Decor – Page 2 – Sue At Home

Suzani Ottoman Goodness

September 5, 2013September 6, 2013 Sue Erneta

Meet our ottoman.

It came to us at a price of zero dollars which is my favorite kind of price. (We were lucky enough to snatch it up when my parents moved on to bigger and better things.) But unfortunately, I wasn’t that into the washed red cotton skirted slipcover that came with it so it sat naked (slipcoverless) in our den for longer then I care to admit.

I considered a million different options of how to cover it. A slipcover? DIY upholstery? Professional upholstery? And most importantly, what fabric?

Perhaps a suzani?

I had fallen in love with vintage suzani textiles ever since I stayed at the Colony Palms hotel in Palm Springs. “Delicious” designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard (of Million Dollar Decorators fame) plastered the hotel with suzanis–as headboards, in picture frames, as throw pillows and just draped all over everything. (Images via colonypalmshotel.com.)

Pretty fabulous, right?

Then I spotted this image over a year ago on a blog and saved it on Pinterest with the text: “I’m thinking the mid-century man cave needs a little boho printed love. Maybe cover the ottoman in a Suzani?” (Just goes to show how long brewing a makeover can be!) Note: I pinned it from another site who used it without crediting it (booo!) so I just did a little Pin-research to find the original source. It was done by a writer named Kevin Austin from Style at Home. It was originally a coffee table!

But the problem is that this crazy idea of mine was going to go into our den, a.k.a. The Mid Century Man Cave, a.k.a. Pablo’s room. As I’ve mentioned before, he’s generally very agreeable about all my design choices (see proof in I Have a Hot Pink Chair!), but this is “his” sanctuary and he wasn’t fully convinced about how the suzani would work with our Ikea black and white striped rug. Until we saw this:

It’s the home of Amber Lewis of Amber Interiors featured in HGTV magazine. (I seem to be talking about Amber ALL the time lately, like here and here. Is this becoming a serious design crush? I would say so.)

Alas! This was the visual help I needed to convince Pablo but then came the next hurdle…how does one buy a suzani?

I considered lots of different sites and did a bunch of research and ended up finding a REALLY AFFORDABLE one on eBay. I snagged it for only $45 plus $30 shipping. (What? Do you have a cheaper shipping method from Uzbekistan? Yeah, I didn’t think so.) And considering that I looked at some that were well into the hundreds, I think $75 is a fair price to pay for something hand embroidered.

Looks pretty similar to this one on Wisteria for $900, dontcha think? (It’s no longer available. Does that mean some moron actually bought it?)

A few weeks later, we found this little bundle of joy on our doorstep.

It was sewn closed and dotted with some kind of brown doody-looking substance that had hardened to seal it up.

But inside it’s unique wrapping (and two protective layers of plastic bags), there it was in all it’s hand-sewn gloriousness.

Look at the detail from the back. It’s stunning!

See that seam going across the upper left corner? That’s because several women in the family will stitch different sections and then they’re joined together later. Don’t worry. You can barely tell from the other side. (But ironically, you can see the seam in the $900 Wisteria one shown above!)

But I was a little sad to see that if I centered the red medallion on the ottoman, I would lose all of that beautiful detail at the edges. So, I considered covering it off-center, like this pic below so I could get at least two of the edges on it. (I now know that was dumb and would have been sacrilegious to my beautiful suzani. Don’t worry. I saw the ere of my ways.) After considering a DIY (I mean, I even had out the staple gun and some scissors), I chickened out and decided to have a pro do it. And I am so glad I did.

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Garwood Interiors knew just what to do to center the medallion and preserve the edges of the suzani. Isn’t it a beaut? (And soooooooo much better than what me and my staple gun would have done!) And he only charged $150. I don’t really know if that’s a lot or a little for work like this but it felt totally worth it to me.

And now she’s sitting in the man cave (the most well lit one in the world) with her new friend the vintage credenza (but that’s another happy story for another day).

I like how the brown embroidery around the red medallion, ties into the brown couch that–until now–had nothing to do with anything else in there.

