nice rack! black and gold magazine rack...

black and gold is my latest design obsession. I may or may not have spent $40 on 9 clearance vases at Target and 5 of them may have been black and gold. OB-SESSED. I'd been looking for a magazine rack for a while and when I found this one at a local vintage store for $12, I knew I could restore it to some black and gold loveliness.

I loved the detail. It was a little beat up but nothing a little spray paint couldn't bring back to life.

First I taped off all of the areas that will eventually be gold. 

Then I sprayed the exposed metal with semi-gloss Rusto-leum black spray paint. 

I let it dry for 24 hours then removed the tape. After another 24 hours, I taped off the freshly painted black areas. If you're doing a similar project, make sure to let the paint dry for a couple of days before taping it off so that the tape does pull off any paint that hasn't set yet. 

I thought maybe the frame was tarnished brass, but some scrubbing with a good brass cleaner revealed it was not. It was beat up and rusted so I grabbed my gold spray paint, Rusto-leum again. 

After letting it dry for 24 hours, I removed the tape. There were a couple of areas where the gold had leaked onto the black so I just grabbed a small craft paintbrush, sprayed it with some of the black paint and touched up any gold overspray. 

The result was better than I imagined. 

Retro, glam and totally unique. I'm so in love with it. 

friday finds: side tables....

it's Friday again and you know what that means – garage sales! it's a gorgeous fall day here, so before I started working I scoped out a few of the nearby sales. We have a serious shortage of places to put lamps and drinks, so I have been looking for side tables for various rooms in our house. And today I hit the jackpot.

I found this beauty at the first sale...

see that sticker? BOOM! $5!

It's a beautiful and heavy brass and marble table. Even though it's gorgeous, it's going to be hidden in our family room between a lounge chair and the wall. But never fear, I have big plans for it when my Hollywood Regency living room comes together. 

A couple of the sales were duds (I mean, I have never seen so many baby clothes/toys in my life!) but at the last one I found this puppy. 

and again $5! 

It will be perfect for the loft area which currently has no lamps, only overhead lighting. There is something extra cozy about soft lamp lighting versus blazing ceiling fan lights. Plus, the middle shelf will be a perfect place to keep magazines, remotes, etc. It's a little more country/traditional than my usual tastes, but again it won't be out in plain sight, and the height and double-shelf action makes it a functional gem. 

Once I get them in place I'll be sure to take pictures to show you how they are working in the space. I was just so excited by my finds, I had to share them with you. 

2 tables + $10 = FABULOUS FRIDAY FINDS! 

chairs. so many chairs to choose from...

I have a vision for our front room. It's a combination living room/dining room and I am envisioning the living room portion to have a moody, lounge-y vibe. Very Hollywood Regency in feel with some cool chairs, maybe a vintage love seat, an old bar armoire and glass coffee table.

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So right now I am obsessed with finding the perfect chairs. They have to look cool but also be comfortable. This is where I picture us hanging out with friends, having a drink, listening to music. I had always pictured barrel or club chairs in this room. My grandparents had the coolest set of gold velvet swivel barrel chairs in their front room when I was growing. They looked exactly like these:

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I would love to have those now – very Mad Men-esque.

I was at HomeGoods the other day and saw these. Obviously not this fabric but they were comfortable.

Some others I've liked in the barrel and club style are:

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However, on that same trip to Home Goods, I sat in this puppy and was instantly wowed. 

It may not look comfortable, but I can assure you, it is. It was like sitting on a cloud. The back came up far enough that you could lay your head back and have your neck supported. And it was wide. I could easily sit on it indian-style and still fit. The slipper chair is much easier to find and comes in all kinds of fun fabrics. 

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The fun of Hollywood Regency style is that anything goes as long as it has a beautiful fabric and classic detailing. My search continues...

Tell me, which do you prefer: barrel or slipper?