them on top of a white or solid colored curtain to give light control and privacy, but also to make their gorgeous design stand out.

Look at the precise and intricate pattern full of flowers, foliage and animals.

I love this amazingly artful, jaw-dropping and unexpected medium for window treatments!

Favorite Things Friday!

All of my guest blogging prospects were smack dab in the middle of summer vacay, or heading out for sorties to fabulous locales for the long weekend.

So, I have decided to share some of my favorites from the room of my home that has received the most reflection and attention – my daughter’s nursery.  Next Friday, we will have an amazing interior designer guest blogging about his favorite things.  Here goes:

This bubble gum lamp was one of my first purchases in my first house.  It now sits next to the glider and casts delicately tranquil shadows on the walls in the evenings (translation, 3am).  It’s like an oversized nightlight!

I bought this little chest of drawers at an antique store while on vacation in the Thousand Islands in upstate New York.  I fell in love with its miniature proportions, worn look and beautiful glass knobs.  The mirror hanging above belonged to my daughter’s great, great grandmother.  This ensemble sits at the end of the long, narrow dormer in the nursery.

I could not resist these feminine, fun and whimsical birdy curtain holdbacks, aren’t they sweet?  They make me smile!

This vintage Holly Hobbie plate hung in my bedroom growing up and its matching pair hung in my sister’s bedroom.  I flanked them on either side of a great Victoria Hagan mirror that I found at Target!  It’s fun to have familiar, sentimental and adorable items in my daughter’s room.  I am toying around with the idea of buying a few more plates from the set on Ebay and doing a larger display.

There you have it – a few of the items that make me happy on a daily basis!  As always, thanks for reading.  Wishing you a very happy 4th of July!

P.S. I thought I would include my daughter’s favorite thing too – her BFF Longley, the stuffed giraffe:

Sneaky Trick Revealed!

I am about to reveal a money-saving trick that I discovered a few years ago as I was purchasing items for my daughter’s nursery.  This specific bit of information is about to save me $144, which is equivalent to 36 free mochas at Starbucks, 6 complimentary pedicures or a week of groceries at no charge!

So, I am slowly progressing on window treatments for the two windows in my family room.  I have finally settled on my look (only took me three years!), and started looking for affordable window hardware.  I like the simple double-rod look below from Pottery Barn. For each window, I would need the medium size, which cost $139 each, or $278 total, for the window hardware.

I started looking around for similar, but less expensive window hardware.  For fun, I checked out PB Teen (Pottery Barn’s line aimed at teenagers).  Guess what I found?  Almost identical window hardware for $144 less! Two of the same sized double-rod below ($55) with the almost identical finials ($12) below adds up to $134.  Both are made from steel, look similar in heft and quality and are backed by the reputation and customer service guarantee of Pottery Barn.

BTW, I have found similar savings comparing Pottery Barn vs. PB Teen/Pottery Barn Kids for end tables, rugs and bookshelves too.  Perhaps Pottery Barn figures that we will not pay as much for kids’ rooms, so they sell pretty much the same items marketed under another name, for less.  PB, I am on to you!

Now, what to do with my extra $144?  I have my eye on this awesome mirror….