If Money Was No Object: My Vintage Top 10

What would you choose for yourself if your budget was without limit? I was recently asked this question and was happy to shop with abandon for my dream room, selecting gorgeous vintage items from Decaso, Decorative Arts Society.

If you are familiar with the online vintage site Chairish, this new sister site is founded by the same stellar team.

About Decaso: “It is an ultra-curated selection of exceptional antique and designer furniture offered by the world’s most respected dealers.”

As a blogger asked to choose my “Bucket List” favorites, I fell in LOVE with the 10 vintage items above. Details for each item with links to more info are listed below.

My theme? A classically glamorous room to entertain guests, enjoy a cocktail or two, put my feet up and get cozy.

My fantasy budget? Just over $30,000 (without adding in the cost of the original art). Not unreasonable for custom and vintage, but certainly outside of my typical price range. A girl can dream, right? If I had to choose just one of the ten, I would probably take home the bar cart. What would your fantasy room look like?

1 // Still Life With Upright, Oil on Canvas by Anne-Louise Ewen

2 // Leaded White Glass Sphere Pendant

3 // Italian Brass Chiavari Chair in Mongolian Fur

4 // Regency Style Designer Taboret Bench by Randy Esada Designs

5 // Charles Hollis Jones Lucite Faux-Bamboo and Brass Serving Cart

6 // Four Capiz Star-Shaped Pendant Lights

7 // Italian-Inspired Settee by Stripe

8 // Early 20th Century Oushak Carpet

9 // Pair of Fishskin Covered Chairs

10 // Custom Mid-Century Coffee Table

Choose your vintage favorites at Decaso.com

One Room Challenge: A Zen Home Office

The six week #OneRoomChallenge for spring 2016 is officially over! 200+ bloggers participated in this season’s design challenge to tackle one room (or more) and transform it into an intentional space that is as beautiful as it is inspiring. While I started out with high hopes to complete our new master bath this go around, I had to put that project on hold as a result of time and resource coordination issues. But I had a back-up plan ... my home office which has been neglected for years. And even though I attempted this project back in the fall, I never really finished what I started. So today I can finally say that I have made a huge improvement in my every day life just by creating a room of my own that will serve the needs of my home-based creative businesses as well as providing a designated spot to incorporate exercise into my daily routine. 

– Room to work –

– Room to work out –

And to be honest, I wasn’t even planning on adding a space to work out in my office, but once I cleared the unused, unwanted furniture and boxes of clutter, I noticed there was a perfect spot behind my desk to fit an exercise ball, yoga mat and set of weights. I figure if I see it every day, it will be easy to take a break from my computer and get up for even 10 or 20 minutes to do something good for my body. I anticipate that it will be much more enjoyable for me to work out in a room that is free of visual distractions and reminders of obligations. This makeover is a real lesson in less is more. It’s not always what you put into a room that matters, sometimes it’s what you edit out that makes the real difference.

Lighting: Schonbeck Crystal Chandelier

Ceiling: Benjamin Moore China White

Walls: Sherwin Williams Pewter Tankard

Trim: Benjamin Moore Manchester Tan

Framed signed print from designer Jason Wu

Scallop-edged black trash can from Brizo

Brass-trimmed storage chest (side of the road find)

Black, gray, white and acrylic storage boxes

from The Container Store

Black Windsor Chair from Bassett Furniture

with animal print pillow from Home Goods

Custom vintage chair purchased at a summer design show

(perfect spot for my sons to sit when they visit my office)

Custom black vinyl covered 8 ft. long office table

Staples: animal print mouse pad

Smith + Noble: linen-style roller shades

The Container Store: storage pieces

Everything in this farmhouse-meets-modern designed room has a place now. I got rid of all the little objects and stacks of paperwork. My new storage system relies on neat and tidy letter size boxes designated for various projects. Lacquered boxes are for odds and ends that I need on hand. I don’t want to see anything until I actually need it. I believe this is going to make for a much more pleasant experience in this space, and it will force me to let go of what I don’t need in the future and be more conscious of removing what does not bring me joy (yes, all learned from the KonMari method!)

Below are some of the details of what remains in my office. There is still some room left for a vision board that I will be working on, but for now, I just have the essentials paired with a few inspiring images from special events in my design life ...

Box of samples for one of my interior design client projects

Framed signed illustrated print from designer Jason Wu

received during NY Fashion Week courtesy of Brizo

My large format print of New York as seen

from inside Hearst Tower during BlogFest

Narcissus from my backyard garden in Tiffany bud vase

(because a room is not complete without a touch of nature!) 

Thank you once again to Linda Weinstein from Calling it Home for setting forth this design challenge! It’s so motivating to have a shared creative deadline with so many other bloggers who are working towards similar design goals. Check out how they all did by following the links below. And if you have a room in your house that needs finishing, set your calendar for the fall of 2016 and join the fun! You will be glad you did : )

 Guest Participants

Featured Designers

And be sure to look for future One Room Challenge recaps from media sponsor, House Beautiful. They have discovered that the ORC is a great way to capture current design trends, DIY tips and creative inspiration worth sharing with their devoted audience. Search #oneroomchallenge on Instagram for even more! Enjoy!

Holiday Tradition at Endicott Mansion

Earlier this month, the Danvers Historical Society held their winter gala at the Endicott Mansion at Glen Magna Farms. Florists and artists were invited to deck the halls. I was more than happy to return to this former show house to style my decorated rooms with wintery floral arrangements plus a bit of holiday glam. With snowflake-like wallpaper from Farrow and Ball, the decorations could remain simple ...

evergreens with white roses

sparkle on the bookshelves

feathery arrangement displayed in a winter white vase

from Janus et Cie via The Boston Design Center

whimsical DIY snow globes ... just for fun

How are you decorating your favorite

rooms this holiday season?