I know I owe you a lot more pictures of the room. It’s one of the places that I’ve barely shared with you (aside from a peek during the blackout after Sandy when we were dancing in the dark and when we looked at my spray painted chairs) but I promise that some “in progress” pics are coming very soon.

Thanks to my parents (who are celebrating their 48th wedding anniversary today! Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!) for giving us the ottoman. And thanks to you for reading this way-too-long post!

Sue at Home

Decor, Home, My house, Shopping

Batik Pillows from Etsy

August 24, 2013June 11, 2020 Sue Erneta

I’ve got a problem. It’s an obsession really. You see, I need new pillows for my living room couch and once I saw these beauties from Amber Interiors I couldn’t think of anything else.

They’re dark blue batik with hot pink stitching and that pretty much means they’ve got my name written all over them. But there’s a problem. Let’s take a closer a look at this pillow named Sally.

Do you see the problem? That’s right. She’s $195! Oh Amber, I love your shoppe but I do not have $600 to spend on three pillows. So, I did what any smart shopper (AKA poor shopper) would do: I went to etsy. It didn’t take much–just a quick “batik pillow” search–to find a couple great shops.

First I spied SiameseDreamDesign which has lots of batik pillows (and bonus: their prices are more in the $28 range)! There were lots that I liked and I highly considered these two. (Click pics for direct links.)

But I kept searching and finally hit the jackpot with OrientalTribe11. A little pricier (the 16×16 ones are $40 and the 20x20s are $60) but I felt like they were closer to the Amber ones that I so coveted. I bought these two but there are lots more like them:

Hmmm…that second one looks kinda similar to our old friend Sally. Let’s take a closer look.

Damn, I love Etsy.

And yes, I know I said I was buying three but I think I’m going to wait until I get the first two and then figure out what else I need. As excited as I am about my cheaper find, I still think Amber (interior designer and seller of the $195 pillows) is a genius so I’m going to follow her lead and make sure my pillows aren’t all too matchy. I mean, did you see this beautiful pillow pile when her place was featured on Style Me Pretty Living last week?

You’ve just got to check it out. Her whole place is a study in contrasts. It’s all crisp and clean with beautiful ethnic accessories.

Can I move in?

Stay tuned to see how the living room shapes up when my new pillows arrive! More on the living room here.)

All Amber Interiors home pictures via Style Me Pretty Living photographed by Bryce Covey.

Sue at Home

Decor, Home, Shopping

Haven’s Kitchen

July 19, 2013June 11, 2020 Sue Erneta

I first visited Haven’s Kitchen about a year ago for a Keri Levitt Communications event but, for whatever reason, I never wrote a post about it. Well…wait no more, dear readers. Here it is!

Haven’s Kitchen is (according to their website) a “recreational cooking school, specialty food shop, and event space” in Manhattan on West 17th Street. I love the place because their homemade granola is crack in a bag but the reason I wanted to share it with you is the fun decor. Let’s take a look. (Apologies in advance for the iphone pics.)

One step in the door and you’re greeted by lights in little jam jars.

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Next you’ll see industrial shelves with all of Haven’s yummy food products. (I’ll take this opportunity to mention that granola again. I promise, it’s worth the $11 you’ll pay for a 1 lb bag.)

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In the back is the kitchen where they host cooking classes. One of the most popular classes: Boozy Brunch.

There are so many cute things on the walls.

Now, let’s go upstairs to the event space. I love the art on the way up.

And the marble steps aren’t too bad either.

Isn’t the striped sofa in this little seating area just amazing?

And right next to that is this beautiful bar.

Oh, hello little pops of yellow.

The best has got to be this sweet this sentiment by the bathroom mirror.

Oh…and did I mention the granola? I know, I know. But believe me, if you try it, you’ll undrestand why I had to tell you about it three times. You’ll thank me. (Photo via havenskitchen.com)

Thanks to Keri and Jillian for introducing to this amazing place!

