Our Plan
1) Saarinen table 2) Pelle Bubble Chandelier / DIY: how to make your own bubble chandelier featured in the February/March 2009 issue of ReadyMade magazine…RIP… 3) Farrow & Ball Lotus wallpaper 4) Cherner arm chair 5) Sisal rug with border was featured on Fab a few weeks ago

{Confession: I am completely addicted to Fab and Pinterest and spend too much time on both!}

But, I digress…this is supposed to be about our dining room. The dining room is the first room we restored in our house and it holds a special place in my heart.

The truth is that even though I think the dining room is beautiful, it has never felt like “us”. We got so caught up with restoring the house, the strong architectural lines and period details, that we somehow left ourselves out of the equation.

I want something a little brighter and more playful. I intend to leave all the period details intact except for the light fixture, but that isn’t so unusual. I swap out lights around here the way some women change earrings. I always save the antique lights so I can put them back or move them to a new location if… make that when…I change my mind.

I am trying to find a balance between the Modern furnishings that we love and all the beautiful period details…that we also love.

Mix of period details and Modern furnishings. Image from Pinterest

If you follow me on twitter, you already know that we have installed the Farrow & Ball wallpaper that I have been lusting after this fall. The dining room already looks brighter.

I purchased the sisal rug and it arrived last week. Unfortunately, it is letting off the most noxious chemical smell. My whole house smells like Three Mile Island. This cannot be normal…

We are keeping the baby grand piano in the dining room, so I can’t have a dining room table that is too large. There is also a lot of wood in the room with the piano, built-in china cabinet, box beam ceiling and wainscoting. I think the white Saarinen table will be a nice counterpoint to all the woodwork.

I have loved the Cherner arm chair for years. To me, it is a functional piece of art. I’m not sure if we will have the budget for it. Although, I find it incredibly beautiful…I also find it pretty expensive.

It will be a few months, or maybe a few years, before I get this all together, but I am excited and ready for a change.

Lately, I have been strangely drawn to wallpaper, which is crazy because I know from personal experience just how difficult it is to remove.

Image from Apartment Therapy

I am the same person who adamantly hated wallpaper and swore I would never do that to our beautiful plaster walls. Well, never say never…

I am considering indulging my wallpaper lust, but starting small by hanging it in our tiny powder room.

Our power room is in the midst of getting a few updates. We recently purchased an Ann sink from IKEA. It is about the only sink that I could find that fit our requirements of being affordable and small enough to work in the space. We also tiled behind the sink to prevent problems with water splashing onto the walls.

And I am considering the Mme. Jeanne wallpaper from Grow House Grow. The pattern is loosely based on mollusk scallop shells. I like how it mimics the round shape of the sink.

Hmmmmm…will I regret this? It isn’t as easy as painting over the walls if I change my mind.

I was convinced I wasn’t a wallpaper person but Farrow & Ball’s Lotus wallpaper has completely changed my mind. I’ve fallen in love with it! I am trying to find a place for it in my house. Maybe in the dining room?

Something about fall makes me want to pull on a warm, comfy sweater, a soft scarf and curl up underneath a blanket with hot cocoa and a good book. I am enjoying getting in touch with my farm girl roots with Noel Perrin’s charming book First Person Rural: Essays of a Sometime Farmer.

1.Farrow & Ball Lotus wallpaper 2.Madewell first frost circle scarf 3.T by Alexander Wang chunky pullover 4.Barcelona hot chocolate 5.terrain St. David’s Cross throw 6.First Person Rural: Essays of a Sometime Farmer by Noel Perrin

I am in need of inspiration! Doesn’t this bed look comfortable?

I really like the colors of this room. They seem soothing and calm.

I wish my plaster walls looked this beautiful in their natural state.

I like the oversized artwork and that it is centered over the side table instead of the bed.

A tapestry used as a headboard is interesting.

Note: These images came from my inspiration folder. I am sorry that I didn’t save the original source information.

Hajoca Plumbing Goods showers

Hajoca Plumbing Goods shower accessories

 


Hajoca Plumbing Goods bath tubs

Kohler “Viceroy” bath tub

Standard nickel plated towel bars

You might also like:
Vintage Bathroom Fixtures and Accessories
Historical Bathroom Photos
More Historical Bathroom Photos
Art Deco Bathrooms

For someone needing inspiration to restore a bungalow bathroom or the old house buff who likes to get all the details period perfect, I am posting images from several plumbing supply catalogs dating from 1910’s – 1920’s. You might also enjoy seeing photos and illustrations of period bathrooms during the same time period.

These sinks were named “Filmore” Lavatory

Hajoca Plumbing Goods offered by the Haines, Jones & Cadbury Company

 


Public sink fixture sold by Standard.

Kohler bathroom accessories

Hajoca Plumbing Goods

Kohler toilets

Bathroom accessories by Hajoca Plumbing Goods

 
You might also like:
More Vintage Bathroom Fixtures and Accessories
Historical Bathroom Photos
More Historical Bathroom Photos
Art Deco Bathrooms

Last fall I had the pleasure of visiting the Ruthmere House in Elkhart, IN. I couldn’t get past the gorgeous ceiling in the foyer. I snapped the photo you see with my cell phone, but in person the ceiling is absolutely stunning. The colors and design are historically accurate to 1910.

Detail of a painted ceiling design. The colors are gorgeous!

I would love to paint something like this on our dining room ceiling.

Detail of the ceiling stencil.

The Ruthmere website has an online reproduction of the 1910 Souvenir Booklet featuring photos of the house when first opened to the public upon completion. It is fascinating to see how the home was furnished.

See photos of stained glass windows, wall murals, floor tile and more.

Update
If you enjoy touring homes, Copshaholm is located in near-by South Bend, IN. Have lunch or dinner at Tippecanoe Place. There are also two Frank Lloyd Wright homes in South Bend, although I don’t think they are open to the public. Both South Bend and Elkhart have many older, beautiful homes.

One of the things that make bungalows such comfortable homes to live in is that they are well suited to a variety of design styles and tastes. I am taking a bit more of a contemporary approach in the design of our home office. This may be where some of us aesthetically part ways, but please don’t go away! Stick around and see how great a nearly 100 year old room can look with a contemporary color scheme and furnishings.

This home office needs to be functional for two people and it is a place where we will be spending 8+ hours a day. We work in a creative field and want our work space to be fun, colorful, streamlined and, of course, affordable.

I keep coming back to the pictures of the two rooms above. I love how they both have bright pops of color.

We were recently at a restaurant and I fell in love with this wall! I love the color, texture and large faded text.

The vintage industrial lights are perfect with the wall.

I can’t quite see this look in my bungalow…but the wall color and industrial lights are amazing.

I am posting pictures of some of my favorite kitchens. These kitchens are full of great ideas and so inspiring! Any of them would be appropriate for an older home.

The contrast between all that white marble and the black stove is beautiful.

My mother loves this kitchen! I like the open shelving and the little drawers going all the way to the ceiling.

Another example of open shelving. I like how this kitchen utilizes the space in front of the window, which is usually unused, as well as above the window and door. This is a smart storage solution for a small kitchen.

Another beautiful cream, white, and marble kitchen with black accents.

Wide plank floors, vintage light fixture, modern stove, dark black cabinets and wood countertops. Very warm, very inviting.

Another of my Mom’s favorites. Double sink, how luxurious.

I love these cupboards!