Adding Style with Saturated Colors

art  //  lamp  //  bachelor's chest  //  carpet  //  bedding  //  accent pillow

upholstered bed  //  upholstered storage bench  //  vintage slipper chair

I was recently asked by Chairish, an online shopping site for vintage and used home furnishings, to create a bold and bright room featuring my favorite accent chair from their curated collections. Vintage chairs are a particular weakness of mine, so I could not pass up this unique design challenge!

I selected an elegant vintage slipper chair in yellow velvet as my inspiration, then paired it with equally bright new pieces from Bassett Furniture that had a classic or vintage feel to them. An over-dyed Persian style carpet, a Robert Allen watercolor-like fabric, and an abstract knife gel giclee combine for a rich and colorful palette. The large scale upholstered bed adds visual balance to the space by remaining neutral in color.

Often times I am working with clients who want to incorporate a much loved piece, like a vintage chair, into their plans for a renovated room. The key is to make all the pieces, old and new, look as if they are speaking the same language. Repeating the shape of a leg, duplicating the finish color, or choosing pieces that seem to be from a similar time period, helps to bridge the gap from the past to the present. Including a modern twist, like these deeply saturated colors, keeps the space looking fresh.

If you are looking to add some lively pieces with vintage patina to your newly designed spaces, check out the decorative objects that are also available via the Chairish site ... 

  

Vintage Fretwork Green Wooden Tray

Mercury Glass Candlestick

Bone China White Swans

Room of the Week: Tailored Grays + Citrus

One of my Bassett room makeover clients recently sent me the photo above of her newly furnished family room. I love it! Amy came in one weekend and together we pulled a palette of menswear inspired fabrics for a pair of tailored custom sofas. We dressed the Keaton Accent Chair in a handsome gray and yellow plaid while the extra large round ottoman – my personal favorite – is wearing a classic animal print in a luxurious gray and cream chenille. Embroidered-style citrus bright accent pillows add a lively contrast while a round Wakefield Lamp Table in a warm cream finish softens the corner between the two sofas. Amy’s addition of the white shag rug is perfection! 

I love working with people who have an idea of what they like, but are willing to step outside of their comfort zone to achieve a designer look. The best part? From design concept (Amy and I met over a couple of weekends to finalize details) to the actual date of delivery (with the room being painted in between with a Sherwin Williams color inspired by our showroom) took less than two months. #happycustomer #happydesigner

Are you ready for a room makeover?

Get the Look: Magazines + Makeovers

Blue + Orange Living Room by designvignettes 

California brights ...

House Beautiful // April 2014

design Matthew Leverone // Lisa Romerein photos

{read the story here}

The past four months at Bassett Furniture/HGTV Home Design Studio have flown by! I have had the creative opportunity to help so many new clients with their room makeovers and custom furniture selections. Getting familiar with the full range of Bassett collections and home accents took some time, both on the showroom floor and via many online class hours (provided through Bassett University) but it was fun to get to know all that we have to offer. At Bassett, we are constantly receiving new pieces at our Burlington location and even more are introduced regularly on our website which keeps our design inventory current and exciting. I am loving my new home/design studio! As soon as I photograph my client room makeovers that have been delivered, I will share pics.

In the meantime, here are some “Get the Look” sets that I created based on rooms I loved in House Beautiful and Traditional Home magazines. All furnishings (upholstery, lighting, art, carpets, etc.) in these sets are available from Bassett. Whether you like bright colors or neutral palettes, geometric patterns or rich velvets, traditional or modern pieces, we can help you create the look you want.

Boston pied-a-tere ...

Traditional Home Magazine // September 2013

design by Joseph Abboud // Eric Roth photos

{read the story here}

Rustic Equestrian Inspired Living Room by designvignettes

Polished nickel lighting

bassettfurniture.com

Home decor

bassettfurniture.com

Biltmore sofa

bassettfurniture.com

Accent chair

bassettfurniture.com

Accent chair

bassettfurniture.com

Ottoman

bassettfurniture.com

Malaga Hand Tufted Carpet

bassettfurniture.com

Rustic-Barn-Hall-Chest

bassettfurniture.com

Captain-and-the-Miss

bassettfurniture.com

Fern-II

bassettfurniture.com

House Beautiful Magazine // May 2014

design by Ellen Niven // Simon Watson photos

{read the story here}

French flair ...

Rich Jewel Toned Living Room by designvignettes 

If you have a room you would like to be magazine-worthy, schedule a complimentary makeover visit and room reveal via my contact link on Bassett. I also work with local interior design professionals who want to source quality pieces for their own client projects that can be custom-made and delivered in about 30 days. We are able to specify COM (customer’s own material) on all our custom upholstery pieces provided it passes our upholstery durability testing. I love projects small or large and am happy to help as much as needed. Having so many design resources under one roof makes it easy (and fun!)

In about a month there will be a new Del Frisco’s Grille steakhouse opening in our parking lot. Summer will be a great time to come visit us : )

{more about Bassett room makeovers here}

The Summer Nursery, part 1

“The Summer Nursery” designed by Yvonne Blacker
Photo courtesy of Eric Roth

“Summer Sky” by Mary Taggart

oil on canvas, 24 in. x 36 in.





Come back on Monday to see more photos of this nursery that I created for the Danvers Historical Society designer showcase, Reflecting on Danvers History through Interior Design. I will be sharing the inspiration behind the design, along with some
do-it-yourself tips and designer secrets!

Have a great weekend!
xo yvonne



ENTER TO WIN

Enter to win an item from the summer nursery
by commenting on my last post. Contest ends
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