I need your help.


I have a great coffee table....black and silver base and a cherry tray top.  I love the lines on the base...a little curvy yet simple and sleek.

What's that huge, black blob on the floor, you ask?

That's Henry, Big Dog, totally passed out from his busy day at Doggie Day Camp!

(He goes every Friday and sleeps most of the weekend so I can get things done!)

I couldn't get him to move to take the pic!

Sleepy dog!

Anyway, here's where I need your help.  I want to do something interesting on my coffee table.  I need ideas!!  What kind of vignette would you create?  Why is it so easy to design beautiful spaces for other people and so hard to do it for myself??


I need a little collaboration here!


Although I'm sure the remotes will spend some time here I don't want them to be a focal point like they are in this pic.

I see alot of books on coffee tables...stacked, open, color coordinated.

Christopher and Suzanne Sharp's London flat

A little sensory overload for me in this one!

Pinterest - Jane Gallant 

Candles and lanterns are always good.

Markham Roberts

Mi Casa Reformadas

I'll just take the view in this one!

shelterpop

I see a lot of flowers on coffee tables.

Christina Rottman in House Beautiful

but maybe this is a little too much floral going on.

photo by Michael Partenio

Victoria Pearson's home via Martha Stewart

I don't have a huge goddess head to use, so don't suggest that!

Decor pad

I do like the horn on this one.

Objects d' art  and shells are a popular choice.

Jeffers Design Group

John Derian

Martha Stewart

Way too much to dust here....remember, black dog hair everywhere.

Pinterest - sweetiepiepumpkinnoodle.com

Love the pop of color in the orange boxes, but a little too much stuff for me. 

Decorator to the stars, Ozzy and Sharon Osborne (and many others !), Martyn Lawrence Bullard, used all of these elements on an entry table in the Osborne's home.

I guess "The Hand" in black is an homage to Ozzy....I'll pass.

Martyn Lawrence Bullard via Architectural Digest

A tray table like mine is a bit more of a challenge because flat objects don't work well, so we have to think vertically, but not too high because we don't want to obscure TV viewing!

Apartment Therapy

....and I think I'll keep my shoes in the closet!


I like the clean lines of this vignette....and the crown doesn't hurt either.

Decor pad

So, any unique ideas out there in decorator land for this designer who's run out of ideas to decorate her own home???  

Sally J. Designs helps you to LOVE your home!

Contact us for in-home and on-line interior design services.

The Art of the Vignette

Today I'm participating in a lInk party over ata Happy to Design: Sunday Favorites.

I'm reposting this post from last winter, and I hope you enjoy it and maybe learn something.

Hope you finish out the weekend with joy!

I switched beds around in my house, and while I was putting eveything back together today, I realized that it's the vignettes within the room that bring in style and grace to the space. 

Of course, I began thinking about what makes a vignette beautiful...what separates a great vignette from an OK one.  So instead of finishing what I had started, I hit the computer looking for beautiul vignettes (this blog is called Divine Distractions after all....it's what I do ).

In studying the bevy of beauties I found, it goes back to the principles of good design...scale, balance, line, color and rhythm. 

Great symmetry here...and the spot of color from the lemons is so right!

Count how many repetitions are in this little space.

...and here.  Symmetrical balance, characterized by even numbers, items that mirror one another, things that are centered...all make for a more formal arrangement and feel.

Two pillows, two arches on the legs of the bench, two finials, two horizontal pics, two vertical ones....that's formal symmetry.

I have a love-hate relationship with symmetry.  I enjoy the strength and stability of formal balance, but I really think an asymmetrical arrangement is more interesting and artistic....that's me...interesting and artistic!

This vignette can't decide if it's symmetrical or asymmetrical....kind of like me!

I haven't ridden a horse since I was a child, but I'm coveting these riding boots.  I love that they are a bit askew, standing there.  Of course, you know I love the pops of orange.  What an eclectic, little vignette!

I wish this had posted a little clearer, but I just love this tablescape.  I love the shapes, the colors and the lines.  It seems perfectly planned.

Isn't this serene and beautiful?  What amazing lines in this table!  I love the repetition of color in the silver and green, and the soft, soothing art work. 

  They have kept the color palette here very clean and neutral, and it really allows me to focus on the photograph, which might get lost otherwise.  The white in the hydrangeas (my fav), the roses and the vases really unifies the tablescape.

Such a mix of styles here, but it really works.  Two florals seems like overkill to me, but the scene has a casual quality that is inviting.  The greens and whites in the organics are repeated in a very subtle way, bringing unity to the vignette.  Lovely!

The  lines on this table and mirror are the star of this vignette.  How simple, curvy and elegant.  Too much "stuff" would take away from the beautiful lines, don't you think?

Fruit and flowers...love this.

Ok, I'm inspired now....have to go finish putting those rooms back together now....until I'm distracted once again.