laying it all out there: persian rugs...

They always say you want what you can't have. Currently, we have a completely carpeted house. The plan down the road is to put hardwoods throughout the downstairs, but for now, it's carpet town. So naturally, I have been obsessing over Persian Rugs. Yes, I know you can put rugs over carpet, but I just can't get on that bandwagon. Instead I have been pining away for them on Pinterest and pinning my little heart out.

Here are some of my favorites:

Love the worn look of this one with the hints of blue and the faded reds. 

Via 

On the flip side, the vibrancy of this rug is stunning.

Via

More rich, warm tones. 

For a mere $42,000 this rug could be mine. WHAT?!??!

Via

And imagine them placed on top of this A-MAH-ZING (shout out to Penny Hartz!) herringbone wood floor. Gorgeous. 

Via

light it up: finding the right floor lamps...

right now, my house is in the 85% stage. every room is about 85% finished. the office needs a credenza and then it's done. the guest bath needs art and some hand towels and it's complete. and the living room and family room need floor lamps and they will be almost finished. since lighting in an integral part to making a room feel warm and inviting, I am focusing on lamps - specifically floor lamps.

Our house is blessed with a variety of overstuffed chairs. From my husband's coveted leather chair in the family room....

to a pair of hand-me-downs from my parents that occupy the living room.

I cannot take a good picture in this room, the window is my nemesis.

They are all so comfy, but because they take up so much space, adding a side table and table lamp near each one would make the rooms look too cluttered.

Enter the floor lamp. Sleek, tall and inconspicuous. I have been eyeing a variety of lamps for each room. The family room is much more casual, with lots of silver details so I thought any one of these might fit in just perfectly:

Via

Via

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In the living room, I'm envisioning antiqued brass or gold with a warmer color shade to work with the color palette.  

EuroLighting.com

 I like that this is simple but the three rods give it some interest.

EuroLighting.com

  I love this lamp:

EuroLighting.com

This reminds me of a reading room lamp. Something you would find in a study. I like the warmth of the bronze base.

Crate and Barrel

  I am obsessed with this gold sphere lamp. It it gorgeous but a little too rich for my blood. 

EuroLighting.com

I keep coming back to this tri-pod lamp for both rooms. It is simple and feels like it is meant for our space.

Target

Stay tuned to see our final pics. And I know I still owe you all updates on our house painting. It looks great, but I need to get the rooms back in order before I share pics. Have a great day!

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?

wall in the family

Ever since we moved into this new place in January, our living room wall has been taunting me. It's huge. And our couch is huge. I knew whatever went on that wall had to be big as well. It was overwhelming so I just tried to ignore it.

The wall to the right is the wall in question, not the best angle for the pic. 

But it's the first thing you see when you walk in the door, so I couldn't ignore it for long. But big art means big $$$. Something I just don't have for one piece of art.  Plus, everything I found was nice but it didn't mean anything.

Then one day I was talking to my cousin, who just happens to live across the street form me. (side note: we are both from Cincinnati, but ended up living on the same street in Chicago - it's great to be so close to family when you're far from home.)

She a middle school art teacher and was talking about this painting she did for her brother. It was amazing! Then it hit me - I'll commission a painting for the living room.

My cousin was more than willing to do it, so all I had to do was find the right picture to turn into a painting. I knew exactly which one I wanted:

The Chicago skyline is amazing. It's perfect for our living room. My cousin took the photo, got some supplies and two weeks later, my new living room art is ready to be unveiled. 

Isn't it amazing? The shading alone just amazes me. My cousin is a fabulous artist and I am so honored that she did this for us and it's now hanging in my home. And doesn't it look great in the space? 

It fills up the space perfectly -- it's 36 inches long and just the right size for the space. My boyfriend and I both love it and we had friends over last night and they were commenting on how beautiful it is.

If you're not finding what you need at the store or don't have the $$ for it, get creative. Ask someone you know who is artistic if they'll create something for you. Or better yet, create it yourself. Art is personal - let it reflect what you love.

-j