Sue at Home

Decor, Home

Designer Rachael Goddard

May 31, 2013 Sue Erneta

My dear friend Rachael recently relocated from NYC to LA with her young family and after searching for a neighborhood that felt right to her, she finally found one in Calabasas. Problem is…the house needs a little decorating love. Luckily for her, she has found Rachael Goddard of Paint Design Decor. When I saw Goddard’s website, I was gasping. Her work is so so so simple but just so so so perfect. It’s all livable (kids allowed!) but still very elegant. She’s known for her stencil work but I’m dying over every room (stencil or not). I know my friend Rachael will be in great hands with Rachael (Yes – they’re both named Rachael and they both spell it with the extra “a”)! My Rach has promised to share some before and afters of the design process as it goes along but in the meantime, let’s drool over some of Goddard’s work.

First up, a beautiful striped ceiling.

This is such a perfect example of how to update a “builder basic” house with moldings and details, like those stunning black stairs.

I love the curves of the table with the pattern on the rug.

I mean, this is pretty much my dream kitchen.

Again, this is insanely simple but the restraint shown here is very difficult to pull off.

And lest you think she only works in black and white, check out these fun kids’ rooms.

Even with these bold patterns, this room seems so subtle.

Oh, yes…I’ll come right over.

All images via Paint Design Decor.

Good luck Rach! Can’t wait to come and visit again!

Sue at Home

Before and After, Decor, Home, My house

Spray Painted Thrift Shop Chairs

May 14, 2013June 11, 2020 Sue Erneta

Let’s take a little trip down memory lane, shall we? Back in January I took place in the Young House Love Macklemore Thrift Shop Challenge – with great success if I might say so myself.

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I spent my $20 on four busted looking chairs and I had some pretty grand plans for them. Ya know – something like this where mismatched chairs become a cohesive set thanks to some spray paint and some love.

But as I said back then, I was going to have to wait because freezing cold temperatures don’t work with spray painting. So at the first signs of spring, I took to the driveway with my chairs, some sandpaper and lots and lots of spray paint.

You may have noticed that one of the chairs was replaced from the original post. I just found one to be too wimpy. (Keep your eyes peeled – it happens again! Still, the total spent on chairs was under $30.)

Step one was to give each chair a light sanding with fine grade (220) sandpaper. I was using a spray primer first so I didn’t make myself crazy with this step. Just a little roughing up.

Next, I built myself a little area to paint with cardboard boxes and some duct tape. Obviously, I completely underestimated how much the fine mist of paint would travel and my driveway ended getting a little redish but it actually washed right off. (Note that I started with them upside-down first so I had less chance of getting any sticky marks on the parts that show by doing it the other way around.)

As for my spray paint, I went with a three product method: Krylon Primer in Gray, Krylon Gloss in Banner Red, and Krylon Crystal Clear protective coat. I’m a Krylon addict ever since it performed so well in my gold spray paint test.

It took a lot more coats than I anticipated but finally, it started to look red. I think during the process, I wiped out all the Banner Red in the tri-state area. I’m kidding of course but I did have to try 5 or 6 local stores to track down all the paint I needed. After I was done, I think I used a total of 3 cans of primer, 9 cans of color and 3 cans of top coat for the four chairs. I used every Michael’s coupon I could get my hands on and I bought a bunch at my local hardware store so I saved when I could but it definitely ended up costing more for the paint then I ever imagined. Lucky for me, the chairs were cheap!

Here’s a look at three chairs: 1 primed, 1 with a couple coats of color, and 1 all done. Yay for the all done!

Now, before I show you how cute the finished chairs look in our den, let’s take a peek at the sad spot that so badly needed them. Poor little Docksta!

And now…

Now it’s a happy place!

The chairs fit perfectly around the table and add some much needed color to the room. Check out how much better my view is from the kitchen “window”.

I didn’t sand them like crazy so they’re not perfect but I do like the slight glossyness of the finish.

Now that the weather is nicer and this room is no longer freezing, I’m thrilled to get to sit here for lots of lunches and dinners.

And I think the red works so well with lots of other things in the room. (I know this picture doesn’t show much. I promise to take more pictures of this room soon. Really! I promise!)

