The Weed Lady

Upon my return to Michigan I went through a severe mourning period due to the lack of chic interior and garden design shops. I longed for my L.A. days, trolling down La Cienega with a coffee in hand browsing the best of what the home and garden world had to offer, returning home with a trinket or two and a load of inspiration. Well...soon after, my spirits were lifted a little when someone told me about a little english house-turned-garden-shop called The Weed Lady. The Weed Lady!? What a funny name! I was intrigued. I made the 40 minute drive hoping not to be let down when I arrived and WOWZA!! I was not. It was a jewel box of a place. I felt like I had found some little old ladies magical cottage, dripping with ivy and dried hydrangeas. There were interesting potted trees and mossy pots mingled in with delicious candles, bleached terra cotta pots and italian pottery. I was so happy, I might be able to live here after all! I recently went there to have them make up about 10 different potted arrangements to have for the house when I get back for the summer. They sent the pictures today and they are beautiful!

These two will go either on the deck of the tub in my master bathroom or on my fireplace in the bedroom if they aren't too tall. .

The back on is probably going on the sofa table behind the sofa in the living room and the oblong one with the succulents will sit on a shelf in the french bakers rack in the hallway. .

This is one of a pair that will sit on vintage pedestals on both sides of the large window in my dining room. .

This transferware planter sits on my breakfast room table. .

I haven't placed these two guys yet. Maybe in the kitchen flanking the sink under the window or on the dining room table. .

This is a bunch of pussy willows that will probably go in an olive jar in my dining room. I wish I were in Michigan and could attach a picture tour of this amazing shop. I will do a follow-up post when it is in full bloom in the summer.

Laurence Amelie

I had been searching for the perfect painting for my daughter's room for about 6 months, it had to be pink and it had to be a ballerina. Armed with this criteria I scoured etsy, poured over art galleries online and picked through hundreds of Ebay searches. Nothing fit. Then, armed with a cup of coffee and strolling through Soho one Saturday morning I stumbled into one of my favorite shops, Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic Couture. There in the window was the most beautiful, ethereal, tutu painting EVER. I couldn't believe it. It was everything I was looking for. Girly and light without being sugary and cartoon-ish. It was the grown-ups version of a ballerina painting, but somehow managed to capture my 4 year olds heart as well. I took it home and also snagged a wispy aqua and pale pink cherry blossom oil painting for above my nightstand as well. Since then I have googled her and found so many amazing florals and tutus. I love it all. She is featured quite regularly now in RASCC and has an online gallery as well. I think her work is so modern, but so feminine. Here are two images of her paintings in my apartment in New York.

This is one of her classic tutu paintings. I love the moodiness this has, it's one of my favorites of the tutus I have seen.

This piece sits above my nightstand, I love the colors and the wispy branches.

Dining room updates

I have been working on my dining room for quite a while now, it is the last room that I have really devoted NO time to.  I needed to buckle down and find a couple stand out peices and accessories.  First trip a success!  La Belle Maison of Ann Arbor, my local go-to for interesting French Antiques, dishware and lighting had the most AMAZING french butcher block table from France, circa 1900.  It has this cool bulls head at the top, which is typical of butcher blocks of that era.  On one side is the actual wood block that has seen a lot of use and has the most amazing uneven top.  The other side is a slab of old Carrara Marble.  This peice is a little more "kitchen" than dining room, but I couldn't go home without it.  I also snagged four antique botanicals in a grass green to hang above it...I think they balance out the piece and make it a little less masculine.  They also brings out the green in the light above the table.  Enjoy!

Angie Gren Interiors on Cote De Texas!!!

http://www.cotedetexas.blogspot.com/2012/02/readers-houses-series-1-and-thank-you.html#comment-form

Too late for Swedish?

When I named my daughter Sophia in 2007, at the height of the Sophia craze, I had completely convinced myself that I had loved that name for years, long before everyone else did.  Now, I honestly can't tell you if that's true or not, because I have been known to convince myself of untrue things before (I also thought the same thing about knee-high boots and skinny jeans).  It just seems sometimes that I get to apply something I love at the peak of it's appeal, or unfortunately sometimes slightly later.  And although that in itself makes me want to search for the next thing, the appeal is too strong for me to resist.  I HAD to name my daughter Sophia, I love the name, even though I was fully aware that I may be joining the masses.  The same goes for my apartment.  I have dreamed of a Gustavian meets the left bank breezy style apartment for years, long before it was hot (I'm convinced) and long after it was replaced by the chunkier, more masculine lines of the Belgian craze.  The thing about a trend, however is that unless it makes the transition to being a "classic" or "traditional", it can look dated and uninspired if applied too soon past it's expiration date.  But, that's neither here nor there because I won't be happy with anything else.  I must have a breezy white swedish apartment.  I finished purchasing the final pieces from Oly Studio and The Lone Ranger Antiques and I'll give you a little preview of them before you get to see the final result.

I fell in love with these chairs, they are wider than most antique swedish chairs, which makes them hubby approved.  These will get simple white linen slips and each will go under a different desk.

  

This beauty is going in a little hallway nook which is visible from the living room.  P.S. This is NOT a Mora clock!  I was given a very strong speaking to from Jeff after referring to this as a Mora Clock. Mora Clocks are a specific to a region of Sweden and are the most widely available and inexpensive of the antique tall case clocks.  He and other dealers sell very little true Mora clocks.  They are not that desirable and are rather unattractive, I think. 

  

I am thinking a few pairs of these will look great in the Dining area flanking a mirror with some interesting objects or bud vases on them.

Linen sectional and ottoman from Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic Couture waiting to ship.

Oly Studio Stella shelves will flank an antique armoire opposite the sectional and will be stuffed with beautiful design books and interesting pottery.  I think these coupled with the dark farm table in the dining area and the walnut leather will give enough contrast to the whites, I am being very careful to keep it from going too shabby-chic.

That's all you get for now, final pictures of the main rooms should be up within a couple months.  I swear!!

Take two

I'mmmmm Baaaack!!!  Call it divine intervention if you will, but I just came across my old blog completely by accident, realized I posted a measly three times before throwing in the towel and after shaming myself endlessly for being so unreliable and being such an awful blogger after rather arrogantly naming myself the Home Provocateur (hand covering face),  I've decided it's time for round two.  So much has happened since my original posts (which had a little to do with my untimely departure).  I have two babies now, we have relocated AGAIN (this time to NYC), and hubby is a bit more stable in his career.  I have done SO much work on the country abode in Michigan and am also nearing completion of our pre-war Swedish-Parisian-style apartment on the Upper West Side.  I am now ready to sink my teeth into my blog, and live up to this grand name I once threw around so flippantly.

Keystone Cottage?

I just stopped by the house today and noticed a keystone resting over the top of my large dining room picture window. WTF?? Its gotta go, when I told the builders it didn't go with the style of my house they seemed puzzled. Apparently they think keystones go with every house...