The Little Black...Nightstands!

A few weeks back I admitted, with gusto, that I painted wood...in copious amounts...all the time. And these Craigslist scores started like this:

Then were primed like so:

To turn out like THIS, Betch:

I mean...are y'all seeing this????:

WHAT?!?!

How insanely glossy gorgeous did this paint job make the old hardware look? WAY Gloss, WAY!

Show me those curves...sexy-time, oh!:

These gals just went from frau to mutha-f$%ckin' WOW! Class, how many of y'all are gonna start paintin' your wooden furniture now? Consider y'all-selves properly schooled!

Boo Yeah!

From banal to beauti-mous, my Battery Park City executrix got exactly what she wanted:

Bam biotch! Obvi, the 'blurred lines' happening in the above pic weren't intentional-- I'm clearly no photographer, y'all. and some key items that weren't on either proposal ended up being winners: that fab chesterfield sofa, perky floor lamp and luscious rug...but that's how the process werks...I present client with my ideal picks, they love or hate & when necessary, we throw down like Crystal & Alexis, all "Dynasty" like, until sufficient style slapping and shoulder pad tearing has been achieved...

I loved curating her existing killer art collection in fun and unexpected ways throughout...oh and LOOK y'all, the pooch even got his own spot to chill:

This sexy media console below is giving me FULL LIFE!

And this hottie mid century inspired leather armchair below gives my gal that hit of leather she lusts for, yet in a toned & tight silhouette-- I'll take some of THAT!

I angled her desk/dining table as well as her newly painted (& papered) bookcase to shake things up a bit. Remember that when your arranging or re-arranging your own furniture-- trying things on an angle could be the unexpected genius solution you never considered ...LURV...here's a close-up of the bookcase-- that's the clients' own pattern design that we had printed on adhesive-backed vinyl! It's subtle but SO CHIC and was uber-easy to do!

and

This divine blue velvet scooped side chair and mirrored side table (actually one of a three-piece set; the other two live on left side of sofa in first pic. awesome way to budget stretch-- buy a 'set' and break it, up for multiples) were scored from Joss & Main-- they are such a great source for crazy affordable 'liciousness-- become a member NOW biotch!!! (They do curated limited-run sales, so sorry there's no direct link for these items...you gotta get 'em when you see 'em on there!)

Given her budget and the limitations with being a renter in a strict-ass building like hers, overall, the space looks incredible! Upon seeing it for the first time after install, my client commented, "I feel like someone creative lives here". I'd say my job was done.

It's 5:00 PM somewhere!

So y'all know what that means? Time to get your drank on!!! And it just so happens that I'll be enjoying mine from my new bar cart! Oh shiot, lookee here...warning...HOT AFTER ACTION:

This is probably one of the easiest diy's I've ever done! And I just j'adore how it turned out...It's amazing to me how you can completely transform something from it's intended purpose into something else entirely-- with the easy addition of some custom cut glass.

Here's how I made this all happen...

*Create a template for the area that you wish to put glass atop/on. If you're blessed to have a cart with a square or rectangular situation, then this project is even EASIER and you're a biotch! BUT, if, like me, you have an irregular shape that you're working with-- pear, rotund, obtuse c'ankle-- what have you...then y'all have to make a template for glass cutter to work off. I made mine out of craft paper.

*Next cut a rough approximate shape from paper. Holding that shape firmly in place, trace the underside/bottom edges of the basket where your glass will eventually sit inside of. Make sense? This allows ya'll to get the exact shape of the area you want glass cut for.

*Lastly, trim off about 1.5" more from the tracing line you just made in the paper edge with scissors to allow for some clearance of the glass, so it won't scrape against the metal of the cart, once cut. Now you've made your template, which should look something like this:

And there y'all have it! Remember to always measure twice (or even three times) and cut once. Also, as a back-up back-up, if you're just nervous as all hell to trust your template-making skills, you can always bring your cart to your glass cutter. Y'all want at least 1/4" thick glass with a safety edge. My two pieces ran me about $60/each...so, not dirt cheap, but not cra cra either. And this little lady may not always be just a bar cart in my space-- she can now become a side table or console of sorts, etc...so the minimal investment has yielded double and potentially even TRIPLE value, y'all...and that's not something we take lightly here at Blog-A-Dazzle!!! Triple Value!

Cheers!

Decorating with...Math?

Math has never been a friend of mine…and I’m not sure why that is exactly. I’ve always dismissed our dynamic as "just not having enough in common". Math is so precise and exact. So right or wrong. There’s no wiggle room with Math. No drama or intrigue, no gray areas. I thrive in gray areas…I mean, what color doesn’t work with gray, right y’all?

For me, the same holds true for decorating—there is no real right or wrong. There’s an infinite amount of wiggle room, and nothing ever has to be exact or precise. So when I was approached to create a piece for Easy Decorating Magazine called 'Instant Room' that would illustrate basic elements (sofa, coffee table, light fixture & rug) added together to equal a specific style of room, I was a little skeptical. But I was quickly backslapped by Math... despite all her exactness (1 + 1 equals 2...blah, blah, blah) I discovered there’s a lot of wiggle room, you just have to be open to it. And just like decorating, being open to the unexpected can make for one hell of an equation. Look how these rooms add up:

Now go get properly schooled by grabbing yourselves a copy, out on newsstands now! Holla!