Fireplace Mantles: Today's Obsession

I really, really REALLY want one of those old-fashioned marble fireplace facades in my bedroom. I just find them so beautiful and charming. I found a place called Old House Parts in Maine that sells them for around $450-650. I imagine shipping adds a couple more hundred, but this might be one of those things I eventually splurge on.

The top one is $450 and I just love the curvy carving. The bottom one is really nice, too. I don't have a lot of depth to spare in the apartment, so I just need the facade to stick out and give the illusion of a beautiful old brownstone parlor. The radiator under the window can provide the heat (though I do want a nice basic cover for that, too.)

Pass the sandpaper, I'm keeping my desk.

I have a little white desk that I could definitely shab up like this table in the corner. I was going to toss it out, but maybe I'll see what some sandpaper can do first.

Love the wooden planks on the wall and the glossy floor. Gives me ideas for the little outdoor sunroom when we build it.

Tablescapes and arranging pretty things

A cool arrangement of found objects. I'd replace the garland and glass-encased Virgin Mary with a few modern or metal/industrial pieces to city it up.

Lovely linens

Cute way to store sheets and towels from the blog Ciel D'Orage—little baskets with a fabric tie.

And so this is Christmas

As a Jew, I have no business commenting on Christmas. OR, I may just be the perfect, coolly-objective observer. Growing up in a Midwestern suburb, my sister and I used to count houses with Christmas decorations as they popped up in our neighborhood. The more tacky and over-the-top (think: Santa driving a full team of reindeer over a light-strewn Nativity scene), the more we ooh'd and ahh'd.

Since then, that starry-eyed "Hannukan" (as one neighbor called Jews in all seriousness) has evolved into a WASPy Anglophile who likes understated class in her Christmas decor, thankyouverymuch. Like this Paris doorway pictured on the blog Paris Parfait. The white ribons are so pretty and sophisticated, especially bundled around the branches. Love the wicker pots, too. Nothing except the wreaths really says "Christmas." Which means I could avoid feeling any Jewish guilt if I try this at home.

The "canvas": my backyard

Disclaimer: I lived in the apartment from 2002-06, but I never really did much with the place. It was only until my sister moved in that it was transformed into a French Country meets city slicker wonderland. This top photo is an aerial shot taken by my neighbor when I lived there. I had some crap metal furniture with a glass-topped table (later broken by a tree branch. However, the "bones" are there. I feel eternally blessed to have an oasis like this in New York.


My sis brought in an iron daybed for decadent lounging (jury's out, but she may leave it for us and the dogs to enjoy). She also inherited some wooden outdoor furniture that works much better in a garden setting. It will probably need to be replaced, as it hasn't weathered the elements so well. She also got old barrels, an antique wagon and some wooden crates that are transformed into planters.


My husband wants to build a small, heated sunroom back here and I can't wait. I'm imagining coffee, reading, and lounging year-round, looking out at this little bit of paradise.






I like this ladder concept a lot and I think it could work in my garden. I would probably use flowers rather than the industrial letters (this example is actually TOO urban for a New York garden).

This morning's obsession: lit outdoor clock

After seeing how cool the lit bar clock looked in this photo from my new favorite Frenchie blog Tongue in Cheek, I started dreaming of something similar for my backyard. I have a brick wall that could benefit from a little styling. I like the weathered "Restaurant" sign and the landscaping elements around the clock, as well as the potted tree. Got me thinking about making a little mini awning out of vines or brush.

Of course, this is NYC, so air conditioning drips or a cigarette butt flicked down by a careless neighbor could make this all a fire hazard. But the lit European clock (this fancy one at left is a two-sided design made by Stokes Clocks in Ireland) is a cool concept. It's a little too uptown/5th Avenue for me, but maybe I can find something like this on eBay.


(Top photo by Corey Amaro)