Desk Dispatches

In my last post, I gave a glimpse of my "new" desk, which is really just my restyled dining table. In theory, it has always served the dual purpose of table and desk, but it was pushed against the wall and only rarely used as a desk, generally for onerous chores like doing my taxes. After seeing some inspiring desks on instagram, I decided to give mine a simple makeover. I rotated it 90 degrees to face the windows, pulled up a comfortable armchair and a little bench where I can rest my feet, and replaced some stray place mats with a goose-neck lamp and some other pretty accessories. Now it's become a cozy spot that I enjoy sitting at almost every day, and it can still be called into action as a dining table when guests come over.

If you're wondering whether these photos were staged, the answer is, yes, a bit. A helter-skelter pile of books has by now found its way back onto the desktop. But of course I always have tea and a plate of macarons at the ready.

Have you rearranged anything in your home lately?

Visiting The Mount

 When Hurricane Sandy hit, I had just returned from a short trip to Boston, where I spent a long weekend visiting my friend Lara. On that Friday, we drove out to The Berkshires and spent the day visiting Edith Wharton's historic home, The Mount. Of course I snapped a lot of pictures while I was there, if you'd care to see.

Wharton was an avid book lover and collector and the library at The Mount is filled with thousands of books that belonged to her personal collection. There are apparently another couple thousand that are not on display because they are still being reviewed and studied for all of the notes Wharton wrote in the margins. Wouldn't that be a fascinating job to do?

The Mount was sold after Wharton relocated to Europe and it changed hands several more times before being restored as an historical site. Because of that, most of the furniture (aside from the library) in the house are new reproductions and not the original items that Wharton actually used. You might think that this lack of artifacts would cause The Mount to lack a sense of authenticity, but I actually found the opposite to be the case. Because the majority of the pieces are not precious antiques, you can fully wander through the rooms, even sitting down if you'd like. You have the sense that you're experiencing the rooms the way that Wharton did.

Wharton's bedroom was light, airy, and feminine. Her routine was to spend the mornings writing in bed, dropping each handwritten sheet to the floor once she had filled it. She also loved her dogs and made them an integral part of her home, as represented by the small stuffed versions that are strategically placed around The Mount.

I found Wharton's views about decorating a home to be very inspiring, both in terms of her larger ideas about creating beautiful spaces for yourself and in terms of small, specific things, like the way she surrounded herself with books and incorporated them around her home. Books are casually stacked on tables or tucked into nooks and crannies in nearly every room. Touring The Mount made me feel reinvigorated to think about the way I decorate my space and creating some new groupings of books may be an easy place to start.





The grounds were beautiful, too, albeit a bit subdued now that the fall is turning colder. Visible from nearly every room, the gardens serve as an extension of the home and mimic Wharton's preferences for balance and symmetry of form.

The Mount was by far my favorite historical home I've ever toured. It's a must-see in New England for literary and interior design buffs alike.

Regrouping

I recently gave the wall grouping above my sofa a little makeover. The "before" version looked something like this. I wasn't unhappy with it per se. I still liked all of the individual pieces, but found myself getting tired of that particular arrangement. I  removed a few pieces and added in some new items, both recent acquisitions and some long forgotten older pieces. The end result looks like this:

I kept one of my Black Apple prints in place, added an old Chagall print that I've had forever, two small canvases by Janet Hill, a mirrored frame from Pottery Barn (with a vintage author photo as a placeholder until I can find the right personal photo for it), and a vintage mirror matted with a page from an old encyclopedia that I picked up in Maine.

Have you done any redecorating lately?

The Makings of a Reading Nook

Many months ago, I bought a vintage chair at Goodwill, with the intention of having it redone to use in a reading nook in my bedroom. After quite a bit of heel dragging, the "after" is finally ready to be revealed. Here's a reminder of the "before", covered in a worn out rose colored velvet:

And here's a peek at the "after", covered in a taupe and blue bird patterned fabric that I found on Fabrics.com.

I'm really pleased with how it turned out, although I will say that it was by no means a bargain. Even though the chair and the fabric were only $50 combined, the price of labor to have it reupholstered made it cost as much as a brand new chair. I think it was worth it, though, to end up with something that's one of a kind and exactly what I wanted.

Next up, choosing some art to create a wall grouping to finish off the reading nook. Stay tuned!

Your Message Here

My latest apartment accessory is an old chalkboard that belonged to my grandma. She used it for practical reasons, like tracking her monthly doctor's appointments. I decided to use it for more decorative purposes. I liked the way it looked propped against my exposed brick wall, so I turned it into a little grouping with a painted tray and a plant.

Now for the dilemma. I want to write a message on the board, but I can't decide on one. Should I pick an inspirational quote? Something welcoming and homey? Something seasonal? I'm paralyzed by all the possible options. Any suggestions would be most welcome.

A Dose of Goodwill

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not much of a thrifter. Though I envy other people's finds, I just don't have it in me to really weed through the racks of a thrift store hunting for treasures. It's the same reason why I'm easily overwhelmed at TJ Maxx.

Luckily for me, this weekend a thrift store treasure jumped out right in front of me- an upholstered armchair for $20 at Goodwill! I love its overall shape and just want to get some new fabric to freshen it up. These are the "before" pictures...

..."afters" coming soon. I plan on using this as the key pieces of my second reading nook. This time it will be in my bedroom, to accompany my new bookcase. The shelves were actually the source of some controversy last week. I'm just glad I got mine while they still fit real books.