One of my favorite Fall traditions growing up was picking apples on Columbus Day weekend. After piling into the car, my cousins and I would head up to an orchard nearby and pick more bushels of the fruit than we knew what to do with. Of course, apple pies were the obvious choice, but sometimes you can have too much of a good thing. So, we had to get creative with our bushels.
One simple way we'd use up our inventory was by transforming the apples into votive holders. Just trace the circumference of a votive onto an apple, and cut out the shape with a utility knife to the votive's height. You can actually buy a little gadget called a Candle Carver ($11.99) to simplify the process, if you want. I love the way these votives bring a seasonal warmth to the house. If you like, you can even float them in a galvanized bucket of water as shown here. Pretty cute, huh?
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Moving into a new house is stressful. You're finally cured of the headache of packing, and then it occurs to you that you still have to unpack! Then, something inevitably goes wrong. The faucet only gives off hot water, the movers break something, etc. Then, you think you're all set and ready to settle in and you realize you're out of t.p. Ugh! So, as much as a warm apple pie or a batch of your specialty cookies will taste delightful to your new neighbors or a friend who's just moved, a more useful (and migraine-relieving) housewarming gift is a bucket of the essentials she'll need to get settled. Think about the things that were most helpful to you when you moved. Then, pick up a handsome galvanized bucket, or even a colorful scrub bucket, and then comb the aisles of at the hardware store for those items, as well as any tools and practical items they might need. If you happen to throw a cold Corona or a black-and-white cookie in there while you're at it, I don't think you'll face any opposition.
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Growing up, I was a well-coordinated girl. My mother dressed me well, always pairing a stripe with a solid, never mixing patterns, often a bow in my hair, shoes shined, etc. And then Sienna Miller came along with her Bohemian chic and made it okay to look messy, to mix florals with stripes, to clash colors. In the world of interiors, I've noticed the same. Pick up any shelter magazine and you'll see a bold mix of texture, pattern, and color that hasn't always been accepted. I'm not sure if there is a correlation between the two . . . if people feel more free to decorate eclectically because they dress that way, or if it's just a coincidence. Or perhaps this is all a mirage, and since I've moved out of my mother's traditionally-styled home, I am just personally embracing a more eclectic look in my own home. Either way, I'm digging it, and I like to mix things up.
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For the next installment of this game, take a look at each of these rectangular floor lamps and see if you can answer my questions about them.
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Forgoing a shepherd's pie ottoman or a Wimbledon coffee table, London-based architecture and design practice Fat created England's Dreaming as a tribute to its native country in furniture form. The antique chaise is covered at one end by a mini English landscape, juxtaposing scales and references, prompting the lounger to "Lie back and think of England." I only wonder why Fat didn't choose a traditional English piece of furniture, such as something by Thomas Chippendale; we all know that the chaise lounge (longue) originated from the French. To see the mini landscape up close, read more
I was intrigued by Fab's trend alert, Bohemian Rhapsody, which she describes thusly: "Bohemian style is poetic and a true bohemian rocks the theme utterly, completely." So, to follow this trend into the shelter world, I found some pieces that would work well with her finds, such as this Tracy Reese comforter, which is part of her plenty Home by Tracy Reese Fall 2008 collection.
To see my other finds, read more
Katia Lombardo
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Rocha.John Rocha