One thing I will point out is the little vintage Piano Teacher sign I got on Ebay. It was a birthday gift for Pablo. This room is the closest thing he has to a “man cave” so I wanted to add something personal. And since playing the piano is one of his loves, I figured it was fitting. It’s small but we both love it.

So, what do you think? I’m really happy with how they came out. They’ve got a lot more personality than something store bought and they’re a LOT cheaper!

Sue at Home

Decor, My house

I’m in Peony Heaven

May 11, 2013June 11, 2020 Sue Erneta

I wish you could smell my house right now.

My sweet husband has started a precedent that I hope continues for a long time. On the Friday night of Mother’s Day weekend, he shows up at home with a HUGE bundle of peonies.

You see, I don’t ask much for Mother’s Day – I just want to spend time with my family, get some very personal handmade cards, and fill my house with lots and lots of peonies. I don’t expect flowers for Valentine’s Day or my birthday but when it’s peony season–for just a few fleeting weeks–I want peonies. Specifically, Festiva Maxima. Those are the bright white ones (shown above) with a touch of magenta in the center. They have a scent that is like nothing else.

So, after Pablo comes in the bundle, I get to work snipping and arranging. (Don’t get mad that he doesn’t arrange them for me. You should know about my controlling nature by now.) And lucky me, I had enough to spread them out all over the house.

I get to wake up with them by my bedside. (Dontcha love my new initial tray from C Wonder?)

There are a few in the front window. (Who needs to edit her magazines and catalogs. This girl. That’s who.)

A tall vase of pink ones in the living room.

And a single bud in the den. And yes I know this shot is seriously over exposed but I kinda liked the way it made the vase look so let’s pretend it’s intentional, okay? (And there’s a sneek peek of my red chair in the background. Full post on those coming soon!)

And let’s not forget the huge explosion of peonies in the dining room. Boom!

Arranging tip: To get them to stay spread out in such a wide vase, I made a grid on the top of the vase with Scotch tape.

It was the first time I ever tried it and it worked like a charm!

And as I write this, the girls and Pablo are in the newly redecorated playroom art station (blog post coming soon!) working on a top secret project. I can’t imagine what it could be!

I’ll be back tomorrow with a special Mother’s Day wish to all the other mommies out there!

Sue at Home

Decor, Home, Travel

Sunset Tower

May 2, 2013June 11, 2020 Sue Erneta

A few weeks ago I traveled to LA for a photo shoot for my day job and I had the pleasure of staying at the Sunset Tower Hotel in West Hollywood. The hotel has loads of Hollywood history dating back to 1929. It used to be a residence for the elite stars of the time including Howard Hughes, John Wayne, Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe. Now, it’s a beautiful hotel that serves as host for the Vanity Fair Oscar party — and guests like me.

Let’s take a look at my tiny — but totally beautiful — room.

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And a closer look at that killer view. LA-044

I loved all the brass fixtures in the bathroom.

I mean, look at those sconces.

And the table lamps in the room were stunning, too. This tall drink of water is so simple and gorgeous.

And this spindly beauty is thin and gorgeous but no, it wouldn’t fit in my suitcase. Kidding.

My accommodations on my second night in LA were even more interesting. A good friend of mine from NYC moved to the west coast last year and she invited me to spend a night at the beautiful house she and her family are renting in Calabasas. The guest room in her house (complete with my own bathroom) was bigger than my room at The Sunset Tower. And — get this — it had a massive balcony with a view of the home across the street that just happens to belong to someone famous. In the spirit of privacy, I won’t tell you who it was but I’ll just say that her initials are KK and she has two kids and two sisters with the same initials. I think you can guess who I mean. Wink wink…

Foyer Update: New Lighting and Stools

April 8, 2013April 8, 2013 Sue Erneta

As I told you when I revealed our new foyer table, the lighting I had there was just borrowed from the bedroom and I knew I needed to find something else. Here’s a refresher of the foyer table with the borrowed light:

After the table went in, I went on a lamp shopping spree at Target but none of the options were quite right.

