My door

I thought you might like to see my door decorated for fall.  

I used things that I had.....don't call me a hoarder or anything....(all of my family members can stop laughing now!)

Fall leaves, lots of orange and gold flowers and some sparkley things I use in decorating pumpkins went into the mix.  

I feel very festive when I open my door.

I'm linking up on Southern Hospitality with my door decor.  Check out the blog for lots of fall door inspiration. 

Copper Highlights

Metalllics seem to be all the rage these days....fabrics, wallpaper, furniture finishes and all kinds of accessories bring metallic sparkle and bling to home decor.


We've seen high gloss chrome, brushed nickel and oil rubbed bronze, and now burnished gold is taking center stage.  But my heart will always lean to my favorite patina....copper.


I just love copper!  It's rich and warm, and it always ages with grace and panache!
Every chef covets a set of hand-forged copper pans....me too!

Vaux-le-vicomte chateau

Designers are taking this soft, mellow metal and using it in all kinds of unique applications.


Who doesn't love the copper farm sink?

or the incredible free standing bathtub...

This Japanese soaking tub is the ultimate in luxury, don't you think?  (Perhaps we need to bring along a copper step stool so you can actually get in!)

Craftsman Copper

Lighting designers have jumped on the copper bandwagon as well, mixing traditional and modern design elements with this antique finish.

Casa Midy Lanterns

Tom Dixon

Artistic Kitchen Designs

Industrial Design Imports

Copper is a great material for cut away panels and screens too.  
Think about the shadows this pattern would make in the light!   Yum!

Parasoleil by Kari Seydewitz

I do love the way that copper creates a beautiful verdigis patina when it's left to oxidize. 

My favorite color scheme too!

Strauss Furniture

Furniture makers have begun experimenting with copper.  The soft metal is more challenging to work with, but when it works, it's wonderful!


How unique is this!

Ferruccio Laviani

 Heaven for me when you marry the copper with drawers....I love drawers and cubbies!

Hobart Cabinet Co.

Distressed copper clad dining tables look great in outdoor spaces or homey kitchens. 

GI Designs

Tile manufacturers have been adding copper to their lines for a while now, 

Native Trails Tile

but penny tiles in copper are a new twist to an vintage design.

Cool Trends

And then there's the real deal!!  Talk about a "costly" floor!

Even Kitchenaide has gotten in on the act!

Wanna know how obsessed I am?  This is my kitchen ceiling.  Anaglypta wallpaper, faux painted by me....I needed a neck brace by the time I finished!  But I love it everyday.

So, are you a fan of copper too?  Jump on the bandwagon....there's plenty of room!

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.

Progress

If you've been following me, you know that I've been redoing  my garage conversion (from the 80's....does putting lipstick on a pig mean anything to you?)


Here's my progress so far.
Floor is painted.....motifs are painted.....walls are painted!  Yay!!


Much left to do, but I'm feeling really good about the direction.   
Lord, give me strength  (and a healthy bank account ! ) to finish!

The wallcolor is SW "Waterscape".  It looks a little dark in these pictures because they were taken at night and I haven't upgraded the lighting yet.  The cabinets and base boards haven't been painted either, but that's a photo for another day!

I wanted to show you this one so you could see the "lovely" air conditioner, electrical panel box and the Verizon box-thingy!  Remember, I told you this is an 80's redo!  Did we have no taste in the 80's???

But they're painted!!  Well, at least the panel box and the air conditioner are.  I'm waiting for the Verizon guy to come on Monday, and after he leaves, it may get painted too!!

I'll have a screen that will cover this area,  but isn't it cool how the panel box disappears!

Love it. Oh, and BTW....this is exactly why I paint switch plate covers as well.  They go away and you are able to decide what feature you want to have as a focal point instead of seeing tacky switch plates !    Yes, my pet peeve is showing.....why would you want to make a switch plate a focal point....just don't get it???

So this is my progress so far.  Don't you love the floor!!

Paint that Floor!

I've lived with ugly parque flooring in a part of my house for way too many years.  We converted the garage over 20 years ago and it became the space where I painted and crafted and stored stuff....kind of like a GARAGE!  


This is actually after I scrapped up the spilled paint from the floor.

Yuk, huh?

So, I'm repurposing that room, so the floor had to change.  Lots of other things have to change as well...paint, lighting, window treatments.....so much, but the floor had to come first.

I've found lots of inspiration for painted floors, and that seems like an easy (?) quick and cost effective way to bring some personality into the room, so I bought a gallon of "Porch and Floor" paint in SW Tricorn Black and started to paint.


Knowing what kind of crud had been on the floor, I primed it first.
Lovely!
I quickly realized that I didn't want white floors.  

It's a good thing I had vision at this point!


Side note......Keeping the Big Dog out of the excitement proved to be more than I counted on.

Nice!! He had to walk around with a painted paw for a couple of days!  


I knew immediately when I got the first roll of black paint on that it was the perfect choice for this space. 

Now on to the fun part! 
I searched the internet for the perfect stencil motif, but alas,  I didn't find what I wanted.
So I taped together 4 large sheets of drawing paper and drew my own.  


Now...for those of you who do everything perfectly, you'll just have to excuse me.  I cut the design out with sissors because I couldn't find a sharp ex-acto knife, and then I traced the outline of the cutout on the floor with a white crayon.  No stenciling !  It was too much trouble to get the acetate and cut the stencil, so I improvised!

Here my first row of motifs.  The next row will stagger this one.  
I like !

I've now drawn all the motifs on the floor, so I'll be done soon ( Ha!)  putting on the 4 coats of white paint that I need for coverage and then 2 coats of polyurethane!  Yay!


I think I'm going to like it when It's finished !  

It's Time.....

.....To welcome the fat man!

Sally's house

Merry Christmas Everyone!