wallpaper removal

I am celebrating my four year blogiversary this coming Saturday.This week I am doing a new fantasy inspiration board each day and on Friday I will be announcing my blogiversary giveaway.

I would love to have this office. It is painted a very soft lavender. The lacquered metal desk is the Large Strut Table in Watermelon by Blu Dot. The art is Paule Marrot's "Feathers." The rug is vintage Fornasetti. On the desk is a Harry Allen gold pig bank and a vintage Chinese lamp with a kelly green silk dupioni shade. The chandelier is by Marjorie Skouras. The canary yellow silk bergere club chair is from Charlotte & Ivy. The pillow is a new favorite fabric - Mandarin Dragons by Design Legacy.

My May Houzz Ideabook is up and it is on monkeys - so fun! Check it out here. I have done 24 Ideabooks for Houzz with sources for hundreds of fantastic Chinoiserie picks - you can always find them by clicking on "My Ideabooks on Houzz" in my sidebar. This is a an excellent Chinoiserie sourcebook.

I have always been crazy about the desk in Aerin Lauder's office/dressing room - a Z desk circa 1970 by designer and architect Gabriella Crespi. I think Pottery Barn's Ava desk, that I used in yesterday's inspiration board, is evocative of it. It has clean, crisp, geometric lines, polished nickel and glass, and is very budget friendly. If I were looking for a new desk, this would definitely be in the running.

Since I am currently doing a little home office makeover, I thought it would be fun for Kate and me to each style a desk.

Kate -

My board has a Monkey Holding Palm Leaf Tray and green and white Maze Pattern Pens from iomoi, Nude Print III from Furbish, a Parsons Desk in Diamond Grass Cloth from West Elm, Dragon Lamp from Jonathan Adler, Zebra Notepad from Paper Source, Short List pad from Kate Spade, and Sea Urchin paperweight from John Derian. I would love this desk - feminine, but chic and sophisticated. You can follow my boards on Pinterest here.

Beth -

My desk is the Ava Metal Desk from Pottery Barn. I have paired it with Little Green Notebook's own Eames Management chair covered in Scalamandre Velvet Leopardo. The art is Feathers by Paule Marrot. The leopard pillow is by Dana Gibson. The rug is the kira-cph runner. Atop the desk is a Harry Allen pig bank, a Kate Spade pink vase, a Kate Spade notepad, and a Furbish Penelope lamp. I would love to work here!

I made some progress this week on my office makeover and I thought I'd give you a peek. I love the Benjamin Moore Poppy on the walls. I shopped my house for accessories and am really liking the navy with the deep coral walls. My only purchase so far was a sheepskin rug from Ikea for my desk chair for $30.00. I think it looks great and it feels even better. This next week my goal is to work on styling the bookshelves.

As you know, I am in the middle of a little home office makeover. Now that the painting is done, the fun can begin! Next up is styling my desk. In looking through my files for inspiration, I pulled together this group. These are the elements from them I would like to include in my own desk styling -

*Chinoiserie
*Feminine
*Eclectic
*Functional
*Chic
*Stylish
*Fun
*Creative

I hope to give you a peek at what I've done this week.

Charlotte Moss

Lonny

Lonny

The Everygirl

Mary McDonald

Mary McDonald

Lonny

Here is my inspiration board for my little home office makeover I have just started on. The painter comes tomorrow to paint. The walls will be Benjamin Moore Poppy - I decided my previous two red paint candidates were too brown with this fabric. The window treatment will be Charlotte Moss Caroline in Currant.

My Chinese Chippendale mahogany fretwork desk will get jazzed up with a beautiful blue and white Chinese porcelain lamp and some chic accessories. I have some great art for the room including a huge Inigo Jones that I love. My big score of the weekend was this fantastic dog bed in Scalamandre Zebras because Izzy likes to hang out with me in my office.

A black leather mid century modern bench will be a great spot for not only extra seating but magazines and files. A red lacquer Victoria ghost chair is for extra seating. I have a DIY makeover planned for my desk chair that is still in the planning.

Two projects will be styling the wall of built-in bookshelves and perhaps creating a gallery wall above the bench.

If you have been following along with my virtual makeover of a fantastic Chinoiserie historic property in Coral Gables, Florida over at The Glam Pad, you'll want to pop over today and see what I have envisioned for the kitchen.

Benjamin Moore Chili Pepper 2004-20

A client's powder room we painted in Chili Pepper

I have decided to paint the walls in my office Chinese red. Red is a hard color to get right. I want a really really deep coral that is not too blue and not too orange - a nice balance of pink and orange and red. These are the two reds that I go to time and time again. The painter is coming Tuesday, so I will decide over the weekend.


Chili Pepper -
"This is a really deep coral, kind of like a cheerful Chinese red. Pinks and reds to me are synonymous with frozen drinks and relaxing." - Richard Mishaan from House Beautiful



Blazer -
"It's exciting and it has a historical reference: the Greek vases, the palace at Knossos, and all that business. I love red, always have, always will. Either you like steak or you like hamburgers." - David Easton from House Beautiful

Farrow & Ball Blazer 212

Meg Braff 's woodwork in Blazer

Tomorrow is March 1 and spring is in the air here in DC. In my own garden, the camellias, Japanese quince, and hellebores are blooming - three of my favorites. Did I ever tell you all how much I love gardening? I have a certificate in landscape design and am a Master Gardener and I love this time of year in DC especially. Someone once said that spring is something DC does well and it is very true.

Whenever spring arrives I love to tackle a decorating project in my home. This time I have decided my home office needs some updating. As is often the case with me, my inspiration came from a fabric - a Charlotte Moss fabric "Caroline" that I have been wanting to use ever since it came out. It reminds me a bit of Clarence House David Hicks The Vase. The colorway is currant, but these pictures don't do the color justice - it is the yummiest deep coral pink. And the scale of this design is huge. So dramatic! Follow along the next several weeks as I post my weekly progress on this room from inspiration to completion.

Next I will be working on a Pinterest board, an inspiration board, and a paint color for the room. Speaking of Charlotte Moss, I received this photo at bottom from her last night as part of an announcement about an upcoming auction and book signing of hers in NYC. Check out that coffee table - a Chinoiserie wallpaper top under glass -  a great DIY project.

Don't miss Chinoiserie Chic tomorrow - my daughter Kate has done a fabulous inspiration board and I will be revealing my Houzz Ideabook for March.

Have you weighed in on Mary McDonald's office redo here? I was inspired to do my own inspiration board of an office update for her. I stuck with her new gray and coral palette that I love, with a mix of modern and vintage elements -

Meg Braff's Wallpaper Un Reve de Chine in White on Silver Mylar
Strut Large Table in Watermelon for the desk
Kartell Louis Ghost Chair in Black
Vintage Fornasetti Leopard Ottoman for her love of leopard and for an additional work surface
Silver Pagoda Lamps reminiscent of the pair in her previously blue office

Mary McDonald has changed my all time favorite office from this above, to this below. What's the verdict? Prefer the blue before or the coral and gray redo? I'll bet you can guess my answer.