Since then, the foyer has gone through a couple changes. You may have noticed a couple of them when you saw our foyer on Apartment Therapy. (What? You missed that?? Well, our living room–which includes this foyer area–was featured on Apartment Therapy last year. Yup. It sure was!) Anyway, we were using an old mirrored lamp with a quick-fix shade from Target but I wasn’t crazy about it. We also got a new runner from Ballard for a song. It’s an indoor/outdoor rug so it’s super durable which is just what we needed. Is it a perfect forever runner? Probably not. But it’s good for now. (You can pick one up here.)

And then I revealed the little “hi” in the foyer back in November.

And it even got a brighter gold update back in this post:

But let’s get back to the hunt for a lamp…

Like I told you back in October, I was eagerly waiting for Nate Berkus’s collection to hit Target and when it did, I was there. It took a little hunting (read the harrowing tale here) but I found the lamp I wanted.

I figured I would just update this post that I started last fall with a nice picture of the Nate lamp and say it was all done. But…womp, womp…it wasn’t quite perfect. Believe me, I really wanted to love it but it just felt kinda wimpy and just not quite right.

…and I didn’t like the way the shade looked with light shining through it. (Yes, I know it still has the plastic on and yes, I know you’re not supposed to put it on like that but how the hell else are you supposed to see how it looks with light shining through?! I promise I just held it over the bulb for a few seconds, Mom.)

So, back to the drawing board. I picked up another lamp from Target with a panelled shade and that’s filling the space now. (I can’t seem to find either on the site right now so I guess they’re sold out but they’re both from the Threshold line which is killing it so go check out what else they have here.) It’s pretty but it’s not the lamp of my dreams.

So what would the lamp of my dreams be, you ask? Of, I don’t know. Probably something like the Robert table lamp from Matthew Studios in Amethyst:

Or the Veronica in quartz:

If you’re interested in purchasing one of them for me and you have the $3500 required to get one, you can go to rareculture.com to pick it up. (Actually don’t. That’s gross. If you have $3500 to spend on a table lamp, please just use the money to make a donation to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer for me. Thanks.)

You’ll also notice that we finally got some stools that sit on either side of the table. I might be DIYing a little addition to them soon I won’t into too much detail here but they’re from Serena and Lily and yes, they come with the dipped legs. Cute, right?

My little foyer is still a work in progress but it has come a long way since this!

Sue at Home

Before and After, Decor, Home, My house

House Tour: Living Room

March 10, 2013March 10, 2013 Sue Erneta

This is another one of those posts where I’m like, “What? I didn’t write that post yet?”. I mean, I’ve talked about our living room’s gallery wall and pink chair plus every detail of our foyer (which is part of our living room), but I’ve never talked about the living room itself. It’s even been featured on Apartment Therapy and yet I haven’t given you a full tour of the room! So, since I’m sure you’ve been dying to know where I got every last bit of it, here is the full tour and resource list. (And of course a beige-tastic “before” photo to start things off!)

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Paint: Benjamin Moore Teal

Rug: RugsUSA

Frames: Kohls

Manhattan Map: These Are Things

NYC area art: Aaron Straup Cope from 20×200

Canvas prints: Shutterfly

More detailed info about the gallery wall can be found here.

Media Console (we have two pushed together): CB2

Copper balls: Design Within Reach Annex (read their interesting history here and here)

Apple Bookends: Happy Chic by Jonathan Adler

Woven rag bench: Threshold at Target

Chair: PB Teen with my custom dye job (no longer available at PB Teen so try this one instead)

Je T’aime pillow: Atsuyo et Akiko

Garden stool: Home Goods

Roman shades: Handmade by the former owner. They came with the house!

Arc lamp: CB2

Brass candlesticks: Unique Thrift store (about $2 a piece!)

Coffee Table: old one from Pottery Barn (similar here)

Couch: really old one from Macy’s (similar here)

Pillows: printed on left (Country Lanes via Etsy), Monglian lamb (Pier 1, similar here), printed in middle (Nora Jane via Etsy), velvet (Crate and Barrel, similar here), printed on right (Eleen via Etsy)

Pink cashmere throw: Ann Taylor (Yup, you read that right! It was from a few years ago.)

