Lovable Lucite

Lucite furniture and home decor pieces have been around a loooooooong time and it's still hard to pick up a home magazine without seeing a designer using it in one fabulous space or another. I'm a huge fan and though I'm sad to admit that I own none, it's just a matter of coming across the right piece to mix in with my classic interior. I was hoping a couple of ghost chairs would show up under my Christmas tree from the ever so design savvy Santa, but it wasn't to be. So, with a birthday coming up this week, I've still got a bit of hope. 

No matter what your personal style, lucite is so easily worked into any and all well-designed rooms. The best part, in my opinion, is the lightness of the pieces. Because most are clear and essentially see through, they're the perfect choice for a room full of color or bold artwork. 

Check out some of the photos and you'll see just how amazing this material can be!

This So-Ho hotel's private dining room uses lucite ghost chairs just right by

 allowing the over-sized fuschia settee to shine.

Personally, I think you have to be careful with mixing too much glass and mirror with lucite. There's nothing to ground the space when you do this and it all just sort of visually floats away. 

 This little lucite stool would go just about anywhere, but it's so nice in this busy laundry room because it doesn't add to the clutter...just to the function of the room.

Office spaces and vanities are another perfect place to use lucite. Our desk or vanity areas are often so cluttered and busy, that having an essentially invisible chair is not only super interesting and unexpected, but it helps to keep things a bit cleaner looking. Love this one in the pic above with the tufted cushion. 

Comfy and chic!

 I think we'd all agree that our family rooms are the place we hang out the most. So, that means entertainment units, big comfy sofas and chairs with ottomans, side tables with lamps, books, area rugs and the like. Lots of stuff, in other words, right? In spaces like that, believe me when I say that lucite is your friend. We don't need to add in a big, visually heavy coffee table to continue to weigh the room down

LOVE this space! Those shades of pink mixed with all that creamy white is perfection to me. The lucite coffee table is the perfect choice and make sure to notice those inverted pleat drapes with the fuschia in the background. Yum.

Lucite sofa table

Lucite home accessories are just as great an option as the furniture and certainly easier to find and afford. 

Accessories are such a great way to try out a look at little cost...this is equally as true for color! Before you paint a room turquoise, for example, go out and purchase a few home accessories in that color and put them in places around the room you see most often. You'll know in just a couple of weeks if you love the color enough to put up on the walls!

Let your designer shoes and jewelry shine and become art when you use a lucite organizer!

Have a great day!

XOXO

Heads, Hides and Prints

Well, I've done some good ol' fashioned thinkin' and here's what I've decided about animal heads and hides...I love them. I do. I'm sorry. But, here's the deal...I kind of want that darn zebra head on my wall...but I want it to be fake and look just as beautiful. The thing is, I know that's weird. I know I shouldn't want any part of hanging an animal head on my wall. And truth be told, I suppose I don't...not really. I can't imagine ever really doing it...fake or the real deal...but it's kinda like my love of painted white wood floors...sounds great in theory and horrible in real life...at least in my life with 2 dogs, 2 cats and a husband.  Actually it's probably more similar to my love of a perfectly prepared duck breast with some sort of lovely glaze...I mean, I love ducks...live ducks. I like to feed them stale bread, I like their cute little orange beaks and the way they quack and I even am enthralled with the way they fly in that perfect "v" shape. So, why am I then able to disconnect so much from those feelings as I swoon over how they taste. So disturbing. I guess I'm just a walking dichotomy. Not proud of myself and must wrap this up so I can get to Border's and spend a few hours in the self-help section. Maybe therapy is called for. Eh...we'll see how it goes. Until then, let's take a look at a few pics and see which we can live with and which make us feel a bit like cold-hearted jerks.

See, not so great when fake. :(

(Butlers and Signs)

Obviously, a fake zebra skin. Is it obvious tacky or obvious chic?

(candace olsen)

Emily used a real cow hide for her rug and gosh, I think it's stunning. But, the guilt of it all! 

(emily henderson)

Real or faux? Hard to tell due to the cut out shape of it lined in black. The sheen sure looks like hair though. (desire to inspire)

These, I would use no problem. Gotta be faux.

(Traditional Home)

I mean, come on, that moose looks so adorable and happy. That is, until you realize he has no body and he's dead. Whan, Whan. 

The faux taxidermy look is trendy and sure to be out in the blink of an eye...but it's whimsical and humorous and done well, I think it's great.

(caldwell and flake)

Holy cow! Love it.

(Roost)

(donovan designs)

(via nibs blog)

So, how can we incorporate a bit of the animalistic vibe without donning our camouflage overalls?

Ok, well this is the perfect example of how not to do it. I mean, really. Come on.

Having said that, I actually like this a lot. Crazy, but true.

(houzz)

Well, this is just wrong. I think I just threw up a little bit in my mouth.

(laura bielecki)

Ahhhh. So much better.

Love the rug on rug look. Layers aren't just for Fall people!

Love that pop of fuscia and the Lucite table which allows the rug to shine. Oh! Just noticed the suzani throw on the sofa. Love me some suzani.

Staircases are a great place to incorporate some animal print. This was done with vinyl wall decals cut to size with an exacto knife. Might look dated quickly, but it's a fun idea for a bit.

(apt therapy)

Not animal, but same idea. 

Even though it's just printed on...this makes me so sad for Bambi.

I've never been a fan of cheetah print...but in some cases, it actually works for me.

(top two Eddie Ross)

Pretty in Pink

Christina, a mom of 2 girls and triplet boys and the brains behind the Viva Full House blog was able to create this charming bedroom for her daughters for a mere $250. Shocking, but true. She has shared the details and how she did it so her fellow bloggers can pass on the inspiration to their own readers. Lucky us!

Like me, Christina gets her color inspiration for paint from places like Benjamin Moore and Sherwin Williams, but often either has them color matched or simply chooses a near match of a color from Behr. Here she used Behr's Coy Pink. Really lovely and sweet.

No need to buy an expensive duvet cover if budget is a concern. Christina just made one by sewing two flat sheets together and attaching vintage trim on the tops.

Lest you think these are wallpaper panels...think again. All she did was modge podge some craft paper onto cardboard and then applied MDF trim from Home Depot around the panels. Genius..

Resources:

*beds - Craigslist $20 (painted these white)

*vintage lucite chair - Craigslist (payed an additional $30 to have the cushion reupholstered)

*vintage wicker chair - Craigslist $10 (spray painted)

*dressing table - vintage, already had

*green stool - Home Goods $30


*2 Flower mirrors above beds - Home Goods $25 each (Elsewhere...I mean everywhere else...these are $500 and up...what a find!)
*pillows - Home Goods $30 total

*monogrammed pillow cases - Wal-Mart $5 (Christina's mom monogrammed these, but it's easy to find a local shop to do something similar)

*upholstery fretwork fabric - Home Fabrics $50

*watermelon silk velvet trim - SAS Fabrics $7

*watermelon fabric on cushion - SAS $1

Christina picked up the most inexpensive shelves she could find at IKEA and covered them in burlap. Then she spray painted the cheap silver hardware off-white.

*vintage Mar Lou Goertzen flower prints on shelves - thrifted $2.50

*owl bookends - thrifted $3

*vintage My Book House books - thrifted $10 (can be found on Ebay by searching "my book house sets")

vintage initials - $2

*trophies - thrifted $2

*lamp - thrifted $5


I love those books and initials soooooo much. Thanks to Christina for sharing with all of us and it just goes to show that beautiful spaces can be had on even the smallest budgets if you're willing to do some bargain hunting and apply some elbow grease.