Lucite Tray: Jonathan Adler

Brass bowl: Nate Berkus for Target (no longer available)

Foyer table: Serena and Lily (Scored for less than $100! Read the story here.)

Lamp: Target base and shade

Chevron bowl: Jayes via One Kings Lane

Runner: Ballard Designs

Mirror: it was my grandma’s :)

Hi letters: Land of Nod with Krylon Metallic Spray Paint (read the tutorial here)

Orange frame: C. Wonder

Brass bowl: Nate Berkus for Target (no longer available)

More about the foyer in these posts: the inspiration, the decorations, the table, and the reveal.

Dining Room and Hallway Paint: Benjamin Moore Coventry Gray

Antique chest: My parents bought it at a neighbor’s yard sale over 20 years ago!

Map: Future Map

Snake tray – Furbish

Skull box – a gift

Brass bunny – Antiques and Collectibles Too (read about where I found him here)

Turquoise vessel – TJ Maxx

Chevron urn – Nate Berkus for Target (no longer available)

Hope you enjoyed the Living Room tour. It sure is a lot more colorful than it used to be!

Check out more House Tour posts here.

Sue at Home

Decor, Home, Travel

Travel: A Visit to The Standard Miami

January 10, 2013January 9, 2013 Sue Erneta

In mid-December, I travelled to Miami to shoot a fashion story for my day job. Though I was in Miami for about 30 hours only, I was lucky enough to be staying at the Standard Miami, a relaxing and beautiful hotel that is a far cry from the insanity of South Beach. It’s known for it’s spa but with a long shoot day, I only had time to check out the grounds, sleep, and eat. The decor was great so I took a few pictures to share with you.

The check-in desk (Photo from the Standard Miami website. The rest are all mine!)

In the restaurant that’s in the lobby. Love the staghorn fern.

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The Readery with Warby Parker eyewear – and magazines and newspapers, of course. If you don’t know about Warby Parker yet, you should. For every pair of glasses they sell, one is distributed to a person in need.

This display is at the entrance to the Bar and Lounge, a beautiful mid-century decorated space.

This was the scene outside of my room. There was a curtain you could close but I still can’t imagine getting into that tub that’s sitting out in the open. Then again, I was travelling for business. Get a few drinks in me and…maybe?

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The guest rooms are simple – sort of Scandinavian meets summer camp. I thought the fabric hanging behind the bed was kind of drab but the idea is great.

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The sink was really interesting: a Carrera marble bowl sitting in a wooden stand.

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The shrub-lined walkway from the lobby to the water.

The entrance to the Lido restaurant.

Lido. Have the skirt steak with a side of their award winning tater tots.

The pool at sunset.

I loved the Blue Bunny machine in a little cabana of it’s own.

Overlooking the bay.

The firepit.

The swing garden with the firepit in the background.

While I was searching for other pictures of the hotel online, I found a great hotel resource: oyster.com. I don’t know if everyone and their mother has been using this site already and I’ve just been living under a rock. (I hope not because then you’re all in trouble for not telling me about it.) It’s a photo-driven travel site with real pictures taken by real people. So, instead of a hotel’s picture of the pool that features one gorgeous model in a white bikini, you get to see what it really looks like when it’s filled with dudes with beer bellies. So many dudes with beer bellies that you can’t get a seat. Ha ha! But you get the idea though.

Oyster.com‘s pictures of the Standard Miami were pretty similar to mine (which doesn’t surprise me because, ya know, I actually stayed there) but check out out some of these comparison’s from their site. The photos on the left are each hotel’s pictures, the ones on the right are from Oyster.com’s “Special Investigators”.

Of course, now I’m obsessed with it and I can’t stop checking out all the places I’ve stayed at and everywhere I’ve ever wanted to stay! Hope you’re planning some fun travel soon. If so, tell me where you’re going! We’re counting the days to Aruba…

For other Sue at Home travel features, check out these posts:

A Visit to Hidden Pond

Three Days in Kennebunkport, Maine

Decor Ideas from Tides Beach Club in Maine

Our Wedding: Newport, Rhode Island

Revel in Atlantic City

Sue at Home

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